#and imo it's really fun to watch a whole different dynamic

[pstelwitchcraft]

Rewatching the last 4-Sided Dive episode and Liam's description of what a Bells Hells tower would be like (in Caleb's voice!) just hits me very hard. The thought that they would just live in a treehouse with a bunch of tunnels that connected their rooms like an anthill will not leave my head.

Because that really hits their dynamic on the head imo and it made me think. For the Nein, at the very beginning, they were very distrustful, very cutting and even harsh with each other on occasion, they saw each other as allies and not friends. Most of them didn't even want friends aside from their immediate pairings, and that made for some delicious drama, some brutally honest conversations, and the whole evolution of their dynamics as the campaign went on was very satisfying and fun to watch. They were allies first and eventually became friends by proxy of working together and sharing time.

With Bell's Hells it feels like they were allies for .5 seconds before becoming friends. They tiptoe around each other SO MUCH because they care about each other's feelings more than they care about saving the damn world. Aside from some exceptions (both ashton/laudna showdowns come to mind), they very rarely will be brutally honest with each other or even risk crossing a line, and that, in the situation they're in, is absolutely dangerous.

It so perfectly feeds into each of their self-destructive tendencies that I'm actually surprised they are all still alive. For example, they consistently would rather coddle FCG and let them believe whatever they want even if it puts them in danger because the alternative is possibly crushing their spirit when they already struggle heavily with understanding their place in the world.

The point is they care a lot from the very beginning, and I feel like the real challenge for Bell's Hells is going to be the complete opposite of what it was for Mighty Nein, the friendship comes easier to them than it came to the Nein, but the allyship and sincerity came easier for MN than BH, and if they want to survive this, we are going to have to see them become allies too, instead of just friends, and that means learning to call each other out on their bullshit. Hopefully Beau is still alive to give them a crash course 😅

[yesloulou]

i cannot stop thinking about your gorgeous art for so close, we combust! i'm wondering if you can give us a little director's cut about it? like how you chose the images, anything that you want to share? it makes me want to launch myself into space and eat the moon like cheese.

em im so honored by this ask and i too want to eat the moon like cheese bc it sounds like a very fun activity ❤️‍🔥

soo basically the first pic was my inspo bc it was just so so SCWC (so close, we combust by @officialmood) coded. it had an imbalance to it. for starters we can only see max looking like he was about to explode from fondness while daniel had his back turned and we can't see his face. and like. everything was straightforward for max. the genuine affection for daniel came so easily to him. it was so transparent. but since they were hugging daniel had no idea max's face looked like that when he hugged him. and based on what we know about cool cocky nonchalant RB daniel, one is likely to assume daniel wasn't equally affected by it – and i think they would be right. that hug was at daniel's last race with red bull. there were walls of ppl lining up to congratulate him and send him off. and max was at the end of this line. by the time daniel got to him the impact of it would've been softened by all those that came before. it was like. daniel was saying goodbye to the whole team in one sitting and max was only saying goodbye to daniel. all the imbalances here really remind me of the first part SCWC, where daniel was aware of everything, yet more or less took it for granted, so used to being on the receiving end of max's attention and affection. SCWC daniel "didn’t know at the time that this would be the kind of memory he would turn over and over, trying to cut himself against the sharp part", canon daniel likely also underestimated how rare and precious it was to have the whole team (and max) adore and support him like that.

and it was all about to change. the hug (2nd gif) after AD 21 was a whole other dynamic. it was a much more reserved hug. there were so much complicated emotions that went into it: before daniel went up to max in parc ferme, he had just witnessed max overtake lewis during the final laps of the most dramatic recent f1 season to take his first world title. and since daniel had been lapped by both max and lewis, he literally had to watch it all unfold right in front of him, first hand. and now max, his old teammate, the reason he had to leave his team, the one he on some level saw as a younger sibling, the one ppl said he ran away from, was a world champion before him when that exact wdc dream had slipped further and further away from daniel, who in fact had just had the most bizarre season in his whole f1 career.

it was just a lot of complicated emotions for daniel at that point. i think it must've taken effort for him to feel happy for max at all, let along going up to him and congratulating him right then and there. but daniel did it anyway. and it was a painfully hasty hug imo esp compared to how it went with lando and carlos. it was even a lil awkward bc you can tell max had both of his arms up but daniel didn't plan on going in with a full hug. but still, he wanted to congratulate max and he did.

it wasn't a fun moment to recall as a daniel girlie but it also has such a nice echo with the second part of SCWC. they were hugging/hanging out like all those times they hugged/hung out before. but everything had changed. max looked like a whole different person now (both in scwc and irl in the gif set), and he became comfortable being in control. and for daniel, this time he was the one with all those emotions going into it. neither scwc pt. 2 daniel (in max's apartment) or 2021 canon daniel (in parc ferme) was all that comfortable, but they were both there anyway, looking for a shred of reality that vaguely resembles what he and max used to be, holding on to the hope that a part of them survived despite everything.

anyways, basically as soon as i had the first pic as inspo i decided that i wanted the second pic to also be one of their hugs but with a completely different dynamic, just like in pt1 and pt2 of scwc they were doing the same things (hanging out) completely differently. and then i just thought of that second hug. and with hugging being the subject there is also the sense of like, the closer they came, the more the reality sank in, that max had won before him, that all their conflicts had come to a boiling point, that the deal had been sealed. it's just like what the title says, came so close we combust.

idk if im making sense with everything here but hopefully this has been a fun read :) ty for this ask em and again ty liza for blessing us with SCWC!!!

[dhmis-autism]

anyways since i hurt my wrist ive been reading a lot of DHMIS fic, and as such i have some opinions on alla them! i also have some faves that i am going to reccomend now if any of you are in the mood to read:

First up, this whole series of DHMIS shorts are SO well-written and very bittersweet. They’re both sort of mini stories AND explorations of the positives and negatives of each individual character in the trio + their dynamics with each other. Pretty accurate to the characters, I think, and just straight up, well-written, fun to read. CANNOT OVERSTATE how much I enjoyed these ones. This was my fave of the three, I think about it ALL the time. Though, honestly, you can’t just read ONE and not read the others!

Alright, next is my FAVE FAVE FAAVEE dog/dad duo fic! I love a lot about this fic! I love the in-character dialogue, I love the thoughtful way this fic explores one of my favorite dynamics in the show! It's heartfelt and awkward and jumpy and misshapen- and I think it's a pretty fantastic avenue to take when exploring these characters. There's also a bit of existential terror, for those of you who like that element of the show! Anyways, this fic is literally ALWAYS going to have a rent-free space in my heart.

THIS ONE is a really smart and thought out rearrangement of the first TV season, with a kind of emotional narrative throughline that I gotta say, I was invested in. I always like fanworks that reintegrate lines from canon in different contexts and this is something this fic really understands how to do well. The epilogue made me understand why people will buy and read books telling the exact same event from a different characters POV. tbh i’d buy this if I could.

THIS one is short,sweet and REALLY fucking funny. I literally crack up just thinking about Duck asking Red which of the other two he’d rather be stuck with on a desert island. Comedy of errors with a bittersweet ending that has really stuck around in my head.

This one is less of a singular character exploration and more of a exploration of a hypothetical character dynamic ,imo. And I LOVE the dynamic in it so much! It's compelling, it's messy, it's very push-and-pull, it's like watching two cars almost crash into each other, miss, and then smash violently into poles in opposite sides of the street. I like the OCs in it ( they have a very funny bit going ), I like the fun little fanmade songs, and I like that the relationship between the two main characters is used as a really good platform to see what their insecurities  and their worst traits are up close. I rarely see ship fics that do that! And as someone who is far more interested in the characters themselves than the ship together, I am all in on the carnage. 

[gunsatthaphan]

🏆 Top 10 of 2023 💫

a few anons have requested this and I was also kind of indirectly tagged by @blneobin, @elizabethsebestianhedgehog and @khaotungsfirst for slightly different posts but I decided to just combine them all into one 😄 hope that's fine with everyone ✌🏻

My watchlist wasn't very extensive this year due to time reasons but here are my personal highlights:

Don't think I have to explain much about this one lol (she says as she proceeds to write a whole paragraph) After the masterpiece that was The Warp Effect and the disaster that was Never Let Me Go, I was nervous about what Jojo was gonna cook up with this one lmao but luckily my fears were unjustified. The watching experience was absolutely insane and it turned me into a different person in the time between August and October lmao. It wasn't perfect, I got annoyed at times but overall it's undoubtedly my number 1 this year. SandRay my loves, my babes, my roman empire lmao. I loved their story so much, they were the main characters for me lol but it was such a good ensemble in general and each cast member was the perfect fit for their respective characters, including Mond as Boeing who was the cherry on top of all the madness and also my boy Mix as the first Only Friends Stay guest, leaving room for imagination lmao. It was raw, real and unapologetically chaotic aka my favorite kind of plot. pure perfection. Jojo outdid himself once again. 10/10.

No words just vibes. It went by SUPER fast and I'm still mad that they chose to air an 8 episode show twice a week like whose idea was that?? To air a treasure like this in the course of 4 weeks is more homophobic than Jim's family lmao. But anyway. Doesn't change the fact that it was an incredible production, so visually stunning, so carefully written and so well executed down to the tiniest detail. It deserves every single award it won because what a masterpiece. It made me extremely emotional but in the best way. I'm still in awe. amazing. life changing.

I kinda hate to admit this bc it was SO full of crack lmao but it was SO much fun?? I had low expectations but I had the best time from start to finish. It made me laugh so hard I frequently dislocated my lungs lmao, the overall watching experience was just incredible. Story-wise it was sprinkled with the typical Domundi nonsense, the surreal cartoonish vibes were dominating and it was overall another show where I couldn't tell you what the plot was afterwards lmao - but everyone who lived through the Cutie Pie experience wouldn't expect anything less from these people lol. I loved it.

We're only halfway through but I'm so obsessed with it that I'm including it lmao. It's SO adorable and pure, offgun are back with the puppy honey vibes in all of their fully evolved glory lol, the writing is excellent imo and it's the perfect balance between silly, cheesy and honest emotions, good communication and the notorious offgun magic lol. Whenever I say I want a good romcom, this is what I mean. I was so annoyed when it was announced as I was convinced it was gonna be a downgrade from Not Me but it's really not. It's just another show where OG can showcase their dynamic in a completely different setting. I love it.

I'm still having mixed feelings about this one due to obvious reasons but looking at it from the outside I have to include it because objectively speaking this was an excellent production. The narrative was intelligent and worked so well, my boy Gawin was shining so much as Pisaeng, I still can't believe he wasn't the first choice because he's literally the perfect fit for this. I loved the symbolism, the blossoming romance and just Pear. that's it. just. Her. she was incredible. G&K had good chemistry, I was struggling with K.'s presence but the show was just so good that it overshadowed the rest. Loved it.

This show got a lot of hate which I sort of understand as it was low budget, cheesy and with heavy lakorn vibes but on god it really hit the spot for me lmao. JaFirst are my runner-up babes lol, I love their dynamic so much and seeing them make their comeback in this with completely reversed roles had me squealing lol Punn was the most adorable cookie, others cringed, I blushed lmao I loved the setup so much and him and Achi were everything. period.

Another show that's still airing but I'm really liking it so I'm including it as well lol. It's surprisingly well written and Pavel is doing fantastic in his comeback, I had lowkey written him off after the disaster that was Coffee Melody but he's back stronger than ever. Love that for him. The rest of the cast is very solid too, a lot of familiar faces who all stepped up their acting game since I last saw them with a special shoutout to Thanapon who is doing amazing. The story is super interesting and goes so far beyond just the racing stuff which was my apprehension when starting it. And even the omegaverse stuff is not as bad as I thought (so far.. don't wanna jinx it lmao). It's overall doing very well. Love it.

This one also got a lot of backlash lol but I loved it!! JoongDunk are my second FirstKhao lmao they're very dear to me, their on-screen dynamic is good actor carries weak actor and I'm aware of that lmao but to me they just work so well. Idk what it is. Even though Dunk's acting leaves room for improvement, they have a ton of chemistry and they're mastering the secret crush plot. This was fun and light, not too serious and I found it very enjoyable. the only thing that irritated me was the butchering of AouBoom like what in the world was that. Tee probably added them because he had to and disregarded them in the process but their story was abysmal. But putting that aside, it was a very nice show.

This was very brief for Mame standards lol and I was considering dropping it after episode 2 but then it surprisingly picked up, I started to really get into the story and SunnyPak worked very well for me. I was surprised that they just disappeared afterwards as I was expecting MMY to milk them like the rest of their couples but oh well. Mame made her GL debut in this which I appreciated but I wish they had casted someone else as Marine because sorry sweetie but she was terrible lmao rip. Yiwa was a very sweet and likable character and she deserved a better partner. That plus the special episode being stupid as hell, It's getting raking #9 lol.

This whole season was... a very wild rollercoaster ride lmao. I would say it was a 50/50 for me, half of the episodes were fun and the other half were horrendous lol. My personal highlight were The Eclipse episodes, they were pure fluff and adorableness, paired with some minor dumb fights but overall this was exactly what I was craving after the ordeal AkkAye went through in The Eclipse lmao but also I could easily sit through 10 episodes of Akk and Aye just being cute and cuddly and doing absolutely nothing else because duh. They're my comfort couple 🥺 I also quite enjoyed the ATOTSxBBS crossover and also surprisingly the ABAAB and NLMG episodes were a lot of fun!

thank you 2023 for - once again - giving us good gay food lmao. here's to an even better 2024 🧡

[fiercynn]

bad buddy fandom getting-to-know-you meme!

since there are both recent newcomers to bbs fandom and people like me who are new to bbs tumblr, i thought i'd create a getting-to-know-you meme for people to introduce themselves if they want! all questions are optional

note: i consider "fanworks" to pretty much everything people create related to a fandom, including but not limited to meta/analysis/discussion, gifs, fanvids/edits/fancams, filk, fanart, fanfic, fan food, fan crafts, etc. please include this note with the meme unless you have a different definition!

name and whatever you want to share about yourself

hi i'm deepa! i'm indian-american, in my 30s, queer, and agender – please use my name (either deepa or fiercynn is fine) instead of pronouns when referring to me!

when did you watch bad buddy/join the fandom?

i watched the whole show in the course of about 36 hours just about two weeks after the finale had aired, in february 2022! i joined bbs fandom on twitter soon after and have been there ever since, but i’ve only really been interacting on tumblr in the last few months

favorite ship(s)

patpran and inkpa…i'm a traditionalist ig lol

favorite character(s)

it’s so hard to choose but i think it has to be pran! i love his pining and his cockiness and his anxiety and his kindness and his grumpy faces. really channeling pat right now aren’t i

favorite episode(s)

episode 5 for obvious reasons; my second-favorite is a tie between episode 3 and episode 8 i think

favorite scene(s)

rooftop kiss, episode 3 bus stop scene, episode 8 backstage apology scene, and episode 9 picnic bench hand-holding scene

one thing you would change about the show if you could

LET INKPA KISS GDI

what are your some of your favorite fanworks made by other people?

ughhhhhh SO HARD TO CHOOSE and i think i'll do a longer rec list sometime but here are some of the earliest fanworks i engaged with that really set the stage for how i think about bbs

dynamic (fic, patpran) by riddles2 on ao3: one of the first fics i read in the fandom, it’s pat’s pov through episode 5 and it’s absolutely seminal imo

international love song (fanart/animation, patpran) by @architectxengineer: science is one of those incredibly multitalented people who writes, makes fanart, and animates?? among other things??? and this animation is sooooooo gorgeous and makes my heart absolutely melt

same page (vid, patpran) by dkyth73 on youtube: such a good fanvid of the show that p’aof himself tweeted about it!!!!

(if you create fanworks) what are your favorite fanworks that you’ve made?

traffic was slow for the crash years (fic, patpran): gotta plug my baby, right? this is my patpran fake dating au which is 80k words and was so fun to create!

we both know you’re my only dream (fic, patpran): on the other end of the length spectrum, this 1k fic is one of my favorite things i've written ever

just being friendly (vid, patpran) co-vidded with @scribescribe: yes i know this is an msp song but we made the vid before msp aired!! i think it’s very cute hehe

a song that makes you think of bbs (the ones in the show don’t count lol)

since “just being friendly” is already obvious from me and scribe making a vid to it lol, i'm going to say “keeping tabs” by niki, which is extremely pran-coded. like. look at the lyrics. doesn't it seem like it was written to be about pran’s feelings at boarding school, where he misses pat desperately and hopes pat’s thinking of him but is also trying to convince himself that pat’s forgotten him and that everything pran wanted from him was just a delusion on his part. PRAN 😭 😭 😭

idk anything else you want us to know?

i have opinions about pran’s sweaters

okay i'm literally going to tag all of my tumblr mutuals that i think are still in the fandom (if i missed anyone sorry!!), but also if you want to do the meme consider yourself tagged! please don’t let this flop lol 🤞🏽

@citystoryscapes @nicolasechs @architectxengineer @mahuhumaling @manogirl @galauvant @miscellar @monamay @dancing-out-in-space @melto @incandescentflower @loveongsa @dimplesandfierceeyes @geonbaeeee @faillen @cinnamonseadragon @inkpaa @yourunwiththewolves @prany @pranpats @teesemomma @iathefurrr @inventedfangirling @sharingfandoms @lamonnaie @maychild @thegayneurodivergentagenda @mistergreaves @dudeyuri @nyttvera @thecriers @threezoz @wontbotherrn @not0nmain

[ultrasofts]

any advice on how to get into indycar? i see more posting about it these days and it seems fun but i don't know anyone personally who watches it

Okay, I took like three weeks to reply to this because I am using it as an excuse to make the “Indycar 101 from the perspective of a new fan” post that I have been meaning to make for a while, because I would love for more people on here to watch it!! It’s extremely fun, close racing, with some great talent and interesting narratives. It’s a less polished product than F1, and sometimes upsettingly American, but it’s great and it genuinely brings me a lot of joy. 

This primer is light on the history of the series, designed to answer the basic sorts of questions that will come up if you just put on a race and try to follow what’s going on. It’s also 100% targeted at people who watch F1, since, you know, that’s the corner of the internet we’re in.

There’s three basic sections, so feel free to jump around as is useful, because this turned into a probably unnecessarily long post.

Part 1: Basic series info

Part 2: How to follow a race weekend

Part 3: Who to root for

Big thank you to Fir @josefnewgaydengayden for their contributions <3

Part 1: Basic series info

Teams

I think the first thing to know is that there’s no teams championship which imo is a big part of why the teammate dynamic is quite different to F1. Team orders aren’t really a thing, and there’s not really any such thing as a “number one driver” in a comparatively meaningful way

Teams have varying numbers of cars. Anything from 1-4 is common (last year’s grid had that full spectrum). You can also have part time or shared entries - for example Marcus Armstrong and Takuma Sato are essentially sharing one of the Chip Ganassi cars this season, with Sato running the ovals and Armstrong running everything else 

Currently, the two top teams are Penske (Power, Newgarden, McLaughlin) and Chip Ganassi (Dixon, Palou, Ericsson, and Armstrong/Sato). Last season the championship contenders at the back end of the season were Power (who ultimately won), Newgarden, Dixon, McLaughlin and Ericsson (yes there were five title contenders down to the finish)

The close competitors - teams what will almost certainly win at least one race this season (very possibly more) and could have their best drivers in title contention are Arrow McLaren (O’Ward, Rosenqvist, Rossi) and Andretti (Herta, Grosjean, Kirkwood, DeFrancesco)

There’s other teams that I will leave you to look up based on which drivers you’re interested in

Cars

The cars are mostly spec—they have the same chassis and aero package. There are two engine suppliers: Honda and Chevrolet, and the tyres are Firestone

Teams are allowed to build and develop some of their own parts, like the brake ducts and certain suspension parts 

Overtake assist is Push to Pass rather than DRS — drivers get a set number of seconds per race where they can push a button to get a power boost. They can use it anywhere on track, offensively or defensively, but once it’s used up, it’s used up

Unlike F1, the cars have no power steering. That’s why Josef Newgarden looks like that (jk but also not)

The cars also don’t have anti-stall, so if a car stops on track, you’ll often see it have to be fired up to get going again

Tracks

Indycar races on street courses (street tracks in F1), road courses (equivalent to what just get called tracks in F1, like Barcelona or Bahrain), and ovals

I wasn’t 100% sure about the whole oval thing, but oval racing can be crazy exciting (and absolutely fucking terrifying). I would highly recommend this twitter thread as an intro to Indycar oval racing—and in general Cassie is a great follow for new fans!

The Indy 500 is its own beast and won’t get into it here. Really though, the main difference aside from the Stature and Importance is the qualifying format and the extra entries—in terms of the actual race, it’s conceptually similar to other oval races

Where do I watch it?

If you’re willing or able to pay, Indycar Live is a great deal—it’s only $3/month or  $20 for a season pass. They also have individual race passes! You’ll have to use a VPN though, if your location is not on the access list (due to broadcast restrictions) 

Otherwise, check whatever the way to access it in your jurisdiction is - in the US/Canada I believe you can get it with a Peacock streaming subscription, and in Australia it’s on Stan Sport (although it is so much cheaper to get a VPN + Indycar Live) 

Alternatively, all your usual illegal streaming sites should have what you need!

Part 2: How to follow a race weekend

In broad strokes, it’s very similar to an F1 race weekend. Practice, qualifying and race sessions, although obviously some of the details differ…

These car liveries girl help 😭

This was probably the thing that I found hardest in terms of watching a race and understanding what the fuck was going on - teams don’t have the same liveries on all their cars (although sometimes,  e.g. McLaren, they go for similar looks across them), and cars don’t necessarily have the same livery race-to-race

My advice is to just pick a few to learn and pay attention to throughout a race. The livery of your favourite 2-3 drivers, or ones that are really easy to pick out (because they’re bright colours, or just catch your eye, or whatever). Once you know a couple of livery + driver combos, that’s a useful anchor to the timing screen, so you can find who is in front/behind them. You’ll pick it up much faster than you think—and you really do not need to know every single one, I certainly still don’t!

I’ve put the spotters guide for the liveries for the St Pete race just gone below and circled a few I would generally recommend learning. The circled ones are all what those drivers are running this weekend in Texas, with the exception of Josef who has my fave livery of the weekend with the fruity PPG look

Liveries I’d recommend as good starting points: Scott Dixon’s PNC Bank because he doesn’t change much and tbh it always pays to know where he is in a race. Kyle Kirkwood is often in the hot pink Andretti. Josef’s Hitachi livery, and Will Power’s black and red Verizon are pretty easy to spot. McLaren are generally easy to spot if you’re used to looking for the papaya cars - I’ve circled Pato’s papaya and black livery below. Colton Herta’s yellow and black Gainbridge and RoGro’s DHL liveries are also pretty distinctive!

Practice

It’s free practice who gives a shit

Qualifying — Street/Road courses

In generally, it’s really similar to F1—there are 3 timed stages, with a cutoff position in Q1 and Q2. The main difference is that Q1 goes out in two groups, and the fastest 6 in each go through to Q2, and the 12 get whittled down to 6 for Q3 

Qualifying — Ovals

For oval races, drivers go out one at a time, in reverse championship order. They get two warmup laps, and then two consecutive qualifying laps

Average speed across the two laps is the driver’s qualifying speed, and the fastest speed gets pole

As I said above, Indy 500 qualifying is its own beast, although it broadly follows the strokes outlined above

A word on the goddamn qualifying timing screen because this is the hill I will die on

Look,  if you watch F1 quali, you’ll know enough to follow the basics of a street/road course quali session out of the box

However, the timing screen is not good and you just gotta live with it. The number on thing I wish we could bring over from F1 is the broadcast timing screen and some of the broadcast graphics

When drivers are on a lap, there’ll be a delta time next to their name, and the box with the time will either be green or red. Sometimes the delta time is to the cutoff (i.e. the delta to the person currently in P6) or to P1. Sometimes it’s clear from context which of the two it is, sometimes it’s not. Also because everyone is on the lap, just because someone is green, doesn’t mean they’re safe as everyone else below the cut could also be green, and unless you can do really fast math… no hope. The size of the delta will give you a sense of how safe or not someone is, and if you’re focusing on one driver it’s mostly manageable but it’s not ideal

In general, I would say qualifying matters less than in F1, as the cars are closer in performance and there is in general a lot more overtaking, so I can live with it

Race start

Indycar always has a rolling start — they do a formation lap, then the green flag goes and the race starts as they cross the line. Sometimes I miss the drama of a standing start — lights out in F1 is pretty fucking cool. That said, the Saudi GP of 2021 cured me of the need to ever see a standing start again in my life so it’s good, actually. The start is still exciting and stressful, just a notch or two less so

Pitstops

These really can be chaos personified. There is no such thing as a safe release. Pray to any god you believe in that your guy makes it out alive, especially if a ton of people are in at once on an oval

Stops are significantly longer than F1—the limiting factor is typically the refuelling time, so there’s less of a hustle on tyre changes (although they are obviously still very fast). 7-8 seconds is typical

Races will often have more stops than an F1 race, too—3-4 stops is not uncommon

Strategy

This often comes down to tyre strategy and fuel management

Similar to F1, everyone has to use both a hard tyre (called the blacks, or the primary tyre) and a soft tyre (called the reds, or alternate tyre. This season there’s actually a different alternate compound, with a green stripe, for street courses. So you might see commentators/drivers referring to “sticker reds” when a driver is quite clearly on a green-stripe tyre

Similar to F1, drivers have to use more than one compound; the rule is actually that drivers have to complete at least two laps on each tyre type. Drivers can start on whatever they want and use them in whatever order, but they have to use both

There’s a single type of wet tyre for rain, and also a specific tyre compound for ovals. (Note that oval races don’t run in the rain on account of how it would be extremely fucking dangerous)

Tyre deg management is conceptually similar to F1, and broadly the same strategy considerations apply

Fuel management is absolutely critical and fuel saving strats and ability can make all the difference. I feel like it’s especially critical on ovals although this might just be that it has been for the oval races that I’ve watched. If you start watching Indycar you will, inevitably, hear a commentator talk about how Scott Dixon is a master of fuel saving

Part 3: So who do I root for?

So I am a firm believer that you don’t pick your fave—your fave picks you. But that said, here are some of the narratives for some of my faves, fave-adjacents and popular picks that may or may not be of interest to you. Listen to your heart…

Scott McLaughlin, aka Scotty Mac. Kiwi driver, came across to Indycar from Australia’s V8 Supercars series in 2021 (as a three time champ in that series) and took to single seaters like he was born for it, scoring a P2 in his third ever race (and first oval) and winning rookie of the year. He had a breakout season last year, with three wins and admittedly a bit of a midseason slump. Super fast, super racey. Genuinely a title contender, but there’s a lot of that going round in Indycar. For me the narrative this season is whether he can build on last year and be a proper front runner, and build some of the consistency that was lacking last season

Josef Newgarden, America’s Boyfriend. Handsome in a corn-fed, broad-shouldered, pure American beef kind of way. Two-time title winner, with a hattrick of runners-up trophies. Number one Scott McLaughlin fan. I think the narrative for him this season is if he can find his happy place every single week. He had a frustrating year last year—true win or bin. He won more races than anyone else, but had quite a lot of DNFs too, often not of his own making. Changes to his crew and team meant that things weren’t exactly seamless, and I think it was really clear that it was a frustrating year for him. I really hope he can find some goddamn luck this year, to go with the mountains of talent and hard work

Scott Dixon, the GOAT. He’s won six championships, and has been a contender in almost every season he’s run. He won his first title in 2003, and his most recent one in 2020. Fuel saving king. Nothing in life is as certain as death, taxes, and Scott Dixon being in the title fight. Literally does not matter where he starts a race, you’d be silly to ever assume he’s not going to find his way to the front. Root for this guy if you love a capital w Winner. (And if you’re a FE fan, his WAG is the man who finished 33rd in the 2008 Daytona 500, Dario Franchitti.) Narrative-wise, there’s a few records he’s chasing, and a seventh title would obviously be a huge deal, but his Big Thing is that for a driver with as much success as he’s had, he’s only had one Indy 500 win. It was all lined up to be his last year, but I’m too traumatised to talk about it but a 1 mph pit lane speeding violation scuppered his chances

Will Power, yes that's his real name. Imo Will wrapped up his Compelling Narrative last season, when he won his second title with one of the biggest mindset and energy shift a professional athlete has ever pulled off? Historically a big hothead, he won the title in 2014, but was never able to get it across the line a second time. Last year he came in with a totally different attitude—he was zen as hell, so much so that it clearly freaked out and bemused the commentators because it was a talking point literally ever race. He was Mr Consistency, always always maximising his points and staying out of trouble, and it won him the title. This season it’ll be interesting to see if he can deliver the same kind of energy and performance - signs from race one point to yes

Colton Herta, he’s just a funky little guy! Front man of garage punk band The Zibs moonlighting as a racing driver. You've probably heard of him in some way or another if you're following the McLaren-Ganassi Saga last season, and the subsequent superlicense eligibility back and forth that followed. He's highly rated for a reason: he's IndyCar's youngest race winner, and since his debut in 2019, only three other drivers have won more races than him (Colton won 7, 2 of them in his debut season in a non-clear front runner car). He's still rough around the edges especially when it comes to patience, but you can't deny his blistering pace, car control skills, and racecraft. With Alexander Rossi moving to McLaren, as the most "senior" member of the Andretti Autosport organization this might be the year he's expected to step up. Fights alt right trolls on Twitter from time to time

Romain Grosjean, the ex-F1 driver (there’s a bit of that going round in Indycar). If you’re coming from F1, you obviously know the backstory here. He had a great first year, but a frustrating second one when he moved to Andretti. He’s had two poles, and been close to race wins, but hasn’t closed the deal yet. (Personally I think the man should not try it around the outside of turn 4 at St Pete but maybe that’s just me.) I do think him getting a win is very likely, either this season or next—I don’t know if he’s title contender material yet, but the thing about Indycar is you kind of never fucking know

Pato O’Ward, no. 2 entry on Zak Brown’s list of twinks under contract. I understand why people tend to sort of compare him to Lando, but I personally don’t really see it? He’s a bit of a shit stirrer and trouble maker, but he’s extremely funny about it—he’s annoying (affectionate). Multiple race winner, and general consensus is that he has what it takes to be a champion, but can McLaren Get It Together. He lost out on what should have been a win at St Pete due to an electrical (?) issue and he was incredibly pissed off about it in a way that made me like him enormously. The other potential interesting narrative is the light potential for a McLaren Civil War between him and Alex Rossi which isn’t something that’s expected to happen so much as something I am desperately hoping for

I’ll leave it there otherwise it’ll end up covering half the field because, well… There’s hard-done-by F2 drivers who didn’t have the money or connections or whatever to make it to F1 (Callum Ilott beloved, and Marcus Armstrong), there’s the good-but-never-quite-delivered-on-his-promise Alexander Rossi driving for a new team (McLaren) for the first time in his Indycar career, a 33-year old rookie in Augustín Canapino who’s only ever raced tin tops but has no fear of god or the english language and is doing a full program, including ovals, this year, Florida Man Kyle Kirkwood, a man whose actual name on his actual birth certificate is Sting Ray Robb… the list goes on and on.

So...now what?

Indycar is back this weekend in Texas for an oval race (which had a crazy exciting finish last year) and then in two weeks at the Long Beach street course. I can’t recommend giving it a go enough, and my inbox is always open for questions, and my DMs for in-race screaming (and also questions.) I’m still pretty new to the series myself and almost certainly won’t know the answer but I will do my best and point you to someone who can answer you if I can’t.

If you’ve made it to the end, thanks for reading and pls watch Indycar <3 

[charlos-angst]

First, Thank you @watercolor-hearts for tagging me! when i saw it i knew it wouldnt be an easy task (mostly because i love to talk a lot lmao) but i liked the concept and felt that it would be interesting way to dive more into the ships i am fond of.

Pairing/Shippy list!

Here are the rules:

1. List your top seven ships.

2. Put them all in order for your love for them; 7 to 1, 1 being your favourite.

3. Name the fandom.

4. Put a picture of the guys in question.

-

7. Ziam (Zayn/Liam Payne) (One Direction)

weird way to start this list, since its not f1 related, and i very much believe it's a dead ship now. But honestly they deserve this honorable mention for being the first ship i adopted, and i didnt even care about One Direction or their music around that time (in fact i cant remember even how i stumbled upon this ship lmao). These two together just had so much chemistry for me, either on stage, interviews, or anything really. also they were my introduction to this whole idea of "ship" (Larry was the absolute more popular one obviously, but it was Ziam that really SUCKED me in like a vacuum cleaner). Unfortunately, Liam's distasteful comments last year bursted my bubble about them (even though he has explained this year he wasn't in a good place, and i personally think they are okay with each other, even though still distant), but i still like to watch their compilation videos on youtube sometimes, it's quite bittersweet :')

6. Martian (Sebastian Vettel/Mark Webber) (Formula 1)

honestly i feel i just dont put these two higher because they feel somewhat new to me, like i need to dive into them more. I just think its such a fun ship in the sense that it has a looot of things going on at the same time, their very public rivalry and the famous multi 21, mark's angry face at that one press conference, it could be so so angsty but they just make me laugh (also, the making love on track quote is now burned into my brain so in no way they could be out of this list).

5. Christian horner/Toto wolff (Formula 1)

okay okay this is the part yall realize im actually crazy. but... they DO have chemistry when they are interacting, even in their non-amicable moments, and i do love myself some good enemies to lovers. Obviously it helps that i think they both are very actrattive, sexy middle aged men that have hunger for victory and i believe they hold so much respect and admiration for each other, considering they are the two most sucessfull TP's at this point. Also, HEIGHT DIFFERENCE.

4. Versainz (Max Verstappen/Carlos Sainz) (Formula 1)

(i wanted to find that ONE gif where he lifts carlos a little so bad but this one will do) Oh, this one really rocketed fast into my favorites. I just think they are just so wholesome. I always feel Max is warmer towards a certain number of drivers, and Carlos is one of them. And i dont even ship them in a ... kind of way, even tho it makes sense in my head the narrative that both were each others "first's" before going into bigger ships. Its just that it feels so special that both debuted together as teammates and, both took different trajectories in the way their career planned out, but theres still a genuine connection between them, at least in my view.

3. Maxiel (Max Verstappen/Daniel Ricciardo) (Formula 1)

I know its weird because i dont really post about them. But this falls into the same category as versainz for me, except that here there's a kind of dynamic that it makes me go "hmm... interesting". I always like to see max smiling and being happy because this boy went thru so much in his childhood, and oh how Daniel knows how to bring this side of Max. If Max can be warmer to certain drivers, for Daniel he has a whole SOFT SPOT, and i think that's very endearing. IMO, Daniel feels like the person that changed him in deeper ways we know, that one person that was indirectly a "life teacher" to him maybe, and thats special to me.

2. Brocedes (Lewis Hamilton/Nico Rosberg) (Formula 1)

Oh, the ANGSTY in this one. yes, this one deserves the ANGSTY in all caps because to me that's them. Oh to have lived through their divorce must have been heartbreaking but what a freaking cinematic ship this one is. I just can't ignore it. How it feels to me that Nico is the one who wears his heart on his sleeve, while Lewis has that chilling Capricorn control over his emotions is so. just so. And the fact that Nico's legacy is forever entangled in Lewis' name. If a movie screenwriter would come up with this, i'd think it would be overdramatic, but no, theyre actually this unhinged.

Charlos (Charles Leclerc/Carlos Sainz) (Formula 1)

how do i even start talking about these two idiots? Okay, so obviously i think they're both very attractive and that definetely helped me to ship them lmao. But thats kind of reductive, because these two have sooo much chemistry in my opinion, even before their ferrari days, there was so much potential waiting to bloom, and it did. I love their banter, their competitiveness, how they can get childlike around each other sometimes. How they are so physical, how they make each other laugh (let me not talk about their gazes to each other or i will not end this today). I love how Carlos doesn't hide he wants to compete with Charles (which brings him unnecessary hate sadly), and how both respect each other in this stance. There's a bit of angsty underneath this soft/fluffy surface too (more from Carlos' perspective imo - but lets not forget Charles and Silverstone 2022 too - this is my charlos angsty origin story), but they still find their way, and that kind of compels me even more into them. I just think theres so many layers, multitudes, in the way we can create, write and read about them. Absolute favorites.

-

Tagging @schumiatspa and @sainzjpeg 😊

obviously, feel free to ignore if you dont want to play, no hard feelings around here ❤, and also 7 ships are quite a work! if you're not tagged but want to make your list, feel free to do it and consider yourself tagged by me 😘

[eshithepetty]

hiii hiii ^_^ hiii what is your favourite mp100 amv? :D

HI HIII!!! Sorry for the late answer!! But ough... you've activated my trap card.

Honestly... and I mean truly honestly, I can't pick one. So I know that's not what this ask specifically asked, but, have just a whole list anyways sjhdgfsjdf

As per my last post, these are specifically less well known amvs, as I think pretty much everyone in this fandom knows of like, ???, 99%, Stressed Out and Kindness, for example. For these ones, I'm pretty sure none of them reach 1000 likes/notes (some don't reach even 100) (at the time of writing this, at least), but I assure you, that's not an indication of quality!! SO yeh. A pile of AMVs be upon ye (15 specifically for now).

Firstly, from Youtube:

DARK ARTS by pyrotechnicstars

Centers on: mp100 in general

This one's not as character centric as the rest of the amvs you'll see on this list, but i just Really love this one for how fluid and fun the editing is, and how the song just fits mp100's vibe very well imo ^^

maybe if i by kiwa

Centers on: Reigen

Such good cuts and scene selection :) really love when people choose a more introspective vibe with Reigen amvs. also it hit me with a surprise serirei reference that made me laugh, so hdhdhcf

All the Rowboats by hyrude

Centers on: Mob & Ritsu

The atmosphere in this one…. ough. I really appreciate when people choose to delve into the darker tones of this show, and this one really nails that !!

If I Was by ObsessiveBookworm

(@grocerystorephobic on tumblr)

Centers on: Reigen & Mob

Another introspective Reigen one! Specifically one focusing on his relationship with Shigeo. This one's really sweet,,, feels almost nostalgic in a way, really neat <3

Children's Work by ObsessiveBookworm

Centers on: Mob & Ritsu

SUCH A NEAT EXPLORATION OF THE KAGEYAMA BROTHERS…. the song fits them sooo well, its just. Augh.. Goes insane,,,,

Try To Change by Thamires

Centers on: Mob

Such a good choice of song.. I think this was one of the first mob amvs that I found and liked? Somber with a tinge of sweet at the end,,, :')

Former Lives by ObsessiveBookworm

Centers on: Mogami arc

Ooughggh;;,,, as i said, I really appreciate exploration of the darker sides to mp100, and this one is just. Augh. So well done, so gritty, so captivating despite being over a whole 6 minutes long. And I also admire it for the sheer challenge of making it, due to the length and how cut down this arc in the anime was, and how op made the best of it.. Love this one a lot…. <3

D o g T e e t h by flyweeabooty

Centers on: Mob

This one just,,, hurts…. so viscerally,,, I don't have many words for this one, just. Damn :(

With All Your Power by ObsessiveBookworm

Centers on: Season 1

The reason i'm labeling it as just season 1 is that…!! Its just!!! Such a great amv for that part of the story, with all the wackiness, the large cast of characters, the different parts going on and occasional tension and explosion of emotions…. its just sooo fun, i adore it !!!

The Whole World And Mob by ObsessiveBookworm

Centers on: Dimple & Mob

A RARE DIMPLE AMV!! And one focusing on their s1 dynamic as well! Honestly just such a silly and good time, this one genuinely makes me smile :)

....WAIT. AUGH. THERE'S A 10 VIDEO LIMIT???

...welp. Lemme take a moment then to put the other 5 in a reblog then, sorry for that jshgfjs. A brief intermission!! Watch these shrimp 'till then

[difeisheng]

okay I'll bite: what is dmbj and why should I watch it?

OH!!! OKAY. An opportunity to ramble, thank you very much :D

(Disclaimer: I myself am a newcomer and have quite literally only been into DMBJ for just under a month. There are lots of things I do not know yet, and I'm nowhere close to taking in all of canon. That being said:)

DMBJ or Dào Mù Bǐ Jì (called either The Lost Tomb or The Grave Robbers' Chronicles in English) is a franchise based on a book series of the same name by Nan Pai San Shu (real name Xu Lei). It's a sprawling universe with lots of side stories and characters, but the main narrative follows Wu Xie, who's the youngest member and heir of an established tomb-raiding family. Different parts of DMBJ follow him at different points of his life as he explores ancient archaeological sites with his friends and allies (main ones being Zhang Qiling and Wang Pangzi), and attempts to solve mysteries using clues left behind by the generation(s) of tomb raiders who came before.

The books have been adapted into many TV shows and spinoff movies. Each one follows a different part of the story, and they're not adapted in chronological order (creators pick and choose what they want to cover basically and the details of the overarching narrative aren't always consistent between adaptations). It can get confusing. Each adaptation also usually has a completely different slate of actors, even though the characters are the same. There are some actors who show up in more than one adaptation, either reprising a role or playing a different character each time, but for the most part people are switched in and out.

Now, some of why you should start on DMBJ (imo):

The RELATIONSHIPS and character development. The dynamics between everyone, regardless of the nature of them, are just great. Keep in mind the books are not BL but there are a couple consistent pairings that show up in this fandom (see: Pingxie and Heihua) and there are VERY GOOD REASONS for that. Overall it's so satisfying to watch bonds form between characters in general though, and how those bonds change depending on how long they've known each other and what the tone of that adaptation calls for. Even if other aspects of the shows can be handled less well, the emotional beats hit.

Action and plot! There are definitely slower portions and questionable pacing in (some of) the adaptations, but it's a fun, adventure-based narrative that reveals clues well. There's exploration of creepy places, running from supernatural entities, and actual proper human fight sequences, all wrapped up in uncovering mysteries. I mean, it's centred around tomb-raiding, what do you expect, and these shows certainly deliver although you're going to have to suspend your disbelief sometimes.

Shifts in tone and casting. Granted, some people might prefer to stick with a consistent cast and mood throughout the franchise, or just care to stick with a particular actor, but in my opinion this is a really smart technique because it keeps the whole thing fresh. You can compare different shows and see how various actors adapt/play a character, and with the tone changing sometimes between adaptations it means there can be something for everyone. For example, something like Ultimate Note (2020) is more light-hearted than Sha Hai/Tomb of the Sea (2018), which is a darker and more serious show among the adaptations. Choose what you like!

As for actually selecting a point to start watching DMBJ and get into the characters, it can seem overwhelming and understandably so. You're not obligated to start at the chronological beginning of the franchise, either. I picked up on Ultimate Note, then watched Sha Hai, and now I'm on Reunion: The Sound of the Providence (or The Lost Tomb Reboot) and I was able to jump into the plot and follow along pretty well.

If you want some help here, foxofninetales has this excellent guide to help you choose a place in the franchise to get going, depending on your preferences (I used this when trying to start DMBJ myself). There's also this character guide on Ao3 to help you visually understand who is who across adaptations, and another which goes into more detail on each character, although watch out for some spoilers.

Hope this is convincing enough and/or helpful for a basic rundown on DMBJ and why I like it!

[root-admins]

Thoughts on colors and structures

Some Drakenier meta thoughts again. 

I made this so I don’t have to write an essay, hope it’s self-explanatory enough. 2 of the same type + 1 of the different gender basically. Red Boy N2 is from stage plays. I put Tokyo Tower for triangle because N2 is red and they have their own triangular tower. Bottom part is Song of the Ancients mural.

Black and White are at conflict and Red derives from that relationship. I used to think the three form a cycle but I think this representation is a bit more accurate. N2 facilitates / watches like the mastermind they are, but doesn’t directly participate.

From my interpretation in Drakenier context,  Red Triangle = aggressive maniacal insanity, White Orb = peaceful spiritual formless whole, Black Cube = structured regulation + restrictions. Dazai Osamu illustrates this dynamic pretty well imo:

The antonym of black is white. But the antonym of white is red. The antonym of red is black.

--No Longer Human

Btw Yoko Taro posted this at one point (Text: Who’s the bad one?) So, any thoughts? lol

Also, looking at this, Rubrum may have Watchers connections? Those red circular rings with angelic script + 3 eyes on the mural do resemble her filigree design to some extent. Actually, circles of angelic script = Grostequerie Queen’s song? Rubrum’s open mouth = Intoner screaming/singing? She was laughing in that cutscene too. Makes me wonder if Rubrum’s a Manah/N2 type character where she’s happy to watch Weiss and Noir fight. 

Grimoires in Project Gestalt are really all over the place, F for Noir who’s the only functioning book here.

And what if 2B/9S/android pod attacks derive from Noir’s sealed verses and Adam/Eve/machine attacks derive from Weiss’s sealed verses? hmm

Finally, a fun thing to note:

[starryjkoo]

Run BTS Special Episode Mini Field Day

watching random run BTS episodes and just wanted to say how cute it was that Jungkook's first impulse upon seeing Jimin slide towards him was to drop down and hug him 😭 it was definitely a Jimin Jikook thing because his teammates slid towards him later in the episode and he just dropped and held his hands up with them (although red team did get an adorable team hug later)

they all do this sliding thing throughout the episode, but this was definitely the most adorable iteration imo (although some of the messy team celebrations came in at a close second). Jikook were especially cute and very playful the entire episode and it was funny that they had so many little moments when they were on different teams. I think those moments have been covered to death so I won't go over them but this episode definitely sits close to my heart because it reminded me of why I enjoy their dynamic so much, it's just really adorable and fun with an undercurrent of sweet.

Jimin was like 10000/10 adorable and really cuddly throughout this entire episode though, I forgot how genuinely funny it was too. I think blue teams dynamic was just golden and was surprised by how funny Namjoon in particular was the whole time. Some more Jimin hugs

Jimin hugging Namjoon after Jungkook's brutal and scary accurate penalty revenge kick 😭

Jimin tackle hugging Hobi after his amazing goalie save which transitioned into a group hug

Hobi serving as the attractive damsel to hero Jimin after his moment of glory in what I feel resembles the classic "leg cling" trope

Even yoongi couldn't resist handing out a hug to comfort Jimin after his failed kick, because like I said, Jimin was like 1000000/10 irresistibly adorable this episode.

Not a hug, but Namjoon going from "don't do something weird" to "nice do everything you want to do" after Jimin's successful goal took me out 😭 blue team was just absolutely hilarious. Jimin said his goal in picking this team was to be funny so I do think he was being a bit chaotic silly on purpose, but some of those mishaps were pretty genuine like that ball bouncing off his helmet and just the absolute uncoordinated but somehow functional chaos of his team. Something I really appreciate about BTS is just how genuinely funny they can be in such a relaxed way sometimes.

Also Jimin's subplot of trying to score a goal the whole time because he wanted to do the slide thing was soooooo funny. I love how even the staff became extra invested in Jimin's plight (and the blue underdog team overall) and Jin even called them out on cheering louder when Jimin made his goal at the end lmao.

A lot of these later run episodes were misses for me so I'm glad they ended it on such a high note with so many great moments that showed how endearing and fun their different dynamics are. Also I didn't mention Taehyung or vmin, but I absolutely loved Taehyung laughing so hard at Jimin's antics throughout the entire episode. I love how much and how hard they make each other laugh, it's absolutely something I've always found really endearing about their friendship.

[lumax-mayclair]

Watched the the new Zoey 101 movie (guilty) and I thought it was fine. I really think if they wrote a couple things a little differently it would’ve been better:

Like Quinn being overwhelmed by the wedding preparation because she’s never thought about having a big wedding but ofc Logan has, that all makes sense and I hear what she’s saying but I don’t really see what she’s saying. In terms of storytelling and film making, I feel like they should’ve dramatisized everything more. Like the life sized cakes was the only thing that seemed over the top and I can see how that’s a little much but nowhere else did it seem like Logan was making more of a “spectacle than making it meaningful”.

They should’ve run more with the sight gags like those cakes because as the wedding ends up looking just very plain (not a diss) but very classy and elegant looking. Even Quinn’s dress is so simple but beautiful.

It’s a small venue, the wedding colors are green, black, and white. Very simple. Some flowers here and there.

I guess Lyric was one of those overwhelming gags also to emphasize how “over the top” all this is but that’s her “gift” to them, she’s Quinn’s sister in law and they’ve known each other for nearly 15 yrs so why are we overwhelmed with something that should be normal coming from her ???

(p.s. unpopular opinion: I liked Lyrics’ song, the melody was great, the lyrics eh, but I like the line “she’s in her wedding dress and he’s hoping she’ll say yes”; very Quogan, very “She’s everything, He’s just Ken”.)

Anyway moving away from Quogan: Michael. Literally what is the point of taking one of the main main characters who bothered to return for this reboot, and having them lose their voice so they can’t speak for half the movie. You might say it’s due to controversy but if they cared about controversies, they wouldn’t have done this movie at all 🤷🏻‍♀️.

Stacey & Mark: to preface: personally I loved Stacey in the original and Mark is…Mark 🤷🏻‍♀️. I kinda wish they had mentioned Stacy’s original obsession with Logan in the series, I think that could’ve been fun if they worked that in somehow. They did mention Mark & Quinn dating but (ins how everyone feels about this) I would’ve liked if Mark had regret about dump—breaking up with (😅) Quinn and was holding a torch for her or something because again: she’s everything. The whole dynamic of Quogan and Stark being couple besties…wasn’t the vibe imo. The whole thing of Stacey interrupting the wedding bcs she’s obsessed with murder mysteries like since when?? How did that happen?? WHERE ARE THE COTTEN SWABS AND WHITE GLUE!!!!!? You’re gonna tell me a friend officiating their 2 friends wedding doesn’t think to turn off their notifications when they’re reading the nuptials off their phone during said wedding like—?? Especially when one of her announcements was for everyone to silence their phones????!

Speaking of phones out during the wedding: Zoey.

I mean…it’s Zoey (JLS) who’s surprised that this, the most special of days has to be made about her and her really weird and sad desire to go back to PCA. Also it’s really weird to me how that was the solution to the wedding being ruined when literally she’s the only one feigning to go back, the others are doing great and are cool being done with that. They look back fondly, not longingly, so idk why it was played like getting married at PCA is somehow Quinn’s dream and the solution to their problem. And if we do go back and have the Quogan wedding there, HOW ARE WE NOT GONNA INCLUDE THEIR BENCH!!!!? I mean maybe the group didn’t know about it, maybe, but Logan definitely would and speaking of Logan.

Nothing much wrong with him in the film tbh, he was so husband it was great actually, but what the hell was that line?? They’ve been together, again, almost 15 years. There is 0 chance he doesn’t know to talk to her if they’re having a problem. To be fair tho, I think the implication was that in the hustle and bustle and over the top ness of the wedding he lost sight of them as a couple and how their dynamic works and that’s why Quinn was upset but like, really?? all Zoey has to say is “have you tried just talking to her” and he remembers that that’s what they do…?? Okay.

Anyway, I think we all agree a Quogan movie would’ve been better. 😊😊

Oh! P.s. Chase! This is really sad and pathetic. Get over this, bitch!!

[gffa]

Hey! Love your blog for the sw content but ngl you have me window shipping dickbabs more and more everyday. I’m not reeeeally a comics person unless it has quality online format but I have been known to enjoy cartoons. Do you have any show recs to get me into the batfam? Sorry if this has already been asked (and answered somewhere else). Thanks again for all your great content! Love your blog!

Hi! Thank you for the kind words and I'm glad to be helping to at least tempt you into this pit, and I wish I had better recs for you, but I've been turning this over in my head for the last couple of days and keep coming back to that I don't know that I would recommend most of the animated series or movies/TV series for DC. Even the best bets would be: - Young Justice 2010 cartoon, which is overall decent, but DickBabs doesn't happen until like season 3, I think? (And I think Dick dates Kory for awhile before that?) And they're a very minor part of the show, even the Batfam as a whole is only one aspect of the show, it's really a multi-fam kind of series. As long as you know that it will have some major differences in relationship and character dynamics (like Superboy in the show and Kon from the comics share certain aspects, but they are also vastly different and I'm not sure you'd recognize Kon as the same character), it's a fun show to watch overall! - Batman: The Animated Series 1992 + The New Batman Adventures 1997 was absolutely, incredibly groundbreaking at the time it came out, but that means it's 30 years old now and a lot of it is going to be incredibly dated compared to current stuff. I do still love it and the Dick/Babs episodes are TOP NOTCH (so much delicious yearning oh my god) and the flashback to when Dick was a kid are also great, but there's a LOT of basic cartoon action stuff that's not that exciting anymore and it might feel like a long haul. Cautiously recommended if you don't mind viewing it through an old-fashioned lens, don't mind that Dick tends to be more in his "angry teenage years" than his more settled 20s, and you're okay with zipping through any parts that bore you. - The Batman 2004 is another series that's pretty dated, but in a way I find deeply charming, because it really leaned into the gothic aesthetic and wasn't afraid to try some new things with the character designs. I usually suggest skipping forward to season 4 when Dick shows up (and I greatly enjoy his and Babs' dynamic, they're kids at the time, it's not a romance here, but it's not hard to see that one day they could grow up into the characters they'll be in other versions) but the whole show is just a good Batman cartoon! Honorable mentions: - Justice League: The Animated Series 2001 which I don't think Dick or Babs ever appeared in, but is still probably THE best DC animated series. It's not super complex, but what it did, it did very well, and is still pretty influential to this day. - If you don't mind reading an online comic, the Wayne Family Adventures webtoon is a very easy intro point, has very pretty art, and will get you reasonably familiar with the characters! (I sort of liken it to LEGO adaptations, it's meant to be light-hearted and occasionally genuinely touching, it focuses on extremes of the characters and memeable moments, rather than the more sharp-edged comics, but that makes it all the better for an entry point imo.) Beyond that, I can't really think of anything I would necessarily recommend to help get new fans into the Batfam characters (I wouldn't recommend the Harley Quinn show as a starting place for them, nor the Teen Titans cartoon, and I don't really personally care for any of the animated movies personally, other than maybe Super Sons, which was absolutely adorable and a great intro to Jon and Damian), because DC has a really weird track record on adapting them into non-comics mediums and I just enjoy the comics so much more. Though, if others have recs or would offer a rebuttal against some of the suggestions, feel free, because I would love to have easier ways into the comics

[minijenn]

Jen Tortures Herself With Every Dreamworks Animated Movie Ever: Road to El Dorado

So to begin with, let me just say I fucking miss Dreamworks 2d animation. Like the way they animated and designed characters in 2d was just... wonderful and I long for them to return to it almost more than I long for Disney to go back to 2d animation. As for Road to El Dorado, its a major case for why they should. This movie is a fun, fantastic romp that is utterly enjoyable all the way through.

Staying on animation for a sec, the colors in this movie are insanely vibrant and the set designs, especially in El Dorado itself, are outstandingly gorgeous. The character designs are top notch (bless Chel oh my god fuck whoever designed her was so horny and I'm so thankful for them) and the animation is as smooth as butter. The facial expressions, much like in Prince of Egypt are so damn well done and convey exactly how the characters are feeling so perfectly.

As for the characters, the cast is great! Miguel and Tulio are a perfect dynamic duo of scheming conmen, though the difference between them are clear. Tulio is more along the lines of being selfish and greedy (and horny, incredibly horny, this whole movie is horny), but he's still so damn likable anyway. Miguel is the idealistic optimist who just wants adventure and excitement. And the way they play off each other is so fast and smooth and expertly written and acted, their bromance truly is one to behold.

Of course, that bromance is broken a bit when Chel comes into the picture. God DAMN this woman is just... (*whistles*) 2D Dreamworks women were just Built Different holy god she is beautiful. And hilarious imo she's a good source of comedy (and conflict) throughout.

The other characters are... ok. I like the chief, but the priest is just an... ok bloodthirsty unhinged villain, but nothing really special. Cortes is a nothing character, barely an antagonist force whatsoever, and outside of them... well there's not much focus anywhere else. Which is a good thing! The movie's plot is tightly focused, simple to understand and follow, and the characters motivations and development is very clear throughout.

As for said plot, I suppose there are a few problematic things about Two White Men showing up and claiming to be gods in a Native ancient civilization, but it never feels like they're exploiting the people of El Dorado for anything more than gold? Like they even stop the priest's attempts to sacrifice people in their name, so I guess that counts for something??? Really though, the main focus of the film is that dynamic between Miguel and Tulio and how two things come between them (for Miguel, its falling in love with the people and culture of El Dorado and for Tulio, its falling in love with, well, Chel). In the end though, they do come back together in a natural and believable way in the midst of a genuinely exciting climax.

The humor is also very sharp in this movie, leaning more on the adult side (like I said, this whole movie is so horny) but never in the gross or annoying way that Antz did before it. It relies more on physical comedy and witty banter, and both of them are carried strongly through the voice acting and the animation. It's no wonder why this movie produced so many famous memes imo

The music is Fantastic. It takes the Tarzan approach where most of the songs are non-diagetic (and mostly performed by Elton John), with the standout exception of Its Tough to be a God which just... completely fucking slaps. Seriously I was boppin along to it the entire time, it goes so hard ya'll.

Overall, Road to El Dorado is a simple movie with a simple plot and premise, but its carried by a really memorable main trio and a great soundtrack and top shelf animation. Give it a watch if ya haven't, its def worth it.

Overall Rating: 8/10

Verdict: Getting caught doing the Nitty Gritty with Chel

Previous Review (Prince of Egypt)

Next Review (Chicken Run)

[smilesrobotlover]

I’ve read most of the mangas so I think I’m gonna rank them all since nobody asked for it. I haven’t read the tp manga just yet and I’m not including the skyward sword Hyrule hystoria manga for the sake of my sanity (and the mangas that are one story separated into two books are counted as one except for oracle of ages and seasons)

1. Four sword- the characters are so fun and are great to play around with. Shows perfectly how important characters are to a story. They had to give each Link a defining personality different from each other and the way they bounce off each other was just so much fun. Not to mention the dynamic with shadow was interesting and adding a father to Link was also fun to read. And I was fond of this Zelda! A more sweet character but could also roast you if needed. I liked how she fought with her words more than anything else.

2. Oracle of ages- again, great character dynamics and a very interesting story! It wasn’t the damsel in distress trope so it was more refreshing to read than the others. And sir raven is just… a perfect man. Also Impa my beloved

3. Majoras Mask- the way this was written was so beautiful. The weird spookiness from the game was perfectly captured (for this being released without playing the game, that’s impressive) and the story was so… sad yet wonderful. The emphasis on loss and death just kinda makes it somber. And Skull kid’s backstory legitimately makes me want to cry everytime I read it. Poor kid :( the ending was epic too, gosh I loved watching Link put on the FD mask and going ape 💩 cuz of the righteous anger he feels towards majora, and him condemning the Happy mask salesman was also nice. You can tell this Link matured from oot. Also Kafei and Anju were so pure.

4. Oracle of seasons- I really enjoyed the beginning of this! Sometimes the mangas are so short that everything feels incredibly rushed and chaotic but this one was more chill! I mean, we saw Link hang out with the traveling performers for a while, a lot longer than I expected, and it really helped the pacing a lot. I also liked the characters Link hung out with. Ricky, Maple, and the chicken had fun dynamics! Overall, much better pacing than the others.

5. Ocarina of time- this one was pretty great, I loved how Sheik was written, he was the most interesting part of the story imo. I also loved Link, very kind and gentle but sometimes mischievous and just a great guy. Very determined. My only issue is how Zelda was written. I loved her in the beginning wanting to be a normal little girl, but naturally, as any Zelda with an alter ego, she fell short compared to Sheik, who was fantastic. And these stories can’t go 5 seconds without a damsel in distress so. But I liked it! And I liked the side characters! The whole Lon Lon ranch thing was fun too! Also Impa my ABSOLUTE beloved

6. Phantom hourglass- A more simple story but a fun one. Loved Ciela and Linebeck’s dynamic and the style was so fun. Also the ending was better written than the game imo. This is the only licensed Nintendo thing made that didn’t do tetra DIRTY. She was the girlboss she was meant to be, and tho she needed to be saved, she had a much different personality than the other Zelda’s so it felt less redundant. And not to mention, she acted more like a capable captain in the end and it was SO GOOD. I also personally liked that Bellum went after the ocean king, that was a cool scene too see. Shame it ended so quickly. My only issue is not enough Dadbeck 😔

7. Minish cap- this one was pretty fun! But I wasn’t a huuuuge fan of how Link was written. But he was tiny the entire time and it was adorable, and the ending was so bittersweet . Also Minish Vaati was adorable, honestly all the Minish were adorable. There’s just not a lot to say about it tho. Nothing really stuck out to me. Zelda had the same personality as every other Zelda so not much to say about her either.

8. A Link to the Past- not the best story. It’s not a rereadable story and it’s kinda boring. I adore Link’s personality and lbl legend is based after him, but the other characters were more eh. I liked the thief girl a little. But my biggest gripe was Zelda. I feel like Zelda’s in these mangas are all written the same but she’s written differently in a bad way. Apparently she was made more soft for romance but that just made her flat, boring, and also annoying. There were a lot of interesting characteristics to be done with her personality tho, but it wasn’t done. Which is a shame. But I did like the ending. It was very sweet (again, Link is an absolute sweetheart).

[medeasfirstborn]

I LOVED Inside Job Part 2!!! Need to scream about in a few hours after i rewatch it, for now im gonna sleep just making notes

Relationship between Ron and Reagan: saw it coming, not upset and genuinely liked how sweet it was, if a bit rushed. Doomed from the start, and throughout the relationship their problem kept making itself more known because of their divergent desires (Ron being to live a Normal life and Reagan wanting to make a significant change in the world) and by Reagan being Reagan and not communicating and instead latching onto and idealising this positive relationship in her life.

Ron: people coming up with theories before the season dropped that Ron and Reagan looked alike/were siblings or whatever like. I think that was a level of expectation none of us should have really put on an adult animated show tbh. I think the point was to showcase how similar they were (the reason they got together being their shared bond over how much they hate their job). But the difference between them was that Reagan fundamentally loves her job, i think. It does suit her, and her ambitions. She has a support system there and authority in her workplace, whereas from what we see from Ron his job seems replaceable, he doesn't have close friends in the Illuminati and he's too soft for a job that regularly makes the world a worse place. And over the season it was showing how this relationship that was built on something fundamentlly negative and unfulfilling for one person could not last.

Brett: a bit disappointed by his lack of support for Reagan in the first episode but for the most part I loved his character throughout. He's still the same, loveable golden retriever but also, he's finally standing up for himself a bit, making his own decisions. Wished he punched at least one of his family members in the face tho. Like, idk how I feel about his family status but i do love dysfunctional families and might be interesting to see if the IJ crew does anything with it in the future

The team: I liked how they showed Gigi and Reagan actually being close! It's clear that next to Brett, Gigi is second in terms of people Reagan trusts(?) or at least respects enough to talk about her personal problems with. In fact the whole team seems to hold a level of respect for her that even makes her immune to most of Myc's roasting lol. Good for her. Andre is always fun and I liked the part in the first ep where he was adamant about standing up for Gigi. Myc and Glenn also had some fun moments, but I still feel Glenn falls short on enjoyment imo.

Rand & JR: I feel like a lot of people will be upset with what they did with Rand but I'm not really mad about it. I mean in the sense that I think this was the best outcome? Him being in jail away from bothering Reagan or Tamiko lol. Like they frame him in a more sympathetic light in ep7 but it's not like Reagan forgives him. She just acknowledges that he's her dad and he's human. And I like that message. JR and Rand's dynamic/backstory was a fucking highlight tho I hope s2 capitalises on that. They definitely fucked once.

Ok this stopped being notes and maybe a full review idk might add onto this later uhhh 8/10 gonna watch the whole thing again later.