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mikareo · 6 months

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megumi doing smth pls

⌗ THIRTEEN YEARS ₊ ˖ ་. megumi fushiguro x fem reader (2.6k)

⊹ ⠀⠀ 3 times megumi wants to tell you he loves you, and the 1 time he does.

contains; attack on titan au, marleyan!megumi, eldian!reader, aot spoilers!!! (season 4), forbidden lovers, fluff, angst, kissing, major character death, cannabalism? (titans), annie cameo! author's note; here u get an old draft (psa none of this will make sense if you haven't watched attack on titan!!!!)

i. what is love at first sight

it's almost human instinct; knowing which people are more likely to have good fortune. some are simply born with an advantage— these people having the freedom to walk along the river bank, skip flattened rocks down streams, and laugh with their peers. with families who shop in the market together, hand-in-hand with woven baskets strewn over their shoulders, and all the time in the world to live their lives to the absolute fullest as true freelancers facing the rising sun that sees tomorrow and the day after that and the day after that.

but in the truth of it all...the sun doesn't shine on everyone.

there are countless amounts of souls who aren't as blessed as marleyans like megumi. souls entangled with the devil herself, ymir, a woman who singlehandedly birthed the 'race from hell'...which he's never fully agreed with. everyone he knows refers to eldians as humanity's sin, but it's not their fault their biology is simply different.

humans are humans, right? they've done no wrong by being born. especially the warrior candidate he's been staring at for the past hour from a distance. you can't be that bad. after all, you're beautiful.

okay, yes. he has a little crush. he can't help it! one day, he was minding his own business on a walk home from the lab, when gojo had the bright idea of sneaking a peak at the warrior training. that's when megumi first saw you and his world stopped. sure, you were covered in mud and crawling through trenches with a rifle strapped to your back; but that didn't make him any less awestruck. since then he's hidden himself in the same bush, week after week, just to get a glimpse of your face.

"she's a cutie. you've got good taste." okay, creepy.

megumi rolls his eyes, glancing up at his mentor who's the only person who knows of his little secret. "don't you have women to harass?"

"ouch, sassed by a ten year old. i see how it is." gojo chuckles, ruffling his black hair and crouching down to the younger boy's level. "you see her out there? she's killing it. i heard she's the top contender for the female."

"i hope so." his blue eyes are locked on you, watching as your focused expression turns to determination whilst helping your teammate off the ground. "she'll have a better chance of living that way."

"...and maybe your family will let you meet her."

ugh, his family. since he was six, the zenin's have raised him with their questionable values and ideals. as the leading researchers in the modern world, they've revolutionized how eldians are studied! at least that's what he's been told. to be frank, he doesn't care about the right or wrong battle they've propagandized to the rest of humanity. all he cares about is knowing your name and telling you how pretty your eyes are.

"i want to talk to her, at least once." his voice is quiet, but gojo hears.

"why? you wanna tell her you love her?"

he hates him so much.

"no!" megumi exclaims, pushing back the older man in defense. his cheeks are bright red from embarrassment and he can feel the flames emitting from them. "i just want to be her friend, that's all. why do you always make things so weird?"

it's amusing to gojo how his little friend is so flustered. usually megumi is a shy boy, keeping to himself and avoiding contact with his peers; but whenever the conversation topic is you, he seems to perk up...and gojo loves to tease a lovestruck kid.

"don't worry," he smirks, "you'll understand your feelings when you're older. you don't need to tell her quite yet that you love her."

love you?

"just shut up and let me watch." megumi grumbles, resting his head in his hands as you're jumping up and down after being praised by your captain. he wishes he could make you that happy one day. "it's not love, i'm serious."

he'll understand what love means when he gets older. for now, he'll just imagine confessing.

ii. what is love that is forbidden

you're a lot more annoying than he thought you'd be.

after having been selected as the new female titan, your ego is boasting with energy and won't stop boasting no matter how often megumi tells you to zip it. though he was excited to meet you, his thirteen year old self now wishes you'd give him a moment of peace. instead, you insist on following him around whenever and wherever you can and yapping his ear off with comments on everyone and everything about your day. please, just give him a break.

"uh, fushiguro..."

he sighs with exhaustion. "what?"

"i think i locked us in here."

dammit.

"you forgot the key?" he asks.

"i forgot the key." you confirm.

of course you did.

with an exhausted grumble, megumi settles himself on the cold, cement floor of the supply closet you'll both call home for the next few hours. it's both of your days off, but he'd wanted to prep his supplies for his training on monday; to which you, of course, invited yourself along for the ride. you'll stay out of the way. it's fine, he can just ignore you. that's what he told himself...though, it's impossible for him to ignore you.

it's likely that no one will visit the storage room until the evening time— with most of his colleagues at home with their families, cooking a warm meal with lamb and stew. it's also uncommon for any of the researchers to be in liberio on their off days. megumi's just the special kind that doesn't think he'll be plagued by breathing the same air as eldians.

"mind if i join you?" he knows you're asking a rhetorical question and you know he'd never reject you.

with a small plop, you take a seat next to him. he's used to your warmth by now— considering you to be an essential part of his every day, despite how much he enjoys complaining about you— and leans his head against yours. it's obvious that you're sleepy. though, you never indulge in conversations about your training, megumi is well aware of how overworked you are. he can't imagine fighting in wars at this age, especially wars in which you're fourteen meters tall and smashing through brick walls; which is why he tries his best to be there for you when you need him.

your life is a battlefield and he's the peaceful conclusion.

"you know..." the sound of your voice is faint, a great contrast to your usual noise and megumi can tell something is wrong. "when they find us here, they're going to think i kidnapped you."

"i mean what else would the zenin heir be doing with a titan shifter?" you start to choke on your words and he instinctively wraps his arms around you. "you don't need to comfort me, fushiguro. we both know i'm going to be punished after this. you can't apologize and make everything okay like usual."

to your surprise, his pointer finger touches your cheek and gently wipes away your running tears. "...fushiguro—"

"it won't always be like this." he interrupts you, cupping your face as if you're a rare gem that he can't afford breaking. "when i'm in charge, i'm going to change things. you won't have to do this anymore. i won't let them do this to you anymore!"

the two of you are a mess on the floor, crying in each others arms, and wishing that the world was a better place. "you still have thirteen years left. please...please keep fighting for me. i promise i'm going to save you."

"fushiguro..."

"call me by my first name."

"...megumi."

you're beautiful. he wants to kiss you so badly, but he knows now isn't the time. he wants to hold your hand in public, but he knows you'll be berated for doing so. he wants to tell you he loves you, but he's too afraid.

megumi fushiguro is a coward.

...but he's a coward in love; and one day, when he's taller and stronger, he's going to be able to tell you that. he's going to be able to protect you.

iii. what is love that is hopeless

"hold still." megumi's voice is soft, his fingers of the same gentle malice as they tend to your open wounds that haven't quite healed yet. with titan steam wafting from the slashes scattering your forearms and shoulders, they blow into his face in a fury of pain. "dammit, i said hold still."

his brings both arms down to your shoulders, heart breaking at the sight of you wincing in retaliation to his force, but carries on. there's no telling what you would've gotten yourself into if he hadn't insisted he care for your wounds; after making it publicly known that he's to be the only researcher allowed within your vicinity after your tireless warrior missions, none of the other researchers even attempt to get near you. he hates how often you put yourself in harms way in order to save your comrades. you're too brave. you've never been just a warrior of marley, but more or less a warrior of all people.

"i've been sitting here for an hour already, megumi." you roll your eyes, swinging your legs over the metal rims and turning to face your very pissed off best friend. "i'm tired and i'd like to get at least an hour of sleep tonight."

his expression is somewhat terrifying. if you didn't know megumi was such a scaredy cat, you'd be intimidated by his reddened cheeks and eyes of fury. it's almost as if he's an inflamed torch held against fluorescent lighting, pasty and saturated in fear and exhaustion. "i need to make sure you're okay."

"well, i have another plane to catch at dawn," you deflect his concerns. "there's some issue i was assigned to when i landed this morning. i guess one of our enemies isn't afraid of titans yet."

"you're not going."

he's firm in his statement. megumi doesn't like how his colleagues take advantage of you and your abilities. they're working you to skin and bones. if they were the ones checking up on you after every battle they'd know so, but they wouldn't treat you with as much care. his only wish in the world is to keep you safe, which he's doing an awful job at as of yet. "i don't want you getting more hurt than you already are."

"as if it matters." you scoff, leaning towards him in an attempt to get him to back off. "i'll just give 'em a little taste of my titan and they'll run away like mice. it's easy, 'gumi. trust me—"

"life isn't a game!" he's furious.

"well mine is!" you're angry as well.

why don't you get it? why can't you just run away with him?

"i only have four years left! four years, megumi! i don't care if i die tomorrow or the day after that or the day after that. i'm going to either way. you don't have that problem. you don't understand."

without warning, his lips are on yours in his best attempt to stop you from spouting all of his fears and worries from your mouth. he doesn't want to hear it. he just wants to pretend none of it is happening, and you're going to be okay. you are going to be okay. he'll make sure of it.

it takes a moment for you to respond until your intertwined in a feverish kiss that sends his medical supplies clanging to the floor— but megumi doesn't care about order, all he cares about now is being as close to you as possible. he's dreamt of this moment for years. what you taste like...feel like...sound like. he knows you're his soulmate. what he doesn't know is why it's taken him so long to kiss you.

but before your connection can move forward and become something more, your touch is gone.

"i'm sorry, i can't do this." there are tears creeping from the corners of your beautiful eyes. "i—"

he calls out your name as your figure dashes out the door, wishing that he was able to confess. he wants to tell you he loves you so badly; except he doesn't have the bravery he needs. with four more years left, megumi has two things on his agenda.

1.) find a way to save you.

2.) tell you he's yours forever.

iv. what is love everlasting

he's finally become a monster like the rest of them.

from the first time he saw you, he told himself he'd be your savior. he made countless promises that he'd find a way for eldians and marleyans to live in peace, that he'd find a way to save you from this shitty war; only to be the very person to lock you in chains, awaiting imminent death as the next female titan will be born.

megumi wanted to be brave. he wanted to stop being such a coward, but some people just aren't capable of changing so much— and what a disappointment that is.

"hey, fushiguro?" when did you stop calling him by his first name? "can you keep a secret?"

he's not supposed to be civil with you. his orders are to chain you up, inject the child, and watch as she devours you; but you're his weakness. he can't resist you. "of course i can."

a smile graces your lips. it's not a smile of happiness or joy...it's one of anguish and pain. "i wish i ran away with you. i should've run away with you. even though we only had four years, we could've been happy."

why are you saying all of this?

now of all times?

you should've told him years ago! you should've let him know your secrets before he let them change him! before he distanced himself from you and became distracted with his work!

"...megumi..."

"yes?" he's desperate to hear you.

"...i don't want to die."

a thought crosses his mind. it's a scene in which two main characters beat all odds and escape the chains and prisons they've faced, running off into the sunset, never to be seen again. this scene has a happy ending, one where there's a small and intimate wedding with no witnesses except the meadow's flowers. he lifts your veil away from your eyes and murmurs sweet nothings as you kiss him to start off your forever. his heart wants that to be true. he wants that to be true. it's too late, though. you have no time left. your thirteen years is up. his thirteen years of knowing you is up. it's time to say goodbye.

"i can't save you." he's struggling to get his words out while maintaining his composure; and your heart breaks as his promise does as well. "i'm sorry."

he's a monster.

you hang your head, nodding and accepting your fate as he makes his way down the stairs. seeing you like that, knowing what your fate is, almost causes megumi to pass out from lightheadedness. he knows he shouldn't be worrying about himself. after all, you're the one who's about to die. he has a whole lifetime to continue living, and your lifetime was a mere twenty-six years.

gently, he takes the newest warriors hands and tells her what he's about to do. the blonde girl nods along to his words, trying her best to ignore your radiating hopelessness as she's about to become the next you; and megumi injects his needle into her neck.

he wants to look away so badly as she grows into a pure titan with eyes locked on your frail body, but he doesn't want it to end like this. there's gotta be something that he can do to help you. anything to save you from this fate; but to no avail, he's powerless. so powerless that the only thing he manages to do is mouth three seemingly meaningless words as he locks eyes with you.

"i love you."

⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀ ⊹₊｡ reblogs are greatly appreciated! ˚₊⊹

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organizationhimself · 4 months

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i actually can't believe I'm only just now understanding the sick burn of the WINNER stick in the year of our lord 2024.

i always assumed roxas gave this to axel based on some kind of childish logic i didn't really understand. you know, like he's giving up something important while he's running away from home, or he's rejecting the whole ritual of the ice cream thing and making it a fuck you, axel, hope you feel like you won something. (idk, i played kingdom hearts before all my baby brains fell out so i didn't really question these things.)

but here's the thing, and it's unique to the game (the manga has a different take). roxas finds that WINNER stick towards the beginning of the game, when axel's not around to explain it. so he just kinda forgets to mention, and as a result has this thing that axel is totally unaware he has for months and months.

it's not till much later that axel thinks to mention, oh hey, if you find WINNER written on one of your ice cream sticks, that's good or something, and the kiddos are like why?? and axel goes good question i don't got a fuckin clue, I've never found one, but you must win something cool right??

FRIENDS. i need you to understand something about this man's ice cream consumption.

we know FOR A FACT that axel has been eating an average of one (1) sea salt ice cream bar for nearly an entire year. bbs proves there is an outstanding chance that he has been eating it for multiple years before that, yes alone, yes still sitting on the clock tower (or equivalent), pathetic wet cat of a man, you might not like it but this is what peak performance looks like. so even if we're more generous than I'm inclined to be and say that between twilight town's discovery, castle oblivion, skipping days because of interpersonal drama or missions running late, etc., axel has only had 1-2 ice creams per day for about eight out of twelve months, friends that is AT LEAST 240 fucking ice creams in a row?? comrades HE HAS TO BE GOING TO THE SAME STORE SOMETIMES. we're not even talking about roxas, who is there on the clock tower EVERY DAY, rain or shine, ice cream in hand, and has never found a second winner stick. who decided this ratio of winners to losers, willy wonka?? what the fuck is this marketing campaign?? no wonder axel doesn't know what you win when these things are rarer than ethers in kh1 and roxas should be mailing that thing to a museum. how does axel even know the WINNER sticks exist?? I HAVE SO MANY QUESTIONS.

anyway, the point I'm getting to is that there's this other seemingly valuable thing that axel can't explain the purpose or use case of to roxas and xion's satisfaction. and it's also something roxas has had for months without axel's (or tbh his own) knowledge, never once realizing the significance of it.

that thing is of course, hearts.

so when roxas leaves that stick behind, yeah he's probably saying "i don't need your friendship anymore." yeah he's probably saying "screw this, screw you, i quit."

but he's also saying "here's this thing you wanted that has value i don't understand, and i know you don't get it either. pursuing things like this is obviously more important to you than we are, or you wouldn't still be here in the organization's stronghold to find this. i didn't need to have this thing to make those days with you guys worthwhile, but since you're still looking for one, here it is. i hope it was worth it."

like jesus kid. here i thought he was supposed to be the fire guy.

#kh #meta

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echo-goes-mmm · 1 month

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Silas and Wren 2.0 #1

Masterpost

Warnings: implied past non-con, blood

Silas strolled through the markets. He didn’t venture out into human areas often, except to hunt, and these streets were largely unfamiliar to him.

The market was flooded with smells and scents foreign to him. There was all sorts of human food stalls, and some of them intrigued him. But there was no point in wasting money on things he could only taste and would make him nauseous later. Besides, that wasn’t what he was here for.

Silas went deeper into the crowds, breathing in deep. The scent of human despair grew strong with every step, and at the end of the trail would be his goal.

Vampires did not keep slaves. It was a point of pride that they hunted every night; a valued skill to be able to rule the streets and feed a nest without a single death.

But Silas lived by himself, and in the shadow of a much bigger nest of vampires, ever since his father had exiled him.

His territory was tiny, as to not offend their generosity, and he was tired of being so utterly alone. A companion that could talk and think would be welcome; almost like he had a home den again.

Regular meals would also be nice. A single human could supply him easily without putting him in the sights of the ruling nest.

And he’d be rescuing the human from slavery, treating them well like their masters didn’t. Surely that would be a handsome enough reward for their blood. Merciful, even.

Three birds, one stone.

He pinpointed the slavehouse by scent before he saw it. Despair and dread filtered towards him, as strong as any rancid perfume. It was a disturbing smell, one that made his stomach flip with anxiety.

The building was large, and sounded busy. Chatter and the sound of iron against stone reached his ears.

A salesperson met him at the door, smiling at first, and then his face fell when he saw Silas’s eyes.

No human had slit pupils.

“Hello, sir! What can I help you with today?” Silas smiled at him, as was polite, and the salesman shifted uncomfortably.

“I’m looking for a companion,” he said quietly, trying to make up for frightening him.

“Certainly, any gender preferences?” Silas hadn’t thought of that. In all his research about caring for a human, he didn’t consider gender. Maybe he’d relate more to a man?

“A man, please.”

“Right this way, sir.” The salesman led him through the warehouse, passing by rows of chained slaves. They seemed organized by category of work, then sex. Interesting.

“Forgive me,” said the man, “but I wasn’t aware vampires had slaves. I don’t mean to imply anything untoward of course.”

“We don’t.”

“I see. Well, here is our lovely collection of bedfellows. I’m sure one will be to your taste- er, preference.”

Silas’s stomach turned icy. He hadn’t meant sexual companionship. He scanned the row of slaves, all of them chained to the floor by the ankle. They looked miserable. The smell of fear was at its peak here in this awful section.

Now that he thought about it, maybe this was for the best. One less person stuck in sexual slavery.

Now who would he buy?

Slowly, he made his way down the line of men. They all had different appearances, clearly meant to “appeal” to different people. But it didn’t matter how they looked, Silas was interested in the scent of their blood. It was only fair, he couldn’t buy all of them.

Even if he still had access to his father’s money, he couldn’t afford it.

___________________

This buyer looked different. Strange. He couldn’t place it until he saw the flash of the man’s fangs. A vampire.

He’d never heard of a vampire owning anybody. It was usually catch-and-release, right?

The vampire wasn’t looking at them quite like a regular buyer. It was a good moment before he realized the vampire was smelling them.

He shuddered, and the vampire’s gaze turned on him.

___________________

None of them smelled particularly appealing, until he came to the end of the row. This one was small and looked tired.

Poor thing.

But he smelled delightful, and Silas was interested. However, there was only one way to be sure he tasted as good as he smelled.

He bent down and murmured to the slave. “Just relax. This won’t hurt, I promise.”

The slave looked up at him, his honey-brown eyes wide.

“Would you mind if I took a sample?” The salesperson looked nervous at the request. “Just a taste,” he reassured him. “Not even an ounce.”

The salesman nodded, too terrified to refuse.

___________________

Oh god. The vampire was going to drink from him.

Please don’t let it hurt. Please, god.

The vampire cupped his cheek and gently but firmly tilted his head to expose his neck. He screwed his eyes shut.

“Relax,” said the vampire, and he tried his best to obey him. The vampire kissed his neck, a mere brush of his soft lips, and he felt a strange tingling sensation on the little patch of skin. Venom, probably.

He felt the vampire’s cool breath, and then a slight scrape of what was surely the tips of his fangs.

But instead of a stabbing pain, he only felt a mild pressure. A slight tug and some trickling warmth told him he had, in fact, been bitten.

He gasped as the blood left him, his heart pounding as the vampire swallowed it down.

The vampire pulled away after a moment, licking his lips, and he tried not to flinch at the sight of red on the man’s mouth.

___________________

His blood was even better than Silas could have guessed. Deep and rich, with a hint of sweetness. Utterly delicious.

And if this was how good he was mistreated, how amazing would he be healthy?

He wiped away the excess drops from the slave’s neck, licking them off his thumb. He stood.

“I’ll take this one.”

taglist: @just-a-whumping-racoon-with-wifi @secretwhumplair @freefallingup13 @mylovelyme @whumpzone @paintedpigeon1 @haro-whumps @whumpthisway @fanastyfinder @extemporary-whump @susiequaz12 @keepingwhumpwiththekardashians @the-cyrulik @morning-star-whump @writereleaserepeat @annablogsposts @tobiaslut

#first chapter of 2.0!#woohoo!#if you dont want to be tagged let me know #my writing #whump #slavery whump #silas and wren #vampire whump

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accio-victuuri · 1 month

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Exclusive interview with Wang Yibo: Maintain a sincere heart丨"War of Faith" hits the airwaves

Since its launch on CCTV 8 in late March, the contemporary youth growth drama "War of Faith", directed by Yao Xiaofeng and written by Weng Liangping, starring Wang Yibo, Li Qin, Wang Yang and others, has been performing well in recent days. The show topped the CVB prime-time ratings the day after it aired. The real-time ratings of Kuyun peaked at 2, and the popularity on iQiyi exceeded 9,600. The ratings are both good. The male protagonist Wei Ruolai, played by young actor Wang Yibo, is also loved by the audience for his smart, intelligent and righteous character.

"He is very passionate, has a sense of justice, is persistent and brave in his work. Even when facing the dark social reality, Wei Ruolai still maintains a sincere heart and wants to change the social status quo through his own efforts." Wang Yibo accepted the Liberation Daily Exclusive interview with a reporter from Shangguan News, explaining what "Wei Ruolai" is in his eyes.

At the beginning of the TV series, there is an assassination, a rescue, and a stock market game. The plot advances on multiple parallel lines, but they contain inextricable connections. "War of Faith" is set in Shanghai in the 1930s. It adopts a novel narrative incision and starts from the perspective of the financial industry. It embeds the storyline on the real historical picture of Shanghai and depicts Shanghai from 1929 to 1934. A scene filled with smoke and silent struggle. This makes the social turmoil in a specific historical period and the intrigue on the financial front in the play cleverly form an intertextuality.

From the character setting point of view, Wei Ruolai is a character with obvious growth meaning. In the complicated political, economic and social environment of Shanghai at that time, Wei Ruolai, as a young man who bravely came to Shanghai from the Jiangxi countryside, rented in Qibao Street, a mixed and dilapidated place. His initial wish was just to be admitted to the Central Bank and have a good job. income. Wang Yibo revealed that what impressed him about the role of Wei Ruolai was his charisma. This ideal and belief in taking family and country as one's own responsibility, as well as the unique passionate feelings of young people, are the character traits that Wang Yibo admires.

As a young man from a poor family who left his hometown to work in Shanghai, Wei Ruolai showed great personal talent in the financial field. Whether he is helping his neighbor Aunt Zhou on Qibao Street to trade stocks, or being fearless in the face of fire during the central bank exam, the character's agility and human touch are all reflected. When Wei Ruolai got up early to rush to the central bank for an interview, her pair of torn socks, her leather shoes that "gathered dust" under the bed, and her slightly messy hairstyle in the mirror all gave the scenes in the play a sense of life.

In Wang Yibo's view, Wei Ruolai was just like the young people of that era. Although he initially regarded his career as a job that could earn more money to support his family, he had his own ideals and ambitions in his heart. This can be seen from his bent on joining the central bank. "In the context of the times, he was eager to create value through his own efforts on the best financial platform, improve people's livelihood, and make society better."

"War of Faith" adopts a two-line parallel narrative structure. One line is a financial war without gunpowder, and the other is a thrilling spy war drama. In the workplace where the central bank is the stage, the new senior adviser Shen Tunan (played by Wang Yang) plays the role of Wei Ruolai's master and becomes his guide on the career path. Shen Tunan is both good and evil, and he wants to promote Shanghai's financial reform, and he does not hesitate to take risks with his own life. Shen Tunan's sister Shen Jinzhen (played by Li Qin) and Wei Ruolai's brother Wei Ruochuan are both underground members of the Communist Party of China. In the dark current situation, they disregard their personal lives for the cause of the party. Therefore, these important characters surrounding Wei Ruolai constituted his dilemma in social situation, and also laid the foundation for Wei Ruolai and Shen Tunan to part ways.

Wang Yibo feels that Shen Tunan plays an important role in Wei Ruolai's professional and personal growth. "Wei Ruolai, who had just entered the workplace and had no work experience, just rushed forward with momentum and persistence. Therefore, he admired Shen Tunan very much and once regarded him as the direction of his life's efforts. The two of them also learned from each other in the process of getting along."

But as Wei Ruolai received more and more attention, the corruption within the Kuomintang was exposed in front of him. Inspired by the people around him, Wei Ruolai and Shen Tunan eventually embarked on completely different paths of faith. "After experiencing a series of changes such as investigating the counterfeit currency case and treasury bills, he witnessed the darkness and corruption of the current situation, and realized that he needed to change the status quo of the country and fight for the people. Therefore, the sense of opposition between his master and his faith made him once I lost confidence in Shen Tunan, who was once a like-minded person, and eventually embarked on a different path of faith, but Shen Tunan has always been Wei Ruolai's guide"

Director Yao Xiaofeng once said in an interview that he chose Wang Yibo to play the role because he saw many similarities between the two. "I saw something in Wang Yibo. I felt that this story should be filmed as a small character who came to a big city to develop, and then accidentally got involved in a bloody storm and fell into a battle between two forces that were beyond his power. , let him hesitate, let him make a choice."

In one scene, his brother Wei Ruochuan was betrayed by his companions. After searching for Wei Ruolai in Shanghai, he eventually died due to excessive blood loss. In this scene, Wang Yibo performed Wei Ruolai's pain and fear. After his brother died, Wei Ruolai had no time to grieve and buried his brother in pain overnight. "In such a terrifying period, if you have a Communist brother, you have to be screened, and the first thing you will definitely bring is fear. I was very impressed by Wang Yibo in this scene, and the whole audience applauded (after filming)." Yao Xiaofeng said. In Wang Yibo's eyes, Yao Xiaofeng is a director who pays great attention to details. "He is more of a good guide to the actors in terms of performance. He will let me use my own real experiences and feelings to understand the character's current emotions, allowing the actors to perform the performance more closely to life."

In real life, Wang Yibo likes racing. When a reporter asked which scene in "War of Faith" was the most fun, his answer was a bit unexpected but reasonable. "The most fun thing was riding a motorcycle from that era." As for what themes or roles he wants to challenge in the future, his answer is also very open, "I want to try them all, and have a sense of freshness."

#AAAAHHHH YASSS THANK YOU FOR THE INTERVIEW!#wang yibo #wei ruolai #war of faith #accio victuuri translation

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ddarker-dreams · 11 months

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I did not care for cyno at all until you started posting about him and now I’m obsessed with that guy. he probably thinks TCG duels are peak romance and if he gives you flowers they have a shiny ultra rare card tucked between the petals.

honestly, i felt neutral about him at first too, but the more i think about him, the more i understand the appeal.

his darling has such a different mental image of the revered general mahamatra that actually meeting him is like whiplash. he has the serious demeanor one would expect of a person in his position, yet he keeps making these lame jokes and staring at you with an expectant expression.

you have no idea what to make of him. you'll hear the news that he singlehandedly took down a band of vicious criminals, then the next day, he'll be there at the market telling you he's a "shoo-in" to help when the strap on your sandal snaps. he's mentally patting himself on the back for that one for the rest of the day.

the card in the bouquet of flowers JKEMGR it'd be an insanely expensive one too, a limited edition version that would've required multiple months of saving your salary to buy. had you known its value is around three million mora, you wouldn't have been using it as a coaster.

cyno has to put in the work unlike these other yanderes because of the god inhabiting his body. he's hanging around you during his lunch break, running into you by 'coincidence' during dinner, then insisting on walking you home at night because it'd be dangerous otherwise. the world's first law-abiding yandere. even if he is stretching the limits of the law just a bit...

#yandere cyno x reader #concepts #answered #holydayaria

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fcble · 6 months

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THE PROBLEM WITH FABLE is a video essay uploaded to YouTube on November 19, 2023. Despite being the channel’s only video, it was quickly picked up by the recommendation algorithm and gained nearly half a million views in its first week. The half-hour video examines and critiques Fable’s concept. Sentiments in the comment section were almost evenly split between agreeing with the video’s premise, and 2000-word essays about how it's wrong. Three days after the video was uploaded, the comment section was disabled.

CHAPTERS AND SELECTED EXCERPTS

THESIS STATEMENT [00:37 - 1:04] … The problem with Fable has always existed. It’s built into their concept—the very foundation of any group. A single concept doesn’t have to be a bad thing, if a group can properly execute and then push the boundaries and truly explore their concept. Fable does none of that. They get on stage in their hanboks only to perform pop song 8265734—now with gayageum.

THE ONLY GOOD PARTS (WHEN THE QUALITY IS BAD?) [03:42 - 6:29] … Before we get further into the bad, there are two—and only two—parts of their Korean concept that make sense. First, Korea has become such a large part of their image that all of their endorsements and brand deals are with South Korean companies. Hell will freeze over before a single Fable member represents a Western brand or product. Second, their dedication to Korean song titles is unmatched. In a surprising power move, Zenith Entertainment usually refuses to provide English translations.

PROBLEM #1 [6:30 - 15:44] … The greatest problem with Fable's concept is their inconsistency. It's been five years and they can't make up their minds about what they want to represent. They cherry pick what they want to represent. An instrument here or an outfit there. Slap a traditionally significant symbol—tiger, magpie, persimmon—on the album cover and call it a day.

For Fable, Korea exists in a bubble, which is obviously not the case, eschewing centuries of cultural mingling throughout East Asia. Their album titles are sajaseongeo—four character idioms—with roots in Chinese chengyu and similar to Japanese yojijukugo. Far from unique. For another example, Confucianism plays a major role not in their music, but in their variety shows and other content. As the state religion and governing philosophy throughout the Joseon dynasty, it was obviously highly influential on traditional Korean culture and eventually Fable. But in their promotion of the ideology, they miss out on swaths of history. While Confucianism’s five constant relationships permeated every social class, philosophy and learning were restricted to the upper class yangban. Which of course, Fable loves to represent themselves as. They’re always kings and noblemen and scholars—without a single mention of the common people.

Aside from ignoring social class, they also ignore half the population—women. It was, for lack of a better word, shitty to be a woman in Confucian society, and it continues to be shitty to be a woman in a society still strongly influenced by Confucian values. And yet Fable glorifies this past, where women were subservient to fathers and husbands and sons and not much more than property. To make matters worse, they do this all in front of an audience of teenage girls and young women. It’s doubtful that the people in charge of Fable’s creative direction and marketing have ever felt the touch of a woman.

PROBLEM #2 [15:45 - 22:39] … While Fable hasn’t figured out what they’re representing, they’ve certainly figured out who’s doing the representing. The treatment of their two diaspora members—gyopo, dongpo, whatever term you want to use—stands out from the treatment of the rest of the group. Andrew has expressed his frustration with not being able to participate in the group’s music as much as he wants to. And then there’s Mingeun. It’s impossible to talk about Fable without talking about Mingeun’s scandal at the peak of their career, when it was revealed that he had pretended to be a South Korean national for two years. That supposed secret alone should make it obvious that when it comes to the two of them, something is different. It speaks volumes about their goals as a group—fully Korean, for Korea, to the point where even diasporan Koreans don’t belong.

In an ironic twist, their refusal to entertain anyone other than “pure” Koreans becomes even more representative of contemporary Korean society. As the nation’s economy becomes increasingly more globalized, its social attitudes still remain firmly in the past. In Fable’s single-minded focus on Korean history, they continue to perpetrate such ideas. While one kpop group is not going to solve racism in South Korea—an issue deeply entrenched in their hermit kingdom past and the years under Japanese occupation—it becomes hypocritical for them to work so hard to export their culture while being intolerant of others.

CULTURAL REPRESENTATIVES [22:40 - 27:03] … No exploration of Fable’s concept and marketing would be complete without a mention of their nickname. In 2021, they became known as the “cultural representatives of kpop” by netizens. They've seemingly embraced the nickname since, if the way they've never switched up their concept is any indication. Which begs the question: why are they so intent on this direction? Kpop—with its idol culture inspired by Japan’s idol industry and the very industry inspired by the American one—is distinctly un-Korean. Kpop is instead a hybridization of cultures, with musical genres invented by Black Americans and its commodification of art invented by American capitalists. If Fable is really so intent on representing traditional Korean culture, then where’s the pansori song or sijo lyrics? Being the nugu face of the tourism industry—next to much bigger groups like BTS and Blackpink—is not enough. They need to do something other than appear in a Korean Air commercial and gush about how nice Jeju Island is at this time of the year.

SMASH THAT LIKE BUTTON [27:04 - 29:12] … The inconsistency and hypocrisy of Fable’s concept does more harm than good. They promote a glorified version of history completely inaccurate to the actual past to impressionable young people and kpop stans incapable of thinking for themselves.

If you enjoyed this video and want to see more, make sure to like, comment, and subscribe.

#╰ to be written in ink is to be immortal — [ writing. ]#ficnetfairy #fictional idol community #fake kpop group #kpop oc #idol oc #thousand word essay with a bibliography and everything out here what the fuck

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reallyromealone · 8 months

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Constance Lefour x male reader

Soulmate au

This fandom doesn't exist yet

Think of it as marketing lmao

🪐🪐🪐🪐🪐🪐🪐🪐🪐🪐🪐🪐🪐🪐🪐🪐🪐🪐🪐

(name) looked wide eyed as he glanced out the air ships window, the Amethyst city: Oraculum. The massive city peaking from the clouds, built from the mountains.

Grand gothic stone buildings surrounding the large castle like building carved from the side of Mount Ilfred and a large violet crystal floating on a large spire, connected from two points shaped like a moon, the deepslate castle having old detailed carvings and stained glass windows of the capitals inception and newer editions from the war.

It was loud and bustling as people of all kinds stepped off the airships from places far and wide, (name) held onto his suitcase as the sound of bells and whistles for people to board could be heard, ships refilling on anything needed and loud chatter. His feet stepped against the old cobblestone as he followed the crowd to customs, standing in line as security checked luggage.

They were imposing, navy garrison uniforms with golden embellishments.

"Next" (name) broke from his thoughts as he stumbled to the guard and set his briefcase on the old oak table "name and country of Origin" he said simply and (name) some nervously "(name) (lastname) and I'm from Froja" he said and the guard glared slightly and mumbled something under his breath along the lines of 'end time bastards' and (name) kept quiet about it.

It had been two hundred years yet the world was still recovering from the war, the country of Froja wanting to harness the planets core to power everything and anything though it's methods were less than great, slowly killing the planet till it was ended by the country of skyla; a nation that was torn from the planet by his countries wrong doings.

When the officer was finished (name) scurried out, uncomfortable at the situation

Glancing around be looked for signs of his friend, grinning when he spotted him smoking off to the side "you know that'll kill ya one day right?" He teased as toddy glanced at him groggily, ash Grey eyes peaking from his dark lashes as his messy curly strawberry blonde hair pulled up in a bun, his eye bags present "I'm here to have a good time, not worry about those things" (name) always admired toddy, the man never worried.

The two walked through the bustling dock onto the streets as (name) took in the city before him, townhouses and shop houses filling the streets, colorful and vibrant as vendors and shoppers alike entered and exited, being the magic hub of the world many stores were magic relatedToddy walked to a Grimoire shop and pulled out keys, unlocking the side door leading to the upstairs apartments and (name) looked curious "my my, throwing a party are we?" A voice chimed out and (name) glanced to see a pretty man with ivory white hair that fell to mid back, straight and soft looking, His Almond skin a stark contrast to it all. He was tall and lean, a black turtle neck and fitted slacks with nice looking loafers. "Hardly, (name) this is my neighbor Constance Lefour, Constance this is my close friend (name) (last name)"

"Opposites really do become good friends... friends with this sleepy bum" Constance teased at Toddys messy clothes, the teachers dress shirt always dishevelled and sleeves rolled up to show off his tattoos "Maybe I should get a roommate.." Constance said with false thought and Toddy snorted at the concept "please, you would probably tell them of their deaths with unsolicited fortunes"

"Never hurts to know when it will all end, makes one value life a bit more, you all have such little time" he spoke as if he and everyone else was different.

He was a weird pretty man.

Constance walked off without another word and Toddy rolled his eyes "accept a fortune at your own risk, he tends to get strange with them" Toddy remarked and (name) nodded "he seems like quite the character" he joked and Toddy huffed playfully"that barely covers him as a person"

"I have another neighbor, she runs the shop downstairs, she joins me for dinner or Constance as she's legally not allowed to cook" he explained and (name) raised an eyebrow "why?"

"She can't cook for shit, she almost burned the building down a few times so she's been banned as it's seen as a safety hazard"

"Fascinating"

"Also if you see a Siamese cat, don't give him food that's Winston and he already tricks like four people"

These folks seemed strange but the fondness in Toddys voice proved they were dear friends to him.

(Name)s belongings arrived a week prior, the man spending his time unpacking his room while Toddy took a nap, the man never getting enough sleep as long as he knew him.

"Thanks again... I really should get a new one" Moira said sheepishly as milsha helped a familiar get dressed for his adoption, Harold dressed in his best for a farmer just outside the capital.

"It's no problem! So what do you guys even do here?" (Name) asked as a group of angry hamsters stomped around squeaking angrily, he had never seen hamsters with mullets before but it was a first for everything he supposed.

"Ah! We help the spirits of forgotten pets start a new life as familiars for witches/warlocks and wizards! Petcrpmancy if you will!" She said cheerfully and (name) looked wide eyed "that's an incredibly noble of you two to do, I'm sure they will all find good homes" he said as a dodo bird in armor challenged a broom to a duel.

"Well I best be going, good luck Harold" (name) said and the cat looked happy as the necromancers bid their farewells.

(Name) explored the city a bit more, it was way different that back home as the sun shone high almost blindingly "oh? We meet again" a familiar voice rang clear and (name) looked to see none other than Constance flipping a shop sign to open and (name) looked at the old shop sign "Constance' magic Bazaar" "that's correct, anything and everything is sold here~"

"Fascinating, got any plant keeping grimoires?"

"Ah trying to save those poor plants from toddy Dearest?" Constance teased as they walked into the chaotic store, truly he had everything as items stacked everywhere and tagged messily.

Constance seemed to know where everything was as (name) looked at all the magical items "would you also like a fortune reading on the house?" He offered as he set the book down on the counter and types numbers into the register "50,000 Gūya" he said simply as he rested his chin in his hand, resting on the old mahogany counter as (name) paid with his Holo-com, a device that truly showed the mix of magic and Machina.

"Sure, why not" he said and Constanc practically beamed at this his honey eyes dancing with joy as he cracked his fingers, pulling a note pad and a pen, drawing sigils on it "projection magic?"

"Don't you want to see it?"

Constance spoke some encantations as he took (name)s hands and placed it on the paper "fortetīo" he said simply and removed the others hand from the paper as it set itself on fire, light projecting from it.

"What kind of fortune is it?"

"A love one"

(Name) Raised an eye brow and Constance shrugged playfully "I'm a sucker for romance~"

The two watched the fortune of (name) waiting at a table in black and white dressed in a suit and looked happy when he noticed.... Constance walk into frame?

"Well then"

"My my, never thought this is how I would meet my beloved, been so long I thought I didn't have one ~"

"Why's that?"

"Don't worry about it"

Toddy sipped his tea tiredly as he took it in "good luck" he said exhausted and (name) smiled sheepishly as Constance fixed his hair up, always trying to get Toddy to look less like he rolled out of bed "I promise to return him by eleven~" he teased and Toddy rolled his eyes "you better, he starts work tomorrow"

#x male reader #x reader #xreader #xmale reader #Constance lefour x reader #Constance lefour x male reader #familiar friends x reader #familiar friends x male reader

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madamlaydebug · 1 month

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FYI EVERYONE!!!

I was at Wendy's recently, I heard a guy ask for his senior discount. The girl at the register apologized and charged him less. When I asked the man what the discount was, he told me that seniors over age 55 ...get 10% off everything on the menu, every day. (But you need to ASK for your discount.)

This incident prompted me to do some research, and I came across a list of restaurants, supermarkets, department stores, travel deals and other types of offers giving various discounts with different age requirements. I was actually surprised to see how many there are and how some of them start as young as 50.

This list may not only be useful for you, but also friends and family, too.

Dunkin Donuts gives FREE coffee to people over 55. If you're paying for a cup every day, you might want to start getting it FREE.

YOU must ASK for your discount!

RESTAURANTS:

Applebee's: 15% off w/Golden Apple Card (60+)

Arby's: 10% off (55 +)

Ben & Jerry's: 10% off (60+)

Bennigan's: discount varies by location (60+)

Bob's Big Boy: discount varies by location (60+)

Boston Market: 10% off (65+)

Burger King: 10% off (60+)

Chick-Fil-A: 10% off or free small drink or coffee ( 55+)

Chili's: 10% off ( 55+)

CiCi's Pizza: 10% off (60+)

Denny's: 10% off, 20% off for AARP members ( 55 +)

Dunkin' Donuts: 10% off or free coffee ( 55+)

Einstein's Bagels: 10% off baker's dozen of bagels (60+)

Fuddrucker's: 10% off any senior platter (55+)

Gatti's Pizza: 10% off (60+)

Golden Corral: 10% off (60+)

Hardee's: $0.33 beverages everyday (65+)

IHOP: 10% off (55+)

Jack in the Box: up to 20% off (55+)

KFC: free small drink with any meal (55+)

Krispy Kreme: 10% off (50+)

Long John Silver's: various discounts at locations (55+)

McDonald's: discounts on coffee everyday (55+)

Mrs. Fields: 10% off at participating locations (60+)

Shoney's: 10% off

Sonic: 10% off or free beverage (60+)

Steak 'n Shake: 10% off every Monday & Tuesday ( 50+)

Subway: 10% off (60+)

Sweet Tomatoes: 10% off (62+)

Taco Bell : 5% off; free beverages for seniors (65+)

TCBY: 10% off (55+)

Tea Room Cafe: 10% off (50+)

Village Inn: 10% off (60+)

Waffle House: 10% off every Monday (60+)

Wendy's: 10% off ( 55 +)

Whataburger: 10% off (62+)

White Castle: 10% off (62+)

RETAIL & APPAREL :

Banana Republic: 30% off ( 50 +)

Bealls: 20% off first Tuesday of each month ( 50 +)

Belk's: 15% off first Tuesday of every month ( 55 +)

Big Lots: 30% off

Bon-Ton Department Stores: 15% off on senior discount days ( 55 +)

C.J. Banks: 10% off every Wednesday (50+)

Clarks : 10% off (62+)

Dress Barn: 20% off ( 55+)

Goodwill: 10% off one day a week (date varies by location)

Hallmark: 10% off one day a week (date varies by location)

Kmart: 40% off (Wednesdays only) (50+)

Kohl's: 15% off (60+)

Michael's: 10% off everyday (55+)

Modell's Sporting Goods: 30% off

Rite Aid: 10% off on Tuesdays & 10% off prescriptions

Ross Stores: 10% off every Tuesday ( 55+)

Salvation Army Thrift Stores: up to 50% off ( 55+)

Stein Mart: 20% off red dot/clearance items first Monday of every month ( 55 +)

GROCERY :

Albertson's: 10% off first Wednesday of each month ( 55 +)

American Discount Stores: 10% off every Monday ( 50 +)

Compare Foods Supermarket: 10% off every Wednesday (60+)

DeCicco Family Markets: 5% off every Wednesday (60+)

Food Lion: 60% off every Monday (60+)

Fry's Supermarket: free Fry's VIP Club Membership & 10% off every Monday (55 +)

Great Valu Food Store: 5% off every Tuesday (60+)

Gristedes Supermarket: 10% off every Tuesday (60+)

Harris Teeter: 5% off every Tuesday (60+)

Hy-Vee: 5% off one day a week (date varies by location)

Kroger: 10% off (date varies by location)

Morton Williams Supermarket: 5% off every Tuesday (60+)

The Plant Shed: 10% off every Tuesday (50 +)

Publix: 15% off every Wednesday (55 +)

Rogers Marketplace: 5% off every Thursday (60+)

Uncle Guiseppe's Marketplace: 15% off (62+)

TRAVEL :

Airlines:

Alaska Airlines: 50% off (65+)

American Airlines: various discounts for 50% off non-peak periods (Tuesdays - Thursdays) (62+)and up (call before booking for discount)

Continental Airlines: no initiation fee for Continental Presidents Club & special fares for select destinations

Southwest Airlines: various discounts for ages 65 and up (call before booking for discount)

United Airlines: various discounts for ages 65 and up (call before booking for discount)

U.S. Airways: various discounts for ages 65 and up (call before booking for discount)

Rail:

Amtrak: 15% off (62+)

Bus:

Greyhound: 15% off (62+)

Trailways Transportation System: various discounts for ages 50+

Car Rental:

Alamo Car Rental: up to 25% off for AARP members

Avis: up to 25% off for AARP members

Budget Rental Cars: 40% off; up to 50% off for AARP members (50+)

Dollar Rent-A-Car: 10% off ( 50+) Enterprise Rent-A-Car: 5% off for AARP members Hertz: up to 25% off for AARP members

National Rent-A-Car: up to 30% off for AARP members

Overnight Accommodations:

Holiday Inn: 20-40% off depending on location (62+)

Best Western: 40% off (55+)

Cambria Suites: 20%-30% off (60+)

Waldorf Astoria - NYC $5,000 off nightly rate for Presidential Suite (55 +)

Clarion Motels: 20%-30% off (60+)

Comfort Inn: 20%-30% off (60+)

Comfort Suites: 20%-30% off (60+)

Econo Lodge: 40% off (60+)

Hampton Inns & Suites: 40% off when booked 72 hours in advance

Hyatt Hotels: 25%-50% off (62+)

InterContinental Hotels Group: various discounts at all hotels (65+)

Mainstay Suites: 10% off with Mature Traveler's Discount (50+); 20%-30% off (60+)

Marriott Hotels: 25% off (62+)

Motel 6: Stay Free Sunday nights (60+)

Myrtle Beach Resort: 30% off (55 +)

Quality Inn: 40%-50% off (60+)

Rodeway Inn: 20%-30% off (60+)

Sleep Inn: 40% off (60+)

ACTIVITIES & ENTERTAINMENT ;:

AMC Theaters: up to 30% off ( 55 +)

Bally Total Fitness: $100 off memberships (62+)

Busch Gardens Tampa, FL: $13 off one-day tickets ( 50 +)

Carmike Cinemas: 35% off (65+)

Cinemark/Century Theaters: up to 35% off

Massage Envy - NYC 20% off all "Happy Endings" (62 +)

U.S. National Parks: $10 lifetime pass; 50% off additional services including camping (62+)

Regal Cinemas: 50% off Ripley's Believe it or Not: @ off one-day ticket ( 55 +)

SeaWorld, Orlando , FL : $3 off one-day tickets ( 50 +)

CELL PHONE DISCOUNTS :

AT&T: Special Senior Nation 200 Plan $19.99/month (65+)

Jitterbug: $10/month cell phone service ( 50 +)

Verizon Wireless: Verizon Nationwide 65 Plus Plan $29.99/month (65+).

MISCELLANEOUS:

Great Clips: $8 off hair cuts (60+)

Supercuts: $8 off haircuts (60+)

NOW, go out there and claim your discounts!! Remember YOU must ASK for discount - no ask, no discount.

I Know everyone knows someone over 50 please pass the one on!!!

COPIED AND PASTED

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rabbitcruiser · 2 months

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Pi Day

Pi Day is on March 14, and any day that combines fun, education, and pie is a day worth celebrating! Pi, also known by the Greek letter “π,” is a constant value used in math that represents the ratio of a circumference of a circle to its diameter, which is just about 3.14….15…9265359… (and so on). Not only that, but the fourteenth of March is also Albert Einstein’s birthday, so all together it’s nothing short of a mathematician’s delight.

When is Pi Day 2024?

The beautiful constant pi (π) is celebrated by mathematicians around the world on National Pi Day on March 14.

History of Pi Day

To learn about pi, we need to go back a few thousand years and learn about this elusive number. The value of pi was first calculated by Archimedes of Syracuse (287–212 BC), one of the greatest mathematicians of the ancient world.

However, it was first baptized with the Greek letter as its name when William Oughtred called it as such in his works dating back to 1647, later embraced by the scientific community when Leonhard Euler used the symbol in 1737.

But how did Pi Day end up in a country-wide phenomenon? For that, we need to travel to the Exploratorium in 1988 San Francisco, where it was thought up by physicist Larry Shaw.

Shaw linked March 14 with the first digits of pi (3.14) in order to organize a special day to bond the Exploratorium staff together, where he offered fruit pies and tea to everyone starting at 1:59 pm, the following three digits of the value. A few years later, after Larry’s daughter, Sara, remarked that the special date was also the birthday of Albert Einstein, they started celebrating the life of the world-famous scientist.

Pi Day became an annual Exploratorium tradition that still goes on today, and it didn’t take long for the idea to grow exponentially, hitting a peak on March 12, 2009, when the U.S Congress declared it a national holiday.

Now, celebrated by math geeks all around the circumference of the world, Pi Day became a pop culture phenomenon, with several places partaking in the activities, antics, observations and all the pie eating they can.

Pi Day timeline

March 14, 1988

The Inception

Larry Shaw celebrates Pi Day for the first time.

March 12, 2009

It’s Official

The U.S Congress declared March 14 National Pi Day.

March 14, 2015

Super Pi Day

The first ten digits of pi were achieved on 9:26:53 a.m. (3/14/15/92653)

August 19, 2017

Legacy That Lives

Larry Shaw passes away as Pi Day leaves its mark on pop culture.

Traditions of the day

Pi Day gives math enthusiasts the opportunity to celebrate their love for numbers and the enigma that is the infinite pi.

Since 1988, the day has been celebrated at the San Francisco Exploratorium. The first celebration was organized by Larry Shaw, who worked as a physicist at the center. The staff participated by marching around the exploratorium and consuming fruit pies. This tradition has lived on since. Math lovers talk about math, host get-togethers, and have pi recital competitions. In schools, teachers arrange scavenger hunts, pie bake sales, and even Pi Day workouts to stimulate more interest in learning and practicing mathematics. Those folks who work in food marketing also love to get involved, so keep your eyes peeled for some discounts, deals, and freebies on pies, it’s going to be an extra tasty day.

By the Numbers

14th – of March is also Albert Einstein’s birthday

31.4 million – the world record held by Emma Haruka Iwao for calculating the most accurate value of pi.

4 – the number of months it took Emma Haruka Iwao to calculate the most accurate value of pi.

70,000 – the number of decimal places of pi memorized by Rajveer Meena in 2015.

10 – the number of hours it took Rajveer Meena to make the world record.

3.125 – the original number used for pi by the Babylonians.

22.4 trillion – the number of digits calculated by Swiss scientist Peter Trueb, using a computer.

24 – the number of hard drives on the computer used by Peter Trueb for calculating pi.

700,000 – the number of years it will take to recite the 22 trillion digits of pi.

15,000 – the number of digits of pi memorized by Mark Umile in the U.S.

Pi Day FAQs

Why is pi important?

Pi is very important for calculations in math, engineering, construction, physics and space exploration. Many often consider pi the most important number in all of mathematics.

Which pie should I bake for Pi Day?

Any you’d like. We do not play favorites when pie is concerned. Pies are really simple to make and can be made with several sweet or savory fillings. Apple Pie, Chicken Pot Pie, Pizza pie, be our guest!

Are there any places that give Pi Day deals?

Check restaurants, supermarkets and bakeries over on the Internet for special Pi Day deals. Places like Whole Foods, Boston Market and several pizza chains across the country have special day-long sales.

Pi Day Activities

Enjoy pie of course: Pi is a homophone of pie: the 2 words are pronounced similarly, but are spelled differently and mean different things. Celebrate Pi Day by eating lots of pie! Pizza, cherry, apple, you name it!

Throw a potluck party: Everyone loves to show off their family pie recipe. Make it a potluck and everyone will be inclined to bring their favorite pie to Pi Day, whether it's a pizza pie, a pot pie, a savory pie, or a sweet pie. Make a playlist that features songs like "I Like Pie, I Like Cake" and "American Pie.”

Try making a new pie: Ever tried to make a pie before? Now's your chance to bake your very own. Not into the sweet stuff? Don't worry, there are various savory pie recipes out there so that everyone can enjoy the warm buttery flakiness that comes with a fresh baked pie.

5 Facts About Pi

People compete in memorizing it: Rajveer Meena has the record for memorizing the most decimal places of pi at 70,000.

It’s used as stress tests for computers: Computing pi is a kind of “digital cardiogram” for computers.

A Givenchy men’s cologne is named pi: So you can smell like pi too if you are the intellectual and visionary kind.

It has other names: Pi can also be named “Archimedes’ constant,” or “Ludolph’s number.

It has been used by heroes: Spock foils the evil computer by having it calculate pi’s value in Star Trek’s episode “Wolf in the Fold”

Why We Love Pi Day

Pi is infinitely cool: Pi (π) is the ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diameter — and amazingly for all circles of any size, pi will always be the same. Pi is an "irrational number," meaning its exact value is completely unknown. Scientists have calculated billions of digits starting with 3.14159265358979323…, but no recognizable pattern ever emerges. We could continue on and on until infinity and we'd still have no idea what digit might emerge next.

Pi sounds like pie: If you are a nerd that likes pies this holiday is pretty much the best combination of the most interesting things in life: pie and mathematics. And of course that means that in order to celebrate abstract mathematical items that are somewhat irrational the obvious solution is to incorporate pie into the holiday.

Pi links mathematics to the real world: Maybe when you were in math class, you stared off into space wondering why on earth 'logs' or 'proofs' mattered so much. Pi is the answer, well at least, one of the things that links math back to real world uses. Because pi is linked to circles it is also linked to cycles, things like calculating waves, ebb and flow, the oceans tides, electromagnetic waves and much more. In addition, many natural world phenomena can also be calculated with pi — like the shape of rivers, the disc of the sun, the spiral of DNA and even the pupil of an eye.

Source

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lost-decade · 4 months

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A matter of letting go

(Max G/James R, rated T. 1193 words)

For the prompt: “It could’ve been worse; we could've fallen in love.”

Max is quiet, in the emerging light of dawn. James can sense him moving around the room; a strange, vaguely familiar feeling. It’s been months since anyone but himself has occupied this space. An uneasy sensation, tight beneath the skin. Throwback to one of a handful of one night stands he’d had in Tokyo. But hadn’t he been the one doing the sneaking out before sunrise most of those times?

A kiss on the cheek, thanks for the orgasm.

He presses his face into the pillow, pulling the covers tighter around him. Swaddled against the world. It gets cold on the Cote d’Azur in winter, he hadn’t anticipated that when he moved here. 6am and no heat on is cold. He opens his eyes, watches the muscles in Max’s back flex and ripple as he stretches to pull on his t-shirt. The fabric falls in a dance around his waist. When he turns, James can make out the dark circles of his nipples through the white cotton, hardened with the chill. James’ teeth had grazed them, just a few hours ago, his tongue laving them to peaks, eliciting sounds he knows he won’t forget. Along with the scent of Max’s skin, familiar, but dialled up a notch between his thighs. Or the taste of his come, faint trace still lingering in James’ mouth even now.

“I didn’t mean to wake you,” Max says, when he catches James staring. He sits down on the side of the bed, jostling James’ cocoon a little. If he doesn’t wash the sheets, how long before the smell of the two of them fades?

“You didn’t, I’m normally up by now. It’s too cold.”

Max rolls the top of his socks a little before he pulls them on, James notices.

“I’m. I have to…my flight.”

Ahh, yeah. His flight to Mexico.

Mexico and a beautiful young man, barely more than a stranger. Getting lost in the street markets. The way he’d licked his lips after the tacos they’d eaten. Nerves about the season twisting in James’ belly. The enormity of what he’d taken on hitting him. A year ago. Another life.

“Have a good flight,” James says, sitting up, propping the pillows behind him. “You’ll be fine, I’m sure of it.” It makes him feel a little stronger, being upright, but the duvet slips, and his chest is bare except for the restrained hunger of Max’s gaze.

Max nods. “Yeah,” he agrees. “Thanks.”

What was there last night is absent now, the mask affixed into place again. It can’t be good for him, James thinks, to give so little of himself, and so rarely; to be consummately professional all the time. Everything held tightly to his chest, no cracks. Not like last night.

Last night James swears Max had been crying, his eyes bloodshot, the skin around the corners blotchy where he must have rubbed them. Standing on the doorstep with all his courage.

Even after Cape Town, when it felt like the whole team was imploding, James hadn’t seen him cry, his tone clipped after the race but the façade still impenetrable. Last night he was bare, split open for James to see. It felt like a gift. One he should have turned down. If he was strong enough.

Months ago he would have done, yet something has severed within James through the last year. It’s as if in trying to take care of everyone around him, he’s completely neglected to salve his own wounds. Now they’re inoperable. The self-help accounts he’s followed on Instagram don’t have the answers. Eat healthily. Sleep well. Lower your screen time. Exercise regularly. Spend time with people who value your company.

He’s tried meditation, scrolled the dating apps.

He’d feared something like last night the most. That this might help. Help and simultaneously make him feel as if his soul has been ripped out. A stronger man would have said no. André, never one to think about consequences, would have said go for it, bro. James is neither. His conscience bites. It shouldn’t, really, there’s nothing that ties them now. And Max is not a stranger to sex with men; James had figured this out before their clothes hit the floor.

This is not a path to self-preservation.

Max lifts his hand. It hovers between them, as if he can’t make up his mind. James makes it for him, reaching out and sliding his fingers into the gaps between Max’s, squeezing. Thinking about last night.

“I don’t think I can do this without you.”

Max, skin damp from the rain, hair falling in his eyes. Not crying but close. The rare gift of seeing him not put together, cracked open. It’s just coincidence, all this, James tries to persist in thinking. They had both been new to the team together, that’s all. They had found their way together, found a way to win. Formed a bond that would enable Max to keep winning, with James there to support him.

“You’ve got this.” James tells him, leading him over to the sofa, sitting him down. I’ve got you, he remembers saying, on the grid in Jakarta. He'd forgotten that, until he'd seen it on screen, seen himself laid bare. The way the camera had captured how he looked at Max felt like too much. James wonders if he's watched it too, if he noticed.

It’s been months of barely any contact, a text or two, a suggestion of coffee that James had ignored. “You’re amazing, Max. You’re going to be fine.”

“I need to tell you something.” Max raises his head, looking at James properly, a sweeping glance that isn’t inhibited; there’s no looking away. James had been watching the tennis, turned down low on the TV now, a blur of rackets and lines missed from the corner of his eye.

“I know Max. I know.” The look in his eyes: pure desire. Of course James knows.

Kissing someone you’ve adored for so long, for the first time. Kissing Max. It would be bullshit to say it feels different, unique. Just…right. He knew it would be.

The sun fills the gaps around the curtains, hints of rosy sky, the night slipping away.

“So, I’ll go home first,” Max says, awkwardly. “There’s a car collecting me to go to the airport.”

James nods, but doesn’t let go of his hand. Take me with you, he wants to say. I can be what you need. Part of him believes it, even though it’s impossible. “You’ll have a good season, I can feel it,” he says instead.

“Yeah. I’ll give it everything.” Max leans forward, rests his forehead against James’ for a moment, the two of them breathing shallowly. James brings their joined hands up to his lips, kisses Max’s knuckles. “I should go.” Max tries to spur himself into action, but he remains, brushes his lips against James’, a ghost touch, and then he does have to go; turning away and retrieving his hoodie from the chair.

“I guess it could’ve been worse,” he says, with his back to James, so quietly that the words are barely audible. “We could have fallen in love.”

#fe fic #max/james #inspired by unplugged #the I've got you ended me okay #might put this on ao3 later but i'm kinda not totally happy with it idk

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yeonghan-bh · 5 months

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tis the season event plots 2.0 [ rivers edition ]

and here is rivers! am i extra for two posts? yes! do i need it for my sanity? yes! please drop an emoji for whichever plot you'd like and i will get a starter out! details can be adjusted as needed! and as previous, if you'd like to mash up an idea for rivers here with one of yours i'd be totally down!

❄️ — seemingly uncharacteristic, rivers has booked a private sleigh for himself to be able to enjoy the scenery of beonhwa during the peak of crocus season. however, the details of private sleighs requiring two riders seemed to allude him when booking this ride and now he's forced to ride with your muse who had come unknowing of the ride circumstances as well- getting paird with rivers when the knights ask for someone who'd like to join a private ride.

🖼 — rivers has an exquisite painting for sale at the gala under a pseudonym. as an artist, it's a given that he'll be present to take in what artistry beonhwa has to offer. while making his rounds, he comes across your muse who is admiring or criticizing his piece. depending on muse's reaction, rivers might take the compliment or consider the criticism by sharing his own.

🌷— mistletoe ho ho. if your muse wants to get trapped with rivers under a mistletoe for any reason here is your one chance. rivers has had a bit too much crocus wine after settling a commission with a noble notorious for their drinking habits. with more than he can handle, your muse runs into rivers underneath a mistletoe on his way back home! ( a real kiss may ensue or not! )

🎟 — your muse has just bought the one-of-a-kind item from their favorite stall owner at the market. low and behold, it's a crocus special following a big milstone of the stall owner. however, throw a child into the mix with some ice and- boom! rivers has run into your muse and in the flurry of people getting pushed around, your muse's item drops to the ground and immediately gets broken. rivers, reluctantly, is willing to buy your muse whatever they want to make up for it's cost in value from the market.

🍪 —rivers, with full intention, has been feeling grinchy this crocus especially after the bad year he's had with the citizens of beonhwa having singled him out more often this year than the past. he's made a batch for the baking contest and has more than enough for others to try as well. it most certainly is delectable but- why do you feel sick after eating it?

#event ✘#plot call ✘#— I BRING ALL THE DRAMAMAMAMAMA #— guys lets get some scandal going on

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tellthemeerkatsitsfine · 3 months

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Nearly a year and a half ago now, I was able to watch the John Oliver's New York Stand-Up Show (terribly clunky title, it acronyms into JONYSUS and that's not much better, really annoying thing to have to look up if you happen to be spending ages trying find download links for it) with the use of a VPN and another person's Paramount Plus login, because I gave up on finding the files anywhere. But since then, every couple or months ago I've tried again to find them, because I fucking hate having things restricted to streaming services. Not just for the anti-corporate reasons or whatever (though those are important, I strongly object to the fact that people pay for media but all they get to do is rent temporary access to it that lasts as long as they keep paying and as long as the company decides to keep the media on its platform, and you have to watch it on their shitty video player that makes you turn off your adblocker and stalls all the time and that can't be enough value for money, even though to be fair I don't personally pay for it, just occasionally use the login of a generous friend for stuff I can't find elsewhere), but because I like being able to watch shows in a way that lets me cut out screenshots and clips so I can save and organize those into my own folders.

This week, I was finally able to find a form of the show that lets me do that. And I'm finally able to say: Remember that time when Andy Zaltzman spent years making fun of John Oliver for occasionally saying “gotten" because he was living in the United States, and then Andy got on American TV one time - they mentioned on The Bugle that this was his American TV debut - and immediately said "sports"? It's adorable, he hits the S just a touch too hard like he's trying to remind himself to say it.

(Annoyingly, Tumblr is still being difficult about letting me embed videos, so I'm just using Google Drive links instead.)

There's nothing in that short set that I haven't heard Andy do in other contexts (except, obviously, when he does that line in Britain he says "I prefer sport", not sports), but it is interesting to me to see which bits he picked out for an American showcase. Presumably his favourite bits, and what he thought was most marketable.

I wrote a post recently in which I wondered what material early OOs- era John Oliver might have picked out for a crowd that might not be in the mood for annoyingly clever and/or political material. Because I've heard most of the bits that John was doing then, spread across various contexts in little pieces, and I think he probably had just about enough to string together a relatively accessible and apolitical set for an audience that wanted it. Andy Zaltzman, however, did not. The range is one difference between Zaltzman and Oliver.

I've watched this whole 26-episode show, it's mainly American comics doing jokes about sex and drugs. And Andy decided the best he could possibly do when trying to fit in there was the child labour material. Never ever change, Andy.

This seems like a worthwhile time to issue a reminder that this isn't the first time I've been able to save and post a bit of that show. A very helpful friend (@lastweeksshirttonight) was able to grab this clip for me when I first watch it, which of course now has a treasured spot in my definitely-non-Beautiful-Mind-like Chocolate Milk Gang folder.

I thought of that clip recently when I heard this on the Elis James and John Robins radio show:

, just because I find it funny that Daniel Kitson has a lot of friends who make jokes about how much he looks like a serial killer, especially for a man who does not look all that much like a serial killer. He just has a beard. John Oliver at least would have been talking about Kitson circa 2006, when he had long-ish hair, and Daniel Kitson was probably at peak serial appearance before he cut his hair off. But still, even then, in the mid-00s when they were writing all those articles about how weird it was that this scary-looking serial killer man wrote such beautiful comedy - he was just a guy with a beard and long-ish hair. Come on, does this guy guy look like he'd hurt anyone?

Anyway, I'd better wrap up; I'm afraid, like a badly managed French restaurant, I'm running out of thyme.

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mchiti · 1 year

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I hear West Ham and Tottenham are interested in Hakim, thoughts?

I THINK THAT I WANT him out of London hbiba this is my dua. Tottenham is the last club I want to see him play for beside his current club and...west ham...I mean with all due respect :( I'm already thinking Nayef is doing so good and he will definitely get better opportunities soon.

I was looking at morocco players current market value yesterday and to think Hakim is valued less than quite a few others now is honestly a bit ...upsetting? But certainly not because I'm not happy for the others who deserve it!!!!!! only cause I think he should be up there too. It's unreal to think he's the key player of the national team but chelsea screwed him so much at the peak of his career.

Even sadder when I think he left Ajax when he was already 27 year old. We're living a time in football where clubs overvalue so much young players who are definitely still not ready for it (see m*dryk now). He was ready, and stayed with Ajax for so long, he just didn't have the best of luck with this club did he. But yeah let's not mention chelsea's football philosophy. He needs to thrive somewhere else and find a good club for him. Hopefully away from epl (not bc he's not good for it as some people try to say, but because his qualities deserve other styles of play). I want him to a top club because he deserves this and he won't have any problem to find better opportunities, whether is serie a, la liga, psg, whatever it is at this point reallyyy inshallah. I really don't think either of them are a choice at this moment!!

#asks #friends #sba3 needs something else #if I think he played 2 months ago last time and he's being blamed for the sacking of potter?#when I think media are all reporting bo*hly doesn't want him to play?#and when next year he plays ucl and u dont then what.#but yeah anyway i'm very calm today.

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uboat53 · 1 year

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Twitter is in the news a lot these days, but I'm honestly finding what's happening with Tesla to be far more interesting. Ready for a LONG RANT (TM) about stocks?

WHAT'S HAPPENING?

Tesla stock has been on a bit of a slide in the last year. As I write this it's trading for just over $100 per share, about a quarter of the 52-week high.

The decline tracks pretty well with Elon Musk's purchase and running of Twitter. He's been both using Tesla stock as collateral for his loans and selling stock to make his own payments, so some decline certainly makes sense. Still, Musk only owned about 13% of the company at his peak, so what's going on with Tesla stock is far more than just his selling or borrowing against his own shares and that's what I want to look at.

THE MARKET

First let's pause for a moment to review how stocks work. Basically, when you buy a share, you own some percentage of the company. Most companies have millions or even billions of shares, so the actual percentage you would own is not huge, but you do own it and the more shares you own the greater percentage you own.

Tesla, for example, has 3.16 billion total shares outstanding which means that each share gives you ownership of 0.0000000316% of the company.

Now, how much a share is worth tells us something. How much, for example, would you pay to own a small part of a given company? If you would pay $100, for example, for that small percentage of Tesla, then we can approximate the total value of the company by multiplying the price per share by the number of shares, which gives us a total value of $316 billion for the company.

And the way we know that each share is worth about $100 is that, on any given day, a bunch of people want to buy or sell a share and, by seeing what people were willing to accept and pay, we can see what the average value is. Recently about 100 million to 150 million Tesla shares have been traded every single day and each transaction is public, so that gives us a pretty good idea of what they're worth.

(I should note that this isn't a universal rule. What you would pay for a single share of a company may not be the same as what you would be willing to pay for a 10% stake that would give you the right to a seat on the board or a 50% + 1 stake that would give you total control of the company. It's an approximation but, as far as approximations go, it's a pretty good one).

THE HYPE

So what goes into the value of a company or a share? There's hard data certainly. Most companies release quarterly statements and more detailed yearly statements regarding their profits, expenses, investments, etc. and that information can give you an idea both of its current profitability and its future prospects. Some companies also pay a dividend, returning some percentage of their profits directly to shareholders on some regular basis which is another factor to consider.

There's also things that some might consider market manipulation. A company might buy back its own shares, making the remaining shares more valuable, or an activist investor may buy up a large stake to try to pressure the company in a certain direction. Some investors may even short-sell a stock, betting against the success of a company which, if done at a significant scale, can become a self-fulfilling prophecy.

But we also have to consider that the people buying stocks are, let's face it, people, and just as susceptible to tricks of psychology as any of us. Sometimes a stock trades for higher than any fundamentals or other trading issues might make it simply because there's a media or social buzz about it.

I should point out that this isn't an insane reason to buy a stock. Strong media or social hype tends to lead to both increased sales and higher profit margins. Apple is a great example of this as it at one point boasted about the same level of profits as Dell from their computer lines with only 1/3 the actual sales.

SO, TESLA...

Tesla has lost about 75% of its value from its peak this last year and a lot of that is due to Elon Musk's acquisition of and running of Twitter. There are, to my mind, three main factors to consider:

1) Musk has sold off a significant chunk of his Tesla stock holdings to pay for his acquisition of Twitter and has used a lot of the rest as collateral for loans. He's a big enough investor that this selling changes the supply/demand equations of the stock to some degree.

2) Musk was already the CEO of Tesla and the CEO of SpaceX (along with the Boring Company and several others), now he's the CEO of Twitter as well. There are legitimate questions both as to how many different ways one person can split their attention effectively and there's also the question of, if Twitter and Tesla were to need his full attention at any given time, which one would win?

3) Finally, there's the hype. A lot of Tesla's image, popularity, and marketing strategy was based on Musk. He only held 13% of the shares of the company, but he ran it and a lot of the social and media buzz about the company was based on his reputation (valid or not) as a genius who was going to change the world. His struggles and antics at Twitter have dented that reputation and, with it, some of the shine on Tesla that made it so valued.

If I had to guess I would say that the latter is the most significant factor, probably as much as 75% or more, in the drop in Tesla price. As I noted, Musk was already splitting his time between running multiple companies and he's neither a massive shareholder nor is he selling a huge chunk of his holdings.

Frankly I don't actually find it that surprising that most of the value of Tesla (apparently at least 75% of it) was hype rather than business fundamentals. Tesla still sells under a million cars a year compared to 10.5 million for a company like Toyota and it doesn't have a dividend. That means that most of the difference in company value between Toyota ($219 billion) and Tesla (over $1 trillion at its peak) had to do with hype and expectation of future growth rather than any current sales or profitability.

WHAT COMES NEXT?

Okay, I'm not going to pretend to be able to predict the future here, but there is one thing I'm fairly sure of. Hype and reputation aren't something that's easy to get back, particularly not if it's based on something nebulous like individual genius.

A perception in culture and media for individual genius isn't exactly a reputation that comes about because of strong data, it's more about public relations and a general perception than it is about strong data. Once lost, I'm not even exactly sure how a person would go about regaining it to the degree they had it before.

Given that, I think there's probably room for Tesla stock to recover a little bit, given that at least some of the drop has to do with the negative hype around Musk's antics at Twitter, but it's probably reasonable to think that it won't regain the insanely high valuation it had earlier in 2022.

On the other hand, if Musk continues to lose more of his reputation due to his involvement at Twitter or for some other reason, there's clearly still room for the stock to continue to plummet. After all, it still sells far less cars and brings in way less money than Toyota and is worth more on the market, so there's definitely still more hype that it could lose.

TL;DR:

Tesla has lost about 70% of its value in the last year because it turns out that most of its stock price wasn't due to its product or business but due to the reputation of its CEO which is now diminished due to his purchase of Twitter and all of the associated happenings there.

I'd put good bets that a lot of that value isn't coming back, reputations are tough to rebuild.

#long rant (tm)#tesla #twitter #elon musk #twitter takeover #stock market #economics #tesla stock #elon twitter

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gaykarstaagforever · 10 months

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Here is an article from Variety about how the writers' / actors' strike will probably lead to Apple buying everything like Shudder, while CBS and Disney will continue to lose market share and money:

I post the link because I think the author is correct about the market impact, generally.

Now the problems with it.

1. Her premise is that the strike is hitting the billion-dollar content dragons "at the worst possible time," as they bravely fire people and purge IP to make more money for shareholders. The narrative that this is all some unfortunate act of nature is utter bullshit. They all did this to themselves, and are ONLY doing this to themselves because of greed and lies fueled by greed. Zaslav is the one who promised everybody that his company owning 47 others would lead to good times that will never end. That wasn't "market forces" or "the wind." This is Smaug laying upon his Golden Hoard, bemoaning the apparent death of the world because it isn't making any more gold for him to steal...because he's already stolen it all. Then set the mines on fire. What a shock that Variety, a trade publication, would pretend like the market leaders in that trade are downtrodden simpletons just tryin' to make their way through this mixed up ol' world. But they are decidedly not.

2. Traditional or "Grandpa Media", your network television goons / Disney / Paramount, haven't been in a position to blow money on stuff that can't compete with offerings from Netflix or Amazon for like more than a decade now, yet they are continually eager to keep trying. So maybe stop wasting money on that? Like I don't believe you are in actual dire straights when you've refused to steer out of then for 12 years. And keep trying to build a house there.

Paramount should have given up on their grey water service ages ago, but are seemingly refusing to out of spite. The networks are spending tons maintaining free ad-supported services that are destined to never be profitable, because no one under the age of 70 is willing to put up with this goofy format to watch even more tepid CSI knockoffs.

Why are these companies investors allowing them to keep doing this? It is YOUR money they are flushing away on bad ideas, guys. This is why everything is a mess. It isn't because a staff writer wants rent money for churning out bad dialog for some shit G-rated fireman show only 6 dads watch. Again, you people fucked this all up from the front end.

3. If motherfucking Disney, with all of their billions and monopolization of IPs, haven't figured out how to make streaming work yet, they are never going to. At least not with this leadership.

You brought Iger back. He oversaw the first Disney stumbles into streaming, where they did whatever and it worked because they are Disney and people were willing to put up with whatever. That "successful formula" isn't going to work again. You actually have to fix that godforsaken broken POS app and put shows on it that aren't Mandalorian Season 3. And the confused old man who basically led to all this of happening in the first place is in no position to fix it.

4. The demands of the striking talent are not grandiose. They are asking for living wages and humane working conditions and being valued as creatives and artists by the corporations making billions from their work. Regardless of the market, this is baseline stuff they should have had already. The writer of the article knows this, but still seems to bemoan the timing, like this will hurt their chances of getting concessions.

Lady. They ALREADY HADN'T GOTTEN THE CONCESSIONS. When times were good. Obviously it doesn't matter, because the companies aren't interested in doing what is right. So what the hell does it matter?

Maybe kicking them when they are down, because they've already kicked themselves, is a better strategy. Because with all the talk of AI and CG doing everything, that is being said by people who barely understand what those are, who STILL NEED TO PAY PEOPLE TO DO THOSE, the cheat code they think they have to beat the system isn't a cheat code. ChatGPT can't make a show anyone with a brain would watch. And you have to pay people to composite actors in. And because you low-ball the rates for that, you're burning through the companies that can do that: they keep going out of business. This isn't sustainable, or even fundamentally doable.

The companies are wounded animals, and their fix for it is to chew off another limb. That isn't a position of strength. Striking writers can go get other jobs if they have to. But what is NBCUniversal if there are no new episodes of...let me look it up here...Chicago Med? They are an entertainment company. They can't transition into a lumber yard or something.

I realize they are owned by Comcast who has a monopoly on paid internet and cable TV in a bunch of US markets. But Comcast isn't going to keep them if they aren't profitable. They're all at risk if they don't settle with talent and make more shows thst someone, apparently, is watching.

#writers strike #streaming

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