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leclerc-s · 2 months

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snow angel - track five

series masterlist // previous // next

MAY 2023

yuki tsunoda what's the saying?

lily muni he we ride at dawn!! yuki tsunoda yes, thank you, lily. WE RIDE AT DAWN FUCKERS!!

max verstappen i for one did not know norizz cheated on her with one of her friends.

pierre gasly WHO WAS IT RHEA?

rhea reynolds not important. mick schumacher her childhood best friend. rhea reynolds MICK?!

mick schumacher the people deserve to know the truth!

alex albon that is so much worse than just a friend.

esteban ocon i hope you destroy him with your new album.

mick schumacher oh it's bad.

lance stroll on a scale of multi-21 to abu dhabi 2021. how bad is it?

rhea reynolds probably abu dhabi 2021.

george russell a woman scorned is a man's worst nightmare. good for you.

daniel ricciardo that shit was awfully british of you russell george! george russell I AM BRITISH!

pierre gasly kika says she can't wait to hear you tear this man apart.

max verstappen she's coming for his weave. is that the saying?

rhea reynolds eh, it's an old one but it works.

logan sargeant THEY GOT #FUCKLANDONOWINS TRENDING ON TWITTER!

charles leclerc i hope this resurfaces when rhea releases new music.

lily muni he by the way, where's our sneak peak??

mick schumacher i'm afraid you guys aren't ready for the album. it's so sad.

charles leclerc A WIN FOR THE SAD BITCHES (ME!)

rheareynolds posted new stories

"i bet you couldn't believe. when you realized i'm harder to forget than i was to leave"

he looks like he's hard at work but he's watching deadpool

liked by taylorswift, gina_schumacher, vancityreynolds and others

rheareynolds to the person i can irrevocably be myself with, i love you. i'm sorry this is how the world found out.

tagged: mickschumacher

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📍mickschumacher ich liebe dich

↳ rheayreynolds ich liebe dich auch

user1 oh my god they're so cute.

user2 what the fuck- they're so adorable.

oscarpiastri oh thank god. i don't think i could handle another rumor that we were dating. i have a girlfriend.

↳ rheareynolds you'd be lucky to date me!

↳ oscarpiastri sure, we'll go with lucky

lancestroll and this is the part where everyone thanks me and lily because we're the reason those two are even together.

↳ user3 thank you for your service lance and lily

user4 it's literally black cat gf and golden retriever bf

arthur_leclerc oh good. i don't think i could handle keeping this a secret any longer.

↳ olliebearman because bigmouth leclerc is the reason i found out and i don't even know rhea!

vancityreynolds gross get this shit off my feed

↳ rheareynolds and to think just yesterday you were asking me "when can i see mick again?"

↳ vancityreynolds i have to deal with your pda in person what makes you think i want to see it on my instagram feed?

↳ mickschumacher that's a very valid answer.

↳ rheareynolds kiss ass

↳ mickschumacher it's why blake likes me more than you

↳ rheareynolds TAKE IT BACK SCHUMACHER! I'M BLAKE'S FAVORITE!

user5 blake 🤝 mick 🤝 handing the reynolds craziness

maxverstappen1 orange just stormed out of the motorhome. he's heading for aston martin, nevermind he's coming for me.

↳ maxverstappen1 he's shouting for me to come outside. i will not.

↳ rheareynolds coward

↳ maxverstappen1 and you just couldn't wait until after miami?

charles_leclerc congrats but also could someone like, tell orange to stop causing a scene? this is very embarrassing.

↳ georgerussell63 he has found his way to the mercedes motorhome. we are in danger.

liked by vancityreynolds, estebanocon, blakelively and others

mickschumacher the prettiest girl ever.

tagged: rheareynolds

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📍rheareynolds hey, i love you!

↳ mickschumacher hey, i love you too!

user6 this, this couple means everything to me.

lilymhe STOP! THIS IS SO FUCKING CUTE!

francesca.cgomes aww mick, this is so adorable!

user7 i want someone to look at me the way rhea looks at mick

↳ user8 she genuinely looks so in love with him

pierregasly he's making the rest of us look bad.

↳ mickshumacher i have to humble all of you somehow.

↳ alex_albon NOT LIKE THIS SCHUMACHER!

user9 aww guys regina george found her forever.

vancityreynolds don't fuck this up schumacher. i know how to use a katana.

↳ mickschumacher that's not as threatening as you think it is. i saw you scream over a spider. but i wasn't planning on it.

user10 the picture of her with the tums is so funny. why did she even have them in the first place?

↳ user11 because she's rhea and she does random shit like this all the time.

blakelively so that's where ryan's tums went...

↳ rheareynolds it was an emergency blake! esteban needed them!

↳ estebanocon liar! you stole them for 'funsies'

user12 i never remember blake and ryan liking one of lando's posts about rhea.

↳ user13 or commenting, they must have known he was going to fuck up eventually.

↳ user12 or they just didn't like him for rhea.

JUNE 2023

liked by yukitsunoda0511, lilymhe, francesca.cgomes and others

rheareynolds snow angel THE ALBUM OUT 08/18 snow angel THE SINGLE OUT 06/09

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pierregasly 69? really

↳ rheareynolds i’m a comedian gasly.

user1 it’s literally the 8th! the single is out tomorrow!!

lilymhe his peace ends now

↳ rheareynolds babe he hasn’t known peace since bahrain 2022. you’ve made it your goal.

↳ lilymhe i would be a horrible best friend if i didn’t fulfill my duty

danielricciardo album of the year i fear

maxverstappen1 his peace is over. i will be playing this everyday until the end of the season

↳ user2 trust max to terrorize no wins with this album. we thank you for your service.

↳ maxverstappen1 glad to be of service 🫡

user3 oh i just know this album is going to hurt

yukitsunoda0511 will i find myself crying to this album?

↳ rheareynolds perhaps?

mickschumacher you killed it!

↳ rheareynolds i literally love you.

francesca.cgomes i fear she ate with this

oscarpiastri this post has reached the target. i repeat target has been reached.

↳ rheareynolds good. thank you for your service mr.pastry!

↳ user4 i love this duo so much

alex albon WAS YOUR GOAL TO BREAK OUR HEARTS??

logan sargeant I AM A PUDDLE OF TEARS ON THE FLOOR!!

charles leclerc i was so right in claiming snow angel.

yuki tsunoda DUDE I GET TO SCREAM THIS SONG IN CANADA! LET'S FUCKING GO!!

lily muni he she went to the taylor swift school of heartbreaking track 5's because WHAT THE FUCK??

mick schumacher i warned you guys.

oscar piastri can't wait to play this song right next to his drivers room.

max verstappen CAN I FIGHT HIM?? LET ME FIGHT HIM??

george russell YOU ARE NOT WEAK! HE'S WEAK!

daniel ricciardo FUCK MEN! FUCK LANDO NORRIS!

george russell YOU ARE SO WORTHY! HE ISN'T!

lily muni he RHEA, BABY, WE LOVE YOU!

rhea reynolds aww, i'm glad you guys liked the song.

max verstappen what's stopping me from crashing into him in canada??

yuki tsunoda what's stopping me from biting his ankles?? pierre gasly what's stopping me from running him over with my car??

lance stroll there are tears in my eyes rhea. this isn't funny

esteban ocon i can confirm there are tears in his eyes. but they are also in mine.

charles leclerc i haven't been able to stop crying since i first heard it. arthur is worried.

mick schumacher it'll be even worse when you hear the album. i cried the first time.

mick schumacher and the second, and the third mick schumacher IT'S A SAD ALBUM!

max verstappen i will fight him. we are defending rhea's honor.

rhea reynolds no, max, it's okay. i'm over it, i promise.

lily muni he it's okay, i can fight him.

yuki tsunoda and me. he will never see me coming. rhea reynolds NO! NO FIGHTING! logan sargeant what about crashing into him?? rhea reynolds NO! oscar piastri slowly torturing him with the song?? rhea reynolds umm, i'll let you people do that one thing.

daniel ricciardo A WIN FOR US! A LOSS FOR NOBITCHES!

alex albon operation make norizz miserable starts now.

taglist: @emilyval @ihateyougunthersteiner @lesliiieeeee @firetruckstuckley @33-81 @landonorizzz @yoremins @nikfigueiredo @badassturtle13 @cataf1 @silentreader128 @taylorsatl @alessioayla @greeneyesandsunshine @wisteriafence @mrscharlesleclerc @sesamepancakes @localwhoore @vettelsebastianvettel @Pinksstrawberry @yourbane @bborra @aandreea2005 @nichmeddar @asparklysoul @landossainz @scarletwidow3000 @cha-hot @ssararuffoni @cherry-piee @vroomvroommuppett @shineforever19 @kissesandmartinis @luckyladycreator2 @blushmimi @namgification @moonyzsworld @casperlikej @reader-22s-blog

strikethrough means i couldn't tag you

click here to be added to the taglist

¡leclerc-s speaks! am i making lando too big of an asshole? oh who cares, it's a fanfiction.

¡disclaimer! this is in no way making assumptions about the people involved in this story, this is all fake. it is a fanfiction please don't take any of what is said seriously. this is all for entertainment purposes and as a creative outlet for me. enjoy!

#leclerc-s #snow angel series #f1 instagram au #f1 x oc #f1 oc #f1 smau #f1 social media au #f1 #formula one #f1 fic #formula 1 fic #f1 x female oc #lando norris x female oc #mick schumacher x female oc

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jariten · 3 months

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Recurring themes in 2023: my year of lesbian and yuriful manga

Doing this a little different when summarizing 2023. Since I stuck to my decision to not start buying any new licensed series and mainly did cultural catchup for both english and japanese manga I didn't really read enough hot new releases in 2023 for them to warrant a list of their own as they usually do. So to catch up on the months without a roundup as well as a year end summary I will do some themed lists!

The first came to easy since a noticeable trend was how much lesbian and yuri manga i made time for. For clarity I make a subjective distinction of lesbian and yuri works, just as some works I'm more inclined to describe as a Gay or LGBT story rather than a BL if it wasn't published in a BL imprint or invests time to do cultural or social commentary. Now to the list:

Among my favorite lesbian manga read in 2023 are: The Girl That Can't Get A Girlfriend by Mieri Hiranishi Moonlight Flowers by Mutsumi Tsukumo Indigo Blue by Ebine Yamaji Umibe no Kain by Minori Kimura

I won't reiterate too much as I already talked about it in a roundup but Hiranishi gave an extremely refreshing perspective on being a woman who loves masculine women, the dark story of her first heartbreak and the path forward. Love that Viz took the initiative to give her a graphic novel edition and promote her platform by licensing The Girl That Can't Get a Girlfriend. I've always found women's manga to be a not that secret treasure trove of lesbian stories yet I hadn't read the classic that is Moonlight Flowers... Just a truly suspenseful and romantic story of lesbian love as liberation and freedom that I can't recommend enough. Just with a clear warning of depictions of intimate partner violence that could be upsetting.

Yamaji has a well known track record of exploring lesbianism as well as bisexuality and I think Indigo Blue was extremely interesting in its explooration of the protagonist and her journey to figuring out what she wants as she's caught between two relationships. Another story of a woman's journey to confront who she is and what she wants: Umibe no Cain was a rather heartbreaking story of a young woman seeking refuge with a woman older than herself and as they start forming a frienfdship she begins to face the hurt and trauma she faced from her mother. But as the two women grow closer their relationship might take a turn that they can't come back from.

In the yuri-ish category: Kimi no Kureru Mazui Ame by Kaiko Fuyumushi OL to Ningyo by Mai Shiba

Won't reiterate too much of Kimi no Kureru Mazui Ame as I already talked about it in a roundup but love bite sized depictions of a miserable adolescence and toxic yuri but not quite. And if you found yourself taken by the more supernatural stories in this collection then may I recommend OL to Ningyo? Described by the author themselves as yuri-ish this collection depicts the bonds of human girls and their non-human counterparts. Humans, vampires, tengu, mermaid, and oni all face their own challenges and conflicts both romantic and otherwise.

In the Now That's What I Call Yuri category: Natsu to Lemon to Overlay by Ru & Miyako Miyahara Ki ni Natteru Hito ga Otoko Janakatta (The Guy She Was Interested in Wasn't a Guy At All) by Sumiko Arai Sukeban to Tenkousei by Fujichika

Natsu to Lemon to Overlay is the manga adaption of a yuri award winning novel novel that I picked kind of at random. An aspiring voice actress struggling to make any career moves are requested by a mysterious woman to read the obituary at her own funeral. What happens next will warm your heart. The Guy She Liked is one where I'm just going to assume most if not all of you are aware of so I'm just going to say that I like it and am looking forward to the next volume 👍 And last but not least: an adorable 80's throwback with some truly heartwarming moments and developments not to mention very funny: Sukeban to Tenkousei by Fujichika

#recommendation corner #roundup #my scans #long post

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leclsrc · 1 year

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Could you maybe write a blurb for Charles . Just like the trend on tiktok, that you are having a argument with your boyfriend and during the argument you are flashing him with your tits?

my own doing – cl16

genre: smuuut, 2k celebration, toxic relationship bec i listened to pnd and care package so much tn

auds here... title from this (but also listened to this while writing), also this is not funny its just smutty anon i am sorry.

nsfw warnings under the cut!

18+ because... penetrative sex, praise/dirty talk as per auds law, angryish sex, unprotected sex too (wrap it before u tap it)

“Didn’t you used to date this guy?”

The newspaper rustles, is turned to you, and Charles Leclerc’s flushed face is in yours displaying a championship-winning smile. It takes a lot for you not to visibly react, your lips still pursed and eyebrows still furrowed when you face your friend’s curious face again.

“Huh. Used to,” you chuckle. “I haven’t heard from him in forever.”

The only thing you’re used to is lying—and not only are you accustomed to it, you’ve also grown good at it. You lie to your friends, who ask where your flights are headed; to your dates, who ask if you’re committed to anyone; your mother, who asks you if you’re involved with anyone. You gulp, watching your friend’s interest fade away as she flips the page and reads the horoscope.

“Today, you will…” She hums, searching for your zodiac sign. “Hmm. Fall into old habits.”

—

“So wet for me,” Charles murmurs behind you, fingers toying with your clit. “So good, yeah? Missed me that much? Come on, cum for me.”

“Y—yeah,” you keen desperately. “So good, fuck, I’m gonna—!”

You grind back onto his cock when you cum for the third time tonight, legs shaking with overstimulation. As always, he cleans you up, presses gentle kisses to your hair and forehead, blowing softly over your sticky face.

“Flight tomorrow?”

“First thing. I have work Monday,” you say, turning over to face him. Your lips move softly against his neck, his jaw. His hands roam over the expanse of your bare back, tracing circles on your favorite spots; the ones that feel good, aren’t too ticklish. He knows every spot. Every inch. He’s the only one that does.

“Wish you didn’t.”

You snort. “Wish I could believe that.”

—

Charles has high tolerance to just about everything. The worst type of drunk he gets is goofy drunk, which isn’t bad at all—he dances like crazy, starts telling the worst jokes, moves around a lot, is unnecessarily noisy, but all that takes him a fuckton of alcohol. It’s jealousy he falls into easily—and when he does, it’s almost a whole different Charles.

“I saw your post with Matt, or whatever. Pensais-tu que je ne verrais pas? Why post with some guy then fly economy just to see me?”

You roll your eyes. “You’re full of it. Matt and I—just friends. Don’t act like you’re not linked with every other girl in Monaco.” The conversation you’re having seems out of place when you’re on top of him making out, but alas.

“You are mine.” He says it, doesn’t ask it, no softness to his tone. He’s not angry, but he has something to prove. He licks hungrily into your mouth, his hand unbuttoning your jeans, sneaking into them. “No one else’s.”

“Yeah?” You smile into his lips. “You sure about that?”

He grunts, irritated, taking both hands and tugging at the collar of your tank top to eventually pull it off of you. The room smells like weed and sex, two of his favorite post-race pastimes. You arch into his touch, wait for his hand to make its way to the clasp of your lace bra and pull your jeans off.

“Can anyone else fuck you this good?” He bites on your lip. “Huh?”

Your kissing grows hungry, desperate, aggressive. He thumbs at your nipples, drags the cups of your bra down to tweak them and get them hard. You whimper his name and it sounds like music. You grind onto his cock in his pants, denim to denim, awaiting more friction, more pleasure. He walks you through it, slow, easy.

“Answer me.”

“No,” you say, lip caught in between your teeth.

“I know,” he says, kissing up your neck. “I know.”

“You’re so fucking”—you claw antsily at his shirt, at the hard abs underneath—“full of yourself.” But you love it.

“Keep whining and you’re not getting fucked.” He cups your jaw, faces you toward him so you fully grasp his instructions. You groan, the noise teasing and petulant, but you nod anyway, letting him maneuver you out of your jeans even if it takes a few moments.

“Stop it,” you insist when his eyes are stuck on you, features shy. It’s always a reward for Charles, undressing you, so he can see your matching lacy sets (most of which he’d bought for you) and inadvertently realize how bad you want him to praise you.

“You just wait in my room in your pretty underwear hoping I fuck you?” He asks wickedly, his accent extra thick, sliding in and out of vowels and syllables slowly. “You want it that bad. Even when you say you don’t care about me. Even when you’re on dates with other men, no?”

“I don’t,” you lie, gritting your teeth as he pulls your panties to the side and slides a thumb over your slit. There’s something about being practically naked and him being fully clothed, with just enough room to tug his dick out.

“Couldn’t even wait ‘til we were in the same city, yeah?” He grabs you by your hips and pulls you downward, onto him, hot and tight, letting the stretch simmer. “Flew out here in fucking economy. Needed my attention that bad.”

“Charles,” you sob, guttural. He fucks up into you slowly. His words are too honest, too hard-hitting.

“Tell me,” he demands, pounding into you. “You can tell me. I wanted this too, baby. Was just gonna cum thinking of you but I got the real thing instead. Je ne peux me lasser de toi.”

You clench around him, giving in to the words, the persuasion, the pleasure. “Yes,” you confess, overwhelmed. Fuck, he’s splitting you open. “M’gonna cum. Wanna cum, wanna cum.”

“No. Wait.” He says firmly, and you curse, nodding, needing to follow his orders.

You’re tense all over, your orgasm brewing right at your stomach, and finally he’s throwing his head back, whining, releasing inside you. You follow suit, moanin, pushing back against it, your fingers playing with the damp curls at the nape of his neck.

Your foreheads collide, breaths mingling.

“I didn’t fly economy,” you protest. “First class only.”

“If we got back together,” he argues, “it’d be a private jet.”

—

“We have to stop this,” he says. Your mental tally chalks it up to six—six iterations of this exact conversation. Sometimes he starts it, sometimes you do. Today it’s him, because last night he cheated on his fling with you in the backseat of his car.

Is it really your problem? “Fine,” you say simply. “Stop it then. Block my fucking number and everything.”

“Ah, putain.” He pinches the bridge of his nose. “Do you really think it’s that easy?”

“Jesus. How many times are we going to fight like this?” You roll your eyes.

“Until you and I realize the sex is awf—”

But you’re fed up. You take the hem of your flimsy tank top in two hands and pull it upward, showing him your tits underneath. “This is awful?”

His eyes darken. “You’re such a brat.” But it’s the same brat he’s pinning up against the wall and fucking dumb anyway.

—

You’re greedy. You broke his heart, but you want him to yourself. And he’s stupid. He’s broken up with girls just for one fuck with you.

“They’re not even together,” you tell Pierre when a picture of a random girl is shoved in your face. “He said so himself.”

“When?” His eyes narrow.

“I meant—I meant, he never confirmed it. You know what? That’s besides the point,” you say, face warm with embarrassment at being caught in a lie. “Which is that he’s single.”

“Why do you care? You broke up with him years ago.”

“I don’t,” you say. And this time it’s the truth. The sex has been off the table for almost five months now, and both of you seem to finally be moving on from the viciously toxic cycle of fucking and crying and considering getting back together and fucking friends to get the other jealous (you don’t speak of Carlos.)

It’s healing the way you’ve both been mature enough to forgive, to grow up and stop hurting yourselves and each other. Your phone buzzes and you lower the brightness, lest Pierre attempt to take a peek.

Room 1903 baby.

Be there in 5. And hey, your lying’s gotten really good recently.

#f1 #charles leclerc #leclsrc2000 #charles leclerc smut #charles leclerc x reader #charles leclerc imagines #charles leclerc drabble #f1 x reader

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lia1512 · 5 months

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The No-Kiss Challenge Showdown

Y/N had stumbled upon the latest TikTok trend, "The No-Kiss Challenge," and an idea formed in her mischievous mind. With a twinkle in her eye, she approached her boyfriend, Elijah Michaelson, eager to propose a bet that would put their self-control to the ultimate test.

"Babe," Y/N grinned, her eyes sparkling with excitement. "I found this hilarious challenge on TikTok called 'The No-Kiss Challenge.' It's trending like crazy, and I was thinking, how about you and I give it a shot?"

Elijah raised an eyebrow, intrigued but wary. "What's the catch?" he asked, already suspecting that Y/N had something up her sleeve.

"No catch, I promise!" Y/N insisted, trying to look innocent. "It's simple — we just sit in front of each other without kissing for a set amount of time. The first one to break loses the bet!"

Elijah chuckled, sensing the mischief in Y/N's proposal. "And what do the winners get?"

Y/N smirked, her eyes gleaming with determination. "Bragging rights, of course! Plus, the loser has to do something special for the winner. What do you say, Elijah? Are you up for the challenge?"

Elijah couldn't resist Y/N's playful enthusiasm. "Alright, you're on! But I have a feeling you're underestimating my self-control," he teased.

As they set up for the challenge, Y/N couldn't help but secretly hope that Elijah would crack first.

The atmosphere was charged with tension as Y/N and Elijah faced each other, sitting on the couch with determined expressions. Y/N had set a timer for ten minutes, and the room was filled with a mix of playful banter and the sound of their racing hearts.

A few minutes into the challenge, Elijah couldn't help but steal glances at Y/N. Her lips, usually adorned with a mischievous smile, now held a teasing smirk. He could sense her confidence growing with each passing second.

"You're not making this easy, you know," Elijah remarked, trying to distract himself.

Y/N laughed, her eyes sparkling. "That's the point, Elijah. It's a challenge, after all."

As the timer ticked down, Elijah felt the urge to break the silence. He leaned in, his lips dangerously close to Y/N's ear. "You're going down," he whispered, a mischievous twinkle in his eye.

Y/N shivered at the proximity but remained resolute. "We'll see about that."

With only a minute left on the clock, Elijah's self-control wavered. He couldn't resist any longer. In a swift motion, he cupped Y/N's face and pressed his lips against hers. The room filled with the sound of their laughter as the timer on Y/N's phone beeped, signaling the end of the challenge.

Y/N pulled away, a triumphant grin on her face. "Looks like I win, Mr. Michaelson."

Elijah chuckled, conceding defeat. "You got me, but I have no regrets."

Y/N raised an eyebrow. "Oh, really? No regrets at all?"

Elijah leaned in, planting a soft, lingering kiss on Y/N's lips. "Well, maybe one regret—I should have kissed you sooner."

And just like that, the No-Kiss Challenge ended in a sweet victory for both of them. As they shared more laughter and affection, it became clear that the real prize was the joy of being in each other's company. The playful challenge had only deepened their connection, leaving them with fond memories of a showdown that neither would ever forget.

(I am in the middle of a challenge to see who can last the longest with no nut November with my partner but I'm not about to wright smut so here you go its the No-Kiss Challenge instead)

#elijah mikaelson #elijah mikaelson x reader #elijah mikealson imagine #elijah mikealson one shot #originals #the vampire diaries #no-kiss challenge

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tiredtxmblrvet · 3 months

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Fic rec friday!

Got this idea from @mediumgayitalian (thank you!)

Below are 5 fics I've enjoyed this past week/recently. (They're all solangelo)

FAR GALAXIES by @rosyredlipstick

https://archiveofourown.org/works/49263694

Summary:

She didn’t answer. Instead, she pulled out her PADD from her coat, slow enough that Nico only slightly twitched. Jason’s transmission was loaded up on the screen—at the bottom, their signature tag was spelled out. “Guardians of the Galaxy. That supposed to be a joke?” “More like an aspiration,” Jason said. - Space, the final frontier. Or whatever.

Rosy is still working on it, but when I tell you this is absolutely worth it. Nico is 1 part of the Guardians of the Galaxy, and him, along with Piper, Jason and Leo get into many shenanigans in their journey across the stars. I'm just obsessed with Will and Nico's dynamic in this. Rosy is just such an incredible writer, her fics will probably pop up in more of these if I'm being honest.

Solace by @solisaureus

https://archiveofourown.org/works/38228998

Summary:

solace (n.) comfort or consolation in a time of distress or sadness.

solis (n.) the Latin word for "sun."

I am an absolute sucker for fics that are "rewrites" of canon but that are Will Solace-centric, and when I tell you this absolutely delivers. I loved reading about Will's journey as a healer, how he deals with love and loss, it's just a beautiful fic!

i'm put in awe (of something so flawed and free) by CordeliaRose

https://archiveofourown.org/works/53629369

Summary:

Right. Well. Nico squares his shoulders, reminds himself that nobody’s perfect and this guy has to be ugly, and knocks on the door.

He is met with a Greek God, and forgets how to function.

|||

AKA: the archaeologist!Nico & trauma surgeon!Will AU.

If you're not familiar with Cordelia, they wrote the solangelo bible (AKA August) and are currently writing August(Will's version). However, they decided to bless us with this absolutely adorable Trauma Surgeon! Will and Archaeologist! Nico AU, and it's such a pleasant read. Will and Nico's dynamic is flirty and adorable, and the rest of the seven are such sweet friends to Nico. Plus Nico is autistic coded in this and I'm a sucker for that.

my lover's the sunlight by demigodbeauties

https://archiveofourown.org/works/30187689

Summary:

It’s his Olympic debut. In a few short hours, he’ll be the only man skating on the ice sitting before him. He’ll be skating in the Men’s Singles Short Programme and representing all of the United States. He’s in a city he hasn’t seen in years, skating a brand new set of routines, and he wants so desperately to win.

Figure Skater Nico di Angelo has a run in with Ice Hockey Player Will Solace. It doesn't go too smoothly, but then again - when does it ever?

Olympic Skater!Nico and Olympic Hockey player!Will. This story is warm and heartfelt, and the "enemies" part of the "enemies to lovers" tag is more misunderstanding than anything else. I felt myself wanting to cheer for Nico as he performed right there along Will, and #Solangelo even trends on twitter in this LOL.

Got a Pretty Face (Pretty Boyfriend, Too) by @buoyantsaturn

https://archiveofourown.org/works/33772453

Summary:

Was Will flirting with him? Or was this just his attempt at being a friendly neighbor? Either way, just to be safe, Nico should probably make it known that he’s off the market. Right? A casual mention of a boyfriend would work - he’d never had to let anybody down easy like that before, but he’d seen it in, like, movies. Thanks, I’ll see if my boyfriend is interested. Perfect. Now, he just had to say it.

Will moves from Austin to a small town in Texas, where he immediately takes up three jobs, and does not have the time to be flirting this much.

CJ never ceases to amaze and impress with their work, and this fic is no exception. I'm not normally one to read Leo/Nico, but I found I really enjoyed their dynamic in this fic, and the use of "sunshine" and "freckles" as nicknames for Will absolutely made me smile. Basically Nico and Leo live in Texas and Will works two jobs, and meets both Nico and Leo separately, and the two both start crushing on him. Shenanigans ensue. I adore this fic.

Okay that's all! I'll probably keep doing this until I run out of fics to recommend. Have a good friday lovelies!

#solangelo #nico di angelo #will solace #fic rec #solangelo fic rec #percy jackson #Percy jackson and the olympians #pjo

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that-ari-blogger · 1 month

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Inciting Incident (Thank Goodness)

One of the most popular songs in Wicked is sung by Galinda, and centres around the idea that the society she lives in is corrupt and that she is the only one who knows how it really works. But is she right about that? Does she actually know as much as she thinks?

I think the answer is complicated, and that's the fun of it. I think that Glinda has intellectually grasped that the system is flawed, but I don't think she's emotionally wrapped her head around it. Case and point, the complete and utter cognitive dissonance that is Thank Goodness.

Let me explain.

SPOILERS AHEAD: (Wicked, The Trekkie's Tale)

Thank Goodness is actually two songs. Thank Goodness itself, and a reprise of No-one Mourns The Wicked. So, it's a rehashing of the first act, opening with Glinda conversing with the crowd, the difference is whether or not she is appearing to agree with it.

In the first Glinda tries to argue for Elphaba's morality, and it frames the entire story. But now, Glinda stands idly by and goes along with all that the chorus says while they get more and more worked up by lies that she knows to be untrue.

You would think that the two segments of the song being in agreement would mean that they go well together, but they really don't. Thank Goodness and No-one Mourns The Wicked do not fit with each other at all, in my opinion.

So, what does this mean?

I think that this song shows Glinda lying to herself, and finally starting to crack and realise what is happening.

Glinda spends this song deflecting from the problem, instead of confronting it head on. She relies on popularity and giving the people what they want to distract them.

My ex-girlfriend is being hunted by the masses for something she didn't do, but look over here, I'm getting married!

"Like some terrible green blizzard

Throughout the land she flies

Defaming our poor Wizard

With her calumnies and lies!"

The obvious thing here is the tense. This is happening now, as opposed to something the characters have lived through and made it out the other side of. It is more immediate.

But the other thing that I want to point out is the wall that the Ozians are putting up. The reason Elphaba can't get through to anyone is because they think she is lying, because who are you more likely to believe, someone who you trust implicitly, or someone who everyone around you says is dangerous?

The song is broken into four sections. The introduction, Glinda's two reflections, and Madame Morrible's story, which prompts her to change her mind a bit.

"When you bowed before his throne

He decreed you'd hence be known

As Glinda the Good, officially!"

The following is an excerpt from The Trekkie's Tale, a Star Trek fanfic first published in 1974.

"Gee, golly, gosh, gloriosky," thought Mary Sue as she stepped on the bridge of the Enterprise. "Here I am, the youngest lieutenant in the fleet - only fifteen and a half years old." Captain Kirk came up to her...

"Here, take over the ship for a minute while I go get some coffee for us."

This is the archetypal Mary Sue story, a format where the protagonist gets all that they want and more. The world revolves around Mary Sue, and as a result, it isn't particularly compelling. She wins everything, then she saves the day and dies, and everyone mourns her.

Nobody online seems to be able to agree on whether this story was a satire of general fanfiction trends or not, a fact that I find rather funny.

But compare that to the story Madame Morrible is telling about Glinda. Allegedly, the wizard gave her the title for... not much actually. In Morrible's version of events, good people get things just because, and nobody is asking any questions.

Essentially, Glinda is getting all that she wants on a silver platter, with no questions asked, no strings attached. Well, one string attached.

"Then with a jealous squeal

The Wicked Witch burst from concealment

Where she had been lurking, surrpetitially!"

I mentioned in my post on Defying Gravity (maybe go check that one out) that the central conflict that ended Elphaba and Glinda's relationship was that Elphaba was prepared to sacrifice everything, and Glinda wasn't. But Glinda did have to give up something to achieve her dream, and I don't think she quite understood that until now. To get the power she craved, Glinda had to lose Elphaba.

This song is essentially bludgeoning Glinda over the head with the fact that this tradeoff was not worth it.

That is the dissonance inherent to Glinda's entire character. She recognises the flaws in the world around her but has convinced herself that it will be worth it when she gets to power.

I don't think that Galinda would have realised this, and I am making a point of differentiating Glinda and Galinda. In my mind, Glinda is the version of this character who fell in love with and was changed by Elphaba. The two characters are incredibly similar, and one is an evolution of the other, but it is the influence of Elphaba that makes the difference.

Galinda was seeking power for the sake of it, a person who got her way because she couldn't understand anything else. But Elphaba changed that and gave her a purpose for seeking to climb the ladder. I think Glinda believed she could make a difference from within the structure of Oz, probably to help Elphaba.

Glinda has got everything she theoretically wanted, but at the behest of the reason she was doing it, and now that she is here, she can't even initiate the change she wanted to change. Glinda made the wrong choice, and is only now realising it.

"We couldn't be happier

Right, dear?

Couldn't be happier

Right here

Look what we've got

A fairy-tale plot

Our very own happy ending."

If you are wondering why I've been leaving Glinda's monologues until the end, it is because they make my case for me, and make analysis rather difficult as a result. I have been saying over and over that this musical is about dreams and reality colliding, and that is explicitly stated in these verses.

The fact that there are two of these mirrors the two sides of Glinda's character. The first is the side that craves the attention and has got everything that she wants, then the song reminds her of Elphaba, and she tries again with a more nuanced perspective.

"Though it is, I admit

The tiniest bit

Unlike I anticipated

But I couldn't be happier

Simply couldn't be happier

Well - not simply

'Cause getting your dreams

It's strange, but it seems

A little, well, complicated"

This is literally what I've been saying. She's got what she wanted, but not in the way she wants. It's complicated, and that facade of hers is finally cracking.

That duality is mirrored by the time signature, which is maddening. The song oscillates between a ton of different signatures, and if someone with more musical knowledge understands anything more about this than me, please give me a hand.

From my, admittedly limited, understanding, this feels like a lack of surety. Glinda doesn't know what she wants or thinks anymore, so she can't decide what she is singing.

It also gives an incredibly informal tone, as the lack of structure matches how a person speaks, almost. There have been two characters who have distinct speech patterns in this musical, Madam Morrible, and Glinda. The script of both of whom is written in recurring patterns and rhythms, making up words to match the metre of their sentence. It's pompous and pseudointellectual.

This is most obvious in how smooth the start of Defying Gravity is. There, Glinda doesn't have to change how she talks to match the song, because she is already speaking in the right rhythm.

Cynthia Erivo's rendition of this song in PBS's Wicked In Concert is phenomenal and I highly recommend you check it out, not least of all because removing the crowd gives the song a completely different vibe.

But here, halfway through a song, she gives up with artfulness and just speaks her mind. It's still a song, so you still get the rhythms and melodies, but that is breaking down, and is gone in the script from this point forwards. That's partially why I say Glinda and Galinda are different people, they sound different to each other.

There are a few almost exceptions to this rule, and I say almost exceptions because they come really close to breaking the mould, but don't.

In this exception, Glinda is trying to convince herself that she is happy. The song is limited to one thought, the idea that Glinda should be happy, and there can't be anything wrong. She has got everything she wanted, and that would make her happy, right? Happy is what happens when all of your dreams... That's the word that throws her off, dreams.

This is no longer Glinda's dream.

This song is a microcosm of Glinda's entire arc in the musical. She follows the story laid out for her, but is changed by the journey until it no longer fits. She has changed, and now she can't do anything about it.

Ironically, Glinda has gained all the authority she could dream of, but she is more powerless and has less agency than she started with, and all of that happened without her notice.

"There's a kind of a sort of, cost

There's a couple of things get, lost

There are bridges you cross

You didn't know you crossed

Until you've crossed."

Final Thoughts

Genuinely, my favourite trope in a story is a character undergoing character development and not realising. For example, the "nobody's that heartless" line in The Emperor's New Groove.

But Glinda is my favourite example of this because of the way in which she reaches her conclusions. She is smart, possibly the most intelligent character in the entire musical, but her biases cause her to make some serious leaps of logic and ignore several things that would change her worldview until she runs headfirst into them.

Also, the stagecraft of this song is simple in order to not distract from Glinda's thoughts, but that means a lot of these photos are remarkably similar. I apologise for that.

Next week, I will be looking at Wonderful, and how it forms a neat little mirror of Sentimental Man, so stick around if that interests you.

Previous - Next

#rants #literary analysis #literature analysis #character analysis #what's so special about...?#glinda #glinda upland #wicked the musical #wicked musical #wicked #glinda the good witch #glinda wicked

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usernamesuggestionsarefunny · 2 months

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Possibly unpopular opinion (Or perhaps not idk): I love what they have done with Zuko and Ozai's relationship in the live action Netflix Avatar show.

In the cartoon we never get the ~vibes~ that Zuko has a complicated relationship with his father, only that it is abusive and one-sided in the sense only Zuko craves Ozai's approval, while Ozai straight up hates him, wants him dead or has no problem with him dying (Why doesn't he kill him if he has Azula? We don't know, plot has to happen, he sent Zuko to find the avatar in order to get rid of him, probably, or actually canon idk or remember), clearly prefers Azula to him as successor, etc, etc, etc (+ later the comics literally overkilled this trend "she was born lucky while..." omg stfu). Zuko is basically the perfect character to prove the fire nation is not all evil (Oh look, they hate him too, he is inherently their victim too from the very beginning).

So when Zuko switches sides in the cartoon, what I see as an adult rewatching is someone giving up on luxory, physical safety and... that is pretty much it. Sure it is a big deal to give up on those things to do what is right (Few would) and still awesome that he did the right thing in the end, but if you really think about it, he is not giving up that much, he is not giving up anything truly valuable to him. Respect? Honor? Sure he is said to have received it back after Azula "killed" Aang, but we never truly see it. For all intents and purposes his sister has that and wayyy more of it. His father's love and acceptance? Never had it, so he didn't truly "loose it" when he spoke up for those soldiers, got the scar and was banished, it is not really shown to have suddenly popped into existence when he was said to have killed the avatar. He literally had nothing in the fire nation, literally nothing. This could only make "doing the right thing" a lot easier for him, and for the adult audience (At least for me), his arc is just him realizing what is almost irritatingly obvious for us: That no one in the fire nation truly loves and respects him so might as well switch sides (Basically if we weren't also shown that Zuko is compassionate and does care about the horrible things the fire nation is doing, Ember Island Players would have gotten a bit of truth in it).

Now, in the live action, where do I even start? It has been so good so far when it comes to Ozai and Zuko. That man, if he hated Zuko in a cartoonishly evil way almost from birth, he sure doesn't show it. Don't get me wrong, he is just as abusive (Creepily so in many scenes, made me feel so protective of Zuko and Azula), but he is also shown to "care" about Zuko as in having some hope left that he can mold him into another powerful genocidal mini me. Is Azula winning by far? Ofc, she is still the prodigy, I am sure I am going to see flashbacks of favoritism later on. But Ozai doesn't yet seem to favor her in a way that makes Zuko's craving for his approval (Or even Ozai's hope in him as heir) hopeless. It seems, from his scenes with Azula, that Ozai foments the rivalry and competition between the two siblings not only because he personally thinks Azula is the best (Which he also might in this version), but also as a way of control through fear (Especially for prodigy Azula), and to make them (Especially comparatively weaker Zuko) "better", something this version of Ozai appears to think is possible EVEN when he banishes Zuko. Now, he might have done this "to get rid of him" as in the original, but in the live action he seems super open to and genuinely believe the idea that the exile could make Zuko stronger and better, not to mention worthy of the throne if he succeeds. Ozai treats Zuko like the heir despite favoring Azula is all I am saying. Zuko's actions are therefore almost impossible, yes, but not hopeless or even naive. And if this trend of Ozai's respect and "love" (Super on quotes) being achievable continues, Zuko's eventual turn to the good side will be much more powerful. He will have to give up much more after spending a summer with his abusive parent love bombing him for "killing" the avatar. Zuko's choice will be solely based on his findings about the horrors the fire nation has committed and not wanting to be the cause of more suffering even though he could have it all. Even though it was his fate to be his father's "mini me"-> Something terrifyingly likely and not so quickly discarded by the narrative itself as it was in the animated series.

I think the best part about this subtle change in the father-son dynamic (If it was the intention of the writers, I am aware it could have been unintended) is that the scar tm was a direct result of Zuko's compassion for those soldiers and not just the excuse Ozai used to banish him or "final straw" because he preferred Azula sooo much more, as it is pretty much implied later on in the animated series and comics by focusing so much on how much of a perfect victim Zuko was pretty much from birth. The addition of the 41st surviving because of Zuko was also pretty nice, and so is Zuko's relationship with them, he will need fire nation allies when he gets to the throne and this is a good start, something the animated series never touched upon much.

I am on episode 6 btw so my opinion might change. I will edit this post if that is the case. BUT my thoughts on these first scenes doesn't change, they are good imho

EDIT (And spoilers): I just watched Zhao’s revelation where he tells Zuko that Ozai would never let him return and he just wanted to use him to motivate Azula. It does change things and invalidates most of what I said, but taking out just this one scene, as I said, the Ozai-Zuko dynamic is great in this show, and also, Zhao is obviously not the most reliable source, because he was allied to Azula and obviously wanted to hurt Zuko, as he was losing the fight with him. There is also the fact that Azula wasn't watching Ozai and Zuko when Ozai told his son that he was being banished and that it was in part so he could get stronger etc, that was all for Zuko and had little way of serving as motivation for Azula (Unlike the scenes where Ozai praises Zuko in front of her, those could have totally been him bullshitting his daughter to motivate her to work even harder). So all in all this scene doesn't ruin the overall impression I had of the Ozai-Zuko father-son dynamic in the life action show. In fact, it could be taken to confirm one of my impressions which was that Ozai likes pitying his children against each other to push them harder.

EDIT 2: Ozai's reaction to Zuko's possible death is further proof imo that his “test” was very much real (even if almost impossible) and everything I said earlier still stands. He wouldn't mind that much if he died, it would just prove his “weakness”, and he is very pleased with Azula, but he didn't look happy or even indifferent when he learned the news.

#zuko #ozai #atla #atlab #avatar the last airbender #avatar the last airbender netflix #natla #natla spoilers #netflix avatar

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jewishbarbies · 8 months

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Forgive me but I have so much I can say about this that it physically hurts that her fans believe this nonsense…

“she has always been on the frontlines of change in the industry and setting trends”

When?

“she literally changed the demographic of country music from just being for/about older women to teen girls”

There were female artists before that those “older women” listened to when they were teens. When Taylor’s fans are older women there will be a new singer that teens listen to. It’s how the music industry and freaking aging works.

“she was one of the first people to really centralize social media in marketing”

She’s literally not. The singers that came up in the early 2000s are. They think 2006 is when the internet was being utilised for promoting singers because of Taylor. Google was invented in 1998. Social media & the internet was being used for almost a decade before. JLO is the reason google images was created for goodness sake.

“she left RCA because she felt that even if they gave her a good deal they would diminish other writers on the label.”

Do they really think she’s the only so singer to leave or stand up to their label. Britney Spears stole her upcoming song from her label and released it to a radio station in 2004/05.

“she unabashedly writes about her feelings as a young girl and a woman despite getting shit for it at every turn.”

Most female artists who came before her have struggled with this. Dolly Parton would win awards and get up on stage and not be allowed to speak because her MALE partner spoke for her. Even though Dolly was doing all the work.

“she's one of the first artists to successfully transfer genres from country to pop.”

This is just false. It happens all the time. Not to mention it happens with different genres and artists all the time.

“she stood up against streaming when literally no other artist did, got them to change some of their policies”

Because she’s the only one that is selfish enough to publicly pick a fight with someone and pretend it’s got nothing to do with her own bank account. Even when I was a fan of hers I knew she was doing it for herself.

“yet now the exact thing she was worried about has happened.”

Because she was greedy and arrogant and didn’t buy the masters when they were offered to her because she thinks she better than everyone.

“her move into pop music was completely different than the type of pop that was being made at the time and it influenced pop for years to come.”

Am I deaf? She stuck to the pop model created by those before her to make sure she was successful. Madonna, Janet Jackson, Britney Spears, Billie Eilish they all took risks with their music and careers to push the envelope and change the sound of pop. Not Taylor “stick to the formula” Swift.

“all before the me too movement.”

The act TS did herself was admirable but this sentence. This belief that this Swiftie (and potentially other Swifties too) have is a slap in the face to what this movement initially represented and what it meant for women who had endured this.

“her rerecording process is the first of its kind to be this successful and others are now following suit.”

Wtf does this sentence even mean. They don’t know sh*t about her recording process especially in comparison to other artist. Are they seriously so deluded to think no artist was successful before Taylor. How can they compare her to anyone if they believe this. This statement alone makes it sound like she is the reason music is successful.

“the way she publicized her fight to own her masters”

Yes for public sympathy cause she’s a narcissist.

“she also basically started the crop top set trend of the mid 2010s”

One quick google search and this is what I found. “Although the crop top first gained prominence in the fashion industry during the 1930s and 1940s - the latter in particular due to fabric rationing in World War II” I’m sure if I spent more time researching I could find more. But I also know it became very popular in the 1970s with men and carried in through to the 80s and 90s for men and women. Then the 2000s was when the trend reignited.

“heavily influenced the twee fashion of early 2010s”

This is not the compliment they think it is. This fashion trend is layered with the issues. Her racist fans probably love it because it’s a style that is deemed acceptable by those Hampton holidaying rich white mothers and fathers that got sent to boarding school in England when they were young (I hope that analogy makes sense). It was also equated to thinness particularly at the time it was popularised. Not to mention you google Twee and the pictures you see are if Jess from New Girl, Blair Waldorf from Gossip Girl (a character from a 2000s show) and Alexa Chung.

Also such a bizarre way to end their long winded rant.

They are all so blatantly ignorant and stupid. I wasn’t going to say stupid but it really is all it is at this point. They are stuck in this cult they can’t even make reasonable arguments anymore. It’s exhausting constantly being bombarded with them all in every facet of life. I see so many videos of Swifties singing her music in public settings like that video of them on the plane, if I was on that plane I’d have jumped out of it, and it’s just infuriating the lack of respect they have for the rest of the world. Yet they expect everyone to respect and worship their cult leader. It’s disgusting and exhausting.

Sorry this was so long. I don’t have many followers and I know you’re a safe space for people who don’t like her. And I feel like this is something others might agree with.

#Asks #anonymoose #anti taylor swift #swifties dni #long post

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a-random-pillow · 1 year

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TMNT The Other Haft AU, Lou vs The Hidden City

Last time on TMNT,

Yoshi (2012 Splinter) convinces Saki (2012 Shredder) to not go look for Lou (Rise Splinter) after he gets kicked out of the Hamato clan.

Action Hero Lou Jitsu got dragged down to the battle Nexus by Big Mama to become the new champion.

So I am kind of stealing someone else's AU, so thanks to the wonderful @camthecatchameleon for the Battle Nexus AU.

Draxum owes a debt to Big Mama and gets tossed into the Nexus. Of Course, big Mama puts Draxum and Lou against each other. Draxum has more rights than most participants but not by much.

Draxum is 'if you can beat me in a fight' Sexual. When they meet Draxum only as a few more weeks left in the Nexus before he is free, in those weeks he in Lou fall in love. It takes a while, them debating over humanity, sharing tragic backstories and Draxum giving exposition on the hidden City but yeah they are hella gay.

Draxum refuses to levea Lou behind in the hell known as the Battle Nexus. After he is released he instantly goes to the library to look for legal loopholes to make Lou a citizen. The solution: Marrgie. Now he just needs to get Lou alone for long enough for them to swear the oaths.

So he voluntary re-enters the Nexus. Big Mama is over joyed since 'The Baron' had been one of her biggest money makers and his fights with Lou had always drawn the most attention. So she markets this fight to hell and back.

Lou is concerned when he hears that he will be fighting Draxum again because yes the goat did promise to break him out but Lou didn't think he would follow through in any capacity.

During the figth Draxum tells Lou the plan and Lou agrees because he would do anything to get out of here and Draxum is pretty chill once you get past the whole 'I will murder humanity' bit. (Plus, Lou finds him very attractive).

See this is a magic marriage the it dose kinda Magically Bond them which is visible.

The crowd goes silent before some yells

"NEW POWER COUPLE"

Cheers, applause and demands for a proper wedding. Big Mama is pissed but #BaronJitsu is trending the Hidden Internet so there isn't much she can do.

*Insert Massive Celebrity Wedding*

Years go by and Draxum and Lou relise that they actually are in Love, so that's fun.

"I would like Children" Says Draxum in the middle of a movie.

Lou is supirsed but on bored so bip bap bop

TURTLES

The 'series' would take place in the hidden city and their main goal is taking down Big Mama. The dads didn't want the kids to be involved but they couldn't stop them.

Big Mama is killed in the climactic battle for the nexus by Lou who takes over the Battle Nexus. It's now a massive tournament and much safer. It still illegal but more moral. People win money, they can opt into death matches and they can choose their opponent.

Notes:

Draxum and Lou are good dads, they are all very close with there boys and will protect them.

Big Mama is dead, got killed by Lou in the final show down.

Meat Sweats, Repo Mantis, Hypno and the rest exist but are just Big Mama's yokai goons.

During the Series the turtles befriend the extremely angry foot recruit and have a few encounters with the foot clan.

The Turtles are aware that they have human family top side and Apriel did look into the Hamatos for them but when she read that they all died, well the boys were better off dreaming.

The boys don't have the best control over their mystic abilities, but they all unlocked them.

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oneatlatime · 9 months

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The Avatar State

Season 2!

I KNEW Aang wouldn't be ok with getting possessed by the megafish. Called it!

As well as the most comfortable looking hammocks I've ever seen, this boat has decorative turtleshells.

Having learned the very hard way that bending is not infallible, the northern water tribe finally takes some safety precautions and installs non-bending means of locomotion on their ships.

So glowy is called "the Avatar State." I was kind of attached to calling it glowy.

Pakku continues his consistent and unwavering pursuit of being a poophead. You almost have to admire his unwavering jerkiness.

We're going to see Bumi! I like Bumi.

I don't know about constructing a building complex that near a waterfall. The cherry blossoms are nice though.

So they weren't eaten by vultures after all. Not so subtle exposition from Iroh. And then Zuko is as subtle as a kimodo rhino with his backstory rehash. That being said, there was probably a few months between seasons, so a refresher was needed.

Yes that did come out wrong. Rare misstep from Iroh.

This is Zuko's crazy talented sister right? The one he was angsting about in the snow cave? She seems to be just as much of a dumbass as her brother, although she makes her stupidity seem threatening instead of embarrassing. I don't care how much political power you have, you can't win against tides. Literally the last episode was all about how the ocean always wins.

I am begging you guys to see the pattern here. First time the Gaang got a hero's welcome, Suki's village burnt down. Second time, the whole season finale happened. At this point it's probably safer if the Gaang sticks to going where they're not especially welcome.

Aang saying "I try not to think about it too much" is kinda ouchy given his nightmares at the beginning of the episode.

WAIT A MINUTE

Gotta look something up

That's Bato's map! The animators had no reason to have such crazy good continuity.

I don't think Aang is too happy being described as "the ultimate weapon."

Thank you Katara for calling the general on his pushy steamrolling. They've committed to nothing.

I think the guy in front has a burn on his cheek. I have been surprised by how few burns I've seen after a whole season's worth of episodes. We've seen Zuko's, and Bato's. But the Fire Nation is supposed to be this all-dominating unstoppable war machine, so why isn't every random earth kingdom background character covered in burn scars?

It's amazing how many people can't see the 12 year old for the avatar. Guilting him into cooperating by showing him wounded vets? Harsh.

Also, the last time Aang tried to leapfrog his destiny he burned Katara. Yes, the war needs ending, but maybe don't skip learning the basics before you try?

Heh. Basics. I sound like Iroh.

Pretty sky. I was hoping for a continuation of the 'so pretty it hurts' background trend. I wouldn't have equated fire with electricity, but apparently Zuko jr. can make lightning? And yes, this is very obviously Zuko's sibling: unreasonable and completely out of touch with reality, although rather in the opposite direction than Zuko. The lightning you're throwing around will still kill your target whether or not your hair is pretty while you throw it.

Aang this seems like a bad idea. Even you think it's a bad idea.

The earth kingdom seems to use green lighting. It's weird.

Katara is unreasonably angry about this. The hard work being thrown away isn't really her's, it's Aang's.

Please do not give the hyperactive airbender caffeine.

They gave the hyperactive airbender caffeine. Starting to think this general's not so bright.

Shout out to Aang' voice actor for such an accurate rendition of getting sucker punched.

That's pretty good. Momo really understood the assignment.

The sacred Bellows! This just gets stupider and stupider.

Pretty.

Well in MY country, politeness is only owed to people who don't pour the power of 1000 mean girls into a single line read. I'd be quick to get to the point too if it would get her out of my house.

The ego on this girl. She drops a life-changing bombshell on Zuko, who has spent the last three weeks as vulture food, and explodes when the conversation doesn't immediately pivot to showering thanks on her for the extreme hardship of going somewhere on a royal ship? She's surpassed Zhao's whole season of assholery in barely half an episode.

Now we get the real reason Katara was so angry about "wasting their hard work" or whatever it was she said. She's frightened. I get that. Glowy floaty Aang is frightening.

Another rock and a hard place situation. People are dying everyday, Aang is 100 years late, but the Avatar state is scary, and turning a pacifist into a weapon is a bad idea. Once again the world needs a fully realised Avatar and all they have is a half trained 12 year old.

Iroh's right. It IS unbelievable. Mostly because Zuko jr. is nowhere near as subtle as she thinks she is.

Doubling down and lashing out when the truth is uncomfortable: classic Zuko. Iroh really puts up with a lot.

This is how you know it's a dream: real Zuko runs towards mysterious glowiness.

I'm not a dreamologist, so I have no clue why Aang would dream about hurting Zuko while glowy after being told that the avatar state is hard for his loved ones to watch. Seriously, why is Zuko in this dream?

"Uncle! You've changed your mind!" "Well someone's gotta save your dumb ass."

Not to imply that this general isn't INCREDIBLY stupid, but he's certainly done something right to so solidly secure the loyalty of his soldiers. That's the avatar, and also a 12 year old kid, and they don't hesitate.

It's all wibbly

Double nutshot. Boy's got heels of steel.

Apparently the horse bird things can do parkour.

Things you can get away with in cartoons but not live action: this eye colour. The only place I've seen this colour in the real world is goats.

I like how the voice acting for the helmeted fire nation soldiers sounds like it's coming from inside a metal helmet. Such a tiny detail but they put the effort in.

Nifty transition between screaming Zuko and screaming Aang.

This! Why doesn't every earthbender just to this to their enemies? Turn them into sitting ducks. You don't even need benders to finish them off, just a guy with a bat. How has the Fire nation gotten this far when their enemies can do this?

That's going to cause some trauma.

Iroh is a beast. He's taking out the whole royal guard. I also love that they're lining up to be taken out. So polite. They could teach Zuko Jr. a thing or two.

I feel like Zuko usually does better than this in fights. And really, I know little sisters are extremely talented at goading, but Zuko's really too easy to goad. His sister's not even trying that hard.

This episode's most satisfying shot. Hoping the tides take revenge for that earlier comment.

That's the lowest quality animation I've seen in this show. It bobs unmoving across the screen.

What the hell is the green lady throwing? Elaborately carved thingies?

So it's actually very dangerous to Aang to go glowy. And to the world in general. Neat. I guess an unmatchable power like that needs some sort of limiting factor.

"You're out of your mind." THANK YOU.

No, THIS is the episode's most satisfying shot. About time someone did that to him.

Katara's "I think we're all set" Is a delightfully polite 'get fucked'.

Wow she got those printed up quick.

"There will be no place left to hide" except a short run upstream.

That ends a bit suddenly.

We did not go to see Bumi. Bummer.

Final Thoughts

Quite the explosive start to the season. They really hit the ground running. Also this is very much not a show where you can skip seasons.

Katara was right about it being a bad idea to try and run before Aang can walk. You can't blame the general for wanting a quick way to end the war with few casualties (on his side at least). You can blame him for being really bad at listening. Does earthbending cause stupidity? Because I definitely remember that all non-Bumi earthbenders we've seen so far are not too bright.

We've met what I'm assuming is going to be the antagonist of the season. I don't like her. I'm aware that I'm not supposed to, what with her being the bad guy and all, but would it be too much to ask for a fun villain? This girl's just mean. When Zhao was first introduced, the episode turned into a win for Zuko. This girl's introduction just makes him even more pathetic than usual. I guess starving on a raft for weeks has negative side effects, because this CANNOT be the same Zuko who one-shotted Katara in the spirit oasis.

This does answer my question of what they're going to do with Zuko and Iroh this season. They're going to ground. Zuko's scar is pretty distinctive though. I bet that's going to cause problems.

Sokka has never suffered fools, and seeing him knock out the general is just so satisfying. Both water tribe siblings were supportive of Aang in their own ways this episode: Katara by standing up to the general and giving Aang on honest opinion on what's going on; Sokka by backing up Aang's decisions for and against the proceedings. And also literally standing up for Aang against the general's soldiers. We already knew they were ride or die, but it's good to open the season with a refresher.

Before this devolves into a discussion of the differences in required narrative elements in season openers during the bingeing/streaming era compared to old fashioned network television, let me say one more thing: poor Appa hasn't been sidelined this hard since The King of Omashu.

#atla #avatar: the last airbender #The Avatar State #avatar the last airbender

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much-the-millers-kid · 8 months

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Is the WAA broke?

Those who have spent a semi-decent amount of time in the Ace Attorney Fandom knows that it's a common joke that the attorneys of the Wright Anything Agency don't get paid, but how accurate is that?

So, @inbarfink posted this wonderful analysis about how often the WAA gets paid (which I highly recommend you look at). It is highly focused on the financial stability of the client and willingness to pay. However, I am still curious about some things.

First, inbarfink was not focused on which attorney got paid, and I want to know who is doing the best on average based on what we see in game (assuming they got paid individually and not some sort of collection pooling where the agency WAA gets paid and then Apollo and Athena are given regular salaries).

Also, how do cases where they’re likely to get paid correlate to how lucrative they are? As inbarfink explains, attorneys get paid whether they win or lose. However, I have never heard of attorneys being paid a flat rate for the case. More often, they document hours, and are paid on an hourly basis.

So cue me being a spreadsheet nerd and seeing what I can find out.

First: Who is the most likely to be paid?

As far as who is “Paid,” I’m just counting the “Lead” Attorney, unless it really is a full team effort. As an example, The Cosmic Turnabout has two Trial Days: one with Apollo and one with Phoenix. Given It was Apollo’s case initially and Phoenix was covering for Apollo due to injury, we’re assuming Apollo was the one to get paid; same for Trial of Dhurke Sahdmadi, where yes, Phoenix was behind the bench, but Apollo was the main one making arguments and is the one you play as.

I’m pretty sure the only “full team effort” is just the last case of Dual Destinies, which I’m leaving out for that, and because as Inbarfink explains, it is Phoenix defending one of his own employees due to a hostage situation. No one is getting paid for that.

The only other case not being included is The Trial of Zak Gramaraye, for the simple reason that Phoenix lost money. As Inbarfink points out, Phoenix is given a child and loses a badge, so they rightfully gave a score of -1. As accurate as this is, it kinda messes with the numbers and averages, so as an outlier, it is being left out.

After putting Inbarfink's Probability Ratings in a Google Sheet, I color-coded some things to help me notice some trends, and boy did I notice some things.

First of all, on the probability ratings, “Wright” fills up the majority of the lower end, and as they get higher, there’s more and more “Justice.” Not surprising, Apollo seems more likely to make sure he’s paid.

But also, Phoenix’s name is throughout the whole list. There’s only three cases that have a probability rating of 0.9 or higher, and Phoenix was lead on two of them. Granted, one of them is Turnabout Goodbyes, where Phoenix would possibly be the most likely to do it for free because it’s Miles, so that could be less Phoenix insisted on getting paid and more Miles refused to let Phoenix NOT be paid, although that’s debatable because while Larry didn’t pay, Phoenix did expect him to.

Still, the point stands that Phoenix isn’t quite the bleeding heart everyone makes him out to be.

Okay, so that’s first glance perceptions: What about what the numbers say? Who is the most consistently likely to be paid of WAA? The answer is…

*(drumroll)*

ATHENA! With an average probability rating of 0.7!

… Okay, that’s a little unfair to Phoenix and Apollo, given that Athena has only been “lead” on three cases that we’ve seen. She’s the newest; she hasn’t had the challenge of dealing with a Larry that’s going to try to get out of paying or being expected to defend another member of WAA like Phoenix and Apollo have. Although, she also hasn’t had a canon confirmation of payment, and 2 of her 3 cases were childhood best friend Juniper Woods so she may do a friend discount, so those bring her score down a bit anyway. Ah, the importance of sample size and knowing how the statistics come to be.

But yeah, as expected, Apollo is the next to be most consistently paid with an average probability rating of 0.68, and Wright trailing behind him at 0.44.

(Also, likely not super accurate because we only saw two of her cases, but Mia came in last with an average of 0.4).

That brings us to...

Who is making the most Bank? (aka: who is getting paid the most?)

We've seen who was most consistently paid, what about what those paydays were worth? Again, this is based on the time the cases took: Inbarfink covered the financial status of the clients in their likelihood to pay, so we're saying there is no change in rate for if someone has the wealth to pay it or not.

Now, admittedly, a really accurate depiction would look at all the time stamps at the beginning of each scene and count the hours that way. However, I don’t care enough to put that much effort into this (... at least for now; I may revisit this in the future and decide to go into more detail).

So for simplicity sake, I looked up how many “Time Units” a case took, with one unit being an Investigation or a Court Session. (ex. Tutorial Cases skip investigation and usually only have one court session, so they have one time unit, whereas a final case with three days of investigation and three days in court would have six time units.)

For the most part, this is relatively simple to figure out. Go through the wiki, count the number of investigation and trial days. Except, while doing this, I had a moment of “What the heck?” Because unless I am reading the Wiki wrong or there’s inaccurate information, there are no three-day trials after the first game.

Sure, the gameplay is longer because the games get more challenging. And yes, sometimes there is a day where something happens, but it is not officially time “On the Clock” as far as the case is concerned ... But I don't think there's and three-day trials after Rise from the Ashes.

For example, in Farewell, My Turnabout, Maya is kidnapped and Juan Corrida is killed on March 20. However, the investigation doesn’t begin until March 21. Also, there’s only two days in the courtroom, March 22 and 23, giving the case 4 Time Units: 2 investigation and 2 court.

There are similar situations for a lot of cases where there is something going on where it is only 2 days officially, even if it plays like longer, especially for final cases of the game. Phoenix has a whole day at Hazakura Temple investigating Iris before anyone actually dies; the MASON System shows Phoenix’s follow-up investigation after Zak disappeared; Turnabout for Tomorrow shifts from Phoenix and Miles debating Athena’s innocence to all WAA and Blackquill going after the Phantom; Turnabout Revolution has the civil case with Apollo vs. Phoenix AND Apollo going up against both Nahyuta and Ga’ran. Something happens to make gameplay three days or multiple cases in one, but as far as payment goes, it’s one two-day case.

I could have sworn there were more three-day trials after the first game, but I guess maybe I was wrong.

Then, to get the “Pay Rate” I multiplied Inbarfink’s Probability Rating by the number of Time Units.

So here’s the interesting thing: Phoenix is the only member of WAA to have had 3-day trials. He only had three of them, but he’s the only one to have them. Also, two of those are also two of his three with a Probability of getting paid that’s higher than 0.75. If Phoenix budgets well (which I kinda want to assume he does given that last we saw he still had a Nokia brick), he might have gone at least the rest of the trilogy on Turnabout Samurai and Turnabout Goodbyes. I mean, on a scale of one to six, Phoenix is the only one with cases over four, and he has two of them.

Now, Apollo is still ahead when it comes to “how much do they get paid per case” on average. However, it is a much tighter race.

Probability is ranked from 0-1, with Apollo at 0.68 and Phoenix at 0.44. Convert to the percent of what is possible (68% and 44%, respectively), and Apollo is in the lead by 24%.

However, the Pay Rate is ranked from 0 (not getting paid) to 6 (a score of 1 for definitely getting paid, times 6 Time Units). Apollo has an average Pay Rate of 2.04 out of 6 (34%) and Phoenix has an average Pay Rate of 1.94 out of 6 (32.3%). So as far as how much they’re getting paid on average, Phoenix is only behind Apollo by 1.7%.

Also, so far, Athena with her three cases, two of which didn’t have an investigation (that we saw at least), is still doing pretty okay with a Pay Rate of 1.73 (28.8%), and as far as Mia with her only two cases also not having investigations has a Pay Rate of 0.4 (6.7%), so… oof.

So there you go: Despite Phoenix's bleeding heart reputation, Mia is actually the broke bitch of the attorneys that have worked in that office. (Joking, obviously we only saw two of her cases so we don't have an accurate measure).

Apollo is the most likely to get consistently paid, and because of that he gets paid the most. However, while Phoenix has the most cases where he has a low expectation of getting paid, whether from someone trying to get out of paying or the goodness of his heart or just having too many other things on his mind, Phoenix also has some high clientele and he is the only one to end up with the on-the-wire three-day trials.

And of course, all this is based only on the cases we see in the games. Maybe if we get AA7, we'll see Athena or Apollo get their first three-day trial, or maybe being the only defense attorney in Kur'ain Apollo will have to do more pro bono work. We shall see.

Oh, and here's the full spreadsheet in game order, if anyone wants to make any other interesting observations.

Each Game and Lead Attorney was given their own color.

For the number color keys:

Probability Rating: Less than 0.25 is red, 0.25 to 0.5 is orange, 0.51 to 0.74 is yellow, and greater than 0.75 is green.

Investigation and Court Sessions: 0 is red, 1 is yellow, 2 is turquoise, and 3 is green.

Time Units: 1 is red, 2 is orange, 4 is turquoise, and 6 is green.

Pay Rate: Less than 1 is red, 1 to 2 is orange, 2 to 3 is yellow, 3 to 4 is purple, and greater than 4 is green.

#ace attorney #phoenix wright ace attorney #phoenix wright #apollo justice #athena cykes #mia fey #please don't revoke my gay card because I'm a gay that enjoys manipulating numbers and can kinda do math

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tellthemeerkatsitsfine · 2 months

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Chortle headlines.

Some of these are interesting. I don't know if it bodes well if Paddy Young is the absolute best rookie comedians in all of Britain, but he definitely had a good show last year (that got streamed on NextUp from Edinburgh). I have trouble believing anyone wrote a show that's better than both Paul Foot's Dissolve and Ahir Shah's Ends, but to be fair, I haven't seen John Kearns' show and he is very fucking good at these things, makes me hope even more that he'll be doing something in Edinburgh while I'm there. Alex Horne got an award for Taskmaster being an outstanding achievement, not quite sure what that means but I think it's accurate. I think if you look up the definition of "breakthrough act" you'll just find a note that says "see Sam Campbell's career throughout 2023", so that couldn't really have gone any other way. I've heard Kiri Pritchard-McLean compere a bunch on NextUp things, she is in fact very good at clubs. I haven't seen any of the other nominees but I'm still sure that James Acaster deserved to win that best tour one. I couldn't stomach the amount of Celebrity Glamour in Joe Lycett's new show but he is a great comedian and he is definitely made to be a TV comedian, which in some ways could be an insult but I really mean it as a compliment, he's great at that, good for him. Munya Chawawa posts highly amusing song parodies on YouTube. Fern Brady's is one of the best comedian books I've read. Three Bean Salad I was unable to get into, but maybe I'll give it another shot sometimes, after I finish with the winners of that radio award, John and Elis - well done to them for getting over ten years and not completely falling apart. I usually find it hard to get into sketch comedy (or anything that isn't straight stand-up) but Lorna Rose Treen made me laugh with character things last summer, so she probably deserves that one.

Those are my unsolicited opinions on that. The existence of Taskmaster is definitely an outstanding achievement for all involved.

This a special feature that happens every once in a while, called "Chortle publishes the contents of Daniel Kitson's mailing list". I find it gets funnier the less it sounds like Steve Bennett knows about the news items beyond the contents of the mailing list email, and in this case, that is clearly fuck all. But anyway, it's a great show and exciting announcement, anyone who has the opportunity should go see this tour. He said in the email that he might try to get something going in NYC later this year, which would be incredibly logistically difficult for me to get to (8.5-hour drive each way if I can borrow a car from someone, which would be tough, 14 hours on the bus otherwise, I've been told I can't take any more vacation days in 2024 because I used them on the London/Edinburgh trip), but still, I have found myself wondering how I might be able to make that work if he actually announces it.

Fucking hell. I can't believe this. My local comedian Facebook group is going pretty wild in response to this news. That's fucking huge, a massive amount of stuff is centred around this. To be honest I'm still not clear on the scope of this news so I won't go into it too much, I'll just say, fucking hell. Truly shocking. That's like a sport just canceling its national championships halfway through the season.

Excellent. Everyone should read this. His 2023 show (which I think he's still touring) is one of my favourite comedy shows ever. And the one before that, which inspired this book, is also very fucking funny, though not as good as his latest one.

Also, I am up for a trend of one comedian per year writing a book about their relatively recent autism diagnosis. Who do we think it'll be in 2025? I have approximately four to five suggestions.

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a-moth-to-the-light · 2 months

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Most-Listened of February 2024

[last month]

Out of all the releases I've been interested in these past two months, I feel like I've listened to barely any of them :( But I've really, really loved the ones I've gotten around to checking out, so I've been having a great couple months of music anyway! My music taste is in its seasonal transition--plenty of bleak winter stuff this month, but I've been craving big heartstopping pop anthems, too (G-IDLE's "Revenge" isn't on here, but I've been loving it lately).

1. Ahora y Aquí -- Ramon Mirabet, Bely Basarte

So I keep saying I'm tired of the 80s-inspired synthpop trend that's taken over our post-"Blinding Lights" world, but here I am with this at the top of my list. No but this one's DIFFERENT, SHE'S NOT LIKE OTHER SYNTHPOP. As with most tracks blessed by Bely Basarte, the vocals are what elevates this for me--they're unexpectedly gritty for a sleek pop track like this, and when both singers let it all out in that last chorus, I understand what it means to go feral. It has all the uncontrolled chaos of a real dance party, and I love it!!

2. Lejos -- Andrea Santiago

This is a pretty by-the-numbers Andrea Santiago song, but even the most average of her music is a world of its own to escape into. I'm not sure how to feel about this new album--something feels really off about the production--but "Lejos" is absolutely hypnotizing! Definitely going to be bringing this one out at karaoke sometime, because it's exactly my type of angst (and the chorus jumps are SOOO fun to sing???).

3. Turning Tables -- Adele

I sulked to this song all month, and I don't regret a minute of it.

4. Goodbye, My Danish Sweetheart -- Mitski

Do I win sapphic points for having Mitski in the top 5?

5. Is It Over Now? (Taylor's Version) -- Taylor Swift

LETS FAST FOWARD TWO THREE HUNDRED TAKEOUT COFFEES LATER !!!!!! Yeah I'm completely obsessed with that line. Taylor Swift always releases songs that are just SO fun to sing along to, so I'm running around my apartment like YOU SEARCH IN EVERY MODEL'S BED FOR SOMETHING GREATER, BABY !!!! This song is such an off-balance mix of humor and agony, so like I don't really understand it but I can't take my eyes off it. And that intro is GORGEOUS.

6. Easy -- Le Sserafim

I didn't get the hype for "Perfect Night", so I didn't particularly care either way about this comeback--until I heard it. And oh my god "Easy" got me on first listen. ("Smart" has been working its way up my On Repeat playlist, too.) Le Sserafim stole all my new-release energy this month, but my appreciation for "Easy" still hasn't died out. A silky-smooth song like this is perfect for my mood right now--their delivery is so casually confident, contagious enough that I can't help but feel stronger when I listen to it; but it's not so energetic that my poor gloomy winter-brain is overwhelmed. The production is really crisp, too, complimenting the vocals well and making for some really iconic moments. And yes i'm aware this is gg "Sticker". I still can't listen to "Sticker" (it gives me a headache), but this version isn't too annoying for me, I guess?

7. Unstoppable -- Sia

I actually don't have a real explanation for this one? I remembered this song existed mid-month (after having forgotten about it since 2016), had a crisis with it as a soundtrack, and now it's in the playlists.

8. Roaring 20s -- Panic! At The Disco

Burnout anthem?? Burnout anthem.

9. Outta My Head -- Jeon Somi

My commentary on every Somi song ever is just "Somi sing so pretty SQUEEEEEEEE". So, that's my review for "Outta My Head". I don't know if people still like this one, but my love for it hasn't died since "Birthday" era!

10. Budget (feat. Latto) -- Megan Thee Stallion, Latto

@shyreol got me with her Megan Thee Stallion agenda! I don't think I'd ever cared for a Megan Thee Stallion song before this year, but "Ungrateful" and "Budget" have me HOOKED.

11. Now That We Don't Talk (Taylor's Version) -- Taylor Swift

I don't know, I just really like it when the title drop goes BOOM !!

NOW THAT. WE DON'T. TALK.

12. Tinnitus (Wanna be a rock) -- TXT

WHOOOOO AFROBEATS !!!

13. There Will Be Tears -- Faux Paz

Faux Paz is back for round two on my 2024 monthly lists! They're my favorite holdover from my acappella days--their arrangements always hit hard, and there's something about the really gloomy, and also cathartic, acceptance in the phrase "there will be tears" when its repeated by this giant wall of voices? It really gets me. This isn't my favorite Faux Paz cover, but it's a song I can't look away from.

14. Escape Room -- fromis_9

I'm a gg stan, so this was going to show up on here eventually. Next up, Chung Ha's "Roller Coaster" ?

15. Hold The Girl -- Rina Sawayama

Stole this rec from @nayeonline a while ago (thank you for sharing!!), and it really hit this month :) This song goes all out with the angst, and Rina Sawayama has more than enough vocal power to do it justice!

Five-Star Songs (& Albums) This Month:

Ahora y Aquí -- Ramon Mirabet, Bely Basarte (bely basarte is two-for-two in 2024's five-star songs lists, and wow is it deserved)

DNA -- Yena (i have no idea what about this song makes it so perfect for me, but i love it 100x more than "good morning" for some reason?? it just hits SO hard)

Pirate Radio* -- Jean Dawson (okay i'm actually not a huge fan of dawson's voice, but this instrumental is too wonderful to leave off the list. i watched & enjoyed school spirits on netflix this month, and this is by far my favorite from the soundtrack! string instruments make my heart go BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ and this song is just a delightful confection of them !!)

Vision -- G-IDLE (a sixth star added for that layering where someone's murmuring underneath the whispery vocals in the chorus??????? like it should NOT sound as good as it does but here we are ?????)

Prenderle Fuego a Todo -- Andrea Santiago (i want to start including albums on here, mostly to get myself to listen to more albums all the way through! i've been obsessed with a few songs from this album for years now, but i finally listened to the whole thing this month--and it's even more wonderful as a complete set. the CLOSING SONG ?? I CAN'T BELIEVE I'VE SPENT YEARS OF MY LIFE IGNORING IT. when i'm listening to andrea santiago's music, i see the world with completely new eyes, and this album captures that wanderlust, an emotion i've actually never felt without help from music, even in its slow moments.)

#gimme all ur megan thee stallion recs guys #also there were three songs from 1989 taylor's version in my on repeat this month HELP #wonderland my beloved <3 #oh yeah and sza's saturn is on spotify now !! that's on the spring 2024 aesthetic playlist hell yeah #me when 2024

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itsdappleagain · 11 months

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BARK BARK ITS FINALLY TIME FOR THE STOCKHOLM SYNDROME CAPER

not giving up on my trademark of being late for csweekly even though i vowed i wouldn't be late on this one. i have an excuse. i was doing audition prep/submission for a musical

OKAY ANYWAY

i think if i ever actually visited the belltower i would take damage just from being in the space

notes under the cut as always!

OKAY starting thoughts. this is. literally my favorite episode in the entire show. my favorite. im so fucking stoked you don't even know i love watching my blorbos get beat up. me 🤝rueitae

anyways. biting this episode and shaking it violently

i like that the faculty tie actually makes sense and they have solid motivations. it isnt just a plot device for a tie

love this shiot/angle of bellum btw so behold her. she is so amazing

okay hi. immediately stopping to go on a rant about the atmosphere in this caper. its. fucking. incredible. the scenery is so perfect. the right balance of beautiful and desolate, and it changes as the mood does. i could do this later but i will do it now because idk i want to its my post

notice as the episode goes on how as the tone gets darker in carmen's plotline, the scenery and mood around her gets colder and literally darker as well.

ivy's backgrounds, meanwhile, stay pretty light throughout because she has somewhat of a more comedic and hopeful storyline while carmen dies in a ditch somewhere.

also, as soon as carmen calls chief, the snow/light of the hologram/shot composition away from the dark trees shows that there is hope now

just....hope that is tinted with cop fingerprints all over it. i just GOD i fucking LOVE how you can VISUALLY SEE HOW HER LIFE IS GOING its reflected by the very environment around her. compare any shot after she gets acme in to the very last one i put in that set of five.

no moment is darker for carmen than when she gives up, on the brink of death, and calls for help, submitting herself to prison and interrogation in the hopes that even if vile wins today, she can somehow survive to take them down again another day.

man, i am barely a minute into the actual episode and i have a lot to say. that trend will continue. sorry not sorry. back to the actual liveblogging.

fun fact the first time i watched this episode i did not notice the acme agents on top of the building watching "carmen"

i love the little hints dropped to audience members who arent entirely in the know yet (7 year olds) that its ivy, not carmen, and that something is up here. lack of gigantic poofy brown hair, different stature, ivys little smile as she goes past. of course, if you're obsessive like me, youve memorized every characters outline and can tell even with wigs on

OH hey my favorite acme agent hang on

its her. she is drop dead gorgeous and has a nose piercing. she also i think gets all of one line in the s4 opener telling crackle to do whatever (or maybe its her partner but anyway i love her)

I have already earned from her

have you been GAY for twenty years chief? julia has

julia slays so hard in this episode. wish devineaux stayed dead longer because she thrives when she's by herself

episode is literally so gorgeous

i love zari just being like oh my god this bitches gay. bad for them

that soft little "i should have known" smile julia does when carmen puts her hand on her shoulder guts me like an animal

live acme (ants to classify and monitor evildoers) reaction

hey!! next time ivy gets into a frozen adventure with carmen in germany she gets an earbud upgrade :D

zack too!!

that "but powerful" line is literally gay. happy pride month from ivy "muscles" "milady" "i feel powerful dressing in my girlfriend's clothing" lastname

obsessed with zack's little finger wiggles to emulate typing when he imitates player

i love just how. rrgh casual they are. yes carmen is super serious and focused this caper (for good reason. launch codes) but they get in a little. julia notices something small about carmen and that she's cold and the playful tone in the reply from carmen before everything kind of goes to shit. "had to loan my coat once I spotted your reinforcements!" its just a bit of information but its some that she trusts julia with. she asks julia if chief is listening but if she was. carmen would have already blown ivy's cover. i know she stole the pen for good measure but seriously she TRUSTS her

i love how julia pats her jacket and then does not react in the slightest she was just making sure that was HER pen not someone else's

ivy being horrible in snow gag is the best part of this episode

i love julia showing off. she doesnt get to infodump to anyone else but she knows carmen will appreciate it. and shes trying to be coy about knowing what carmen is there to do (sorry jules. you would have been right any other time)

i also like that as julia is infodumping shes absorbing MORE by walking backwards and gazing around the city hall

fun fact: i always wondered how the hell the acme agents got into/hid in the hall without anyone seeing them but there are doors in between all of those pillars!

also

this hallway does in fact exist! i mean considering the cs team probably went there to location scout in person (see below picture of duane and the team in san fran) it makes sense!!

anyway. should i made an "only vaguely related tangents" tally counter for these things at the end of the post lmao

i love how super serious carmen gets here. this episode is so much more mature in its theming than some other episodes. from the launch codes to the fakeout suicide to the continued death before capture thing carmen has going on. man. i cant tell if ivys comic relief section is good for lightheartedness or tonal whiplash lmao

she has for a split second the look of a mother who just heard her child say "i frew up"

ARGH and i also love how literally nothing julia can say in that time will help. she tries- oh, she tries- but "its not what you think" mistakenly sounds like she was still in on it. it looks, for the moment, like julia was trying to distract her or this acme agent missed her cue or something. of course later in the ep carmen has plennnty of time

interestingly cs does away with the doors in between the pillars for a more ethereal and sophisticated look but there are doors in my heart

i love how carmen turns to run sideways. girl even if there weren't acme agents there where were you going

i also just fucking love carmen's completely silent analysis once shit gets really serious. she calculates and recalculates what she needs to do to survive here. and she's RUTHLESS about it. i think this is kind of the one time we really see her vile training come out in comparison to someone other than vile itself. she takes those acme agents OUT

part of me wonders if carmen, in that little pause by the door, thought that maybe her chances were better backtracking but she didn't want to have to hurt jules to get out. maybe im just gay and wistful idk BUT okay here's my reasoning!! hang on! stay with me!! carmen equals BAD in tight spaces. saw it in rio, saw it in nz, saw it in poitiers. its everywhere- she does better with more space. however, she does like her high grounds, so honestly this is pure headcanon but like,,, not wanting to hurt julia. send post

also you can see in the background julia TAKING OFF after the other agents....no gun drawn of course

this fight scene with carmen is so fucking fantastic

she never. NEVER. EVER does full fight scenes where she does a lot of offensive but this situation is so different. she SPRINTS at that bitch she holds him HOSTAGE and while of course she's acting so that she doesn't get caught the fight almost portrays her a little villainously with the trail of bodies she leaves behind her as she goes

ALSO THAT FLIP OFF THE WALL MOVE IS SO DAMN COOL. she tricks the acme agent into gassing herself almost effortlessly and only takes a split second to coldly look behind her to make sure there's no one else coming before she takes off again

and then the other three who didnt get knocked out start going after her again which distracts her just enough to let zari catch her with the shot

the shaky "camera" and blurred vision pov as carmen fades in and out of consciousness while instinct alone keeps her going up the stairs is just ARGH chefs kiss

fun fact zari's "there after her" line gets reused in the series finale

btw carmen falling of the tower scared me so bad when i first watched this at like 13. suicide fakeout <3 scared me so bad

also how the camera keeps moving even when carmen doesnt even seem to be in the picture anymore before her glider catches up with it. top. tier

and then the stockholm music kicks in. hoo mama the music in this episode is fucking unparalleled. that incessant, chilling, repetitive string instrument motif as carmen's situation begins to get really dire. aurgh.

carmen's continued pov as player starts getting really concerned about her and she fades in and out. carmen weaving all over the sky and crashing into shit grggrgrgr its so good

ivy getting tazed. yeah.

ivy can pass as an....argentinian.. right boys

player and zack when two out of four of their active teammates just went mia in the span of a minute: 👁️👄👁️

man do you think they thought it was an ambush or something. like i mean it was but an organized effort by one team. do you think zack was scared he would be next and that player would be left in the dark. anyway

the way moose picks ivy up by the scruff like a cat kills me

the citizens of stockholm on this day watching a foreign police strike happen at city hall and then a tourist get tazed, mugged, and kidnapped by some locals: 👁️👄👁️

IN WITH THE HIGH NOTES ON THE PIANO IN THAT SAME REPETITIVE, INCESSANT, CHILLING STYLE OF MUSIC THIS EPISODE HAS AS CARMNE LIES MOTIONLESS IN THE SNOW ARGEHDHDHGDGSDGSDHD

i really enjoy that they show us this desolate, still shot of carmen, completely motionless, trapped in a ravine, miles and miles away from the city. she doesnt wake up. its just the cold, harsh reality. and its starting to snow a lot harder.

julia just snatching the pen gets me every time

i love the emotion dropping out of chiefs tone once she sees the 5'2" pissed off lesbian on the other end

YES julia GO OFF she should have gotten to do so much more. she should have gotten to kill someone.

julia glancing back at zari when she says "chase her away and squander her trust" and zari turning away and balling her first is such a juicy little character moment

the venom in "we had an agreement." fhrjhgfejsjjd step on me

you know how people want that throwback spinoff series for the owl house with the lost moments. that but cs. shadowsan's malaysia mission, how the team operated and the jobs while carmen was recovering, more of black sheep's time at vile/her holdover year, her and player learning together once she tours around after escaping, the shanghai job (not the tsonts one), the cairo job, the swiss bank job. how julia got into law, how chase chose his name, more on carlotta and dexter, the two years after vile's defeat and before their reappearance, more of evil carmen, player's backstory as told in silver lion. there is. so much i want to see. tangent tally.

god. player's decision here is such a hard one. he's like sixteen, and he's potentially juggling the lives of two of his best friends with that line. the decision seems obvious, but in this case it is completely, entirely wrong. player's choice to save ivy instead of carmen damn near kills her, and there's no way he could have known. player guilt angst, please!

once again the music. thank you.

carmen's cry of pure pain as she moves juuust tickles something in my brain. she has no one to put on a brave face for and that crash landing HURT.

also how hoarse her voice is

the more groans of pain as she forces herself off the ground they are so good.

i love this episode for its look into carmen's psyche. so much of her is playing off of others, but in this one she is utterly alone. we see her thought processes in the worst of times with no one to fight but the weather and herself. fantastic shit. never forgiving sarcastic chorus for skimming over this episode and saying nothing happens did you watch it

the puff of breath when carmen says "player"!!!

carmen's tone when she goes "oookay." just is so good. gina did not skimp out on this performance and part of me wonders if she could have done better if she wasnt always trying to play the emotionless, suave hero figure and she let carmen be more human, like in this episode. carmen is seeing that she is injured, acme is trying to reach her, her glider is broken, she has no protection from the cold, and that player and any other help is completely out of range and she is not happy about it

carmen crying out when she slips even more when she's trying to climb its so tangible and delicious

FUN ANECODTE because i havent gone on enough tangents for this post already but the first time i ever saw this episode my dad came to pick me up for his half of the week right here. i had to leave the episode right here, with ivy kidnapped and mia and carmen alone in the frozen ravine, the acme pen blinking. i didnt have access to netflix to finish the episode. for. four. days. let me tell you. um. this episode literally did not let me sleep. that first night i was lying in bed i stayed up until like 3am just staring at the ceiling replaying the scenes and making theories. i was dry in the mouth. when i fell asleep i dreamed about it and kept waking up in the middle of the night. i cornered my dad and recounted the entire episode to him and then reeled off my theories to him. i reeled off my theories to my friends. i was literally consumed by the ending of this episode that i could not see. it was Not Healthy and it impacted me VERY HEAVILY as you can see.

but anyway my one theory was that carmen was going to be forced to call acme for help and be arrested because they kept doing closeups on the pen. good job, thirteen year old me. the foreshadowing worked.

back to the episode

ivys literally so cute in this episode

look at her.

ottoman has chihuahua vibes

the ice lodge staff watching two guys drag some poor red haired white bitch into the hotel like a sack of potatos: im sure shes fine they probably told them she was drunk lmao

im goosebumping something wicked here is one of the phrases of all time

DUMSKALLE

that raw, desperate "no" and scream from carmen is so good. that fall hurt five thousand times more because it was a failure. and also she probably just broke all the ribs that weren't broken before

it took me a few watches originally to see that carmen hits her glider on the way down. first time around i was like where tf did she get that wack ass blanket

draw me like one of your moose boys

moose boy unironically seems like a nice guy who got dragged into this by otter

can you imagine if they showed up with ivy and were like HAHA. CARMEN SANDIEGO. what would the faculty do with this poor white girl who is definitely not carmen. probably wipe her memory and boot out otter and moose but can you imagine their reactions

MOOSE BOY IS VOICED BY SONIC THE HEDGEHOG?? SCREAMING

or maybe it was right here that i got cut off with the panning shot of the pen and carmen sitting away from it staring at it. whatever it was but anyway yeah

the sadness and defeat as carmen shivers and tells this imaginary chief that vile is winning today either way just kills me i love it so much. carmen's death before capture ideology (almost. capture wins but it almost doesnt)

LAUNCH CODES? AS IN NUCYULAH?

also team red. didnt know what was on the data crystal!! they didnt know what the handoff was!!! they just knew it was fucking serious and that makes this all the more scary. had ivy not gotten kidnapped they would have missed it. i mean carmen would have probably tried to drag her foot on deaths doorstep ass over to the ice lodge to try anyway but she would have gotten triple pulverized

someone swinging (insert wieldy object) at a gigantic villain and it doing nothing is my favorite battle trope

more ivy appreciation

she said NOPE

ivy is literally so cool in this episode. she's still herself but she's trying to channel carmen and fill her gigantic shoes by making her proud. but she isnt carmen, and thats okay. she ends up doing it with a mix of carmen's help and her own goofy, clumsy style

AND IVYS TWANGY LITTLE VERSION OF CARMENS THEME AS SHE SUITS UP. ITS AWESOME

again. ivy being terrible on ice gag is the best. winters in boston must have been torture

man it doesnt even show all of it but you can see the agonizing that went into carmen's decision to call acme. once she makes it she doesnt hesitate in grabbing and clicking it. she does it seamlessly and with resignation. shes already fought with herself enough in her own head.

carmen: literally in the middle of the woods, shaking like a travelling fair rollercoaster ride, and bleeding from a thousand cuts chief: oh hey! sorry about that

MAN CARMEN THREW THAT PEN A LONG WAY

i also like that carmen has to heave herself up from sitting, and that she's only standing as a last display of control when every other ounce of it has been ripped from her. she has to lean on the tree, still, even to manage it. as soon as she pushes off of that tree and starts walking towards chief she collapses.

chief those business negotiations. can you wait

i do appreciate that chief doesnt play dumb or think carmen is dumb. she's been calling that pen for as long as carmens been staring at it. she knows carmen knows what calling her means and doesnt try to hide that theyre coming for her.

haha. where in the world is carmen sandiego reference. get it

MAN AND THEN EVERYTHING GETS SOO BAD. you realize just how serious this is when carmen drops the tough act and just reaches out. she does a quip, but her face is just hopeless and she drops like a STONE. she was barely hanging on. already dumped this onto rueitae's post but i think that as soon as she knew she'd done everything she could do and had exhausted every single option except dying on the spot. well. she didnt have a reason to hang on anymore. she gave up every single ounce of control to chief when she clicked that pen and her body needed to shut down to save her. so so so good

i really really like chief running over and hesitating before she puts her "hand" on carmens shoulder. she knows she cant do anything, but she can pretend and she can hope

i really do think she was concerned about carmen here, not just about the intel she was potentially losing. this scene mirrors her past with wolfe nearly perfectly, and it NEVER gets talked about. once again a call chief made on a person who turned out to have innocent intentions (gun was really car keys, julia going off the grid was really just her and carmen talking it out) gets them killed- or, in carmen's case, almost. chief, this time, has the power to save her and fix this mistake. parallels are also fun because obviously carmen is wolfe's daughter so double angst.

ivy immediately switching to suspicious spy face after she slams into the bar is so funny

YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW OFTEN I USED TO JUST RANDOMLY SAY "hello, im shady mcshade from some sleazy rogue nation, check out my briefcase full of untraceable cash!" to just RANDOM PEOPLE IN MY LIFE with NO CONTEXT

the bartender is not paid enough for this

I LOVE THE LADY WHO JUST GETS TF OUTTA THERE WHEN IVY CRASHES INTO HER CHAIR

the little trill of carmens triumph theme when ivy looks at the grappling hook is so good

girl. ivy. you missed that REALLY BADLY for someone who threw an anchor up three stories with pinpoint accuracy like a couple years ago

poor ivy she was doing so well with the quips and the competence until she announced it to the entire ice lodge

warrior cats girls on the playground

ivys unhinged scream as she barells towards otter is so fantastic

it would really have super sucked if zack had run ivy over

again. this episode is so beautiful

i love that otter and moose would normally have never even been glanced at for an episode because they suck so bad but because it was untrained baby ivy (who still kicked their asses) they could be there also who assigned them the nuclear fucking launch codes. who did that

oh man you can see the smile drop off ivys face when zack asks where they can find carmen. she doesnt even think that carmen is still missing. she probably thinks carmens back on track by now, not that it would be HOURS later and shes still missing.

zack getting to ivy on the other side of stockholm: 🐌🐌🐌 zack getting to carmen twice as far away in the middle of the woods: 🦔 (too lazy to find sonic meme. sonic meme.)

julia just giving zari the most disappointed look when zari kicks carmen when shes down

FUN FACT OF THE DAY! in the original storyboards, julia and zari were supposed to get a SHOOKETH reaction shot when chief offers carmen a way out with z and i. they cut it. rude.

the pen lowering down to reveal julia behind it has always felt like such an important shot and i dont know why. like theres some symbolism im majorly missing out on there

ahh, the heartbroken look between friends

AGAIN this episode punches you like an elephant on steroids with that quiet "is she going to make it?" CARMEN IS ON THE BRINK. OF DEATH. AND HER FRIENDS ARENT EVEN CERTAIN SHES GOING TO MAKE IT THROUGH THE NIGHT. MAN. it raises the stakes up so high like obviously she wont die but in a tvy7 kids cartoon this is so fucking serious

carmen, delirious with the cold and pain, wondering if someone made a clone of her:

addressing all groups of people from now on as "student body most vile"

hey vile has a sick waterfall wall

it is really interesting that they do in fact shut down the academy. no one is allowed at the castle anymore once they move there. its also cool that in s4 because bellum doesnt have to be there teaching she can go to the himalayas and tinker full time!

wow. zuko and luz are in that crowd <3

okay. so. best episode ever. i love it so much and ive already gushed about it way too much so i wont keep you much longer.

tangent tally final count: like at least five it depends how specific you are

sorry about how long this is take it up with a brick wall it will be remorseful than me

#csweekly #cs weekly #carmen sandiego weekly #carmen sandiego 2019 #carmen sandiego #rejoice! four thousand word stockholm post be upon ye

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