#not related to classic rock but highly important

[irisbeingthiamssongiscanon]

Fics I’ve Been Reading This Week! (2/5/23-2/11/23)

I just finished showing Teen Wolf to my partner, and we made the mistake of watching that god awful movie, so of course I'm obsessing over Thiam again. So these are literally all Thiam fics. 

Airplanes by @thiamfresh 

Relationship: Thiam (Liam Dunbar/Theo Raeken)

So this was a re-read, I finished it up at the beginning of the week. This was one of the first Thiam fics I ever read, and is still my favorite. Liam is so painfully oblivious in this (which is extremely on-brand for him), I wanted to punch him as much as Theo did. If you have been living under a rock and somehow have not read this yet, and don't know what it's about, Liam basically decides that he needs a break after the pack defeats the Anuk-Ite and the hunters and he "forces" Theo to take him on a road trip. Really cute fic, lots of fluff and angst, background Sterek and Morey, no explicit smut, literally iconic. Go read it. Now.

The Storm by @thiamfresh & @extrasteps

Relationship: Thiam (Liam Dunbar/Theo Raeken)

Also a re-read, because I need my smut. This is an alternate ending to chapter 32 of Airplanes for those of us that wanted smut. While being extremely smutty (it's literally a full chapter of smut), this was still really cute.

with your hands around my neck by @weewoolesbian

Relationship: Thiam (Liam Dunbar/Theo Raeken)

This one is during season 6B and take place during some of the episodes, which I love when fics do that. VERY well written smut (super explicit, and pretty kinky as well) with very well written plot. Classic case of enemies to enemies w/ benefits to lovers. It's also a 5+1 things fic, which I typically don't read too much of, but I really liked this one. I really wish this was longer :(

Do You Love Me? by @chasing-chimeras

Relationship: Thiam (Liam Dunbar/Theo Raeken)

So when I read "Liam asks Theo an important question at an inopportune time", I was not expecting the 'inopportune time' to be mid-smut. Caught me SO off guard, BUT I really loved this one-shot, the right amount of fluff and smut (at least for my preference, I'm a horny bastard so I really love my smut).

As I bleed by @thiamfresh

Relationship: Thiam (Liam Dunbar/Theo Raeken)

God I love the "kiss where it hurts/game of chicken" trope, it should be it's own tag on Ao3 considering how popular it is. Short and sweet fic, no smut, so cute.

inglorious roommates by @honeyscapes

Relationship: Thiam (Liam Dunbar/Theo Raeken)

TW for mentions of sexual harassment, SA, homophobia, and child abuse for this one. I am obsessed with this fic, holy shit. Another type of fic that I tend to not read very often is AUs, unless they're just canon divergence, because a lot of the really popular ones for a while were Hogwarts AUs, and as much as HP does mean to me (fuck JKR), Hogwarts AUs have just never been something that interests me. However, I know that there's a lot of well written and non-HP related AUs out there so I've been trying to get into them. This fic is so good, it's a college/university and no werewolves AU, Liam and Theo are both assholes, I believe their characterization is inspired by their pre-development personalities. Theo is the quintessential bad boy trope in this, he's on probation, he's got violent anger issues, etc. I cannot fully express how highly I think of this fic, my partner is so tired of me talking about this one, I literally talk about it multiple times a day.

[opera-ghosts]

OTD in Music History: Composer, conductor, pedagogue, and master orchestrator Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov (1844 - 1908) leads the world premiere of his newly-composed tone poem “Scheherazade” in 1888; it will prove to be his most enduring work. Rimsky-Korsakov first came to prominence as a member of "The Five" or "The Mighty Handful," a historically important group of self-taught Russian nationalist composers who studied and worked (and sometimes even lived) together from ~1856 - 1870. Rimsky-Korsakov was a discipline of Mily Balakirev (1837 - 1910), the leader of "The Five" and a powerful (and highly despotic) figure within the Russian nationalist "classical" music movement. In 1871, however, Rimsky-Korsakov accepted a position as Professor of Practical Composition and Instrumentation (orchestration) at the Saint Petersburg Conservatory. (He still retained his position as a naval officer, and he actually taught his early classes in uniform as required by Russian law.) Balakirev was strongly opposed to any form of academic training, but he encouraged Rimsky-Korsakov to accept the post in order to help convince students to defect and come to Balakirev. When it became clear that Rimsky-Korsakov had instead "gone over to the enemy", however, relations with Balakirev soured. For his part, Rimsky-Korsakov soon realized how much formal training he lacked -- in his memoirs, he reported spending the first year struggling to remain "one lesson ahead" of his students. He eventually became a master teacher whose students included Igor Stravinsky (1882 - 1971). PICTURED: A photo postcard showing Rimsky-Korsakov, which he signed in the turbulent year of 1905 -- when the "Revolution of 1905" rocked Russia, and Rimsky-Korsakov publicly supported a student walkout at the Conservatory. He was fired, sparking an even greater of wave of student and faculty protests until his reinstatement in December. (He retired just a few months later.)

[formulaorange]

Fall 2022 Anime Reviews/Ratings

Bleach: Thousand Year Blood War It's been a good while since I've enjoyed and anime this much. Bleach was one of if not, the first anime I ever watched and I could not be more stoked to have been able to watch its continuation now, 10 years later. This was actually a bit of a surprise. The first half honestly felt like an artists serious depiction of a historical drama and the music absolutely set the tone throughout the whole half. The themes were on point, the art style was out of this world and it definitely hit hard. The second half has was much more classic bleach and easily brought up the mood but also had a solid balance of important story arcs that really filled in some pieces of the world that I didn't know I needed. I loved every second of this season and this is the kind of quality this show deserves. 10/10 - Masterpiece

Chainsaw-man This was a manga that I personally didn't enjoy, just wasn't for me, but damn the anime is solid. While I still didn't feel too attached to the characters, I thoroughly enjoyed the way they did the story. The animations were god honest next level. I can't imagine anything past the quality we have in this series and man I wish MAPPA applied this much tlc to other series like JJK. (Maybe season 2 🤞) Overall a solid action, sci-fi? punk?? series. 9/10 - Great

Blue Lock - (Still airing - 12/24) Another highly-anticipated series. I only recently picked up this manga and low-key it sucked that the english releases were so far behind. Volume 3 released after the anime already aired the same content. Besides that, this series is an absolutely amazing sports series. It hits all the checkboxes for a standard quirk-based sports show but also outdoes it with stellar animations. I love the style so much and I'm looking forward to what other series this studio picks up. (Same studio that did Tensura) 9/10 - Great My Hero Academia - Season 6 (Still airing - 13/25) This season is honestly what I've been waiting for. I feel that each season has it's peaks, but we're definitely hitting the climax of the story here and I'm loving it. The series has really come into it's own and has some serioulsly solid action and super-hero sequences. I genuinely enjoyed this season the most out of the series and high hopes for the future of this show. 9/10 - Great

Spy x Family - Cour 2 I have been waiting for the tennis arc to be animated. My god, I love this show. It really just hits everything I need from a shonen series and makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside. Never a moment without entertainment and I just love the characters so much. 9/10 - Great The Eminence in Shadow (Still airing - 12/20) I was genuinely surprised by this show. Its concept isn't anything crazy but I feel the writing is really well paced and is just generally very entertaining to watch. 8/10 - Very Good

Bocchi The Rock This is definitely the slice of life of the season. I had a lot of fun with the characters in this show and low-key related to a lot of the awkwardness bocchi emanates. I felt it was just overall such a simple and wholesome series. A good one to watch for fun. 8/10 - Very Good Mob Psycho III I'm a huge fan of ONE's works. One punch is easily one of my top 5 series. While I really enjoyed the first two seasons of mob, I found I just wasn't as into this season. The first half was slow and really didn't feel special. The second half, while it was awesome to see and is definitely amazing, there was really just nothing of note to spark it. Like this all happened in one episode. In the end, the animations and story are still far better than many shows out there is definitely worth watching. 8/10 - Very Good I'm the Villainess, so I'm Taming the Last Boss I actually loved this one. It took a trope that's typically seen in fantasy novels and turned it into an anime. I really like the different stories and arcs that took place in the series and I ended up getting quite attached to all the characters. 8/10 - Very Good To Your Eternity Season 2 (Still airing - 10/20) I've heard a lot that this series really falls off the further you get into it. While I do agree that it's nowhere near as good as the first half of season 1, I still really enjoy the progression of time and Fushi's evolution. I think the story so far is interesting enough to continue watching but definitely less hook than the original concept. 7/10 - Good More than a Married Couple, but not Lovers This series was a lot of fun. I think it walked a really fine line between the right amount of ecchi/spice and wholesome. Again with this one, I really like the different scenarios the characters were put in and while I did enjoy the series, it still felt like it lacked something for me. Either way, definitely a fun little non-standard romance series. 7/10 - Good The Bibliophile Princess I didn't think that I was going to keep watching this show after the first few episodes tbh, but i'm glad I did. I felt that it was a really nice genuine romance that addressed a lot of things in their world. They just did the genre well and I enjoyed the series. 7/10 - Good

Reincarnated as a Sword I know the LN readers have been waiting for this one. I think what i've found recently is that I really enjoy the concept behind these kinds of isekais but I've been preferring to read them rather than watch it. The series kinda felt mid. I did like the characters and the stories but didn't feel like anything special. I'm sure the actual novel is probably more entertaining and worth a read. 6/10 - Fine

[protribeseniors]

Stay Fit for the Festive Season: Gentle Exercises for Seniors

The festive season is a time of celebration, spending time with your dear ones, and creating more cherished life memories. However, it is also the time when we become less active and skip our scheduled workout sessions. Due to shorter and colder days, it becomes challenging to stay engaged and motivated. 

For seniors, it is vital to stay healthy and active to ensure their overall well-being. Performing regular exercises can significantly improve strength, flexibility, and endurance which will help regulate blood sugar levels and strengthen the bones in later life.

If you are looking for a way to stay fit for the festive season through exercising, then this blog will help you avoid overindulgence and inactivity. Here are some gentle exercises that you can perform regularly to improve your mobility, prevent falls, and boost your physical as well as mental well-being.

Gentle Walking:

Walking is the most convenient and accessible form of moderate aerobic activity that you can do in the comfort of your home. According to the report of the Arthritis Foundation, walking provides plenty of benefits that include stronger bones, joints, and muscles. Along with this, you can ensure improved circulation, improved sleep patterns, and improved breathing while feeling more upbeat. It is recommended to walk for at least 10-290 minutes in your home or around nearby areas.

Static Bike:

Cycling is one of the fantastic ways to stay active and fulfill your cardio needs. Cycling is beneficial for seniors who have joint pain or age-related stiffness. You can get a static bike and exercise indoors. This will help you to prevent falls. It is a low-impact senior fitness activity that allows you to build your leg strength.

Ankle Circles:

Ankle circles are one of the easiest leg exercises that improve the flexibility of your legs. It can also be performed while standing up with the help of any people who can support you in lifting your leg. Rotate your ankle in the clockwise direction 5-7 times while lifting your right leg and then do the same in an anticlockwise direction. Repeat these 2 steps for your left ankle. You can perform these exercises by sitting down in your comfort.

Chair Yoga:

Chair yoga is one of the popular and low-impact exercises that improve your balance, mobility, strength, and flexibility. This is a gentle exercise as it doesn't put more pressure on your joints, bones, and muscles as compared to other forms of yoga. Chair yoga also promotes a positive sense of well-being as well as improved mental health of seniors.

Rock the Boat:

Rock the boat is the simplest and most effective technique to improve your balance while standing. You just need to stand on the mat, lift your right leg out to the side, and maintain the pose for at least 20 seconds. Repeat this with your left leg and repeat the same 5 times on each side.

Dancing to the Classic Christmas Tunes:

Dancing is one of the best exercises that makes your heart beat up, improves your mood, and enhances your balance & coordination. It is not just a great day to celebrate this festive season but also promotes better health. This Christmas, just listen to your favorite classic Christmas tunes and celebrate with your loved ones while dancing your way.

The Conclusion

For seniors, staying healthy and active is highly important, especially during the festive season. Performing the above gentle exercises not only helps to stay healthy and engaged but also ensures senior fitness. If you are living in Delhi NCR, then experience the senior living services from ProTribe. Their experts are knowledgeable to provide you with assistance in your daily activities with quality care and empathy. This blog was originally published at https://www.protribeseniors.com/stay-fit-for-the-festive-season-gentle-exercises-for-seniors/

[independentartistbuzz]

Cozmic, Kiran + Nivi, Stevie Mackey, Maejor & More Team Up for Mesmerizing Global Pop Track “Una Famila”

Singer-songwriter-producer Cozmic collaborates with TikTok sensations Kiran & Nivi, celebrity vocal coach and prolific singer Stevie Mackey, and multi platinum artist/writer/producer, Maejor. Together this powerful group of artists is on a mission to create the music that we need now—something the whole world can sing to that transcends all cultural and societal borders. The eagerly anticipated release, titled "Una Famila," (music video out 9/21), serves as the official theme song for the Art of Living World Culture Festival, taking place from September 29 to October 1, 2023, in Washington DC. The festival is  inspired by global humanitarian, spiritual leader and envoy of peace Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar.

"Una Famila" is more than a song; it's the heartbeat of the festival and its important message to the world especially in these times of division and polarization . It encapsulates unity, love, and shared humanity in an accessible way that will inspire millions around the importance of us all coming together as a One World Family. Cozmic, Kiran & Nivi, Stevie Mackey and Maejor’s artistic alchemy promises a song that transcends borders and languages.

The track is a breath of fresh air as it offers up a message of hope and unification. With infectious pop and reggaeton elements laced throughout the song, the collaboration of the artists make it a dream come true. As each vocalist takes turns highlighting their abilities, their harmonies bring an insightful message to the world…”We’re all in this together, We can win this together, Somos Una Familia, Hey!”

Kiran + Navi bring their Indian classical music roots into the pop vernacular, combining Indian "swaram" scale tones with powerful western lyrics, soaring melodies, and irresistible hooks. Their recent single, "8 billion people", has garnered instant success, with 10M+ streams and countless playlist adds among them, a myriad of Spotify Viral 50 Charts, Spotify's Pop Up, Teen Beats, and I'm Not Crying You Are.The powerhouse twins achieve consistent virality with their spellbinding music and content, having already amassed over 2.8M followers on TikTok alone. 

They have also been amplified by household names like Khloé Kardashian, Shawn Mendes, Sia, Meghan Trainor, Lizzo, Olivia Rodrigo, Michael Bublé and James Arthur. 

Stevie Mackey is an artist, singer and celebrity vocal coach who is highly sought-after and has worked with some of the biggest names in the music industry including Selena Gomez, Jennifer Lopez, Fergie, Coldplay and more. He most famously was a vocal coach on NBC's “The Voice” for over 10 seasons. Stevie is also the creator and host of the hit music showcase, "Taco Tuesdays Live," which has become a staple in the LA music scene and recognized across the globe. With his powerful and soulful voice, Stevie is a dynamic performer and a devoted philosopher of music.

Cozmic creates playful and purposeful “Bollypop” pop fusion, combining elements of Indian and American pop music with trap, reggaeton, and acoustic rock. The resulting sound is vibrant, catchy, eclectic, and relatable. 

Maejor is an American record producer, rapper, singer, and songwriter from Detroit, Michigan. He has written and produced songs for several prominent artists in the music industry—most extensively Justin Bieber—and is half of the EDM duo Area21, alongside Dutch DJ Martin Garrix.

Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar is a global humanitarian, spiritual leader, and ambassador of peace. Gurudev has been teaching breath-based meditation techniques for health and well-being for over 42 years. His approach blends ancient Vedic wisdom with modern sensibility for a new paradigm of leadership, and living a stress-free, violence-free society.

The Art of Living World Culture Festival is a global celebration of cultural diversity, peace, and human connection. It draws hundreds of thousands of attendees from around the world to the iconic National Mall in Washington DC and is live-streamed to an international audience. This event seeks to inspire hearts worldwide through an unforgettable experience.

The song will also kick off a social media dance challenge with select influencers tagging #unafamiladance & #worldculturefestival to help bring further awareness to the song and festival.

Both the event and “Una Famila” will leave an incredible mark on hearts and minds.

[roofingspecialist]

The Timeless Elegance of Slate Roofs: A Classic Choice for Your Home

When it comes to roofing materials, few can match the timeless elegance and durability of slate. For centuries, slate roofs have been admired for their natural beauty and ability to withstand the test of time. If you’re considering a new roof for your home, it’s worth exploring the many benefits and characteristics that make slate a classic choice.

Slate is a type of metamorphic rock that is formed through the slow transformation of sedimentary rock under intense heat and pressure. This unique process gives slate its distinct characteristics, including its fine-grained texture, smooth surface, and rich color variations. The natural color palette of slate ranges from deep blacks and grays to stunning shades of green, purple, and red, offering homeowners a wide range of options to complement their architectural style and personal preference.

One of the standout features of slate roofs is their exceptional durability. Unlike some other roofing materials that may deteriorate over time, slate roofs have been known to last for centuries. In fact, it is not uncommon to find slate roofs that have been in place for well over a hundred years, still providing reliable protection and adding beauty to historic buildings. The durability of slate is attributed to its resistance to fire, extreme weather conditions, and pests, making it a popular choice for homeowners seeking long-term peace of mind.

In addition to its durability, slate is also highly resistant to water absorption. Its low water absorption rate makes it an excellent choice for regions with heavy rainfall or areas prone to snow and ice. The natural composition of slate, combined with its fine-grained structure, allows it to shed water efficiently, preventing leaks and water damage. This characteristic is especially important for homeowners who prioritize a watertight roofing system and want to minimize the risk of moisture-related issues.

Another advantage of slate roofs is their low maintenance requirements. Unlike some roofing materials that may require frequent repairs or replacement, slate roofs generally require minimal upkeep. Routine inspections and maintenance, such as clearing debris and checking for damaged or loose slates, can help ensure the longevity and performance of a slate roof. However, it’s important to note that proper installation by experienced professionals is crucial to maximize the lifespan and performance of a slate roof.

While slate roofs offer numerous benefits, it’s important to consider some potential factors before making a decision. Slate is a natural material and, therefore, can be heavier than other roofing options. Before installing a slate roof, it’s essential to have a structural assessment of your home to ensure it can support the weight of the slate tiles. Additionally, the installation of slate roofs requires skilled craftsmanship due to the precise cutting and fitting of individual slates, which can impact the overall cost of the project.

The elegance, durability, and low maintenance requirements of slate roofs make them a timeless and classic choice for homeowners. The natural beauty and rich color variations of slate can enhance the aesthetic appeal of any architectural style, while its resistance to fire, water, and pests provide reliable protection for years to come. With proper installation and regular maintenance, a slate roof can become a long-lasting investment that adds value and beauty to your home. So, if you’re seeking a roofing material that combines aesthetics, durability, and longevity, slate is a compelling option to consider for your next roofing project.

[jeetersjuice5]

Keeping Your Head When All Around You Are Losing Theirs - Positive Reasons to Quit Cannabis

Have you seen the film 'Reefer Madness'?

'Reefer Madness' is an old black and white movie that was released in 1936. In reality it is nothing more than a propaganda vehicle that drives home the message cannabis leads to insanity, aggressive behaviour and sexual deviancy. Owing to its ridiculous and hysterical depiction the movie has since become a cult classic for all the wrong reasons. So much so that it is the butt of sniggers and giggles the world over. I might add the effects of inhaling cannabis are innocent of causing the laughter on this occasion. The film's embellished message comically attempts to scare its audience with as much subtlety as a machete-wielding psychopath! Rather than persuading viewers to avoid cannabis it provides point-scoring ammunition (even after 70+ years) for the pro-campaigners cause instead.

Frankly, the illicit ingredient within your joint, bong or space-cake does not feature highly on the list of dangerous drugs. But whether you are concerned about your mental or physical health, the financial cost, the drudgery of living your life stoned or because you want to distance yourself from your current lifestyle, your reasons to quit are as credible as any. Reportedly, around 500 cannabis smokers in the UK seek out treatment every week. That statistic proves two important things: a) cannabis truly has the potential to ruin lives, and b) you are not alone in your desire to quit.

When cocaine and heroin addicts finally hit rock bottom they have all the reasons in the world to quit. With cannabis the decline is slow and barely observable. Its squeeze upon our lives is seemingly very gentle. So gentle in fact we get used to feeling sluggish and stoned and forget what it's like to wake up in the mornings bursting with energy and vigour. Instead, listlessness, reddened eyes and drained skin tone become normal. Even when it becomes apparent we should at least consider stopping, the benefits always seem weighted in favour of continuing.

Such is the subtlety of cannabis most people have difficulty deciding if

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0 notes

[davidsmith24]

Discover the Most Significant New Releases in Music This Week

As music streaming services continue to dominate the way we consume music, it can be overwhelming to sift through the countless new releases each week to find something worth listening to. Fortunately, this list offers a helpful weekly guide to the industry’s most significant news.

This week’s new releases span a wide range of artists across multiple genres. His band Gorillaz, formed by musician Damon Albarn and visual artist Jamie Hewlett, releases his seventh studio album featuring collaborations with the likes of Elton John and Robert His Smith.

Model/Actriz, an experimental duo from New York, released their debut album Defeatist. Rapper Maxo has released his latest project, Smile, which features guest appearances from the rapper’s Earl Sweatshirt and his Pink Siifu.

Other notable releases this week include post-punk band Shame’s ‘Drunk Tank Pink’, electronic musician Yeat’s ‘You Will Learn To Suffer But Then You Can Cope’ and R&B singer Tink’s ‘Heat of the Moment “And so on. Also, her classical pianist Katrina Klimsky released the album Ariel’s Piano, and her experimental jazz trio The Necks released her 22nd album Three.

Fans of digital song also can test out Sideshow’s “The Moon,” which blends factors of techno, house, and ambient song to create an otherworldly listening experience.

With so much new music released every week, it’s easy to get overwhelmed. But with Pitchfork’s guidance, fans can discover exciting new artists and albums they may have missed.

Dogsbody [True Panther] by Model/Actriz

Brooklyn-based band Model/Actriz has been making waves with their debut album, Dogsbody, which infuses busy, tense rock songs with an eclectic mix of cultural references. Bandleader Cole Haden’s love for Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical Cats is evident in the album’s sound, which offers a unique blend of popular culture, high art, and suburban living.

Released in 2022, Dogsbody features ten tracks that showcase the band’s ability to create music that is both urgent and introspective. From the opening track, “Dress Rehearsal,” to the closing track, “All in a Day’s Work,” the album takes listeners on a journey through Haden’s encounters and observations of the world around him.

The album’s lead single, “Amaranth,” is a standout track that showcases the band’s ability to blend different genres and styles seamlessly. The song’s driving rhythm and infectious melody are complemented by Haden’s introspective lyrics, which touch on themes of isolation and self-doubt.

Even God Has a Sense of Humor [Def Jam] by Maxo

Maxo, the Los Angeles-based rapper, released his latest full-length album titled “Even God Has a Sense of Humor” on his 28th birthday this week. This album is a follow-up to his 2019 release, “Lil Big Man”. Maxo’s latest album features collaborations from talented artists such as Madlib, Pink Siifu, Liv.e, KeiyaA, and many more.

One of the singles from the album, “Free!”, has been receiving great reviews and has been featured on Pitchfork. The track features an upbeat and catchy instrumental, layered with Maxo’s quick and witty wordplay. The production of the song is credited to Brooklyn-based producer Sporting Life, who is known for his unique and experimental sound.

“Free!” talks about Maxo’s aspirations and his journey towards achieving his goals. He emphasizes the importance of self-belief, hard work, and the power of faith. Maxo’s lyrics are honest and relatable, making it easy for listeners to connect with his message.

Maxo’s latest album is a testament to his growth as an artist. It showcases his versatility and his ability to experiment with different sounds and styles.

Even God Has a Sense of Humor is a highly anticipated release and has already received great reviews from fans and critics alike. With this album, Maxo has cemented his position as one of the most exciting and promising rappers in the game. Read more

Source: Networth

[waugh-bao]

The quote from Shirley made me think of the one press conference thing where a guy (there always has to be some ‘wacky’ guy asking dumb questions at these things) asked Charlie if he had a business card. Charlie seemed annoyed and said “this is my business card” and pointed at his face. I thought good for you Charlie! It was nice to see a moment of ‘I know who I am’ confidence.

After a little sleuthing, I found it in a documentary about The Bigger Bang tour:

It is a funny interaction. He dealt with enough wackiness/idiocy on a regular basis, he wasn't putting up with any more. But what you said is true, it's a moment of 'I know who I am' confidence, and those are nice to see because they were quite rare with him.

He's one of those people where I guess you have to make a distinction between self-respect and self-confidence. Charlie had an immense amount of self-respect, something that showed itself in how he chose to live. He had a very certain image of who he wanted to be, which wasn't some kind of hedonistic rock god, and he conducted himself in accordance with that image (loyal to his wife, well dressed in a classical way, devoted to jazz, etc) even though it made him stick out in some ways.

At the same time, he didn't have a massive amount of confidence in his own abilities. Charlie was the first person to insist that he was "just the drummer", wasn't a great drummer at that, and that the band could fire or replace him easily. And Charlie was absolutely the only person of the four of them that believed that. It's sort of ironic that they fell into that dynamic, because based on the history of the band, it really should have been the other way around. They knew they were getting something extraordinary with him, he was the one taking a chance to go with them.

This is probably a slightly boring detour into history, but it's interesting to note that Charlie's ultimate drum hero was a guy called Dave Tough. Tough was an American swing and jazz drummer who played from the late '20s to 1948, and if you read interviews with almost any musician who worked in that period, they're full of praise for him. Which would come as a surprise to some people, as he's been forgotten relative to figures like Gene Krupa and Buddy Rich, famous for their long solos and big kits. As a drummer and a man; "Dave was the single most musical drummer that I've ever known...a sweet man, a gentle man" according to Artie Shaw. He was an extremely thin little man who dressed sharply every day, loved to make art and wanted to be a writer, and hated taking solos. Ultimately, he drank himself to death because, among other things, he felt he wasn't a good enough drummer.

I think one of the most beautiful things about the story of the Stones, if you can call it that, is that they worked so very hard to try to make sure that Charlie never felt the way his hero did. They did everything they could to give him confidence, always.

There's a striking moment during an interview from 2013 where Mick is explaining why Charlie couldn't play with the Stones for their Marquee Club gig in 1963, and, with Charlie sitting right next to him, he just casually tosses this out:

Likewise, there's a little throw-away line in an intro Mick did for Charlie a few years ago that strikes the same chord. He refers to Charlie as Max Roach, who was another one of Charlie's heroes and a highly respected and technically talented bebop drummer. It was Mick's way of saying 'we don't care how mediocre you think you are, we think you're as extraordinary as this guy who was one of the two or three greatest jazz drummers ever':

Ronnie was just the same:

It bears noting here, in relation to Charlie's comment about being replaceable, that the Stones have made a very conscious choice not to replace him. This is how Keith put it: "You took Charlie, everything fell apart, and to be able to transition this thing and also feeling Charlie's presence in a way via Steve...[was important]." Steve is filling in for Charlie, and he's doing it precisely because he was a close student of Charlie's style, so through him they can retain their link to Charlie when they play.

Of course, Keith was Charlie's biggest fan and booster. Like Mick, Keith took all the joy in the world in grabbing him and making him try to see how talented he was via the thousands of people screaming their admiration for him:

He could basically give a graduate level lecture on why Charlie was amazing, and would do it for any journalist who would listen:

And he did everything humanly possible to give Charlie the confidence he needed to get out there and kill as a band leader. I know we've all seen this picture:

It's Mick and Keith coming out together to support Charlie's big band premiere at Ronnie Scott's in 1985. But what you discover, if you read the reviews of all of the various bands, quartets, tenets, etc. that Charlie fronted over the years, is that Keith came to every premiere no matter where it was, and every New York performance. In fact, he and Patti flew from Jamaica specifically to see Charlie start a residency at the Blue Note in 1986. But if you look at those pieces, you'll also see a lot of stuff like this:

"Mr. Watts is as modest as can be. He waited until nearly the end to introduce the musicians; while he was presenting the bassist Dave Green, touchingly, as ''my childhood friend,'' Keith Richards, sitting at a table with a retinue, a poodle and an ever-lighted cigarette, heckled in mock surprise, 'You have one?'"

That wasn't Keith being mean to Charlie. A music critic actually discovered the real reason. Jazz band leaders are basically required, in addition to introducing their players, to do patter between songs and interact with the audience. Charlie was shy, both hated public speaking and thought he was dismally bad at it. So Keith would heckle him throughout a performance in order to make Charlie feel like he was the only person there, and like everything was safe and comfortable.

Anyway, this is far too long, but yeah, Mick, Keith, and Ronnie knew (and know) they had something singular in Charlie Watts, and they're still out there trying to show Charlie just how special he was:

[charlotte-headcanons]

Hey! How have ypu been? 2,3,6,7,9,15 Who else but Monty (Kata, Brulee, Peros too :D) yeah it's a big order!

Phew, that one sure took a while! But everything for you, friend 💕💕 We're alright, hope you've been well too! ✨

Some practicalities first: We decided to organize this answer by characters, for maximum space to go into detail on each headcanon! Some headcanons pertain to our modern AU rather than to the One Piece canon as we found these headcanons worked better for a particular prompt: we'll indicate those at the start of each bullet point!

Send us a number and a character and we'll post headcanons!

2. Job headcanon

Modern AU: Mont D'Or is a librarian by passion and a prosecutor by profession. He opened up and manages his own library in the early mornings and late evenings, but in-between that, he works on court cases. He might be overworked, and is definitely a workaholic but he hardly ever slacks off on either of his careers; and he's notorious for being professional, convincing, and very attached to every case. Highly principled unless Mama orders him to do something for her, he refuses to prosecute those he doesn't believe should be prosecuted, and for those he wants to face justice - he will get so heated that he might get reprimanded by judges for yelling or by cops and detectives for joining their investigations uninvited. His sister, Galette, is his secretary, and she follows him around everywhere, helping out however much she can!

3. Drinking headcanon

Mont D'Or... might have a bit of an alcohol problem. It's not that he gets drunk often... but he does drink regularly. Essentially, every time his siblings piss him off, he takes a sip, so you can imagine how many sips accumulate throughout the day. His prefer drink is red dry wine and he mostly drinks alone, without witnesses, not to give a bad example! To get really drunk, he would have to drink a lot; but if he does get drunk, he mostly gets more explosive than usual or somewhat lagged out, processing all information input slower than normally.

6. Musical headcanon

In Mont D'Or's eyes, the main function music has is to help him either focus or unwind. For both of these roles, he enjoys classical music most - think especially something akin to Wagner. He despises loud music and prefers instrumental pieces, although he is also an opera enthusiast. His guilty pleasure, discovered quite recently, could also be lo-fi kind of music! It calms him down a little, even though he doesn't like to be caught listening to it, as his expressed music-related opinions are overall quite snobbish.

7. Food/Cooking headcanon

Mont D'Or would gladly cook if he had the time for it; but being as busy as he is, he is forced to depend on others and on ordering food throughout each day. His tastes encompass rather fancy cuisine: he adores charcuterie boards and seafood, refuses to eat fast food, adds cheese to pretty much everything that is remotely acceptable like an apple pie and calls it an acquired taste. Besides that, he always likes to have a cookie with his black coffee; considering how much coffee he drinks every day, that is a lot of cookies consumed!

9. Childhood headcanon

As a child, Mont D'Or was known as just a nerd. He was way more shy and less aggressive than he is now; it was only over time, having been ridiculed by some siblings for his unconventional (in this family) interests, that he toughened up and learned to stand up for himself. Ever since he learned to read, Mont D'Or was a frequent visitor to all libraries of Totto Land. At the time, there weren't that many, nor did they have impressive book collections, so soon enough, Mont D'Or started reading books way above his age target group, and by the time he came of age, he was disappointed to find out that he has already read every book currently available within Big Mom's territory. At first, little Mont D'Or wasn't quite sure what he can offer to his family of murderous pirates: he wasn't strong nor all that ruthless, and his strengths could be found rather in the areas that wouldn't be that useful for sailing or plundering. He also felt lonely before Galette came along, and he could most often be found alone, or around Compote, who had a soft spot for her smart little brother. Eventually, Mont D'Or figured out that strategy and organization were the areas where his family could need him, though; from there, he moved on to transform from a quiet nerd into a pillar of Big Mom Pirates’ planning.

15. School headcanon

Besides setting up many more libraries in Totto Land than it once had, Mont D'Or took it onto himself to kickstart a proper education system in his mother's territory. In the past, none of the Charlotte siblings went through formalized education, rather having to learn from experience or directly from Big Mom, other pirates, and from each other. Now, Mont D'Or makes sure that teachers are recruited to Totto, and at least basic schools (available universally) are established!

Modern AU: It is probably not surprising that at school, Mont D'Or would be a straight-A's student. Stellar at every test, he would however not be all that liked by the teachers due to his behavior problems. His temper and lack of respect for authority if the authority is wrong would both make him a troublesome student to get in conflict with. He'd absolutely correct the teachers on their mistakes, and if they dared refuse to acknowledge their faults... he would yell. 😔

Katakuri, Brulee, and Perospero under the cut!

2. Job headcanon

Modern AU: As we discussed in a previous post, Katakuri would definitely be every parent's dream child, aka a doctor and a lawyer in one! A neurologist and an advocate, Katakuri would be very close to burnout, and wouldn't really actively work in the law field anymore, not wanting to infringe on Mont D'Or's turf. He would definitely work too much, but telling him to rest would hardly be a solution: with his perfectionism, he would not be able to sleep unless his task was carried out well. He wouldn't like his job all that much, really, but he'd still keep it to continue supporting his younger or less talented siblings with his money; and not to disappoint his mother, of course.

3. Drinking headcanon

Katakuri refuses to drink alcohol, finding every possible excuse to not be pressured into it. First of all, he just doesn't want to show his mouth, lay down, or do something even more embarassing for anyone to see if he gets drunk. More importantly, though, he is scared of falling into an addiction as a coping method, so he prefers to just avoid the temptation altogether. If possible, he'd rather not be around drunk people, too!

6. Musical headcanon

Katakuri enjoys all kinds of music and has quite a diverse tastes, with some of his favorites coming from indie rock, metal, cute pixel music, grunge, and more. He is quite embarrassed to share the music he listens to, so when possible, he listens to it on headphones. When he's fully convinced that he's alone, he might sing a little or bob his head to the music he enjoys; if listening to songs around people, though, he'll keep a fully straight, unmoved face.

7. Food/Cooking headcanon

As the supreme donut lover, Katakuri actually has a secret bucket list of all flavors of donuts he wants to try! He cares about the textures of food a lot, and generally prefers soft and chewy things. To set him apart from Luffy, Katakuri also doesn't really like meat, with few exceptions! Sometimes, Katakuri joins Perospero in his morning tea drinking sessions, and it was from his older brother that he learned to like his tea very sweet. As for cooking, he tried it as a child, but found to have little patience for it back then; now, he'd probably do way better if he tried to cook, but just like Mont D'Or, he just doesn't have the time!

9. Childhood headcanon

Katakuri is probably the Charlotte that changed the most since his early childhood. Before the Brulee incident, he was actually a rather lazy, even if talented, kid. To get him to train, an incentive of donuts was always necessary; and having been highly influenced by Daifuku and Oven, he also used to be a bit of a troublemaker. If anyone made fun of him or annoyed him, they would always see Katakuri throwing hands - he was far more eruptive than now and didn't really care what others thought. Brulee getting hurt because of him, though, had a life-changing effect on him; and it effectively molded him into the hardworking, serious, troubled person that he is now.

15. School headcanon

Modern AU: Despite starting off as a troublemaker who slept through the boring classes, these days Katakuri is a model student, and many teachers marvel at his transformation. He is just as good in sciences as in sports, and often represents his school in various competitions, regularly winning too! Although he gets A's in everything, his favorite school subjects remain the humanities. After school, he revises the lesson material for exactly an hour every day, but doesn't need to study much before tests, having a great memory and a kind of sixth sense for filtering out important information. Despite not wanting to be in the spotlight, he's very popular with fellow students and a lot of classmates have secret crushes on him, girls or guys!

2. Job headcanon

Modern AU: As we headcanon, one of Brulee's main hobbies is tending to her herbal garden, and she knows a lot about the healing properties of plants! Naturally, then, she would gladly choose pharmacy as her career path: the calm atmosphere combined with helping others would fit her vibe perfectly. Besides that, she would also work voluntarily babysitting the children of her siblings; the kids would always be kind of scared of her at first, but soon enough they would outright cry whenever she would have to leave even just for a moment.

3. Drinking headcanon

Brulee drinks alcohol rarely and in small amounts; mostly as an addition to a good dinner. She is an extreme lightweight, so anything more than one glass of her favorite white wine results in her becoming way more clumsy than usual and inevitably getting a next-morning headache. To avoid this, she makes sure to never drink more than she knows she can handle!

6. Musical headcanon

Another classical music lover, Brulee would enjoy something akin to Schubert's songs most! Even though she isn't the best at it, with her voice being just a bit too nasal and too scratchy, Brulee likes to sing (especially ballads and lullabies!) and often hums while working. Having a bit more free time than most of her siblings, Brulee also managed to learn some instruments, albeit she only ever stuck to the basics and simple pieces. The piano is the instrument she plays rather well, so she can teach her younger siblings how to play a few easy songs if they so please; very recently, she also picked up the violin, and she enjoys practicing it although, so far, the sounds she can make hardly resemble what she would like to hear.

7. Food/Cooking headcanon

Brulee cooks a lot and enjoys doing that a bunch! She's quite experimental and healthy with her recipes, and prefers salty foods as well as meat or soups. As a result, she is one of the few bastions that keep some of her siblings from succumbing to dessert-only diets. Once in a while, she bakes bread too; since she always cooks way more food than she needs, she often ends up sharing or donating it! You can almost always smell something cooking up in her hut; even if Totto Land has so many high-level chefs, Brulee still likes to make her own, homemade food herself.

9. Childhood headcanon

As a child, Brulee was much more anxious than she is now. She was always a bit awkward and clumsy, and kind of bullied for her witchy appearance by the other children in ports and in Totto Land. Over time, she learned to embrace herself, though; in the stories her older siblings told her, she always identified with the witches, and she later proceeded to amplify this image of herself as much as possible, instead of resenting it!

15. School headcanon

Modern AU: Brulee would be a mediocre student, who'd be kind of picked on, at least until Katakuri got all set on defending her! Her favorite school subject would be history, and she'd also enjoy some parts of biology - though she'd much rather learn about plants and animals than the human insides. Always a sweetheart, Brulee would enjoy secretly making her classmates happy with little anonymous gifts; each birthday or Valentine's Day, anyone could count on at least one card from a secret friend, who everyone would suspect to be her, as she isn't all that great at hiding.

2. Job headcanon

Modern AU: Perospero would be an interior designer, but really, one of a kind. Even if just designing a chair, he'd see his work as art and himself as an artist, and he'd act accordingly. Cracker Any architect unlucky enough to have to work with him would end up in despair as he'd blatanly ignore the technical limits and capacities of a building for the aesthetic. Likewise, his clients would have to be prepared for many unexpected decisions and costs: Perospero would not take orders from them but always stick to what he thinks looks good, no matter how intricate or expensive. Effectively, the only clients brave enough to employ him more than once would be the rich and extravagant ones: those would appreciate his work immensely, while anyone remotely more practical would have to complain.

3. Drinking headcanon

Perospero parties and gets drunk quite often, although he exclusively drinks overly sweet cocktails and never drinks outside of a social context! When he has too much to drink, he gets either hyper, horny, or annoying - or all three at once - depending on his mood. Whichever it is, he also loses all understanding of personal space, gets a lot more touchy, and much more likely to lick everyone and everything. At the end of the night, he has the tendency to pretend that he's much more drunk than he actually is, too, hoping that someone will carry him home like the princess he wants to be; though most of the time, it just ends up with Daifuku pulling him back by the leg.

6. Musical headcanon

Perospero loves to sing, especially publically, and he's surprisingly good at it! damn I really got a stroke first time I heard him sing, like, my man, how can you sing so well with an entire tongue out wtf Perospero explain. His preferred repertoire of music to sing includes all sorts of songs from musicals; as for music to listen to, he ranges between musicals and hyperpop, or any music sweet and bubbly on the outside but disturbing and horror-like as it develops!

7. Food/cooking headcanon

Perospero does not cook on principle, insisting that they have the chefs for it. His diet as a whole is downright atrocious; he adds sugar to quite literally everything, acts dramatically, as if he was poisoned if forced to eat anything not sweet enough, and mostly lives off candy. His 'tea' can hardly be called that anymore, considering that it contains more syrups and sugar than tea itself. Basically, Compote gets chills whenever she sees him eat and continuously marvels at how the fuck he is still alive.

9. Childhood headcanon

Having to take care of his siblings early on, Perospero didn't get much of a careless childhood. Once Linlin was unable to keep all children with her on the Rocks Pirates ship, by the time he was 8, he was put in charge of all the younger siblings she left in a port (while Compote was looking over the ones that stayed with Linlin on the ship). Perospero looks back at his childhood fondly, though; he liked ordering his brothers and sisters around, liked being in charge, and especially loved being admired and looked up to as the eldest sibling role model. Once Katakuri became a new favorite of the family, Perospero was so jealous and grumpy for a while that he even went through a rebellious phase of trying to run away; he came back less than a day later though, having cried his eyes out once missing his family and homesickness kicked in, never to try to leave ever again.

15. School headcanon

Modern AU: At school, Perospero would definitely focus on socializing way more than on learning. Among the teachers, he would be known as a smart but lazy kind of student, doing the bare minimum for most classes, though excelling in art and music. He would have mostly girl friends, essentially running his own mean girls group; together with them, he'd always come up with excuses to not exercise during P.E. so that his looks don't get ruined and so that he can just spend the time gossiping about the guys instead. If someone got on his bad side, Perospero would also not be above bullying them, although he wouldn't do that in a conventional way - rather, he'd just make his victims severely uncomfortable, getting way to close, switching between flirty and dangerous tones, and making them feel trapped before just backing off and laughing. An absolute menace to society, even in a modern AU 😔

If you managed to get through all of this, we salute you, soldier 🎖️Hope you enjoyed, though! ✨ It was sure fun to come up with. Thanks for the ask! 💕

[wolfstar-in-color]

August colorful column: AUgust special - The World Needs Your Highly Niche AU

During August, here in Wolfstar in Color we decided to celebrate AUgust - or, the existence of Alternative Universes in fandom. Because of this, we invited @fforsythiaaa​ to talk a bit about AUs from a literary point of view - and let me tell you, folks, we are beyond amazed and inspired by her words.

So we invite you to read the column that follows. If you want to know who @fforsythiaaa​ is, here’s a primer from herself: “I post about wolfstar, fanfiction as an art and experience, and whatever words, fanart, thoughts, tips, or anecdotes that I can't let go unshared.”

Read under the cut for the full column!

The World Needs Your Highly Niche AU

@fforsythiaaa​

I don’t remember when I found out that fanfiction came in AU flavor, but looking back, that was definitely the moment I fell head over heels for the fandom. Reading wolfstar come together, fall apart, orbit around each other, or weather the storm in a thousand different settings is amazing. It’s romantic to think that they would find each other no matter which plane of reality they’re on, and it’s satisfying to see their core traits manifested in so many different contexts. And considering JKR’s harmful views and actions, as well as how her views make it into the text, I’m finding myself much less inclined to interact with fics that are even canon-divergent. 

That said, there’s one thing that gets me so, so excited, and that’s when I see someone refer to a fic as a “highly niche” or “weirdly specific” AU. Stories that are specific to time, place, culture or identity are my favorite kind. It’s Remus and Sirius as scientists doing fieldwork together in a fellowship program in the mountains! It’s Remus and Sirius as communist organizers in 1920s Chile! It’s Remus and Sirius in a rural town impacted by the opioid epidemic! It’s Remus and Sirius as an architect and a contractor at odds on a very important and difficult project! (I made that one up, but if you write it, please, please tag me.) You’re telling me I get to read about these two starcrossed idiots and learn stuff at the same time? Count me in.

“But no one will want to read this,” the author will post. “It’s too specific, no one will be able to relate, and people won’t be interested in this kind of premise.” 

To which I say, unequivocally, I WANT TO READ YOUR HIGHLY NICHE AU. And what’s more, I think your highly niche AU is going to make the fandom a better place.

Let me start by saying that I completely understand why you think no one would be interested. People like stories that they can relate to; fewer people can relate to a very specific setting; therefore, fewer people would like a very specific story. Right?

The main problem with this logic is the assumption that people can only relate to stories that they have some prior experience with. With every story, the reader is learning about the time period, the place, the norms and rules and societies, and the characters. As readers, this learning is what makes reading fun, and as wolfstar fans, learning about these characters is the reason we read fic in the first place. So my logical conclusion is that the more we get to learn about Remus and Sirius and the world they inhabit, the more we enjoy reading. And in a highly niche au, there’s a lot of learning to do.

Full disclosure, I did not make this idea up. There was one post that made me think of Viktor Shklovsky, a literary critic who coined the term “defamiliarization.” They wrote something like: “I’m worried that all the details would be distracting for the reader and interrupt the story.” Shklovsky basically says that that’s the whole point. 

For extra credit, you can certainly read “Art as Technique” in its entirety, but I’ll dig up my literature degree and give you the gist. When you think you know something, you don’t really see it or perceive it. Think about a stretch of sidewalk you walk on every day. How much time do you spend noticing weeds growing up through the pavement, or where the concrete was repaired with a different material, and how much time do you spend just walking to work? Your brain skips right over the details to be more efficient. Art is meant to make us perceive the world instead of skip right to knowing it; it’s meant to make us notice those weeds and that concrete. Shklovsky says that the technique of art is to make objects unfamiliar so it takes us longer to perceive, to understand. In poetry, each unfamiliar word or detail is a rock in the path that makes us walk more slowly and look more carefully at a road we thought we knew. 

In your super specific AU, that niche setting that your readers aren’t familiar with is part of what makes reading enjoyable. You’re making us walk more slowly through Remus and Sirius’s story so we can perceive their character and conflict differently; that gives us more time to enjoy the story. You’re making us think differently about what the human experience can look like. 

That’s where I start making my argument that branching out from coffee shop and college AUs (which I also love dearly) is a positive step for the whole fandom. We know that representation of people outside the dominant culture is really, really beneficial (that’s another post, and also the whole point of Wolfstar In Color; if you want some Cliff notes to share with the class, check the classic Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie TED talk). When we’re in the habit of hearing lots of different stories instead of only one, we’re in the habit of being curious about each other; it’s much easier to build compassion, understanding, and solidarity when we genuinely want to know more about other people. 

But my push for highly niche AUs is not about filling AO3 with a thousand million stories that perfectly represent the lived experience of every individual reader (unless…?). It’s more about filling the fandom with enough different types of stories that people start thinking, “you know what? If their story belongs here, so does mine.” 

That’s how we make this space feel safe enough for people to participate, whether as writers, readers, or tumblr posters. It’s a much more effective way of demonstrating that the fandom values diverse voices than just saying platitudes about how everyone’s voices matter. Sometimes your existence is radical enough. We need it, and we want to hear about it.

So the next time you think about writing “literally no one asked for this highly niche au,” come back to this post and think again. I’m asking for you to give me an opportunity to learn new things. I’m asking for you to add one more reason for a budding author to think that maybe their fic belongs here, too, and maybe their experiences are more valuable than they thought. I’m asking for you to give me an opportunity to discover new facets of human experience with this painfully tragic and romantic pair as my companions. Here it is: I’m asking.

[the-hot-zone]

Haru’s Bending Style: An Analysis (And Why Jet Would Lose His Shit)

Here’s the thing–Haru has an incredibly distinct style of earthbending, and it goes beyond, “he uses his hands a lot.” To understand this, we have to go to the root (heh) of firebending. Stay with me.

Firebending is based on Northern Shaolin Kung Fu. On Northern Shaolin Kung Fu:

“The northern styles of kung-fu generally emphasize long range techniques, quick advances and retreats, wide stances, kicking and leaping techniques, whirling circular blocks, quickness, agility, and aggressive attacks.”

The Northern Style is a dynamic style that places emphasis on legwork and force. It is aggressive, strong, and graceful. There are Ten Classical Forms in the Northern Style, but I’m only going to talk about two of them. 

First, look at this video of Haru clips from the show: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i32HK_RYuDo

[Video Description: several clips of Haru from the show Avatar: The Last Airbender. Most of the clips feature his bending. End ID.]

Two moments in particular stand out to me. The first is this:

[ID: a series of five screenshots that show Haru bending. They follow a sequence of movements as Haru bends a large boulder into the wall of a gorge. In all photos, he is in a deep gorge with walls higher than his head. The rocks and gorge walls are rough and textured, and they are the color of sand: tan, yellow, and shades of brown. In the first photo, Haru begins to lift a large boulder from the ground. In the second photo, he swings the boulder around with two arms. In the third photo, he breaks root, leaping a short distance into the air. In the fourth photo, he finds his root again. One hand is extended towards the boulder; the other is closer to his body, palm outward. In the fifth and final photo, Haru has bended the boulder into the wall of the gorge. A cloud of dust and rock fragments explodes from the wall, displaying Haru’s force. One of his arms is extended towards the wall. End ID.]

and this moment:

[ID: a screenshot of Haru bending. Relative to the viewer, he is leaping away. His arms are extended on either side of him, causing a small avalanche of boulders to tumble into the gorge. End ID.]

These two moments offer us, the viewers, a wealth of information about Haru’s style. It tells us that Haru has adapted firebending techniques to earthbend. Let me explain.

Long-range techniques

This is the most obvious display of Haru’s style; he easily bends earth that’s not immediate to him. We see this above, and we saw that when he rescued that old man from the mine--Haru moved a significant amount of earth from a significant distance away, even going so far as to stop fragments of rock mid-air. Once again, in the above images, Haru is moving a lot of rock that’s not close to him, and he’s doing it with his hands. This brings me to my next point--the two forms Haru’s style reminds me of.

Hand movements

The first is Duanda: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6y28P5cWHPI

[Video Description: a person performs Dun Da and its application. In the application, an additional person fights the first. End ID.]

Duanda (or Dun Da), focuses on close-encounter movements. The above video also displays the Northern Style’s other characteristics: deep forms, legwork, and power. Here’s a moment that stands out:

[ID: two screenshots from the above video: NORTHERN SHAOLIN 第六路短打少林拳 (FORM + APPLICATION). The first photo shows the person in a deep stance, one leg out in a lunge, the other extended behind them. One hand is extended while the other is close to the body. In the second photo, the positions of the hands have switched. End ID.]

Movement for movement, this is almost exactly what Haru does in the first moment from above: his stance and hand movements are incredibly similar. But I’m not done talking about hand movements. Haru’s bending also reminds me of Chuān Xīn, or Chum Sam (heart-piercing strikes). 

Video: https://baksillum.wordpress.com/bak-sil-lum-4-chum-sam/

[Video Description: a person performs Chum Sam. End ID.]

This is due to Haru’s hand movements while bending. The steps of this kata involve the circular movements of the arms. In the latter moment I mentioned above, from the Haru bending video, he throws out his arms and moves them down to bend the rocks behind him. This isn’t circular, sure, but it’s more related to the movements of firebending than earthbending. Additionally, look at this moment from the Haru bending video:

[Imade ID: a screenshot of Haru from the waist up. He is dressed in a brown prison uniform, and he glares at the viewer with narrowed eyes. In his hand he bends three pieces of coal; they hover mid-air. End ID.]

All hands, baby! There is also a moment later on in the Haru bending video where Haru uses his hands in a swinging motion (with his dad), to bend coal. What’s important here is that his hand/arm movements aren’t always forceful and straightly-applied; occasionally, they’re sweeping and graceful--like the Northern Style. In general, Haru tends to use his hands a lot, which is unusual for an earthbender. I don’t think this is because of inexperience–I think it’s because he wanted to bend, was short on katas, and adapted firebending moves. 

Legwork/Leaping

Finally, let’s talk about leaps, or, as I like to call it in terms of earthbending, breaking root. This is seen in both of the Haru bending movements I mentioned above. In the first moment, Haru breaks root before he smashes the boulder into the gorge wall. And, if you look at the last photo, Haru is in the air when he moves those boulders. Let me repeat that: to bend, Haru is in the air. He breaks root! This is highly unusual for an earthbender--but not for a firebender. 

In summary, Haru’s style is a blend of firebending and earthbending--he’s utilizing aspects of firebending to accomplish earthbending. His style is a combination of occasionally breaking his root to apply a powerful force to his attacks; long-range techniques; arm-movements, and traditional earthbending. He’s applying what’s he’s learned from watching Fire Nation soldiers, and it’s fascinating. 

Now. What does Jet think of this?

Ultimately, I think Jet would be impressed by Haru’s bending. Or, more specifically, Haru’s adaptability. One of Jet’s most distinct skills is his adaptability, and Haru’s bending style is exactly that. Haru’s courage and determination to connect with his native element are so admirable. His own father was imprisoned by the Fire Nation, and he most likely faced scrutiny from his fellow villagers (as seen by that one old guy) for even being an earthbender. He had nowhere to go–literally living in a Fire Nation-occupied town. Yet Haru tried his best to learn how to bend; he refused to be separated from his culture. This is seen in his style, which is a bend of earth and fire.

First, though, there’s going to be a moment of incredulity, and anger. Haru was forced to adapt the enemy’s techniques in order to bend his native element. But I think he’d also admire Haru’s determination, and his stubborness to learn. 

The Jet/Haru sparring scene... there would be so much to talk about. Jet recognizing firebending moves coming from an earthbender--that moment alone would be intense. A sparring scene between those two would be legendary, especially if Haru had learned metalbending by then. Haru’s agility and willingness to break root would catch Jet by surprise, I think, but remember: Jet, too, is adaptable. He would have a field day, and it would end with mutual respect and admiration. 

Ugh. I just. Idk man. Jet’s also done a lot of recon on firebenders/Fire Nation soldiers, and so has Haru. But Haru’s willingness to adopt firebending techniques into his fighting style is a decision only Haru would make. They both embody the concept “never give up without a fight” in different ways while demonstrating similar qualities of determination, stubbornness, and adaptability. They have a lot to learn from each other. 

Conclusion? Jetru rights. 

Tagging the ppl who were standing by: @bluberry-spicehead @spooky--suki @spoopykyoshi and @listless-brainrot​ and @nonbinary-crafter-aang​ cause I know you two also ship Jetru.

[tanadrin]

"On the Hylobiota of FEC-3230-3B6f," a note from the personal log of Junior Technical Officer Omru Setan, of the DSEV Soliton. As published in Frontier Xenobiology Today, issue 32, vol. 26.

The Soliton was, fortunately, able to spend a few months in orbit of FEC-3230-3B6, a luxury of time not usually afforded to frontier exploration vessels. It is a sad truism of this line of work that we can only ever devote the smallest fraction of due attention to most of the worlds we discover, and we must hope that eventually follow-up missions will be able to visit at least the most interesting of them. Since the ship was overdue for maintenance by the time we reached that star, and the local civilization had technology and resource extraction compatible with our systems, the crew elected to remain in the system long enough to establish basic communications and trade relations sufficient to complete repairs. That process went more smoothly than expected, and a further twelve weeks were devoted purely to scientific investigation, which accounts for the outsized entry on the Shards and their environment in the Soliton's survey logs.

The Shards are the dominant variety of local sapients in the FEC-3230-3B6 system, and are found especially around FC-3230-3B6f, a fragment of a disrupted planetary-mass body embedded in a dense asteroid belt in the circumstellar habitable zone. They are a variety of machine life, with a complex culture and language, including sophisticated political and economic structures, and one evidently purpose-built to the low-gravity zero-atmosphere environment in which they dwell. They are capable of autonomous space travel within the local asteroid belt, and many of their most basic systems rely on very sophisticated field manipulation, spacetime-distortion, and reactionless propulsion mechanisms, all far more advanced than any technology in common use in Accord space. Very little of the functioning of these technologies could be gleaned from studying the Shards directly, since the field manipulators on which the Shards rely are microscopic in scale and distributed throughout their bodies. How much the Shards understand the technologies their bodies use is also unknown; while basic communication was established fairly easily using standard protocols, communication on abstract concepts has been more difficult, and the Shards' understanding of their own history and design is, for now, mostly opaque.

We do know this: the Shards refer to the principal volume of space in which they dwell as the Field of Rest. It is so called because artificial field effects, generated by ruined megastructures found embedded in 3B6f and the other largest nearby asteroids, keep the major celestial bodies in the region more or less stationary with respect to one another; and any body moving through the region will gradually decelerate, until it is at rest within the Field. This effect is strongest in the immediate environs of 3B6f, and past a certain point rapidly falls off with distance, with a very weak residual effect spreading out for many hundreds of thousands of kilometers in all directions. We were unable to determine whether this field and the megastructures which generate it were responsible for the original disruption of the planet which formed the asteroid belt; whether they are incidental ruins; or whether they were built or repurposed after the disruption in order to stabilize the region. Moreover, while the Field is stable over much longer time scales than it would be without the presence of this effect, it is unlikely to be stable over very long geological timescales, even provided the megastructures (power source currently unknown) could maintain the effect for that long. Back-of-the-envelope calculations by my colleague, Sidar Resk, indicate that the Field is likely not younger than one hundred thousand years, and likely not older than two million.

My own expertise is not in astrogeology, xenoanthropology, or xenoarcheology, so I will leave further explanation of such matters to those more suited to do them justice. See especially the logs of Svys Sidar, Deng, Falke, and Yun, especially Svy Yun's speculative but extremely interesting timeline of the system's history. What I really want to discuss is the--for lack of a better term--biology of the system.

3B6f, most other bodies in the Field, and most bodies surveyed in the wider belt, show traces of a unique set of chemical and physical processes analogous to, but very unlike, the processes of organic life. Since applying the term "biology" to both aqueous organic processes and these unique processes is a recipe for confusion, let's call the latter "hylology," by analogy to hylotechnology, that is to say, non-aqueous nanotechnology which has much more in common with purely mechanical systems than normal nanoscale systems do.

A brief digression for the interested: it was once the dream of many engineers that, as the miniaturization of mechanical technology improved, it would be possible eventually to build machines at the nanometer scale, very roughly the size of the most interesting components of living cells, and that this nanoscale technology would allow extremely precise manipulation of both biological and non-biological materials, and thus both extremely precise manipulation of living tissue and the easy creation of macroscopic materials with novel properties. As the technologies for investigating and manipulating the nanoscale world improved, however, it became apparent that below a certain scale "mechanical" and "chemical" processes rapidly converge: the interactive forces of atoms and molecules that we usually think of as belonging to the messy world of chemistry come to equal or overwhelm what we think of as the austere forces of the purely mechanical world, especially in the watery environs of biological systems, and when the first nanotechnological revolution finally began in the 22nd century, it was the result of many parallel developments in mechanical, chemical, and quantum engineering, and it proceeded rather more slowly than the optimists of previous ages had hoped.

Some researchers have continued to pursue what might be called "classical" nanoscale and sub-nanoscale technologies, in a specifically non-biological context. This is what is usually meant by "hylotechnology," a niche but important category that, among Accord species, is used mostly for careful fabrication of small quantities of highly specialized metamaterials. Because of the difficulties inherent in nanoscale mechanics, hylotech is extremely finicky, and even the most cutting-edge hylotech forges usually end up recycling as much as 60% of their output for failing to meet the intended specifications. The term "hylotech" also is often extended to mean chemistry-like processes which occur in systems other than normal atoms and the molecules they form: quasiparticle complexes, Xuluan lattices, and monopole chemistry, but for now these all belong to the theoretical realm.

The Field is unusual because it is an environment with many naturally evolved forms of life, that is to say orders having arisen without apparent intervention by any sapient actor, all of which are based originally on artificial hylotechnology. As Svy Yun argues (and I agree), chemical and fossil evidence in rock fragments formerly belonging to the crust of 3B6f's progenitor-planet indicate that organic life arose on that world, and eventually yielded a sentient species not too dissimilar from any of the Accord members. This species built a technologically sophisticated civilization, one which pursued nanotech vigorously, and which integrated it into many of their other technologies. When the catastrophe that destroyed 3B6f occurred, fragments of that nanotechnology survived, perhaps in the form of trace programmable matter, of small self-replicated nanomachines, or as part of the structure of larger machine life entities like the Shards. This basic nanofilm eventually spread throughout the Field, and evolved in new ways, producing new complex behaviors and structures. These include the equivalent of both single-celled organisms, and multi-cellular organisms with highly specialized tissues; organisms with bilateral and radial symmetry; and even organisms with tissues that seem to resemble, in structure and function, the nervous tissue of Earth's early animalia like the Cnidarians.

Needless to say, we found this to be a very startling result, and there are several considerations which I wish to address in turn.

First, the Shards. The Shards are not an evolved organism; of this I am as certain as it is possible to be. Although they plainly share technological innovations with the hylozoan LUCA, they don't have anything like the pseudocellular structure of the hylozoa. The smallest units of the hylozoa are molecular machines that range in size from 50 to 500 nanometers. They are mostly self-reproducing, and they exhibit some of the field and spacetime-manipulation technology the Shards do, at a far smaller and much more low-powered scale. The Shards, in contrast, while they are carefully engineered from the nanometer scale up, are not composed of easily discernible components on that scale, nor specialized tissues made up of self-reproducing components. The Shards do have sophisticated repair mechanisms, but these replace sections of their bodies at the scale of dozens of micrometers. Whereas most species we have encountered have had at some point to grapple with the fact they are the product of accident and not intention, and that they are of the same order of life and matter as the living things they share their environment with, the Shards might justly be possessed of a certain smugness--they are, after all, truly different from the hylozoa around them. Something else to consider when the xenologers attempt to investigate Shard culture, I suppose.

Second, the hylozoan "cell." Our own cellular structure is a lipid envelope enclosing organelles, proteins, and many different kinds of useful molecules either taken in from our food or produced by our own bodies, which--carried along by the furious Brownian motion of the aqueous environment--shakes and rattles thousands of different kinds of chemical machinery along every moment. It is, in origin, a droplet of the primeval soup that has been carefully contained and carried forward in time, a product of the ancient oceans within which those droplets formed.

The basic unit of hylozoan biology, the "hylocell" is likewise a product of its original environment--in this case, the austere vacuum. It is not a bag of chemical soup: instead, it is a spindly structure made of many modular elements which spread outward from a central nucleus. Rather than containing chemical information stored as DNA, the nucleus of the hylocell is a chemical-mechanical battery which powers the modules to which it is connected. At the tip of the spindles or rays which extend out from this battery, magnetic interactions between specialized connector-modules bind the hylocells together; these connections can be rapidly reconfigured as needed. Between the spindles, a weak electromagnetic field holds various kinds of charged particles in a diffuse suspension, one which is practically a vacuum compared to the interior of our own cells, but which is a valuable reservoir of raw materials for the hylocell, compared to the gasping emptiness of most of the Field.

The modules which compose the hylocell are arranged hierarchically, and while we have much to learn about how they function, at least some of them seem to store information in a manner not unlike our own cellular nuclei, albeit distributed throughout the hylocell; others are geared toward energy storage, to the synthesis of specific chemicals, to building new modules or new hylocells; and still others to generating precise field distortions or spacetime distortions which form an integral part of the hylocell's functioning.

Another important difference between the hylocellular structure and our own biology includes the far more rapid mutation rate of hylocells: the biodiversity of 3B6f is comparable to a biosphere many hundreds of millions of years old, and my own experiments, undertaken with the help the Soliton's geneticists, indicate that the hylozoan LUCA may have been designed to be adaptive from the beginning, able to direct and vet mutations that allow it to function better in novel environments, instead of having to rely on copying errors and blind chance. Attempts to devise a "molecular clock" based on some highly conserved hylocellular modules across many different genera put the divergence of those genera from the hylozoan LUCA between 250,000 and 750,000 YBP, at the younger end of our estimates for the age of the Field as a whole; but these results should be regarded as extremely tentative.

Lastly, I wish to collect miscellaneous observations from my colleagues, which have not fit into any of the larger topics above.

While many varieties of hylocell process other organisms, minerals, or solar energy directly, at least some seem to be capable of absorbing energy from solar neutrinos. This adaptation is found in many different clades, where it seems to have arisen independently.

Hylocells are completely non-functional in dense atmospheres. The pressure of even a one-Pascale environment disrupts normal function. Some single-cellular hylozoans seem to be able to gradually recover when returned to a near-vacuum environment, but all studied multi-cellular hylozoans were killed when exposed to high pressures. Shards, by contrast, are entirely unaffected by normal atmospheric pressures, and were able to come and go from within the Soliton without difficulty.

Since Shards do not consume hylozoans for food, they are in many respects "outside" the hylozoan ecology. They do not depend on it for any resources, nor do the hylozoans depend on them; but the ecology of their environment does seem to have cultural significance and aesthetic interest.

Hylozoans are most densely distributed in the middle of the Field, but are found on virtually every body in the asteroid belt surveyed. The smallest and most distant of such bodies often have very divergent clades inhabiting them; no known hylozoans can traverse deep space except if carried, intentionally or accidentally, by the Shards.

Five major domains of hylozoan life have been identified: these are the Hylobacteria (invariably single-celled, and with simple structure), Electrophores (have cellular processes that depend on more sophisticated manipulation of charged particles), Lithozoa (most are deep-rock dwellers), Planetozoa (found mostly on remote bodies outside the Field), and Polyklemata (have an advanced compound cellular structure whose greater complexity compared to the Hylobacteria is perhaps comparable to the difference between the Eukaryota and Bacteria). Multicellular hylozoans are found in every domain except the Hylobacteria. The most basal existing hylozoan may be Plinodeisa aeides, a planetozoan that forms thick, undifferentiated cellular mats on sunlight-exposed surfaces.

[the-mercurial-star-o-vesper]

Troops! To the Sky-y-y-y-y~!

Been a bit since I did a NSR stuff.

Love this game.

OBSESSION Let’s list exactly how many stuff we can relate to 10 here in regards to 1010. - 1010 is Binary for... 10. - Neon, the Noble Gas, has an atomic number of 10. - J is the 10 letter of the English Alphabet. - 1010 is printed on the side of Blue / Purlhew’s head. Red / Zimelu and Green / Eloni hairstyles likely also show 10 from the front when put together (Or IO) - 10 outta 10, best band. (Which means Eve is literally in a league of her own). - Neon J’s radar is a J-Scope. - It takes 10 seconds for White / Rin to respond when Mayday confronts them. - There’s 5 members of the band, half of 10. And they’re the Fifth Megastar... Half of 10. - The Letter J is derived from the Greek Letter Iota... Mayhaps 10ta? (Hilariously, if you place the obsolete letter Digamma back the Alphabet, this makes Iota the 10th letter, with the 10th value). Really, if its not 5, 10, its also IO or maybe I/O. Its even in their designs. And for a band that’s meant to be satirical, hot damn, that’s a lot of thought and research (Could even be unintentional, which is the best kind of intentional). There’s prolly plenty of stuff I missed, and some of this stuff was pulled from the wiki.

NEW Neon is derived from Neos, Ancient Greek for “New”. The element Neon is literally “New One”. Nova, from DJ Subatomic Supernova, is Latin for “New”. Also consider that Atomic part when put next to Neon. No wonder these two are friends, they share an aesthetic.

THE SYMBOL OF EYES Real talk now. The multicolored population and strange eyes are significant in this game, moreso than one thinks. When Bunk Bed Junction gains fans, those fans will suddenly be colored outside of hijacks, and when you look at Yinu Mom’s fight, her eyes are very significant to it. And its through her that your shown that Eyes are Very important here. It isn’t just Love, its Idolization, its Bondings, and it also shows you have an inclination towards certain people who share that color with you. [Meaning that the multicolor of this multicolor population actually has some real significance outside of fantastical design] Yinu’s Mom’s eyes are yellow, and both her husband and her daughter are yellow. She has eyes for them. And when she forgets them, her eyes go blank in her fight. Using this has the example... When Mayday idolizes someone their person shares the same color as her eyes in some form or fashion. Sayu is Magenta or Fushia, and so, Mayday is pretty easy to fall into being a fan of Sayu. When Mayday idolizes 1010, she’s specifically has eyes for Rin. While Rin is white, notice his Barracca Portrait... Purple-Pinks. Even in his BioShields, they’re Pinks and Indigos. Mayday highly idolizes Kul Fyra, who later turns out to be Tatiana. And Tatiana? Shares Mayday’s eye color. Going on from Mayday... - Zuke Zuke has Red-Orange eyes. He has a very close friendship with Mayday, who is Orange and wears Red. But this also extends, as he seems to be attracted to those with a lot of Passion. His relationship with Eve is an indicator, but she’s only half (The relationship broke off at his end). He still cares for Eve, but it was a very one-sided relationship. Also, notice how his brother, DK West, has Red Hair. Mayhaps a special sign that he looked up to his brother. - Eve has Green Eyes. She has eyes for Zuke, something which Zuke himself eventually has to refute. - DK West His eyes are always closed. Literally, he’s close-minded to forming relationships. Though some digging shows he has the same kind of eyes as Zuke’s. Mayhaps they show the same inclination to make the same kind of bonds? - SAYU and 1010 Don’t know what to tell you there, they’re specifically designed artificial idols. Inspite of their very cool looking eye designs, they don’t seem to have eyes for anyone in particularly... or anything, for that matter. - Yinu herself has Red and Pink eyes. Perhaps this signifies a strong familial bond with her mother? I don’t think so. I think that her Red and Pink eyes signify a passion for her craft, over any friendship or familybond she’d have. When she takes back control over her concert, it only plays classical (Something she loves performing). She rips it away from her mother’s dubstep, and even, from You. No matter what album you play during her performance, her finale will always have her classical. Further proof of this shows up later. - DJ Subatomic Supernova He doesn’t have eyes. Or a face. But the same theory applies. His “eyes” are directed to space and eternity, and his entire head mimics that. Hell, the black hole that forms from his head is literally his ego collapsing on itself. I mean, he is egocentric, after all. - Neon J Same as the DJ, he doesn’t have eyes. But he does have a Radar Face. Radar is mostly to track outside movement or radio signals. The guy isn’t looking for anyone in particularly, he’s looking out for Everyone and Everything. In a reversal to DJSS’s self-obsession with eternity, Neon J is literally looking out for everyone and not focusing on himself (Hell, his own cyborg body is merely a white uniform variation of 1010′s black uniform bodies) - Tatiana Her eyes are magenta-purple, akin to Mayday’s. This both shows their similarities and as being Mayday’s idol, but it also shows that Tatiana really does have eyes for the city. Dido goes for her lennon specs. They share the same color as her eyes. Cos NSR Tower is also Magenta-Fuschia. Truely, Tatiana only has eyes for the city. But in the end, look how her eyes mimic Yinu’s, and that’s just after she regained a passion for Rock. Tatiana formerly magenta eyes, only for NSR and the city, now has shifted with Red. A rekindled Passion for her Craft alongside being passionate for the city. And the specs are no longer anywhere to be seen. Mayhaps her sunglasses mimicing her eyes show how she’s trying to either block, hide herself, or shield herself from her old past with Rock...? - *sigh* Kliff Notice how blank his eyes are? You could just about compare them to Sayu’s own blank eyes. Save Sayu’s turquoise eyes are at least heartshaped. Kliff doesn’t really have eyes for anyone here. Also notice how he is designed like somebody from the real world walked into this game, he doesn’t share the fantastical aesthetic. Meaning that nobody else is designed for him either.

[thedeadpanblade]

c!techno does not have a victim complex

before you get out the pitchforks and torches, hear me out. nah, mans does not have a victim complex. there's something that fits a lot better and even matches up with shit the chat/the voices have said to him.

c!techno has a pretty intense god complex if you look at how his character behaves.

now, let me explain.

i'd like to preface this with saying c!techno? favorite dsmp character. absolutely hands down. c!ramboo is a close second along with c!wilbur. and i love c!techno and c!philza's dynamic to death. i just like picking characters apart and trying to understand them. so this might come off as critical, but it's more so me picking apart c!technoblade, getting inside his head, and understanding what makes him tic.

now that that's out of the way. c!techno's massive god complex.

the origin of him developing a god complex isn't far fetched. i mean, chat constantly spams blood for the blood god. after hearing that for years and years on end, especially on repeat for hours, there's no way in hell it wouldn't get to your head. and it might've had a slight brainwashing effect but i'll pin that analysis for another day

but, regardless, let's look at what a god complex is to see if the symptoms match up.

"A person having a God complex will always believe that he is perfection personified, and will expect to be treated that way, too. According to him, he will be forever incapable of ever making a mistake, and will never accept responsibility for anything that goes wrong. The rules embedded in society’s mindset will never be important for a person with this complex, as he’ll deem himself to be above these “petty” things of the mortal world." — Psychologenie

this already sounding familiar? sounds pretty similar to shit c!techno has said himself or actions he's taken during events in the smp.

let's dissect some of the character traits of a god complex.

"People having this complex are arrogant to the point that it becomes very annoying for others. These people believe they are the best at everything, and everyone else is très inferior to them." — Psychologenie

hmmmm. gee, this sounds an awful lot like how c!techno talks to c!tommy. if you took a shot for every single time c!techno called tommy useless you'd probably be dead. (please tumblr i'm begging you don't actually do that)

"This complex makes people very judgmental. They constantly scrutinize others’ actions, and label them as bad, or not up to the mark. They cannot stand from not judging everyone and everything apart from themselves, and this judgment is almost always negative." — Psychologenie

hmmmm. again, sounds an awful lot how c!techno talks to c!tommy.

"Similar to narcissists, people with a God complex are absolutely allergic to criticism. They cannot tolerate anything that even mildly contradicts their beliefs or actions." — Psychologenie

i've seen it brought up that c!techno doesn't really take responsibility for his actions. i agree, mans really does not and always excuses the shitty things he's done. he denies taking any responsibility when tommy confronts him about shooting tubbo and in the classic doomsday argument.

but the bit about not tolerating anything that even mildly contradicts their beliefs or actions matches up a lot more with how c!techno obliterates anyone who does not agree with his version of anarchy.

c!techno also does not have the fixed helpless attitude that comes with a victim complex (e.g. "i can't do anything about the bad things happening to me, so why bother trying?"). mans grinded enough wither skeletons to obliterate an entire server and still has some. he does not consider himself to be helpless in the slightest and is very hard working. he's also set a bunch of withers loose on the server multiple times when people didn't agree with him to get his way.

"These people feel the uncontrollable need to influence people, and any given situation. As a result, they are shrewd and manipulative, and feel free to “use” people as and when they please." — Psychologenie

now, this will make a lot of people think of dream. which, duh, mans obviously has a god complex. most of these traits easily apply to him.

c!techno equally shows this trait in my opinion. except instead of emotional manipulation, he uses physical violence to maintain his influence over people and any given situation. he uses his reputation to instill fear in people. think of him merely putting on his armor and tommy changing his mind about trying to attack him.

"More than often, people with this complex are those with a lot of power over others. They feel the ever-increasing need for more power, and to exercise that power in every way possible. They cannot bear to relinquish control, in any situation." — Psychologenie

again, look at c!techno's use of withers. look at the absolutely absurd amount of withers he has. look at the absurd amount of anything combat related he has. look at his reputation as one of the best fighters on the server. despite being an anarchist, c!techno very much relies on power and violence to communicate. one of his most iconic quotes from the dsmp highlights this.

"Tommy, the thing is, you're using words... but the thing about this world, Tommy, is that the only universal language is violence, and we've had that conversation. We've spoken that language in the pit. It's over, Tommy." — c!technoblade

another point i would like to bring up in my argument that techno has a god complex. take a look at this.

"Though people with the God complex seem so sure, and so in love with themselves, some experts suggests that they actually suffer from a low self-esteem, and are insecure about almost everything, which is why they constantly require attention and admiration from others around them." — Psychologenie

c!techno? low self esteem? abso-fucking-lutely. people typically get angry to cover up more sensitive and painful emotions, and to make them feel less weak. anger is used to cover up a weakness. so, if you look at what makes someone angry, you know where their sensitive spots are.

looking at the dsmp, what has made c!techno the most angry?

you can narrow it down to two things really.

people taking his stuff or showing little regard for his gifts/acts of service (i'd assume those are his love languages, fair enough)

people dehumanizing him

a post by @simplepotatofarmer covers this in depth, which i would highly recommend checking out, but for the sake of keeping this part brief.

the best example of c!techno getting angry at being dehumanized is this line from the doomsday argument: "I'M A PERSON, TOMMY!"

c!techno does not shout often. the fact he shouts this line at tommy speaks volumes about how deep the wound goes.

the reason c!techno gets so angry at being dehumanized is likely because he has been repeatedly dehumanized by others.

and as a result, deep down, he likely no longer views himself as worthy of being treated like a person. that's rock bottom in hell levels of low self esteem.

how would he go from low self esteem to developing a god complex when they seem to be polar opposites?

well, if you don't view yourself as being treated like a human, believing you deserve to be treated like a god is a far better alternative than accepting you feel like you should be treated like nothing.

[sleepykittypaws]

Celebrate the Olympic Spirit

Sure, the Olympics aren’t a holiday, per se, but the every-four-year, or two if you count both Summer and Winter editions separately, massive international sporting events sure seems like a reason to celebrate, especially given their recent, unprecedented delay. And what better way to get into the Games mood, than by watching a sports movie?

Here are my favorite motivating, inspirational, and aspirational tales of athletic derring do…

Favorite Sports Movies

The Cutting Edge (1992) - This figure skating romance was released around the 1992 Olympics, and actually name-checks that year's winter host city, Albertville, more than once.  It's not good in the traditional sense of great storytelling or athletic veracity, but I loved it so very much I saw it three times in the theater as a teen. Watching it at some point during every Winter Games is a tradition for me so, yeah, I can’t help it, I love this silly sports movie/romance, which also features a bit of holiday feels.

Wimbledon (2004) - It's a rom-com. It's a sports movie. It's a rom-com sports movie that really should be better known. Notting Hill but set at tennis' best-known event. Paul Bettany and Kristen Dunst have surprisingly great chemistry, and there's more sports-related tension than you'd think.

Friday Night Lights (2004) - A football movie for people who don't really like football. a.k.a. 🙋‍♀️. The TV series it spawned is also brilliant (”Clear Eyes, Full Hearts,” indeed), and well worth a watch, but the original movie, starring Billy Bob Thornton, is, honestly, a masterpiece. Definitely Peter Berg's best work and the original book, written by Berg's cousin, Buzz Bissinger, is a great read.

Muriel's Wedding (1994) - You mean you forgot this Australian export, which made Toni Collette a star, was a sports movie? Yep, one of my all-time favorite movies, of any genre, this absolutely brilliant, ABBA-soaked comedy is not only a girls-night go-to, but also a stealth Olympic sport classic.

Remember the Titans (2000) - OK, football isn't in the Olympics, but it sure does make for a good sports movie setting. Even if this early 1970s-set story is most definitely Disney-fied, Denzel Washington, Will Patton, Ryan Gosling and a baby Hayden Panettiere really sell this sort-of true story.

Invictus (2009)-Rugby isn't an Olympic sport, or even one most Americans know much about, but this Matt Damon-led, Clint Eastwood-directed, based-on-a-true-story tale made me care about a sport I'd only tangentially knew even existed before watching.

Hoosiers (1986)-I grew up in Indiana so, by law, I have to include this basketball classic on any "best of" sports movie lists. Also, it actually is really very good.

Rudy (1993)-Ditto the above. But, again, it's hard not to root for Sean Astin (and Jon Favreau!) in this love letter to the Fighting Irish. Plus, there’s no better scavenger hunt task or TikTok challenge than going into a bar and convincing a patron to allow you to put them on your shoulders and march around chanting, 'Rudy, Rudy, Rudy.' 

Miracle (2004) - Given how much more popular the Summer Olympics are, it's weird that the Winter Games seem to get all the good movies made about them, but this Kurt Russell-led true tale is another Disney sports movie classic.

McFarland, USA (2015) - Disney, and Kevin Costner, just really know how to make a sports movie, damn it! This movie made me care about cross country for which it, too, could have carried the title Miracle.

A League of Their Own (1992)-The best baseball movie ever. Yeah, I said what I said. Tom Hanks, Geena Davis, Lori Petty—even Madonna and Rosie O'Donnell are making it work. 1992 was a weirdly great year for sports movies.

Moneyball (2011) - A movie about baseball, and math, and yet it's also great, I swear. In addition to all of the above, it's also a stealth Christmas movie and maybe Chris Pratt's best non-Marvel, movie role.

Creed (2015) - This surprisingly effective Rocky reboot starring Michael B Jordan as Apollo Creed's illegitimate son has spawned its own movie series which, in many ways, exceeds the original Rocky franchise.

Rocky Balboa (2006) - Maybe it's because I was a toddler when the original Rocky came out, so only saw the ever-worse sequels as a kid, but this mid-aughts return to the character for Sylvester Stallone, as both writer and actor, is a triumph.

Eddie the Eagle (2016) - That Hugh Jackman features in as many movies (spoiler alert) on this list as Kevin Costner surprised me, too. This story of the English ski jumper who became infamous for being, well, less than golden, is one of those non-Olympic triumph stories that really works. If you're going to watch one underdog-at-the-Games movie, I definitely prefer this this to the more ubiquitous Cool Runnings.

Love & Basketball (2000) - Only because I'm an anglophile is this great, chemistry-filled Sanaa Lathan and Omar Epps college basketball romance not my favorite sports-movie-meets-rom-com.

I, Tonya (2017) - Margot Robbie and a nearly unrecognizable Sebastian Stan are perfectly cast in this sarcastic, highly stylized look at the Tonya Harding scandal.

Pride (2007) - Apparently I like this swimming movie, which I think almost no one saw, better than critics, but I found this 1970s-set, Terrence Howard-Bernie Mac-starring story of inner city kids excelling in the pool emotional and entertaining.

Field of Dreams (1989) - This Kevin Costner magical realism baseball classic is often goofy and imminently tease-worthy and yet…It also works. Maybe it's no surprise that someone who loves cheesy Christmas movies as much as I do would have a soft spot for Field of Dreams.

42 (2013) - Chadwick Boseman is absolutely fantastic as legend Jackie Robinson. One of those movies that's ostensibly about baseball, but is really about so much more, except not in a pretentious way.

Race (2016) - Before Jason Sudeikis was Ted Lasso, he was famed track coach Larry Synder in this Jesse Owens biopic that is far from perfect, but still important. Plus, I honestly don't think Stephan James got enough credit for his relatively nuanced portrayal of Owens.

Goon (2011) - This overlooked gem starring Sean William Scott as a semi-pro hockey player whose main skill is his ability to take, and dole out, a beating, is surprisingly great.

Real Steel (2011) - This is a robot-boxing movie starring Hugh Jackman that is basically Rocky meets Over the Top—and yet it's actually really good. Yeah, I was surprised, too.

Forget Paris (1995) - OK, so maybe Billy Crystal playing an NBA referee doesn't really make this a sports movie, but it does begin and end (spoiler alert) at real NBA games, and I will die on the hill that this rom-com co-starring Debra Winger is wildly under-rated.

Bend it like Beckham (2002) - This girl-power sports movie has some highly questionable romantic dynamics (the coach is their love interest???) but this Parminder Nagra-Keira Knightley movie is also a heckuva sports movie and an inspiring immigrant story.

Bonus Pick: The Apple TV+ series Ted Lasso is one of the best things I watched in 2020, and I'm sure of that, because I watched it twice since, just to be sure. Jason Sudekis is absolutely perfect as an American college football coach taking over a UK Premier League team. This sweet show with a heart of gold is smart, funny, and absolutely impossible not to love—even for a cynic such as myself.

More Sports Movies Worth Watching

For someone not very into sports, I am, apparently, into watching movies about sports, so while not a comprehensive listing of the entire, vast genre, here are a few more suggestions I personally think are worth watching.

The Miracle Season (2018) - This movie about high school volleyball champs whose star player dies suddenly stars Helen Hunt and is a lot better than you'd think based on its tiny budget and, honestly, fairly small story. Just missed making my Top 25.

The Way Back (2020) - This Ben Affleck as a drunken high school basketball coach movie is a lot better than expected. Released just as the pandemic kicked into high gear, it was overlooked last year, but worth seeking out.

Fighting with My Family (2019) - Does it count if it's a show, not a sport? Either way (but that's why this isn't in my Top 25), this stealth Christmas movie/love letter to the WWE is a lot better than it ever needed to be thanks to some really great performances from Florence Pugh, Lena Headey and directer Stephen Merchant. Even The Rock reins it in.

Warrior (2011) - You couldn't pay me to watch an actual UFC bout, but this Tom Hardy story of (literally) battling brothers is incredibly compelling and well done.

Win Win (2011) - This movie isn't really enough about wrestling, even though its ostensibly centered around the sport, to make it into my Top 25, but it's still really good, and Amy Ryan gives an outstanding performance.

Fever Pitch (2005) - Drew Barrymore and Jimmy Fallon star in this remake of a UK film whose ending they had to shift when the Red Sox unexpectedly won the World Series.

Fever Pitch (1997) - This Colin Firth-starring, Arsenal-centered original is much smaller, more realistic and arguably better than the big budget Barrymore-Fallon redux.

We are Marshall (2006) - A real-life sports tragedy made into a sports-movie tearjerker starring Matthew McConaughy. And my tears were very much jerked by the end.

Coach Carter (2005) - Samuel L Jackson plays real-life basketball coach Ken Carter and, because it's a Disney movie, doesn't use the F-word even once. Now that's a feat worthy of its own sports movie.

Invincible (2006) - Yes, it's Mark Wahlberg, and another based-on-a-true-story, Disney sports movie that hits all the cliches, but dang it, that works on me. It just does.

Glory Road (2006) - If you're sensing a theme with me and Disney sports movies…Well, you're not wrong. This look at the first all-Black starting lineup at the 1966 NCAA Final Four does, unfortunately, center white coach Don Haskins, played by Josh Lucas (though I always mis-remember it as Josh Charles), making the important story it tells less than what it should be, but it still mostly works.

Million Dollar Arm (2014) - Admittedly one of the lesser Disney sports movie entries, and another that centers a white guy in a film mostly about people of color (not a great look), this Jon Hamm movie about a scout seeking an Indian cricket star who can make it in the Major Leagues still mostly worked for me.

The Mighty Ducks (1992) - One of the few movies on this list aimed directly at kids, this beloved peewee hockey saga actually is cute, and mostly does hold up.

Cool Runnings (1993) - Kind of shocked this movie that is part White Savior-movie and part-wacky kids movie essentially making fun of a real group of athletes of color came out in 1993 and not 1973, but the earnest charm of John Candy and a general Disney gloss keep this from being totally unwatchable and mostly just mildly, rather than extremely, offensive. Not really recommending, but feels like it belongs on an Olympic movie list.

Nadia (1984) - This made-for-TV, mostly true biopic, starring Talia Balsam as Nadia Comaneci, was a Disney Channel staple in that network’s early days. 

Munich (2005) - It's a movie with the Olympics very much at its heart—namely the 1972 Israeli athlete hostage tragedy—that isn't really about the Olympics at all, but this Steven Spielberg-directed movie about national revenge is compelling, if problematic if you think about it for too long.

American Anthem (1986) - Is this Mitch Gaylord-Mrs. Wayne Gretzky (a.k.a Janet Jones) starring movie good, realistic and/or well-written? No, no and none of the above. But did I still watch it 8,000 times as a kid on HBO? Yes. Yes, I did.

Men with Brooms (2002) - Once, on a business trip to Canada, my husband was stuck in a hotel that only got three channels, and one of them always seemed to be showing curling, which actually got him weirdly into this obscure sport. This movie wasn't quite as fun as I hoped, but it's still a mostly charming, if slight, Canadian classic.

Unbroken (2014) - The harrowing and incredible real-life story of Louis Zamperini deserved better than this Angelina Jolie-directed movie delivered, but it's still a serviceable version of a worthy tale.

Chariots of Fire (1981) - I remember being bored out of my mind by this movie trying to watch this movie on cable as a kid, but no denying that, if nothing else, the score is iconic and indelibly linked to sports-movie magic.

Without Limits (1998) - Jared Leto’s Prefontaine beat this one to the theaters, but this Billy Crudup-starring film is the better of the two movies about the life of running pioneer Steve Prefontaine. There’s also a 1995 documentary, Fire on the Track: The Steve Prefontaine Story.

Personal Best (1982) - Mariel Hemingway’s story of ambition at odds with love, is a sports and LGTBQ+ classic. 

Olympic Dreams (2019) - The story of how this small, meandering movie was made during the 2018 Winter Games is, unfortunately, more interesting than the movie itself, but there is some charm in watching Nick Kroll as an Olympic dentist making his way through the real Village, while interacting with real athletes.

Foxcatcher (2015) - This excellently-acted story is more true crime than sports inspiration, but if you're seeking a look at the dark side of the Games—and don’t want to turn on a doc like Athlete A—this is very dark tale indeed.

Seabiscuit (2003) - Every great athlete deserves to have their story told.

Any Given Sunday (1999) - Oliver Stone and Al Pacino take on pro Football. 'Nuff said.

The Replacements (2000) - I mean, the movie isn't amazing, but Keanu Reeves is super charming and Gene Hackman is always worth a watch.

The Program (1993) - Another bit of a dark-side-of-football take, worth it if only for the fantastic cast: James Caan, Halle Berry, Omar Eps, Joey Lauren Adams.

Everbody’s All-American (1988) - Not a movie I particularly love, but this Dennis Quaid-Jessica Lange football story that spans decades has always stuck in my memory.

Bull Durham (1988) - Just let Kevin Costner play actual baseball already.