#and so daniel was 1 for 6 basically

[pynkhues]

"my question is do you think louis avoided eating guys that reminded him of lestat or that he generally targeted them"

this is such a big can of worms. there're two possibilities. first one is from the books - he didn't discriminate between his kills OR! he very well could've filled a tower of his own with the amount of blond blue eyed twinks he killed. and that is a parallel that gives me major creeps.

curious what lestat would think.

Okay, third option and personal head canon: 95% of the time Louis avoided anyone 1) French, 2) Blond, 3) Blue eyed, 4) a musician, 5) posessiong The Waist(TM) [at least that would be rare lol] 6) anyone possessing The Vibe(TM) [fortunately also rare lol], but 5% of the time he'd be miserable and unstable enough to seek that exact spectre out and inflict some uncomprehendable mix of the tenderest of intimacies and the most violent of punishments, and Louis might never have said Lestat's name in those moments (how many years? Without it uttered in their house?) but Armand would've heard it all the same.

[reunitedinterlude]

june 13, 2019

happy 5 years to basically i'm gay <3

[bradshawed]

NEWTON'S LAWS, BEGINNER'S GUIDE TO AN F1 RACE WEEKEND

main & series masterlist !

introducing... the lion and his lioness prey pairing: f1!raphael cameron & reporter!reader

An apple fell from a tree and well... you know the rest. Much like Newton's apple, you fell right in his path, the lion's path, and he deemed you his prey. Silly boy. That was his first mistake.

A tale as old as time, Newton & his gravity, faceclaim: HoYeon Jung & various pinterest girls

warnings! fem!reader, use of y/n, slight swearing, timeline inconsistencies, mentions of carlos leaving ferrari

prologue, chapter 1, chapter 2...

Show Transcript

0:00 [The camera pans across the front of the Ferrari motorhome] Once a Ferrari girl, always a Ferrari girl...

0:16 [The camera cuts to a shot inside y/n's bedroom] Sorry to cut that short, I'll be doing that a few times today in what's basically my beginner's guide to an F1 race weekend at the British Grand Prix.

0:44 I was lucky enough to be gifted an F1 Paddock pass which includes the F1 hospitality, pit lane walks, a buffet, open bar and champagne hospitality [camera cuts to you drinking champagne] and not to forget, the guided paddock access!

1:55 The British Grand Prix marks the 10th race of the F1 calendar, excluding pre-season track sessions at Barcelona and pre-season testing in Sakhir which allows a chance for the 10 teams to put their cars (following the considerable changes during the winter break and often new cars entirely) through their paces ahead of the opening race of the year. This year, the calendar aims to fit 23 GP's, a record amount following the Covid pandemic.

2:43 [The shot switches to a YouTube video of Rafe Cameron lifting the World Championship Trophy in 2021] These drivers are high performance athletes in a team sport, driving around in oddly shaped circles and battling extreme g-forces at 370km/h to compete for this, the F1 Driver's Championship, while teams fight for the F1 Constructors Championship and prize money based on their position at the end of the season.

4:01 The standard F1 GP weekend sees each event take place over three days, typically Friday through Sunday. [The camera pans to a shot of Daniel Ricciardo's car zooming past] On Friday, there's two on-hour practice sessions - Free Practice 1 (FP1) and Free Practice 2 (FP2). Saturday starts with Free Practice 3 (FP3) to give time to fine-tune their set-ups before parc ferme conditions begin and most work on the car is banned. I prefer watching FP1 and FP2 because it's usually a lot quieter on the track.

5:05 [A shot of Rafe Cameron climbing out of his car following Q1] Qualifying takes place later on Saturday, and is split up into three stages - Q1, Q2 and Q3 - which last 18 minutes, 15 minutes and 12 minutes respectively. The five slowest drivers are eliminated from Q1, and five more drop out of Q2, setting up grid positions from 20th up to 11th. The remaining 10 drivers head to Q3 to determine the top 10 grid slots, with the fastest driver taking pole position for Sunday's Grand Prix.

5:55 [Carlos Sainz claiming his first pole of his 150-race F1 career]

6:10 I don't think I've ever screamed that loud before, he really deserved that pole in what might be his last season for Ferrari. It's a shame we won't see him next season but currently, he's driving like a man with no appendix and no job, and I respect it.

6:43 [The camera pans to you walking by the pit lanes] So tomorrow's the GP and I really hope Carlos can convert this into a win. Generally, before the race drivers can conduct 'reconnaissance laps' as they head to the grid to gauge track conditions and make any last-minute checks, before stopping their cars in their grid position. There's just time to make some last minute tweaks before the drivers walk to the front of the grid for the national anthem.

7:36 Following the national anthem, the drivers then strap themselves in and team members clear the grid before it's time for the formation lap. [The camera pans to a shot of Sunday's formation lap] The cars weaving side to side isn't because they're bad drivers, don't worry, it's so they can heat their tyres for grip [The drivers return to their grid positions ready for the start].

8:16 [You hold your breath filming the start of the race] The race director's about to initiate the start sequence [five red lights turn on one by one before all lights go out all at once to start the Grand Prix and the cars race towards the first corner].

...

16:55 I'm going to cry, Carlos Sainz just f*cking won the British Grand Prix! I'm divided on the safety cars, but thank you Estie Bestie for retiring your car. Carlos attacked Charles on fresh tyres at the restart, got that P1 and won! I fear I'll never shut up about this.. [The camera pans to Carlos' podium].

21:01 [The shot switches to y/n's bedroom] Unfortunately, I didn't bump into Jenson Button that weekend, which is a shame but I hope to be back someday on a more regular basis... Thank you all for letting me take you along to my dream playground and for letting me ramble on, please do let me know if you'd be interested in more F1 breakdowns. Hope you're all wonderful, love you loads, mwah!

If you would like to be added to the taglist, please let me know. And, if you want to remain tagged, you must interact with the posts (credits to Zya).

taglist for f=ma, @vampteeths @edwardslvrr @zya8tracks @potatodirectioner @poppysrin @a-beaverhausen @judesgfirl @pogueprincesa

note! credits to zya for her layout and for her ingenious idea to breakdown f1 to those of you who love rafe but may not know much about this world xx i may be posting little extras like this to explain more and adding little links to f1 articles that help break the sport down.

did you catch the danny ric reference?

i couldn't resist basing this on carlos' win, i'm gonna miss him this season :( if u guys have any questions, please feel free to ask, i'll try to answer them to the best of my ability

[two-white-butterflies]

monopoly go | mv33 | part two

Description: A stranger keeps striking your monopoly go base. You search him on Facebook and decide to settle your losses.

part one |

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yourname_awesome: might need myself a london boy 🇬🇧

liked by 23,283 others

>comments

maxverstappen1: pretty

maxverstappen1: the background is so pretty - yourname_awesome: list of all the poeple that asked. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. - - maxverstappen1: talk to me when you can spell people properly - - - yourname_awesome: talk to me when you can spell noodle properly 🥱

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EMILLIAN ATTACKED YOUR LANDMARK.

EMILLIAN STOLE 20M IN A MEGAHEIST.

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yourname_awesome: decided to square up with this 🤬 after he attacked my landmark. what's thatp icture? oh, that's meant for lewis hamilton...he just wrote his name on the top.

liked by danielricciardo and 67,392 others

>comments

maxverstappen1: ??? Post my pics when you can spell properly - yourname_awesome: comment on my posts when u aren't stealing from my base anymore - - maxverstappen1: Won't be commenting for the foreseeable future - - - yourname_awesome: Simply Lovely!

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humpyfumpy: SOMETHING IS SUSPICIOUS BETWEEN MAX AND THE GIRL HE'S BEEFING WITH....I CAN FEEL SOMETHING BREWING

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Y/N ATTACKED YOUR LANDMARK.

Y/N STOLE 5M IN A HEIST.

Y/N STOLE 72M IN A HEIST.

YOU PAID Y/N RENT.

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INSTAGRAM

maxverstappen1 STOP

yourname_awesome my reaction

maxverstappen1 reacted to this message. (❤️)

yourname_awesome ???? THAT'S SUSPICIOUS

maxverstappen1 MY reaction

yourname_awesome who is that girl ur with?

maxverstappen1 Idk i found this picture in the internet

yourname_awesome nah bro go back to ur other hoes

maxverstappen1 No

yourname_awesome 🤣

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Stolen glances from crowded rooms - that's all you were. You couldn't understand your dynamic with him, in texts the chemistry was there but in real life? He's awkward, rarely even speaks to you. "Do you think that he's a little tongue tied?" your best friend asked and you tilted your head sideways.

"What?" you inquired and she shrugs. "Men are shy when it comes to girls that they like." "Are you suggesting that he has a crush on me?" you furrowed your eyebrows and she nods. You scoff, "He's not a teenager," you chuckled.

She rolls her eyes.

"It's just a suggestion," she antagonized.

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"I've never seen a picture of you two together," Daniel takes a sip of his beer. Max glances at you again - eyes filled with adoration but no words exit his mouth. "Don't expose him, Daniel." Lando winks - Max freezes and they all exchange a knowing glance.

You lean back on the chair.

"Why would we need a picture together?" you giggled, placing a piece of apricot on your tongue. "Because you're friends," Lando saved his friend. Max was shitting bricks at this point. "Acquaintances, we've only known each other for a week." Max managed to let out.

You raised an eyebrow.

"You're hurting me with your words," you joked and he replies with a smile. "My bad," he breathed and his friends push him off the chair. "You can make it up to me by letting the boys take a picture of us," you smiled - seriously into him.

Not just because he was a Formula One Driver (it was a factor) but also because of his humor. He was hilarious... and handsome. "Cheese Maxie," Daniel says while pulling out his mobile phone.

The hug was basically second-nature.

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danielricciardo: Too cute not to post? @maxverstappen1 @yourname_awesome

liked by 1,283,219 others

>comments

standingina1950sgym: THE HARDEST HARD LAUNCH OF ALL

yourname_awesome: NAWW NOT YOU EXPOSING MY TATTOO

maxxieeelover: The matching shirts?? - yourname_awesome: pure coincidence huhu 😭

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@sugarhightano @lovelylunas-world @ironmaiden1313 @duck-duck-goose-18 @itsjustkhaos @daniellarogers @darleneslane @lilbeyotch1d

[margaretthotcher]

Look I can disparage DTS as much as the next guy for being inaccurate and stirring up drama, but thats basically all the f1 youtubers I watch too. Its good entertainment about my special interest, so without further adieu, here are some of the episodes I think would make if I was producing season 7:

Episode 1: Scarlett Fever

The season opener. Starts with many many social media tweets about the lewis to ferrari rumours, have a talking head that says most rumours in f1 are nothing, even if they're true they take weeks to come to fruition, Im picturing this as Will Buxton. Cut To: LEWIS HAMILTON TO FERRARI FOR 2025. Have Lewis do a talking head maybe idk. Next Carlos going I was never going to keep it against the 7x world champ. Jeddah. open on some stock footage of the formula 2 quali to set the seen vaguely mention ollie on pole. Carlos has a talking head basically saying every race from now on is him auditioning for a new seat, Except..... he gets appendicitis, what will ferrari do??? enter Ollie to the talking head zone, he introduces himself as ferrari junior and reserve for both ferrari and haas. Ollie does well, hurrah. allude to seeing more of him later. We then get to Australia where they focus on Carlos's return. He says something like how he's still aiming for the podium regardless of his surgery last race. the assumption is max will win hence aiming for a podium. cut to the race and max breaking down, now carlos wins!!! excellent, idk wrap this up with some kind of cliffhanger.

Episode 2: The China Shop

This is basically the episode where nothing goes right for Red Bull. apparently someone has already confirmed it will partially cover the horner situation. I don't want to get into that here but assume that its also happening in this episode. Max wins the initial races but has a couple things happen in aus/miami, it becomes clear this won't be their 2023 season repeated. Checo is underperforming but holding out hope. People are talking about Daniel into Redbull as an option to replace Checo. The car is also slipping away from them, don't spoil the winners of the races for later in the season but show where Max and Checo are placing. They go on about how its fixable and they have an excellent design and engineering team. Cut to the breaking graphic of:ADRIAN NEWEY TO DEPART REDBULL. Another team principal, I want Toto but it's probably Zak, mocks them like "They're acting like a Redbull in a china shop" Horner comes in as if his allegations never happened and goes Checo just need the confidence of security, new contract for Checo, again wrap it up in a satisfying/cliffhangery way.

Episode 3: Anything Can Happen

This is where I have to acknowledge the fact that they absolutely aren't doing the 2/3 Mclaren/Ferrari episodes they need. In a ideal world, there would be a Mclaren boys both get their first wins episode before the big lando championship fight episode and Ferrari/Charles would get his Monaco and Monza episode, then at the end there would be one last episode about the constructors battle between them. They won't do this, and even I can't justify giving one team three whole episodes, we're only working with ten here.

Instead, Miami, Monaco, Silverstone, and Hungary are going to be one episode. I KNOW. It's too many, I don't care. This episode is basically that one edit to Anything Can Happen. It opens with some discussion about Lewis, Charles, and Lando, and their various curses with winning. Charles can't win monaco, Lewis can't win since he lost 2021, Lando can't win. you then have three basically mini episodes like 15 minutes each covering them each getting the win they want. You then have Will Buxton probably come in and mention that with Max, Carlos and George as well, we've now had 6 different winners in the first half of the season, last year we had 3 total yadayadayada. Cut to: Hungary Oscar leading the race and then Mclaren does the undercut. Radio drama ensues. They swap. Oscar gets his maiden win in only his second season, we have a 7th winner but not without controversy. Nobody seems happy, the episode ends with the promise of more drama at mclaren later in the season.

Episode 4: Red, White, and Argentinian Blue

less proud of this title but thats fine.Williams time.

It's basically a Logans greatest failures compilation (sorry bro I actually like you but this is TV drama), also includes Alex's great aussie crash and him getting logan's car anyway. You have something from logan at the beginning about improving on last year, and having another chance to show what he can do, just to twist the knife.

Have James Vowles then come in and explain that they tried to give Logan a chance they really did it's just not working out (whether anyone believes him on this is another matter entirely). While saying all this he also praises Carlos and talks about how they're dating and he's pregnant with Carlos's child or whatever went on there.

Alex says something sad about having been in Logan's position back at Redbull.

Logan gets fired, if possible I want behind the scenes of this conversation but that feels unlikely. Instead, we get the discussion of his replacement. Names thrown out include: Liam Lawson, Mick Schumacher, Kimi Antonelli, Whoever the actual williams reserve was, but James only has eyes for Franco. The junior team is his baby and Ollie doing so well at Jeddah gives him an excuse to take that chance. He talks about his hope for the younger generation after such a dry spell of good rookies between 2020 and 2024. this james making a diss at basically everyone but Oscar that's joined since the 2019 rookies, including those still racing like yuki and zhou.

We then get the Franco announcement and a summary of his first couple races, very simple, mostly just the baku double points. maybe also his singapore lap 1 nosedive. We end the episode thinking he's the next max verstappen, we get no further mention of williams crashes and failures. key implications being there are no spots for him at williams.

Episode 5: Haasta la Vista

nope that's even worse.

Gunther is gone. That's the episode.

No actually, theres some discussion of Gunther leaving and Ayao arriving but it's also clear from near the beginning of the episode that neither Nico or Kevin will be staying with Haas next season. Starting at testing the Haas car is shit everyone expects them to be last. Maybe highlight Ollie being their reserve as well as Ferraris and do one of those small flashbacks to Jeddah. Kevin is crashing and racking up penalty points, Nico is forcing the Haas into positions no one expected at testing. Ollie is announced as driver, followed quickly by Esteban.

This episode is basically Haas being successful when no one expected them to be. Kevin gets his one race ban, Ollie replaces him for baku, show Ollie beating Nico with basically no context of the crash or the race up til that point just that Ollie beat Nico.

Nico talks about being excited for sauber/audi, Kevin talks about seeing his kids grow up. They talk about each other too. In my dreams there is a big romantic haasbands compilation edit. It's actually just a oh yeah we used to not like eachother but now we're friends. This is actually one of the more wholesome episodes somehow.

Episode 6: Family Values

Look I need to preface this with the knowledge that the Netflix cameras weren't actually there for this first part, but I'm writing it anyway.

Open on Toto's house. Idk whether Susie was there at the time but we'll say yes because I love her. In the kitchen Toto and family are having breakfast, talking, laughing, hold on, laugh we recognise, pan over, sitting next to Jack on the breakfast bar stools is George, having a sleepover with Toto??? for some reason??? anyway have them discuss the upcoming season over breakfast, say how they're excited for the cars development, working with lewis, etc. etc. George goes to say goodbye and then once he's left, Toto gets a call from Lewis, he answers and greets him. His face drops.

Brief mention that merc is getting better but they dont know why, literal 30 second montage of their first 3 wins since we already covered Silverstone and the other too are just unfortunately not as relevant to the rest of the season.

Time jumped a bit now we get the debate of Lewis's replacement. Toto mentions trying to get Max. He's never getting Max. That's fine, he has his own little prodigy he's making skip years of junior series. Very brief discussion of sticking someone else like carlos in the merc for a year or two and letting kimi develop at williams first, considering his f2 performance, maybe they did drag him up too quickly. Nah it'll be fine... Ollie did fine.

Quick explaination from one of the journalists about Prema generally being considered the best team in f2 eg. charles, oscar, pierre. but then mention the new regulations they've struggled to get on top of. Then show how Ollie performed in Jeddah and Kimi outperforming Ollie in the standings

Toto mentions how he signed Kimi at 12 and seeing him now at 18 getting an f1 seat makes him so proud. Mercedes weird family dynamic continues with Toto comparing Kimi and George to being like his bonus sons, and when asked whether he thinks they'll fight says some bullshit about how all siblings fight but at the end of the day they do what's best for the family-uh-no-i-mean-team. We're all a little weirded out by this.

Talk about how George is ready to step up as team leader, he's learnt a lot from Lewis. Also show him being unbothered (definitely bothered) by Toto having a cool new prodigy.

Kimi crashes Georges car in fp1 at monza the day before the announcement. This worsens the tension (whether it actually exists or not). George makes a semi condescending comment about Kimi that's definitely taken out of context. everybody takes this as truth upon viewing it and hates on George once again. Kimi has a more successful fp1 at mexico. Kimi has a tiny interview about how he's excited to be an f1 driver.

This is one of the shorter episodes, it just looks long because I got too invested in breakfast at Totos.

Episode 7: Papaya Rules

If they don't call the Mclaren episode Papaya Rules, I will eat my hat.

This carries on from the set up of Anything Can Happen. Lando and Oscar have both won one race each but Lando is ahead in the standings and had to give up hungary to Oscar. Drive to Survive will make this a bigger drama than it is, the two will seem like they hate eachother. This is the closest they'll get to replicating season 1 maxiel invented drama.

I find this episode the hardest to write despite it having the clearest storylines I think. The only options seem to be make either Lando or Oscar the villain and I don't want to do that so I simply won't. In my version of Drive to Survive, the papaya rules episode is just a half hour long clip of them work shopping the name "papaya rules" in a meeting. followed by Oscar's overtake of Lando in Monza, a 5 minute montage of all the criticism of Mclaren and their team orders will they won't they attitude, Lando getting knocked out of Baku qualifying, Oscar winning Baku. Then the Brazil sprint swap followed immediately another 20 minutes of meetings in which Lando tries to tell the team that if he has the opportunity he will give Oscar back the sprint win. The team tell him not to do it. This is followed by the Qatar sprint swap, radios and all. Oscar and Lando have more beef with Mclaren strategy team than they do each other.

Episode 8: The dramatic irony Daniel-uh-I-Mean-VCARB episode

Contrary I think to popular opinion, I think Liam has to be a sympathetic character in this episode and therefore I think it starts with Liam. He's talking about how hard it was not racing this season after he got a shot last year. Mentions how last year he was in another series, this year he's only riding on the good will of his 2023 races. Meanwhile, you have Daniel, Yuki, and Checo fighting it out for the Red Bull seat. This part is very quick because it's already been covered in The China Shop but it's basically Checo's performance struggling while Daniel and Yuki are doing betterish. This episode then focuses more on Daniel's perspective than Checo's like the other episode did. You have someone saying something stupid about Daniel being the only person to beat Max in equal machinery back in 2016-18. How he beat Sebastian Vettel in a Red Bull. Something about how Daniel is a "lost world champion" swallowed up by the dominance of Mercedes during his prime (3rd in both 2014 and 2016 to Lewis and Nico). It's all very compelling, unfortunately, Daniel Now, just isn't cutting it.

For a brief moment post-spa it looks like the switch is happening anyway (P.S. if Netflix got the actual record of what happened here they can have my soul because I'm convinced Daniel genuinly had the seat for all of 3 days before money came in to change that), however Checo's contract is extended and now Red Bull has Daniel Ricciardo problem. Someone comments that you shouldn't have a senior driver in a junior team. Daniel was brought in to replace Checo and that's not happening anymore. meanwhile Yuki is out performing Daniel and the whole thing flips on him very quickly. Liam is looking at other teams but isn't allowed to proceed with them without Red Bull's permission until september, he's getting frustrated because seats are filling up fast and again, he thinks this is his last shot. VCARB have to make the drastic switch.

Singapore comes and Daniel is surrounded by rumours, he knows it doesn't look good. He says if I'm going out, I want to go out on a high note. He get's his fastest lap to help Max. He gets a fairwell from his pit crew even if Red Bull were too cowardly to do it themselves. We get a greatest hits compilation of Daniel on Drive to Survive (I don't care this is unrealistic). Mention somewhere Liam is replacing him for the rest of the season but has no guarantees for next season. He sits down in front of the Camera to say his goodbyes, he mentions never getting that world championship, but enjoying the journey anyway. Mentions Max, Mentions Yuki, We see him saying goodbye to people like Lando and others as his voice over plays. He says he didn't blame Oscar last time and he doesn't blame Liam now, it's not their fault they were all in a shitty situation. Daniel exits the singapore paddock at 2 am for the last time.

I don't care how self indulgent this section is, Daniel was literally the first person we ever saw on screen in season 1 episode 1, if anyone gets a sappy goodbye it's him.

Episode 9: Normandy Boys

The inevitable Alpine episode.

We already know that Esteban is going to Haas at the end of the season so this episode is dealing with the fall out from that, Brazil, and then Pierre at Abu Dhabi. Probably should throw in the Oli Oakes appointment somewhere in there too.

This episode starts by re-asserting Pierre and Esteban, Do Not Like Each Other. We see their crash at Monaco as part of a flashback. Esteban comes and tells us why he is leaving Alpine after all these years. He also says that the team was already pushing him out. "they've decided they can only have one, me or Pierre, and they chose Pierre.

You get a brief, 'here's Oli Oakes' bit, I still don't really know what his deal is so I guess I'd like to find out.

A bit more of Pierre and Esteban squabbling. Alpine is doing terribly. then: Brazil. Esteban qualifies 4th. Pierre is 15th, bumped to 13th. Race happens, you guys know how it goes, it's a fairytale. 2-3 for the team. Esteban gets his highest finish since his win. the team move from 9th to 6th in the standings, everyone is overjoyed.

Esteban and Pierre both talk about what this means for them, two boys from the same area of Normandy realising their dreams together despite their differences. They say nice things about each other it's cute.

We then get the final bomb that Esteban will not be racing in Abu Dhabi, Jack will. It's a big mess.

Will Buxton probably, again, says that it must be painful, "you know Esteban Ocon got this team it's only win under their new name, he was the only one who lasted through 2022, with Fernando Alonso and Oscar Piastri leaving the team so controversially, He was the first French Driver to win for the team since Alain Prost. Esteban Ocon, Was Alpine."

Esteban says, yeah, it hurts, to be pushed out like this. But he's looking forward to next season with his new team and teammate to take under his wing.

Oh yeah and somewhere in there mention Flavio Briatore, I just don't know where.

Episode 10: Giants

Mention that Max won the drivers championship back in Vegas, I don't care if you think Lando had a big shot at it so it has to be a storyline, Nope. Max won, it caused drama at Mclaren, we don't need a whole episode of Max v. Lando. What we do need, is Mclaren v. Ferrari. The two longest running teams in F1 history someone calls them the giants of the sport. Have each of the four drivers weigh in at the beginning of the episode. Charles says something vaguely religious about Ferrari, Lando says how it would be a great consolation since he lost the drivers-again, out of context quote people will hate him for anyway, Oscar says something about only being in his second season and being in a championship fight and how they didn't expect this last year, Carlos says something about how winning would be the best parting gift for the team. Fuck it, have Lewis weigh in too. Instead of saying Mercedes AMG Petrona-whatever, his title card reads "2008 World Driver's Champion with Mclaren, 2025 Ferrari Driver". This whole thing is probably lasting too long but they get Zak and Fred in on it too obviously.

You then get a very basic rehash of quali and the race, which really only amounts to Lando Oscar P1 P2, Carlos somewhere, Charles 19th. Championship over. But!!!: we forgot to account for Max Verstappen. Race start and max send Oscar straight to the back. Outrage at Mclaren garage. meanwhile, Charles has made up 11(???) places in one lap, championship fight is back on. show Charles/Oscar climbing back up the order, Charles to 3rd, Oscar only to 10th. The championship relies on Lando keeping the lead. Nervous shots of both garages. Lando almost makes a mistake and saves it. Carlos can't overtake. Lando and Mclaren win!! huzzah. We see some poor Ferrari intern/social media person hiding away the box containing the championship shirts that were definitely made just in case.

Oscar and Lando and Zak and Andrea give happy interviews. Charles and Carlos give sad ones. We think the episode is almost done but then we start getting shots of donuts and hugs and cheers' and then we hear short messages from Valtteri, Zhou, Kevin, and Checo, we've already had Logan and Daniel earlier. Franco also has a hope I'll be back message in there but it's before Checo's. Wait Checo saying Goodbye for now?? he had an extension? Liam replacement announcement comes in and then you have Liam sitting down wearing a Red Bull shirt instead of VCARB, the text replacement thing happens to switch his teams and he says:

"I'm Liam Lawson" then we hear "I'm Ollie Bearman", I'm Andrea Kimi Antonelli", "I'm Jack Doohan", "I'm Gabriel Bortoleto", "I'm Isack Hadjar", "I race for Oracle Red Bull Racing", "I race for Moneygram Haas F1 Team" "I race for Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team" "I race for BWT Alpine F1 Team" "I race for Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber" "I race for Visa Cash App Racing Bulls" and then in unison. "And I'm a 2025 Formula One driver."

Black.

Text on screen says "2025 will have 6 drivers entering their first complete season in f1, the most since *insert year here*" like they did at the end of season 1 with the youngest grid for 2019.

~~~~~~~

Sorry, no Sauber or Aston Martin Episode, they simply didn't do enough this season to warrant an episode amongst the chaos in my version. if this disappoints you I'm sure Netflix will pull through and give us the unnecessary episodes that take time away from the real drama.

Also if it seems like Ollie Bearman is mentioned too much, A. he's one of my favourites and this is my post, and B. I genuinely think we wouldn't have 6 rookies-ish on the grid this year if Ollie hadn't done so well across his first 2 races and then survived Brazil.

This post is genuinely longer than most things I have submitted for University, i need a nap

[miyagi-hokarate]

Q&A - From Foes to Family: Stars William Zabka and Ralph Macchio reflect on their 40-year journey together.

By Breanne L. Heldman

From LIFE's 2025 special issue on The Karate Kid

(A different version of the same interview for People is available online here.)

When The Karate Kid hit movie theaters in June 1984, stars Ralph Macchio and William Zabka never could have imagined the affection fans would have for it decades later — or the friendship they would build. Ahead of Cobra Kai's season 6 debut in 2024, the two spoke with People about their working relationship and real life friendship.

What was your relationship like after the Karate Kid came out?

Ralph Macchio: I lived on the East Coast, he lived on the West Coast, and life got in the way. We hadn't spoken in 15, 20 years at the point that Pat [Morita, who played Mr. Miyagi] passed away [in 2005]. I remember seeing Billy at the memorial service, and I instantly had this emotional feeling. It was a comfort seeing him there. And from that point on, our adult friendship started to happen, and it was quite meaningful.

William Zabka: We both came from our worlds to a center point where it all started. Pat meant a lot to us individually, so it's interesting, in hindsight how mr Miyagi has brought us together.

A mystery about Mr. Miyagi plays a key role in this final season. Why was his presence important?

Macchio: If you strip it down, this is a show about a bunch of people talking about who's going to be the coolest karate person in the Valley. That can wear thin. We've always wanted to lace Miyagi through the show, and this is a way of uncovering the past of a man and layer in some intrigue about who he was.

Zabka: It chips at the foundation of Miyagi-Do itself and it rocks Daniel [Macchio's character]. But he has a bigger responsibility: to get this army of Miyagi arate fighters ready for the world tournament.

At one point in the season, Daniel declares, "I'm getting too old for this s---." Any moments on set when you thought that?

Macchio: Basically before every fight scene.

Zabka: This is four decades later, and our characters are still having the same arguments. We sometimes laugh that Daniel and Johnny haven't gotten past these things. And now we're leading a bunch of kids down our road!

How have your families reacted to this role that's been such a significant part of your lives? [Macchio and his wife, Phyllis, have two children; Zabka has two with his wife, Stacie.]

Macchio: I think everybody's proud. What's so cool for me is my kids got to experience such a big part of my youth. It's expanded our personal family.

Zabka: My kids grew up with this. They can't imagine the world without Cobra Kai in it. When we were shooting season 1, my daughter was 4. We were filming the tournament scene, and it was snowing, and Ralph's car wouldn't go, so we took him in our truck. And Ralph was in the backseat and looked at her and said–

Macchio: I said, "Hey, well, look at me, I'm part of the family." And she looked like...

Zabka: Yeah, she didn't know. She thought [he meant] for real. But now, six, seven years later, we're on set the very last day of filming the show, and the last shot ever of Johnny and Daniel.

Macchio: And she came up to me, gave me a big hug, and said, "You'll always be part of our family."

[marrrrss]

Lost and Found: Crossed Path, ch.1

Hank Voight x Reader, +basically all CPD and extra characters

Summary: 3 kids missing. Familys desperate. Full on chaos on District 21 and on the streets. Inteligence on the lead of it. But everything changes when a little boy is found on a park.

chapter 2

chapter 3

Word count: 1.2K

TW: none?

Author's note: first chapter of this series, hope you like it!

>>>English is not my first language<<<

The evening had descended, the sun setting below the horizon, elongating shadows in the streets of Chicago. It was ordinary, even quiet, for a moment. Then the first call came in.

5:14 PM

"9-1-1, what's your emergency?"

"I can't find my children!" Rose miller's voice was a panic, the words spilling out in a rush. "I'd left them with the nanny this morning, and now I came home, and no one's here!"

"Ma'am, have you tried calling the nanny's phone? What is the nanny's name?" The dispatcher's voice was even, trying to keep things down to earth.

"Yes, I have! Her phone is off! H-her name is Katie. Katie Baxter," Rose Miller responded, trembling as she looked around the quiet apartment. Her eyes swept the room, wishing to see her children.

"Okay, ma'am, I'm sending officers to your location right away. Try to stay on the line, and I'll update you on what's going on. What are your children's names?"

" Anna and Alex, they're 3 years old"

The dispatcher immediately relayed the information to the respective patrol units, and the wheels of investigation began to turn.

5:41 PM

Meanwhile, in the suburbs, another hysterical voice yelled through the 9-1-1 system.

"9-1-1, what's your emergency?"

"I can't find my daughter!" Daniel Jones' voice echoed over the phone. "I left her with the nanny this morning, and now she's not answering her phone, and she's gone! Please! Please help!"

"Sir, what is your daughter's name? What is the nanny's name?" The dispatcher repeated the questions.

"My daughter's name is Victoria, she's 3. And the nanny-his nanny-her name is Katie Baxter!"

"I'm sending units to your location, sir. Stay calm, and we'll take care of you."

The dispatcher quickly radioed to officers in the area, aware of the growing alarm.

Katie Baxter wasn't just missing; so were the children she was entrusted to care for.

Miller Residence – 6:12 PM

Kim Burgess and Adam Ruzek arrived at the Miller house just as the sky turned dusky. Rose was pacing in the front yard, phone clutched tightly in her hands. She looked up as they stepped out of their car, her eyes pleading for something—anything.

"You’re the detectives?" she asked breathlessly.

"Detectives Burgess and Ruzek," Kim verified, flashing her badge. "Where's your husband?"

"He's coming."

"Let's do what you told 9-1-1 first," Adam suggested as they walked towards the house.

Rose tried to go through it all again, voice shaking.

"They were home this morning. Katie was with them all day. I called at two just to catch up, and she didn't answer. I figured she was busy. Then at four, I called. Then five. I panicked. I called my husband, but I—I don't know what happened."

"Was anything missing?" Kim asked.

"Their jackets and shoes, that's it. No bag. No clothes. It's like she just… went."

Adam caught Kim's eye. This had none of the earmarks of a random kidnapping.

A car pulled into the driveway. John Miller got out, his face a tight mask of fear. "What's going on? Where are my kids?"

Rose turned to him. "I don't know, John."

"Mr. Miller," Adam said warily, "your wife just gave us a timeline. We need to corroborate some information—"

"Do you think we did something wrong?" John snapped.

Kim held up a hand. "We're trying to find your kids."

The tension eased, at least somewhat, and the interview continued. As they were walking out of the house, toward their car, Adam muttered, "This is a nightmare."

Kim nodded, distracted, then suddenly exhaled a humorless laugh.

"What?" Adam said.

Kim hesitated before shaking her head. "It's just—this whole thing… Have you ever considered something like this happening to us?"

Adam didn't answer right away. Instead, he turned to her, his expression serious. "Don't joke."

Kim met his gaze. "I'm not."

Adam let out a sigh, rubbing the back of his neck. "We'll re-check Mak's nanny again. Just in case."

They both knew it wasn't much of a joke.

Jones Residence – 6:35 PM

Hailey Upton and Kevin Atwater stepped out of their car to see Daniel and Emily Jones standing in the doorway of their expansive estate. Emily's hands shook, her eyes red-rimmed from weeping.

Kevin spoke first. "Mr. and Mrs. Jones?"

Daniel nodded. "Yeah. Please—please come in."

Everything inside was pristine, expensive. Yet the suffocating sense of loss stifled the room.

Emily gestured to the couch. "She was just… here." Her voice cracked. "Victoria was just here."

Hailey took out her notebook. "Tell us about Katie."

Emily swallowed. "She came highly recommended. Good with kids. Polite. Sweet. But now, in retrospect—I don't know. She was private. Too private."

That was new.

"Did you know Katie was working for other families?" Kevin asked.

Daniel shook his head. "What? No."

Hailey and Kevin exchanged a glance. This was no longer a missing nanny case.

Back at the 21st District – 7:15 PM

Pandemonium in the bullpen. Intelligence in high gear, chasing down leads. Amber alerts already out on the children. Trudy Platt downstairs juggling the patrol officers and keeping everything above water surface.

"Alright," Voight gruffly spoke, at the center of it all. "What do we know?"

"She doesn't have an Illinois ID," Hailey said.

"No apartment in her name," Adam added.

"No relatives here," Kevin said.

"Her face or name is not in our system" Kim added

Dante Torres added, "Checked her car plates, they're fake. The plate the Jones and Miller's gave us are different. Bet she had a plate for each family."

Silence. Then Voight exhaled sharply. "Find her. Call your CI's, anyone who can help. CCTV around 10 blocks of the kids houses and the places the parents said they went to, parks, stores everywhere. Ran the parents connections and past, any enimies, anything. We have 3 kids missing, I want them back home. Fast."

The squad broke up, following every lead they had.

The morning after

The city was still waking up when a patrol car saw him.

A small boy, alone on a park bench.

A little boy, around 3-4 years old.

Tear-stained face. Clutching a small stuffed bear.

There he was—alone, cold, and scared.

The patrol officers exchanged a glance before approaching slowly.

"Hello, buddy," one of them said gently, kneeling before the child. "Lost?"

The boy didn't answer right away. He hugged his teddy bear tighter, his big brown eyes searching the vicinity as if looking for something—or someone.

"Whats your name buddy" Officer Ramirez asked the little boy , kneeling down.

"Lucas" Lucas said in a voice above a whisper.

"Where's your mommy and daddy?" the other officer asked.

Lucas snuffled. "Katie said I had to wait."

The officers stiffened. Katie.

That was all they needed to hear.

The bullpen was chaos. No one had slept. Inteligence was still loking at every cctv camera that could give anything about Katie and the kids.

The doors swung open.

"Hey, Sarge?" Ramirez came in, Greene alongside him. Between them, a little boy stood, small fingers clasped around Ramirez's hand. "We got a situation."

"What?" Trudy said looking up from her paperwork.

"His name is Lucas. Found him in a park bench" Ramirez answered.

"Go up" Trudy said opening the gate to inteligence.

As soon as they got to the top of the stairs to inteligence everyone turned to them.

"Who's the kid?" Voight stepped forward.

"Found him alone in a park," Ramirez said. "Name's Lucas. But here's the thing, Sarge—there was no missing kid named Lucas on any report last night."

Kim, who had been reviewing security footage, straightened immediately. "Wait—Lucas?" She stepped forward, kneeling to peer into the boy's eyes. "Whats your last name buddy?"

Lucas didn't answer

Kim's eyes up at inteligence "Do we have any Lucas missing?"

Dante already on computer searching trought the amber alerts "No lucas on the system"

Voight just looked in silence to the litlle boy before turning to his team. "Look nation wide. Maybe from other state or his family hasnt given him as missing."

Silence fell over the room as the implication of that set in.

One missing child found. Nothing about him on this case,

Three still gone.

And there was no trace of Katie Baxter.

(To be continued...)

[the-iron-shoulder]

the last metroid is in captivity

[image ID: six photos of a crocheted plush of Samus, from the Metroid series, from different angles. Samus wears a power suit with a red head and chest, a yellow torso, and orange arms and legs. Her shoulders are extremely large. Her right arm is a green cannon. End ID.]

pattern credit: Ateliê Danielle Magalhães, Ko-fi

Samus Aran! Our favorite lesbian icon space warrior! I saw this pattern and IMMEDIATELY knew I needed it.

I did make a pretty significant change to the pattern. The original pattern had her head be WAY bigger than I made it, but the thing is… Samus’s shoulders are, like, the size of her head, if not bigger. That’s kind of one of her core attributes, visually. Giving her a giant bobblehead just felt extremely wrong because then it would be bigger than her shoulders! Soooo I had to scale the head down by about half (or maybe 1/4 because of how volume works? Idk, I used like half as many rows and the biggest rows had about half as many stitches as the pattern’s version), and the only part of that that was annoying was the little gray pipes on her face.

I’m proud of the fingers on the left hand, along with the green disc on it (which is, on my plush, basically just a big French knot)!

the feet are really big and I reinforced them both with some plastic and some cardboard, so she stands up better than most other plushes I’ve made (including others where I’ve reinforced the feet), and that’s satisfying.

I used primarily a size C/2.75 mm hook and size 3/DK cotton yarn, and she stands about 6 inches / 16 cm tall.

also she needed a companion, so…

[image ID: two images of a very small needle-felted metroid. It has a green dome-shaped body with four teeth on the bottom. Three red orbs are visible on the body. The first picture is just of the metroid; in the second picture, the Metroid is on the shoulder of the Samus doll. End ID.]

I decided to needle-felt a little metroid for her! Maybe we’ll say it’s The Last Metroid, based on the size. This needle-felting stuff is fun, gotta say.

[techramonic]

What are some facts or tidbits about Daniel that you don't think is very well-known?

Hey! Thanks for the great question. I have a few things not a lot of people have talked about Daniel, all of which are information taken from his father's book: "Walking in Daniel's Shoes".

Facts about Daniel Mauser

1. Daniel's name came from the Biblical character Daniel and his mother Linda's fondness of Elton John's song titled with the same name. Conner was Linda's maiden name and since she was an only child, it was a way for them to carry her family's last name.

2. In sixth grade, he struggled somewhat with depression. After his mother sent him to a therapist, it was revealed that he was feeling stressed because at the time, he had pneumonia and missed school a few times. He felt that his teacher was pressuring him to catch up. Fortunately, he recovered after a few months.

3. Daniel used to be in cub scouts and boy scouts for a few years. Once school had became more hectic and he was more engaged in piano lessons, he dropped out of the scouts. He had earned basic badges but was not too enthusiastic with scouting long-term.

4. On July 24, 1999, Boy Scout 359 installed a park bench in Daniel’s memory along the South Rim Trail at Roxborough State Park, ten miles south of Columbine. Daniel was once a member of the Boy Scout Troop that preceded 359. Roxborough was the Mauser family’s favorite hiking area.

5. He played chess and won second place in a Denver metro tournament as a member of the school's chest club team. He also won two National Science Olympiad awards, presented to the top ten scorers in general science knowledge.

6. He was an occasional babysitter and was great with kids.

7. He was a Junior Volunteer at Swedish Hospital for two summers and helped in the pharmacy and he expressed interest in working in a medical or medical research field.

8. Despite winning often in games like Super Mario Brothers and even Foosball, his dad had caught on he was getting bored of playing with him, but despite that, he still played whenever he was invited because that was how much he loved his father.

9. He had a keen interest in current events and social issues and was a frequent reader of Time Magazine and viewer of 60 Minutes.

10. His father said he sometimes worried about little things, like if the gas tank in the car was getting too low.

11. He played soccer for a couple of years when he was younger, tried skiing, and played baseball on a YMCA team.

12. Before his death, Daniel's Biology teacher told his mother that he would be receiving an award for outstanding sophomore biology student. It was a supposed secret, one which Daniel never found out.

13. His family was very close. Tom described them as a "Dinner Table Family", who always ate dinner together. According to his father's words, "there was no sneaking off to watch the TV or play on the computer. We are together, talked together, and exchanged stories."

14. Daniel and his sister were close despite their contrasting personalities. Daniel was more like his mother—shy, introspective, intelligent, and calm. His sister Christine was like her father—outgoing, witty, a bit wild and crazy. He would often roll his eyes at her and in an exasperated tone, he would exclaim, "Theater people! Oh, my God!"

15. He had a dry sense of humor and his mom thought he prided himself on being a rational sort of fellow who was not given to drama of any sort.

16. Tom, Daniel's father, grew out of poverty. He came from Finelyville, a small town south of Pittsburgh. His father was a coal miner, his mother was a housewife, and he was the youngest out of four siblings. Tom rarely had pictures of himself. However, he didn't want that to happen with his children, so he would frequently take their pictures and film them to keep memories.

17. Daniel didn't like his pictures being taken when he was a teen. His father would still insist to take pictures for keepsake.

18. When he was fifteen and a half, Daniel was qualified to receive his driver's permit but he said he wasn't ready yet.

19. His nickname in debate class, according to Devon Adams, was "Moose": "So appropriate —it's a large, amusing but quick and fierce when-it-needs-to-be animal."

20. Daniel volunteered to rake the leaves off the lawn of a neighborhood senior citizen's house after he recently had a heartattack.

[sbdskate]

Laws Of Attraction (Part 6) - DR x lawyer!fem!reader

Summary: McLaren is in breach of contract, dr3 hires a lawyer to deal with the aftermath. Tropes ensue. Slow burn. Enemies(kind of) -> Friends/colleagues -> Lovers

Pairing: lawyer!fem!reader x Daniel Ricciardo

Warnings: language, slight angst, alcohol consumption, mature themes

Word Count: 3,635

A/N: That’s right, I broke the ending into another part which means another chapter is on the way. If you’ve been keeping up, I appreciate you sticking with me through my draughts and generally inconsistent posting schedule. Thank you again for every like, comment, and reblog. Please let me know what you think and enjoy ❤️

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Epilogue 1

The week passed more quickly than you anticipated. You pulled an all-nighter to draft the language you promised. It helped that you couldn’t sleep anyways. You tried to make up for it on the twenty-hour flight from Brazil to Abu Dhabi but again, rest evaded you. It didn’t help that between the travel and the time difference you basically lost a day and a half. You threw yourself deeper into your work as a distraction. You were thankful that there were lots of back and forths of redlines, as expected.

But no matter how busy you kept yourself, you couldn’t stop thinking about that damn kiss that had now been tattooed in your mind. You wished it wasn’t good. You wished he had chapped lips and tasted like onions. But it had enveloped you. The way he grabbed you and the feeling of his stubble on your face set off butterflies in your stomach and other places down south. You were pretty sure you saw through space and time and you suddenly had the ability to hear colors.

And even though the kiss was so good, it was made bittersweet by everything that was discussed afterwards. You didn’t miss the warmth leaving his eyes and his obvious disappointment. On one hand, you handled the situation the best way you knew how. You had been very clear in Mexico on the limits of your relationship, that should not have been a surprise to him. Your job was to be professional and you reestablished those boundaries. On the other, you had somehow removed every laugh line from his face. You missed the crinkles around his eyes and the reverberating bravado of his laugh. If there was another way you could have gone about the conversation, it was lost on you. Leaning into the kiss and those feelings surrounding it was legally impossible. He would simply have to pick up his bruised ego and move on, which you were sure wouldn’t be difficult. The thought helped you somewhat – he was still a handsome, charismatic celebrity who could get any girl he wanted. You were one piece of parsley in an endless buffet. Poor little rich boy couldn’t have the one dish he wanted right now, but as soon as the season was over and you went your separate ways, you would be a distant memory he would laugh at in retrospect. Amongst the models, actresses, singers, and influencers he could pick from, he had trauma bonded with his very average and nerdy lawyer during a particularly vulnerable point in his life.

As your thoughts meandered during the course of the long flight, you were appreciative that you would not be on your own this weekend. The partner apparently decided to show up in Abu Dhabi, finally making Daniel a priority knowing that the matter would be closing. You had gotten somewhat frustrated with Joe, that he kept cancelling on meetings last minute leaving you to deal with everything. There were several silver linings, however. First, you hoped it meant he trusted you with the significant responsibility, which again would likely lead to a positive performance review and a hefty bonus. It may even come in handy a few years from now when you would become eligible to make partner yourself. Second, in picking up that responsibility, you had grown a lot professionally in the last few months. Belgium felt like a lifetime ago, in more ways than one. In the last few restless days your mind kept reflecting back to that first race weekend when you were full of nerves, but lately you didn’t quite feel like the same young associate with a chip on her shoulder and something to prove. Third, for better or worse, you grew to know you client in a way you would not have been able to but for the partner’s absence and that transfer of duty. Because you knew him so well now, you were better able to represent him. This was, of course, a double-edged sword. You’d unintentionally gotten to know the driver far better than you intended. Over the course of months, he poked little holes in your armor leaving you open and vulnerable and inching you closer towards that delicate line you dared not cross. The two of you had danced around it for weeks. If you hadn’t crossed it before, kissing certainly pushed the two of you over the edge together. You wondered what he thought about all this, considering he had far less to lose from the predicament. It would probably be awkward the next time you saw each other, but hopefully still respectful and professional if nothing else.

-

Meanwhile, Daniel along with the rest of the grid arrived in Abu Dhabi a day early to have a retirement dinner party for Seb. Seb had been unexpected source of support during this uncertain time in his career. Not all of the drivers had reached out to him when news about his early termination with McLaren broke. Of those that did reach out, some were simply surface level exchanges lacking compassion and depth. Seb, however, had helped him navigate a slew of existential crisis. The least Daniel could do was return that support to his friend. He sat next to Lando and Pierre, the drivers chatting amongst themselves during the meal. Of course there was a general curiosity about his plans for next year, but he playfully remained tight-lipped. The conversation was light, reminiscing and debriefing on some of the post-race debauchery over the course of the season. It was all fun and games until Pierre brought up Halloween in Mexico and his failed attempts at bringing home an instragram influencer and a model that night.

“I think I might be losing my touch. But that was a fun night though, yeah?”

“It was, I’m surprised you remember most of it,” Daniel teased.

“Honestly, me too. That girl dressed as you, she was a good time.” Daniel did his best to remain casual, though his heart skipped at beat at your mention.

“Yeah, y/n is fun when she’s not working.”

“I’ve seen her around the paddock a few times. She’s your lawyer, right?” He took a long drink, not liking the direction the conversation was headed.

“Yeah.”

“Maybe when the season is over I can grab her number.” It was more of a statement than a question. Daniel feigned ignorance at the request and laughed.

“I mean I can give it to you, but she probably wouldn’t be able to help you.”

“How so?” Pierre looked at Daniel, both men visibly confused.

“I mean I’m no lawyer myself, but wouldn’t it be a conflict of interest for her?”

“Oh no dude, I don’t want her services – or, uh legal services I should say,” he said cheekily. Daniel’s ears immediately turned red, his jaw clenched, and hand balled into a fist. He did his best to control his facial muscles to not let on to the fact that Pierre had unknowingly stepped on an emotional landmine. Lando, who had been talking to Zhou across from him, sensed the shift in the driver sitting next to him. He diverted his attention for a moment to try to break the tension before Daniel could say or do something he would regret.

“Pierre, she’s way too smart for you and you’re not her type,” he said casually, earning a laugh from the others including Pierre.

“What are you talking about, I’m everybody’s type,” he said with a smirk.

“Yeah, I think that might be part of the problem,” Lando responded. “Plus, you’re already in a committed relationship with this one,” jabbing his thumb in the direction of Yuki. That side of the table continued to laugh and joke, Daniel included, but he didn’t miss the chance to lock eyes with his teammate to silently convey his thanks for discreetly deflecting the conversation away from the woman that had taken up so much space in his mind. Had he really almost punched his friend at a fancy restaurant during his mentor’s retirement party? He was in deep. Hook, line, and sinker.  

Daniel had bought himself more time extending the signing with Red Bull, but he had no idea what he was doing. You had made it abundantly clear that nothing could happen until after everything was signed. You also hadn’t explicitly said whether you wanted anything to happen afterwards... All he knew, whether or not anything progressed further between the two of you, he just needed to be near you. He needed more time with you, beyond Monday.

The evening continued with heartfelt sentiments exchanged, and Daniel found himself more and more in his feelings especially as the drinks flowed. He thought he recovered from Pierre’s comments at dinner, but then Seb gave a speech to the rest of grid that brought him to the brink of tears. His mentor’s goodbye made him reflect and contemplate his own journey over the year. Though neither driver would be on the grid next season, Daniel was envious that Seb had the opportunity to leave the sport on his own terms compared to the lack of agency he felt with his tenure with McLaren. Feeling unmoored, you showed up out of nowhere to turn his ship around at the eleventh hour. He wasn’t sure what was next for him, but he knew he couldn’t do it without you by his side. Maybe another drink would take his mind off you.

The night continued, one by one the other drivers called it a night. But Daniel stayed until the wee hours of the morning with some of the younger drivers who had higher tolerances. Lando took note of his teammate’s condition who refused to believe he couldn’t keep up. They hadn’t discussed the elephant in the room, but he could put two and two together even if he didn’t have all the details. You might have been discreet, but Daniel was anything but. He noticed how Daniel perked up just a little on the days you had meetings. He noticed the stupid looks you gave each other, each party oblivious to the other. He noticed all the times you went out with the drivers at Daniel’s invitation, which was surely not in your job description. And right now for whatever reason likely involving you, Daniel was miserable, his melancholia exasperated by alcohol.

“Hey mate, I think it’s time to go back to the hotel,” Lando said as he put an arm around Daniel.

“Nooo, but we’re having fun! For Seb!” Daniel slurred as he held up his drink triumphantly.

“We are having fun, but we have to get up really early. Remember?”

Daniel was too tired to fight back. So he pouted as Lando corralled him into the backseat of the car back to the hotel.

-

You rolled into Abu Dhabi at 2am. You were exhausted. You had no shame about rocking under eye patches and a face mask mid-flight to at least hopefully make it look like you’d gotten some type of rest over the last two days. Unfortunately, the dark circles that remained begged to differ.

You were in the middle of checking in when you heard commotion in the lobby behind you. You rolled your eyes at the drunks stumbling in, keeping your head down to avoid any interaction.

“That’s it, almost there mate.” You knew that voice. You slowly turned to find Lando struggling to guide a dazed Daniel towards the elevator. You rubbed your eyes and blinked a few times to make sure you were seeing clearly. That made you wake up.

“Lando? Daniel?”

Both drivers looked your way. You suddenly became very aware and self-conscious of your grungy airport outfit: messy bun, no makeup, and full Enchante sweatsuit Daniel had gifted you after Japan. You couldn’t decipher the look Lando gave you that was equal parts relieved and concerned, but Daniel’s face lit up immediately showing off those darn dimples.

“Y/n!”

“Hi. What are you guys doing?” you asked hesitantly. It was mostly directed at Lando since he still had his wits about him, but Daniel answered anyways.  

“We had to say goodbye to Seb,” he said solemnly. Lando rolled his eyes seeing the immediate look of concern and confusion on your face.

“Jesus Christ. The guy’s retiring, he didn’t die.”

You gave a polite smile. “I’m sorry, I think I’m missing something.”

“The whole grid had a retirement party for Seb, not a funeral as this one might have you believe. It started with dinner but some guys stayed out and well… he’s just been slightly overserved.” You pursed your lips together to keep from laughing. You could tell Lando’s patience had run thin, but despite his annoyance he had made sure Daniel got back safe which you appreciated.

“Well, thank you for taking care of my client.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, I’m fine,” Daniel slurred a few feet away, leaning against a pillar in the opulent lobby – immediately followed by him almost slipping but quickly catching himself. He smiled again, proud and satisfied with his own rescue effort.

“Right…” you drawled. You turned to the concierge who had been patient and stoic as the scene unfolded. You’d been informed that the hotel catered to Westerners, but you were still cautious being in a country that technically followed Sharia law despite the many exceptions for expats and tourists. “My apologies ma’am, is it ok if I help escort my friend to his room for a moment? I can finish checking in afterwards.”

“Of course Miss l/n. I’ll still be here.” Having the green light to accompany the two boys, you and Lando flanked Daniel linking your arms through his to walk him to the elevator.

“I don’t need help,” *hiccup* “I’m a strong, independent woman,” he said, though he did nothing to resist your assistance.

“You are maybe half of those things,” you retorted.

“That’s being generous, I give him zero out of three,” Lando chimed in.

“Oh be nice, you know you can feel those muscles,” you lightly countered as you gave Daniel’s bicep a quick squeeze. You gave him a tired, playful smile and the look he returned you was so full of adoration it felt like your heart was going to burst at the seams. He leaned his head on your shoulder when you stepped in the elevator and you wished you could put the moment on pause to keep him there a while longer.

“You can’t possibly be referring to these chicken wings,” Lando replied. “Do you have your room key?” Lando asked Daniel, breaking your daze. Daniel shuffled for a second, patting his pockets, then nodding in confirmation. “Good, I’m going to bed.” He pressed the floor for himself, then Daniel’s.

“I’m sorry, what?” Lando gave you a knowing smile.

“I already did 90% of the heavy lifting, I’m sure you can handle it from here.” You shot daggers his way, Daniel still between the two of you, blissfully unaware of your quarrel. “See you in seven hours,” he said as he got off the elevator.

You sighed as the elevator doors closed, leaving the two of you alone. Daniel was too drunk to feel awkward about the predicament given how you last left things, a lazy smile still on his face.    

“You called me your friend. To the concierge.”

“I did.”

“I thought I was your client.”

“The two aren’t mutually exclusive.” He hummed in response. The answer seemed to make him happy. His eyes grazed over you, his smile growing.  

“You’re wearing my clothes.”

“An astute observation.”

“They look good on you.” The elevator doors opened as a blush crept to your face. You guided him into the hallway and ignored his comment.

“Ok, what number are you?”

“This way,” he said, ignoring your question and yanking you to the right. You kept your arm around him to steady his swaying. You could smell the alcohol coming off him, making you wonder about the events leading up to this but whatever it was wasn’t a conversation for today. He finally stopped in front of a door and fumbled with his pockets. You waited to make sure he could get into his room, but after a minute or two you got concerned.

“I can go back to the concierge to get another key-”

“No, no, I got it.” You watched as he fished it out from the depths of his front pocket, then struggled with getting it to work on the fob.

“Here, let me help you.” Your own patience running low, you took the key from his hands and opened the door. You had planned on finishing your check-in when you knew he made it inside, but felt bad leaving him in the condition he was in. You reasoned that it was to help him avoid a hangover in the morning so that he would be as camera ready as possible for press day, but it was a loose excuse.

You cautiously entered his room and turned on some lights. Your jaw dropped for a moment – his room was at least triple the size of every other hotel room you had stayed at over the course of the season, every detail pristine. You held the door open for him as you ogled in the foyer. He pinballed off the door frame to make his way inside, leaning against the wall across from you. He openly took you in, admiring how his merch hung from your body more perfectly than he ever could have imagined. He didn’t turn away when you returned his gaze.

“Come on let’s get you tucked in, you have a long day tomorrow – or in six and a half hours.” You grabbed his arm again and brought him towards the bed, and he happily followed you like a puppy. You were relieved he was at least cooperating. You sat him down. “Ok sir, where do you keep your pajamas?” He gave you a wicked grin.

“I don’t wear any,” he said shamelessly. You pursed your lips, you knew you walked into that one.

“Of course you don’t. Well when I leave you can get undressed. Just sit tight for a sec.” You opened up the bottle of water by the coffee maker and poured it into a glass. “Here, drink this.” He guzzled the water, so you poured him another. “Good job. How are you feeling?”

“Better now that you’re here.” He showed off his pearly whites with a giant smile, closing his eyes as his head flopped back.

Oh my God, you’re so drunk, you said under your breath. “I’m serious, do you feel nauseous at all? Headache?”

“I’m peachy,” he said as he swung his legs back and forth off the bed. He played with his hands in his lap. Seemingly able to entertain himself at least for a minute, you walked into the bathroom to go through his toiletries to find some Advil and maybe some tums for the morning. When you returned, your patient was already taking off his shirt and had started undoing his belt.

“Woah, woah, woah, slow down there tiger. Why don’t you take two Advil first?”

“I’ll do anything you tell me,” he said before swallowing the pills you handed him. “I’m going to miss you when you leave.” His sudden shift in tone threw you off. You sat down next to him to show your support and solidarity.

“You know you can always call me. It will be like I never left.”

“As a friend?” he asked hopefully. You smiled and put a reassuring hand on his thigh.

“Yes, definitely as a friend.” There was a pause.

“What about as more than a friend?” *hiccup* “Like, afterwards?” You bit your lip, but smiled.

“I think that’s a conversation for another time.”

“You didn’t say no.” You laughed.

“You’re drunk as a skunk and this is the moment you choose to dissect semantics.” He picked up your hand resting on his thigh, bringing it to his lips to kiss without breaking eye contact.

“Enchante.”

“That doesn’t even make sense, but it sure is charming as heck,” you said between laughs. You pulled your hand back and stood up. “On that note, I think you have everything you need so I’m going to head out. You have two more ibuprofen on your nightstand for the morning and two tums in case you get heartburn or an upset stomach. I set your alarm for 8:00 so you can sleep in a little, but still gives you an hour to get ready before you need to head to the paddock. I think it’s ok if you’re fashionably late.” He pouted. “Oh come on now, no need to frown. You get to take off those pants and go to bed. I’m going to go to bed too.”

“You’re sure you don’t want to stay?” He gave the best puppy eyes he could. Matched with his bare torso, six pack on full display, and unbuttoned belt and pants, anyone with a weaker constitution would’ve folded immediately. But at this point you were a trained soldier, the end of your internal battle in sight. You did make one concession though.

Maybe it was impulse. Maybe it was the jet lag. Maybe it was the possibility he wouldn’t remember any of it in the morning. But in a streak of boldness, you brought your hand to the side of his face, feeling the sharpness of his jawline and the texture of his stubble. You bent down and gave him a kiss on the cheek. “Maybe next time,” you murmured, your lips ghosting over his.

His eyes were flying saucers when you stood. “Good night, Daniel. Get some rest.”

Despite how tired he was, it was hard for him to fall asleep after that.

Taglist: @ravenqueen27 @leslizzle @zendayabelova @eitak-t @chiliwhore @wewoo1233 @thatchickwiththecamera

[pluckyredhead]

For your Fourth World reading do you have a reading order you could share with us? Or recommendations on where to start? Sorry if this has been asked before

No need to apologize! I've been meaning to write up my Fourth World recs so thank you for the reminder. Also it is unfortunately a short list lol.

The Fourth World by Jack Kirby:

Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen: Kirby wrote and drew issues #133-148. This is where he launched the Fourth World, and where we first saw Darkseid and a number of other characters and concepts. It is a little tangential to the main Fourth World storyline (and some of it, like the two Goody Rickels issues, is REALLY weird and not necessarily in a good way). I would say if you are interested in the Fourth World from a comics history perspective, you should read Kirby's Jimmy Olsen, but if you are interested from a blorbo perspective and just want to read about Orion or Scott or whoever, you can skip it.

New Gods (1971): This is Orion's series. An absolute must, this is the heart of the Fourth World. The original run is issues #1-11 (there are a couple series that pick up the numbering, but the first 11 issues are the real deal).

Forever People (1971): I would say this is the other book that is really central to Kirby's magnum opus and the themes he was exploring. Again, less interesting from a blorbo perspective (I'm sure Mark Moonrider is someone's blorbo...) but it's only 11 issues so I would recommend reading it for the historical/thematic value. Do it for Kirby!

Mister Miracle (1971): The other blorbo! Kirby's original run is #1-18.

New Gods (1984) #6: In 1984 DC reprinted the original New Gods run as double-sized issues (so #1 contains the original #1 and #2 from 1971, etc.). Issue #6 reprints the original New Gods #11 and then adds new material to "conclude" Kirby's story. But you'll want to continue and read...

The Hunger Dogs (also called DC Graphic Novel #4): This was Kirby's conclusion to the Fourth World saga. It's not his original vision, but it's the most DC would allow him. He is not quite at the heights he was in 1971, but it's nice to see him get a chance to conclude his tale, and it's a must-read if you ship Orion and Lightray.

The Fourth World by people who aren't Jack Kirby:

New Gods (1995): This is Rachel Pollack's run and it's excellent. The art is extremely 1995 but the writing makes up for it. The last three issues of the series are written and drawn by John Byrne instead, and they're fine - you can read them or skip them, doesn't matter.

Orion (2000): Walt Simonson's run, AN ABSOLUTE MUST-READ. RUN DON'T WALK. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE READ THIS. Orion suffers so much and it's so delicious to me.

Solo #7: There are only two pages of Fourth World content in here but it's Orion betting Scott he can come up with a death trap Scott can't escape and then literally just trying to kill him for fun while Lightray has a panic attack. Orion and Scott are both lunatics and I love that for them. Brothers of all time.

Both of DC's YA graphic novels about these characters, Mister Mircle: The Great Escape by Varian Johnson and Daniel Isles and Barda by @ngoziu, are excellent.

AND UNFORTUNATELY THAT IS IT. Scott and Barda are in JLI which I will always recommend, but it's not strictly speaking a Fourth World book. Orion is in Grant Morrison's JLA which is a classic, but he doesn't have a huge role in it as I recall. You should already be reading Kelly Thompson's current run on Birds of Prey because it's perfect but Barda is especially perfect in it.

The nice (?) thing about the Fourth World is that every writer basically completely ignores all previous writers except Kirby so there's not a lot of continuity to track. If you read Kirby, you can encounter the characters anywhere else and know everything you need to know.

Happy reading!

[roseypwark]

Prologue |

ENHYPEN Eighth Member : 지유 JIYU / 지유나 Ji Yuna

Table of Contents

//

The walk through the woods is unremarkable.

There is a freshly laid gravel path, only walked on by those trainees who entered before. The sun is out. The air is warm. It's a nice day. But the walk to the great concrete cube of I-Land is nothing of note to Yuna.

The door is interesting. A giant, automated revolving thing made of steel. She eyes it on her approach, standing back until it spins itself open to allow her access.

She takes a breath, then, before venturing further inside.

She was given the briefing. She knows she'll be inside without contact with the outside world for approximately three months. She knows she will be the only female contestant and her fate will depend solely on how likable she is.

Basically, she knows she has no shot at debuting.

Ji Yuna isn't the kind of girl that people like quickly. Her mom says she’s an acquired taste, a taste not even her mother ever got accustomed to before packing up Yuna’s half-siblings and following her American stepdad to the US.

Yuna was left behind. So, she is here.

She breathes out and walks into I-Land with her chin level. Here's to getting enough publicity to debut in HYBE's first girl group in a few years.

//

지유나 (16세)

국가/지역 | 한국

준비 기간 | 1년

특이사항 | TXT의 새 앨범 제작을 도왔습니다

ㅡㅡㅡ

Ji Yuna (16 (14 Int. Age))

Country/Region | Korea

Training Period | 1 year

Special Note | helped produce TXT's new album

//

The Americans are the only ones Yuna likes in this place.

Jake's okay, too. Everyone else is just... meh.

The foreigners not from Asia don't treat her like a kid. She's always hated that. She's been taking care of herself since she was 9. She doesn't need a too-loud gaggle of boys she half-knows falling over themselves to get their few seconds of screen time for being chivalrous or whatever.

That's the worst part of this whole thing. Yuna can't know when someone is being truthful or not because the cameras are always on. There's nowhere to hide. Every interaction she has may be used against her in the final cut. The same goes for every other contestant. There's no one she can truly trust here.

But if she had to choose, she likes the Americans and Jake. Jay, not as much, but Daniel she likes for sure. He's the only one that's young enough to use honorifics with her.

Her siblings weren't old enough to know how to call her noona before the family moved away. It's kind of nice. Plus, there are enough "doting hyungs" for nothing to actually be expected of her.

Ji Yuna has always been at the top of the vocal ranks amongst trainees. She knows she's lacking in dance but her lyrical and melodic talents carry her farther than those idol-seekers who just don't have the voice for it. That sounds mean but it's the truth and you'll get nowhere by ignoring the harsh reality.

There's nothing behind her to go back to. All that's left is now, and the future that Yuna is hellbent on making for herself. She'll rip it from the ground and mold it with her bare hands if she has to.

//

Ep. 1 | eliminated to the Ground via not recieving enough contestant votes

Ep. 3 | moved to the I-Land via I-Lander dropouts/global voting

Ep. 4 | eliminated to the Ground via contestant votes

Ep. 5 | moved to the I-Land via winning the Grounder Vocal Unit battle

Ep. 6 | retained in the I-Land, continued to Final 12

//

Trying to shift your sleep schedule to match the time you're allotted to practice is the only way Yuna has found to make this barbaric system work for her. She understands better than most the concept of failing and facing the consequences but jeez. If she could stop being moved from Ground to I-Land and back again that'd be great.

The longer the competition continues, the more paranoid Yuna has found herself becoming. She didn't expect to make it to the final anything.

She's a gimmick. She knows that. A way to draw in viewership by giving all the female fans someone to project their fantasies onto.

Yuna knew that coming in. And she was okay with it because it was basically free publicity. She just didn't expect to be in the half of contestants retained onto the second half of the show.

The biggest shock was actually several weeks ago. Being voted into the I-Land by viewers. When the other contestants didn't vote her in after her entry performance, she expected much of the same until she was inevitably voted out at the first opportunity.

But no. Instead, she's being forced to continue playing nice, entertaining herself, longing for her instruments and hoping she'll not be made out as a fool for manically scribbling lyrics at inoppurtune times and humming to herself constantly like a madwoman.

//

Ep. 7 | rank 10 via producer scoring

Ep. 8 | rank 11 via producer scoring

Ep. 10 | rank 3 via global voting

Ep. 11 | rank 5 via producer scoring

Ep. 12 | rank 3 via global voting

//

There are a few select words that Yuna wishes to use to describe how she's feeling after being announced as a member of the final lineup. Most wouldn't go over well with the Korean TV industry, so she keeps her mouth shut as she stumbles over her own feet on her way downstage.

What the fuck.

What the fuck what the fuck what the fuck.

This wasn't the plan. This was her debut to the public eye, meant to be just the beginning. Ji Yuna takes time to grow on people, time to be tolerated much less wanted or supported by hundreds of thousands of strangers.

They haven't even heard her music, yet. Literally what is going on?

It's fine. She's fine.

Close your mouth, girl, you look like an idiot.

Yuna look across at the audience of idols and producers. TXT, Rain, BTS, Bang PD. Whatever. The person she’s looking for already has eyes on her. Hyowon smiles and she does her best to return it. She's still just so confused.

Suddenly, there's a microphone in her hand and everything is quiet. Is she supposed to say something? What is happening?

She falls into a deep bow. Above all else, be thankful. Even if you have no idea what is going on.

"Thank you," she says. "I really wasn't expecting to be chosen as a finalist. I definitely was not expecting to be chosen to debut. But here I am. Wow. I don't know what to say."

Why did she say that? She's just rambling, has no idea where she's trying to go with her words. Stupid stupid stupid. Say something smart.

"Hopefully, I can bring much to the debut group in songwriting and production and with my singing. Hopefully, the other members can help me in places I am lacking, the same way I will hope to do so for them."

She's talking out of her ass now. It doesn't look like the producers and idols watching her notice, all nodding along politely. If she has any kind of luck, maybe the viewers won't pick her apart and be able to tell she's fronting.

"Thank you so much for this oppurtunity. I won't waste it."

//

<< PREV // NEXT >>

[medusamagic]

So you want to know more about Big Barda

As Tumblr's resident expert on all things Barda, and as Kelly Thompson's Birds of Prey run brings far more attention to the character, I figured it was high time someone stepped in and gave the tumblr world a primer on DC's biggest and boldest heroine.

The Basics:

Introduced in Mister Miracle #4 by Jack Kirby, Big Barda was once the leader of Apokolips' premier death squad, the Female Furies. Trained from birth for a life of violence by Granny Goodness, Barda spent the first 250 years of her life as a living weapon. This all changed when she met Scott Free, a gentle Parademon-in-training with a mysterious past and a knack for escapes. Eventually, she and Scott both escaped to Earth, where they fell in love with both the Earth and each other. She's a lover, she's a fighter, she's a Pokémon card expert, but most of all, SHE BIG.

Barda's signature defining attribute is her raw strength. Her raw muscle allows her to keep up with heavy hitters like Wonder Woman. This isn't to suggest that she's a simple-minded brute, however-- Barda has centuries of military experience under her belt as leader of the Female Furies. She's mastered multiple weapons, including spears, swords, and her signature Mega-Rod.

Below are some reading recommendations for anyone interested in Big Barda:

Essential Runs:

Mister Miracle Vol. 1 #4-18 by Jack Kirby (1971-1974)

This was the run that introduced the world to Big Barda, as well as the Female Furies. If you want to know the basics of Barda, there's no better place to start. This run is collected in a trade, as well as a part in The Fourth World Omnibus Vol. 1.

(NOTE: Even though Barda doesn't appear until issue #4, I suggest you start with Issue #1. It'll help you get acquainted with the rest of the mythos.)

Justice League International #14-24 by Keith Giffen and J.M. DeMatteis (1988-1989)

Big Barda was on the JLI! She plays off the other characters as well as ever, and a lot of what's great about her in Jack Kirby's original run is still here! Definitely check this one out if you want to see her in another team setting. This has been collected in this omnibus.

(NOTE: Once again, I recommend you start from issue #1.)

Popular Runs:

Mister Miracle Vol. 4 #1-12 by Tom King and Mitch Gerads (2017-2018)

Yeah, I know.

Listen, Tom King is a writer with... idiosyncrasies to put it nicely. The characters in the periphery of his stories tend to act really out of character, and his dialogue can be clunky at times. That being said, The Scott/Barda dynamic in this book is excellent, and this book has some of the best art that the Fourth World has seen since the 80s. The series has been collected in a trade.

(NOTE: Did you know that the CIA has over 2003 files on Tom King? Look up "Tom King CIA 2003" for more info!)

Mister Miracle: The Great Escape by Varian Johnson and Daniel Isles (2022)

If you're at all interested in the idea of a Young Adult reimagining of Mister Miracle and Big Barda's origin story with an all-black cast, this book was made for you. It's a bit heavy on the YA tropes, but the Scott/Barda dynamic is really solid. It was released as a standalone graphic novel.

Birds of Prey Vol. 5 #1-??? by Kelly Thompson and Leonardo Romero (2023-)

Admit it, this is the reason you're here. The Cassandra Cain & Big Barda is so instantly iconic, I'm surprised no writer has paired them up sooner. It also helps that this book has the single best Barda look since Jack Kirby's original run. Plus, she gets to throw down with Wonder Woman! What's not to love? This run is still ongoing, but the first 6 issues should be getting a trade pretty soon.

(NOTE: I started writing this before BOP #8 dropped, I had no idea about that thing that happens in the newest issue.)

Stories to Avoid:

Action Comics #592-593 by John Byrne (1987)

This is not a comic book-- it's an infohazard designed to cause pain and suffering to anyone who knows of its existence. Its premise is vile and disrespectful on the surface, and it becomes more insidious when you learn the context of its creation. This pair of issues is profoundly evil, rivaling even Avengers #200 in terms of loathsomeness.

For those who dare to investigate this, Content Warnings for rape, mind control, and human trafficking.

Anyway, let's end on something a bit lighter, shall we?

Remember that Mister Miracle YA graphic novel I mentioned earlier? Barda is getting a graphic novel of her own this summer! It's not out at the time of writing, but the preview pages look promising!

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed that introduction to one of my favorite superheroes ever. Please get back to me on this, I have no one else to talk to about Fourth World stuff.

[renthony]

🏳️‍🌈 (queer media rec please !)

(Drop a 🏳️‍🌈 in my inbox and I’ll respond with a queer media recommendation!)

I've been sticking to indie or less-popular works for these recommendations, but the most recent Interview With the Vampire episode destroyed me and I need to get more people in on this sweet, sweet suffering.

AMC's television adaptation of Anne Rice's Interview With the Vampire is phenomenal. The season 2 finale airs next week, and I'm hoping very much for more. It's officially available via AMC+, and if you're at all into queer gothic horror, you have to check it out.

The basic premise is that an immortal Vampire named Louis tells his tragic story to a human reporter named Daniel. We learn all about Louis' life as a human, how he was turned into a vampire by his vampire lover Lestat, and how the two created a child vampire named Claudia to be their daughter. It's a messy domestic drama where every single narrator is unreliable, it's a horror show, it's tragic, it's queer as hell, and it's perfect for people who want to see mean, petty, mentally unwell, horny queer characters waging psychological warfare on each other.

Here's the trailer for season 1:

I was very, very nervous when the adaptation was first announced. I'm a huge Vampire Chronicles fan, I was absolutely obsessed with Lestat as a teenager (...and also now...), and I was pretty firmly on the side of folks who were thinking, "we did this already, Queen of the Damned was a horrible (albeit still pretty fun) movie, we can just let the books stand on their own after that one."

When the casting announcements for Lestat (Sam Reid) and Louis (Jacob Anderson) were made, I got even more nervous. In the book, Louis is a white slave owner born in the late 1700s, and I was worried that the showrunners would just make Louis a Black character without examining or unpacking any of the anti-Blackness in the source material. I'd enjoyed Jacob Anderson's performance in Game of Thrones, and I didn't have any ill will against him, but I was genuinely worried a Black Louis was going to be in poor taste at best.

Instead of presenting Louis as a Black slave owner, though, the show reworked his backstory to make him a Black businessman in 1910s New Orleans. We get to know his family and his situation, and the dynamics of a queer interracial romance in turn-of-the-Century New Orleans add quite a lot of new depth to the story. Jacob Anderson deserves basically every award ever, because his performance as Louis is just...goddamn. He is the definitive Louis for me.

The show feels like a love letter to both the book series and the 1994 film. In the show, the interview takes place in 2022, and is framed as a second, "do-over" interview. It makes meta-commentary on the film and the books, and it's a real treat as a fan of the prior works. The constant little book references and hints for future plots are fantastic. The show loves the source material just as much as the audience does, and it never tries to say, "the old version sucks, we're doing it better." It's a loving tribute to my favorite messy queer vampires, and I need everybody to go lavish attention on it so it gets more seasons.

Edit 6/27/24:

Season 3 has been confirmed, babes!!!

[bonsai-babies]

Proving how easy it is to write BASIC compelling arcs for Sam LaRusso (2/2)

This last season's (and others) treatment of Samantha is unforgivable, I did this out of spite whenever I had the time to write, so here goes. (part 1)

main conflicts for season 6 especifically .

TORY TRAUMA — Tory is finally on Miyagi Do, she and Sam can slowly rebuild from the mess of those two last years. Yet, the mess is just too great for a simple talk and cordial looks to fix. Sam is relieved and happy that Tory escaped Cobra Kai's toxicity and is giving Miyagi Do a chance. This however creates two big anxieties: The perfect friend. Sam knows how tough it was to get on Tory's good side, she knows how important it is to keep her as a friend, so she overworks herself trying to make this work. She's overly nice, overly attentive, overly self-sacrificing. She lets Tory win when they sparr, she laughs at her jokes even when she doesn't get it, she smiles and plays the gentlewoman all the time, she opens doors, helps to carry things, keeps checking on her to make sure she's alright, and all of this is made out of extreme anxiety. The other side is her fear. Sam knows what Tory is capable of, she's felt it for too long. Doesn't matter how much psychological development she gets, the trauma is still fresh, still burns on her skin, is still felt on her scalp. Tory is just a lot of scars that are forever marked on her skin, and this she can't change with smiles and a good talk. So, despite her optimism and relief, she still fears, she still watches carefully. She puts herself close to Tory to try to make her happy all the while being unconsciously terrified that the blonde might simply turn around and attack again. Still, no matter how much it triggers her, she will work hard and quietly to make this new thing work.

SEKAI TAIKAI — I believe it isn't a stretch to suggest that Sam might've competed in Karate Championships as a child when she still trained with Daniel and Mr. Miyagi. We know Mr Miyagi doesn't like competition, but Daniel wouldn't let that chance pass. So Sam might've collected a few trophies and medals as a kid when competing only meant a big Karate game and she got to fight different new kids. Nothing psychologically damaging or heavy. That is until the AVT. Then there's Robby's injury, Miguel's change of character, and competition becomes something serious and unjustified. Sure, her first AVT was to save her dojo, but she was probably already uncomfortable with the kind of stakes those championships were holding. It wasn't fair and it wasn't right. Her defeat on the AVT shattered her confidence and likely set her off into a spiral of insecurities, self-hatred, and deep shame. She failed her dad, she failed Robby, she failed her friends, and in a way, she feels she failed My. Miyagi. Now, they're in for a world championship, despite having very little competition experience in general. Among all the teens, she's likely the only one who went through championships the most, but even that wasn't relevant because she was too young and never competed internationally. Sam isn't stupid, she knows they're about to bite something much greater than they can chew, yet, it's her chance to fix every mistake she made on the AVT and attempt to restore the pride of her dad and her team.

development .

TORY TRAUMA — Tory is also putting on work to try and convince Sam she's not a threat anymore. Maybe Tory notices how hard Samantha is trying, and even pities her for it. She wants to make this peace last too, she's ready to overcome her unfair distaste for the girl and start some proper healing. Her small actions help to diminish Sam's fears, they do create a new collection of supportive moments that should slowly help both to experience a much better new chapter. If we keep the death of Tory's Mother, it would definitely be the hiccup in their development. The moment Sam learns of it and how senselessly Tory was fighting in the Captaincy duel, she's both heartbroken for the girl, but also hyper-aware that her skills have to be sharp, Tory is showing every sign she's about to get back on her bad habits and Sam would suffer for it. Suddenly Sam isn't just going to the Sekai Taikai thinking only of redeeming herself for her dad and her team, she has an unresolved journey with Tory.

SEKAI TAIKAI — With the addition of Tory back in Cobra Kai two of her biggest conflicts pile up again. It's a new rendition of the AVT, the very thing she wanted to escape. Her anxiety does get the best of her a couple of times, but Robby is there, her friends are there, her dad is there. She begins to notice their support did not depend only on her wins or her success, they loved her anyhow, now she's more than ready to give a win to them, out of gratitude and just have a good time doing the thing she learned to love again. Hopefully Tory is back on their team by this point and Sam can make a new identity for herself beyond her mistakes from High School.

[maeberys]

Robby Keene is CK's KK

Just saw another poll where Miguel is winning as Cobra Kai’s Karate Kid. I really don’t get it. Ok, so here are my reasons for saying Robby is the one and truly Cobra Kai’s Karate Kid:

1) Robby’s first contact with karate is through Miyagi-Do. Same as Daniel.

2) Robby learns the basics of Miyagi-do by doing chores. Same as Daniel.

3) Robby likes Jackie Chan. This is a hint to the movie Karate Kid with Jaden Smith.

4) Robby gets injured in his first All Valley tournament. Same as Daniel.

5) Even injured, Robby is able to do the two-legged kick, which even Daniel wasn’t able to learn.

6) Like Daniel, Robby joins Cobra Kai for a while and then regrets it.

7) Robby has never intentionally physically hurt anyone in the entire series.

8) And yeah, I know that probably Miguel will win the SK. But the show is called Cobra Kai. So Miguel is the Cobra Kai Kid. Ok, just kidding in this one. Or not...?