#<- its literally a banger -charlie

[carpedzem]

🪤 <- im catching geogrenotfound

[waywardsalt]

thinking abt bellum v hard. (fyi there are 1658 words under this cut)

there's not a lot of concrete stuff to think abt but there ideas. he's kind of already won by the time link shows up on the scene. he's not really actively antagonizing the world of the ocean king, he mostly just has the ghost ship to go around collecting prey for him while he has the yook and anouki turned against each other and seems to have infested the different temples and whatever with monsters to delay any opposition. is he the one who destroyed the cobble kingdom? they're meant to be supporters of the ocean king so i think we can guess that bellum is the one who tried to eradicate them.

maybe he was the one who... mind controlled? or otherwise meddled with the yook to keep them from checking out the ice temple and keeping the anouki occupied with dealing with them. (tbh theres some untapped potential in the relationship between the yook and anouki) he doesn't really do anything to the gorons but maybe he doesn't see them as a worthwhile threat since they see the crimsonine as more of an artifact and not something they should really do anything with, and link has to pass a test to even be allowed to go to the temple. the cobble kingdom is already destroyed, and it can be assumed that he mightve mimicked their engineering based on eox being the hostile boss of the last temple and turning into sand, suggesting a relationship to bellum, and maybe that he's trying to hide the fact that he's the one fucking with everyone. i'm not even sure if characters (besides the main group) even know that bellum exists until link's quest is more known.

taking a note from the manga, where bellum says something along the lines of feelings of love and friendship creating more worthwhile life force for him, so taking that into account with stuff in the game suggests that he maybe doesnt make his presence well-known to avoid something like a mass panic or a persistent fear in people, which could downplay positive emotions that makes their life forces more worth taking to him along with other worthwhile forces maybe being ones connected to divine power (like his taking of tetra and seeming desperation to keep her specifically, since she's most likely a descendant of hylia's mortal form), so he likely is very hands-off with how he's affected the world in order to preserve the value of his prey, somehow. idk why he turns people into statues maybe its a preservation method. maybe hes saving tetra for some reason or maybe trying to bait link in as well. maybe he wants to grab link, too, but failed to catch him the first time and resorted to allowing him to go down the path of dismantling bellum's work all so that bellum can try and capture him himself.

the spirits he does manage to capture and left alive and instead just sealed away within their temples, which i believe is because spirits and gods and whatever in loz can't really die unless they explicitly permanently become mortal (hylia) and can only really be sealed away temporarily in some form, mostly due to a lot of them being a sort of representation of some part of the world (i like to imagine that demise is the god or whatever who created monsters, he's the father of monsters and opposes hylia due to the way her favored creatures [hylians ig] attack and kill monsters and he wants the world to be habitable and safe only for his creations)

it's probably safe to say that the ghost ship (like. the whole thing) was created by bellum, and in some form is perhaps some kind of living being, hence why bellum is capable of effectively possessing it the way he does, since it's an extension of himself like the boss monsters, it just maybe takes parts from some existing ships, or maybe it's not alive and bellum is capable of creating large structures like that he is compatible with.

bellum himself turns to sand when he is defeated, as well as most of the other boss monsters, but the cubus sisters (who certainly have a relationship with bellum due to having the same eyes and being connected to the ghost ship) do not turn into sand, which makes me think that bellum didn't actually create them; maybe they're corpses or something being remotely puppeted by bellum.

bellum is clearly made up of the sand of hours, a crystallization of life force, and oshus is said to have used those sands to create the phantom hourglass, and the sands are also mentioned to have been created from the force gems connected back to oshus himself, so bellum was probably created from those force gems and therefore those sands of hours at some point somehow (i enjoy the idea that oshus was the one who created bellum; with oshus being our main source of info on bellum, i think it'd be interesting if he was the one who originally made bellum but obscures this fact by just talking about how he 'appeared' and whatnot).

bellum seems to have a weird sort of... inverted? perverted? ability to create life (perhaps a sort of parallel to the one we can assume the ocean king has if we assume that he created the three spirits as well as bellum maybe) but only in a hivemind or derivative sort of way, only able to create things that follow simple commands and when he possesses something else he takes it over. (i like to take him in a more biological or physiological way rather than magical, when he is removed so is the control, but there might be little remnants, but his influence is gone. i take bellumbeck aftereffects to be terrible sickness rather than others going with the idea of taking on some bellum-like traits or residual controls. the things bellum creates can only follow simple rules unless he is directly in control therefore he can use it as he wishes, but if he takes control of something he did not create, it's a bit more of a battle, he has to contend with that other being's subconscious or whatnot and has no effect unless he is physically connected. his control is more limited and ends up incorporating some of the hosts' subconscious desires with some guiding from bellum himself to achieve a favorable outcome.)

with the world of the ocean king being a sort of parallel/separate world to link n tetra's great sea, it's interesting that the ghost ship can be physically present outside the world in which it was created. definitely there can be contact between different worlds in loz (like hyrule and the dark world/lorule in alttp/albw and a little bit with termina if you take that as a literal place and a little bit with koholint and then the twili realm and whatever i'm missing) but it's interesting to see bellum as a villain capable of (in some way) contact and interact within other worlds and drag inhabitants of those other worlds into his own (oshus can send people out of his world, so i assume he can also bring them in, maybe that's how link gets in despite falling off of the ghost ship, unless somehow the ghost ship is still within the world of the ocean king but is also present in the great sea but the area around it is a fragment of whatever part of the world of the ocean king its in superimposed over the great sea... idk) so it's interesting that bellum could bc considered a villain able to tamper with or at least interact with world boundaries to let things in and out, maybe it's something that he is only capable of with whatever power he's attained by the start of the game.

whatever relationship he may have to oshus and the other spirits is not at all a part of the game, but at the same time we don't learn a whole lot about them anyways. there's also stuff with the chief of the golden frogs as another ally of oshus, but i imagine bellum didn't bother with him because he has no relation to the spirits' locations and the pure metals, and zuaz was left alone perhaps because his location is secret, while astrid and kayo were maybe found due to living on a more populated island (more prey for bellum to go after, more people to know about astrid and kayo). a lot of the monsters in the dungeons were probably already there, while the bosses were specifically made to protect what was hidden there, or maybe the bosses came first and their presences attracted other monsters.

i think bellum created the two monsters you fight overseas on the spot; they existed specifically to try and kill link because at those two times (link going to get the final spirit and link going to get the first pure metal) bellum suddenly panics and decides to try and eliminate link at the cost of the loss of a possible worthwhile piece of prey. bellum was probably also the one to begin the rumor of the ghost ship; i imagine he can take a sort of human form the same way oshus can, and spent a bit of time after defeating oshus and creating the ghost ship integrating him within some pirate crew and using them to grow and spread the rumor of the ghost ship, eventaully leading them towards it and taking them has his first victims (and along the way taking the time to foster good relationships with them in the hopes that their positive emotions and feelings would make them more worthwhile prey, back to the manga snippet idea of feelings of friendship and love [and probably positive emotions in general] being another form of better life force).

bellum's cool

[colorful-horses]

Been watching that new Hazbin Hotel show as it's coming out (🏴‍☠️) and I'm pretty disappointed with it. I'm not super familiar with the Everything about it, but I remember watching the pilot way back when and liking the premise.

I hadnt kept up with it after the pilot because I wanted to see it with fresh eyes. Now that the show is coming out, somehow I feel like an outsider watching it lol. It presents a lot of concepts, but it just assumes the watcher is already familiar with the characters, and it makes the pacing reeeeally odd. It's all payoff, no buildup (unless you count the years fans had to wait for it as 'build up'). I feel like I REALLY need to look for supplementary material to understand what's going on,, like.... why was there a whole emotional power ballad for a character who was only introduced 10 minutes prior?? Was I supposed to know who she was?😭 (her heels were cool though)

Tonally it's strange, too. It feels like an adult show written for teenagers a lot of the time, which is the BIGGEST disappointment. I was really hoping for more thoughtful explorations of the characters, but we really only get that for Angel Dust and like .... no one else lol. (Sir Pentious is the 👏FUCKING👏BEST👏)

Charlie and Vaggie feel ESPECIALLY underbaked. Considering how overtly sexual the show is, it's SHOCKING how little chemistry they have. Like, it's not there at all. I watched the show with a friend who had no knowledge about Hazbin Hotel whatsoever, and during episode 4, she asked me,"So why is Vaggie helping here?" which I feel is the best example I can give for how poorly developed their relationship is.

I like the music. The song transitions are usually really jarring (Respectless and Hell's Greatest Dad come to mind) but the songs themselves are usually bangers. I'm a big fan of Loser, Baby.

The designs are ..... not for me. But that's not necessarily a criticism. A lot of the character designs feel very dated, but I respect them for sticking so hard to the aesthetic they present, even if its not for me. I wish there was more outfit and body type variety in the characters, but literally EVERYONE says that, so I'll just leave that there lol.

Overall I think this show is a shining example of why """"filler"""" episodes are so important. If this were a 12 or even 24 episode season I think it'd be way better, but as it is, they're trying to cram like 15 different character arcs + a dramatic overarching story into 8 episodes, and it's really REALLY suffering for it.

[tboytoby]

obligatory "go listen to jrwi" post bc I had an influx of QSMP followers. here is a helpful guide to find which campaign is for you :)

listen to Riptide if you want a beautiful, tragic story about a crew finding family in each other. they had a song, go listen to Hole in Your Heart it's a banger. they also have women in love here and Goobleck. I can't speak for the later episodes but I watched up to 57 when it came out and there's daddy issues!!!!!! there is SO MANY daddy issues.

-- everything past here is Patreon-exclusive --

listen to Prime Defenders if you want the most painful pining of all time (there's superheroes and i'm crying hope this helps) and Charlie attempting to play the smart character for one season before realizing he Literally Can't. also fish dad and possibly the best depiction I've seen in a long time of an abusive father in mourning.

listen to Apotheosis if you want gay people who love so wholly and completely despite their destiny containing only pain and agony, who in turn extend that love to a being thought only to know violence. also Charlie saying "ough" with reverb. there's some really cool monster design from Condi here too!!!! I still gotta finish this one I just know they have sex

listen to Blood in the Bayou if you want to hear Charlie Slimecicle DM the most horrific and interesting branches of D&D I've personally played. Call of Cthulhu in its core is built around stories that don't end happy. stories where everyone dies. if you want the peak of Slimecicle storytelling and can handle graphic descriptions of body horror and gore, go here.

[doctorprofessorsong]

Destiel Fic Recs

Who needs to stuff your face with turkey when you can stuff your brain with fanfic? Fresh out of the oven, please enjoy these fic recs.

Raise the Black by valleydean (emmbrancsxx0) @valleydean (Explicit, 246k)

There are passion projects and then there is Raise the Black which takes it to a whole new level. It's not surprising that the author of The Shawnee Trail and A Ghost Story knows how to write historical fiction, but there are so many gorgeous bits of pirate life in this fic from the superstitions to the metaphors tied to the sea. 

The story is a Pirate AU. A chance encounter has left Cas, an officer from the Royal Navy, with a lasting obsession with Dean Winchester, the notorious pirate Captain of the Impala. When presented with the opportunity to defect and save his son from the abusive practices of the Royal Navy, Cas finds himself a part of Dean’s crew. 

I cannot overstate how good this one is. The underlying pirate mythology and superstition, the horny sparring, the epic battle scenes and of course the incredibly unhinged Dean and Cas that drive this story. The story had me anxious, like literally unable to focus on work because I had to know what happened.

It's @valleydean so she gives us a happy ending, but she makes us pay dearly for it in angst (so sexy of her really). 

And it isn't just the Destiel. The casting is phenomenal. I would die for pirate Meg. The use of the younger generation (Jack, Emma, Claire, Kaia) is amazing. Sam, Benny and Charlie as pirates. Truly we get so many great characters in this one y'all.

Without giving too much away, I'll just day that this one falls into the sweeping epic category and the results are staggering.

o weary traveler by dothraki_shieldmaiden @dothwrites (Explicit, 107k)

OK. So you know when you are in like Chapter 1 of a fic and already know it's going to be one of your favorites? That was this fic for me.

A mash-up of the Odyssey and Beauty and the Beast, this fic grabbed me and refused to let go. When Dean and his crew are shipwrecked on an island, they inadvertently anger its inhabitant, Castiel. Cas, an exiled angel, decides to take revenge, culminating in a Beauty and the Beast style pact for Dean to accept punishment on behalf of his wayward crew. 

Cas in this fic is very much an ancient being lacking the human perspective and Dean is just some guy who hunts monsters. It's my favorite dynamic. The way they dance around each other and eventually come together is beautiful to watch.

Throw in some delightful worldbuilding and poetic prose and you have a powerhouse of an epic tale.

The Common Hours by quiettewandering @wanderingcas (Mature, WIP 29k so far)

I very rarely recommend WIPs, so you know when I do it's because I think there's something special about the fic. I honestly think this one and the process of getting a bit more information each week is worth diving into, even if you are normally a "wait until it's done" kind of reader (and if not, this one is worth at least marking to be read with stars and highlights and little hearts).

The fic is a twisty mystery that has me throwing out theories every chapter. Cas is an amnesiac trying to recover from trauma he doesn't understand or remember. Luckily, he met Charlie who has been helping him rebuild his life. But Cas is haunted by half memories and a forgotten life, especially the memory of a man with green eyes who inhabits his dreams.

I don't want to say too much because half of the joy of this fic is pulling at threads and watching to see how it unravels. I'll just leave it at this: the story is captivating and fresh and these versions of the characters instantly grabbed me and wouldn't let go.

Vibrato by Tiamatv  (Explicit, 69k)

Tiamatv really does write some bangers. I couldn't put this one down. They are both disasters in this fic, but in a way that makes you to hug them and smoosh their faces. Dean meets a cute boy, has a full blown bi panic, realizes he was an ass, and strikes up a friendship that morphs into a friendship with benefits that morphs into basically a long term relationship but they're both idiots. It's idiots to lovers (but still idiots) at its finest.

Oh and also Cas is a super old genetic vampire. Whoops. One of the most delightful things about this fic is how well tiamatv captures the ancient and terrible being and also just some accountant dynamic that makes Cas so deeply loveable.

Despite some heavy stuff, this one is fluffy cotton candy most of the time and it's really about their irresistible dynamic. It is immensely readable.

The Sweetest Con by aimforsplendor @aimforsplendor (Mature, 19k)

If you are looking for some fairly low angst fun, this DeanCasBang (Taylor's Version) entry is an absolute delight. Dean and Sam are Robin Hood type con men using tech to steal from the rich and give to those who need it. They've finally found the head of a crime network, a billionaire resembling a particularly prominent and news worthy one recently which makes it fairly cathartic actually. But the mission is threatened when Dean gets sidetracked by a particular blue-eyed hottie.

This one is plain fun with a healthy dose of humor and really likeable characters. This one is truly just readable. Fun and fairly light and with enough interesting turns you keep you on your toes. 

Anything You Can Do by FagurFiskur (Explicit, 21k)

From the Dean Winchester is an absolute disaster genre, this is a surprisingly sweet, crack-taken-seriously smutty romp. 

Dean overhears his soon to be ex-girlfriend Daphne talking to a friend about how their mutual rebound relationship isn't working, especially because her gay ex-fiance, Castiel, was better in bed. Dean can't possibly let that stand. 

So he does the only logical thing and tracks Cas down. And hooks up with him. So he can win at the sex. Even though he's totally straight. 

Tag list

@varlysca @naturallyathief @greatbigbugger @fandoms-and-things @cascodedtech @you-cant-spell-subtext-without @deanwasalwaysbi @fellshish @valleydean @raspberry-tooth @the15yearhatecrime

[just-jae]

Hazbin Hoetl 5-6

Spoiler warning!

Not gonna lie, at first I was cringing a bit at Lucifer. I was expecting him the have, like, grace and baddie energy. but he's talking to himself pretending to show off rubber ducks to a crowd.

And of all the potential dynamics he and Al could have had, competing father figures was NOT on my mind at all dude. Al? Dad?

But, I watched these last two episodes a couple (okay maybe several) times over and, it's really growing on me. It was definitely the predeveloped impressions getting in the way of really enjoying these characters. Even the irks I had about Alastor aren't really irks anymore, especially with "Dad beat Dad having much better animation and a banger number for Al (seriously wtf he's horrific in this episode)--

"Could you butt out of my song?"

"Your song? I started this!"

"I'm singing it, I'll finish it!"

Before, I was seeing it as how well they pull off my (and arguably the long simmering fandom's) idea of these characters instead of how well the characters as they actually are are told. So many people thought this show would be a super serious deep dive on Christianity and commentary on religion itself. But at this point, it really feels like Heavan and Hell are metaphores. They focus a lot more on personal issues like relationships, coping mechanisms, flaws like nievety, displaced senses of self worth, etc.

Charlie's idea of what "gets people into heaven" is naive and brochure-like. Adam gave a literal list of three items that seemed overly simplistic (and turned out to be wrong).

But at least they had some idea about it. The higher angels themselves had no clue whatsoever, their only concern was preserving the status quo. And even when things are called to question they fall back to old ways just bc they're scared to change anything. Sera didn't have any malice toward Hell, she just doesn't want to make things worse, having Angels fall, have Hell attack Earth or Heaven, have more evil spread, by changing things.

Getting a better idea of what all of this is about makes it so much easier to appreciate things I initially was put off by. It just has a context that it fits into now.

Lucifer being this disillusioned depressed dork with "yeaaaah, No." energy fits into what we've seen of heavenly culture (uncanny innocence, annoying teen pop-culture energy, being perfectionist yet blind to their own flaws)

And The "Hell's Great Dad" song really broke the ice, especially when Mimzy busted in singing ITS MEEEEEEE-- like

Love her. I wasn't expecting to see Mimzy AT ALL since she was removed from the main cast. And after seeing people talk about her and how they were wondering about her, it definitely felt like popping in the way she did was a response to that. Even I was wondering bc you don't just drop a former love interest for a character like Alastor, but still have them show up in the pilot-- I wanted to see Mimzy lol.

like literally:

"It's MEEE, It's MEEE,

I know you were all waiting for MEEEE!

I'm Here, what a GAAAS,

Took a while but I'm here at LAAST"

Like, im sorry but I felt like she was pointing at me personally, not the other characters, and that was hilarious.

It's so random but doesn't feel out of place at all somehow. The tensions were already super high, so a random screaming woman busting in with even higher energy is like-- wtf?? :'D??

She was a blast the entire time tho, and actually tied into the reoccurring theme of only reaching out to someone so they can do something for you.

It also definitely pinched a side of Alastor, irritating that he does apparently NEED to be there, there's some obligation he actually has to the hotel, or at the very least some stakes to not holding things together, not bc he defended the hotel but bc he specifically says "I can't have that here" , he also doesn't refute the claims Mimzy makes about him. Al clearly adores her and isn't surprised by her antics at all yet still tells her to leave. With the mention of Alastor's "leash" in the same episode BC of Mimzy was just such a great way to use her character. A fun entrance, thematic relevance, and a great plot device to reveal more about Alastor's situation and motives.

Like I said, at first the food tasted cold. I was thinking to myself "Eh, nothing really that crazy ig" but the more I watch the episodes and get over whatever my expectations were, the more I enjoy what's there.

Like, at first I was thinking, "Oh no Lucy's another akward dork, a normie, a loooooserr" (not that being an akward dork or a normie is bad but those were the vibes I was giving off, I'm sorry)

But I keep watching "Hell's Greatest Dad" and NOW it's like

LOOK AT HIM< LOOK AT HIM GO

Like, he's fugghing adorable with the "WAP BAP BOOM"

the puppets and the circus imagery, and just the innocent unmalicious enthusiasm. He's stumbling around over barely knowing his daughter and is now sprinting to make up for being so absent-- and even that absence is implied to be due to chronic depression and pining, missing heaven and having to live in hell forever, not only being the one who supposedly created it by accident, but tried and failed to fix it, even having his own theme park ripped off by a deadly Sin. The show calls it out bluntly, but despite his cheery tone and, yeaaah, no, yeaaah, no" attitude, they did a great job showing that his depression manifested in detachment and disinterest. It sucks for the people it effects but it also sucks to be the one who dropped the ropes in your relationships.

So seeing him brjghtenup and glow over just helping his Charlie put her hotel together was great. He feels useful and wanted again. And imo it's a double edge sword as well if Lucy feels like he has to be useful to be a decent dad.

So, idk. I guess I do want to see how he handles trying to be in Charlie's life again, especially since, at this point Alastor knows and has supported her more than he ever has-- despite the rough beginning and the mockery. (Also Lilith's face being faded out was sus af)

I'm convinced that in Al's case it's definitely not from a genuine place, at least, we still have no reason to believe it is. He was glaring at Lucy as soon as he walked in, and the nearly every comment on how great his relationship with Charlie is was also a jab to piss off Lucy instead of a genuine expression.

A performance, in short.

Still, the fact that someone who's only just met Charlie has a better relationship with her than her father has got to suck to realize if you're the father.

Also-- the scene at the club-- I was pretty mixed about it, like, doing drugs, itself isn't bad-- it can be unhealthy and it can put others at risk if you're resigning your cognizance and self control for the sake of coping with stress-- so it can very easily enable bad things, especially if you become addicted, so,imo is pretty wreckless and definitely a vice. But it doesn't make you a bad person.

But then again angels also seem to think premarital sex and promiscuity is bad too. (Promiscuity puts you at risk for disease, and like drugs can be driven by vices, but, again, the thing itself isn't bad and can still be a healthy practice when it comes from a healthy place)

I'm genuinely proud of Angel for actually growing though, seeing him take care of Nifty and protect her from Val got me on the "Fuck em up" energy. It's always great to see a group of friends watching out for eachother when they know there's a danger to what they're doing-- ESPECIALLY when one of them is new to it all. That's why if you ARE going to do drugs or drink or whatever, definitely don't do it alone or without someone you trust with your safety.

And also never feel like you have to do those things to maintain relationships, some people feel like it would be an insult to imply they dont trust someone or just for being disinterested in their offer. And, frankly there are people who will prey on that.

That was just a great scene. It had some flaws, but was still great.

Also--

PENTIOUS

I HATE

BROTHERMAN MADE ALL THE MISTAKES.

"Bc I'M HAVING SEX WITH EVERY--"

THATS NOT WHAT YOU WANT TO SAY YOU FUCK

Also, not gonna lie but Sera's got me like

Its been a while since I've been down bad for a femenine character.

She is beauty, she is grace~

[kryodsiry]

Listen beforr i say SHIT about this song

I wanna say its literally one of my favourites like actual' i play this one on REPEAT, But

What was the point for Out for love

I mean throughout the show we see vaggie doing thing MAINLY for charlie and for the hotel and anytime we saw her get violent is to either protect the hotel or charlie

And she actively avoids fighting the angles or tries to not interact with most threats and if she has to its to protect AGAIN the hotel or charlie shes basically only putting up with alastor and sir pentious because charlie trusts them

WE HAVE NOT GOT ENOUGH CHARACTERISATION FROM VAGGIE FOR THIS SONG AND THE ONES WE HAVE GOTTEN DON'T CAUSE MERIT FOR THIS SONG IM BASICALLY REPEATING POINT'S THAT'S HOW LITTLE WE GET FROM HER

Like the only probablity for vaggie trying to get vangence was trying to get camilia to help her find away to kill the agaisnt the angles that left her for dead but again that was for the hotel more then it was for her like even after we find out we don't get a sense that she wants revenge

We get no sense that vaggie was activley looking for revenge its mostly again AVIODANCE like in episode six when she was in that courtroom the plot just ALLOWED HER TO LEAVE that was the death of dramatic tension for me

That could've given us even a sense of vaggies character or even made a justifaction for this song BUT NAUR

And adam doesn't even revel it anyway until it was for the dramatics

( the he could've been holding it for black mail or something and just used it cause he he wanted to plant some distrust in their reltion ship before the 'extremonation' which if it was that was not displayed well )

Im a little upset cause it seems like vizie knew there was going to be a season 2 but still didn't give us much about that charachters and how they bounce off of eachother 😭😭😭😭😭

And again if i have anything to say about this show other then the fact its mostly tell don't show in most cases

Is that the songs are ALWAYS a banger

This clicker runs on add revenue so comon HELP PALESTINE

Or SPAM- I mean contact your local representative🥺

Usa,canda, uk -links in order

[leclerdelune]

Macau GP 70th Anniversary

YOU. YEAH YOU READING THIS. This is me trying to pursued you to go watch the Macau GP this weekend. This track is historic and legendary. And one of the most fun and dangerous street circuits (imo) with tight corners and varying elevations. It is still the oldest (active) street circuit that still holds F3 (+other races) and isn't part of the F1 World Championship (the other being New Zealand🤝)

Since it’s the 70th anniversary and they are holding two wholeass race weekends with a BANGER entry list this year (full list at the end of the post), so why not take a trip down memory lane and talk about some iconic races and drivers throughout the years. [LONG POST, just saying][Also, surprises underneath]

Macau Grand Prix, Guia Circuit (or Circuito da Guia)—a circuit that spans 6.120km, with different elevations over 30 meters top to bottom (in non-metric terms: 2 small pine trees, or 2 volleyball courts for all non-metric people out there👍). Top speed: 260km/h for an F3 car, which is already a handful. This circuit has had little to no changes since the beginning of its grand opening. While this track serves as a stepping stone for drivers, it remains an independent circuit and race of its own. Though still having an affiliate with the FIA.

Although the first race event began in 1954, they didn’t introduce F3 until 1983. Which they had a strong start for F3 with the likes of Ayrton Senna and Gerhard Berger, respectively taking first and third place.

A few years later; Eddie Irvine, Damon Hill, Jean Alesi also left their marks on this race track.

But the most iconic moment came in 1990. The battle of Schumacher vs Hakkinen. The beginning of their motor rivalry.

Schumi took first place while Mika unfortunately crashed out at the back of Schumi’s car.

Jenson Button (a literal child) in 1999, second place. God works hard but those mechanics work even harder

In 2003-2004, both Lewis and Nico took part, whilst Lewis took pole and they both showed great results in qualifying. Neither of them went on to podium in both years.

2005: baby Seb starting to shine through and took third at the main race, just behind Kubica

They put a baby in a fast car

2009: Daniel, Valtteri, and Jules took the challenge. Jules started near the back end of the grid but was steady racing and finished 10th. Valtteri started 4th, had the opportunity to be on podium until he got a puncture on the last lap that saw him finish fifth. Daniel-not the best start- clipped the wall and punctured his left rear, carried on a little bit more until he crashed out of the race :( can’t find any video cuz apparently no one cared enough about 2009

2011: Valtteri’s third year in a row; the previous got him third place but this one he retired the car on lap 4 due to an accident. Kmag, da Costa, Carlos participated but all in all, half the grid retired in the end.

Pre-mustache Bottas and baby redbull Carlos

Bloop! 2014: a wild baby Max appears! Boy had good results in qualifying, placing him third, but in the quali race he lost control and crashed. Main race-7th. Nick Cassidy, Nicki Latifi, Antonio Giovinazzi, Alex Palou finished 3rd, 5th, 12th and 16th. Unfortunately, Antonio Fuoco and Estie Bestie retired :(

Yes, Max did get the fastest lap

2015: Everybody’s favourite! Charles Leclerc has entered the ring. Charlie’s aggressive attack led him to second place and on that podium. Giovinazzi-4th, Lance Stroll-8th, Nick Cassidy-12th and following close behind, my boy, Alexander Albon-13th

The race was that good even FIA had to post it on their channel lol

The infamous onboard camera

2016: we see the introduction of George Russell, Landon Norris, Callum Ilott, Guanyu Zhou and Ticktum (But we’re not gonna talk about him🤭). It was an okay race, António Félix da Costa took first (came 9th in the recent WEC👏) and Nikita crashed.

That year gave us baby Lando and baby George who took his first pole *surprise🎉*

2017: A fucking great racing year, Lando came second due to Habsburg and Sette Câmara crashing out in the final corner. It’s Mick’s first year, though not the best result but did manage to snatch the fastest lap 💨

2018: it was a scary ass race and I remember standing in front of the TV just watching this. Lisboa corner is famously know for a lot of accidents, Sophia Flörsch made contact with another that send her airborne and crashed into the barriers and fractured her vertebrae. Final standing: Mick-5th, Ilott-7th, Schwartzman-9th, Zhou-11th, Vesti-15th

I’m not gonna post the video, you can go look it up if you’re interested

2019: a lot more familiar faces: Richard Verschoor, Jüri Vips (yeah that one), Logan Sargeant, Callum Ilott came back for another year, Liam Lawson with his bestie Yuki Tsunoda, Enzo Fittipaldi, Max Fewtrell🫡, David Schumacher, Felipe Drugovich, Schwartzman’s second attempt and Sophia Flörsch

3 years of absence and we are back! 2023!

This year there’s two whole weekends, from 11-12th November and 16-19th November. And they’ve a banger list of drivers like Bianca Bustamante for F4 and Richard Verschoor taking another stab at it.

Macau F4 race is happening on the 11-12th:

F4 is happening the week after on 16-19th

The FIA is streaming F3 on the YouTube channel (streaming f3 not f4🥲…go watch motor gp too it’s on the same day) but you could probably watch it on other streaming platforms too (you know the ones👀👀)

If you haven’t seen the Macau GP before…give it a go! It’s brilliant!

*side note: if Fernando or Lewis ever retires from f1 and have nothing else to do…I’d like to see them tackle this track (again for Lewis) maybe not f3, maybe something like GT cup or something. It would be verrrry interesting👀

[poursomesunaonme]

Dedicate songs to your mutuals, let them know what you think of them.✨

oh god this is gonna be hard LMAOSDFJASFJ but lets see !! ik it's been a min since i've been on here, so im only gonna do em for my mutuals that i've also seen active recently ! under the cut hehe

(update this took forever bc i dont play around with music everything has to be PERFECT)

marie (@maries-gallery) - j'espère by félix dyotte (for the soft lovey dovey vibes i literally cried the first time i heard this LMAOO)

sun (@pockcock) - ava adore by smashing pumpkins (horny vibes horny vibes its literally so hot)

charl (@sweetandtendou) - yuck by charli xcx (there are a thousand i love u infinitely but this is what im feeling rn)

lily (@tyga-lily) - criminal by fiona apple (indoctrinating u to my fav female manipulator)

taro (@dilftaroooo) - trust fund baby by amaarae (dude.)

ix (@prettyiwa) - faultline by girlpool (i had this song on repeat for MONTHS)

marq (@kweenkatsuki) - plw by leon thomas (yes this is andre from victorious and its a fucking BANGER)

phon (@saphhonic) - religion (u can lay your hands on me) by shura (this song actually changed me)

cassie (@cyancherub) - you lose! by magdalena bay (the vibes are here and they remind me of u)

aleks (@princess-okkotsu) - cologne by beabadoobee (it altered my brain chemistry thanks)

wreynn (@honey-tsuki) - sarah by alex g (im forcing the alex g agenda on u idc)

m (@stardusttoshi) - romanticist by yves tumor (im making u a playlist)

moni (@monirei) - crush by solange (gives me major monirei vibes)

kat (@ryukatters) - maurine by say hi (I CANT DESCRIBE IT I CANT)

elle (@f4irycafe) - soft by babygirl (hehehe it's precious)

b (@eldiandiablo) - restless year by ezra furman (its so fun i have to do a little jig every time i hear it)

juliana (@sparklekitteh) - falling by florence + the machine (it had to be her and it was so hard to choose asljdfe)

soph (@astridthevalkyrie) - armistice by phoenix (i can't explain it but here we are)

siri (@bagsyy) - agnes by glass animals (i love this and i love u)

aman (@thegetoufather) - anthems for a seventeen-year-old girl by broken social scene (this altered my brain chemistry as a child thanks)

eliza (@postwarlevi) - when u love somebody by fruit bats (please i cant help but think of u)

fiona (@fionarara) - 400 lux by lorde (a classic for a bestie)

juney (@whats-her-quirk) - midnight by toby sebastian and florence pugh (the first time i heard this i thought of jean LMAO)

scribbs (@nighttimescribbles) - i'll come running (to tie your shoe) by brian eno (this song is so sweet and asldfje)

fawn (@dearbraus) - strawberries by caamp (please i think you'd love this one)

mica (@princesskazuya) - this is the day by the the (this is one of my favs of all time)

luxE (@fuwushiguro) - best to you by blood orange (IM GOING ON A FEELING HERE)

angel (@bakatenshii) - friendly machine by yeule (i feel like you'd love their music omg)

yall join in too ! this is so sweet <3 my love language is sooo totally music !

[remusbutfemale]

Dead poets society hcs bc I’m insane

Music hcs!

Okay HEAR me out; we all have our ideas on what modern dps would listen to.

But I over analyze every single character so I think I’m spot on.

Starting with Todd!

I have a strong feeling the guy would listen to like a sad romance type of genre? Is that what I can call it😭

—

• These days by Nico

• After hours by The velvet underground

• Always see your face by Love

• The way I feel inside by The Zombies

Neil is very radiohead coded ngl.

• Deleto by Wolf & Bear

• Blossom by Coletta

Literally any Bilmuri song

(He gives off the vibes he would listen to the divorced dad genre)

• Just the artist Origami Button

Okay Steven , I love that man.

Idk what genre this is

• Its fun by the casinos

• Tima by the casinos

(Any song by the casinos)

I don’t think he would listen to David Bowie but I get why people associate him with starman.

• Walking the cat by CottonWood firing squad

Fuckin knox.. idk

Hes 100% into the driver era

• A kiss by the driver era

• Afterglow by the driver era

UGH HE WOULD ALSO LISTEN TO THE OBUNGUS

• new banger by the Obungus

Idk what else he would listen to.

• IV DANTE too probably

Gerard.. I love him too…

I just know bro listens to Daniel Cesar on the DAILY

• Death & Taxes by Daniel Cesar

• Japanese Denim by Daniel Cesar

• ARE YOU OK? by Daniel Cesar

All of his songs basically

Also a bruno major fan

• Old fashioned by Bruno Major

ALSO OMAR APOLLO AND BROCKHAMPTON

• Unbothered by Omar Apollo

• TEAM by BROCKHAMPTON

Okay maybe RINI too

• Aphrodite by RINI

• Meet me in Amsterdam by RINI

Charlie Dalton , love of my life..

Such a tyler fan

• RUNNING OUT OF TIME by Tyler the creator

• DOGTOOTH by Tyler the creator

• A BOY IS A GUN* by Tyler the creator

• Sweet boy by Malcolm Todd

• 4:44 JAY-Z

Also Frank ocean fan

• Super rich kids by Frank Ocean

Sza too

[toomuchracket]

speaking of matty wedding planning: you guys going to taste test all of the food and being able to take people (small group) w/ you so you, the boys and their partners all going and getting a bit drunk off all the wine tasting and deserts and food lol but its one of the highlights of planning ur wedding bc matty is just very giggly and happy to be around his mates planning everything

((and maybe he is in the studio one day and has to pause a session bc he is fielding calls from the wedding people asking him about if he’d rather have a DJ or band - thats a whole other discussion btw))

this is so fucking cute actually like the people at the venue say that the tables for the meal are eight people each so that's how many people (including you and matty) can attend the food/wine tasting. and that's perfect because you can bring adam & carly, george & charli and ross and one of your friends (who you're sneakily trying to set up)!! and there's just so much love in the air because everyone is just so so excited for you and matty's wedding, and the food is all so good (to the point where choosing the menu is agonising) and the staff are great and they're giving you the equivalent of literally an entire bottle of wine per person to try over the course of the meal so everyone's tipsy and just giggly and happy to be here. and matty has his arm around you as you listen to adam and carly talk about a funny story from their wedding - and watch ross and your friend flirt shamelessly with each other lol - and he kisses your head at one point and sort of murmurs "come out for a smoke?". so the two of you slip out of this beautiful venue and share a cig, matty standing behind you holding you tight, watching the sun set. and he says in your ear "if our actual wedding day is even half as good as today then it'll be perfect", and you kiss his hand and say "it will be, i know it". and it is!!

the band vs. dj debate is literally the most difficult part about wedding planning; as you said, matty and you are both avoiding calls from the venue so you don't have to make a decision on it. you are ADAMANT that matty isn't allowed to perform, because if there's any day you should be allowed to not work, it's your wedding day; he took this surprisingly well, probably because performing would mean having to be separated from you for like the duration of a song or two and matty is not having that at all. the rest of the boys are quite keen to play for your first dance if they can, though - maybe you get jamie squire (who, by the way, is absolutely incredible) or phoebe to sing, depending on the song. you feel kinda bad letting any of your friends do anything resembling their day jobs at your wedding, but everyone just wants to do all they can for you and matty because they love you so much. i think you probably end up having a dj do most of the night (which basically translates to "letting several of your friends play a mix of cheese and bangers"), but it all works our out perfectly lol <3

[judgybitch]

Podcast: Ghost Wax

Episode Count: 49 (45 numbered episodes, 1 episode that's not numbered, 2 episodes that seem to be part of a patreon series, and 2 Q&A's, I have not subscribed to the patreon)

Last update: Season 1 finished on Halloween and the the last Q&A followed soon after. The most recent update to the podcast in general was on December 6th to notify listeners of a kickstarter for a kickstarter from the creator that is unrelated to the podcast.

Brief synopsis taken directly from apple podcasts is: Ghost Wax is a horror fiction podcast following the work of the last "reclaimer", investigating a series of unnatural killings by raising the dead and committing their final statements to wax cylinder. The synopsis from their official squarespace website though is: Ghost Wax is a Fantasy Horror Podcast: Owen Voncid is the last Reclaimer. The last person able to wake the dead and hear their tales. To combat the darkness of the realms beyond, even the black art of necromancy is a line worth crossing.

I'm personally not sure why the synopsis is different across platforms and am unsure if there are any further changes on other locations but this does kind of annoy me. Not enough to change my rating, but enough to make me side eye the creators a bit.

Star Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

TL;DR: Even with the length of the show, I'd love to recommend it to people, but I can't without caveats. And most of those caveats have nothing to do with the script writing, sound design, the voice acting, or even the character design. My worries are for its worldbuilding, which is already at a level where I'm worried about them being able to maintain it as time goes on, and I am deeply concerned that this show isn't exactly accessible. Most don't have trigger warnings which can be okay since it's a horror show so approach with caution, but there's also a severe lack of transcripts available on their website. Less than half have them in fact. So there's a group of people I would recommend this to, but many where I can't.

Full review after read more.

Ghost Wax was another horror podcast that I went into knowing literally nothing about it. The cover art intrigued me, as did the first episode I was recommended by another podcast. And instantly I was intrigued. The idea of creating something that gives the dead a way to tell their last moments isn't new, it's something people have been dreaming up in fiction and searching for in real life for an extremely long time. Some versions of this fictionalized idea can be grotesque, dragging a long suffering soul from a pit of despair just to wring out their last moments for something unseemly, or they can go the Ghost Wax route.

Voncid, despite being a curmudgeonly creature (and I do mean creature in a more literal sense since while I don't fully understand what he is, he's not 'human'), is compassionate to the dead. He cares extremely deeply about the dead's comfort and how they feel. He wants answers about how they died, but he also wants them to know they can tell their story at their own pace. Combine that with a warm old man voice and you've got a recipe for moments that can be achingly beautiful amidst the horrors around them.

And so despite having no skin in the game going in, I ended up feeling extremely excited about the show just within a few episodes. I wanted to know more about Voncid, Luca, Pip, Charlie, and Jinx the cat. I cared about how they were doing and I looked forward to each new story from the deceased. That's not to say every episode was a banger. V.ideo H.orror S.tory has kind of a goofy ending for my taste. Not enough to make it bad, but enough to make it nowhere near my favorite episode. Hilariously enough though, according to the Q&A part 2, an episode a lot of people hated was The Final Countdown. And honestly, I know this is gonna sound ridiculous, but I think the campiness of the episode actually works with the premise of a traveling New Year's party that consumes its guests to be in an eternal party.

The reason I believe the episodes mostly work is a credit to the writers, the soundscaping, and the performers. The writing usually had a good flow to it and when there needed to be strong characterization, there would be. Parts of their personality and aspects of who they are, including their queerness, feel seemlessly woven in instead of an afterthought or a case of tokenism. This is both because of the main writer and the performers (who I believe are either predominantly or entirely queer) treating their characters like avatars that they could fiddle with and make into whole people. Even Jinx the cat feels like it has a tangible personality within the story. We get enough of the characters, actually, that most are going to pick up on Charlie's duplicitous nature at some point before the reveal when he finally turns on the others.

This isn't a failing of the show though. I love the dramatic irony and I love that people had different moments where they realized he was the traitor. My moment was how he treated the more gruesome aspects of the Ardent, as if they were toys he could play with instead of aspects to be treated seriously. Others just thought he was too damn chipper, which is also valid. He was extremely chipper.

The other characters not picking up on it though, despite being shown to the audience in a myriad of ways, doesn't ring false. After all, there's been dozens of murders and their lives have been overturned and they just have their own shit going on. So it's understandable when Voncid and Pip do not pick up on anything beyond 'Charlie's a little weird, oh well, got shit to do today', because really, that's kind of like how most of us are in situations like that. Hindsight and being on the outside looking in are two powerful tools in noticing duplicity.

The soundscape especially adds to all of this to create moments that range from intensely creepy to hilarious to truly fucking heartbreaking. Voncid unleashing untold horror because he doesn't want to let go of his lover's soul, and that lover reminding him that this isn't the way he's supposed to be, did actually make me sob at my desk. I could feel the ache of hundreds of years, that desperation to keep that last bit of someone so precious. I could hear the betrayal in Pip's voice after Charlie takes her eyes. I could feel the cold dread in the soundscaping of In the Snow. These moments all stuck with me and I truly adored them.

That being said, I must be honest and say there was exactly 1 moment in the show that has stuck to me as a 'you should have probably redone that', and that's unfortunately in the season finale part 2. In that episode, Charlie has turned on everyone and caused absolute mayhem and destruction in the Ardent. And because of this, we get a lot of named and unnamed characters dying in the episode. Like a lot. A lot. And so we get a lot of screams in the background. Some of those screams are funny. Like as in they come across less 'horrifying death wail' and more 'wilhelm scream'. Also, while I like the episode The Final Countdown and am fine with the voice actress doing an annoying drunk girl voice since she is an annoying drunk girl, it's very obviously not a performance everyone's going to adore.

Having that few negative moments in a 46 episode season with dozens of voiced characters involved though is, in itself, an achievement. I know shows with a small percentage of that and they've failed way more. There were times though, especially when I had to take breaks in listening due to personal issues, that it became hard to differentiate between the the extended cast and to remember who everyone was. It wasn't egregious enough for me to deduct a ton from my rating, but it is something to keep an eye on. An easy way they could have helped this out is transcripts.

There was no commentary on it in either Q&A, so I have no way of knowing but the missing transcripts are something they intend to fix as time goes on or if that's dead in the water, but currently less than half of the episodes have transcripts on their squarespace website. That's a problem for me, both in terms of consistency but also accessibility. I know plenty of people who require transcripts. I myself have trouble with audio sometimes and have to double check what I heard against a written version, which is why subtitles are always on in my household. So right off the back, not doing this means I can't recommend this show to some people I know. There not being trigger warnings consistently on episodes is also an issue, but not nearly as bad as the transcripts is for me. Especially because I think it will hinder them in the future with how big the story is.

This world is huge. The creators themselves have stated both out of character and through Voncid that everything is real in this world. Everything. And while that's fun and it's okay that not everything gets answered in season one since that's typically how season 1 of any show works, I am truly worried about the future. While these writers are good, they are running a real risk of making it both hard to write and hard to follow with how much is in there. Transcripts of every episode would at least help the audience refer back to things a bit easier as well as follow along with the number of characters involved. At the end of the day though, the writers just have to pinky promise me they won't pull a George R R Martin and fall off the face of the earth with their main project because tying together 32893472 loose threads is actually a bitch and a half to do.

I'm giving this show 4 stars out of 5 stars as it currently is. I'm extremely worried about the future of this podcast, but am also excited to see where it goes. Hopefully they get better about making it a little easier to tell extended cast apart, do better about death screams, and are better about accessibility in general. And I really struggled with if those reasons should rank this a 3.5, but at the end of the day, I really loved the characters, the main performances, and the hidden world yet to come. I looked forward to every single episode. And I'm terrified of Dottie Jean Barlowe and her weird taxidermy henchmen. If I don't review season 2, it's because it either never came out or because she thought I was a judgy bitch and killed me for my skin. Both seem like really sad options.

[polifandom]

when i first started getting into scream i felt extremely gaslit into thinking the 2nd and 3rd films are actually good and that the 4th one is the bad one. like WDYM???

yes the second has a banger opening scene but the killers are completely irrelevant to the plot, i literally had to watch the second one 3 (THREE) times to be able to tell apart mikey and derek bc they're literally both tall brunette standard cis guys to me and the reporter being billys mom is just a lazy plot twist to me

if dewey was the killer in the second one the movie would be SO much better, like!!!! dewey had motive (sister was killed meanwhile 2 of her friends survived, gale's book thing, he was badly hurt, etc), he knew how he to do it successfully bc he lived through it, and idk i just wanted him to be!!!

so yes, 2 is average at best and boring at worst to me. meanwhile, the third movie is simply a train wreck i hope we can all agree on. there's simply no way roman would be able to pull that off alone, plus they reused the same family relative plot twist (tho i do admit this time it was slightly better, but it doesn't make it any less lazy). if im being very honest with you, there was no point i was truly invested in the story while watching 3.

while 4 i was literally kept on my toes the ENTIRE TIME. best killer reveals since the 1st (charlie included, he is SEVERELY underrated)!!! a killer kills another killer!!! jill motive was sounhinged and im living for it!!! they managed to make the killers have some form of chemistry like stu and billy did without redoing their dynamic!!! it was sidney more interesting plot by far since the first movie!!! jill literally almost got away with it!!!! like dude, that movie is a BANGER!

to me, scream 4 is a very close 2nd in ranking, following the first one (obv)

anyways, i felt like everyone kept telling me 2 and 3 were masterpieces when they very clearly arent. i absolutely love the franchise, but every time i rewatch i have to power through 2 and sometimes skip 3 altogether bc its very clearly the weaker movie out of the 6 out.

[petits-pois-carcinogenic]

I'm by no mean a historian, let alone a journalist (Thank God). But at the risk of playing armchair analysts, I've noticed that ever since WW2, there are mainly three tropes of conflicts, in matter of duration, that is:

First case: 4 days-long wars. Those where the power balance between belligerent factions is so unequal that there is no point in resisting or fighting back. Outpost guards just watch powerlessly entire regiments cruise drive through their checkpoints. It's basically what happened with the American invasion of Grenada in 1983, or the Russian invasion of Georgia in 2008, or even Crimea in 2014. Those are wars that end up seeing very little material damage and few victims (Crimea's invasion is even called "The war without a single shot fired" in Russia, which is an image they like a lot btw. Krutchev claimed America would fall without them firing a single shot too, few decades back).

How many Central and South Americans does the CIA need to kill before you realize socialism is bad? - Charlie Kirk

Second case: 4 weeks-long wars. Or the Blitzkriegs. The power balance is a bit more reasonable, but through coordination and shock&awe tactics, one invader sends the enemy to the mat by wreaking havoc. Destroying comms, bombing roads, bridges, rail tracks, or shredding the airforce/navy before it even takes off. Within a month, the defending army is folded. This is essentially how most of the allies fell during WW2 (Poland, France, Norway), and in more recent examples, it is how went the American invasion of Iraq, or the NATO-backed coup in Libya (Iraq evolved into a case 3, but Saddam's army still got swept within 40 days, give or take).

The Onion did release some bangers during that time, so maybe the Invasion was worth it after all

The third type, the worst of all, either when the power balance is fair, or when the fighting tactics are too different to compare: the dragging to a stalemate. A lot of destruction, a lot of death, civilian & military alike, but no winner in the end. Yeah, some skirmishes here and there to be claimed, but the losses are so that it is pointless to call those victories. The textbook case of "Tactical VS Strategic victory". Examples are Vietnam to the US, Algeria to France, Afghanistan to the Soviets (for the record, those three were the strongest armies of the Cold war, with nuclear armament). And the most iconic: The Iran-Iraq war: 8 years of conflict, 300.000 deaths on each side, hundreds of billions worth of dollars thrown into the cogs of war. Yet the borders have not moved a centimetre nor did the people in power. Almost a million people died for, in the literal sense of the term, nothing.

"Hey you ever heard of Verdun? Hell on Earth, chemical artillery, fruitless bloodbath. Sounds horrible. Let's try that!" - some iraqi/iranian general, probably

Back in February, when I heard the news of war, I expected it to be a case 1, the way it happened in Crimea back in 2014. Zelensky would run tails between legs. Russian tanks arrive in Kiev without firing a single shot and Ukraine would fall back into Russian tutelage. The international community gets pissed, shakes their finger. Dogs bark and the caravan moves on.

But that did not happen, a month in and Ukraine was still holding. I then betted that Zelensky could come to terms with an armistice à la Finnish winter war (Both sides lose, but having saved enough dignity to call it a victory). The Donbass is demilitarized, Donestk becomes a Karelia 2.00 and falls into Russian territory and the Azov battalion is sold out on the sacrificial altar. Putin, having filled his "Special operation" objectives (demilitarization, denazification, protection of russophones), can now toot his horn back in Moscow. Meanwhile, Zelensky can come back to Kiev as a hero: he saved Ukraine from getting eaten whole by the second army in the World, like Finland did 80 years ago.

It is tomorrow the day 250 of the conflict. Russia has since mobilized its civilians because the meat grinder needs more flesh and Zelensky is getting more and more bold and aggressive in its pleas for assistance to the West: Ukraine is a hill Putin's Russia will die on, literally. And no Russian (that desires to keep living in Russia, that is) can back down either. If/when Russia loses, the Western powers appear hell-bent to make Russians pay for all the wrongdoings in Ukraine for the passing 10 generations. "Russia will be carved, its economy dismantled, its relevancy wiped out!". Well, this is what Russian media claims at least, but it's hard to fully deny it either; the US doesn't give tens of billions monthly to Ukraine as a charity: like everything, it's an investment, it expects a return and I don't really see a war-torn Ukraine bringing it.

But to Russians, this conflict either ends two ways: with Russia's annihilation and its fall back to square (199)1, or Russia forcing the way through Ukraine to have a chance at living a life like it used to be before the conflict. The peace talks are far gone. In fact, peace is a word neither Ukrainians nor Russians want to hear right now: This war is ending with the capitulation of Ukraine, or Russia's.

[jajanvm-imbi]

Hazbin saved it there at the end

I literally need to write about this now or else I'm gonna spontaneously combust

Premiere Review

Okay first of all to get it out of the way, I really have nothing to say about ep 7 other than: it was a bit underwhelming for being the second to last episode of the season, Rosie was an absolute gem and her friendship with Alastor was really nice and Carmilla Carmine's song was a banger.

Now to what this post is actually about: the finale

I'm gonna be real and say I was so so so so worried about how they were gonna handle the ending. S1 was rough, you can definitely tell that the creative team didn't know they were getting a second season until halfway through production of this one. My guess is that they didn't get conformation until after they started ep 6 because my goodness was ep 6 rushed as fuck.

But they actually handled the ending pretty well. The whole fight against the angels was also a bit rushed, literally so much happened and there wasn't enough time to process a lot of it. But I think what saved the finale was the decision to destroy the hotel and basically reset the plot.

I'm a musical theater enthusiast, I'm gonna gush about the finale song for a bit because holy shit am I obsessed.

This song is absolutely wonderful. Charlie is obviously devastated with the deaths of sinners and angels, of Sir Pentious and with the destruction of the hotel. She clearly feels like a failure, but having Lucifer and the rest of the cast sing to the melody of Happy Day in Hell, the first song of the series, was truly heartwarming. She now has a crowd of friends and family who believe in her and support her. She sang Happy Day in Hell by herself (not counting the ensemble obv), she was the only one who believed in her cause (and Vaggie too but she was barely in the song). She was the only one who believed in the hotel, but now, there's this whole crowd of people rallying behind her, singing her song.

Vox and Val's part in the song was fun too! Not entirely sure why they were necessary to include in the song, especially since what they're singing about doesn't really make sense. The exorcists only attack the hotel and not the rest of hell so its not like any other overlords suffered any losses. Not to mention Vox sang "Alastor's missing" and then Alastor rejoined the group like 2 minutes later lmfao. But you know what I don't mind it too much cause they're always fun to watch. Sometimes a family is the 3 worst people you know being silly goofy coded together.

Now ALASTOR'S part was very interesting. He starts his solo with this weaker trembling voice, still frightened that he almost died and that he almost died for people he now calls his friends. We've seen Alastor happy and confident, we've seen him pissed and angry, but we've never seen him frightened. The animation for this scene is particularly amazing because we've never seen Alastor look frightened and desperate, and his eyes were filled to the BRIM with fear. It's truly a sight. I'm genuienley curious to see what direction they take Alastor in, because based on his actions of the last 2 eps, he really does care about Charlie and the hotel.

Since Lucifer and Cherri were singing with the rest of the main cast at the very end I really hope that means that they're gonna be a part of the supporting cast going forward. Lucifer being more involved would be really fun for Alastor to bounce off of. Cherri would be a fun addition for Angel to interact with more to see more of the contrast between her and Husk's influence on Angel.

Now that Sir Pentious is living proof that sinners can be redeemed,(good for him) the second season can actually focus on Charlie's mission to redeem sinners if they stay FOCUSED. A big issue with s1 is that it was really unfocused and the hotel was barely part of the plot because the writers were so focused on the heaven vs hell plot. But now that they built a bigger flashier hotel and have proof (or will soon have proof cause they still don't know Pentious is okay), now s2 has a good setup to actually be about the hotel.

S1 really felt like a s2 for a show that doesn't really exist. A good first season takes the time to really establish the characters and the conflict/stakes. The writers wanted to included way too much information that we didn't really need in a first season, and I know some of yall are like "oh they only had 8 eps if only they had more time" but honestly I don't know how much that can excuse.

Hazbin is a character driven show, the entertainment and the engagement comes from seeing these characters interact with one another in different scenarios. We got almost none of that because the writers were too focused on shoving as much information as they possibly could into 8 twenty minute episodes. I PROMISE YOU we would have enjoyed Hazbin s1 if they didn't include all this heaven vs hell stuff yet and we just got to know the characters just as much. Hazbin has been anticipated for almost 5 years now, people would have tuned in regardless. (And this is true cause ep 1 is one of the weaker eps yet Hazbin had the most successful premiere in Prime Video history. Hazbin would have been successful regardless)

If the writers actually focused on introducing the characters and have them interact with one another, than Hazbin s1 would have flowed so much smoother, then in a s2 they could get more into the plot heavy stuff (kinda like what ToH did). I know that they weren't greenlit for a second season until after they started production of s1, but even so its so bizarre to me how the writers chose to focus on random side characters and plot that didn't contribute to the main story: Charlie and the hotel. So now that everything has been more or less reset, the writers have given themselves a new opportunity to deliver something PHENOMENAL. They just need to STAY FOCUSED.

I've been listening to the finale song on repeat all day. Its truly an uplifting song and a great note to end on. I have faith the writers can get it together and give us an show stopping s2. I can't wait!

[thesinglesjukebox]

CHARLI XCX - VON DUTCH

“If Von Dutch were alive,” said Burns, who runs a website about his friend at www.vondutch.freeservers.com, “he would hate all this.”

[5.81]

Jacob Sujin Kuppermann: On February 12 of this year I predicted that "we can safely give the Charli lead single an automatic high controversy [5.00] and be done with it." History will vindicate me. [5]

Jackie Powell: A common Charli XCX motif is her admiration and sampling of 1990s and Y2K culture, which has allowed her to write songs that are cheeky with a dash of British wit. She does this on “Von Dutch” by comparing her reputation in pop to that of a cult classic, but struggles with the extended metaphor of how she’s what Von Dutch, the LA clothing brand that has had a recent resurgence, sounds like. The concept feels incomplete. I actually prefer the song’s remix with Addison Rae and A.G. Cook. The ad-libbed scream from Rae, the added verse, and the dropping of “I’m your number one” over and over again make the remix much more compelling and zany. The original will only really bang in drag bars—a fine place for something to hit, of course, but at this point I expect Charli to be pushing her own boundaries. [5]

Alfred Soto: Like much of her output, "Von Dutch" represents Charli XCX's fair to middling ambition to become a global pop star. Like much of that output "Von Dutch" strikes confused poses over shrieking electronics. [3]

Hannah Jocelyn: Charli XCX said she wants to go back to 1999, but with songs like these she clearly wishes it was 2018: all the callbacks and bombast referring to when she was “the future of music” and not halfway to the headliner of an inevitable "hyperpop" nostalgia festival. I like the gloriously tinny snare, but in 2024 the bratty chant vocals sound dated (as does the album title that's just brat in lowercase). The most exciting songs on CRASH to me were “Constant Repeat” and “Move Me,” which proved she could bring her "kinda rare attitude" to heartfelt ballads. "Von Dutch" is just mindless comfort food for aging cis male gays, which is fine — I’m the lone First Two Pages of Frankenstein defender, I get it — but she can’t say she’s my Number One when on this song, she's my Number [5]

Mark Sinker: I enjoy that Charli XCX lives in a room-sized selection-box of all of the rest of girlpop, everything constantly arriving with its conscious little tweaky echo of this or that prior item. They’re nice items, and we both like them, so why not? Maybe this feels a bit more hemmed in than is comfy, though: it has big Britney-feel, which is to say echoes of an aural highpoint that actually expressed a grim life lowpoint for Brit. As for Von Dutch, they currently have the one and only Wikipedia page with "Behind-the scenes tumult" as a cross-hed, which pleases me but also makes me anxious.  [7]

Katherine St. Asaph: Once again, the nostalgia is miscalibrated: Von Dutch was trendy in the mid-2000s, while this sounds like the late 2000s. Specifically, it sounds like every song from the late 2000s I would have given a [7] or higher. [7]

Will Adams: I whole-heartedly support pop stars honoring the advancements made by the likes of Luciana in support of the essential micro-genre of Obnoxious Banger. [7]

Kat Stevens: I'm down for the Bodyrox ft Luciana revival! Is there a Fedde Le Grand remix? [6]

Andrew Karpan: Pop music tells us to want to have it all, a maximalist vision that typically gets bigger as it goes on. Counterintuitively, part of the mesmerizing appeal of Charli’s records is the fact that there is no distance left for her to run and that her sound has become the sound of pop going nowhere but the present, busily manufacturing its cult appeal now for future observers to wax nostalgic about. “Von Dutch” is the most literalized version of that idea from her yet: a squeaky saran-wrapped PC Music-affiliated beat with a middle-aged pulse that never drops but simply hangs, like a foggily-heard echo of itself, like the memory of a club night experienced from the outside while nervously waiting in line in the cold.  [7]

Jeffrey Brister: It’s perhaps a bit unfair to compare everything Charli has made recently to the transcendent Pop 2 ("Backseat" 4evr), but when I hear something as dull as this, I can’t help but pine for its melodramatic maximalism. The sounds are just so monochromatic, pulling from a desaturated set of Charli tics like grinding revving synths and choppy autotuned vocal snippets, all snapping together like a “build your own Charli song” kit in nothing but gray tones. [4]

Kayla Beardslee: Why does this sound so bad? [2]

Nortey Dowuona: That last Earl album was good. This Charli single is good. Some people just never live up to your expectations because they are not you. Unlike Charli, I don't think it's because of jealousy, just curiosity and frustration. Charli and Earl were never meant to be Method Man or Robyn -- they had different tastes and trajectories, and slumming it as a major-label balance name isn’t the worst fate. You could be Tyga. Or Rita Ora. [9]

Taylor Alatorre: It's caked in an air of sweaty desperation dressed up as devil-may-care hedonism, which helps rather than hurts because of how unflinchingly skeletal the beat is, showing off its shotgun scaffolding to all who will see. She's not trying to hide anything about how she's trying to hide something. Never mind that the phrase "cult classic but I still pop" could be used to describe everything from the MC5 to DMB -- it wouldn't have suited their milieux, but it's quintessentially XCX. It may be the line Charli was put on this earth to sing, even if through half-gritted teeth.  [7]

Leah Isobel: The curse of being Charli XCX is that she is an asymptote: she can approach pop stardom, but she's far too self-conscious to allow herself to actually embrace it. As a result, the curse of being a Charli XCX fan is that she becomes more obnoxious and exhausting every time she reaches a new career milestone. After scoring her first big worldwide hit, she spent her social capital yelling at Germans and collaborating with Iggy Azalea. Number 1 Angel and Pop 2 cemented her as a serious artist with conceptual depth and longevity while simultaneously sending her spiraling into stan Twitter hell, from whence she shall never return. She wears a T-shirt denouncing critics -- which I am not mad at, please drag me mom yas! -- and then logs on with hot takes about Pop Music And Stardom, as a critic does. She sees herself as above mass-market pandering and yet also below it, both superior to the culture and bitter at her inability to assimilate into it. (Gay people love her because she's relatable.) Hence, "Von Dutch." Its corkscrewing mania has the serrated simplicity that characterizes her riffs on punk music; it feels like a cousin to the unfairly maligned Sucker. But where Sucker balanced its brattier impulses with good-natured melodicism and emotional directness, "Von Dutch" is all needling cynicism and overdriven id. The song has a nominal verse/chorus structure but no big dynamic or melodic changes, no particular idea beyond "I'm lovable and awesome; look at my chart placements." The need to serve as a pop single also keeps "Von Dutch" from entering the realm of the dumb-brilliant dance music that so clearly inspired it; it's too much of a branding exercise, too interested in flattering its audience for getting it. And yet in its grating repetition, I still hear her insecurity beneath the synth buzzsaws. No one who's convinced that they're actually Living That Life would say it so directly, with such barely concealed desperation. The curse of being Charli XCX is that, deep down, she is still convinced that she is unlovable. The curse of being a Charli XCX fan is that I love her because she's relatable. [5]

Isabel Cole: I don't know that I'll ever stop feeling about Charli XCX like she's my brilliant daughter who dropped out of med school to pursue a career as a wedding DJ: of course, honey, I just want you to be happy, but are you sure this is what you want? You don't want to, like, try? At all? This is the kind of gleefully, knowingly brainless fun Charli can do in her sleep, propulsive without ever really going anywhere because the point is just to drive. She's not living up to her potential, but much like a boring mom who doesn't "get" her daughter's life of Top 40 hits in mid-budget venues and weeknights spent doing ketamine with her friends, I am unsophisticated enough to enjoy it when she does songs that are songs, and this one does make me feel like I'm walking through the opening credits of my life when it plays. [7]

Ian Mathers: I like it when the synths go THWOOM and/or VOORP. [7]

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