#split precedent contest

[inventors-fair]

I've been using MTG.Design lately to make cards for entries. However, it doesn't look like split card frames is an option they have. What card creator do folks use to make split cards?

Ooh, that's a great question. Firstly, if you're someone who uses an online client that allows for splits that's not MTG.design, sound off in the reblogs/replies and spread the word.

Secondly, many of us use the downloadable program Magic Set Editor, which can be found here. In the "Style" tab, you can find use various card frames including splits, fuse splits, and aftermath. Side note: you also want to make sure you have the right fonts installed (that is, the Beleren and ModMatrix families).

Alternatively, you can use the ratios from other split cards and use whatever image manipulation program you want to put them together:

Aftermath cards are wonky, but split cards each have approximately the same ratio as normal-sized cards, within the realm of a couple significant figures. Handy! Overlaying text onto the aftermath cards will be a bit of a pain. Here's a blank one if you want to use it as a template:

Your average image manipulation program should allow you to fill in the blanks there on desktop, but chances are that you'll be able to download MSE if you're there. On mobile, I'll admit that your options are limited, and I'm not as familiar with online clients to say which one would work best.

One possibility is to use text and directions so that folks behind the scenes can help make a render happen for you. You can also ask around Discord for assistance!

@abelzumi

[doglike-devotee]

Delphi: museum.

Warning: long post, many images.

A while ago, I went to Greece with my dad and while there, we stopped at Delphi. It was an amazing experience. I've been wanting to share the images and I'm now getting to it! This will be split into two parts, the first (this post) about the museum and the second about the site.

This post will include the images of the statues and the explanation boards next to them in text form, as with the images of them it is more than 30 images. Message or comment if you'd like a picture of the explanation boards! It won't include everything in the museum, just what I thought was interesting. I'll try to seperate things into "chapters" to make them more easily digestible. I will add image ID in the ALT to almost every pic. If there is no ALT attached, it means I'm not entirely sure which part is being depicted, but the text below explaining the scene should contain it, I just can't attach it.

East Side: beginnings of Trojan War.

An assembly of the gods is represented on the east side of the frieze. Gods protecting the Trojans are seated to the left: Ares, Aphrodite, Artemis, Apollo and Zeus in a luxurious throne. The (now lost) figure of Thetis, mother of Achilles, would be touching Zeus's knees, pleading for her son's safety. Goddesses-protecting the Achaeans (Athena, Hera and Demeter) are seated to the right. A little further starts the vivid narration of the Trojan War. Round the body of a dead warrior Trojan heroes (to the left) fight against Achaeans (to the right). Closing the scene, the elderly figure of Nestor urges the Achaeans to win the battle.

North Side: Gigantomachy.

Subject-matter of the north side is the Gigantomachy, the battle of the Olympian gods against the Giants, children of Gaia. The myth of the conflict, which was victorious for the gods, is a favourite theme in ancient Greek art, symbolizing the triumph of order and civilization over savagery and anarchy. The gods fight hard to subdue the giants, who attack from the right with spears, swords and stones. Some of them from the left, Hephaistos - dressed in a short chiton, typical of craftsmen - stands in front of his bellows preparing fire-balls. Nearby are Demeter and Kore, then Dionysus in a panther's skin and Cybele on a chariot drawn by lions. The pair of gods whose helmet-crest is shaped like a kantharos (vase) and he is named after this. The inscription on the shield of the fourth giant refers to the sculptor of the relief but, unfortunately, his name is not preserved. Following would be Zeus on his chariot, then Hera, Athena, Ares armed with helmet and shield, and Hermes wearing the conical pilos, characteristic of Arcadian shepherds. The last figure is fragmentary - probably Poseidon accompanied by his wife, Amphitrite.

West Side: Judgment of Paris (probably).

The few figures preserved from the west side of the frieze lead to the assumption that here the subject was the judgment of Paris at the beauty contest among Athena, Aphrodite and Hera. He voted for Aphrodite and, in return, earned the most beautiful woman in the world, Helene, the wife of king Menelaos. It was her abduction that triggered the Trojan War. First of the contestants is goddess Athena, who appears as if she is mounting her winged chariot. Hermes frames the scene to the left. Aphrodite is graciously stepping of her own chariot, touching her necklace with a coquettish gesture. The missing part of the frieze would feature Hera, ready for departure after her unsuccessful participation. Last would be the judge Paris.

Sphinx.

In about 560 BC, preceding the construction of the luxurious Siphnian treasury, another rich island of the Cyclades, Naxos, sends a grandiose offering to Apollo of Delphi: the statue of the mythical Sphinx, whose the colossal size, imposing outlook and location in the sanctuary (near the rock of Sibylla and in the foreground of the polygonal retaining wall of the temple) commemorates the political and artistic supremacy of Naxos in the archaic era. The daemonic creature with the female face and the enigmatic smile, the body of a lion and wings of a bird, was supposed to be warding off the evil. It was seated on the capital of the very tall Ionic column, regarded as the oldest element in the Ionic order at Delphi. In total, the Naxian dedication reached 12.50m in height. Carved in a huge block of Naxian marble, the Sphinx combines the solid and firm structure with a tendency for decoration in rendering the hair, breast and wings, which reduces the impression of massive volume. As we learn from an inscription of the 4th c. BC incised on the column base, the priests of Apollo honoured the people of Naxos with the privilege of promanteia, that is, priority in receiving an oracle.

Intermission: random pic and text from a banner.

The dispute between Heracles and Apollo for the Delphic tripod was a very popular illustrated theme in ancient times, a fact that underlines the gravity of the Delphic oracle and its prophecies. In fact, Apollo is recognized as the most important oracular god, who responded to the inner need of humans to know their future and make the right decisions. At Delphi, consultations took place once a month in the temple's adyton, where the god's will was expressed through the inarticulate cries of Pythia, which the priests then interpreted and most probably put into verse. Six hundred and fifteen prophecies have been saved in literary sources and on a very limited number of inscriptions. They were in answer to various questions of a military, religious, state-related or personal nature, such as forming a family, winning at the games etc. The interpretation of these prophecies (oracles) was always ambiguous, which meant that they could be interpreted by the person asking the question; this is why Apollo was also known as Loxias, which meant oblique or ambiguous.

West Pediment of the Temple of Apollo: archaic and classical.

The west pediment of the archaic temple of Apollo, depicting the Gigantomachy (battle between the Olympian gods and giants). From the left part of the composition the figures have been preserved of a giant on his knees (Enceladus?), Athena wearing a breastplate and charging, the lower part of a male figure (perhaps Dionysus) and fragments of two horses from Zeus' chariot which occupied the centre of the pediment. Traces of rich colour decoration are preserved on the stuccoed poros figures (510-500 BC). This is the pediment admired by the women of the chorus in Euripides' lon:

But also here in this temple of divine Loxias [Apollo], son of Leto ... observe the battle of the Giants painted on the stone walls. ... See there, where the goddess Athena strikes Enceladus and brandishes her openwork gorgon shield. (Eur. Ion 190 et seq.)

The west pediment of the classical Temple of Apollo, depicting Dionysus among the Thyiads (women in the god's entourage who, according to poetic tradition, held dances on Mt. Parnassus). In the centre stands Dionysus, in the rare iconographic type of the cithara (type of lyre) player. He is wearing a tunic (chiton) girt below the chest, a mantle (himation) draped over his shoulders and the characteristic mitra (headband) of the initiated. The cithara he holds in his left hand places him on equal terms with the god of music, Apollo, and reconciles the different realms of the two deities who are both depicted on the same temple. Work of the Athenian sculptors Praxias and Androsthenes, circa 330 BC.

East Pediment of the Temple of Apollo: archaic and classical.

The east pediment of the archaic temple of Apollo, a work of Parian marble. The centre of the pediment was occupied by Apollo's four-horse chariot framed by kouroi (young men) and korai (young women). In both corners are animal groups depicting a lion mauling a gentle beast. The interpretation of the subject is based on verses from Aeschylus' Eumenides, in which the Pythia stands before the temple of Apollo and narrates the god's arrival at Delphi from Athens. Apollo is seen off by the Athenians and greeted with great honours by the people of Delphi and their king, Delphos (510-500 BC).

And thence he (Apollo) came unto this land of Parnassus and at his side, with awe revering him, were the children of Hephaestus, preparing the way and taming the land that once was wilderness. And he was received with honour by all the people and Delphos, their chieftain-king. (Aesch. Eumenides 12-16)

The east pediment of the classical Temple of Apollo, depicting Apollo, Leto and Artemis among the Muses. The god is seated on a tripod in the centre, wearing a mantle (himation) that leaves his chest bare. He is holding a branch of laurel and a wide shallow cup (phiale), symbols of his oracle. The Muses, some standing and others seated in a rocky place, provide the link between the deity and the world of arts and letters. Wark of the Athenian sculptors Praxias and Androsthenes, circa 330 BC.

Intermission: more banners.

In ancient Greek mythology, Apollo is presented as the patron of musical creation, poetry and the arts, a representative of moderation and harmony. According to Hesiod, singers and guitarists originated from Apollo himself, just like kings did from Zeus. Apollo accompanied the song and dance of the Muses with his lyre, which is why he was called Mousagetes (Leader of the Muses). It is also why Apollo is often depicted as a Kitharoidos holding his lyre with seven strings, both in the art of ancient Greece and western Europe. Delphi was inextricably tied to music. According to the tradition, when Apollo returned from the north in spring, he was serenaded by the song of the cicadas, nightingales and swallows, and nature was appeased. Very important musical contests also took place at the sanctuary; evidence of those games consist the inscribed verses of two hymns to Apollo from the Athenian Treasury, considered to be the oldest surviving "musical compositions" of classical antiquity, dating back to the 2nd century BC.

Nike.

In antiquity, the winged goddess Nike was considered to be the one who expressed the will of the gods: she announced, rewarded and glorified the victors. We often encounter the figure of Nike in the plastic arts, pottery, coroplasty and goldsmithing. The Nikes found at the sanctuary of Delphi come from public buildings, where they were used as symbols of victory in literal or metaphorical battlefields. The topic of the founding myth behind the Delphi oracle was the slaying of the dragon, namely the victory of Apollo against Python, son of the first goddess of the sanctuary, Gaea. In memory of this victory, panhellenic festivals were held in Apollo's honour, the infamous Pythian Games. Every four years, crowds arrived in Delphi from every corner of the ancient world, since the games constituted an excellent opportunity to interact socially, to practice diplomacy and to exhibit political power. Their focal point were the music and athletic games, which conferred unprecedented fame and glory upon the winners and their cities.

The Tholos.

The most impressive monument in the sanctuary of Athena Pronaia, the tholos, stands out for its unusual circular shape and partial reconstruction, in tvis celebrated treatise De architectura ('On architecture"), Vitruvius attributes the design of the building to Theodoros of Phocaea or Phocis. All orders of classical dungn are successfully represented in the structure. The 20 columns of the outer doric peristyle are crowned by a frieze with metopes in relief. The circular sekos, the central part of the edifice with built walls, is also crowned by a doric frieze with triglyphs and metopes in relief, but smaller in size. A bench which ran along the inner circumference of the sekos supported 10 engaged half-columns in the corinthian order. The material used for the building was white marble from the quarries of Mt. Penteli and the island of Paros (particularly for the metopes in relief), an well as dark limestone from Eleusis for highlighting certain structural details. Marble was also used for the roof, the form of which has long been a subject of debate, especially after two series of simas (eaves troughs) were attributed to it, and it is theoretically restored as conical or octagonal, its ends were decorated with acrofena-statues of female figures in vivid, almost dancing movement. The tholos, one of the most beautiful buildings of antiquity, was erected circa 380 BC. Its actual function remains unknown and many hypotheses have been put forward. It has been associated with chthonic cult and variously interpreted as a heroon, temple, armoury, etc. It is worth noting that Pausanias does not refer to the tholos as a temple and in fact makes no mention whatsoever to the building in his Description of Greece. The subjects of the large exterior metopes of the tholos were the Amazonomachy and Centauromachy, rendered with impressive realism and plasticity. With the contortion of the bodies, the sculptor manages to impart a sense of momentary motion, while the style and clothing of the warriors bring to mind the relief sculptures that adormed the temple of Apollo at Bassai near the ancient city of Phigalia and the temple of Asklepios at Epidauros. The smaller interior metopes of the thelos possibly depicted a congregation of the gods, to which the static or motionless figures have been attributed, and a battle scene, to which the more active figures belong. The sculptors of the metopes displayed incomparable skill in working the marble and rendering details. The high relief, freedom of movement and intensity of action bring the scenes to life, while at the same time introducing a pioneering artistic movement to the iconographic tradition of the 4th century BC, which competes with sculpture in the round.

Antinoos.

Cult statue of Antinoos, a youth of extraordinary beauty from Bithynia, beloved companion of the Emperor Hadrian. Antinoos had barely reached adulthood when he drowned in the Nile. He was thereafter heroised and worshipped as a demigod in many parts of the Eastern Empire by order of the emperor. One of the most beautiful statues of the youth was erected in the sanctuary at Delphi. It was found very well preserved during excavations, still shining thanks to the special oil used in antiquity to polish the 'skin' of marble cult statues. Holes are still visible in the profuse hair, which were used to attach a bronze wreath of laurel leaves on the head. The work is representative of classicism at the time of the philhellene Emperor Hadrian (117-138 AD). With its heroic-divine nudity, the statue follows the stylistic traditions of the great 5th and 4th century BC artists, but lacks the inner vitality of the archetypes.

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

The Supreme Court creates train wreck over Texas immigration law.

Over the last forty-eight hours, the Supreme Court has made a monumental mess of its review of a Texas law that seeks to assume control over the US border. If the consequences weren’t tragic, it would be comical.

The Texas law is plainly unconstitutional. It is not even a close question. But the Supreme Court created a situation in which enforcement of that law was stayed and then permitted to go back into effect multiple times in a forty-eighth hour period. It was like the Keystone Cops—all because the Supreme Court does not have the fortitude to control the rogue judges on the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals.

Here's the bottom line: As of late Tuesday evening, the Texas law cannot be enforced pending further order of the Fifth Circuit. See NBC News, Appeals court blocks Texas immigration law shortly after Supreme Court action. As explained by NBC,

A three-judge panel of the New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals split 2-1 in saying in a brief order that the measure, known as SB4, should be blocked. The same court is hearing arguments Wednesday morning on the issue.

The appeals court appeared to be taking the hint from the Supreme Court, which in rejecting an emergency application filed by the Biden administration put the onus on the appeals court to act quickly.

I review the complicated procedural background below with a warning that it may change in the next five minutes. For additional detail, I recommend Ian Millhiser’s explainer in Vox, The Supreme Court’s confusing new border decision, explained.

Let’s start here: The federal government has exclusive authority to control international borders. The Constitution says so, and courts have ruled so for more than 150 years.

There are good reasons for the federal government to control international borders. If individual states impose contradictory regulations on international borders that abut the states, the federal government could not promulgate a single, coherent foreign policy—which is plainly the job of the federal government.

Texas passed a law that granted itself the right to police the southern border and enforce immigration laws, including permitting the arrest and deportation of immigrants in the US who do not have the legal authority to remain in the country.

Mexico immediately notified Texas that it would not accept any immigrants deported by Texas. (Mexico does accept immigrants deported by the US per international agreements.)

A federal district judge in Texas enjoined the enforcement of state law, ruling that it usurped the federal government's constitutional role. Texas appealed.

When a matter is appealed, the court of appeals generally attempts to “maintain the status quo” as it existed between the parties prior to the contested action. Here, maintaining the status quo meant not enforcing the Texas law that allowed Texas to strip the federal government of its constitutional authority over the border.

However, the Fifth Circuit used a bad-faith procedural ploy to suspend the district court’s injunction, thereby allowing Texas law to go into effect. In doing so, the Fifth Circuit did not “maintain the status quo” but instead permitted a radical restructuring of state-federal relations in a way that violated the Constitution and century-and-a-half of judicial precedent.

In a world where the rule of law prevails, the Supreme Court should have slapped down the Fifth Circuit's bad-faith gambit. It did not. Instead, the Supreme Court allowed the Fifth Circuit's bad-faith ploy to remain in effect—but warned the Fifth Circuit that the Supreme Court might, in the future, force the Fifth Circuit to stop playing games with the Constitution.

The debacle is an embarrassment to the Supreme Court and the Fifth Circuit. The reason the Fifth Circuit acts like a lawless tribunal is because the Supreme Court has allowed the Fifth Circuit to engage in outrageous, extra-constitutional rulings without so much as a peep of protest from the reactionary majority on the Court.

John Roberts is “the Chief Justice of the United States.” He should start acting like it by reprimanding rogue judges in the Fifth Circuit by name—and referring them to the Judicial Conference for discipline. Until Roberts does that, the Fifth Circuit will do whatever it wants.

[Robert B. Hubbell Newsletter]

[hriobzagelthewanderer]

Things Hriob is No Longer Allowed to Do, Revised Edition - Part Quarte

#121 I am a Master of Conceptual and Elemental Magics, especially the Natural elements such as Wind, Lightning, Earth, Wood, and Water. However, no matter how ‘natural’ their existence may be, I cannot cast ‘Bear’ and it is not an element, and no amount of arguing, evidence, or demonstrations will change this.

#122 When courting certain individuals I will remember the following; “Using Protection” means the proper use of contraceptives or barriers during coitus, NOT using wards or other magical means of surviving close proximity to individuals whose mere existence provides a serious hazard to my health.

#123 Just because it is one of the few things that CAN still affect me given my supernatural constitution, and just because she is my friend, does not mean I am allowed to occasionally use Shylow-Venom as anti-anxiety medication a recreational drug for ANY reason on my own person or anyone else’s.

#124 When engaging in Small Talk with Lord Alexander, I am to respect the presence and personal safety of his Steward, Sir Cromwell, by politely avoiding use of the following terms and turns-of-phrase: ‘Splitting Hares’, ‘Hot Crossed Buns’, ‘Hare-Rasing’, ‘Hare Removal’, ‘Careful Hop-Timism’, ‘Bad Hare Day’, ‘Hoppily Ever After’, ‘I’m all Ears’, ‘Hare Conditioning’, and any other hilarious bad puns revolving around Lagomorphs in general. Upon further review, Bonnie Kalsang is to be given the extended benefits of this ruling.

#125 I shall remember that ‘Tuning’ is for Musical Instruments, ‘Attenuation’ is for Spiritual and Mystical aspects and machinations, and ‘Vibe Checks’ are for violently percussive maintenance on other people. Just because they SOUND like they’re the same thing doesn’t mean they ARE the same thing.

#126 If I am ever to host a ‘Movie Night’ with my friends/associates/subordinates/rivals/sworn enemies, I will avoid playing the following films for various reasons: Kill Bill, Repo: The Genetic Opera, Shrek 3, Saving Private Ryan, and any historical fiction "i may have been present for when it happened".

#127 I am forever forbidden from doing anything if I am preceding the action(s) in question with any variation of the phrase ‘Hey ___, Watch This!’

#128 I am forever forbidden from officiating Weddings Funerals Birthday Celebrations Coming-Of-Age-Ceremonies Duels Archery Contests Eating Contests Battle Royales Anything.

#129 I am a self-reincarnating Avatar of Life. I, at best, have an understanding with, and at worst, trying relationships with Entities that deeply connect to or convey Death as a Concept. This means that I need to maintain my moral superiority as best I can, which in turn means I should avoid conflict with them… and therefore not try to prank or annoy them.

#130 I am not the Patron Saint of Oktoberfest, no matter how much I wish to be.

#131 I am not allowed to visit Australia, nor am I to confuse it for Austria, be it to mess with other people or try and get around this ruling.

#132 I am forever barred from entering an IKEA store, and am forbidden from chanting backwards in Swedish in any language to assemble disassemble reconfigure rearrange manipulate IKEA-brand any furniture in any way.

#133 I am forever barred from teaching any variety of ‘Shop Class’.

#134 I am forever barred from leading field trips guided tours any sort of group of people for any reason through the following locations: Zoos, Museums, Government Buildings, Anarchist Buildings, Aquariums, Shopping Malls, Alternate Timelines, Alien Planets, Pocket Dimensions, Dimensional Nexus Points, Nuclear Reactors, Industrial Plants, and anything owned by a ‘rival’, ‘nemesis’, ‘adversary’, or any other hostile group or individual.

#135 I am not allowed to appropriate terminology research papers documents artifacts entities employees architecture ANYTHING from the SCP Foundation without due credit at all.

#136 Just because I am now able to transform into certain animals at will, does not mean I get to abuse the ability. This extends to bans against the following: eating my own paperwork and blaming ‘the dog’ on it, attempting to use ‘puppy-dog-eyes’ as a form of negotiation, massively decreasing the local wildlife population single-handedly, and leaving dog hair/fur in unpleasant locations as a petty form of revenge.

#137 I am forevermore banned from playing around with wax, especially heated. This is for my own safety and well-being more than any other reason.

#138 I am not allowed to start my own cult, religion, club, non-profit-organization, or any other form of organized group for any reason, least of all because I need an excuse to change any sort of government-issued id photo.

#139 I am an accomplished Arbormancer, capable of taking living trees of all kinds and fashioning them harmlessly into furnishings or tools, especially magical staves. I am Not, however, allowed to threaten sentient tree-based creatures such as demons, ents, and the like with transformation into such items, nor demonstrate my ability to do so.

#140 Just because some previously-incorporeal people enjoyed my gift of customized living human bodies for them to possess and inhabit, does not mean that Everyone will appreciate such a gift to the same degree. I am not to begin creating such vessels for those I know unless they specifically ask me to, no matter how convenient or helpful I think I am being.

#141 I am forevermore barred from following the ‘advice’ of the maxim ‘Tis better to beg forgiveness than to ask permission’, given that I have by now empirically proven it wrong.

#142 Just because I am a powerful and talented Oathkeeper for pacts and magical deals of all kinds, does not mean I can try and negotiate with children, especially those I am supposed to be babysitting.

#143 No matter how powerful and talented I am with Wood-based, Wind-based, and Ink-based magic, I am not allowed to make magically empowered paper planes and throw them into windstorms of any kind or origin. Not even if the kids ask nicely.

#144 I understand that, given my pact with the Worldspirit Gaia, I am often pulled to act as an emergency agent of their will to stop catastrophic incidents. I understand that, more often than not, those times when a single person is behind the danger, it is someone of necromantic alignment, skills, powers, or so on. Despite this, I am not to complain to them as I try to stop and/or slay them that they remind me of my ex-fiance, no matter how close, depressing, or infuriating the resemblance may be.

#145 I am forever banned from turning any portion of the Halls of the Mountain King into a Ball Pit of any size or depth.

#146 In regards to entry #53, given that I now do offer deals and pacts fairly regularly all things considered, I will remember to try and at least fall mostly in line with the Better Business Bureau’s ethical standards with said dealings.

#147 Given that prior rulings (#42 in particular) have failed, and I am happily sadly considered, among other things, The Wonderful Wizard of Gauze, I shall instead remind myself that flinging bandage wraps at people is not an effective attack. And that, strong as they may be, they cannot support my weight even in bulk - therefore I am forbidden from trying to swing off or around tall buildings with them as my ‘webs’. I am not ‘Spider-man’, and never will be - no matter what I attempt in order to change that.

#148 As an addition to the above ruling, I am to remember that, even if being able to wrap-and-pull items in the heat of battle is a neat and useful utility to have over my adversaries, using the same skill with my ‘bandage shooting’ to grab things around the Halls in a casual setting is frowned upon, even especially if people offer to be ‘test subjects’, ‘training dummies’, or any other kind of volunteer to be ‘shot’ thusly.

#149 Given item #72, I am to extend the same ‘general line of thought’ towards attempting to ‘forcibly evolve things with magic’, or any other medium to attempt the same end result. Spoiler alert: they always turn into crabs. Every. Single. Time. No more crabs.

#150 Just in case, I am forever banned from setting foot within 5 miles of Las Vegas, Nevada. No, not even if the magical forces behind it try to invite me.

[fmp10blaire]

The Ethics of My Project Pt2

Which brings me to my next point of reference.

Controversial TV Personalities

// Mentions of Sexual Misconduct and Assault, Abuse [Against Minors], Paedophilla

Sherry Pie

The full Season 12 Promo Banner featuring Sherry Pie (far right end).

Joseph Gugliemelli, known onstage as Sherry Pie was a contestant of Season 12 of the hit show RuPaul's Drag Race, who was infamously disqualified pre-airing and post-filming of the season due to sexual misconduct revelations.

In 2020 a post had came forward stating that Joseph had catfished the writer and persuaded them into sending sexually explicit content with the guise of being treated as an audition onto a broadway show, preceding this seven other men would come forwards to discuss their experiences.

In response, Joseph released a statement on Facebook expressing sympathy and regret for his actions, however VH1 and World of Wonder (the production company for Rupaul's Drag Race) released a statement stating that Sherry Pie would be edited out of the aired episodes of the show and would not progress to the finale (which was scheduled to film later in the year but was postponed due to the Covid 19 Pandemic) - they would also go on to donate the 5K that Sherry had won during a challenge to The Trevor Project.

The subsequent result of his disqualification had led to a major shift both in the show's format and the fandom, as this had prompted major discussion about WoW's responsibility with even considering Joseph for the season, along with the storylines of the season having been altered, likely resulting in a change in winner (just my opinion).

Dan Schneider

Of Nickelodeon, was a producer of a few of the network's most popular shows, such as Henry Danger, Victorious, Sam and Cat and iCarly.

In 2018, Deadline released an article discussing the decision for Nickelodeon to split from Schneider and cease production on the show Game Shakers.

Though entirely speculation, sources at the time said that the split had came from concern with Schneider's behaviour towards the actors and staff, but the publicity-safe statement had stated that they were simply parting ways and had wished each other the best.

Though in 2021 it was disclosed that the decision was made by ViacomCBS, following an internal investigation due to Schneider's problematic and abusive behaviour.

Schneider has also received criticism for his alleged 'foot-fetish' which was made apparent due to the constant theme of feet in his shows and posts made on social media.

And in 2024 the documentary series 'Quiet on Set' had released, detailing a more in-depth analysis and highlighting testimonies on Schneider's behaviour, prompting scrutiny and a lawsuit from Schneider who claimed it was accusing him of sexual misconduct against children (despite the documentary containing nothing of the sort).

Rolf Harris

An Australian Musician, Painter, Actor and TV Personality, Harris's career came to an implosive end due to the convictions of him having sexually assaulted four underage girls.

During the Yewtree Operation (which was sparked preceding the eventual release of "Exposure - The Other Side of Jimmy Savile", several other high-profile figures were also convicted, mainly Max Clifford and Stuart Hall.)

He'd faced twelve charges and he was found guilty of each of them, having been sentenced to only five years but gaining release after three years with parole.

Liz Dux (the lawyer for the women who came forward) had responded to this, stating that:

"What he did was damage young women's self-worth, their confidence and for some of those women, he affected them deeply for the rest of their lives.

It should certainly affect the way he's treated when he applies for early release – he hasn't understood the severity of his crimes. This letter* was clearly written by a man who has contempt for his victims and is utterly unrepentant. Far from being reformed by his time in prison, it seems to have fed his perverse sense of indignation and his arrogance is undiminished. If it is the case that a parole board can't take this into account it is totally wrong. Harris has caused those he abused great harm, and by writing this letter, he continues to cause them harm."

*The letter being song lyrics written by Harris, and sent to one of his friends during his time in detainment, being cited as highly abusive.

Harris went on to die in 2023 by the suggested cause of neck cancer.

And likely the most notable, and horrible of them all.

Jimmy Savile

Sir James Wilson Vincent Savile was a TV Personality primarily known for his extensive career on The BBC Network, attributed for the shows 'Jim'll Fix It' and 'Top of the Pops'.

He worked under The BBC for over 40 years, and during his time he had faced a sea of allegations against him that were all silenced for one reason or another, having assaulted and committed non-consensual acts against underage persons (primarily girls).

There has been massive amounts of evidence in regards to his allegations throughout his lifetime, with even his own auto-biography having cited that he'd committed 'improper sexual conduct'.

Along with the former Sex Pistols and Public Image LTD Vocalist John Lydon stating that he'd love to kill Savile for his hypocrisy, regarding that he's "into all kinds of seediness that we're not allowed to talk about", and this was edited out of the broadcast.

He'd go on to expand, saying "By killed I meant locking him up and stopping him assaulting young children... I'm disgusted at the media pretending they weren't aware."

In 2009 he had an interview with his biographer wherein he'd defended Garry Glitter's case of being in possession of child pornography, stating:

"Gary has not tried to sell 'em, not tried to show them in public or anything like that. It were for his own gratification. Whether it was right or wrong is, of course, it's up to him as a person."

This interview wasn't released until after Savile's death.

Preceding Savile's death in 2011, the Newsnight programme had begun an investigation into the case of Savile, which was scheduled to be aired but was blocked in place of a tribute to Savile's work and time with The BBC.

This prompted massive backlash with many stating that, even in death, The BBC was still trying to guard the reputation of Jimmy Savile, and this came to a head in The Pollard Review.

(Feel free to read through it).

The Pollard Review, executed in 2012, was an internal investigation by Nick Pollard into the circumstances of the documentary being scrapped in order to solve the answer of whether or not the decision was biased.

In my opinion, the answer was very vague (whether intentional or not), but there was one quote from the ITV which solidifies it in my mind.

The ITV would then go on to release their own documentary, 'Exposure - The Other Side of Jimmy Savile' in September 2012.

And in March 2013, Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary reported that 214 of the complaints that had been made against Savile after his death would have been criminal offences if they had been reported at the time.

Perhaps one of the biggest tragedies of Jimmy Savile's life is his death, and I mean that very lightly, he deserved it sooner.

But it's just depressing to note that, even though I'm scratching the surface of the surface in regards to his crimes, that because of his death he's essentially gotten away with all of his wrongdoings without having to ever reconcile or face any punishment, which is also the fault of the organisations that bent so far to protect him and failed to protect the victims of him.

Institutional Protection is a very real issue and it's been an extremely problematic thing since the beginning of time, and because of this Savile was able to get away with this for so long, and it's frustrating.

But it's for reasons like this that we can recognise the faults and go forwards to do better.

[stateofsport211]

📸 Eurosport LV, 9Now Australia

Sealing the main action in the Australian Open qualification rounds was the first-qualifying-round match between the 2024 NextGen Finals and the 2025 Canberra Challenger champion, Joao Fonseca, and 29th seed Federico Agustin Gomez. While this match had one of the possible classic potential considering the latter's hard-court game, the former set things up more dominantly, which overwhelmed the Argentinean's range as the match progressed.

J. Fonseca already had a decent start to the match thanks to his preceding shots, especially his powerful forehands. Forcing the deuce with another forehand winner, the Brazilian's pass converted his latest break point to 1-0 before he consolidated his lead to 2-0. Somehow, he shanked a shot in response to Fede's preceding forehand, which turned out to be in as the latter's lob attempt failed, closing the gap even if the 29th seed held his serves to 2-1.

Two games later, even if J. Fonseca fired a forehand winner to close the gap, Fede still kept in touch with a service game hold to 3-2. Within the next few games, despite the Brazilian catching the line from his backhand to secure his break point, they were foiled before Fede held to 4-3, the latter somehow doing a split by the start of the next game before contesting a close-call of J. Fonseca's forehand, which was deemed in. By the end of that game, J. Fonseca held to 5-3, earning an opportunity to serve for the first set 2 games later, which he succeeded (6-4) to put himself ahead in this match.

[museincarnate]

Just as the Sun will rise... This, too, was an inevitability...

While the so-called protectors of peace had taken Ghost's assault as an initiative to gather their strength, and hone their craft for what was to come, presumably against their only known threat, he and his associates had bided their own time; allowing peace to linger for just a few measly days, until, eventually, the white-haired Saiyan grew tired of waiting.

If Ghost's attack was a warning shot, Castor's and Pholomena's would be the shot heard around the world.

Mere days after the do-gooders had dialed back their patrols of the world, and especially the nearest cities that surrounded the hidden trio of Saiyans, both of the Scorched Saiyan's allies had disembarked from their hideout; separating themselves from each other, to focus on the nearest neighborhoods and towns, to carry out their wills. Unlike Ghost, their acts of wanton destruction and violence would be larger in scale.

Scarred, thinner digits would all touch the asphalt and concrete beneath an entire town's feet, as it all began to suddenly crumble to dust; fleeing citizens almost immediately swept up by the encroaching decay, as its source of origin chased down any strays, and laid his hand upon their face. In an instant, for many, their bodies were reduced to ash, as the plague-dressed Saiyan monologued and barked about some kind of... affliction. In the skies above, a news helicopter had begun covering the events that were unfolding below, as its lack of connection with anything physical on the ground would allow it to avoid a similar fate.

As for Pholomena...

"Yo! Arm wrestle me, big guy! I'm looking for a couple of big, strong folks to join me!" The green-haired Saiyaness had wandered her way into another nearby city, and stumbled upon a gym; the paying patrons of the establishment visually attracting the trio's only female member, and causing her to approach one of the larger men within. Of course, her request would be met with a raised eyebrow, but the man obliged, all the same. "And... Go!"

In an instant, the Saiyaness's own strength would slam the bodybuilder's arm through whatever workout equipment they'd used as a surface to engage in the contest; the other participant's arm breaking and exposing bone, which left any onlookers to scream in terror and shock. Pholomena, however, watched as the loser wailed in absolute agony, causing her excitement to be slowly overwhelmed by disappointment; her ecstatic grin shifting into a scowl of sorts, before she'd release the man's hand, and scoff.

"This won't do. This whole town doesn't even have anyone here that feels stronger than you. Maybe wrecking the place will get the attention of someone worth my time!" Without warning, Pholomena's hand would be aimed skyward, while a ball of energy crackled to life just above her palm; unpredictable intentions and impatience making the next few moments for any immediate bystanders all the more unbearable, as they watched this inhuman woman quickly change her demeanor. A split second before the Saiyaness acted upon her own will, however, an almost excited, eerie smile crept its way onto her visage again.

And then...

The gym's roof would be pierced by countless orbs of Ki, as they shot towards the sky above the bustling city; pooling into one large mass of energy, until its creator was satisfied with her efforts. A second, and nothing more, would be the only peace that existed, before the large mass of Ki spat multiple, omnidirectional balls of energy towards every corner and street of the populated town; quickly laying to waste most of its inhabitants, and destroying most of the buildings that made up the landscape. Explosions, screams, and the crackling of flames born from such an act would replace any tranquil silence that preceded the cataclysm, while the woman within the once busy gym began laughing rather giddily.

A few shards of glass would slash at the Saiyaness's arm, as the material was shot in multiple directions, only for the damage she'd received to heal over. In a matter of moments, from both cities that had been randomly chosen by the assailants...

Carnage had been unleashed. Lives were taken without personal reason or remorse, until all that was left of the towns were dust, debris, and the bodies that once belonged to living people. Once Castor and Pholomena had their fill, they'd return to their hideout; obscuring their energy signatures, and ensuring that they weren't tracked or followed.

[chvoswxtch]

conflict of interest

pairing: frank castle x fem!reader

summary: another run in with your ex creates a problem with frank. billy is eager to step in and let him handle it.

warnings: swearing, billy being an instigating lil shit (yes that needs a warning, the man is a walking red flag)

word count: 2.8k

a/n: this is just a short lil filler chapter to help with pacing as i try to map out the progression of where this is all gonna lead. i thought it would be a nice lil break from the heaviness so far, bc frankie desperately needs to have a good time. as always, feedback is welcomed/appreciated!

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The clearing of someone’s throat momentarily broke your concentration, but you didn’t glance up from your computer screen, fingers still furiously typing away as you tried not to lose the creative flow that was pouring out of you.

“Yeah?”

You were so focused on finishing up your sentence that you almost didn’t hear the airy sigh laced with slight annoyance that preceded a voice you had been trying to forget about since last week.

“Do you always show your visitors this much undivided attention?”

All at once your assault on your keyboard halted, and you lifted your gaze to look just over your computer screen to confirm that the voice matched the intruder you thought it was.

Steven.

You didn’t even bother to hide your own irritation at his unwelcome presence, glaring at him silently for a full thirty seconds before returning your attention to your article.

“What do you want?”

Hearing him sigh again was like hearing metal nails screeching across a chalkboard.

“I wanted to follow up with you about the article. I haven’t seen anything yet-”

“I handed it off to the original journalist.”

“What? Why?”

Letting out an exaggerated sigh of indignation, you made a show of pulling your hands away from your keyboard, looking up at Steven with your full, undivided, very thin strand of patience laced through your fiery attention.

“Conflict of interest.”

There was a mixture of disappointment and confusion etched clearly onto his features. He wasn’t used to not getting his way, or you being so cold with him, and clearly it was getting to him. The thought of causing him any kind of distress made you want to smile, but you did your best to keep it off your lips, knowing he would take it as an indication you enjoyed his presence. 

“Now, if you don’t mind-”

“Can we just talk?”

“We have nothing to talk about.”

“Oh come on, Y/N. I haven’t seen you in…years. I think there’s definitely some things for us to catch up on.”

Eight. It had been almost eight years since you last saw him. He couldn’t even fucking remember how long it had been. The overconfident smile on his lips only made you want to grab your computer off your desk and throw it directly at his face.

If only it was heavy enough to actually do some damage.

“I don’t want to catch up, Steven. I have work to do, and a deadline to meet. Now-”

“Babe, come on-”

A sharp knock to your door pulled both of your attentions over to that direction, and your brows furrowed slightly seeing another familiar pair of brown eyes staring directly at you.

Billy casually strolled into your office, giving Steven a severely unimpressed side eye that traveled up and down intentionally slowly, flickering his gaze back up as he arched one of his dark brows in question.

“Price.”

Steven stood up a little straighter when Billy surveyed him, giving him his own once over, although his seemed to be composed entirely with confusion.

“Russo.”

As they stood there locked in what seemed to be an immature staring contest, your eyes kept darting back and forth between them, eventually settling on Billy.

“What, do all you rich people just…know each other?”

Billy narrowed his eyes as he stared at Steven, and the second Steven broke his gaze to glance at you, Billy turned to face you, a wolfish grin splitting across his lips as his eyes glowed victoriously.

“Not exactly, doll. Us self mades tend to steer clear of the trust fund dependents.”

Billy flashed you a wink as he rounded your desk to come stand next to you, and you had to fight the laughter that threatened to spill noticing the look of pure offense on Steven’s face. You weren’t sure if Billy could sense that there was history between the two of you, or if he was just feeling extra flirty today, but when he bent down to press a kiss to the top of your head, it completely caught you off guard, and your cheeks flushed with heat as you glanced up at him, unable to stop the bashful smile that tugged at the corner of your lips. Billy gazed down at you with a smirk as he leaned against your desk, shamelessly letting his eyes wander over you.

“Well, don’t you look pretty. As usual.”

“How the hell do you know him?”

For a second you had almost forgotten that Steven was in the room, and as you turned your head to look at him, you noticed that his cheeks had turned slightly pink from the anger that was burning in his eyes. But before you had a chance to speak, Billy cut you to the chase.

“I own the company that’s keepin’ her safe. Speakin’ of-”

Billy glanced around your office curiously, as if he had noticed something was missing, and his eyes finally settled on yours once again as he lifted both of his brows.

“-where’s the big guy?”

“Doing a perimeter check, said he needed to stretch his legs. He should be back any second.”

“Who’s the big guy?”

Glancing over at Steven, your brows pulled together near the center of your forehead, staring over at him like the answer was the most obvious thing in the world.

“Frank.”

Steven’s features immediately dropped in dejection at the mention of Frank’s name, and he blinked a few times before his face contorted in skepticism.

“You call him the ‘big guy’?”

“You saw him.”

“He’s not that big.”

Billy chuckled darkly as Steven crossed his arms over his chest like a disobedient child, arching one of his dark brows in his direction as a devious smirk pulled across his mouth.

“Sounds like somethin’ someone small would say.” 

As if on cue, the door to your office suddenly slammed shut, the sound reverberating in your office like a clap of thunder through the clouds, and the amusement on your face immediately vanished seeing the pure, unbridled rage in Frank’s eyes. Steven’s face seemed to pale, noticing that Frank’s attention was solely on him, and in one swift motion, he was seeking shelter behind your desk. His proximity to you only seemed to piss Frank off further, and Billy wordlessly grabbed the back of your chair to pull you closer towards the side of your desk he was sitting on.

“The fuck is he doin’ here?”

“He’s apparently got a death wish, Frankie. Lucky for you, Price, Castle here is somethin’ of a genie.”

Billy’s voice was full of pure amusement as he glanced over at Steven, very clearly enjoying the fear he saw evidently in his eyes. You didn’t know if Frank had told him about your interview with Steven last week, or anything about the two of you in general, but if there is one thing you had learned about Billy, it was that he was an instigator.

Steven squared his shoulders as he laughed dryly, glancing between Frank and Billy with that same signature cocky smile he seemed to have been born with.

“You’re not gonna cause a scene in public, and certainly not with someone running for District Attorney.”

In that second, you almost felt for Steven, because he had gotten so comfortable with his status and his family name, that he truly believed he was untouchable.

But he didn’t know Billy and Frank.

“No?”

Billy cocked his head to the side slightly, a dangerous glint in his eye as he stared Steven down once again with a smirk still on his lips. Sneaking a glance over at Frank, you noticed that he hadn’t moved an inch. His stony features were set in a hardened expression, jaw tense with anticipation, and eyes glowing with wrath. His hands were clenched so hard at his sides, the skin over his knuckles matched the color of the bone beneath. His nostrils were flaring with vicious exhales, and his shirt looked like it might split open across his chest from how hard he was breathing.

But still he didn’t move.

It was like he was waiting for something…a signal or approval or…

Permission.

For the first time since Frank entered your office, you noticed that Billy’s hand was held out in his direction, in a gesture that looked like ‘stop’. Glancing between the look on Billy’s face and Frank’s position by the door, suddenly it all clicked.

Frank was waiting for Billy to let him loose.

That epiphany had a shiver cascading down your spine remembering the damage that Frank inflicted on the man that had grabbed you in the bar. As you went to stand to quickly try and diffuse the situation, Billy grabbed onto your shoulder with his other hand and pushed you back down into your seat, giving it a gentle squeeze as if to silently say stay. He was the only one in the room that didn’t look nervous, concerned, or angry. He was enjoying this. 

Billy’s touch on your shoulder didn’t go unnoticed by Steven, and his jealousy apparently outweighed his will to live as he twisted his face up in annoyance and took a step closer towards you.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”

You didn’t need to look at Billy to know that he was smiling. You could hear it in his voice. Something in his eyes must have caught Steven’s attention though, because he quickly stopped his advancement, narrowing his eyes as he scoffed.

“And why’s that?”

“You see, I own the company that’s currently protectin’ her. Frank is her assigned bodyguard. This pretty girl right here was threatened by a terrorist group, one of which we don’t know who all the members are, could be anyone. Which makes you, Price, a suspect, a target, and fair game all in one. Up to you how you want this to go.”

Those words had all the color draining from Steven’s face. There was a tint of a warning in Billy’s tone that heavily suggested if Steven made the wrong choice, no one in this room would be held responsible for the aftermath. His blue eyes frantically darted between Billy and Frank before finally landing on you. You gave a subtle shake of your head, but you could see the arrogance in his eyes, and before anything stupid could come out of his mouth, you lightly nudged Billy’s hand away from your shoulder and placed yourself in between all of them like a protective barrier. 

“Look, Peter is the one working on your article. He’s right down the hall. You can go check with him on its progress. I think he actually wanted an original shot of you to go with the article, alright? Go talk to him.”

The defiance in his eyes as he looked directly over your head to stare between Billy and Frank made you want to scream. Part of you was ready to give up completely, wanting nothing more than to step aside and let him face the consequences of his unwavering narcissism. But an even bigger part of you was fed up with all the rampaging testosterone in the room, and your patience with the man in front of you had worn out eight years ago. 

It was steadily beginning to run out with the other two. 

Throwing your hands up in exasperation, you laughed humorlessly as you turned around and pointed to all three of them.

“Alright. Out.”

Billy flashed you an expression of innocence as he held his hands up in surrender, a very clear look of ‘what did I do’ splayed across his features. You shook your head as you pointed an accusatory finger in his direction.

“You are not turning my office into a crime scene, William. And you-”

All of the anger radiating from Frank seemed to dissipate the second you pointed your finger and hardened gaze at him. The way his large brown eyes transitioned from being narrowed with murderous intent to wide with surprise and a little trepidation nearly made you lose focus for a second. You hated when he looked at you with those big, puppy dog eyes that made you forget why you were pissed at him in the first place. 

“You are not committing any crimes in my office, Castle. If you three want to keep your little pissing contest going, do it outside. I don’t have time for this shit.”

“But I didn’t-”

You angrily reached out to grab Steven by the collar in one hand to cut off his protests, your other hastily gripping onto Billy’s tie, using all your strength to drag them both towards the door where Frank was standing.

“Shut up. I don’t wanna hear it. Out, all of you.”

Frank’s lips parted slightly in surprise as he stared at you in shock, glancing between Billy and Steven before looking back at you.

“Sweetheart-”

“Out, Castle.”

As soon as you shoved all three of them outside your office, they started bickering amongst themselves. You slammed your door shut as hard as you could, stalking back over towards your desk with a huff as you sat down, harshly tapping at your keyboard to unlock your computer as you grumbled under your breath.

“Fucking men.”

Not even fifteen minutes later, there was a light tapping at your door, and you let out a heavy exhale of vexation.

“What.”

The sound of your door creaking open had your eyes snapping up, and you were met with two sets of very nervous looking brown eyes. You arched one of your brows quizzically as you stared over at them. Billy cleared his throat as he gestured behind himself.

“Price left.”

“And?”

Billy turned his attention to Frank, lifting his brows with an expression of incredulity, to which Frank slightly pursed his lips and shrugged. As the two of them silently communicated, you let out another heavy exhale.

“Is there a point to all this?”

Frank nudged Billy in the ribs, to which Billy furrowed his brows in an expression of discontent. Frank rolled his eyes as he pointed to Billy’s hand, and when Billy glanced down at it, he looked up at you with a charming smile and held up what looked to be a pizza box like it was a trophy.

“We brought lunch.”

Billy eyed you curiously when you finished off your slice of pizza, and when you shot him a glare, he simply chuckled as he looked over at Frank in amusement.

“You weren’t kiddin’. She is grumpy when she’s hungry.”

Billy’s words had your eyes widening, and you whipped your head around to face a very guilty looking Frank that had paused mid-bite. He quickly set his slice of pizza down and started to shake his head.

“I didn’t-”

“You asshole!”

Frank’s mouth hung open slightly as he furrowed his brows, glancing between you and Billy as he started to protest. 

“I didn’t say that-”

“Then what did you say?”

Billy snickered as he watched Frank stumble over his words, picking up another slice of pizza as he left his best friend to drown in the middle of your violent storm without offering a raft. Frank’s mouth opened and shut several times as you stared him down, his shoulders deflating as he sank back in his chair.

“Didn’t call ya grumpy. That was all Bill. How come you ain’t on his ass?”

“He didn’t call me grumpy behind my back.”

“Aw, for fucks sake.”

Frank crossed his arms over his chest, shaking his head slowly as he glared silently out the window. Glancing over at Billy out of the corner of your eye, he flashed you a wink when he caught your smile, and you couldn’t help but start to giggle. It really wasn’t fair how cute Frank looked when he pouted. It was also absolutely hilarious to see such a big and intimidating man pouting like a child in time out. As soon as the sound hit his ears, Frank swiftly turned his head in your direction, and the look of pure displeasure on his face had you and Billy both laughing uncontrollably.

“Fuck both of y’all.”

Frank reached over to grab the pizza box off your desk, lifting his legs up to place both of his worn boots over it as he finished off the slice he was working on.

“Y’all can get your own fuckin’ pizza next time.”

“Aww, come on Frank. Don’t be so…grumpy.”

Frank arched one of his dark brows and gave you a pointed look at the teasing tone that accompanied your smirk. Billy folded his arms behind his head, nodding his head over in Frank’s direction with a grin.

“Yeah, have another slice, Frankie. It’ll make ya feel better.”

Frank grumbled under his breath as he flipped both of you off, picking up another slice of pizza to shove into his mouth. 

tags: @hopeful-evermore @day-dreaming-goddess @messymissy @itwasthereaminuteago @strawberry1042 @queenofthenoobs @wanda2themax @xcastawayherosx @ferns-fics @stevenknightmarc @ponyosmom35 @babygal-babygal @wellwwhynot @oldermenaremyreligion @combustiblemeow @tired-night-owl @fairykiss32 @danzer8705 @calkissed

[lemonluvgirl]

The Effect (Part 12)

Finally back with the next installment. I have been dealing with weird health issues lately, but today I was finally able to finish a new chapter and keep my lunch and dinner down. So, here you go you a/b/o loving cuties. Enjoy. 

After a long day of being poked, prodded, tested, waxed, plucked, and scrubbed to near death, She, and all the other tributes were released back to their rooms at the training facility. The preps explained it was so they could eat and rest and talk strategy with their mentors until the next morning when they would meet their stylists and receive the results of their genetic testing. 

Katniss did her best to remain cooperative when the strange people who made up her ‘prep team’ worked on her body. They were like a trio of colorful birds who flitted about with their strange tools and chirped in their odd Capitol accents. They were all betas and didn’t make one comment about her designation. They were too preoccupied with the sorry state of her nail beds and her split ends. Things Katniss had never had cause to fuss over in her life before. They complimented her in the end though and said she was a change of pace to work on because she never complained.  After she thanked them for their services and they gushed over her. She had a feeling she had made allies of them or at least endeared them to herself. And while she didn’t think they would be of any help when she was in the arena she also acknowledged the fact that acting agreeable could be of some benefit in the week preceding the start of the Games. These were the people in charge of making her look presentable to the Capitol audiences, which in turn helped her garner sponsors. So she took Haymitch’s advice and didn’t fight them, even when they poured hot wax on her legs and yanked out the hairs section by section. 

Later, at dinner, with Haymitch, Peeta, and their escort, Effie, she tried to pace herself in between courses. 

While the dining on the train had been lavish, here in the tribute center it was even more opulent. The meal was an entire affair, with things like appetizers, and something called hors d'oeuvre, salad, and soup courses. All that before even getting to the main course. Then there was dessert. By the time it was over, she was relieved to not feel sick again like she had the first night on the train. 

Everyone made small talk, about the prepping process, and Katniss and Peeta had informed Haymitch that they followed his instructions to the letter. 

“Good, because the preps report to the stylists and they can make or break you come time for the interviews. You need to stay on their good sides.” Haymitch cautioned as he placed a hand over the top of his drink when an Avox, a mute servant, came over to try and refill his glass. 

It gratified Katniss to see him taking it easy on the drinking, and focusing more on the conversation. 

She hoped things would stay that way throughout the next few days while they prepared for the Games. 

When Haymitch invited them to the roof for a nightcap, she almost declined out of outrage, but Haymitch practically ordered her to accompany him and Peeta. Effie was miffed about being excluded but Haymitch put her off with the promise of a belching contest after consuming the alcohol, citing some district 12 custom that Katniss had never heard of. 

When they finally got up to the roof, it was late and Katniss was disappointed to see that the stars were rendered almost invisible by the brightness of the Capitol lights. The sight made her chest ache with a longing for home so acute that she had to stifle a small whimper. She felt more than heard Peeta shifting closer to her, maybe alerted to something in her scent that signaled distress. 

Katniss almost groaned in frustration. She didn’t want him hovering, worrying about her like she was some weak and pathetic creature just because of her designation. But at the same time, something inside her felt pulled towards him and his rich and calming scent, like she was on an invisible string. It was a concerted effort to remain as she was. She didn’t want to shrink in fear, or approach in curiosity. Still, she felt Peeta studying her as if searching for the slightest change in her demeanor. 

“Alright, so I figured it was time for us three to have an honest talk.” Haymitch began, getting her attention as he beckoned them over to a section of the roof that contained a small garden replete with windchimes. 

He took out a flask and then produced two small tea cups from his coat pockets. He proceeded to unscrew the cap on his flask and tip it into the first cup, filling it midway with some kind of light brown liquid. 

“Drink this.” He said, passing the cup to Peeta. Peeta took it gingerly, careful not to spill but he didn’t immediately drink it either. Haymitch didn’t bother repeating his instruction, but went on to pour some liquid into the second cup and then he extended his arm to offer the cup to Katniss. 

She automatically shook her head. She felt her skin pimple into goosebumps with awareness like it did whenever she felt danger or risk had entered a situation. 

“I don’t want it.” She said in refusal. 

Haymitch made an impatient noise and thrust the cup at her, barely managing to not spill the contents. 

“Just drink it.” He ordered. She frowned, and opened her mouth to argue, but was cut off. 

“We already had wine with dinner, Haymitch.” Peeta protested, seemingly on her behalf. Katniss frowned, formulating a retort in her mind to let Peeta know she didn’t want or need his interference. 

“This is the part where you both start trusting your mentor because he knows what the hell he’s doing.” Haymitch asserted in a steely tone and after a moment Katniss reached out and took the cup. 

It was lukewarm and only smelled faintly of alcohol. 

“What’s in this?” She questioned, unable to help herself. 

“Something to calm your nerves. It should help you both concentrate.” Haymitch promised. 

She lifted the cup to her nose and underneath the light liquor scent, she detected some familiar notes of herbs and spices. Tea and something else. 

“Is it a suppressant?” Peeta asked in a skeptical tone. Katniss’ mind nearly boggled to hear Peeta say the word. Suppressants were illegal, at least in the districts. They were not something brought up in casual conversation. For him to do so meant he didn’t fear being overheard. 

“Something like that,” Haymitch said before taking a gulp from his own flask. “Don’t worry, it’s perfectly fine here in the Capitol. And we can speak freely here. The wind and the chimes drowns out most listening devices.” Haymitch added. 

Katniss breathed in and inhaled the rich and earthy smell of the tea that had been infused with whatever Haymitch kept in his flask. The sharp scent of the middle-aged alpha man in front of her also made its way to her nostrils when she inhaled, plus the deeply distracting but fresh and soothing scent of the alpha next to her. 

The tea itself smelled remarkably similar to the one she brewed at home. She took a small sip. Peeta, after seeing her, did the same. Then they all waited. A minute passed by and the familiar tingling sensation started in her stomach. Then it spread, slowly through her body. It did make her feel calmer, in the way she often felt after drinking her homebrewed midnight concoction. It dulled her senses as well, but right now that was what she probably needed. Being in the presence of two alphas was not an everyday occurrence for her. Especially when she felt so out of sorts. She quickly drained her cup dry, diving into the comfort it provided. A few minutes ago she had felt prickly all over, like her every instinct was heightened and every nerve in her body had been sent on high alert. 

But the herbs in the tea helped her to push those clamoring sensations down, and focus. Besides that, the taste reminded her of home. The herbal tea was not quite as strong as the one her mother had taught her to make, but it took the edge off. 

“What do you know about the different designations?” Their mentor asked, breaking the silence. He was looking at her, not at Peeta. She felt singled out for a moment, but then again, she had been the one surprised by her designation. 

She looked into his Seam gray eyes and felt placated by the lack of artifice in them. 

“I know-” She hesitated, wishing she had paid more attention in her history of designations class when she was twelve. She had been too preoccupied with her plans for hunting and foraging. With keeping her family alive. She hadn’t the faintest clue that she would one day present as anything other than a beta. Her mother was a beta, even if her father wasn’t. Female offspring usually took after their mother in designation, as males took after their fathers. Male alphas were rare, very rare, with all the Capitol had done to curb the population, and she had never heard of a female alpha. Which was what she always believed she was until she stepped on the train to the Capitol and Haymitch told her she wasn’t. She still couldn’t quite believe it. But there was a part of her that was ready to find some answers. 

 “I know what everyone knows I guess. What they taught in school. There are three distinct types—alpha, beta, and omega.” She offered. 

Haymitch nodded at this but remained silent as if encouraging her to go on. Peeta shifted slightly, turning as if to get a better view of her while she spoke. It almost made her scowl, but she resisted the urge. Determined to ignore it, and answer the question, she focused on Haymitch. 

After a moment she resumed. 

“Designations were the reason for the catastrophes. They caused wars and unrest and the human race tore itself to pieces because alphas and omegas couldn’t suppress their savage natures.  The Capitol says that’s why they can’t allow alphas and omegas to live undocumented. That’s why they are reaped for the Designation Games. To weed out the unmanageable ones. To keep the beta population safe from violence and savagery.” She says in an almost rote tone, something she memorized to pass an examination, but never took to heart. The words leave a bad taste in her mouth. 

Her father was an alpha and he hadn’t been a mindless, violent savage. He had been a man, plain as any other. Who loved his wife and children. The fact that others like him were reaped and forced to fight to the death savagely,  simply for being born something other than a beta, wasn’t a flaw of the alpha designation, it was the error of those who came up with the Games and those who perpetuated them. Anyone would fight to preserve their life. Alpha, omega, or beta alike. 

The Designation Games made sport of alphas and omegas and their instincts. Every year they started them off with a run for the supplies in the cornucopia. Inside weapons, food, and basic medicines could be found but what every tribute wanted were the tiny packets of suppressants. Little red pills that allowed a tribute to remain in control of their actions. Without them, everyone was at the mercy of their designations. Alphas would abandon their teammates and their plans after catching a coying omega scent on the breeze. They were driven to distraction and became unreasonable. Easy prey for muttations and Gamemaker-designed traps. Omegas faired worse. Without suppressants, the presence of so many alphas concentrated in an enclosed arena forced them to go into premature heat, which for most omega females didn’t start until they were eighteen or nineteen years old. 

Yet, some omegas as young as fourteen had gone into heat on screen. In that state, feverish and mindless with need, they were often unable to defend themselves from any threat, be it Gamemaker-designed or another tribute. 

“Did you know that everyone alive today has an alpha or omega in their ancestry? And you don’t even need to go back very far. As little as four generations in most people.” Haymitch asked before taking a sip from his flask. 

Katniss blinked at him, startled. 

He ignored her look of shock and forged ahead. 

“What they don’t teach in the districts is the history of post-cataclysmic genetics, it's not essential for most of the jobs we do. Miners don’t need advanced schooling to break down rocks. But in the Capitol, the history of designations also comes with a genetics class. Everyone who has gone through secondary school there can tell you that alphas and omegas make up an integral part of the population. Something like 60 to 70%.” 

“But that’s just not possible,” Peeta said, taking the words right out of her mouth. 

“It is actually because it’s not their primary designation. It’s their secondary designation. Their dormant designation.” Haymitch disclosed quietly. 

“Wait, what? How can someone have two designations? And how can one of them be what did you say--dormant?” Peeta said in a bewildered tone while Katniss stood in stunned silence. 

“After the catastrophe that destroyed North America, the survivors, all the scientists, and leaders did their best to try and correct the problem of designations. They envisioned a world full of betas, without the messiness of alpha and omega instincts. At first, they thought to breed alphas and omegas out of the population entirely, but there weren’t enough people left to successfully eliminate those designations. They needed alphas and omegas, specifically because alphas and omegas are among the most naturally fertile, especially when paired together. So, instead of trying to breed alphas and omegas out, they tried to alter their genetic makeup to bypass their baser instincts. Suppressants only worked as long as alphas and omegas took them, and had access to them. Which, in a post-apocalyptic world, that had suffered a major collapse of infrastructure and industry,  was not a long-term solution. So the idea was to overwrite alpha and omega DNA with beta DNA and breed a new generation of people who despite their parents’ designations, would never go into heat, or rut, or show signs of being anything other than even-tempered betas.” 

“That’s…” Peeta began but trailed off. 

“Yes, it's quite the feat of science,” Haymitch said the words carefully, but his mouth pulled slightly to the side as if he didn’t quite mean it the way he said it. 

“Wait. How can you tell us all of this? Isn’t it some kind of secret? I mean, why keep it from the people in the district if it's a part of history?” Katniss finally found her voice, and she questioned Haymitch while her eyes narrowed skeptically. 

“Well, there are two parts to that answer. Let’s take the easiest one first. It’s not exactly a secret. I believe they teach something about genetic failure in the school unless things have changed since my day.” Haymitch said arching a brow. 

Katniss thought for a moment, she vaguely recalled her monotone history teacher's voice saying something along those lines, and posters in the school hallways encouraging people to make note of their friends and family members temperaments in the event of GF. 

She nodded, carefully. Beside her, Peeta gave a sound of agreement. 

“Right, so,  genetic failure occurs when something goes wrong with an individual’s written code. There’s a breakdown in the genetic programming that allows the individual’s secondary designation to overcome the beta overlay.” Haymitch explained. 

“Oh.” Katniss sat back with a frown. She tried to wrap her mind around the idea that she, and the people like her, her father, Haymitch, Peeta, and even that Hawthorne boy she had known once, were somehow considered aberrations, failures of science, and worthy of being culled from the populace. 

“So why even have the Games? Why not just round up every person who presents as an alpha or omega and execute them?” She demanded, angry all of a sudden at the artifice and the manipulation that had been shoved on her all her life. Haymitch shot her a look so reproachful she almost flinched. He frowned at her, but after a moment he replied. 

“For the same reason that the scientists couldn’t breed alphas and omegas out of the gene pool. They are integral to the population. Without the assistance of alpha and omega fertility, an all-beta population would go extinct within three generations. Society is still recovering from the cataclysms. Our population can only handle so much pruning at this point. We still need alphas and omegas, even those who somehow overcome their genetic programming. They need young alphas and omegas that are bright and capable, smart, and able to curb their instincts as well as utilize them. They need them to win the Games and go home and contribute to the local population.” Haymitch informed. 

“Is that why the children of victors are often reaped?” Katniss asked, her voice alight with realization. 

“For the most part. Victors tend to have large families, and though the majority of their offspring often turn out beta dominant, there’s always the chance that one or two might present as something else.” 

“So that leaves the other half of the question. Why are you telling us this?” Peeta asked. 

“All the mentors inform their tributes at some point. Most do it on their first night on the train. Unfortunately, last night I was indisposed.” He paused here, his eyes filled with a touch of, well, not embarrassment, but maybe regret. But it was gone just as swiftly as it had appeared, “And with all the questions going around about designations, I thought it best not to beat around the bush any longer.” Haymitch admitted. 

“So all the other tributes will know about dual designations?” Peeta queried in a serious voice. 

“Yes. And they’ll be out to play you and your natures against each other. Which is why I want you two to present a united front. This has to look like a team effort, you two are going to be friends, close friends for the next few days.” Haymitch said in a more commanding tone. 

“What?!” Katniss almost shouted. 

“Shh.” Haymitch hushed her harshly. 

Peeta appeared beside her, suddenly closer than he had been a second ago, his hand clutching the cup tightly in his grip. A soft growl escaped his lips. 

Katniss looked over at him with shock, but he was staring directly at Haymitch, not quite baring his teeth, but it certainly wasn’t a smile that was on his face. 

Haymitch merely rolled his eyes, dismissing Peeta’s behavior. Katniss looked down and away from them, fighting the urge to blush. Why did the idea of Peeta growling at Haymitch because of her make her heart race? 

“That’s a good start, but save it for training. The wind chimes cover a lot but they don’t cover shouting or fighting. And you better finish drinking your tea boy. No need for all that posturing with me.” Haymitch warned in a half-amused tone. 

“If all the tributes know then why do we need the windchimes?” Katniss asked, wanting to get off the topic of alpha posturing. 

“Because most of them get a sanitized version. The bare minimum. But since I have the two of you this year,  I’ve had to adjust my strategy.” Haymitch said. 

“Why? What’s so different about us?” 

“Because sweetheart, the tests came back and I peeked at the results. Peeta’s just what we thought. An alpha/beta combination. But you, well you’re a special case.” Haymitch said, with a glint in his eye that didn’t seem particularly reassuring. 

“What do you mean special?” She half whispered, fear stealing the strength from her throat muscles. 

“You’re something no one’s ever seen before. An alpha-omega fusion that defies everything that Capitol scientists thought possible. You’re basically like one of those birds from home, what are they called? Mockingjays? A blend of Capitol science gone awry and mother nature’s perseverance winning out.” Haymitch declared with a tip of his flask in her direction, like a mock toast. 

Katniss felt like she’d been slapped, so caught off guard is she. She struggled with the knowledge Haymitch had just dropped on her like a bomb. She wrestled with it, unable at first to reconcile to the truth, but then all of it made sense in a strange way. Hadn’t she spent the last few years believing she was an alpha? Wasn’t that what all her instincts had told her? 

“What does that mean? For me, and for…for the Games?” She finally asks, after gathering herself and batting away the shock. 

“It means that no one has seen anything like you in the history of the Games,” Haymitch says, before draining the last of the contents from his flask and giving her a strange smile. 

[inventors-fair]

Split Decisions

Choices matter all the time—and that includes the choice of card options. Sometimes you want to include a card that can go in either side of your deck depending on your choices, and sometimes those modes are definitely designed more for the limited crowd. What on earth am I talking about? Well, without splitting hairs, let's take a look into the past and check out some halves for this whole week..

Design a split card based on ANY* ONE previous mechanical precedents of split cards, which is as follows:

Invasion splits (uncommon, different colors, same type, related "&" name)

Dissention splits (rare/uncommon, multicolor cards that share one color, same type, related "&" name)

Dragon's Maze fuse splits (uncommon color pair OR rare multicolor-with-shared-color cards, same type, related "&" name, inclusion of Fuse mechanic)

Amonkhet/Hour of Devastation Aftermath splits (uncommon/rare cards with Aftermath mechanic & frame, can be different types, monocolor on both sides, "X to Y" name)

Guilds of Ravnica/Ravnica Allegiance splits (uncommon/rare split, two-color hybrid on one side & same multicolor on the other, can be different types, first three letters are the same on both sides)

Modern Horizons 2 splits (uncommon, same monocolor, different type, related "&" name)

Murders at Karlov Manor splits (uncommon, both sides hybrid with one shared color, can be different types, related "&" name)

What I'm excluding:

The Planar Chaos vertical cycle (because you'd be designing three cards, and I don't want that headache this week)

Doctor Who story cards (not that they're bad, but they're not about a mechanical identity)

WWWWW (No.)

What I'm looking for:

In the card name/flavor, a clever application of whatever world you choose (doesn't have to be its first appearance!) that's still sensible even if you have to stretch a little. Maybe a "with" or an "or" instead of the usual "&" name, or lingo that's a little more contemporary?

In the mechanics, a demonstration of how split cards affect limited both with their speed, castability, general archetype, etc. What decks want to play these cards, and why? How do they function on their own at the rarity and complexity you chose? Is it functional? Is it legible?

Anyway, see you later. I gotta split.

@abelzumi

>> SUBMIT to the INBOX

>> DISCORD and CHAOS

[bbygirl-aemond]

Dumb question, but why can't Baela and Jace stay engaged?

Laenor was going to be Lord of the Tides and Prince Consort at the same time, why can't Baela do the same thing?

ooh yes thanks for bringing this up if it's unclear! i can totally include daeron talking about this in his next pov when he's with jace if it's helpful btw. long story short: laenor was only ever going to need to put in like 5% of the effort towards being a consort than baela would have.

laenor married rhaenyra when there was no contesting of her succession. it was anticipated that rhaenyra would have a fairly stable rule because the bastard thing hadn't become an issue yet and the greens hadn't really mobilized against her yet. in times of peace and stability, the royal consort's role isn't as important to help bolster the sovereign's reign. additionally, it was expected that laenor would have several years to settle into his role as consort before he'd come into his inheritance, and also to do his duty to produce heirs with rhaenyra, since corlys wasn't on his deathbed. so he could put more effort into his consort duties for several years, and then scale back with no problem once he needed to spend most of his time at driftmark. if rhaenyra had her heirs, and her claim was stable, it would've been totally fine for laenor to fuck off to driftmark like 95% of the time.

however, it is very likely that baela will become master of driftmark long before she would ever ascend to being queen. corlys will die long before rhaenyra does, after all. so she'll have the demand of driftmark's responsibilities throughout the first few years of jace's reign for sure, and during the time in which she'd be expected to be constantly producing heirs for him.

baela will also be held to higher standards as master of driftmark than laenor would have been, because she's a woman. she can't afford to half ass either of the two roles that would be expected of her, but she wouldn't be able to do them both at once. she can only be perfect at one role, but not the other. and she'll be expected to be perfect at both.

also, jace's political situation is highly fragile right now, and likely will remain this way especially for the first few years that he sits the throne. he's going to be held to a much higher standard than any king or queen has ever been held to, and this includes his consort. jace needs a consort who isn't splitting their time and energy between their duties to him and ruling an entire house and castle. he needs someone who can stay with him and the red keep as a valuable political player within king's landing and who will be seen as 100% committed to their role as consort. just as jace and all of his advisors will need to be seen as fully dedicated to their respective duties.

tldr laenor was expected to get several years to settle in before inheriting anything, to have enough free time to rule driftmark, and to be consort in a time of relative peace and stability. he also wasn't breaking precedent and didn't need to be stellar at being consort or ruling driftmark. baela would have ascended to her position as consort already bearing the burden of driftmark with no time to settle into her new role, and would not have the spare time and ability to travel that would be required to rule driftmark. she wouldn't be able to get away with being anything less than perfect at either of her roles, which would have been impossible.

i hope this helps! and again, happy to have daeron note this in a few chaps if you think it'll be helpful for other readers :)

[whats-another-song-contest]

If Loreen does win tonight, expect me to peace out, because there will be Disc Horse™ and I've frankly had enough of people hating on Sweden for breathing in the wrong direction these past few years.

It's fine to not like an entry, but there's no need to be essentialist about it. Does Sweden do well with the juries? Generally, yeah. But we also do well in the televote most of the time.

In the 6 years we've had this new split voting system, where they announce the jury and televote separately, there have only been two (2) years where the juries gave us disproportionately more points than the televote (2018 and 2019, when we came 2nd in the jury vote but 22nd and 9th in televote respectively). These years happened to be consecutive though, and directly preceded 2020 when the contest was cancelled due to Covid, which I suspect is how the narrative of "Sweden: the juries' pet" was able to take root the way it did.

Apart from those two years though, we've only had two years where we received moderately more points from the juries than the televote (2017 and 2022, nether of which we were even close to the respective "worst offenders" - Australia and Portugal), and in the remaining two years (2016 and 2021) we received more points from the televote than from the juries.

Have we been doing well in the past few years? Undoubtedly. But that is not in spite of the televote, it is because our national selection (Melodifestivalen) consistently favours entries that will do well with both the public and the juries, of which the juries happen to be slightly more predictable. Does it result in our entries being somewhat soulless and corporate "widest market appeal possible"-sounding? Yes, I think that's often the case, and I'd love to see more musical diversity from us too.

Again: it's completely fine to dislike our entries! What I do take issue with however is the insinuation that "urgh, Sweden could send literally anything and the juries would still put them in the top 5!"—because it carries conspiratorial undertones that do not hold water when you look at the actual results. It's not our fault the general public are basic bitches, nor that you expected them not to be.

All I ask is that if and when you take issue with the juries, or a perceived "bland-pop-isation" of eurovision, direct that frustration at the actual problem rather than singling out Sweden or any other country as a scapegoat. This is a structural issue with the contest itself, not a plot to favour or undermine any specific country. In the end, this is a popularity contest. Take it for what it is, and if you are interested in more diverse or specific musical styles, perhaps lower your expectations or look elsewhere. And if you want to see actual change, Tumblr isn't the place you'll achieve it.

The only thing that posting and tagging your hate on Tumblr, or sending anon hate, will achieve is poisoning the fandom community, and as a Swedish eurovision fan I can say that this has made me reluctant to participate in the fandom for several years. Being considerate and respectful of each others' opinions, while focusing on the positives of your interest, are the keys to everyone having a good time in fandom—so I say let's strive for that, yeah?

[askcharaandfriends]

Goldy, can you elaborate.

Goldy: I'm assuming you meant for my tidbit about the US?

Very well. Warning though, this is a mouthful!

The US does indeed have a xenophobic approach to Monsters, yes... but that doesn't mean it's the only reason to keep them out, nor does it mean that there isn't a point to it. Racism is not the only explanation, nor is there an absence of good reason for the country to not engage with the issue. At least not yet.

Here's what to take into account: We've got this entire civilization coming out of the blue, with technology far more advanced than anything humanity has at this point. Said civilization is also not human, composed of an extremely diverse array of peoples with different needs, and to top it all off, they can summon magic from nothing as a means of self-defense and take SOULs.

Oh yeah! The soul is also now confirmed to actually exist! If Religions and the Occult were out of style before, they surely won't be now. Taking stuff with the SOUL into account would potentially destroy the legal barrier that seperates Church and State, which could create precident for crazy stuff to happen in the country; not the least of which being the potential to become an actual theocracy. ...I'll let that idea and its implications speak for itself.

Anyways, the way US Law works, it can only be effective when there's something already written that deals with a similar issue. Now, there's probably some stuff that can be done right away, but also a lot of stuff that doesn't have precedent. For starters, the idea of inalienable rights in the US Constitution? The wording there explicitly names humans as the beneficiaries. I know what that looks like, but I'm not trying to split hairs; what I'm saying is that the law was literally made for humans, and didn't predict that nonhumans would be a thing. That's a legitimate roadblock in the law. If Monsters came to the US now, there isn't much the system could do to actually help or accommodate them. It's a Monkey's Paw. Exact wording matters and whatnot.

Entire structures of society would need to be rebuilt from the ground up in order to ensure that Monsters would actually be able to get true and equal representation within the law. I'm talking Healthcare, Housing, Employment, Education... All of which are already contested, hot-button issues in US Politics. On top of that, the country would also have to take into account how all this advanced tech and magic would be handled within the law- and the bureaucratic process can be really... frustrating when it comes to that. They've got hammerspace storage here for crying out loud. Phones that can turn into guns and jetpacks. And of course, the CORE, once they make a version that's compatible with the surface power grids. This stuff alone can make or break entire employment fields. Research and data-gathering are direly needed.

As absolutely terrible the situation for monsters is, being deported and whatnot... I'm afraid that might actually be the best possible thing for the US can do for monsters, because there's literally not much else. What would happen if an accident or a death occurs related to magic or advanced tech and nobody would be able to do anything about it in the law? Or worse, a hate crime when the law doesn't have any way to accommodate Monsters? What if a monster gets seriously injured and hospitals don't know what to do because there's nothing in medical records about magic unless you count superstitious practices and alternative medicines/treatments of questionable efficiency? No functioning nation would want to tackle all of these issues at once while knowing next to nothing on the subject.

Is it xenophobic? For sure. Don't get me wrong. Monsters are the ones getting the short end of the stick. But if Monsters took the time to actually consider all of this... Why would they even want to come to the US? They're not being denied anything because there's nothing for Monsters in the US right now. It's that woefully underprepared. Not that there was any way to foresee this in the first place.

My guess is, they're watching the situation in Canada right now. They'll probably do so for a number of years, even with better leaders in charge, and come up with a plan to work with Monsters based on that. That's if the US government's still not too scared, and not entirely without reason. For Monsters, it's like the Yellowstone Zone of Death. If an accident or a crime happens to a monster, there's literally nothing in US law that would explicitly ID it as such, and therefore nothing any law enforcement agency could even do in the first place. Sorting that out will not be quick or easy.

[mostlysignssomeportents]

Podcasting "Vertically Challenged"

This week on my podcast, I read “Vertically Challenged,” my latest Locus column, on the “vertical integration” of Big Tech firms, who have merged and acquired their way to dominance:

https://locusmag.com/2022/03/cory-doctorow-vertically-challenged/

While tech firms practice many kinds of vertical integration, the most important one is the business of being a platform and competing on a platform. Platforms — app stores, ad markets, ecommerce — are “two-sided markets,” with the platform company mediating between both buyer and seller.

These two-sided marketplaces are high-stakes commercial arenas whose games are refereed by the platform companies. They decide on search-rankings, service charges, and inclusion. A platform company’s judgment is the difference between commercial success and failure. If you’re banished to the bottom of a search-ranking or locked out of a low-priced commission tier, you will go bust while your rivals thrive.

And yet, platform users want the referee to make these calls: we want spam and dangerous products to be downranked or blocked, we want action on inauthentic reviews and counterfeits; we want the best products to be given advantages that make them easier to find and more successful.

This is where the platform companies’ participation in their own marketplaces becomes an irresolvable conflict. When Amazon clones an independent sellers’ products and offers their own version ahead of the original in search results, it may be because Amazon’s copy is better — but it might just be because Amazon makes more money that way.

Likewise when Apple puts it own music player app ahead of a rival; or Google chooses its own products to display ads on; or Facebook surfaces its on-platform version of an article and buries the version on the open web. Maybe these “self-preferencing” choices are legitimate, based on neutral judgment about what’s best for us — and maybe it’s self-interested cheating.

There’s a reason we don’t let referees own one of the teams in the games they oversee — why we don’t let judges hear cases involving their relatives, or let lawyers represent both sides of a lawsuit. Even if they are really good at their jobs and very sincere in their promise to be fair, these processes will never feel legitimate.

It’s even harder when it comes to the kinds of judgments platforms make all the time. If you search Google for a video and it shows you a Youtube link instead of a Vimeo one, which one is “better”? Unless you have an annual pass to visit Plato’s Cave, you’ll struggle to come up with an impartial answer to this question.

This is a situation with historical precedent. For decades, antitrust regulators imposed something called “structural separation” on important companies like banks and railroads. Banks were banned from owning businesses, because these business would compete with the firms they made loans to. Railroads were banned from owning freight companies, because these would compete with their freight customers.

The premise of structural separation is that it’s impossible to administer a rule requiring platforms to be fair. It’s impossible to prove when they’re cheating, and even more impossible to convince the losers of contests with their subsidiaries that the call was a fair one.

There are some easy structural separation calls for Big Tech: spin off AWS, Amazon Studios, Kindle and Audible into independent companies. Force Facebook to sell off its VR holdings, Whatsapp and Instagram. Tell Apple it can make apps or run an app store, but not both. Tell Google the same, and for good measure, split off its ad-tech, videos, and office suite. Do the same for Salesforce, Microsoft, and all the other platforms.

But as Ramsi Woodcock has argued, you can’t ban all vertical integration. A company is a vertical integration. An office supply company isn’t a bookkeeping company or a janitorial company, but we wouldn’t force it to buy janitorial and bookkeeping from other, standalone businesses.

That’s a pretty good argument. If we let Amazon keep its ecommerce business, do we force it to sell off its warehouse business? That’s a source of significant commercial advantage, after all.

As good as this argument is, I don’t think the tech giants will make it. They don’t want us to think too hard about which businesses they insource and which ones they outsource, because the tech firms use outsourcing to avoid responsibility for the activities that harm the rest of us.

Like, Amazon insists that it must own a publisher, but it can’t own the last-mile delivery services whose quota-lashed drivers piss in bottles and kill themselves and others as they struggle to make their deliveries. Apple insists that it must buy 90 companies per year but it can’t possibly manufacture its own gadgets, which would let it police slave-labor conditions and suicides in its factories. Facebook insists it must buy every VR company, but can’t operate its own moderation boiler-rooms, where overworked, traumatized poor people spend every hour God sends looking at beheading videos, child sex abuse materials, and livestreamed murders.

Whether it’s Google, Microsoft or Salesforce, the functions of platform businesses that hurt the rest of us are never part of the vertical integration stack.

Which raises a curious possibility: maybe we need a doctrine of structural integration, forcing companies to own (and assume liability) for the parts of their businesses whose failures impose huge costs on society.

Here’s the podcast episode:

https://craphound.com/news/2022/03/13/vertically-challenged/

And here’s a direct link to the MP3 (hosting courtesy of the Internet Archive; they’ll host your stuff for free, forever):

https://archive.org/download/Cory_Doctorow_Podcast_418/Cory_Doctorow_Podcast_418_-_Vertically_Challenged.mp3

And here’s the RSS feed for my podcast: https://feeds.feedburner.com/doctorow_podcast

Image: Anthony Quintano (modified) https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mark_Zuckerberg_F8_2019_Keynote_(32830578717).jpg

CC BY 2.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/deed.en

Star Trek/Paramount (modified): https://www.paramountplus.com/shows/star_trek/

[ceilingfan5]

for james @monogramsalarm (sorry this is not a headcanons)

Taako feels like chunky volcano vomit. Taako has never had a hangover so bad, has never been so ill, has never felt so wrong. He’s ice cold and heavy and floaty at the same time, like his head is a balloon on a desperate mission to get away from a yanky cranky toddler. He sits up and regrets it. He opens his eyes and regrets that worse.

“Am I fucking dead?” he groans, vision wobbly at best and delusional at present. The most handsome man he has ever fucking witnessed gives him a little smirk.

“Got it one, my friend. Most people don’t quite have the hops to jump to that particular conclusion.”

“Oh,” Taako says, and he lays back down. He’s on the ground, for some reason, and there are other bodies all around him. He tries to remember what happened and his vision goes white and his ears ring like a church with the hiccups at a jingle bell eating contest. “Can I double die, cause I would love for this, uh, for all this to be over.”

“‘Fraid not,” Mr. Gorgeous says, in his incredible voice that wraps around Taako’s better senses and renders them fully null and nude. “Not for you, at least. You-” He consults a foreboding tome, and raises his eyebrows. “You have died nine times. You’ve also been part of a mass-murder, but this takes precedent.”

“Bwuh?” Taako asks intelligently. He wants to lay down, but he’s already laying down. Is there a more down down he can down? Asking for his nuclear fucking brainpan. “Gwah.”

“It’s a bit disorienting, isn’t it, dying?” The reaper offers him a beautifully manicured hand, and he takes it, even if that means being up, which his body and head are both violently opposed to. That much, they can agree upon. His hand is ice cold, but it’s grounding, somehow. “I thought you might be used to it, on number nine.”

“My man, what the everloving fuck are you talking about?” Taako squints at him. “Also, who the fuck, I mean, I get-” he waves his hands. “I get what you do. I can guess your title. Am I supposed to call you Grim?”

“Kravitz will do.” He laughs, and it’s incredibly charming. It’s funny, Taako’s cheeks don’t heat up like they probably ought to.

“Neat. Taako, that’s me. But I guess your dumb book might’ve told you that.”

“That, and much more, although I find myself entirely lacking in cohesive answers. What exactly have you been up to, Taako?”

Taako thinks for a moment, and surveys the carnage around them. “Just cooking. Being famous. No big.” This nets him another eyebrow raise.

“Just cooking? But when- where- Hold on, we’re being summoned.” And that they are, not that Taako understands it a bit. A rift opens up in space and Kravitz helps him to his feet--being in his arms is delicious, and yet would be much more appreciated if Taako felt less like dogshit--and they disappear from dumb old Glamor Springs into a dark, cold, very serious place Taako immediately bristles at.

“My Queen,” Kravitz says, and he bows. Taako might bow too, but he’s not the type, and also he might fully fall over about it. “How can I serve you?”

“Interesting, you’ve found him,” she intones, a bizarre voice made of a thousand voices, raspy and sweet and warm and ice cold. It makes Taako’s head pound like he’s beating the nails in his own coffin with his fucking forehead. “Istus won’t like this, won’t like this at all.”

Kravitz frowns.

“I was just about to book him, My Queen. Then just the remaining-”

“No, that won’t be necessary. He’s special, I think you understand that.”

Kravitz’s grip gets a little warmer for some reason.

“I’d like you to make him your apprentice, for now,” she says, and both Taako and Kravitz are floored.

“What the-” Kravitz stamps on his foot, and Taako elbows him right back. “What the fuck?” he asks, with full conviction, and she laughs, a horrible, wonderful sound like blood and bone and sunshine.

“It’ll come back to you,” she says cryptically. “And that will serve us well.”

“What will-” but, speak of the devil and the devil knows you’re talking shit. Something hits Taako square on, like a train made out of the ground, and he fucking crumples in Kravitz’s arms. Disconnected memories and lives lived and lost flood back to him, and something important, something so fucking important, but just out of reach, and he cries out weakly, which happens to be pretty pathetic in front of hotboy here, but he’s not exactly thinking about wooing. He’s not thinking of much at all.

It stops, after a moment, leaving him with a splitting headache and wide eyes. Kravitz is holding him tightly to keep him off the polished obsidian floor. He grasps at the memories, but they leave him just as they came, with a hearty choo choo, and a headache it’ll take him nine more lifetimes to sleep off.

“So you’ll train him to work alongside you,” the Raven Queen elaborates. Kravitz sputters.

“I- but- he’s-”

And she laughs again, and the space around them folds and disappears in a flap of otherworldly wings, and they’re back in Glamor Springs, and Kravitz is staring at him like a fish that tried to swim in apple cider, and Taako throws up on his shiny black shoes.

So much for first impressions.

[whenitsdarkweilluminate]

Vienna 2015 – Grand Final

Host: Austria Slogan: “Building Bridges” Participants: 40 Voting method: 12-point system (50/50 system - combined) Format: 2 Semi-Finals / Grand Final = the top 10 of semi 1 & 2 + the Big 5 + host + AUSTRALIA Winner: Måns Zelmerlöw - Heroes Country: Sweden Points: 365 (78.0% of highest score possible) Language: English General Overview: It's the 60th edition of Eurovision! Which marks the end of an era – the last contest to use the old points system (ie. where each country's jury and televote points were combined into a single aggregate score). It's also the longest Grand Final up to this point, with a run time of almost exactly 4 hours. The preceding years were roughly 30 minutes shorter. And it's remained around the 4-hour mark to this day. Needless to say, I'm pretty worn out by the end of it. Indeed, this is a long opening sequence. It starts with the Vienna Philharmonic in an outdoor venue; culminating in a group of people holding torches in a circle. Then, the rainbow blobbed infrastructure reappears. Followed by an edit of Conchita's winning moment and a long montage of various local activities. After all that, we transition to the live stage, where a violinist leads Austria's two winning songs. The wall opens up to reveal an orchestra, just like in the semi-final. Soon after, Conchita emerges from the floor, looking like a giant. She performs the theme song “Building Bridges”, where the 3 hosts arrive to “sing” along. As well as a children's choir and rapper Left Boy. The song changes to a hip-hop beat for the latter. Finally, the hosts lead the Parade of Nations. But wait, there's still a montage of people “transferring” objects or people between split screens, set to the soundtrack of “What If” (Russia 2013). That has not aged well. The presenters are Arabella Kiesbauer, Mirjam Weichselbraun and Alice Tumler. The dialogue is very scripted, but they're a likeable trio. The stage consists of the usual circular platform with an LED screen behind it. But with an additional archway constructed from numerous horizontal light tubes. There's also a collection of orbs hanging from the ceiling that move up and down in wave patterns. The Green Room is a raised platform in the back, with a walkway cutting through the audience that connects it to the stage. The postcards start with the artists greeting the camera, while a heartbeat pounds. This is followed by footage of the artists receiving a package in their home countries. They look at the gift, then look upwards to see someone greeting them and suddenly they're in Austria. They then partake in a local activity. The sequence concludes with the artists displayed on a billboard.

The interval act is the Percussive Planet Ensemble, which (unsurprisingly) features a wide variety of percussion. During which, the artists make heart shapes in the Green Room. There's also people holding art pieces on their heads and a classical choir joining in. Later on, Conchita performs the inspirational ballad “You Are Unstopped” and the piano house number “Firestorm”. She is a superstar! There's also a montage of winner reaction moments. The results are very top-heavy this year. Going by percentages, 2015 has the strongest top 3 of the “12-point era”. And 10th place only received 53 points. I'm guessing the Grand Final suffered from ballad fatigue. The entire 2nd half is basically slower tempo songs. The voting graphics show a nighttime globe that “builds bridges” to Vienna; with Vienna written in that country's language (although not the country name itself). The voting procedure is a messy one. Austria lost connection to three countries (Portugal, Estonia and Georgia), who were called back at the end. But what's truly surreal to re-watch in 2022 is... how Russia was leading for so long. It honestly looked like they had won it. And the audience was NOT here for it, despite the “anti-booing technology”. Conchita was even defending Polina in the Green Room. The crowd went NUTS when Sweden finally overtook on country #27. And the Russian spokesperson jokingly giving 12 points to his own country did not go over well. Also of note: the winner was announced early again. Slovenia: Maraaya - Here for You France: Lisa Angell - N'oubliez pas Another serious message song from 2015. “N'oubliez pas” commemorates the 100th anniversary of WWI, which resulted in nearly 2 million French people losing their lives. In the song, Lisa describes what it must've felt like at the time. To have your entire sense of security and peaceful lifestyle uprooted. She narrates about a village that was “erased from the maps and memories”. It was once a welcoming place with “children laughing” and “harvest celebrations”. But then the invading forces arrived with large numbers and weapons. The “words of hatred” line could apply to WWII as well. Lisa's message is “don't forget” about history. In the chorus, she declares “I am there” to show perseverance. They will rebuild. The instrumental starts very faint, with the guitar, piano and strings. It's a grieving and disheartening mood; as if standing in the rubble aftermath, too numb to speak. While the screen displays destroyed buildings and white doves. The piano emerges more in the first chorus. While the drums join in the second verse. And Lisa's vocals intensify from the second chorus. She sounds very passionate and emotional; particularly during the invading forces stanza. The strings become more pronounced too. For the final stanza, four marching band drummers come on stage (with plenty more on screen as the village rebirths). It's such a dreary song though, and the melody isn't that instant. Israel: Nadav Guedj - Golden Boy This needed to be 2nd half lol. Estonia: Elina Born and Stig Rästa - Goodbye to Yesterday United Kingdom: Electro Velvet - Still in Love with You And another mixed gender duet from 2015. Boy was this a low point for the UK. A campy entry that feels cynical, outdated and out of touch. The song combines 1920s Vaudeville with a rave. There's swinging violins, with a glitchy, techno soup beat attached that doesn't really belong. While the old-timey stage design switches to neon lights at times. There's also break dancing and commands for us to dance. In the song, the duo exchanges dialogue. Alex warns Bianca about her vacation and she responds to calm his worries. He cautions about wrong trains, old plains, and nasty diseases; while she tells him to take his medication. Alex is also worried of other suitors. She assures she'll be faithful. He tells her to not stay out late or drink too much. She says he needs to trust her. And she flicks her finger at him when saying the song title (to put him in his place?) This guy sounds very insecure and controlling. He blames it on her being “gorgeous” (eye roll). Bianca doesn't sound annoyed by it, as the song goes for a lighthearted, tongue-in-cheek tone. But it seems toxic. Otherwise, the song has a bouncy rhythm and the lyrics rhyme a lot. Especially that “-ize” stanza. Which is a bit silly. But the violins and the scatting are annoying. As are the “d-d-dance” / “everybody dance” / “oh yes” bits. Moreover, this entry seems like a parody or a joke. The smiles are too much. Armenia: Genealogy - Face the Shadow Lithuania: Monika Linkytė and Vaidas Baumila - This Time The kiss went on too long and they missed their cue. And that part is used in the recap... Serbia: Bojana Stamenov - Beauty Never Lies Norway: Mørland and Debrah Scarlett - A Monster Like Me Sweden: Måns Zelmerlöw - Heroes (winner review below) Cyprus: John Karayiannis - One Thing I Should Have Done RIP with this running order slot. Australia: Guy Sebastian - Tonight Again The top 5 placement seems driven by the hype of their debut. And by being an energetic song amongst the ballads. So Australia selects one of their biggest acts – Guy won the inaugural season of Australian Idol and he's topped the ARIA charts 6 times. “Tonight Again” is also a brass-heavy song right when “Uptown Funk” was everywhere. It starts with a moderately paced piano, as Guy suggests leaving behind your problems for tonight. The pre-chorus then escalates via the “do what you what you what you want” x3 build up + the horn yanks. While the chorus confidently struts forward in a free-flowing manner. It halts on the “forget tomorrow” bit; followed by an “oh ah oh” post-chorus from the backing. In the second verse, Guy mentions people judging this lifestyle. The title implies this avoidance is a cycle. But he's happy. For the bridge, the beat disappears then expands, as the pyro goes off and Guy ad libs. The performance ends with fireworks. On stage, there's a series of street lamps, while the screen shows a city street at night. It's like they're walking down it. The choreo is fluid too, with fist pumps, pointing, and Guy shuffling his legs. He's a professional performer who shows off his vigorous vocals. Which helps him sound eager. Overall, it's a slick entry with a catchy pre-chorus, and the horns keep things afloat. But it's kinda lacking in substance. Belgium: Loïc Nottet - Rhythm Inside Austria: The Makemakes - I Am Yours The first host entry to receive 0 points. Many of the upcoming ones will be towards the bottom of the scoreboard as well. Perhaps “I Am Yours” was too eccentric. The big gimmick is when singer Dodo lights the grand piano on fire midway through. Which could represent his burning passion. The song sounds like a 1970s rock ballad, similar to Elton John or Paul McCartney. The performance begins with a dark, shadowy stage. The verses are piano-driven, with a wistful and lonely atmosphere. The guitars and drums enter during the first chorus as the stage lights up. Said chorus has a rocking back-and-forth or fist-pounding rhythm, which conveys persistence. Dodo also changes to falsetto on the closing line. He gets scream-y towards the end too. In the song, Dodo says that if this person is willing to give him a second chance, he'll drop everything to be with them again. He's ready, willing, and able. The ball is in their court now. Each stanza also ends with the offer “anytime, any place, I’m yours”; as if it needs to be repeated. Otherwise, the “you're the one I belong to” hook is okay, and Dodo sounds sweet and committed. But this entry doesn't really stand out enough. The “oooooh” bridge is flat too. Greece: Maria Elena Kyriakou - One Last Breath Montenegro: Knez - Adio Germany: Ann Sophie - Black Smoke Germany started the 2010s with Lena and ended it with a bunch of bottom 2 placements. Including “nul points” this year. Although Ann Sophie didn't win the national final. That was Andreas Kümmert with “Heart of Stone” (he declined). Anyways, “Black Smoke” is a retro jazzy number filled with snapping percussion flicks, and a tickling piano riff. After the muffled intro, the instrumental stays pretty consistent. The drum rhythm is breezy for a break-up song. The bridge, meanwhile, is carried by the warm backing, followed by the song shying away and Ann releasing a big note. “Black Smoke” is about a relationship that should end. Ann notices her lover has changed. She tries to convince herself things are fine. But it's not worth forcing it. They can't even say the three words (“I love you”) anymore. The chorus surmises the situation by saying the “flame is running out” and all that's left is “black smoke”. It can't be rekindled. The lyrics are reasonable and the tone feels assured with her decision. Although the chorus sounds like a plea. The staging involves spotlights behind the singers and smoke puffs on screen. They also wear black outfits and Ann sings the first verse standing backwards for some reason. She has some sensual movements too. But the staging is kinda “meh” and the melody is so plain (“you said you'd never let me go”). Fun fact: Ella Eyre co-wrote this. Poland: Monika Kuszyńska - In the Name of Love Latvia: Aminata - Love Injected Romania: Voltaj - De la capăt Spain: Edurne - Amanecer Spain selects a... female ballad composed by Thomas G:son. But unlike 2012 and 2014, “Amanecer” fell short of the top 10. It probably suffered from ballad fatigue in the 2nd half. Still, the atmosphere is super melodramatic. The forlorn strings create an expansive soundscape. It's like a desolate desert or being consumed by sadness. The orchestra begins low-key and distressed. While the verse melody hangs on each line. The stage is a dark setting, featuring raindrops and water ripples on the floor. Edurne is concealed by a red cloak; sitting next to a passed out man. The drums and strings take over from the first chorus. And the drums punch hard from the second verse on like an unrelenting desire. Or endurance. Meanwhile, Edurne's long train flows in the wind. She also sheds a tear. Her train gets yanked off when the second chorus hits to reveal a sparkling white dress. She also holds her hands out (as if conjuring a spell) when singing the main hook. And there's an elaborate duo's dance routine during the instrumental break. The final chorus further adds thunderclaps. In the song, Edurne's lover left without knowing she loved them. And she feels very intense about wanting him to return. To “restore the dawn”. Overall, the staging is great, and the song is very atmospheric. But that “E-yeah E-YEAHHHH oh” hook, while instantly catchy, dominates things to the point of monotony. Hungary: Boggie - Wars for Nothing Georgia: Nina Sublatti - Warrior The infamous smoke machine malfunction. You can't even see her in the wide shots! Azerbaijan: Elnur Hüseynov - Hour of the Wolf Russia: Polina Gagarina - A Million Voices Albania: Elhaida Dani - I'm Alive The most underrated entry of 2015? Italy: Il Volo - Grande amore The song that held the televote record until 2022. If the juries had been more favourable towards Italy, they would've won. I didn't understand the massive hype 7 years ago, since classical opera has never been my thing. But the chorus is immensely powerful. It represents the “Great Love” you want to shout to the whole world. It's a glorious and overwhelming feeling. The song is about letting go of one's fears and reservations in confessing your feelings. The narrator has doubts; asking this person for reassurance that they'll never leave and only choose them. The build into the chorus is the biggest highlight though. The song begins more restrained. There's just a piano and a rising verse melody, set against a dark stage. The pre-chorus intensifies (the “Dimmi perché...” x3 bit) with the quick, jabbing percussion booms that approach and close in. While Piero unleashes an operatic vocal. The trio then yells “GRANDE AMORE” as the chorus explodes. The vocals bellow (“DIMMI CHE MAI”), as the drums steady the pace and the stage brightens up. It releases tension. The chorus ends with heavy strings. In the second pre-chorus, the trio rotates lines, with each one walking into the camera frame. Overall, II Volo are top class performers and vocalists. There's also Roman sculptures on screen. Fun fact: this song took 12 years to be picked up by any artist. The Winner: Sweden achieves their 6th victory; putting them one step away from Ireland's record. I imagine it's only a matter of time until they match or surpass it. “Heroes” is also the biggest winner of the 2010s, going by percentage of possible points. Although that's largely because of the juries. It had a 114-point lead(!!) over the runner-up in the jury vote (which was Latvia). Incidentally, this is the first time that the televote winner did not win the contest. The song redefines the term “hero” for the modern age (ie. “of our time”). Where we have personal “demons in our minds”, but we do our best. Which turns this into an anthem for the anti-heroes. Måns starts by explaining that he screwed up and he's avoiding punishment. That heroes are being eradicated. And he relays his father's advice about not dwelling on things. In the second verse, he says that modern heroes are greeted with crickets. That he inspires people (“I make worms turn into butterflies”). And he mentions his father's undying support. The song is an inspirational message directed to the listener. But the lyrics are so awkwardly phrased and trying too hard to sound deep. The “Sing it like a hummingbird” line doesn't make sense either, since I don't associate exclaiming an anthemic chorus with hummingbirds. Plus, Måns's words come off as self-important. The “What if I'm the only hero left” and the “butterflies” lines in particular. Like it's his duty to lead this message. The musicality is better than the lyrics though. The song was written by Joy Deb and Linnea Deb, who also composed “You” (Sweden 2013), “Monsters” (Finland 2018), “Adrenalina” (San Marino 2021) and “Voices” (Sweden 2021). It begins with a sawing guitar that's reminiscent of a Western film. It's been compared to David Guetta's “Lovers On The Sun” (which unofficially featured Avicii) – a huge hit in Europe the previous year. It signals an oncoming showdown; a scene of antiquated movie heroes. The first verse is also like a confession. The song then slowly builds into the chorus. Måns exclaims out loud with extended pauses, as the synths simmer below the surface. Soon enough, the drums escalate things, and the grinding synth swells leading to the drop. Finally, the main chorus envelops the arena. The second verse returns to the guitar, but this time the drums and the string pokes ease the pacing. While the second chorus jumps straight into the drop instead. Following this, there's a short (but effective) bridge. The backing repeats it underneath the final chorus to add an extra hook. The chorus sounds like a big anthem where the whole world could join in. And that “Hero-oh-ohs / oh-oh-ohs” hook is catchy. But... the way it stretches out one word makes it feel empty too. Otherwise, the staging is creative and innovative. It's a showcase of modern technology, where Måns interacts with a projection board as he “manipulates” the images. The stage is kept dark black for the illusion. He starts by siting on a bench. He then snaps his finger and a chalk outline kid appears. He slides over to make room on the bench, as the kid copies his movements. Following this, Måns conjures up a misty swirl that turns into a 3D rainfall effect. In the second verse, he motions that rainfall into a comet-like thing that he captures. He releases it; and it turns into butterfly wings behind him (matching the “butterfly” lyric). He then rotates the dots in a 3D motion during the “turn this world around” line. Afterwards, a school of chalk-outline kids appear on screen. They tilt in unison with Måns. He gives a fist-bump. And his heart glows red. The bridge also shows a chalk outline of Måns's face that morphs into his actual face. During the chorus, the stage lights flash in a frenzy, while he energetically bounces in the center. Måns brings insane charisma and star power to this performance. But it's to the point of self-indulgence with those smug smiles. Which is why I've never been able to love this entry. “Heroes” is not a bad winner at all - but it's not one I get that excited by. It's too calculated. It's not on the same level as “Euphoria” either. And the fact that Måns keeps reappearing at Eurovision year after year doesn't help. As for Melfest 2015, “Heroes” was very much a landslide winner there. The final also featured the first appearances of Jon Henrik Fjällgren and Mariette, who both placed top 3. Guilty pleasure icons Samir & Viktor also made their debut. Winner rank: “B” Tier. My Ranking: Grand Final: 01. Latvia: Aminata - Love Injected 02. Estonia: Elina Born and Stig Rästa - Goodbye to Yesterday 03. Belgium: Loïc Nottet - Rhythm Inside 04. Slovenia: Maraaya - Here for You 05. Norway: Mørland and Debrah Scarlett - A Monster Like Me 06. Montenegro: Knez - Adio 07. Italy: Il Volo - Grande amore 08. Albania: Elhaida Dani - I'm Alive 09. Australia: Guy Sebastian - Tonight Again 10. Georgia: Nina Sublatti - Warrior 11. Spain: Edurne - Amanecer 12. Sweden: Måns Zelmerlöw - Heroes 13. Serbia: Bojana Stamenov - Beauty Never Lies 14. Germany: Ann Sophie - Black Smoke 15. Azerbaijan: Elnur Hüseynov - Hour of the Wolf 16. Israel: Nadav Guedj - Golden Boy 17. Lithuania: Monika Linkytė and Vaidas Baumila - This Time 18. Hungary: Boggie - Wars for Nothing 19. Greece: Maria Elena Kyriakou - One Last Breath 20. France: Lisa Angell - N'oubliez pas 21. Austria: The Makemakes - I Am Yours 22. Romania: Voltaj - De la capăt 23. Poland: Monika Kuszyńska - In the Name of Love 24. Cyprus: John Karayiannis - One Thing I Should Have Done 25. Armenia: Genealogy - Face the Shadow 26. United Kingdom: Electro Velvet - Still in Love with You Full Ranking: 01. Latvia: Aminata - Love Injected 02. Estonia: Elina Born and Stig Rästa - Goodbye to Yesterday 03. Belgium: Loïc Nottet - Rhythm Inside 04. Slovenia: Maraaya - Here for You 05. Norway: Mørland and Debrah Scarlett - A Monster Like Me 06. Montenegro: Knez - Adio 07. Italy: Il Volo - Grande amore 08. Albania: Elhaida Dani - I'm Alive 09. Ireland: Molly Sterling - Playing with Numbers 10. Australia: Guy Sebastian - Tonight Again 11. Georgia: Nina Sublatti - Warrior 12. Spain: Edurne - Amanecer 13. Switzerland: Mélanie René - Time to Shine 14. Sweden: Måns Zelmerlöw - Heroes 15. Serbia: Bojana Stamenov - Beauty Never Lies 16. Germany: Ann Sophie - Black Smoke 17. Azerbaijan: Elnur Hüseynov - Hour of the Wolf 18. F.Y.R. Macedonia: Daniel Kajmakoski - Autumn Leaves 19. Czech Republic: Marta Jandová and Václav Noid Bárta - Hope Never Dies 20. Israel: Nadav Guedj - Golden Boy 21. Lithuania: Monika Linkytė and Vaidas Baumila - This Time 22. Moldova: Eduard Romanyuta - I Want Your Love 23. Hungary: Boggie - Wars for Nothing 24. Belarus: Uzari and Maimuna - Time 25. Greece: Maria Elena Kyriakou - One Last Breath 26. Malta: Amber - Warrior 27. France: Lisa Angell - N'oubliez pas 28. Austria: The Makemakes - I Am Yours 29. Iceland: Maria Olafs - Unbroken 30. Portugal: Leonor Andrade - Há um mar que nos separa 31. Romania: Voltaj - De la capăt 32. Poland: Monika Kuszyńska - In the Name of Love 33. Cyprus: John Karayiannis - One Thing I Should Have Done 34. Denmark: Anti Social Media - The Way You Are 35. Netherlands: Trijntje Oosterhuis - Walk Along 36. Armenia: Genealogy - Face the Shadow 37. United Kingdom: Electro Velvet - Still in Love with You 38. San Marino: Anita Simoncini and Michele Perniola - Chain of Lights 39. Finland: Pertti Kurikan Nimipäivät - Aina mun pitää “S” Tier: “Euphoria”, “Fairytale”, “My Number One” “A” Tier: “Every Way That I Can”, “Only Teardrops”, “Wild Dances”, “Rise Like a Phoenix”, “Hard Rock Hallelujah”, “Satellite” “B” Tier: “Molitva”, “Heroes” “C” Tier: “Fly On The Wings Of Love”, “I Wanna” “D” Tier: “Everybody”, “Believe”, “Running Scared” “F” Tier: none!