#david and daniel energy

[disneydatass]

Curb your Enthusiasm S4E10 (2004) || Hacks S3E6 (2024)

[plitnick]

The U.S. double standard on nuclear power is dangerous

Although Joe Biden’s pathetic and desperate effort at Israeli-Saudi normalization is almost certain to fail, the fact that he’s willing to even consider helping Saudi Arabia develop its own, independent nuclear enrichment program (something it is legally entitled to, but the US is by no means required to help with) reveals much about nuclear double standards and hubris in the region as well as…

[jamaalw]

Chiropractic Practice Came From the Demonic World

Red Flags About Chiropractic Therapy Chiropractors usually deal with back or neck problems by manipulating the spine and have become an established part of the healthcare system. However, many will be surprised to know that chiropractic therapy is largely deemed dubious or questionable. Still, many conventional doctors refer third patients to chiropractors, and many insurance plans are willing…

[mentagenesis]

An Insistence on Persistence!

by Daniel Wolfert. “Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!” – Admiral David Farragut. During the American Civil War battle for Mobile Bay (August 5th, 1864) Admiral Farragut was commanding a squadron of Union warships into Confederate controlled waters that were known to be mined with explosive devices. One of the ships exploded and the others began to turn around. To inspire courage and…

[superectojazzmage]

Just back from Alien Romulus and hoooo boy oh boy. Review/analysis.

Easily the best Alien movie since the first two, which isn't saying much, yeah, but it is legit a really cool and well-made movie, competing with Late Night With The Devil, Longlegs, and Cuckoo for title of my favorite horror movie this year.

In a lot of ways it's about harvesting the few good ideas from the post-2 movies that were squandered and doing them right, plus getting the series back to it's healthier roots, kinda the movie equivalent of someone doing physical therapy to get back in the saddle after an injury. This means it's not quite brand new ground like some may hope for and I've heard some people feel it gets a little derivative at points because of it. I can kinda agree and certainly understand that criticism, but I feel it does what it's aiming for really well and sets things up for future works to go in even crazier directions. Furthermore, it takes a lot of time to try and weld together the disparate post-2 movies in a way that brings the series back to a little coherency.

The atmosphere is really intense and cool, swinging between lovecraftian dread and build-up and high-energy chaos. The aesthetics and special effects are gorgeous, taking full advantage of the progress that technology has made since 2 plus really digging in to the used cassette future vibe of the older films. The characters are likable and actually intelligent (or at least understandable) in behavior like in the first two movies, so you care about what's happening to them instead of just waiting for them to get munched. The action and kills were really cool and creative, the cinematography in general was off-kilter in an awesome way - there's a definite attempt to make the movie feel claustrophobic and intimate. Fede Alvarez did a fantastic job in general, I'd love to see him do more with the series.

It REALLY cranks up the series' psychosexual, freudian, and sexual assault subtext, arguably to a point where it's just plain text. So if you're sensitive to stuff like that or if this is your first go at Alien, be warned for that.

More specific notes go under the header for spoilers. Highly recommend you go in as blind as you can.

Andy and Rain were wonderful leads, their dynamic was fantastic and Calie Spaeny and David Jonsson both turned in great performances. I direly hope they join the first two films' casts as "major" characters for the series going forward.

The effects to make Daniel Betts look like Ian Holms were quite possibly the one and only time the special effects failed. It looks very wonky, which is sad because Betts does a really good job copying Holms' mannerisms for Ash while still making Rook feel like a distinct character.

In addition to the usual themes of sexual unease, genetics, and parenthood, this movie adds in some really interesting themes of familial legacy, the rise of new generations, foundations, etc.. Andy and Rain are like Romulus and Remus of myth, orphaned and left to fend for themselves but growing into founders of a new age - both in-story with their carrying the XX121 substance and evidence of Weyland-Yutani's misdeeds to Yvaga and out-of-story with them being the protagonists of a new era for Alien. Likewise, the Offspring is the first example of an entirely new species, neither human nor alien but taking from the lineages of both through Kay and Big Chap, a Romulus-like founder of it's breed that will later bear fruit in Resurrection with the Ripley clone and Newborn.

I'm really not kidding when I say above that the psychosexual undercurrents are taken to the extreme here. This movie basically sees the ways the original film subtly pin-pricked at those themes, says "fuck that", and deliberately rubs it in your face in a way designed to make sure you can't ignore it. It wants you to be grossed out and to squirm in your chair and it knows exactly how to make it happen.

Alvarez noted in the lead-up to release that he took a lot of influence from Isolation and you can definitely see that in how he depicts the Xenomorphs and the general aura of the film. He further described it as a kind of halfway point between the first and second movies and you can also see that; it has the Lovecraft-style tension and horror of the first, balanced with the energy and action of the second, and it does a really good job finding a middle ground between Ridley Scott and James Cameron's styles while also doing it's own dance.

I mentioned way back at the start how the movie basically harvests the good ideas from 3, Resurrection, Prometheus, and Covenant and gives them the room they deserve while dumping the bad. It does that in both terms of themes/style and continuity/lore. Concepts that those movies bungled like xeno-human hybridism, the black goo, genetic engineering as a focus, and so on are done here more creatively and competently. Themes that those films tried and failed to tackle are handled with significantly more grace. It has the atmosphere and characterization of 3 but none of it's baggage and needlessly depressive tone. It has the body horror and weirdness of Resurrection without taking it to the zany, embarrassing areas that movie went. The effects and creativity of Prometheus and Covenant without any of their awful writing and clumsy messages. Alvarez takes on kind of an Al Ewing-esque "repairman" writing style here.

The Xenomorphs are absolutely deranged in behavior compared to most portrayals, attacking like either cruel sadists or raging chimps and rarely bothering to take hosts. I'm not sure if such a reading was intended, but I got the vibe that the idea is Xenos raised without a queen or hive grow to be basically sociopathic like how real world predatory animals grown without parental figures become feral and dysfunctional. Which would also explain a lot about how the Xeno in the original movie, Big Chap, acts there.

The Offspring's design is fucking wicked and I love it.

One of my few major criticisms is that Big Chap died off-screen instead of getting more to do. What was the point of having him be alive at the start if he wasn't gonna be used beyond a backstory point to set up the main story?

All in all, a very impressive effort and a great return to form for the series that I recommend highly.

[cressidagrey]

I can’t stop laughing cause I remember the video Yuki made for max congratulating him on being coming a dad I can totally see him doing that!! Oh my god Yuki the adorable menace saying “congrats big daddy. I can’t wait to meet your baby!” Oh I just thought that would be perfect with this announcement 😂😂😂

Ahhhh the grid knows about the baby!!!! 😂😂😂 they all are fighting over godparents rights. I can see Emilie already being picked as god mom. I don’t know who the god dad would be though maybe lewis or Fernando or Carlos or Seb or Kimi maybe I say them because they’re more level headed when it comes to something of those responsibilities

Here’s my list of what I think is yes good for baby and no baby for them

Lando… he’s self explanatory

Lance no

Daniel… would need supervision

Kimi yes

Lewis yes

Carlos yes

Fernando yes

David C maybe

Nico H maybe leaning towards yes

Nico R possibly

Esteban maybe

Oscar yes more so than Lando

George yes

Alex maybe

Seb yes

Checo Yes

Zhou maybe with supervision

Logan no baby would come back with a cowboy hat and an American flag onesie

Valtteri maybe

I’m so excited for belle I’m really hoping it’s a boy cause I can see that little one adoring horses ride the colt Galahad when he’s they both are of riding age.

Also I noticed that Charles didn’t comment under belles recent post which means he’s taking step to give her space hopefully and letting what it means sink in fully. Alex is slowly redeeming herself hopefully Charlotte will also make an appearance at some point to apologize and maybe have a sit down with belle wirhout Lorenzo hovering close by. Arthur is doing amazing and being the brothers who’s stepping up and making an effort to realize his mistakes and truly be there for his sister.

I loved every second of this chapter and I am just so excited for the baby!!! Ahhh Galahad is born and is the new beginning belle needed for her horse journey once more.

Sorry for the ramble but I had to say something about this masterpiece of a chapter

Your message is the exact energy I needed today — absolute ✨masterpiece ramble✨ energy.

First of all, “Congrats, big daddy!” from Yuki is 1000% canon in this universe and I’m now officially adding it to my brain. That man would record a video on a whim, send it to the wrong group chat, and just go, “oops” while everyone else spirals.

Your godparent rankings?? Impeccable. Logan absolutely returns the Verstappen baby in full Stars & Stripes regalia, and I haven’t stopped laughing at that visual. And your top picks (Emilie + one of the Level Headed Uncles™) are chef’s kissperfect — I love that you included Kimi, Seb, Lewis, and Fernando especially. If it turns into a grid-wide custody battle over the godfather title… I fear Max may need a helmet.

Also yes to the colt Galahad and a little boy Verstappen growing up together?? Come on. You're absolutely right: that’s the new beginning Belle never got to have before, and now it’s hers.

And you nailed the read on Charles, Alex, and Arthur. Charles may finally be getting quiet — and for once, maybe he’ll actually listen. We’ll see. 👀

Thank you so much for this — your excitement is contagious in the best way. 

[laura1633]

If they can’t get the balance right with the RB20 then they need to balance out Max’s experience in other ways.

He needs to be able to eat as many kebabs as he wants, I mean a constant stream of kebabs if he so requires. Deliver them to him during the pitstops, in the cool down room, on the podium.

He needs to be able to sim race through the night, especially on race weekends. Red Bull are an energy drinks company, having him game all night and then race in the day really is an advertisement for the power of their energy giving elixir.

He needs to be able to swear as much as humanly possible on the radio. Let him swear to the point that he is having to come up with new swear words just annoy Sky Sports even more.

He needs his boys. All of them. He should be allowed to cling on to Charles' waist and not let go for the whole weekend. He needs Rico picking him up and carrying him around the paddock so he doesn’t have to walk anywhere. He needs to be able to hand feed Daniel stroopwafel whenever he wants. He needs his army of older men led by David Coulthard to just generally admire and paw at him. He needs an extra ear piece in during the race so Crane can drop in to remind him how amazing he is and then call him sugar tits.

He needs everyone to laugh at every little joke he makes so that his eyes crinkle up and he has to cover his mouth with his hands whilst he giggles like a babygirl as he realises everyone thinks he is funny.

I don't think that is too much to ask for is it?!

I mean just look at him and tell me he doesn't deserve nice things...

[oscarpiastriwdc]

albums i would play for each driver on the 2024 F1 grid to expand their music taste

Max Verstappen: Graceland by Paul Simon - As a fan of classic and folk rock, I'd imagine Max has been exposed to Simon and Garfunkel and I think he'd enjoy the sprawling, detailed, careful expanse of Simon's solo masterpiece. Angels in the architecture spinning in infinity, etc etc

Checo Perez: Ramomex by Rebel'd Punk - One of the Mexican bands who pioneered punk music in the country, but Checo probably missed this release because he was too busy karting and moving to europe as a teen. It's never too late to have a proper angry punk phase, though.

Charles Leclerc: Ten Love Songs by Susanne Sundfør - Groundbreaking, life-altering pop music that pushes every boundary. This hits the sad songs craving and I think would interest him as a musician and burgeoning songwriter.

Carlos Sainz: Ultraviolence by Lana Del Rey - daddy issues. I just know he'd vibe out to Brooklyn Baby.

Lando Norris: Destiny by DJ Sabrina the Teenage DJ - I dream of sitting him down and exposing him to actually good, interesting, fun contemporary dj music.

Oscar Piastri: Speaking in Tongues by Talking Heads - He has that certain David Byrne swag and demeanor of someone who'd love the Talking Heads if only given the chance.

Fernando Alonso: 10,000 gecs by 100 gecs - At first the old man would be extremely confused but once he was on board he would be blasting The Most Wanted Person In The United States all day every day.

Lance Stroll: Talon of the Hawk by The Front Bottoms - that post that's like the problem is men are making podcasts instead of forming midwest emo bands. but it's men are becoming f1 drivers instead of forming midwest emo bands. I think some TFB exposure could be the spark of inspiration for a great career pivot.

Lewis Hamilton: Maps by billy woods and Kenny Segal - I fear Lewis might have been too worried about Merc's performance last year to have checked out this fantastic collaboration that was one of 2023's best albums.

George Russell: Contra by Vampire Weekend - I just saw Vampire Weekend live following the release of the new album and at the show there was a guy a few feet ahead of me in the merch line who had the exact same energy as GR. The mix of prep vibes and world music would work into his taste while expanding his listening beyond coldplay.

Yuki Tsunoda: GLOW ON by Turnstile - 100% a selfish pick, I want to mosh with Yuki in the pit of a Turnstile pit.

Daniel Ricciardo: The Panhandlers by The Panhandlers - A country supergroup I return to time and again, wistful and nostalgic, making you yearn for West Texas no matter where in the world you are.

Alex Albon: Pelican West by Haircut 100 - Funky British jazz pop, perfect for dancing and vibing.

Logan Sargeant: Crying, Laughing, Waving, Smiling by Slaughter Beach, Dog - I fear Logie might be too young or too norm core to have had a proper Modern Baseball phase (it's never too late logie! listen to Intersection!) but Ewald's 2023 offering seems like something he missed last year that's perfectly up his alley.

Valtteri Bottas: Merriweather Post Pavillion by Animal Collective - Weird and complex, I think he should throw it on while on a long bike ride and let his mullet fly in the breeze.

Zhou Guanyu: God Save the Animals by Alex G - no you don't understand i need him to listen to Alex G he would love it

Kevin Magnussen: Heaven or Las Vegas by Cocteau Twins - Ethereal music he can feel and let wash over him in a wave to relax and transcend the horrors of driving for Haas.

Nico Hulkenberg: Supernatural by Santana - dad music but make it funky and good

Pierre Gasly: Sex Dreams and Denim Jeans by Uffie - A perfect twist on early 2000s French electronic music, I think it'd remind him of the club while sounding entirely new and make him want to pick up a side dj gig of his own.

Esteban Ocon: Lescop by Lescop - French indie pop-rock! His most recent album is fantastic, but Este should check out Lescop's 2013 debut first.

following a conversation with @liamlawsonlesbian and her definitive book rec list i'm doing something similar for music (she bullied me into posting this sorry). large range in popularity/mainstream-ness of artists depending on the driver and what i think they're already listening to.

[theculturedmarxist]

In a new article titled “Ukraine’s Lack of Weaponry and Training Risks Stalemate in Fight With Russia,” The Wall Street Journal’s Daniel Michaels reports that western officials knew Ukrainian forces didn’t have the weapons and training necessary to succeed in their highly touted counteroffensive which was launched last month.

Michaels writes:

“When Ukraine launched its big counteroffensive this spring, Western military officials knew Kyiv didn’t have all the training or weapons — from shells to warplanes — that it needed to dislodge Russian forces. But they hoped Ukrainian courage and resourcefulness would carry the day. “They haven’t. Deep and deadly minefields, extensive fortifications and Russian air power have combined to largely block significant advances by Ukrainian troops. Instead, the campaign risks descending into a stalemate with the potential to burn through lives and equipment without a major shift in momentum.”

The claim that western officials had sincerely believed Ukrainian forces might be able to overcome their glaring deficits through sheer pluck and ticker is undermined later in the same article by a war pundit who says the US would never attempt such a counteroffensive without first controlling the skies, which Ukraine doesn’t have the ability to do:

“America would never attempt to defeat a prepared defense without air superiority, but they [Ukrainians] don’t have air superiority,” the U.S. Army War College’s John Nagl told WSJ. “It’s impossible to overstate how important air superiority is for fighting a ground fight at a reasonable cost in casualties.”

Antiwar’s Dave DeCamp writes the following on the latest WSJ revelation:

“Leading up to the Ukrainian counteroffensive, which was launched in June, the Discord leaks and media reports revealed that the US did not believe Ukraine could regain much territory from Russia. But the Biden administration pushed for the assault anyway, as it rejected the idea of a pause in fighting.”

So the empire is still knowingly throwing Ukrainian lives into the meat grinder of an unwinnable proxy war, even as western officials tell the public that this war is about saving Ukrainian lives and handing Putin a crushing defeat whenever they’re on camera.

This attitude from the empire is not a new development. Last October The Washington Post reported that “Privately, U.S. officials say neither Russia nor Ukraine is capable of winning the war outright, but they have ruled out the idea of pushing or even nudging Ukraine to the negotiating table.”

Now why might that be? Why would the western empire be so comfortable encouraging Ukrainians to keep fighting when it knows they can’t win?

We find our answer in another Washington Post article titled “The West feels gloomy about Ukraine. Here’s why it shouldn’t.”, authored last week by virulent empire propagandist David Ignatius. In his eagerness to frame the floundering counteroffensive in a positive light for his American audience, Ignatius let slip an inconvenient truth:

“Meanwhile, for the United States and its NATO allies, these 18 months of war have been a strategic windfall, at relatively low cost (other than for the Ukrainians). The West’s most reckless antagonist has been rocked. NATO has grown much stronger with the additions of Sweden and Finland. Germany has weaned itself from dependence on Russian energy and, in many ways, rediscovered its sense of values. NATO squabbles make headlines, but overall, this has been a triumphal summer for the alliance.”

Anyone who believes this proxy war is about helping Ukrainians should be made to read that paragraph over and over again until it sinks in. The admission that the US-centralized power structure benefits immensely from this proxy conflict is revealing enough, but that parenthetical “other than for the Ukrainians” aside really drives it home. It reads as though it was added as an afterthought, like “Oh yeah it’s actually kind of rough on the Ukrainians though — if you consider them to be people.”

The claim that this war is about helping Ukrainians has been further undermined by another new Washington Post report that Ukraine is now more riddled with land mines than any other nation on earth, and that US-supplied cluster munitions are only making the land more deadly.

That’s right kids! We’re turning Ukraine into an uninhabitable wasteland of death and dismemberment to save the Ukrainians.

We should probably talk more about the fact that the US empire is loudly promoting the goal of achieving peace in Ukraine by defeating Russia while quietly acknowledging that this goal is impossible. This is like accelerating toward a brick wall and pretending it’s an open road.

The narrative that Russia can be beaten by ramping up proxy warfare against it makes sense if you believe Russia can be militarily defeated in Ukraine, but the US empire does not believe that Russia can be militarily defeated in Ukraine. It knows that continuing this war is only going to perpetuate the death and devastation.

“Beat Putin’s ass and make him withdraw” sounds cool and is egoically gratifying, and it’s become the mainstream answer to the problem of the war in Ukraine, but nobody promoting that answer can address the fact that the ones driving this proxy war believe it’s impossible. In fact, all evidence we’re seeing suggests that the US is not trying to deliver Putin a crushing defeat in Ukraine and force him to withdraw, but is rather trying to create another long and costly military quagmire for Moscow, as western cold warriors have done repeatedly in instances like Afghanistan and Syria.

Wanting to weaken Russia and wanting to save lives and establish peace in Ukraine are two completely different goals, so different that in practice they wind up being largely contradictory. Drawing Moscow into a bloody quagmire means many more people dying in a war that drags on for years, with all the immense human suffering that that entails.

The US does not want peace in Ukraine, it wants to overextend Russia, shore up military and energy dominance over Europe, expand its war machine and enrich the military-industrial complex. That’s why it knowingly provoked this war. It’s posing as Ukraine’s savior while being clearly invested in Ukraine’s destruction.

It is not legitimate to support this proxy war without squarely addressing this massive contradiction using hard facts and robust argumentation. Nobody ever has.

[this-is-z-art-blog]

2024 Tumblr Top 10

1. Immortal Danny

[ID: digital drawing of Danny Fenton with a small knife stabbed into his chest. He is unphased and is pointing at it, a person offscreen (presumably his stabber) is yelling “WHAT” as he casually declares “This is mine now.”]

2. Dani hopping trains

[ID: digital drawing of Danielle in her human form holding onto handles on either side of a train door so she can lean backwards out into the open air, smiling quietly at the twilit sky and grassy landscape. She also has an overstuffed bag covered in patches and pins.]

3. Treasure Planet Danny

[ID: digital drawing of Danny Fenton in a black and white pirate outfit leaning out from the rigging of a wooden ship looking out over a vista of planets and stars.]

4. Eight Ecto Nights 2024 Calendar Announcement

[ID: light blue 8x2 grid showing prompts for December 25-January 1st; in order, glow, sharing, custom, surprise, reflection, connection, music, and spirit.]

5. ′We’re really in it now’ Sam

[ID: digital drawing of Sam sitting cross legged on the grass in front of her great grandfather’s grave, in the style of the good place meme saying “Oh Granpa Izzy, we’re really in it now.” She’s wearing ripped purple jeans and a black and purple sweater that says ‘Oy.’ and a silver Star of David charm on her necklace.]

6. 'Have you considered’ Sam

[ID: digital halfbody of Sam shrugging and smiling a little ironically and shrugging. She has silver hamsa earrings and a silver Star of David necklace, and is wearing a black skirt and a purple tank top that reads ‘Have You Considered Respecting Jews Today?’]

7. Acne pals Sam & Tucker

[ID: digital halfbody of Sam and Tucker standing back to back grinning. Tucker is partially transparent and Sam is holding up ecto energy in both hands. The two are dotted with acne scars and have glowing green eyes.]

8. Ghost teens poster

[ID: digital drawing of humanized ghost teens Johnny 13, Ember Mclain, Sidney Poindexter, Skulker, and Kitty in the style of the Breakfast Club movie poster.]

9. Trio fireflies

[ID: digital drawing of Tucker, Sam, and Danny hanging out in a twilit grassy field surrounded by fireflies, relaxed and happy, the other two laughing at something Danny is saying.]

10. Fenton parents greet the ghost king

[ID: digital drawing of Jack and Maddie fenton in slightly more formal versions of their jumpsuits in a dark green throne room, Maddie’s hand tucked into Jack’s elbow, the two looking at each other apprehensively as something in front of them lights them in a faint green glow.]

Created by @jetblackcode​ via TumblrTop10

[retiredkat]

New York Times Interview with Ben Daniels. Farewell Santiago, you marvelous bastard!

‘Interview With the Vampire’: Ben Daniels on That Bloody Season 2 Finale

“He has an energy that’s fun to hate,” the British actor said of his swaggering vampire character in AMC’s series-length Anne Rice adaptation.

June 30, 2024

A man in a gray shirt and striped trousers stands posed as another man comes up behind him

Ben Daniels, left, and Jacob Anderson in the season finale of “Interview With the Vampire.”Larry Horricks/AMC

This interview contains spoilers for the Season 2 finale of “Interview With the Vampire.”

Until his time in AMC’s “Interview With the Vampire” was cut short — along with his head — in the Season 2 finale, Santiago was the toast of the vampiric theater scene.

Played by the British actor Ben Daniels, himself an Olivier Award-winning veteran of the stage, Santiago was a dashing and devilish performer at the Théâtre des Vampires, in postwar Paris. Formerly known as Francis, a failed English actor, Santiago transformed himself into an underworld dandy after becoming a bloodsucker — and took a cooler-sounding name — rarely seen without a vampiress on each arm and a theatrically hateful twinkle in his eye.

“He’s so awful and delicious at the same time!” Daniels said in a video interview last week. “And it’s his relish of it as well, his glee. He just loves being a vampire.”

Daniels added: “He has an energy that’s fun to hate.”

Unfortunately for Santiago, the show’s title vampire was his hater-in-chief. Over the course of Season 2, which concluded on Sunday, Santiago seized control of the theater troupe, which turned out to be a coven of vampires in disguise. At the season’s climax, Santiago staged a mock trial that ended with the real execution-by-sunlight of Claudia (Delainey Hayles) and her companion, Madeleine (Roxane Duran). It was for this crime that Santiago lost his head to their father figure, the vampire Louis (Jacob Anderson), in the finale.

Based on the novels of Anne Rice’s Vampire Chronicles series, the AMC show, created and overseen by Rolin Jones, has already been renewed for a third season. But Daniels doesn’t feel too bad that his character won’t live to see Season 3. Santiago had it coming given his bad behavior — particularly by the end.

“If you didn’t want him dead before,” Daniels said, “you certainly do then.”

These are edited excerpts from the conversation.

If you’re an ex-high school drama club goth who loved “The Rocky Horror Picture Show,” Santiago is a very magnetic figure. In the show, he even has fans who attend every performance and dress up in character.

“Rocky Horror” was a big influence, “Rocky Horror” and “Cabaret.” I’m so glad Tim Curry’s performance in “The Rocky Horror Show” exists onscreen because it’s one of the best performances ever. I would’ve loved to have seen that in the theater.

I was curious if there was a David Bowie influence, too.

Yes! Santiago gets more and more nihilistic as it goes on, and I thought, it’s so Thin White Duke — that awful cocaine coldness. I just sent Carol Cutshall, the costume designer, endless pictures of Bowie as the Thin White Duke. If you compare, she completely replicated it. Then she added a see-through shirt, which is genius.

As a screen presence, Santiago needs that kind of ammo. He has to hold his own with the “big four” members of the show’s emotional quadrangle, Louis, Lestat [Sam Reid], Claudia and Armand [Assad Zaman], even though he’s not romantically or emotionally involved with any of them.

[Smiling] Is he not?

Well, well, well!

This was one of the first jobs I’ve ever done sight unseen, just because it meant working with Rolin. From the outset, Rolin called up and said, “Listen, are you OK if we don’t make Santiago queer?” I was like, “Yeah, I can sort of see it.”

But as the script started to come in, I thought the only way this level of vitriol that he has works is if he’s in love with Armand. There is this extraordinary psychological term called reaction formation, which is what Iago has for Othello. It’s a defense mechanism whereby your impulses are so unacceptable to your ego that they’re replaced by this opposite, exaggerated behavior.

Santiago finds Louis incredibly attractive. Because Armand killed Santiago’s maker — who I think he was in love with too — and also finds Louis attractive, the whole thing must be destroyed. It gave such a drive to his hatred. It was just something ruminating in myself that drove him forward in a very aggressive, mad, extreme way.

You’re not just a human playing a vampire playing a human playing a vampire. You’re also a stage actor playing a stage actor.

When we shot the majority of the theater stuff in Episode 2, I’d been doing “Madea” for three months on the West End. I finished on a Sunday, and on Wednesday or Thursday I was shooting that whole sequence. So I was already primed when Levan [the director of Episode 2, Levan Akin] said: “Do it like a theatrical performance. We’ll take care of everything.” They filmed everything wide with four cameras, so we didn’t know when we were on and when we weren’t. You just had to keep at it. It was relentless, and he shot it brilliantly.

In Episode 7, just before Claudia dies, being on that stage was like doing a play. We shot that courtroom sequence in 15-minute chunks. They were insane. A lot of the time there were no cameras onstage with us. They were either on cranes, so they were sweeping in and out, or it would only be Emma [the director of Episode 7, Emma Freeman] shooting, doing all the close coverage first so you get these fresh performances immediately, not at the end of three days or whatever. Then all the cameras went away, so you never saw them again. It became like a play.

Is it tricky, as an actor, to play an actor with a … different level of talent?

Poor old Francis. Yes, he’s never achieved the giddy heights that he would like to have. He’s a big old show pony, isn’t he? Basically, I was like a magpie, looking at everything from Vincent Price in “Theater of Blood” — well, Vincent Price in lots of things, actually — to my cat. I would watch how my cat plays with mice, and I was like: You know what? I’m going to steal a bit of that.

Had you ever wanted to play a vampire?

Yes, absolutely. I love horror. It’s what I live for. I grew up watching Christopher Lee as Dracula, and William Marshall as Prince Mamuwalde in “Blacula.” Very debonair, theatrical, that rich voice. I’ve watched those vampires as long as I can remember.

I’ve always adored horror. Kids that are outsiders often do. Growing up as a queer kid, those villains, like the vampires, are often how people treat gay people. It’s always there, that queer coding. In those old James Whale movies, it’s there. It’s written into them.

More than any other writer, Anne Rice identified the tragedy within the monstrousness of the vampire. They are immortal, but the people they love can still die, and that experience stays with them literally forever.

Part of the reason I can’t watch “Vampire” at the moment is my partner just died. The resonances are huge at the moment. Grief is a [expletive] beast. It’s like being mugged in broad daylight, and you never know when it’s going to hit you. She explores all that brilliantly.

I think in any kind of creative job, you are like a sponge. You soak up what is happening to you, or in the world, and sometimes it bleeds out, and it’s useful. We were shooting “Vampire” when Ian [his partner, the actor Ian Gelder] was first diagnosed [with lung cancer; Gelder was later diagnosed with bile duct cancer, from which he died last month]. When I started watching Episode 2, I know what was going on in my life fed into it — of course it would, when you’re telling a story about death and dying and killing people and living forever. I watched it; I knew the conversations I was having between takes … It is too much at the moment. It’s too close to home.

But [eventually], I will be able to see what I was going through with Ian, even in the anger I have with other characters. I know it will have informed it in some way, but I hope in a good way.

What I am enjoying is people’s reactions to it, without actually watching it. Rolin called me up and said: “Just Google yourself. Search ‘Ben Daniels Santiago’ on Twitter. Look at people’s reactions if you’re not going to watch it.” So I’ve been living through people reacting to it, which has been great.

[optimisticartistic]

Anyway here's my

Personal* Fan-Cast for Malevolent

Arthur: Dan Stevens

He's a certified Weird Little British Guy with a 10/10 murder glare. See Apostle (2018) for two hours of s3 Arthur you're welcome.

Parker: John Harlan Kim

Look at his FACE and tell me you would not also immediately fall for him.

Noel/Charlie: David Shields

If I can't have Humphrey Bogart then /willsmithpose

Oscar: Michael Sheen

Look the curly hair to me is non-negotiable. Personally I like him with more of a beard but this is an excellent start.

Daniel: Colin Firth

I don't think I really need to explain this one.

Collins: Michael Shannon

Just shave him. Just- just shave this man and we good to go.

Larson: Aaron Taylor-Johnson

Sir I'm sorry to slander you like this, you seem like a sweetheart, but GOD you play a fantastic slimeball.

Kayne: Kieran Culkin

I'm not entirely joking? I think he's neat, I think he's got the manic energy to pull it off.

And for some ladies~

Bella: Rachel Weisz

Queen. Look I don't care that she's like 50 now she's still *stunning*

Marie: Imelda Staunton

Again I don't have an explanation it's just Vibes

*This is entirely my own opinion, if you have other actors you think suit I would genuinely love to see them!

[jgroffdaily]

Jonathan Groff: Doing Just in Time Is "My Idea of Heaven"

Groff could become the first actor in history to win consecutive Best Actor in a Musical Tony Awards.

David Gordon

If Jonathan Groff wins a Tony for his magnetic, high-energy performance as singer Bobby Darin in Just in Time, he could make Broadway history, becoming the first performer to win back-to-back Tony Awards for Best Actor in a Musical.

As fans know, Groff took home the award last year for his turn as Franklin Shepard in Merrily We Roll Along. But compared to Just in Time, Sondheim is a walk in the park. Still, for this beloved Broadway veteran, the effort it takes to leave audiences spellbound is more than worth it. He can see it in their faces as he dances among them. He can hear it in their cheers. And he can feel it in his soul. It’s as rewarding an experience as anything he’s ever done.

It seems like Just in Time takes a lot out of you.

I know that the show is an extreme physical workout because of how well I sleep at night. I have to do a 30-minute physical warm-up every day before I do the show. But the experience of doing the show is my idea of heaven. I am so happy while I’m doing it, and I know that it’s a workout, but it gives more than it takes. I just love doing it.

And the people in the audience are enraptured.

Bobby Darin’s magic was the way that he would connect with an audience. By all accounts, that’s what he was most known in people’s hearts for. We wanted to honor his spirit by creating that environment in the show.

I am indirectly getting the gift of a lifetime, which is the ability to connect with audience members in such a profound, intimate way. It’s a real spiritual experience. People are crying, I’m touching their shoulders, I’m dancing with people. It’s really unlike anything I’ve ever experienced.

How did that whole thing come about? Not the spit part, but the fact that you’re introduced as yourself before getting into character?

When we were in the early years — we’ve been working on it for eight years — I asked for it. In all the research that I was doing about Bobby Darin, it said that anything could happen any given night. There was this energy: he was really present as a performer. I felt like I’d like to start the show as myself to remove the artifice of the character and create that invisible thread between performer and audience member in the purest way.

I wanted the audience to feel like they could be themselves; not like they were extras in the Copa in the 1950s, but that we were all here in — we’re calling it the basement of Wicked. We’re all here in the basement of Wicked, and now let’s go on this journey together. The dream was to not just tell Bobby Darin’s story like a bio-musical, but to also, and maybe even more importantly, evoke the spirit of who he was by capturing that in-the-moment thing. By the starting the show as myself, we locate everyone in the present moment.

Does the way it lives inside you make it an easier lift than something like Merrily We Roll Along, which we were talking about this time last year?

It’s interesting. The gift of Merrily is that we all got to share it. We [Groff, Lindsay Mendez, and Daniel Radcliffe] did all of the press together. The three of us were sharing the load in a way that’s different this time around.

Because it’s all on you.

And singing Sondheim, there’s a kind of precision and a rigor of brain power. It’s like working different muscles. Merrily is a musical, but in a lot of ways, it’s also a play. There are long scenes. With Just in Time, I feel like I’m flying. There’s a great energy and inertia. The dancing and the physical requirements are what makes this one more challenging. But Sondheim is its own ball of wax. It’s like apples and oranges.

[axvoter]

Blatantly Partisan Party Review XXIX (federal 2025): Teal Independents

Running where: seats in all 8 states and territories; go to the Climate 200 website of “community candidates” to see if one is in your electorate

Prior reviews: federal 2022

What I said before: “I would largely define the teals as centre to centre-right … Three issues unite the teals. They want much stronger action on climate change, guided by scientific advice. They want integrity in politics … [and] they want gender equity.”

What I think this year: A big story from the last election was the success of the “teals”, independent candidates—almost entirely well-educated professional women—who were grouped together for three reasons other than demographics. First, the colour of branding that some of them used; second, their alignment on broad policy objectives as described in the quote above; third, they received funding from Climate 200, a fundraising organisation that clean energy activist Simon Holmes à Court founded. The teal colour has to many observers connoted an amalgam of Greens sensibility about climate change with liberal (or Liberal) attitudes towards economic issues.

In 2022, teals only challenged (ex-)Liberal incumbents or defended seats held by existing independents whom Climate 200 chose to support (they have challenged some Labor incumbents at state level since). Liberal incumbents in 2022 lost to six independent challengers: Kate Chaney (Curtin, WA), Zoe Daniel (Goldstein, VIC), Monique Ryan (Kooyong, VIC), Sophie Scamps (Mackellar, NSW), Allegra Spender (Wentworth, NSW), and Kylea Tink (North Sydney, NSW). David Pocock won a Senate seat for the ACT; unlike the teals, he registered a party in his own name because of the different voting system in the Senate. Zali Steggall, whose victory in Warringah (NSW) at the 2019 election was a harbinger of the teal wave, retained her seat.

Climate 200 contributed to the successful campaigns of three more longstanding incumbent independents: Rebekha Sharkie and Andrew Wilkie, who are not teals in a meaningful sense, and Helen Haines, who can more readily be counted as one based on her voting record. Sharkie retained Mayo, nominally as a member of Centre Alliance but which by 2022 was close to death as a broader party. Haines held Indi in rural Victoria, continuing the legacy of her predecessor, independent MP Cathy McGowan, who was pivotal in the promotion of the “Voices of” movement (a related but distinct phenomenon). And in Tasmania, left-wing independent Wilkie won Clark (based on Hobart) in 2010 and has owned it ever since; he will not lose that seat until he resigns, dies, or throws baby Tasmanian devils into the Derwent live on air.

This year, Climate 200 is funding more candidates across the nation, although the electorates in which they have a chance remain mostly Liberal-held. Not every independent supported by Climate 200 uses teal colours—if you go to the link posted in the “running where” section above, each candidate is colour-coded based on the predominant colour used in their campaign. The incumbent teals are contesting their seats except for Kylea Tink, whose seat was abolished in a redistribution and has not chosen to stand in another seat. David Pocock has declined Climate 200 funding and believes he can retain his ACT seat without it (I expect he's right).

Where do the teals sit politically? Some comprise a lost generation of moderate Liberal women, alienated from the party because of its climate inaction/denialism and structural sexism, with Kate Chaney and Allegra Spender the most obvious examples—not just in their descent from former Liberal MPs but also in their economic views. But not all fit this categorisation. Some have more centre-left origins. What is telling is Pat Leslie’s overview, particularly figure 1 at that link. Haines, Steggall, and the cohort of 2022 form a clear grouping even if they are not of one mind on every issue (Spender sits closest to the Libs in her voting pattern). Meanwhile, Wilkie and Sharkie clearly sit on different points on the political spectrum: Wilkie is on the left close to the Greens; Sharkie votes similarly to Dai Le (an indie who is very much not a teal) and to ex-National indie Andrew Gee.

The issues underpinning the teal movement in 2022 have remained prominent for the teals as elected representatives and for those seeking to enter parliament this year. As MPs, teals backed an Indigenous Voice to Parliament, and all their electorates had majorities for Yes except Indi. There has been also in my view a strain of wowserism, driven in part by the teal MPs including a couple of medical practitioners and in part as representing electorates with many (or potentially themselves being) concerned parents of teenagers. This backfired in late 2023 in the debate about Hard Solo, which Monique Ryan led complaints about; when it was first announced, I assumed it was a novelty that would go flat quickly and be quietly withdrawn a few months later. Instead, it got more publicity than Carlton & United Breweries could have possibly anticipated, and although CUB had to change the name to Hard Rated, they have continued selling it successfully. I am convinced this fuss from an older generation is what made it cool for young people. I never expected to see it on tap at my local pub and be a popular choice for the young tradies. More substantively, though, some of this teal concern manifests in things that I support such as seeking greater regulation on gambling ads.

The biggest thing for me is TEALS PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD FORM A PROPER FUCKING POLITICAL PARTY. The teals capitalise on attitudes held among some of the Australian electorate that political parties are a bad thing and independent candidates are somehow more honest or virtuous. Parties emerged for fucking good reasons in colonial parliaments of Australia between the late 1870s and early 1910s. They provide stability of government (in the pre-party era, the average term of a premier was 1.5 to 2 years; since the rise of parties, the average term is 3.5 to 5 years; yes, I have a dataset on this). The opaque voting blocs and unpredictable legislative defeats and no-confidence votes in pre-party parliaments were based on shifting alliances, often as much personal and ideological. Parties made parliament more workable, negotiations more transparent, and outcomes more predictable. Parties also have institutional memory and enable continuity across the nation and over time. They co-ordinate policymaking and make more efficient use of resources, financial and human alike, so that teals wouldn’t have been whinging to the Saturday Paper that the election being called for 3 May rather than 12 April was bankrupting them. (I’m still flabbergasted Labor considered 12 April so seriously; 3–17 May always seemed the sensible option to me.) Party politics is a good thing.

And forming a party might also help the teals deal with their diversity problem: look at those elected or at the Climate 200 page and it’s mostly professional white women who are GenX or young Boomers. The Greens and Labor alike show how proactive party preselection processes can elevate younger, Indigenous, and ethnically diverse candidates into winnable positions. The teals can’t do that—teal voters in each electorate want their own Monique Ryan or Zali Steggall and can’t vote for a candidate from a party with that woman at the head, they have to vote for a local from the same demographic.

So, look, teals vote very similarly and need to make this official through a party structure. I suspect one reason they are averse to forming a party structure despite the obvious financial and organisational advantages it would provide is because of a misconception in Australia about party discipline. Some teals even talk about the constraints of being in a party. Our political parties have a tradition of a very firm whip, especially Labor (as seen in Fatima Payman’s departure and subsequent formation of Australia’s Voice). Even Liberal and National backbenchers cross the floor rarely, despite having more freedom to do so. It is possible to have more personal discretion for MPs in voting without going to the US extreme where a party cannot count on any serious degree of loyalty from its ostensible members. The British system of one-, two-, and three-line whips could provide inspiration. A teal party with a more permissive party whip than that of the major parties would give them all the benefits of party organisation with only modest sacrifices of their current freedom of action.

(I would also love to no longer need to tease out which indies are teals and which indies are a different and possibly anti-teal hue; Kevin Bonham has made a valiant attempt at classifying the indies)

I expect most of the incumbent teals will be returned, and some of the challengers look strong. At the last election, four made the two-candidate-preferred count, and all four are recontesting this year: Alex Dyson in Wannon (VIC), Nicolette Boele in Bradfield (NSW), Kate Hook in Calare (NSW), and Caz Heise (NSW). They will be competitive again. Erchana Murray-Bartlett is a new one to watch in McPherson (QLD) for her energetic campaign in a traditionally LNP seat that is currently vacant. Kate Hulett came within 0.81% of winning the state seat of Fremantle (WA) in March, managed to resolve a citizenship issue just in time to stand for the federal seat of the same name, and fancies her chances—although the federal division’s larger scope will make it tricky. Tina Brown in Berowra (NSW) has the apparent support of Liberal grandee Phillip Ruddock, whose wife Heather has quit the Libs to support Brown’s campaign. And there’s chatter about Suzie Holt’s chances in Groom (QLD) but I do not see that happening. Or maybe we will be surprised—I never anticipated Sophie Scamps winning Mackellar on Sydney’s Northern Beaches, but the Northern Beaches is another world and they like it that way. Anyway, whoever gets in, I hope the successful teals throw a big celebration together and party all the way to the AEC register of parties.

Recommendation: In all instances I recommend you preference a teal above a Liberal or National candidate and the various far-right crackpots. Just how strong a preference you give them will vary based on individual, but it will be generally a decent or good one—especially given how many dire candidates are on some ballots.

The Australian preferential system is designed to avoid the need for tactical voting, but there are strategic considerations in some cases. If you live in a Liberal-held seat and Labor or the Greens are not competitive to win (i.e. most of the seats mentioned above), you should ponder who is likely to end up second and third as preferences are distributed. If there are three candidates left in the count and none has 50%, the third one will be eliminated, and the preferences of their voters will decide which of the remaining two wins the seat. Where will their preferences go? If the third-placed candidate is Labor or Green, the easy majority of their voters are likely to preference the teal, which might get them over the line. If the third-placed candidate is a teal, however, a significant portion of their voters will break back to the Liberals and give the Liberal the win ahead of Labor or the Greens.

So, consider your vote very carefully if a party left of a teal indie has no chance of winning your seat: the best way to try to stop the Liberals winning might be voting 1 for the teal—or at least preferencing them above the other big parties—to help them finish in the top two at the three-candidate-preferred stage of the count. I do not normally recommend tactical voting, but in this case it’s relevant and I would personally do it if I was in a Liberal-vs-teal seat.

[sailor-antimatter]

my aftg fan cast

disclaimers:

a lot of these, especially in the next part, aren’t actors, so this is less a fancast and more of a “i have a horrible imagination and need to visualize characters so they feel more real to me” list

if they don’t look like what you picture, agree to disagree! i love seeing other ppl’s perspectives of what the characters look like and i hope you do too

without further ado,

neil josten - benjamin wadsworth

okay listen just because i picked the most used neil fancast DOES NOT MEAN THE REST OF THIS LIST IS BORING!!! he’s just so neil-coded to me in deadly class! i even put him into a photo editing app to change his hair and eye color and he still fits!!! plus the top right pic is exactly how i imagine a nathaniel smile.

andrew/aaron minyard - vlad konoplev

i’m gonna give credit to @kalu_aftg on tiktok for this, because i saw this actor in their tik tok. he’s in a russian series called my biggest secret (i watched a couple clips but i haven’t seen the show)

but come on!!!! this is andrew minyard!!!! and always with andrew fancasts it’s difficult to see them as aaron but i feel like this could go both ways, especially in the bottom right pic. identical, but different vibes, yk?

dan wilds - kiersey clemons

i first saw kiersey clemons in new girl as kc and she feels so dan! then i saw the pic on the top left and i was like YES! this. is. dan. she seems very sweet and friendly but i know she could give a great game face.

nicky hemmick - conor husting

even his pics give off major nicky vibes. he also has a very similar hair length to what i picture nicky with. fun fact: he’s also half-mexican on his mother’s side which is strangely accurate lol!!

allison reynolds - jessica lord

i’m gonna be honest i just searched up “blond actresses 20’s” and that top left photo popped up and it was just so so so allison!! i included a couple pics of her in the ballet movie “find me in paris” because i couldn’t find a lot of pics of any of these actors in active wear and this felt close enough.

kevin day - nicholas galitzine

honestly i got this idea from an instagram live he did where he was yelling about being 6 foot and my brain was like “that is kevin day IN THE FLESH”. i originally saw him in bottoms and he totally cracked me up.

matt boyd - daniel ezra

like come on!!! his smile is so bright and inviting, it gives off such strong matt energy. he played spencer james in all-american and i haven’t watched it but ive seen ppl say good things. bonus: he’s the only one i could find with any form of a face guard (even tho nick galitzine also played a football player in bottoms lol)

renee walker - sydney park & lana condor

okay SO my criteria was soft-looking people that can look sharp in other pictures, and i came up with these two! it’s kinda hard to picture renee without the pastel/white hair but let’s suspend disbelief.

seth gordon - young david beckham

speaking of suspending disbelief, LMAOO. just hear me out, okay. seth was a fifth year, slightly older than the rest of them, so i was looking for that + blond buzz cut and this is the result!

and that’s all! i have more so i’ll probably make a part two, but im having trouble finding a nathan because it’s so hard NOT to picture nathan as a redhead but that means he probably won’t look like benjamin wadsworth.

[nerawrites]

Chapter 22: Unreplaceble

Previous chapter | Next chapter

Ships: The Bear x Fem!oc and David x Fem!oc

Warnings: none i think

Song: Always-Daniel Ceaser

Masterlist

It had only been a couple of days since Alicia had left, but the absence of her in the kitchen was felt more deeply than anyone had expected. She had always been the kind of person who blended into the background, never demanding attention but always somehow at the center of the chaos. Without her, The Bear felt disjointed, the rhythm of the kitchen offbeat, like a song missing its core notes.

Sydney was the first to notice. The kitchen felt… unsteady. She was used to the frenetic energy that coursed through every shift, the constant push and pull of orders, the constant hum of communication that kept everything running smoothly. But without Alicia, it was like the air had become thicker, more difficult to breathe. Things weren’t falling apart—yet—but there were moments when Sydney could feel the cracks beginning to show.

The most obvious difference was in Carmy. His usual sharp focus wavered. Normally, he would call out orders with precision, his mind constantly running through every detail, anticipating what would happen next. But now, it felt like he was constantly reacting to the moment, his eyes flicking nervously between stations, his usual calm cracking under the pressure. The chemistry he had with Alicia—silent, intuitive, and built on a foundation of trust—was missing. Without her, he seemed adrift, his thoughts scattered, trying to fill a space he couldn’t quite understand.

Tina, too, felt it. She had always been the one who kept the ship steady, barking orders when needed, making sure everything ran smoothly. But now, she was snapping at people more often than she would’ve liked, her patience wearing thin. She could feel herself getting frustrated, but she couldn’t help it. It was harder to keep things in check without Alicia’s steadying presence. Alicia had been the one to see through the tension, to step in with a calming touch when things got heated. Without her, it felt like the smallest moments were building into something bigger.

Richie, ever the loudmouth, tried to maintain his usual sarcastic exterior, but even he was beginning to notice the void. He wasn’t sure what it was exactly—he’d always known Alicia to be the one to step in when things got bad, but now that she was gone, it felt like the whole kitchen was more volatile.

“I don’t know how the fuck she did it,” he muttered one night, flicking a rag over the counter with more force than necessary. “Just… showed up and fixed shit. Not even a fucking thank you, just… did it.”

Sydney glanced over at him, sensing the unspoken understanding between them. Neither of them had ever really acknowledged the depth of Alicia’s role in the kitchen, but now, with her absence looming over every service, it was impossible to ignore.

“No one ever really does,” Sydney said quietly, her voice tinged with frustration. “She just kept it together without anyone noticing.”

But the truth was, it was more than just the physical gaps Alicia had filled. There was something deeper, something intangible, that was missing now. The way she had been able to walk into a high-stress situation and, without a word, get everything back on track. The way she had been able to calm the nerves of even the most restless of the crew with nothing more than a glance. She had been a quiet stabilizer, someone who kept everyone grounded without ever needing to be in the spotlight.

The crew felt her absence in every corner of the restaurant. Even Ebra, the quietest of them all, seemed off. He had always worked alongside Alicia, and the absence of her calm energy made him feel adrift. He had been trying to step up, to take on more responsibility, but without Alicia there to share the load, it was overwhelming. It wasn’t just the work—it was the rhythm of it, the way they had all synced together in a way that had seemed effortless when Alicia was around.

Even the staff meetings were different. There was a distinct lack of her sharp observations, her ability to cut through the tension with just the right words. Now, Carmy would look around the room as if expecting her to be there, her absence felt in the silence. The debates had become more heated, more divided. No one wanted to step up and fill her shoes, not out of spite, but because it felt wrong to try.

Carmy, more than anyone, seemed affected by her absence. He had asked Sydney one day, his voice softer than usual, “You think we can fill her spot?”

Sydney hesitated, taking in the disarray of the kitchen around her. She knew what he was asking—he needed someone to step into the role Alicia had played, to help hold everything together, to be the one to carry the weight.

“No. We can’t,” she said, her voice steady, without hesitation. “Not like that. Not like her.”

It was true. No one could fill Alicia’s spot. Not in the way she had. Her presence wasn’t just about her technical skills or her ability to cook—it was about the way she made everything else easier, the way she understood everyone’s unspoken needs and filled in the gaps without anyone realizing they were there. She had kept the kitchen running without ever asking for anything in return.

As the days passed, Sydney couldn’t shake the feeling that they would never be able to replace Alicia, not in the way they needed to. The kitchen wasn’t falling apart, but it wasn’t functioning at its best either. It was like they were trying to run a marathon with a leg missing. It wasn’t impossible, but it was harder than it should’ve been.

New York was loud. Alive. The kind of place that should have felt overwhelming, but for Alicia, it was strangely grounding.

Standing in a bustling market, surrounded by fresh produce and the hum of vendors calling out their wares, she tried to push thoughts of The Bear out of her mind. She had been here for a couple of days now, quietly setting up space for herself, letting the pull of something new take hold.

She hadn’t told anyone at The Bear where she was going. Not exactly. No explanations, no justifications. Just space.

Her phone buzzed.

Richie: Yo, where the hell are you? This place is falling apart without you. You know we’re all fucked without your magic, right?

Fak: Everyone’s asking where you are. Tina says it’s been hell. Sydney’s losing her mind. You good?

Ebra: Miss you, Chef. It’s not the same without you here.

Tina: When are you coming back? The kitchen’s not the same without you.

Finally, a message from Carmy popped up.

You good?

Alicia exhaled, feeling the weight of their words settle over her. She should have expected this. She had been the one keeping things steady, even when no one had noticed. And now? Now they were noticing.

But she still couldn’t bring herself to respond. Not yet.

Instead, she tucked her phone away and refocused on the task at hand.

New York was the place to be right now.

She just wasn’t sure how long that would last.

The days blurred together in a way that felt oddly soothing. Alicia found herself slipping into a quiet routine—work, markets, late nights spent testing flavors and textures in a borrowed kitchen. It felt different here. Detached. Easier, in some ways.

She was staying at David’s apartment—spacious, minimalist, the kind of place that screamed order but didn’t quite feel like home. It was cleaner than she expected, but cluttered in small, telling ways. Mismatched chairs. An overflowing shelf of cookbooks. Music always humming softly in the background.

They had fallen into a rhythm, working side by side in the kitchen, their movements instinctive. But David wasn’t one to let things lie. He had been watching her, pushing her, testing her in the way only he could.

And tonight, as they sat at his kitchen island, wine glasses half-full, he finally asked the question she’d been waiting for.

“So,” he said, leaning back, eyes sharp. “Are we finally going to talk about how you didn’t even last three days in Chicago?”

His tone wasn’t teasing—not fully. There was something else there. Something pointed.

Alicia’s fingers traced the rim of her glass. She hated how easily David could pull things out of her, how quickly he could cut through the bullshit.

“I don’t know,” she started, voice quieter than she intended.

And for the first time since she left The Bear, she wasn’t sure if she had an answer.

A/N

I NEED SEASON 4 TO DROP NEOW