#and so now i can't go back to 2014 and look for gifs??? this is preposterous

[bredforloyalty]

i can't believe they killed prev tags (as in the update arrived for me for some reason) and i had to download an older version of the app again because i'm clinging to what once was........

[littleragondin]

I have been tagged by @sparklyeyedhimbo thank you!

rules: name seven comfort films you love, and then tag seven people

- The Lord of the Ring Trilogy

That one's an easy one. For a very long time, it was just the movie(s) I watched the most often across a year. I fell in love with The Fellowship of the Ring when I saw it at 10 in theatre, and I never came back. I know them by heart (both in French and English), and at this point putting them on just feels like coming home. It's the friendships, the hope through darkness, the love overcoming for me.

- Pride (2014)

This one's based on a true story, it's beautiful and touching and has a fantastic soundtrack of course. I watch it when I want an uplifting story but I still need to cry (usually the Bread and Roses scene or Joe and Stef sharing the bed does it, but if not? I always cry at the end), and it makes me feel better about what we can do together. I also really like the friendships in that movie, somehow they make me miss having that irl the most.

- Constantine

You know how they say the music you listen at 14/15 shapes your music tastes for life? That was the movie version for me. I was 15 when I saw it, and listen. Hear me out. Between Keanu Reeves, Rachel Weisz, and Tilda Swinton (especially looking like this) ... well. I was very into it ok. I also love horror and supernatural so you know. I love the story, there is a really good sibling relationship (if sad), it has angels and demons and cross engraved bullets... it's an easy go-to when I want some action and fantastical stuffs.

- 8 Femmes

It's a French jukebox musical about a murder, with a women-only cast for 99% of the movie. What not to love?? It's camp, the actresses are fantastic (it's an all star cast), I love the 50s feel of the whole thing, the songs are great, the characters are color coded ... I somehow always feel lighter after seeing this one, and find myself singing along all the time. (also come on, who wouldn't want to see Fanny Ardant and Catherine Deneuve make out in skirt suits?)

- Ai no Kotodama (2007)

Ootani and Tachibana have been together since high school, now in college they live together, installed in a comfortable routine until a high school classmate reappears in their life and things... become complicated. This one is just… warm, and simple, and quiet. It's just a slice of life, the conflicts can be a little silly but some feel more grounded, there is a clear and sweet happy end, it always warms me up. I've seen it for the first time 13 years ago and I still think about it regularly. Also the two songs are great and still on my playlists, and the fashion now feels delightfully out of date (Ootani's hair hello <3).

- Big Eden

I watched this one for the first time at a moment in my life where i was very lonely. I picked it up because I had seen some gifs on tumblr, I knew it had a happy ending, and I was starting to want to watch more story with adults. There are so many things to love in that beautiful movie, but usually I put it on for the warmth and acceptance of the community, for "Thing is, Pike, we want things to be nice for you, too, buddy." and the whole "Did we teach you shame?" speech and "I was just hoping you'd let yourself be found this time. I was hoping you'd let us find you. But you keep wandering and we can't." and just... yeah. This one is a comfort still when I feel lonely, or lost, removed from the people I love.

- Coraline

I was already a huge fan of the book and of Henry Selick's work when my dad took me to see it for my 18th birthday. It's a beautiful movie, visually, with an incredible score (by Bruno Coulais), and a very strong adaptation of the novel imo. It's a little creepy, but the good guys win at the end, I love Coraline as a character, and as I said it's just SO pretty to look at? I never get bored by it.

If you're into it and no one asked you yet, I'll tag @scienceoftheidiot @benkaaoi @howdydowdy @troubled-mind @gillianthecat @heretherebedork and @sauvechouris !

[apple-grass-and-smiles]

Hello! The ever-sweet and wonderful @marthaskane tagged me to share eight shows that define me/help you get to know me. Without further ado, the shows!

Alias (2001-2006)

Alias has taught me the value of old LiveJournal pages and the Wayback Machine more than any other show I've ever loved. I discovered this show in 2013 when it was on Netflix and then I spent a few months in Germany, where I spent too much money buying almost the entire show on iTunes because I could not comprehend going more than a day without Sydney Bristow with me.

2. The Clone Wars (2008-2013, 2014, 2020)

I remember when this show first aired and my siblings and I had a square dance at our school (very American, I know) so we had to DVR it. The next morning we snuck down early to watch it with the volume super low so we wouldn't wake up our parents. Few shows have continuously come back into my life the way this one has. I can track a lot of how I've changed as a fan through the different ways I've viewed this show over the last 15 years.

3. Fringe (2008-2013)

I've been rewatching this show since January of this year and can confirm: it is still a nearly perfect 100 episodes of TV. Fringe manages to perfect a lot of the plot lines and dynamics that appear in Alias (both are J.J. Abrams/his collaborators projects). It manages to walk the line between a procedural and a mythology-driven show beautifully and so clearly knows what message and themes it wants to share from the very first shot. If you like exploring messy family dynamics, action, and the X-Files, Fringe is a good option for you.

4. Gotham (2014-2019)

I historically have no cared much at all about Batman. He struck me as pretty boring in comparison to every other person he interacted with. Gotham change that for me (turns out he just needed to be put next to any even more boring guy, but I digress...). Loving this show is a lesson in looking past weird choices, wacky inconsistencies, and learning to just trust that writers will give you a fun ride, even if you understand less that 15% of it. It helped me remember that the sentence "I love this show" does not always mean "here is a perfect example of perfect storytelling" and just how freeing that can be. It also gave me a beautiful little group of friends who continue to make me smile on a regular basis.

5. Blindspot (2015-2020)

While this show may not be one I post about often, it was foundational for how I interact in fandom now. It was one of the first times I was active in a fandom from the start of the show. It was the first time I was in a fandom group chat and my Tumblr friends broke containment into being people I followed on Instagram and texted. I organized a Secret Santa. It was the first time I remember actively freaking out of promo photos (1x09 IYKYK) and synopses. Almost all the confidence I have when interacting in fandoms is from these experiences. And the plot is stellar.

6. Iron Fist (2017-2018)

I can't tell you how I ended up watching this. I do not know what prompted me to turn it on but I'm really glad I did. This show has so many amazing nuggets of amazingness and its shortcomings brought me together with two of my favorite people as we tried to understand what had gone wrong and where. (This is not a good ad for the show.) I love getting to play with stories and characters that have seemingly infinite potential and getting to do it with other people who are just as committed to the story as I was meant the world.

7. The Rookie (2018-present)

I fought against this one so hard. I did not want to get into it, but as my dash filled with those gifs of Lucy in the green dress and I had my wonderful friend pitching the show to me over and over, I caved. And I'm really glad I did. The experience of watching a long season over months, one week and one episode at a time, is so different than streaming or rewatching shows and I'd forgotten how much I missed it until I got to do it again for this show. My Tuesday livestreams with my lovely friend single-handedly pulled me through so many rough spots over the last year. For a procedural dramedy, The Rookie continues to serve up some of the best characters on TV right now and consistently delivers some of the best cold opens.

8. Prodigal Son (2019-I'm in denial)

The show that owns my heart and soul. The show I'd sell my organs to get new episodes of. Returning to this show, whether I'm writing fic, doing a TED Talk in my head about the psychology in the show, or actually watching an episode, consistently feels like coming home. I did not know it was possible for someone to stick their hand in your head and pull out a show custom-made for you, but that's what this is. The characters are all so perfectly imperfect and desperate to be better. The plots are just the perfect amount of bonkers. The show being a drama pretending to be a procedural is beautiful. If you'd told me in 2019 that a show about a profiler whose dad is a serial killer and they solve crimes together would be the show that would leave an indelible mark on my life, I would have rolled my eyes because that's so cliche. 2019!me had no idea what she was on about. But I'm glad she figured it out and randomly put on this little show one night that had continued to pull me through good days and bad days and everything in between.

As for tagging other people, anyone is welcome to join but I’ll specifically tag some people I know who haven't been tagged (I think): @electricbluebutterflies, @chenlucys, @shinythinx, @rojaswarren, @meandmyechoes, @padme-deserved-better, @whitesunlars, @harrows-bones, @bpdanakins, and @violetsandmagpies.

[decaf-americano]

RIP my tumblr sobriety

So, the elephant in the room, albeit a very small room, is I'm back. When I originally joined tumblr I was too young and too late. I was 13 or 14 (can't remember which) and the heyday of American Apparel and The Artic Monkeys was like the remaining nub of your holy grail pencil liner: dried out but held onto out of nostalgia-fueled reluctance. I wasn't special, depressed insecure teenage girls are a-dime-a-dozen on here, but Tumblr proposed answers or at least the chance to romanticize not having them. Post-modern angst looked so sexy in a tennis skirt and docs (*insert Robbers "babe, you look so cool" gif*) so I drank the Kool-Aid. The Kool-Aid became Diet Coke around the same time I realized I'd missed the party and the key to aspirational aestheticism (do I sound like Matty Healy yet?) is its unachievability.

*Disclaimer: this is not the part where I blame Tumblr for all my problems.* Tumblr didn't cause my ED, but it did teach me how to have one, and it enabled me as much as I enabled myself if that's possible. We sought out or ended up in this place BECAUSE we were hurting, it doesn't take Nietzche (how about now?) to recognize the inevitability of us hurting each other, which incidentally leads me to my next and ultimate point: my reasons for returning.

I'm not a twitter user, however, some of my favorite tiktok and instagram content comes from either there or here, and given the current state of affairs at twitter... I'm preparing for the worst. That, combined with tiktok's evolution into today's 2014 tumblr, the return of indie sleaze, and the so-called tiktokification of The 1975 has me feeling nostalgic. Nostalgia is no reason to put yourself in harm's way, here's a reminder that that nubby liner is probably going to give you an eye infection, but I'm older and more secure now. Remember how we all said we'd get therapy? I went! I have real friends now (friends that care enough to try to talk me out of this)! Much like the massive clean-up tumblr went through, although mine didn't involve ch1ld p0rn, I also put in the work and am better because of it. I sense a resurgence coming, why not get situated first, and maybe even be early to the party this time? Besides, recovery doesn't always equal sobriety.

xx,

ES

[sophietv]

Can you point me

To some KAYLOR theories about the pregnancies and stuff. That’s the stuff that really holds me back from LSK

Hi!

Ok, this is a question that I tend to avoid answering because I understand how this question can make people unconfortable.

I would not answer this on Twitter since I feel it is much more "public" and can more easily end up in the "wrong hands" than on Tumblr.

I think I might have some things that might help you understand the thought process of LSKs, or at the very least mine.

I'm gonna talk about theories around Levi here, if this makes you unconfortable, just scroll (I've hidden the rest for a reason).

And before you think that sending me hate anon would be "funny" or make me run away... I am a very loud Kaylor on Twitter... it's really not my first rodeo ;-), do with that what you will.

Here's my thought process about all of this:

There's A LOT of closeted artists for A LOT of different reasons.

Sadly, most of those reasons turn around how homophobic the entertainment industry is and how it's difficult for an artist/actor etc. to stay mainstream while being out.

So what's the solution for them if they want to have a family but also want/have to stay closeted?

I don't think it's fair or even possible to expect everyone of them to not have a family if they want to stay in the closet. In fact it's inhumane and not possible.

Sadly this means that some of them will have to do some things similar to this, and raise a family in secret.

Words can't describe how much I hate the entertainment industry for all that they make those artists endure...

2. That What I Will Say Episode

They will hate that I use this as an exemple since they are loudly anti-LSK but this is too good of an exemple to not use.

In one episode of What I Will Say they invite a person who dated a closeted singer (not Taylor) and this person explains how bearding works in hollywood.

They say something of the sort : About 70% of the people in the entertainement industry are gay so if they would all come out, it would be impossible to fire them all and still have artists...

Wich kind of help understand my first point better.

They also explain how the industry can "force" someone to have a Lavender Marriage or else they won't have contracts anywhere.

And they say that, although VERY RARE, it can even go as far as forcing a Lavender Baby.

NOW. I REALLY DON'T THINK that this is what is happening here. But this goes to show how inhumanely stars are treated in the industry.

Here's the link to the podcast, I highly suggest to go take a listen (X)

3. I really don't believe Joshlie is real.

There's so much that points to Josh being gay and in a relationship with Mickey.

This also explains a lot about Karlie and Josh's timeline.

I mean everybody agrees that at least until 2016 Karlie and Taylor were together.

Since Lover, most agrees that they were still together in 2019 and broke up.

This all implies that Karlie would have cheated on Josh with Taylor from 2014 to 2016 and most likely 2019. (Karlie and Josh are supposed to be together since 2012)

And Josh would have help Karlie???... (looking at you Burma post)

And then what? Karlie would have chosen Josh who she had cheated on all those years to have a family?

This also means, that Karlie did not date Toni before Taylor.

But Toni was with Karlie up till the 2013 VSFS where she was her date to the after party...

Do you see how all of this does not make sense?

Also. Taylor confirms the relationship between Mickey and Josh in I Bet You Think About Me MV:

To you right Josh lookalike, left Mickey's lookalike

Picture as proof:

Josh, Mickey and Karlie

Taylor even "spills" her champagne while doing a close shot at Mickey's lookalike

There's also this GIF at the end of this post where you see Josh and Mickey being REALLY close: (X)

And if you need more proofs, this post is VERY telling: (X)

Also, the weddings in 2018 and 2019 are not real.

I really do believe that they are not really married for many reasons, but to name a few:

no proofs of a marriage certificate

Compagnies still send cards to Karlie with "miss" instead of "mrs".

Taylor did hint at a fake wedding in The Man MV, and Don't Take The Money in 2018.

Karlie's dad liked those posts on Instagram in 2019, do with those what you will:

Disclaimer: I don't think Josh is the devil reincarnate. I don't like that he's a Kushner and that his family had anything to do with Taylor's Master Heist or that he sought Karlie for bearding when she was 19 and him 27 (although this also protected Karlie in an industry that can be really "not safe" for girls, especially single ones).

But you won't see me throw shade his way and call him Jerk, I really don't fell like I know enough about the situation, their dynamic, their relation etc. to do that.

Also, in the last couple of years, they really do seem to get along and Karlie does seem confortable when she does stunts with him. I do appreciate this.

4.

Taylor hints at a baby in Peace:

"Give you my wild, give you a child"

In a song where she talks about being insecure because she can't offer a normal life to the person who decides to share it with her.

"People think love's for show, but I would die for you in secret. The devil's in the details, but you've got a friend in me"

It's also in The Lakes on Folklore that she says that her relationship was able to flourish outside of the puclic eye: "A red rose grew up, out of ice frozen ground, with no one around to tweet it".

Also in Anti-Hero: "I have this dream my daughter in law kills me for the money"

How would she have a daughter in law if she doesn't have a son?

5. Taylor did leave a lot of "easter eggs" around the time Karlie was trying to get pregnant, was pregnant and after she gave birth.

Wich sealed the deal for me.

Here's a link to a great post that lists some of them: X

Other interesting "easter eggs" I've found:

The tied me to you bracelet is the loudest thing they ever did in my opinion (before this weekend's baby shower that is):

Karlie's post with a bracelet with Levi's name on it, Gigi's post with a baby with a bracelet that look alike, and Taylor's Folklore Merch that is the exact same...

In April 2021 Taylor releases for the first time a mother's day collection (Levi was born in March 2021) : (X)

Look at how many items are golden.

She did the same thing in 2022:

On April 13th (clearly she was trying to tell us something)

Also notice how The Best Day socks have a daisy on them?

And how they are like the ones she wore this week? (right before Karlie's shower).

Midnights Mayhem with me:

Notice how she holds the phone upside down for Anti Hero (Track 3) and Vigilante Sh!t (Track 8)?

3/8 = Karlie's birthday.

Now the phone on the other ear on You're On Your Own Kid (Track 5) and Bejeweled (Track 9)

In 2021, the year Levi was born (in March), Mother's Day was on May 9th.

In Dear Reader, the opening is really family-like. You hear someone cook, someone play piano from the other room etc.

But, if you pay attention. You also hear a child say : Mom!

3 times in the song: 1:30, 2:41. 3:01

In Sweet Nothing, this song really sounds like a lullaby.

It lasts 3:08 minutes (Karlie's birthday)

And was co-written with William Bowery.

Here's a thread I made on Twitter explaining why I'm pretty sure Karlie is William Bowery: (X)

There's also her Mother's Day speech at the Eras Tour that was pretty telling: (X)

Or Taylor being really suspicious in her SN TV announcement last week saying that it will return to it's mother.

And Taylor Nation commenting this:

A few days after Midnight's release:

Karlie does a post with a baby seat, the same week Taylor posts a video with a baby seat as well.

Also there's something really cute about the "Thinks her cat is her son"

Since it's Benjamin.

Karlie was named after Carly Simon, Taylor was named after James Taylor.

They were both married and had a son named Ben...

How to forget the Our Song easter egg:

Karlie posts this earlier in the day

And that very night, Taylor plays Our Song: "I was riding shot gun with my hair undone on the front seat of his car. He's got one hand on the steering wheel. The other on my heart"

Or the posts Karlie did on Taylor's birthday. With a story with 13 slides of her spending the day cooking with Levi.

But this picture in particular is just -

Every cake has a story by Milk Bar...

Karlie bough a Milk Bar cake for Taylor's birthday, and Taylor raved about it in interviews. She said it was the best birthday cake she ever had...

There's soooooo much more, but I hope you see my point a bit better.

6. Then you have timings that are odly convenient to deflect attention from Karlie and the baby.

Like Taylor releasing It's Time To Go and Right Where You Left Me in January 2021 wich made most people think that either there was really a falling out/betrayal (Swifties) or a break up (Gaylors).

Conveniently, Karlie gave birth two monts after.

Also, the timing of announcing the birth right when Taylor was on stage at the 2021 Grammy's.

Making it impossible to be her baby right?

And then, 2 days after the Met Gala this year where we learned about Karlie's pregnancy, news of Taylor's new PR relationship with Matty Healy drops and everyone talks about this.

Especially Gaylors.

7. The baby shower this week was sooooo loud.

Like the loudest thing they have ever done.

Taylor flagging daisies twice during the week:

And a bag named Elizabeth and James:

After singing Daylight with a giant smile similar to the Riptide smile, the weekend before.

Then, Karlie does the baby shower that is daisy themed, with 13 daisies on the cake...

8. All this, plus all the hints they both are giving that they are still in contact to this very day.

Here's a list of some "koincidences" since 2019 that I did on Twitter: (X)

And here's a list of all the Midnights things Karlie's hinted to in advance just in the last year: (X)

9. Karlie's been hinting at being in (at the very least) a very serious relationship.

She wears this ring on her right ring finger since long ago (symbol of an LGBTQ+ marriage).

But since around August 2022, she's even more loud, and wears that ring on almost everey posts she makes.

Here's a post about this: (X)

The ring is a Cartier Love Ring. (Can't add anymore pictures in the post sorry...)

The very definition of Love Lock Down: (X)

"Lock in your love forever"

Whoa this is a long post! Sorry for the novel...

There's so much more to say, but I think I made my thoughts clear enough... at least, I hope!

So yes, I really do think that those two babies might be Karlie's and Taylor's.

As far as Josh's implication, no idea, he might be the donor, he might not. But that is not what is important here.

Disclaimer: I don't buy the theory of the child actor or the robot or anything lol.

Disclaimer 2: although I don't think the wedding is real. This does not mean that I think Karlie did not convert to Judaism. If you look at everything she said about this, this was clearly something important to her and independent of her wedding.

I think they both have one beautiful son and another baby on the way and they very unfortunatly have to hide this beautiful reality from the world.

At least for now.

I hope this helped you understand it all a bit better!

If you have any other questions concerning LSK let me know!

BTW! Thanks guys for sending me anon, I'm very new to all the Tumblr thing and it warms my heart that you guys take the time to send me your questions!

[lewierre]

How did Nico ruin the friendship and why is he always thinking about Lewis? Thanks

hello anon! welcome to the sunshine and britney club <3 (respectively lewis and nico - nico is called britney since mark webber did in 2006 lmao)

read at the risk of obsessing over two idiots who can't communicate </3

the beginning

nico and lewis have been friends since they were kids. they started karting together and were a team.

they always had always a strong bond animated by competition, but it was always a fun rivalry between two best friends

(lewis comes from a working class background while nico’s father is formula 1 wdc keke rosberg so he was raised in a rich environment - lewis used to convince nico to buy him sweets all the time lmao)

nico and his dad always had lewis’s back back then helping him when his kart was broken and adjusting settings on his kart for him when lewis broke his wrist (and still went to win the race starting from 8th wearing a cast) - and they even went on holiday together in greece one summer

what happened in greece? we may never know (unless that 6 hour brocedes podcast happens sometime in the future - who knows)

but just the fact they went on summer holidays together at 14 tells you just how close they were

“Fifteen year ago Lewis and I were on holiday in Greece, saying 'imagine if one day we fought for the F1 championship in the best team against each other' - and now we are doing it. That's incredible!”

nico always likes to mention it for some reason

karting years

people who knew them from back then always point out how close they were

they’d have a competition even when eating pizza at the restaurant

"As a kid, I didn't like pizza, but I remember often going out for dinner with Lewis and Nico, they would even have races to eat pizza, always eating two at a time” - from robert kubica who used to race against them - “There was always competition. They always wanted to win, to beat each other. But they didn't fight. It was friendly competition. There was always laughing afterwards.”

from dino chiesa, their karting boss "Many times I was called by reception about some problem in the room. It might be noise or they might have broken something. They would never sleep, so they were always tired the next morning.”

"Both liked ice cream so much, particularly vanilla. During the night, they wanted to eat ice cream always, so I had to go out everywhere and find some to keep them happy. They were just kids”

according to nico they shared rooms and had wrestling matches

the unicyle™

"Probably the first bit of real competition we had was when Nico used to ride a unicycle everywhere, So I thought I've got to learn to ride this unicycle. I've got to be better than him'. I spent all my time outside the go-kart learning to ride this unicycle."

according to nico, it took lewis 2 hours to learn

formula 1

nico started in f1 in 2006, lewis in 2007

toto on them: "What is the past between the two? There was a lot of historical context that none of us knew, and will never know."

they had their first shared podium at the australian gp in 2008

look at them! they were so excited about it! (the gif is mine)

lewis even called dino to tell him about it

in 2013 lewis took a gamble and joined mercedes and became once again nico’s teammate

at the malaysian gp - after the team ordered nico not to overtake lewis - this is what lewis said

“If I'm honest I feel Nico should be standing here. He had better pace through the race. Nico deserved to be where I am. Would I let him past in the future? I probably would."

2013 went really good, they had fun, filmed a lot of cringey commercials and helped develop the car. it was mostly fun and games

they are still to this day neighbors in monaco, but back then they used to hang out all the time and eat burgers together

in 2014 is when shit started happening

monaco quali

during quali at the monaco gp 2014, nico missed a breaking point and went to the run off area. but because he had the provisional pole and lewis was on a faster lap just at the end of the session, people accused him of pulling a shumi™ and doing it on purpose

when asked about it nico obviously said that it was not on purpose. he was investigated, but the stewards cleared him

“Of course I’m sorry for Lewis, I didn’t know where he was. Yeah, it’s not great.”

while lewis when asked if he believed it was on purpose he said “Potentially”

spain but the s is silent part one - spa 2014

trying to overtake lewis from p2, nico caused a punture and caused lewis to dnf (he finished p2) it was the first real accident between them. both of them admitted to being wrong, and toto said disciplinary measures were taken towards nico

lewis: “The fans want to see a clean fight until the end of the season and that's what we want to give them […] we have both made mistakes.”

“We had a meeting about it and he basically said he did it on purpose. He said he could have avoided it, but he didn't want to. He basically said, 'I did it to prove a point'."

and then in 2016 everything went completely wrong

the atmosphere was horrible according to people working with them

niki lauda: "In the beginning everything was fine but as it got more competitive, they both got against each other. The competition was only between Nico and Lewis who was going to be world champion.”

“They had no relation, which is always bad. They were so bad that they didn't even say hello in the morning to each other. I don't expect them to have breakfast together if they don't like each other, I don't expect them to sit down and have breakfast, but the relationship was really bad.”

"It affected Lewis mainly and Nico, so it was fine but not easy. Lewis got so upset about it that sometimes on the performance they lost because they played tricks on each other. One didn't show the other what set-up they were using, which is bad for the team again because we both want to go forwards.”

"They played all the tricks in the book. But for the team it was pretty tiring."

lewis too said nico and him were not friends

"Nico and I can count our friends on one hand, Nico does not come into those five friends I have, and I don't come in the five friends he has."

mercedes even threatened to sack them both at a point in 2016, right after barcelona

spain but the s is silent pt 2 - spain gp 2016

nico had started the race in a wrong engine mode, causing him to be way slower than lewis so he decides to overtake, but as he did, nico pushed him off the track where he spun and they both ended up in the gravel.

neither were penalized by the fia as it was a racing incident tho niki lauda and most of the media blamed lewis for this one

N: “I made it very clear I wasn't going to leave any space on the inside and I was very surprised he went for the gap".

lewis apologized to the team but never accepted the blame

abu dhabi gp 2016

season finale of the 2016 championship, lewis is leading the race, nico is second. in order not to lose the championship, lewis slows down, trying to get nico overtaken by other cars

it was a controversial move, and it divided public opinion

L: “I did nothing dangerous so I don’t feel I did anything unfair. We were fighting for the world championship. I was leading. I control the pace. That’s the rules.”

N: “You can understand the team’s perspective and you can enjoy Lewis’s perspective, There were many moments that were not enjoyable.”

the team got upset but someone else defended him

someone named christian horner (yes - that horner)

“Winning the race wasn’t going to be enough for him today, he needed cars between him and, if he’d charged off into the distance, he wouldn’t have created that possibility. So he won the race as slowly as he could. It’s like in a football game where the team might protect from the opposition by kicking the ball around and not enabling the opposition to get hold of the it. I didn’t see that he did anything wrong today.”

he even asked lewis to race for redbull

in the end, lewis won the race but nico won the championship. the celebrations were dry and everything - with nico straight up ignoring lewis on the podium

post season 2016

nico retired just after winning his first championship

L:“I’m probably one of the only people that it was not a surprise to. This is the first time he’s won a title in 18 years, hence why it was not a surprise that he decided to stop. He’s also got a family to focus on, and wants more children, and Formula One takes so much of your time. Will I miss the rivalry? Of course.”

2016 - now

nico immediately said after retiring that he wanted to make amends. he admitted to having played mind games and said it was the only way

he said: "I'm open to finding our way, y'know, and even having a good relationship again in the future. why not?"

i can’t cite this whole interview cause it’s long, but you should watch it. they way he talks about lewis is fascinating

nico follows lewis on ig, made multiple posts to congratulate him on all his major achievements - and there’s been many - and is basically his number one fan and cheerleader - watch this video by yours truly if you want to see for yourself the heart eyes this motherfucker has - the dude is obsessed but aren’t we all

lewis on the other hand kinda pretends nico doesn’t exist really, doesn’t follow him back and doesn’t acknowledge nico’s posts about him and nico has said they don’t have each other’s number

this is why we kinda lost our minds when lewis mentioned nico and called him his best friend back then in drive to survive season 3

“There was a period of time the guy that has been my teammate has been my best friend. but when you work your life to win, and only one of you can win, it brings a lot of friction.”

this happened last year too but we shall never know what they talked about

now for the plot twist! lewis was photographed hanging out on a yacht with nico (and susie and toto) in the year 2021

i lost my mind over this tbh - hopefully this is a sign of reconciliation, i truly hope so for them both <3

here is the sunshine and britney tag, which i made to talk about our favorite ex-besties - you can find a few of us crying whenever nico says anything about lewis (he even went “can we go back to lewis hamilton” when the cameras changed from lewis’s lap he was commenting - poetic cinema), finding way too specific lyrics that hurt so good, and lose our minds over old pics of them cause they’re stellar

hope i was exhaustive enough! (if you have any other qs please leave them to my inbox! i promise i won’t write you another essay i just love them so much!) :,)

[bedlamsbard]

Will anything truly replace what was the starwars fandom while rebels was airing?

it was such a supremely specific experience that I think it would be difficult -- like, not impossible to have a similar vibe in another fandom, but I don't think we'll get that kind of Star Wars fandom again any time soon, because a lot of things would have to change for it to happen. I know we're all, like, jaded now because the Star Wars machine has been rolling in a frankly wild way since December 2015, when TFA came out.

so the thing with Rebels and Rebels fandom is that -- aside from the specific tropes of the show and how that appealed to individuals -- Rebels was the first major new canon installment in Star Wars. (A New Dawn, the Rebels tie-in novel about Kanan and Hera's first meeting, was actually the first.)

this was 2014, this was a weird time in Star Wars, and from a perspective of almost eight years later it's hard to convey how different Star Wars fandom was then to how it was now. Disney bought Lucasfilm in 2012, a moment when we all kind of sat there and went "...hmm...what...?" TCW aired what was then its final season in 2012-2013 and it essentially got, hmm, soft-cancelled? like, they didn't come out and say "TCW has been cancelled" but it was very "oh...well...we don't know...there might be some more episodes...maybe..." essentially the Disney buyout meant that Lucasfilm ended its contract with Cartoon Network, which was the channel that TCW had been on. (you can still occasionally see gifs floating around Tumblr with CN logos on them.) there was a year between The Wrong Jedi ending (remember, back in the day this was TCW's series finale!) and when The Lost Missions (S6) came out; I can't recall for sure when it got announced. I know it came out in February in Germany, and then all at once on Netflix in the U.S. in March 2014. AT THE TIME WHEN TCW S6 CAME OUT THE EXPANDED UNIVERSE, WHAT IS NOW LEGENDS, WAS STILL CANON. sorry I'm not shouting at you, but this is kind of critical.

let's back up.

Rebels was announced in 2013. May, to be specific, so essentially right after the "TCW has been soft-cancelled" announcement. (I'm not going to bother looking for them now, but if you go far enough back on my Tumblr you can find me bitching about TCW getting cancelled so they can make Rebels. oh how the turn tables.) we didn't start getting any details about it until January 2014 and from the perspective of hindsight they're all very cute "Meet Kanan, the cowboy Jedi" and "Meet Sabine, the explosive artist" videos. at the time I think everyone was pretty jaded and also like "hmm...what's Disney up to now..." at this point that there would be a new sequel trilogy had been announced but no details given.

in April 2014 Lucasfilm announced that the Expanded Universe was being rebranded as "Legends" and that moving forwards the only preexisting canon would be the six saga films and TCW.

that meant from April to September 2014 (when AND came out, though in August 2014 we started getting the little Rebels shorts that you can find on YouTube) we were mostly sitting here tensely wondering what that meant for Star Wars and what new Star Wars would mean going forward. Dark Horse also lost the comics license around then, allowing all the old Dark Horse titles to be neatly categorized as Legends (except for the one TCW comics arc about Darth Maul that was adapted into a four-issue arc), and for Disney-owned Marvel to get the license back -- all Marvel titles moving forwards could then be canon.

so that's where Rebels arrived in October 2014. again, we're all jaded now, there's so much Star Wars now that it's hard to think about what it was like when the fandom was sitting there tensely to be like "okay, so what is Star Wars going to look like now that everything we knew has just been torpedoed?" and I genuinely think that Rebels -- especially S1 -- could not have been as wild as it was if it hadn't been the very first thing to enter the new canon. the playing field was wide open! they could do anything!

and from a 2022 perspective, Rebels really is wild, it's not something I think Star Wars would do now, especially S1. as soon as the big ramp-up for TFA started the following fall, the official content being produced shifted and it's continued to move in a very different direction since then. it's almost unrecognizable. like, obvs still Star Wars -- and I should note through most of this my focus has been on the animated series since that's what I care about -- but the tone of the content being produced has changed, the direction, the themes, the character types...because there's now so much more Star Wars instead of a near blank slate, the way it was in 2014, there are now these really set patterns that have now been created.

and honestly as someone who was in Star Wars fandom prior to Rebels and even prior to TCW, but came to Rebels through TCW, I genuinely do think the Rebels experience was unique partially because of where the show falls in terms of the greater picture of Star Wars. what SW fandom was like prior to TFA and what the fandom was like afterwards were two completely different experiences, even in a fringe subfandom like Rebels. (and a huge number of people I knew back then came to Rebels from TCW.) Rebels fandom really got lucky because it had a whole year prior to TFA to get itself set and to get a really distinctive subfandom culture. and I think a big part of reason is because of when Rebels happened and the unique place it occupies within Star Wars canon as the first major Disney installment, as the first big canon non-Lucas installment, as a piece of canon that back in the day did not star any legacy characters. like, everyone talks about Mando doing that now, but Rebels did that first and it did it at a time when there was no precedent for it outside of books/comics/games. and they pulled it off.

(I think for those of us that are still here on Tumblr in the year 2022 it might be something of a shock to learn that back in 2014, Star Wars was active on Tumblr as well and was doing promo for Rebels you can't find elsewhere -- these little HoloNetNews clips, for example: Kashyyyk, Lothal Jobless Report, Imperial Registration Report.)

...this is not what you were asking but in short, no, I don't think there's anything in Star Wars that will ever replicate the Rebels experience, and a lot of things would have to happen for anything similar to happen in another fandom with a lot of extenuating factors.

[yana125]

this could be either my worst or best idea tonight. we'll see. destiel for 001?

Mwaha! :D

when I started shipping it if I did:

I started shipping Destiel after 9x11 - First Born was aired and a bunch of gifs about the parallels between Destiel and Cain/Colette appeared. I was a big Bleach fan at the time (*sigh* forever bitter...) and since Bleach is packed with parallels I started to like the concept of it. So when I found out that there's this series with parallels and almost immediately started shipping Destiel and binged the 8 and a half seasons to understand the characters and the relatioship while I watched season 9 as it aired. So 2014 January/February. Here's my first post about it :'D

my thoughts:

The greatest slowburn love story ever told. Or it could've been. Or maybe it still can be. This series started in an era when loooong series were still a thing, and yes it was stretched out too long, but this could've been the example of how the world had changed in 15 years. A main character, starting as the creator's 'Han Solo, the womanizer' character (pffff... he clearly didn't understand Han Solo at all...), the white American hetero man fantasy, coming into terms with his own true self, setting example for those many adult men struggling with self acceptance. But it didn't happen. Or maybe it will, but who knows. And honestly, there wouldn't be any other series like this, because studios now go for 5-6 short seasons that people can consume fast, so the magic of the slow burn character and relationship developement is mostly gone.

What makes me happy about them:

(Should I link the 8 hours Destiel cut here? Nah...) Hmmmmmm..... Getting to know myself as their characters and relationship progressed? I don't know, this can be answere in many ways, but I can't come up with an answer that's related to the actual plot... Okay, let's try... The way their character and relationship developed as the years went on (here we go again...) against all odds. Their story is one that wanted to be written and it fought for its survival. These two characters had a great impact on each other, and I'm proud of their progress.

What makes me sad about them:

Incompetent writers. And the network actively working against them. The finale felt like a stab in the back (by a rebar). This ship had fought for its survival inside and outside the fourth wall and than that happened, a total 180 for all the character development, dragging all that foreshadowing and build-up to the true finale to a back alley and stabbing it in the back (with a rebar). The tragedy is that the relationship wanted to strive and live but c*w w*lker was more important to the nutwork than going down in television history as something groundbreaking. (Yes, I know I'm using big words and believe too much in the impact this one show can have, but its true.)

(Okay, I'm sorry, I couldn't answer these questions without thinking about it in a meta way X'D)

things done in fanfic that annoys me:

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm.............. Damn, I haven't read Destiel fics in a long time... I can't answer this right now. There were certainly things that made me nope out of a fic, but I don't remember any... Let's say Highschool AU's and such, but only because I never understood the appeal. I like AU's that aren't that different from the canon universe.

things I look for in fanfic:

Now that I can answer. Well after the finale it was obviously 'Dean rescues Cas from the Empty' and fix-it fics. But before that, like with almost every fandom, I looked for the soulmate AU's, the slow burns, the 'oh' moments. I really liked the human!Cas fics and the 'Cas lives in the bunker' fics. I want emotions, and emotionally vulnerable moments between the two TT_TT

Who I’d be comfortable them ending up with, if not each other:

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.................. Dean with Tessa (the reaper). I really liked Tessa, she was a nice character, it's such a shame she was killed in season 9... :( And I honestly don't have anyone for Cas.

My happily ever after for them:

Human Cas living with Dean in the Bunker with their many adopted kids and extended found family, helping the next generation of hunters in a role like Bobby's

who is the big spoon/little spoon:

Big spoon Cas and little spoon Dean

what is their favorite non-sexual activity:

Watching movies, like in the canon we didn't see but got hints about here and there :D

Thank you for the ask!

[scabopolis]

HOHOHO! I'm so excited you're participating this year! I was like you when I first joined the fandom, and this event was a huge reason why I got out of my shell and started making the incredible friends I have today. I want to make sure I give you the best gift ever! Tell me what you love about CS? Favorite kind of tropes/fics? Can't wait to hear from you xoxo Santa

So I just went back and looked and I first posted about OUAT in 2014, so it’s been a while! And for posterity sake, I looked at my thoughts as I did my first watch of the season. here’s some interesting things: 

1. I thought Killian was SO pretty from the beginning, thought he was a super fun character, but didn’t love him as a shipping prospect for Emma; and 

2. Loathed Neal. Loathed with the fire of 1,000 burning suns. Also didn’t want him with Emma. I actually was so confused about him and felt like I was going crazy that no one in universe saw what I saw. 

3. Adored Emma. Like she was undoubtedly my favorite character and all my analysis of the show was “CAN EVERYONE CUT EMMA SOME SLACK, PLEASE?!?!” I at one pointed tagged a gif set of Emma with “precious little sugar dumpling” and another with “look at this little peach.” Emma is my favorite.

Which leads me to the eventual shipping of Emma x Killian. It was because HE CUT HER SOME FREAKING SLACK and was 100% team Emma. Emma became his favorite, and then he became my second favorite because of that fact. And now they’re tied for first. 

And holy shit I apparently decided I wanted to talk, so there’s more below the read more. 

So, things I love about CS would include: 

I love how, despite appearances maybe, Emma loves deeply and she wants to be loved deeply in return (I just rewatched Tallahassee and that episode is heartbreaking because it’s Emma solving problem after problem after problem in order to be with Neal and both him and August letting her down so much)

I love how focused and determined and single-minded and driven Killian is

I love how when Emma outwits Killian, he admits it and is delighted by it (seriously, it’s one of the first things that I noted! that for all his swagger and confidence there is very little ego)

I love how much you can see Emma just melt when someone hugs her

I love how much the idea of home matters to both Emma and Killian

I love how confident Killian is that he is going to find a solution to any problem even when circumstances seem bleak

I love the rare Emma smile when it’s happy and carefree

I love the look on Killian’s face he gets where it is 100% heart on his sleeve you can see everything he’s thinking BAM!

I love that in their first real conversation Killian wasn’t like “so tell me where you grew up” but is like “TELL ME ABOUT ALL YOUR THOUGHTS ON LOVE” and that instead of Emma being like “so, how’d you get into pirating” she’s like “SO...THIS MEMORIAL TATTOO. PROBABLY LINKED TO THE MURDER YOU WANT TO DO?! YES?” like, guys, have you heard of get to know you questions? did it not occur to you to warm up to the big questions? 

Favorite things to have in fic: 

Tropes: fake dating (obvi), sucker for a coffee shop AU, love it when the grumpy one meets the smiley one, secret dating, “who was going to tell me we’ve been dating this whole time?!?!”, have read 1,000 sleepy domestic fluff fics;

Smut: smuff or smut glitter over the really dirty stuff (mostly I get distracted by the logisticals of a lot of smut), and this is getting long;

I love a little bit of everything, to be honest. My only “requirement” is that Killian be on Team-Emma and Emma be on Team-Killian, which given this is a CS fic exchange feels like a given. 

I AM SORRY THAT YOUR SECRET SANTA GIFTEE IS SUCH A WORDY BITCH. 

[istgimamess]

Label: yg entertainment

Stage name: Barbie

Debut year: 2014 (4yrs active)

Debut concept: sexy, dark, story driven, rap and dance heavy, hip hop/pop track!

Number of members: 1(solo artist)

Group name: you go by your stage name, Barbie!

Fandom name: bb's

Position: main dancer, vocal, rap and visual; basically everything (because you rock!)

Male bestie: Yukhei (NCT)

How you meet: you hurt eachother both physically and emotionally, and then laughed about it. Alot! It was a normal day, you had just returned from dance practice and you were kind of exhausted; so you weren't paying that much attention to your surroundings! And then, let's just say, you hit a wall. Literally! Knees buckling, foreheads banging, elbows stabbing eachother in the stomachs - you struggled to break free. "Oh my freakin- you broke my face!! My face is broken!! What the hell is your forehead made out of?!! Bricks?!" "Well, I wouldn't of had to break your face if you had just watched where you were going, you frat-boy looking douche!" There was a long pause, some intense eye contact and then you both were cracking up; red faced and both clutching your stomachs, you managed to introduce yourselves! You've been attached at the hip ever since! You both have 4D personalities and you both love to make people laugh! You're 100x more extra when you're with eachother! Like Bonnie and Clyde, Tom and Jerry - you have eachothers back but always tease eachother constantly! He quickly becomes one of your best friends! He also gets oddly really protective of you, in a funny way, and his band mates like to tease him to see his reaction! "Hmm, I think my girl crush would have to be Barbie! She's really sexy!" "...(delayed reaction) Wait, what!? (^..gif..^)..who just said that!?? I'll stab you in the eye with a fork!!.." Even though he uses humor to mask how much he dislikes other people talking about you, you know if it came down to it, he would genuinely put someone in their place for you! Your friendship is the sweetest! (*sob*.. my 4D son!)

Female bestie: Lisa (Black Pink)

How you meet: you meet through dance! You had started taking more and more dance classes and workshops after your debut and occasionally you would meet new people in those classes! Long story short, she "accidently" caught you off gaurd after practice one day and you might have turned around and kicked her in the shin in a desperate attempt to "defend" yourself. You apologized over and over again but she just wouldn't stop laughing and take your apology, "hahahahhahahahaha you call that self defense?! You looked like a rabid bunny...I'm sorry hahahhaha...I can't stop laughing...hahaha.." "HA! Hilarious. Laugh it up..." She ends up choking which makes you laugh hysterically, until both of you are just a mess of giggles. You quickly end up bonding over your love for dance and food! And it became kind of a game between you two, on who could sneak up and scare the other more: at award shows, at fan meets, at restaurants; any and everywhere you could possibly think of! You had gotten in couple of good scares, but she was still the reigning queen! Which, she always brags about! "Lisa, you're best friends with Barbie right!?" "Yeah! She's my bestie!" "I hear you like to sneak up and scare eachother! How do you usually do it?!" "Yeah! I get her everytime! Like this...(^.. gif..^).." She's such a fruitloop, but you love her!

Group bestie: NCT Dream

How you meet: it was one of the weirdest encounters you've had in your entire life, to be completely honest. One second you were picking out something to eat at the local 7-11 and then without warning you were surrounded by a pack of fetus looking thugs. "You barbie!?" "We've literally watched every single one of her music videos and all of her interviews. We know what she looks like, why would you ask such a stupid question!?" "I was just trying to act cool!" "Well that's your problem right there! You're a rapper not an actor!" "You want to fight me!?" "Oh look, Canada thinks he can throw down.." "Stop pushing his buttons, Haechan. But on a serious note, we've all seen pictures of her on Lucas' phone sooooo that definitely was a stupid question.." "I swear to go-" "Umm, sorry to interrupt but...what is happening!?" "We're your new best friends, we're here to replace Lucas. Nice to meet you!" "Ummm..I mean..okay, sure.." And just like that, your fate was sealed! (No joke, my brothers football team actually did this to me! Soooo yeah, this legit happened!) You end up not really minding though. They are super supportive, always cheering you on and hyping you up! It's kind of cute, they follow you around like little ducklings; always competing with Lucas for your attention and friendship. "Noona, Yukhei said you prefer atleast one of your bestfriends to be buff so..(^.. gif..^).." You love them!

Ship name: b-min, smiley couple

How you meet: you ran into him at an award show. Literally! You were too busy trying to watch out for Lisa! You knew she was obviously attending the award show, and you knew it was the perfect setting and opportunity for her to sneak up and scare you; so you weren't paying attention to anything! Until you were laying flat on the ground, another human being hovering over you. "Yikes, are you okay!?" "Oh my god! I'm soooo sorry!" You apologize profusely as he tries to help you stand. "It's no problem, I might be short but I'm sturdy- nope, I take that back, you're shorter.." With red cheeks and shaky hands you both stumbled awkwardly through your introductions and from then on, it was history! He ended up asking you out and you jumped at the gun to say yes; you've been together ever since. He really is a great boyfriend, always cuddling you, buying you flowers, taking you out to eat, supporting you. (I'm actually getting kind of jealous lmfao) He's whipped and his band mates tease him about it all the time! "And here we have Park Jimin not paying attention to the camera at all because he's too busy texting Barbie! What a shocker!....(^.. gif..^)..." You're total relationship goals!

Biggest fan: Wooseok (Pentagon) is probably your biggest fan! He's constantly listening to your music, watching your MV's, downloading your songs, watching your TV appearances and talking about you in interviews! "I'm a huge fan of Barbie-noona! She's really talented and she's such a good dancer! I would love to collab with her sometime in the future!" It's the cutest thing; he's such a big fan of everything you do and he's so loyal to your fandom, constantly calling himself a fellow bb! "Wooseok, quick question! Do you think there is anyone in the world that dances better than Barbie?!" "...(^..gif..^)..." It's adorable!

Scandal: it's not a secret that you're a dancing dancer who loves to dance, and it's definitely not a secret that EXO's Kim Jongin is one of the best dancers out there, in your opinion! (It's a total FACT!) So given that he's actually one of your closest friends, even an older brother at times; always willing to practice with you and give you advice! You use this to your benefit! Often! That's why dispatch has photographs of you and Jongin together on multiple nights! "New romance between Solo Artist Barbie and EXO's Kai?!" "Ken and Barbie?! More like Kai and Barbie! New hott couple alert!" You both end up laughing until you're curled up in a ball on the floor. "Really?! A Barbie and Ken joke!? That's what they're leading with?" "You're a bit too vertically challenged to be a Barbie, but honestly I'm killing it in the Ken department.." "Jongin, are you actually trying to fight me right now?!" It's really ridiculous!

Other activities: sure, you're a singer and a rapper but dancing is and always will be your number one! It's your passion, it's what you went to school for and it's what you live to do! So when yg suggests that you start trying to broaden your fan base with some type of variety show or competition like 'Hit the Stage' you freaked out! (Girllllllll, so would I!)You were so excited but also very nervous to showcase more of your dancing skills on such a big platform but it turned out to be one of the funnest experiences! You ended up feeling right at home amongst the other dancers, made some new friends, learned more about dance as a craft and even made some new fans! "It was just sooo fun! I was definitely nervous but I pulled though! I knew I had it in me!" "Ohhhh wow, so you're just not going to give me credit at all!? I mean, its not like I went through another dating scandal just to help you practice or anything, right?! How rude of you, midget." "Oh my god, Jongin, I swear I will push you down a flight of stairs..." It was awesome!

------------------------------------------------------------------------

@kbabie heyyyy sooooo yeahhh, thank you so much for your patience! I know it takes me hella long to do idol ships, because I kind of overdo it. But thank you so much for the request, I hope you like it! Please feel free to let me know what you think! 😅

[fly-pow-bye]

Powerpuff Girls 2016 - “Mini Golf Madness“

Written by: Haley Mancini

Written & Storyboarded by: Alicia Chan, Grace Kraft

Directed by: Nick Jennings, Bob Boyle

Mulligans are not necessary here.

The episode starts with an establishing shot of Wooly’s Ragtime Mini Golf, the Wooly’s clearly being a replaced word. Totally Not Old Man McGucket, or Wooly for short, tells everyone to have a “golf-tastic time”. Then he gets hit by the Wooly’s sign, revealing that it used to be owned by Rico. Is there a point to this? There might be, but it's never outright stated.

The golf course is filled with animatronics of 1930′s cartoon characters...and Top Cat! A very rare appearance of a Hanna-Barbera character not named Scooby Doo on modern Cartoon Network. I wish it was less rare. Unforunately, these robots are breaking down too easy, which could be our first hint that’s something is not quite right about this place. Bubbles doesn’t seem to mind, though. It’s still cute to her.

Buttercup plays a round of mini-golf, with her sisters helping out. Bubbles is the wind checker, checking the wind using her pigtails. Blossom is keeping score, and because she’s a nerd, she also suddenly talks about the history of the golf course. It was based on the characters from an old 1930′s cartoon called Owly Boop, an obvious parody of Betty Boop. Before Blossom can talk more exposition than necessary, Buttercup shoos her away while she readies her shot.

It lands in in animatronic’s trumpet, which then breaks down, dropping the ball right into the hole. Blossom tells Buttercup that her score is a -7. Buttercup scoffs that her score is a negative number because she’s doing so great, but Blossom reminds her that negative scores in golf are a good thing.

Buttercup: Well, it’s time for Buttercup to do terrible!

Too easy. Also, running gag.

After a montage of Buttercup “doing terrible“, Buttercup faces a giant animatronic Owly Boop at the “Final Hole“. Buttercup has gained enough of a crowd to get the janitor to act as a commentator, because she’s the first person at this mini-golf place to ace every hole so far. Judging by, this is her first try, too.

She swings super hard at the golf ball, making it fly. It hits the animatronic’s ear, an airplane, and a generic sign that says “Generic Sign“. The animators couldn’t get rid of the placeholders in time. It lands right between Owly Boops’ legs, rolling right into the hole.

Bubbles, now acting like the reporter as the janitor is busy with this episode’s poop joke, congratulates Buttercup on her first time perfect game, and asks her what she’s going to do next. Unfortunately, since this is Cartoon Network and not something that owns world famous theme parks, they can’t complete the obvious reference. Instead, Buttercup says she’s going to take her game-winning lucky ball back home.

Wooly isn’t too fond of that plan, as this golf place was built before the concept of having a final hole that is essentially a glorified ball return place. He menacingly tells the girls that all balls must be returned...OR ELSE! Buttercup asks, but he’d rather keep it a secret. He then does a villain laugh, because he's the suspicious guy!

Buttercup goes up to the ball return place, assuring Blossom that she’s a good girl and that she’ll return it like the man says. Of course, Buttercup has a diffterent plan. She just happens to have a gumball in the same shape as one of the mini-golf balls...which she then starts chewing so she can think harder. I’ll admit, that’s an okay joke.

Buttercup’s actual plan is to steal one of Bubbles’ reboot pigtail beads and use one of the blue balls as the replacement. Hey, they finally made Bubbles’ new design useful! We get an ominous shot of the Owly Boop robot opening its eyes while the Powerpuff Girls talk about how creepy Wooly and his course is, making it a bit too obvious what’s going to happen next.

Buttercup cherishes her lucky golf ball, as she and her sisters go to bed. While sleeping, Blossom hears a big explosion. Apparently, even Blossom has gotten used to the lack of crimefighting in this series, as she thinks the explosion was Bubbles farting. Bubbles says it wasn’t her, and then she actually farts. Because this is a piece of children’s media in 2017. I’m surprised there isn’t a pee joke to complete the trifecta.

Blossom tells Buttercup to get out of bed, and she wakes up the other two to show them what she’s seeing:

A shadowy giant singing robot that looks oddly familiar destroying the city. The Powerpuff Girls get out of bed and tear off their pajamas, revealing their usual clothes. Yes, they do apparently shed off their bare feet to reveal their shoes. Don’t even ask how.

It turns out, it’s the giant robot Owly Boop that guarded the last hole on the golf course, tearing apart the city in search for something missing. In her words, which she sings in the style of Betty Boop:

Owly Boop: Hooty-hoot, who’s got it? Hooty-hoot, who’s got it?

She dances around, sings in a jazzy style, and there’s shots like the one above, which fits with the Betty Boop theme of the character. Mostly, she just lifts buildings, leading to jokes like comforting a man who felt his room was too stuffy with that pesky ceiling, and the classic “reveal a woman bathing, causing her to scream“ joke. This is a throwback episode, so it fits.

Highlighting one scene in particular, the robot lifts City Hall like one of those step-on garbage cans to find what she’s looking for, grabbing the Mayor. This leads to The Mayor commenting that she looks just like Ms. Bellum except for her face. I’m glad that Ms. Bellum isn’t completely forgotten, though comparing her to a Betty Boop parody tells me they still don't see her for her personality.

He then cries, because he misses her, with Bubbles having to comfort him. Later on, there’s a cutaway where Bubbles reads him a bedtime story in the same way Ms. Bellum did in one of the flashbacks in Bye Bye Bellum. A more obvious callback to a previous episode? Who would have thought that would happen?

Blossom immediately knows what’s going on, and tells Buttercup that this is happening because she stole the golf ball. Buttercup tells Blossom that she earned it by being "terrible", and says she would do the same thing in her position. To Blossom, she's the epitome of morality, and she would never steal a thing. Guess she forgot about those golf clubs.

Buttercup, not willing to give up her lucky golf ball, decides to do what she actually does worst: actually beating up monsters in this reboot. To be fair, even in the original, if it would break the story, the Powerpuff Girls could, and should, not defeat the Monster of the Week. Catastrophe? The slime monster keeps reforming. Uh Oh Dynamo? Better have that monster be suddenly invincible so they can get in the robot!

The main issue, and I've written this before, is the lack of contrast. There's very little Girls Punch, Monster Down to establish the Powerpuff Girl's powers in the reboot, unlike the original where episodes often open with Townsville under attack and the Powerpuff Girls saving the day. It's a good thing Cartoon Network's website has original episodes as well, or we might forget that the Powerpuff Girls are supposed to be ultra-super-powerful.

Of course, robot kick, girl down. Womp womp, hooty-hoot-hoo. The way she does it isn’t too bad, though: she telescopes her legs to the sky, and then while Buttercup is confused, she kicks him in a way resembling Betty Boop’s dance moves. I like the way the robot is animated in this episode; I wish I made more GIFs.

Wooly shows up, not really concerned that one of his animatronics is destroying the town, but is concerned that whippersnapper is a thief. He tells Buttercup robot will not stop until what she has stolen returns. Huh, he sure seems to know a lot for being an innocent golf guy. He does a lot of evil laughs, too.

Despite everything, Buttercup still feels that she doesn’t need to give up that golf ball that she earned. Besides, it’s not like the city is totally destroyed! Cue the ironic panorama shot!

Wah, wah, wah, waaah.

Buttercup, having no choice, goes on top of a ceiling. She asks Bubbles to check the wind speed, and it’s apparently so strong that it blows Bubbles away. I guess the Powerpuff Girls are now weaker than wind. Buttercup repeats the same golf ball bounces everywhere gag from before, and the ball lands right into her mouth, shutting her down.

They all get ready for the once-an-episode apology scene, until the robot comes back to life with the startling twist! I won't entirely spoil it here, but you can add this episode to the massive pile of episodes that make Blossom look foolish.

Foolish enough for a wah-wah trumpet!

I will give this episode credit: despite consantly making him seem that way, they never really out Wooly as the villain that's the cause of all of this. This episode actually leaves an interpretation to the viewer, and that’s actually nice in a reboot not familiar with the word “subtlety“.

Does the title fit?

Madness is caused by a stolen mini-golf ball.

How does it stack up?

I didn't come to this episode expecting much, but I left rather surprised. The Owly Boop robot is charming, some of the jokes actually work, and it's great to see an episode involving superheroics. In Buttercup's way of thinking, this episode is "terrible". In other words, it's good. Wrap your head around that one.

Next week, the Bro Sharks. Oh, (Man)boy.

← A Star Is Blossom ☆ Summer Bummer →