#then he learned we're on the 21st season

[rcrisdraws]

I've realized something about de-extinction projects that never truly crossed my mind before. Of course, the 'resurrected' animals (woolly mammoth, thylacyne, dodo, what have you) are very unlikely to even BE themselves because of the surrogate parent, the incomplete genome, the fact that we're ultimately going into this from the point of view of someone doing a reconstruction. But what about the social aspects? Who's going to teach the first 21st century woolly mammoth baby how to be a woolly mammoth, it's very unlikely the genome it has is going to instinctively tell it what to do. And what if it does? Can we cope? What happens if a woolly mammoth baby has the innate desire to start migrating in the middle of autumn the same way birds and other large herbivores seasonally migrate. But that's learned behavior, who's going to teach that? Who is going to teach them mammoth. Pachyderms are social animals, are you gonna keep it isolated? among other elephants? What of the social dynamics of being reared up among animals that look similar to you but not QUITE, again what about innate behaviours that will make it be an outcast? What happens if that de-extincted animal, sole of its mutated kind, reaches maturity? Will it be allowed to mate?

Idk, why should we create something just to doom it ugly duckling style.

Edit: like the panda in this post. behavior of extinct species is something that is going to be almost entirely lost and even if we have evidence of it replicating it for a de-extincting species that might only have 1 individual in human care is near impossible.

[umseb]

Sebastian Vettel tests the Porsche 963

3/22/2024 - The Porsche Penske Motorsport works team and the winner of 53 Formula 1 Grands Prix, Sebastian Vettel, are looking forward to putting the Porsche 963 through its paces. This coming week, the German will take the wheel of the hypercar at the Motorland Aragón. Porsche Penske Motorsport forges ahead with its preparations for this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans with a 36-hour long run in Spain. Vettel has already spent extensive time in a simulator to prepare for the Spanish circuit in Aragón. At a rollout of the Porsche 963 on the test track at Porsche’s R&D Centre in Weissach, he turned his first laps in the hybrid prototype.

Gaining experience in the cockpit of a hypercar prototype

Sebastian Vettel enters new terrain with this test drive: for the first time, the four-time Formula 1 world champion will gain experience in the cockpit of a hypercar prototype. Since 2023, the Porsche Penske Motorsport works team and private teams have campaigned the Porsche 963 in the North American IMSA sports car series and the FIA World Endurance Championship WEC. After winning three IMSA races last year, Porsche Penske Motorsport succeeded in kicking off the 2024 season with a win in both championships. In the WEC, which also incorporates the Le Mans 24-hour highlight, the entire field including the hybrid race car will run on biofuel. This fuel has been used in the WEC since March 2022.

"I'm looking forward to testing the Porsche 963. I already got the chance to get a feel for the car during a rollout in Weissach," says Sebastian Vettel. "I've always followed other racing series, and my curiosity for endurance events encouraged me to just give it a shot. Now I'm excited about the long run in Aragón and I'm looking forward to my time behind the wheel. It'll definitely take an adjustment and some getting used to, but everyone in the team is very open and helps me. This will be a new experience for me. We will then see what happens next in this respect. At the moment there are no further plans for the future."

"We're delighted that Sebastian Vettel is interested in our Porsche 963," explains Thomas Laudenbach, Vice President Porsche Motorsport. "There was no question for us that we'd be thrilled to support his request for an opportunity to test and provide him with extensive preparation and plenty of time to drive our hybrid prototype. There's no doubt we'll learn a lot from his valuable feedback. Our 36-hour long run with Porsche Penske Motorsport and our works drivers at Motorland Aragón offers a perfect environment for this."

Getting to know the special features

Vettel has prepared systematically for the test with the Porsche 963. On March 14th he met the operations crew at the Porsche Penske Motorsport facility in Mannheim. The next day, on March 15th, the German completed an extensive simulator session at Porsche Motorsport. There, he got to know the engineers and familiarise himself with the special features and complex control systems of the Le Mans prototype. On March 21st he got his first taste of the Porsche 963 on the in-house test track at the Weissach R&D Centre. It proved to be an unusual experience for the 36-year-old: After 299 Grand Prix starts in Formula 1 single-seaters, it had been some time since Vettel had driven a racing car with a roof; previously only at the Race of Champions or turning demo laps.

Next week, Porsche Penske Motorsport will head to the 5.078-kilometre circuit at Motorland Aragón near Alcañiz to conduct a 36-hour long run. Joining Sebastian Vettel for the test are the works drivers Matt Campbell (Australia), Michael Christensen (Denmark), Frédéric Makowiecki (France) Kévin Estre (France), André Lotterer (Germany) and Laurens Vanthoor (Belgium). This endurance test serves as preparation for the highlight of the season in Le Mans on June 15th and 16th. As the record holder, Porsche aims to secure its 20th outright victory at the Circuit des 24 Heures. To increase the chances of the desired success, Porsche Penske Motorsport will field a third Weissach-made hybrid prototype at the French endurance classic in 2024. Mathieu Jaminet from France has already been confirmed to helm the No. 4 car. The customer teams Hertz Team Jota and Proton Competition have entered three more Porsche 963 race cars. Two Porsche 911 GT3 R campaigned by Manthey EMA and Manthey Pure Rxcing will tackle the new LMGT3 category.

[northwest-by-a-train]

Mutual 1: I wish someone could kill me so I could be reincarnated as a saxophone solo in Al Stewart's 1991 song Year of the cat

Mutual 2: Horror keeps piling upon horror and we will live old and wrinkled in this time of horrors. The only cure is to post black and white pictures of men who have problems

Mutual 3: killing baby Caesar does lengthen the lifespan of the roman empire by ~350 years, as it dissolves into some sort of federalist-feudalist structure not unlike the Holy Roman Empire. The main difference is that a sort of loose syncretic pan-imperial polytheism is the dominant religion, leading to Icelandic temples of Isis and Ethiopian temples of Epona. As such, this timeline was spared the drawbacks of a centralized state-enforced organized religion. The main drawback is that being a furry is considered blasphemy by the vast majority of humanity.

Mutual 4: if Pendleton Ward does not make Mr Cupcake a Trotskyist I will set the cartoon network offices on fire

Mutual 5: if Serial Experiments Lain was made today they would make her cis. Well. Not on my watch

Mutual 6: Can we take a minute here and normalize arms trading? Marginalized communities need those 3D-printed untraceable ghost guns with Family Guy muzzles, I need to make a living since I was thrown out of the commune by Hannah-Arendts-Strap (message me for details), Seth MacFarlane needs people to watch season 27. But Academia will talk about Kant's white-ass categorical imperative to argue no one should sell guns. Typical.

Mutual 7: I am in your walls. Why is there lead paint on your radium plumbing my dude. You know that's not aryuvedic.

Mutual 8: I'm sorry but Robespierre was a scapegoat of most of the French revolution's atrocities, and bourgeois reactionary elements have tried to turn him into a proto-totalitarian crazed madman, but the historical record paints a much more complex picture. Which is why I don't believe he would ever whip Danton's ass like you just wrote. He would be the one wearing the ball gag. How can I make you see the truth my brother ?

Mutual 9: Arabic and Eastern European poetry have been superior throughout the late 20th/early 21st century. We also have the best cigarettes. If we keep going we can surround Constantinople in the next decade, and restore the Palaiologos to their rightful place.

Mutual 10: The callout posts are true. Reflecting on it, it was obvious that our attempt to create a secret #LiberateBelize discord channel without British people was chavphobic. We are listening and learning.

Mutual 11: Pinkie Pie could negotiate the Oslo Accords, but Bill Clinton could never bag pony Weird Al

Mutual 12: If I think about Betty Groff for more than two seconds I'll divorce my husband. I got the papers and everything. But I won't. I'm brave like that. #ChristianLove

Mutual 13:

Mutual 14: I was visited by the virgin Mary last night. Again. She told me I can't make my girlfriend pregnant like that. Again. But I know Ron L. Hubbard is with me, and it's all that matters.

Mutual 15: Mustard gas doesn't even taste like mustard. You guys lied to me. My Mac & Cheese is ruined.

Mutual 16: Stop saying my think tank advocates killing orphans. We're pro-harvesting organs in youth correctional facilities for reduced sentences !!! But again we see the pro-carceral bias inherent to Lutherans. Have you guys even read Angela Davis ?

Mutual 17: Here's my solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict: spend a hundred billion dollars for multiversal research, reach the mirror universe. Israelis get the biblical kingdom of Israel borders on this earth, Palestinians get the 1948 borders in the mirror universe. I think this is the fairest deal America can offer at this time.

Mutual 18: I tried to live the life of a restless European adventurer in Macau playing roulette and serving as a mercenary to various conglomerates. Turns out they also charge rent there. And income is taxable too. And I bet everything on Red. And I don't speak Mandarin, Cantonese or Portuguese. Help me pay for my flight home! 6¢/50 000$ collected!

Mutual 19: Yeah the canonization of Bolaño as the latest LatAm literary genius speaks to a sort of general malaise in post-colonial literature due to the collapse of magical realism as a viable tradition for meaningful political messaging. So the literature of unease and obsession and maladjustment itself is canonized, like an oyster canonizing the grain of sand that's tearing it apart. The fact that no other major voice has really appeared on the continent within the past 20 years should tell us this isn't working. Which is why the Brazilian JoJo fandom has a unique opportunity to meaningfully impact the course of world literature. #Multipolarity

Mutual 20: wow guys someone left a tray of perfectly good Mac & Cheese on a windowsill! Yummy!

Mutual 21: Did medieval surgeons pulling teeth get erections? I wouldn't normally ask this of my followers but I'm arguing about Sex Work with the ghost of Andrea Dworkin and I need hard evidence (no pun intended lol)

Mutual 22: Electro-Swing is a Belgian psy-op. I can't prove it, but I know it

Mutual 23: I'm the first neutered catgirl to be tried in a military court. But I know I'm not the last.

Mutual 24: Did you guys know you could eat olives? The thing they make oil from? I ordered three kilos of motors, so I can eat it with my roommate's Mac & Cheese

Mutual 25: Anglicans, amirite ? [Sounds of raucous applause]

[starseneyes]

Chenford REWIND - Lucy Chen / Tim Bradford - The Rookie - Season 2 Ep 2

"The Night General" AKA Somebody to Lean On

This one came in as a request, and it's one that I'm really excited to do. It's fun to take a look at post-Quarantine House Tim/Lucy in more detail, especially considering Tim and Lucy's movement in Episode 1 of the season via her standing up to him and his respect of her.

SPOILER ALERT: This episode and everything that came before it are fair game. If you wish to remain un-spoiled, please don't read anymore. I do try to write these as though I'm watching them for the first time without knowledge of the future.

Everyone squared away? Then we're ready to dive in.

"Chief Williams added another book to your Sergeant's Exam Reading List." "Split Second Leadership: Leading Men in the Line of Duty." "Men?" "It's from the 60's. How is this relevant to the 21st century policing?" "Ours is not to reason why, Officer Bradford. Read the book." "Yes sir."

At this point, only Tim knows why this is bad news for him. From the outside, it might look like he is being obstinate or lazy. But Tim is struggling.

My little brother has a learning disability. He's a genius with a learning disability. No, I'm not exaggerating.

My brother can't write or spell. He'll tell you an elaborate story with five-syllable words with perfect grammar, but the minute he tries to write it, it looks like a Kindergartner wrote it.

He had a teacher in college who insisted he was faking it and throwing his papers because he didn't have a written diagnosis from a doctor. He dropped out of school. He never finished.

My point? Learning disabilities can happen to anyone and it's easy to be quick-to-judge. No wonder people don't want to share. No wonder there's so much shame and stigma.

No wonder Tim didn't say anything. No wonder he honestly doesn't know... because, in his family, it would be seen as "less than", "not good enough", a "screw-up".

"If I have to suffer, so do you. So, you're going to read this out loud to me between calls. Only way I'm gonna get it memorized in time." "Or, I could drive and you could read it by yourself."

Admit it, Lucy. You're just looking for an excuse to drive! In all seriousness, it makes sense. But, again, it's easy to assume that Tim's pride in being the one to drive is getting in the way of him "taking this seriously".

"It's hard enough to listen to it without your editorializing."

Okay, I am totally with Tim on this one. Sometimes when we're reading to the kids, Matt will do this, and suddenly 10 minutes of calm reading has turned into 30 minutes of kids bouncing off the walls because they couldn't focus to finish the story straight through.

"You're gonna have to re-read all of this anyway to really memorize it." "No. I memorize best when I hear it." "Really?"

I love this shot. Lucy leaning over the book, tight on her face as she processes the information of how he processes.

My Middle is Autistic/ADHD with an auditory processing disorder and suspected reading processing disorder. Eldest is ADD or ADHD (final diagnosis later this month) and Littlest has her full testing for Autism/ADHD at the beginning of next month. I know a lot about people processing differently.

But as Lucy's wheels are turning, she realizes what might be going on with Tim. But how do you broach a subject like that with TO Era Tim?

Lucy's had fun poking at Tim with the parts of the book she likes (especially the value of every officer), but the whole reason she poked was because of Tim's apparent sense of superiority. Yes, she knows it's a veil, but it's still hard to poke through, at this point.

This is different.

"Why?" "Nothing."

Nothing is never nothing. I think I write this once every other Meta. On this show, nothing is never nothing.

"Boot!" "You might have a learning difference." "What?" "Technically, it's classified as a disability, but it really just means that you're wired to process information differently. In your case, through, through hearing, rather than reading." "I don't have a learning disability."

I remember the conversations with my husband for years.

I told him I suspected he was ADD (my mother, brother, step-father, and step-brother are all ADD/ADHD... the only reason we know I'm not is because my little brother wouldn't take his test without me and Mom taking it, too).

Matthew would shrug it off because he didn't have a "Disorder". But when he was 38, his mother let it slip to me that he was diagnosed at 8... and they never told him. They hid it. They didn't want the stigma.

So, he spent his entire life struggling and not understanding why. He got re-diagnosed at 38, and his first morning on medication, he let me sleep in. I woke to him lying next to me, tears in his eyes.

"The clouds are gone," he breathed into the space between us. And then I was crying, too.

He'd had these clouds his entire life and thought it was just how he was. He didn't know there was help. He didn't know his life could be better. All because his parents hid his diagnosis.

We put so much damn stigma on this stuff that humans are suffering unnecessarily for the sake of societal niceties. And for Tim, there's definitely stigma and shame associated with having a learning disability. It's how he was raised.

"A lot of people have them. I bet Isabel helped you in the Academy, read through the materials and stuff." "We're not talking about this."

Talk about wheels turning... we can see Tim's as he thinks about all the times he and Isabel sat up, her reading to him.

He thought it was the sweetest thing, and it became their thing. I bet she read him other things, too, like fiction books, or autobiographies on his favorite sports figures.

But thinking about Isabel (still a very fresh hurt) and the stigma of having a learning disability is too much for Tim.

Because growing up, any "difference" was called out as a failing. Yes, I know those of you in early S2 don't yet know all of Tim's backstory, so I am reaching forward a little on this one.

But, it's important to understand why Tim reacts so strongly and so swiftly.

Tim ends conversations before he can lose his cool. Losing control could lead him to become the person he hates most in the world, so he does everything to avoid it. But, he's been on edge all year.

Hell, for more than a year. Because ever since Isabel disappeared, he lost that one little piece of his life that made sense.

Then, this ball of sunshine came into his life, blinding him with goodness and light. He tried at first to temper it, but I fully believe that the longer he's in her glow, the more his eyes adjust, and the more he shifts to helping refine her rather than dim that glow.

"Watch your tone, Boot." "Oh, you don't get to call her 'Boot', Rex. You're retired. She's the police, now."

Boom, Baby!! Tim Bradford putting an asshole in his place will always be good television.

"Let's see your bail bonds license and the warrant on your jumper." "You let her talk to you like that?"

Bitch, you don't want to see how I'm gonna talk to you if you don't back off. Tim's not biting on the "camaraderie" angle, here.

As tough as Tim can be, as much of an absolute ass as he can be... he's a stickler for the rules.

"Look, the hole you're in has nothing to do with Lopez. But she's gonna pay the price when the commander's son goes belly-up halfway through training." "I told him it's not her fault." "Yeah, so tell him, again. Lopez bent over backwards for you. She protected your ass when any other TO would've sent you packing. You owe her your career." "I know."

Don't. Mess. With. People. Tim. Loves. Tim and Angela's friendship is one of my favorite relationships on the show. Tim just stood up for Lucy and here he is standing up for Angela.

Now, I'm not saying Tim loves Lucy, yet. We're a long way off from that, if these two get their act together. But, I think it's important to see his consistency.

Tim's Tests might make him seem unpredictable, but there's a reason and a rhythm for everything that he does. And when it comes to his friends—to the people he loves—he's always going to stick out his neck. Even if it means risking himself.

"Do you want me to read to you?" "No." "Come on."

Now that she knows he has a learning disability, she wants to help. Now that he thinks she thinks he has a learning disability, he wants to run.

Lucy is a gentle, kind, loving human. She wants to help. It's her default state. But accepting help goes against everything that was ever beaten into Tim.

It was fine when he was ordering her to read to him. But now that there's a stigma involved, he doesn't want it.

"You have to learn it." "I can do that on my own."

See? And Tim's not trying to be an asshole. He's trying to 'be a man', 'cowboy up', and 'do it on your own'. You know... all the bullshit men are too-often taught from boyhood.

He's shying away from Lucy's help because he's ashamed.

Alright, Future Rachel needs to tell you that Tim Bradford hasn't had an easy life. His childhood was less than ideal. His marriage seemed good until it wasn't.

Seeing the worst in himself is easy, but having others see him as weak in any way? He can't have that. He puts up all this bravado and these thick walls around his heart to protect himself.

Lucy just found another tiny crack in his defenses. And instead of letting her light in to help heal his hurts, he's afraid it will burn.

"Training for the rematch with Nico?"

Tim's blowing off steam. That fight was tougher than expected, and Tim's going to do everything he can to stay in top shape. But, he's also processing.

Lucy processes by talking things out. Tim processes with a punching bag and sweat pouring down his brow. The beautiful thing about people is how different we are, yet we find a way to coexist. We learn to speak one another's languages.

My husband's a BIG gift person. He loves to give and receive. I struggle with physical possessions because of how I grew up.

But I know that small gifts throughout the year help him remember I'm thinking of him (buying his favorite coffee... a latte from the local café). And he knows making me a chai latte at home, or holding me when I'm upset lets me know he's thinking of me.

We love one another. We just don't experience love the same way. Same is true for Tim and Lucy. We're in the phase of them learning how to speak one another's languages. This is crucial if they're ever going to be in a romantic relationship.

Tim greets her almost with a smile as he turns to face her.

"Here." "What's this?" "It is 'Split Second Leadership: Leading Men in the Line of Duty' the Audio book." "The book's out of print. There's no audio book." "Yeah, which is why I recorded one for you."

"Lucy Chen, will you marry me?" I mean, that's what he's supposed to say, right? That's what you would say, right?

Because, let's break this down for a second—she stayed up all night doing this. This morning when she asked him if he wanted her to read to him, she knew what his answer would be.

But then they had this stressful-ass day, and she had to wait for the file to finish rendering, which might've taken all day because audio files with any quality are a beast.

Look, I was a voice over artist for over 20 years. I only left the studio where I was a contract player because I couldn't afford a home studio and now live over an hour from the studio. So, I've done a lot of commercials, on-hold messages, and, yes, books.

The kids especially love my reading of "Elmo Visits the Dentist" that they can listen to on YouTube whenever they want. Why go into all this? I know how long it takes to read a book aloud at a pace that is easy for others to process.

Immediately after learning that her TO needed to listen to learn, she took the damn book home (because she was the one holding it the next morning) and she recorded herself reading it for him.

She likely got no sleep as she set it to render and upload into the device to hand to him while she got ready to leave for work.

I bet she even went home, grabbed the device, then ran back so she could give it to him.

This is a labor of love. No, she's not in-love with Tim. But she cares about him. And this ball of sunshine is radiating in his life more and more.

We are post Quarantine House. We are post Lucy calling Tim on the Isabel stuff she should have reported. We've established that they trust one another.

But this is next level. Six months into her training, and Lucy's already breaking through so many of Tim's walls.

"Uh, listen, I talked to Isabel and from what she said, it's clear you're a kinesthetic learner, which just means you need to listen while you're being active in order to absorb things."

Girlfriend just called up her future husband's ex like a boss. Again, she did this yesterday. Lucy wastes no time when it comes to Tim. Keep that in mind for the future...

"There's no shame in it. Really."

Watch his face. His jaw clench. His body relaxes as he sighs. His eyes soften. Because, all his life any sign of being "different" was weakness. Any sign of being "not good enough" was punishable by pummeling.

Isabel didn't realize he had a learning disability from what we can tell. She just knew that he'd ask her to read to him. My husband and I used to read to one another (pre-kids) and it was a tremendous act of love.

But Lucy put a name to it. And Tim's been spiraling out about it ever since. Because there's a stigma that comes with words like that, tragically.

"Honestly, it's probably why you excel at being a cop."

Tim absorbs her words. She doesn't think he's a freak. She doesn't think he's a project. She doesn't think he's broken. She thinks he's a good cop.

Her view of him hasn't changed because of his learning disability. This is so important.

My Middle has been Autistic his entire life, right? But we only got the official diagnosis when he was 5 because he stopped eating and was rapidly losing weight. A family member actually said "How can I be [related to] an Autistic child?" I said, "You've done a fine job the last 5 years."

Who he is didn't change with his diagnosis. But there are always people who recoil at it because of the stigma associated with it.

Tim was afraid Lucy would think of him differently... but she doesn't. She still sees Tim as the hard-ass, soft-hearted, semi-asshole she has to deal with every day for another six months.

And, strange as it sounds, that's the most reassuring thing Lucy could say to him.

"Thanks."

Lucy ducks her head in a nod as she leaves. It's so sweet. Lucy knows him well enough to understand this is difficult for him. She has a strong understanding of psychology, and a growing understanding of Tim Bradford.

Sticking around won't help him. Letting him get to work will help. She knows him well enough not to hover, and she knows better than to expect compliments from Tim at this phase.

Hell, that "Thanks" was unexpected and I'm surprised she was able to keep moving after she heard it instead of calling it out.

Maybe she just really needs the sleep after all she's done for him. She deserves it!

"Split Second Leadership by Curtis Philbrick, read by the best Rookie you've ever trained."

Tim can't help but smile at that. And it's a real smile. The kind the shows his teeth and reaches his eyes. The kind Lucy won't see, yet.

Lucy offered Tim a piece of herself when she handed over that audio recording. No, it's not romantic. But it is a gift, nonetheless. This was above and beyond anything required of her as a Rookie—she did it as a friend.

And Tim accepted the gift. I don't think we talk enough about this. Lucy sent him food one episode ago and he told her she "shouldn't have". But there's no fighting this gift.

Because the events of 2x01 were a big shift for these two that we don't talk enough about. Lucy making it to the halfway mark and doing well on her exam. Lucy calling Tim on his shit when he tried to distance himself from her by being extra assholery. Lucy going beast-mode chasing that fake cop.

And here we are in 2x02 and Tim who was humbled by Lucy one episode ago is now unintentionally wounded. Because he thinks she sees him as "less than". He thinks her opinion of him somehow lessened because he's been raised to see a "learning disability" as a bad thing.

When Lucy turns it around at the end and says it's his super power, that's powerful. She helped him see himself in a different way. The king of coming at something sideways has met his match. So, what could he say after a gift like that? He wouldn't reject it. He couldn't.

Because Lucy gave him the gift of a shift in perspective. And those readers who are from the future, like me, know he'll repay that gift in a huge way in that same room not too long from now.

They're not in love, yet. But they are on their way to friendship, and learning one another's love languages on the way. So if when they finally arrive at love, it'll be a deep love. It'll be a love that grows. It'll be a love that thrives.

Because true love often takes effort... but it's worth it.

Tim Pays it Forward

Look, Tim takes care of his people. We already know that. But I also like to think that Tim recognized something of himself in Rex thanks to Lucy's kindness.

Rex doesn't like asking for help. Neither does Tim. But if Tim isn't careful, he could end up like Rex.

Now, Rex likely didn't have a Lucy. But, he does have a Tim. And that's damn good, too.

As ever, thank you for reading. This one is one I'm super passionate about with my family history and the children I'm raising.

Now, I'm not going to pretend it's all peachy-keen. It can be really, really tough raising three neurodivergent children, and there are very bad days. But for Tim, his learning disability really can be a super power.

Also, oh, isn't it fun watching Tim and Lucy of Season 2 on their way? So much fun!

Hope your weekend's been lovely! Mine's been so quiet, it's lovely. Currently have three Littles in bed with me as we have a pajama/movie day. It's the little things!

See you on the next!

[marvelousmatt]

What We Do in the Shadows Showrunner on Nandor/Guillermo "Boundaries"

What We Do in the Shadows Showrunner/EP Paul Simms on Guillermo and Nandor setting "boundaries," the vampires "helping" Gizmo, and more.

Published Mon, 09 Sep 2024 15:37:09 -0500 by Ray Flook

When we last checked in on how things were looking with the time we have left with Laszlo (Matt Berry), Nadja (Natasia Demetriou), Colin (Mark Proksch), Guillermo (Harvey Guillén), Nandor (Kayvan Novak), The Guide (Kristen Schaal), and their friends (and enemies), we were getting some very interesting intel on the sixth and final season of FX's What We Do in the Shadows. With the series set to return on October 21st, Showrunner/EP Paul Simms is sharing even more pieces of the puzzle. Having moved out of the Staten Island mansion after turning down the opportunity to be a vampire, Simms notes that Guillermo and Nandor "have established some boundaries. He realizes that now he's got to go out in the real world and start his own life."

That new life includes a new job – another aspect of Guillermo's new life that has the vampires concerned. "The vampires are so concerned about his ability to function in the real world that they follow him to his job to quote-unquote 'help him out,'" Simms added during an interview with TV Line – which can only end well, we're quite sure. Admitting that originally, "we had no idea how we were going to end" the long-running show, Simms shared that "I'm really happy with the ending… We didn't want to get too bogged down in trying to tie up every loose end or get too sentimental about it. We just wanted to make another super funny season and have the ending proceed logically from that, and I think we've done it."

What We Do in the Shadows Final Season: New Vamp, Doc Crew Involved

Heading into the show's San Diego Comic-Con (SDCC) 2024 panel, Simms offered some very intriguing intel on what's to come – including Guillermo starting a new life and Colin looking to help Laszlo build a new familiar/best friend. During the SDCC 2024, Berry, Proksch, Schaal, Novak (via Zoom), Simms, and director Kyle Newacheck were on hand to screen the first episode of the final season and tease what's still to come. The three big takeaways? We're introduced to our vamps' original roommate, Jerry (Michael Patrick O'Brien) – and let's just say that his reawakening (they forgot to wake him since 1976) has an impact on the house's dynamic. In addition, we learn where Guillermo's living now and what he's been up to. Finally – and especially interesting – the vampires begin calling into question the whole documentary thing.

Speaking of the documentary crew, Newacheck noted that the story of our usually unseen supporting cast "does get opened up towards the later end of the season in a very meta way that was fun to make." In fact, the director even had a chance to get in on the action. "I will say that I did get to play a director in the show at a certain point while I was directing the show, which was the most meta thing I've ever been a part of. So stay tuned, y'all. It's gonna get wild and weird," Newacheck added.

As an added bonus, you may have noticed at the opening that we mentioned Novak checked in via Zoom – but that wasn't quite right. Novak checked in as Nandor – and had a pretty graphic response when asked if Guillermo was going to come to terms with his feelings for Nandor. "I have to keep my voice down because Guillermo is in the next room, jacking off into his pillow," Nandor shared, saying to someone off camera who was supposed to be Guillermo, "What? No, I wasn't talking about you. Shut the fuck up!" Here's a brief clip of Nocak from today's panel:

[bi-bard]

The Yearbook Series - Sleeping At Last Writing Challenge

This is the masterlist for a writing challenge dedicated to the "Yearbook" project created by Sleeping at Last.

Each story will go with one month. Each month has a dedicated EP with three songs. Each song will get its own part of the story.

So, to put it simply, each story will have three parts.

I hope you enjoy this writing challenge.

[Note: parts are listed in chronological order of my stories, which may not be the same as how they appear on the original EPs]

January [Will Graham X Reader]

Wires [Release Date: 2/20/2023]

Catch Our Breath and Let Go Summary: (Y/n) and Will have worked together for a long time now. As time goes on, the pair seemingly dance around each other. When the people stuck working with them get tired of watch it, Will and (Y/n) find themselves forced to confront how they feel.

January White [Release Date: 2/22/2023]

If Nothing Else, We're Given a Little Time to Change the Heart in Which We Change Our Minds Summary: The year has come and gone. It's meant to be a season of new beginnings and letting the past lie. The question is whether Will and (Y/n) can hold that lesson to heart and move on from each of their mistakes.

The Ash Is in Our Clothes [Release Date: 2/24/2023]

The Ash Is in Our Clothes Summary: Will wasn't one to credit fate for what has happened in his life. However, (Y/n) may have been the exception to that rule. If only the universe wasn't just as cruel as it was kind.

February [Dean Winchester X Reader]

Land or Sea [Release Date: 3/2/2023]

Our Process Implies Our Progress Summary: Hunting was sometimes a painful reminder that no day was promised to you. When (Y/n) is given that harsh reminder, Dean takes it upon himself to help them as much as possible.

Learning Curve [Release Date: 3/4/2023]

No Learning Curve Could Ever Bend Us Too Far Out of Shape Summary: It wasn't rare for a dream to be more tempting than reality. But sometimes- just sometimes- reality can come through and put that dream to shame.

Dear True Love [Release Date: 3/6/2023]

What Little That I Have to Give, I Will Give It All to You Summary: After years of avoiding and expecting the worst from the world, Dean finally feels like he's won.

March [Twelfth Doctor X Reader]

Pacific [Release Date: 4/5/2023]

Pacific Summary: The Doctor saves a kingdom from falling apart. The soon-to-be-ruler finds themself intrigued with the man who to literally fall from the sky. That man offers (Y/n) a chance to see so much more than the world that they know for most of their life.

Outlines [Release Date: 4/7/2023]

I'm Crossing My Fingers for Something to Hold Summary: Traveling with the Doctor offers (Y/n) more of a purpose than they have ever known before. Not that the doctor would ever believe that.

Birthright [Release Date: 4/9/2023]

But All Impossible Odds Foreshadow Our Means Summary: (Y/n) returns home to find their army on the verge of war. They're ready to fight for the people that they care for. The Doctor understands that but all he wants is to keep them from making the same mistake that he did.

April [Jay Halstead X Reader]

Intermission [Release Date: 5/3/2023]

I'm Here, Somewhere Between Victory and a White Flag Summary: (Y/n) jumped around from place to place for a long time. They never thought that they'd find a place that felt right. After finding out about these thoughts, Jay does what he can to make 21st District feel like home.

Tethered [Release Date: 5/5/2023]

You'll Be the Oxygen I Need Summary: After a case takes a bad turn, Jay is taken hostage by the very person that the team had been chasing. The peace of getting him back only lasts for a few hours before the aftereffects start to rear their ugly head.

In the Meantime [Release Date: 5/7/2023]

Maybe There's No Answer Here, At Least One We're Ready to Hear Summary: Jay and (Y/n) planned for forever. However, no one can plan for everything. Now, Jay begs for one night of normalcy before everything falls apart.

May [Dick Grayson X Reader]

Segue [Release Date: 5/14/2023]

Segue Summary: Dick never planned to fall for someone. However, when a new vigilante shows up in Gotham, he finds his attention torn from his work. And he can't find it in himself to feel upset about that.

Pacific Blues [Release Date: 5/16/2023]

Imagine How Brave I'd Be, If I Knew I'd Be Safe Summary: Dick's life has been marked by loss. (Y/n) understands that. Still, they want to try to be with him, no matter the risks.

Silhouettes [Release Date: 5/18/2023]

When It Surfaces, Just Hold Your Breath and Swim Summary: (Y/n) never expected Dick to come back to Gotham. When he does, they wanted to forget all that had happened between them. However, after Dick gets into a fight with Bruce, (Y/n) finds themself remembering the things that led him to run away in the first place.

June [Kaz Brekker X Reader]

Hourglass [Release Date: 7/3/2023]

How Did We Get So Good at Dismantling These Hearts? Summary: Kaz gets word of a new job for the Crows. On the surface, it appeared to be nothing other than a normal job. However, when he tells the crew, (Y/n) has a reaction that immediately catches his attention. He just needs to find out why.

Atlantic [Release Date: 7/5/2023]

Atlantic Summary: Kaz goes to (Y/n) for help in preparing for the upcoming heist, much to (Y/n)'s confusion. Luckily, all is made clear soon enough.

The Sea of Atlas [Release Date: 7/7/2023]

Such Careful Words That We Can Barely Speak Out Loud Summary: The Crows return from their latest job. With Kaz back in Ketterdam, (Y/n) sees no better time for them to discuss what had happened before he left.

July [Arthur Shelby X Child!Reader]

Aperture [Release Date: 7/24/2023]

I Know that I've Asked it Before but Please Let the Scale Tip Here in My Favor Summary: Arthur finds a kid hiding in the shadows of an alley. He never thought that a single act of kindness could lead to anything bigger than that. And yet, he finds himself hoping that he doesn't screw everything up in the long run.

Hit or Miss [Release Date: 7/26/2023]

Only Time Will Tell On Which Pedestal We Were Meant to Stand Summary: Polly talks some sense into Arthur after his behavior becomes out of control and he ends up pushing away the one person that seemed to care for him no matter what.

Wilderness [Release Date: 7/28/2023]

Be Your Best for Her Summary: Arthur faces the reality of (Y/n) growing up... and he despises it.

August [Karen Sirko X Reader]

Page 28 [Release Date: 8/11/2023]

I Guess I'm Trusting That There's Such a Thing as Elegance in Dissonance Summary: An old friend of the original Dunne Brothers finds their way to the band's doorstep. At one of the worst points of their life, (Y/n) is forced to reevaluate their life so far. The biggest question is where (Y/n) is going to end up once they get through all of their self-reflection.

No Argument [Release Date: 8/13/2023]

Only Love Can Change the Shape of Such Permanent Truths Summary: After their first kiss, Karen finds herself pushing (Y/n) away. The tour for the band's new album "AURORA" seems like the perfect chance for her to get over her feelings. However, when (Y/n) comes to visit the band at their hometown show, Karen realizes that distance did nothing to help her.

Households [Release Date: 8/15/2023]

Households Summary: Karen and (Y/n) find themselves at complete peace when Karen comes home from tour for the first time since their bought their first home together.

September [Sebastian Sanger X Reader]

Noble Aim [Release Date: 10/13/2023]

Chances are We are the Same; Against the Odds, Against the Grain Summary: Two damaged people find that there are more similarities between them than they originally thought. That discovery leads them to becoming closer than either of them thought that they'd be.

Goes On and On [Release Date: 10/15/2023]

In Your Disbelief, You'll Clear Your Eyes as If You're Seeing Light for the Very First Time Summary: (Y/n) and Sebastian find themselves in the care of the Titans. While they are dealing with the reality of being suddenly pulled away from their lives, (Y/n) tries to keep hopes high with the promise of what could be after all of this is said and done.

Resolve. [Release Date: 10/17/2023]

What was Kindness in Our Eyes is Now a Blemished Masterpiece Summary: In which two people want the other to see their side of something monumental, only to be met with stubbornness and refusal.

October [Marianne Sheridan X Reader]

Next To Me [Release Date: TBD]

Nothing's Felt More Sure Than When You Were Next to Me Summary: After Marianne's relationship with amie falls apart, she finds comfort in (Y/n), the one consistent thing in her life. Now, whether or not that comfort was healthy was a different topic entirely... a topic that Marianne had no interest in confronting.

Watermark [Release Date: TBD]

You Were Carved Out of the Sea, Watermarked by Your Ancestry Summary: Marianne's past had left her cold and disconnected. (Y/n) was anything but. As the intimacy between them becomes more intense, (Y/n) finds themself unable to ignore the feelings in them. The only question is if the knowledge of those feelings will be enough for Marianne to stop pretending that she had truly been disconnected.

Homesick [Release Date: TBD]

Cry Heart, Cry Yourself to Sleep, Cry a Storm of Tears If It Helps You Breathe Summary: (Y/n) had always been the perfect image of someone good. Warm, kind, and beautiful in every way imaginable. At least, that's what Marianne thought. What was she supposed to do when confronted with that image falling apart?

November [Clara Oswald X Reader]

Bright & Early [Release Date: TBD]

The Warmth of Blankets Makes Me Nervous Summary: Clara gets the opportunity to meet one of the Doctor's old acquaintances. As the pair get to know each other more, some interesting habits of (Y/n)'s begin to rear their ugly head. The only question is how Clara chooses to respond to it.

101010 [Release Date: TBD]

Change is Slow, But I Feel It Taking Shape Summary: Clara's stubbornness gives (Y/n) the change to experience and recognize some feelings that they hadn't felt in a long time. Accepting and acting on those feelings proves to be one of the biggest hurdles that (Y/n) had ever been forced to confront.

Emphasis [Release Date: TBD]

Life is a Gorgeous, Broken Gift Summary: (Y/n) and Clara get their chance to be happy together. However, one risk being taken could lead to the downfall of it all.

December [Emily Prentiss X Reader]

Accidental Light [Release Date: TBD]

Some Call It Reckless, Some Call It Breathing Summary: Joining the BAU is like joining an already perfect family. (Y/n)'s attempts to find their place in that family, leading to some very reckless decisions. They should have expected to be questioned by some of the people around them.

Snow [Release Date: TBD]

May the Melody Disarm Us Summary: The team makes several attempts to make (Y/n) feel accepted and valued to the team. One of them succeeds in what seems like the most obvious way ever.

From the Ground Up [Release Date: TBD]

Right as Rain, Soft as Snow Summary: After Rossi's dinner, (Y/n) and Emily have yet another important conversation.

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

Navigation Guide

What I Write For

Some Original Characters

[kremlin]

i am going to offer one thought on the situation that unfortunately does not need an introduction

please consider, in the face of the man who has suddenly adopted a polarizing political nature, my humble third perspective, which has not changed for many years, that this guy does not, will not, never did, and never could -- posses any scientific nor technical knowledge/ability

polarizing yourself like this is a great way to provide a plausible counter-narrative to people favorable to whichever side of the spectrum you chose. "oh, all the naysayers are [the others], they will say anything to harm [us, our cause]"

i don't think people who bought him for the personality he trades on, "reluctant CEO in name only who really is down in the weeds with the engineers or developers" are stupid or gullible, because the theme of this thread is "avoiding polarization and politics to measure reality"

but i certainly used to, and maybe you can understand my perspective. when this extremely famous, influential pretender adopts your field and proceeds with cartoon antics, it creates a lot of confused people [at best] and draws undeserved ire and misconceptions [at worst]

if you are like me, employed in a technical engineering capacity, never haven't been, never won't not be (elusive triple negative), and this behavior continues regardless whether paychecks come in --

someone who, from day one, said "this is my hole, it was made for me", someone who he feels these sorts of behaviors go beyond a profession and into the core of your character -- someone who finds this degree of self description *very cringeworthy* to vocalize...

here are some differences... i don't have an incomprehensible amount of money, nor an incomprehensible amount of debt. i have a regular amount of money and only a little debt

i don't have five, estranged families, i have one, good "forever" family.

i don't "spend alll nights and weekends sleeping under my desk until ...xyz". i sleep in a big bed with my wife

when i see a construction or factory worker, i don't tell him to learn to code. i think maybe i should learn construction

when my behaviors, actions, idiosyncrasies, etc fall characteristically far from the NIST perfectly spherically frictionless standard human mind, it lands in the ADHD/autism/whatever region, not in the PERSONALITY DISORDER region

i am very, very good at what i do, and have done, for decades, and the sum total of that thinking nearly certainly does not include any truly groundbreaking, unheard of, radically innovative "wild new idea",

i don't look at, say, the tunnel boring industry, or the automobile industry, or the field of neuroscience, and say, listen up dumbasses, time to move into the 21st century, we're digging with javascript, we're (not) driving with javascript, we're "going to mars" (???) \

with javascript, and get this -- we're cutting your skull open and putting electronics in there, running guess, what javascr-

i guess that's it, that's all i have to say, stop calling me a tech bro, don't talk to me about "crypto currency", don't talk to me about "radical altruism", don't talk to me about "free speech/the blue hair sjws/the chud boomers/the whatever-whatever".

talk to me about the eagles stunning 10-1 season so far, talk to me about jalen hurts, talk to me about the minutiae of your day, talk to me about drama on web forums from 20 years ago. do not talk to me about "java script". thanks. your friend, ians

oh, i forgot one -- i haven't bought 8 companies and then pretended like founded them. i founded one company, Kremlinware Unlimited LLC, that has never had any assets, employees, partners, etc...\

but makes good letterhead that will get ppl to sell me all sorts of weird things that they wouldn't otherwise sell to an individual. like a bottle of tetramethoxysilane (not drugs) or Very Specific Carbide Face Mill Insert or Weird Chinese Patent Law Infringing IC It Turns Out...

that micron or atmel want like $150 for.

[ncisfranchise-source]

CBS ratings juggernaut NCIS returned to our screens tonight with the first of 10 episodes that star Wilmer Valderrama says “might shock a lot of people.”

In the crime procedural’s season 21 premiere, Valderrama’s character, former lone-wolf agent Nick Torres, copped to the murder of his family’s childhood tormenter after learning the man was victimizing another mother and son.

“Something breaks,” he tells EW. “Something breaks in Torres’ heart. It's almost like he's been waiting for this moment for way too long.”

Torres' actions in “Algún Día” set up a run of episodes abbreviated by the Hollywood labor strikes that Valderrama says may cause jaws to drop. “The fact that we have a shortened season allows us to be like, “Can this be the season where every episode is like crazy?”

Below, the That '70s Show alum talks moving away from the case-of-the-week, yukking it up with Gary Cole, and saying goodbye to David McCallum, who died in September at 90.

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: The season 20 finale closed with Nick Torres holding a mysterious man from his past at gunpoint. How did it feel to be the cliffhanger character who kept audiences speculating during the hiatus?

WILMER VALDERRAMA: We were working on that season finale the whole season. We were talking, having a lot of conversations about, “What is the season?” And I have this crazy idea: Why don't we send Torres to prison? And then we worked backward from that. Like, why would he be there? So we ran with it, and we were able to build something that was really interesting and it was still sustainable for our season finale. 

We've gotten glimpses of his past over the last several seasons, but “Algun Dia” gave us maybe the deepest look at that family history that we've gotten so far. Is it different for you to hit those beats compared to the quips and the crime-solving that you do with a more standard episode?

It's refreshing. It's just really refreshing. Moving forward, we're going to lean a little bit heavier on the souls and the hearts of our lead characters. I feel like our audiences have been so giving and so beautiful to just tune in and watch us and watch these characters. For the actors, it’s very refreshing to exercise all of our muscles to really, really go there and to really find the root of your pain, your trauma, or your patterns.

And the relationship between Parker and Torres is also going to evolve a little bit more. I talked to the showrunners and I was like, you have Gary Cole, who’s a comedic genius, and then you have me, which I have some, you know, comedy experience in my past too.

A little bit, yeah.

And I was like, why are we not doing this, dude? Why are these two characters not running wild in the field? And they loved the idea. There’s some laugh-out-loud stuff that we're about to do that’s really unique for NCIS. With NCIS there are some funny moments and then you're back to the complexity and the darkness of these cases. In this episode, we just went for the comedy, like, let's make it really funny, but not compromise the tonal DNA of our show. 

You sound really excited about these upcoming ten episodes of the season.

I am very excited. I'm excited because this is the rare opportunity where a show that by the grace and the love of the fans has the runway to try things. We're going to swing in directions that are a lot more personal and a lot more high-concept. It's still very much grounded in the mothership. We're not doing unnatural stuff for our characters, but we are really exploring storylines that I think could really help the following seasons

The second episode of the season is going to deal with the death of David McCallum and honoring Ducky by jumping into an unsolved case of his. What was the experience of filming that episode like for you and for the rest of the cast who’ve been working with him for so long?

It's tough. We needed that episode. As much as our audiences want to have a tribute, for us, the actors, this was our humble way of saying goodbye. All the way up to the last scene I did with him, the dude knew what he was doing. He'd come in and then they said, “Action,” and he’d never drop a line. I mean, I was in awe, and it reminded me that we should always do more and that we should always swing harder. That's the only thing you'll take with you is the commitment you gave your art, and that's something I feel he reminded us all. 

Ducky’s episode is going to be, I think, not just emotional, but it'll be a journey. Brian Dietzen is writing it, and I couldn't imagine anyone else really handling that memory the way that he did. There’s beautiful stuff happening in that episode.

In the premiere, Torres fights off a cell block’s worth of angry Russians and then ends up slightly shivved. So I'm curious, which is more stressful: filming the fight scene or filming the shirtless scene afterward?

[Valderrama, whose character is shown shirtless and bandaged in a prison hospital bed, laughs and covers his eyes with his hand]

That’s a great question. They both have a great deal of pressure. It's funny, you know, I pride myself in just loving getting to the gym and staying fit and all of that stuff, but in my career I've never been the guy that does the shirtless stuff. Am I confident doing shirtless stuff? Sure. I'm not insecure about that stuff, you know? But I've just never been that guy. 

I love doing my own stunts. I have a great partner, Brennan Mejia, who does some really difficult stuff for me, but I felt like I needed to do that [fight scene] because you need to understand how dangerous that moment was for him. And then, afterward, when they tell me, “Hey, do you mind wearing this?” I'm like, “I know what you're doing, sure, fine.” It was silly, and obviously my costars had a lot of fun with that.

I bet they did. 

They made a lot of fun of me. It was funny. But I don’t feel pressure for either one. I feel happy to do what it takes for the story. But sometimes it doesn’t take that to tell the story, and somehow it’s still on the page.

This is my favorite combination of the cast in years. I mean, it's been through so many, but the chemistry that you all have right now, it’s working.

I agree with you 100%. That's why I can't wait for people to see this this season. We're literally finishing each other's sentences, and the level of difficulty to pull off the stuff that we're doing, it’s so high, and somehow this cast is making it amazing. And it's been a joy. It's been a joy to spend all that time with these incredible individuals.

[hotarutranslations]

Plushie

Evening

That's right, yesterday, Maria, Bought Starbucks for me on the way home

.🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️🫶🏻

👀

She had a longer conversation with the barista, From the order name, It seemed fun? lol

Maria normally talks about baseball, Since I can't normally reply to her with the same excitement😂😂

Understanding the story, is that the way the conversation expands! It was a refreshing reaction😂😂

But recently, Its not just within the framework of baseball,

If you change the word to, Oshi,

Each member has something to talk about🙋🏻‍♀️🙋🏻‍♀️🙋🏻‍♀️

Its fun 🙋🏻‍♀️🙋🏻‍♀️🙋🏻‍♀️fufufu

Today, Homare, said she was able to win in a crane game in 1 try

She gave me a Kudo Shinichi plushie (moreover one that's quite big)🥹🫶🏻

She told me as soon as she won it, I was looking forward to getting it---💛

I was so surprised, I'm bad at crane games……

When I played crane games with Mei,

It was something like, I'm bad, to the level I was fretting over it?

lol

Where I couldn't even been given words like, Ah~~ That's too bad~~ And it was kinda so pathetic I couldn't even laugh about it,

That's the level of bad I am🤔💭

Therefore it was like, Homare got it in one shot!! It was surprisingly like, isn't she too talented!?

Its a super cute Shinichi,

I've left it in the studio, so he can watch over the Budoukan rehearsals lol

This guys face is cute

To have a plushie watch over the rehearsals, Its not something that is so easy to do~~ Isn't it good~~☺️🫶🏻

But with this, does everyone as well, put things on their work or study desk

.😎🤝🏻

🪩We're performing at Nippon Budokan on May 27th (Mon)

It will be live broadcast on Hulu And we're showing it on Live Viewing

Its been decided we're holding this🫶🏻

Lets have fun together, whether we're at the venue or not at the same time🫶🏻

📺Hello Pro Dance Gakuen Season 11

April 18th 11:30PM~ A Learning From TSUKUSHI-san Adventure🕺

Sendai Broadcast "Ara Ara Kashiko" April 13th (Sat) at 10:25AM~ Ishida Ayumi Goes~!

I appear once a month as part of the AraKashi Family

The previous shows, and makings, are on OX VIDEO STORE!

Thank you for following.. Instagram💙🩵

💿

May 15th Release Morning Musume '23 Concert Tour Fall "Neverending Shine Show ~Seiki~" Fukumura Mizuki Graduation Special YokoAri's 2nd Day With Fukumura-san's Graduation Performance

May 15th Release Morning Musume '23 Concert Tour Fall "Neverending Shine Show" SPECIAL YokoAri's 1st Day With OG Performances

🪩Spring Tour Is Ongoing Morning Musume '24 Concert Tour Spring MOTTO MORNING MUSUME

⚾️《LIVE DAYS！～Exciting Big Exhibition Match～》 June 2nd(Sun), after the Hokkaido Ham Fighters vs. Yokohama DeNa Baystars match, Morning Musume '24 will be having a special mini live!

🪩Hello! Project Kenshuusei Happyoukai 2024 6gatsu "Lily"

June 9th (Sun) Osaka June 16th (Sun) Tokyo

🪩The MusiQuest 2024 July 21st (Sun) PiaArena MM

We're challenging a new festival stage❤️‍🔥 Absolutely, Definitely, Thank you for your support❤️‍🔥

🍉Sanrio Character Grand Prix Thank you very much for supporting Gaokki🍉

📻Morning Musume '24 Morning Jogakuin ~Houkago Meeting~

Airs Every Saturday, On Radio Nihon at 12:00AM~

Past Broadcast Episodes Are Available →Program Details

Yamazaki Mei's Panda-san Daisuki!! ~Expressing Love Towards My Favorite Panda-san♡ ver.~ in Adventure World

Yamazaki Mei's Panda-san Daisuki!! Mei-chan's Holiday. Adventure World with Oda-san and Ishida-san

see you ayumin <3 https://ameblo.jp/morningmusume-10ki/entry-12852956221.html

[eshtaresht]

GUYS GUYS I CAN'T KSODKLSOSL!!!1!!1LKDKJ;;S !!!l1JK!::kKD;P SOSKSLSPSODS A;SDOKDLAD I CAN'T EVEN FORM WORDS

spoilers for ep 12 (and a bit for trigun in general) and my overexited ramblings under the cut

you know an episode will be good when where's no opening

so, the twins are meant to be characterized straightforward in every anime adaptation, ig. it's not bad, but the manga twists their personalities 180° and it adds SO MUCH nuance (I'll talk about this at length some day)

tbh I had to pause for laughter when knives was YEETED outta the gate (I have sense of humor of a five year old)

everybody already said everything, but still. OG HAIR COMEBACK OMG AHRAHAAKFJDlahjddjha!!!!!!!! ;!!! ;! and not only hair, but the whole characterization this episode was much closer to trimax vash, and not just sadboy depressive bbg

MERYL/REM PARALLELS LETS GOOOO!!! like, I guessed this would happen, but the visuals, the tension and pure GRATITUDE in vash's voice when he was able to break free from his mental prison... we're eating good

speaking of eating, I CAN'T get over that moment when vash deadass BIT KNIVES. that's peak sibling behavior, he's literally fighting tooth and nail over there

also mashwood is so real tonight!! love love love meryl&nico interactions in stampede, they barely spoke to each other in other versions! and the look of relief on vash's face when he sees nico skedaddling away with meryl!!! he's so glad that they're gonna be okay and that nico made the right choice and came back to help, if briefly. interstingly, he was able to remember everyone, but after the explosion at the end he still lost his memory.

and THE WINGS, DUDE!!!! it gives the finale of trimax, when they both had only one wing left..... still missing feathers, but I love the diversity with knives's, eh... knives, and vash's energy/void or whatever that is, I support it

he's so pathetic even when he looks cool, homeboy had NO control when he used his wing for the first time... cudos for learning new powers on the spot tho

ow ow ow that scene with the military hurt... and he couldn't even save them!

"why are you like that, vash?" "I'm vash the stampede" "IT'S BEEN OVER A CENTURY AND THIS IS THE BEST YOU COULD CAME UP WITH" same here, knives, he's hopeless. I anticipated that moment, but it probably hits even hard for stampede onlys

angel arm!!! tho it's not that angelic now... how are we gonna call it? I take suggestions. rip arm and coat, I feel like we'll actually get a more trimax leaning design next season!

to all the ppl (myself included) who wanted to see vash cry properly... are you happy? ARE YOU FUCKING HAPPY??? after the last episode, after all the mental torture knives put him through, vash still doesn't want to hurt him and, just like knives, can't handle the distance between them.......... I am inconsolable. and as much as knives wanted to break vash, it hurts him so much to see those tears irl....... but he just can't stop, because they're both SO FUCKING STUBBORN and it already took to much to get there and he just can't. stop. now.

"nai is dead, you killed him" first of all, *sounds of screaming crying throwing up*. second of all, his name is million knives, vash, stop deadnaming your brother/j

the death scene itself.... oh it's soo good and yummy. I know this mf isn't fully dead and conrad will fix him, but still. he can have a second death of self as a treat

btw, gotta adress my earlier theory about "happy birthday" being metaphorical. no, it is in fact July 21st, and tristamp lasted about two months in universe. still pretty hard for me to believe, it felt five times shorter due to the pacing. but it is what it is: I'm esht and I was wrong, I'm singing the esht wrong song

and just as I thought this would be the end of it, WE GOT A FLASH FORWARD THAT HAD BASICALLY EVERYTHING WE WERE HOPING FOR AND MORE

RAISED BOUNTY! MERYL GIRLBOSSIFICATION!! a hint at insurance society (tho that was more of a threat and she's still a journalist). MILLY CONFIRMATION!!! ERIKS' LACK OF ARM AND AMNESIA!!!! EARTH FLEET AND CHRONICA!!!!! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!

IT'S GONNA BE GOOD SEASON 2 IS GONNA BE EVEN BETTER I CAN FEEL IT IN MY BONE MARROW

[demonslayedher]

Things that ran through my head while watching this episode:

--Sad opening with slow music & slow motion was unnecessarily sad. No, scratch that, an appropriate amount of sad, this is the loss of Rengoku-san we're focused on here.

--I love how Ufotable was probably like, "sure, Fuji TV, we'll air the next season on your channel, but we want as much air time when and how we want in order to tell the story instead of just fit things into time slots, you must have figured out by now that we made enough money on that movie that no one expects us to follow the same guidelines as other anime" and Fuji TV was like, "yes, yes, anything, you got it, one hour premiere, you got it, but we will get some fluffy filler right? Please??" and Ufotable was like, "DONE. But don't expect us to make any big departures from the manga, the fans will be down our throats."

--So with the ability to take their time, I love how they accomplished both a satisfying follow-up to the movie with most of this episode being dedicated to the fall-out (complete with slowing down the Muzan intro and drawing us into the upcoming setting), and then a brief review of what's typical for Tanjiro & Nezuko in the Corp (raincoat Tanjiro, eeeee), and then get us off to an impactful start for the rest of this season.

--Those Yuukaku setting details, though! Particularly at the end of the episode it feels like, "hey, we put all the work into this 3D model of the town, you bet we're going to show it off" but then they turn around with details like a moth that got its wing sliced, presumably by an obi.

--One of the scenes which I loved in the stage play of Mugen Ressha was when Akaza appeared before Selim Bradley child!Muzan, because the actor had such a compelling physical performance which sold the idea that for as hard Rengoku worked to damage him, it's nothing compared to the ease with which Muzan beats him up, over and over. Here, in the anime, it's just one blast, a true statement.

--Akaza. Akaza. Akaza. A KA ZA.

--I love how Zenitsu has learned to be strategic with how he steals manju.

--With Tanjiro asking if Senjuro's even heard the news of Kyojuro's death, it really, really hasn't been that long.

--Show-offy animation moment: the sake bottle crashing against the ground

--Senjuro's horror at Tanjiro's impending doom is palpable. Shinjuro is still powerful and Senjuro knows it. I really love how Senjuro is performed, he's so brave and polite.

--Tanjiro makes a lot of great faces throughout this series. This face as he accept the tea is his worst face ever.

--Kinda drives my inner meta nerd mad how there had already been 20 Flame Pillars by the time the 21st one met Yoriiichi and learned Breath technique. They must die off as fast as Ubuyashikis do.

--Tanjiro's self reflection and determination to become a Pillar warms my heart

--Oh crap, there's the sunset tones and the slow music again as Senjuro gives him the tsuba, nooooo, my heart, it's burning

--I love how Haganezuka levels up every time we see him. I am so, so ready for the next season. And the silliness!! The seiyuu must have been given directions to make it sillier and sillier in every take, which makes me very, very excited for the Tanjiro & Kotetsu antics.

--Speaking of filler!!! Ufotable must had seen that Aoi & Inosuke are endgame and thought, "gee, we need to... leave, like... some kind of hints, somehow" and had Aoi knowingly serve Inosuke a heaping second portion of rice and smile fondly when he gets excited about mitarashi dango. They're taking that "he makes her smile" tidbit and slipping it in as best they can, because we otherwise never see her smile until all is said and done.

--This, as well as Aoi being the smart and brave one to rescue Tanjiro from Haganezuka, certainly endears us to her before her plight.

--Kanao!!! It has been 4 months since Tanjiro declared that she stop using the copper coin, but here she is in a moment of indecision, and with how her actions silence everyone else, this is the very first time she's made such a decision. Good girl, Kanao! That said, she leaves herself speechless too, and when Kiyo and Sumi are emboldened to shout and scream at Uzui, she's as mute as Nezuko. Actions speak louder than words, that's for sure.

--But Kanao's thunder is totally stolen by the entrance of the Kamaboko Rangers

--I love that Tanjiro knows right away that his words have no weight, which is why he very quickly changes tactics and switches to volunteering himself (and his bros) to action

--THESE TAISHO SECRETS ARE SO UNABASHEDLY SILLY

[koheletgirl]

The Moon in TDP

i started making this post because i was reading ttm and got confused wrt how moon phases work in the dragon prince universe. then tumblr deleted it, and now that i'm attempting to rewrite it i'm realizing that it's a pretty long post to make just to point out a mistake in some panels. so yeah the panels in ttm show the moon phases in the wrong direction but if you're interested in looking at the moon throughout tdp regardless then it's under the cut.

also i may or may not be convinced that their calendar isn't based on the moon, i'll explain a bit in the end

Alright so as we all know, the series starts on the night before the full moon. this is also when callum says he will be 15 in two months, keep that in mind for later. to keep this convenient for myself i'm going to count days the way jewish months work, i.e the new moon is the first of the month and the full moon is the 15th. so by this system, the night when rayla doesn't kill marcus is the 14th (of whatever month). this, as i learned, does not mean that they count the days of the month according to the moon. but for now we are.

the eventful night that kicks off the events of the series is, of course, a full moon.

the next time we see the moon is in the next episode, after the encounter with amaya at the banther lodge. this episode takes place on the next day, the 16th as far as we're concerned. the moon now is at a waning gibbous, which leads to the conclusion that they are in the northern hemisphere (this is all under the assumption that their world operates the same way earth does).

for reference:

so, from now on i will be referring to the moon phases as they are seen in the northern hemisphere.

the next time the moon makes an appearance is in episode 9, at the cursed caldera. it is now close to its last quarter. date-wise i would say this is the 21st based on the moon's appearance, which callum confirms in the next episode when he says it has been a week since they left katolis.

we are now on season 2, at the moon nexus, and the moon is at its last quarter.

and here is the moon again in episode 2, between its last quarter and a waning crescent. also i really just wanted to look at the moon nexus

here is bait with the moon in episode 7, and again when callum and rayla cross the moonstone path, at a waning crescent nearing its end.

the next time we see the moon again we're in the midnight desert, and it's a waxing crescent. looking at it, i would say this is the 5th-6th of the following month.

interestingly, the moon doesn't appear again until we're at the storm spire, and it's full. which suggests it had taken rayla and callum approximately 10 days to travel there from the midnight desert. it also marks one month since the events of the first episode.

(the d is silent)

and here is the final moon appearance in tdp, the day after.

now we get to ttm, in which rayla very conveniently tells us the new moon is 3 days away. this puts us in the 27th-28th of this month, two weeks (more or less) since the events of the finale. phoe-phoe is reborn on the night of the new moon. callum comes up with the plan to open the portal on the full moon, and this is where the aforementioned mistake happens - the panels show the moon phases in the wrong direction (unless the moon nexus was somehow transported to the southern hemisphere).

anyhow, we get to the full moon. bad things happen. and rayla leaves.

on the night of the full moon.

two months after the events of the first episode.

on callum's birthday.

this fact was confirmed on reddit back in 2020, and then again in the season 4 premiere. interestingly though, callum's birthday in the season 4 premiere is very clearly not on a full moon. it's a waxing gibbous, a day or few before the full moon.

so what does this mean? a few options:

the calendar in tdp is not based on the moon. like the gregorian calendar, for instance - today (october 29th) is the 4th day since the new moon, which means the moon is at a waxing crescent. this doesn't mean it will look the same way on october 29th next year. i found it confusing, because they only seem to talk about the passage of time on the show in terms of moon phases, but who knows. this theory is also supported by something claudia says in the s4 premiere - "to be clear it's 30 days. just so you don't think it's a 31 day month." months in lunar (and lunisolar) calendars are either 29 or 30 days, as opposed to 30 or 31. (and thank you @bisexualkingdavid for pointing this out)

moonshadow elves do count the days of the month according to the moon (as evidenced by rayla saying the new moon is in 3 days), but katolis doesn't.

there isn't a consistent lore and i'm reading too much into it (seems unlikely given the nature of the show).

so. this was me being productive with my time. hopefully some of you found this interesting, and if not, well i had fun. and maybe this will get cleared up in future episodes.

[adamsvanrhijn]

I think that the fact Maud hasn't done anything sus at all before ep 6, probably just means that she's a mastermind scammer or a part of something elaborately planned. To the point we weren't expecting it of her as viewers, and it's skillfully done because we're experiencing it through Oscar's lense in a way. It's totally not how JF has usually written things, but it's gonna add some emotional impact to it when Oscar finds out he's been scammed.

It would def be a significant departure from how JF usually writes things but, as some have pointed out, not for big HBO shows necessarily - so that would be interesting if he's picking up network storytelling habits

I think whether or not it's skillful is a matter of debate though - I am writing a big post about this, but from what I know now, I don't think it is the best outcome to suit Oscar's story from a narrative perspective so I'll probably be disappointed. What's the purpose of all that screentime, especially for a character that had a mixed and largely critical response in the first season? I said this at some point, but we don't actually get to know Oscar's personal motivations the way we did last season when he was telling them to John outright, and Oscar's behavior is not the best representation necessarily of what Oscar is trying to do.

To say nothing of Maud as a character in her own right having her own motivations that we, if she's done this episode and never comes back and it was all lies all along, don't get to see. Despite having two scenes that did [seem to] give Maud some inner complexity. If she just shows up to scam Oscar and leave then what was the point of that in the context of the story (other than to mislead the viewer) (which if I have not made clear I prefer to be multipurpose!!!). I would rather have seen something that does point to Maud's actual motivations because I want her to be a character-person who feels like she exists and not like a tool that is intended to throw me off the ultimate outcome.

This is definitely biased because I am a fan of Oscar. But I would rather this tie in meaningfully to his story and like, what are we learning about him if it's a just your average run of the mill confidence scam, how are we moving his specific storyline forward? He's not the main character. The main person telling him & the audience anything about Maud is Aurora, who is one of Oscar's family members and a person he has no reason to doubt, so we're not even seeing him being particularly susceptible to Maud specifically. He's already shown himself to be shortsighted. We know he makes poorly thought out choices. We know he likes money. We know he thinks everything will magically be ok if he can just do this one thing. Where is this taking us for Oscar?

If it isn't taking us anywhere for Oscar, then it's only taking us to the Ada-Agnes power dynamic shift, and I would rather it do more than one thing at a time!

To be clear I am by NO MEANS saying that I do not want Oscar to lose money or make stupid financial decisions. I am looking forward to seeing this! What I am saying is that I think it's boring and a cop-out if they get there by this being a straightforward recognizable-to-twist-happy-21st-century-audiences scam for all characters involved.

[vro0m]

vro0m’s rewatch - 119/304

2013 German GP

This race marks the middle of the season already. Let's see if they got the exploding tyres under control. (Note to past me : as a matter of fact absolutely nothing is under control during this race but I like the optimism.)

Lewis is on pole again! Seb is starting right behind him followed by Webber and Raikkonen, Grosjean and Daniel on the third row, the Ferraris are on the fourth row with Massa outqualifiying Alonso, and Button and Hulkenberg on the fifth row with no time set in Q3. Where is Rosberg? Oh he's 11th. It's not even a penalty thing, he just didn't make it into Q3. Weird. 

Formation lap 

It seems Lewis has had issues during the weekend so we'll see how it goes… 

And they're racing… 

Oh no… Lewis goes to his right to defend against Seb but he finds himself caught in a Redbull sandwich, and they're both ahead of him. He's now put under pressure by Raikkonen, but the Lotus locks up. Oop. Massa spun. He's out. Many people pit. Grosjean claims he's much quicker than Raikkonen over radio. Lewis pits on lap 7. He's out in P10 behind Rosberg. He's told "big push now". Seb pits from the lead. He's out right in front of Rosberg. Webber gets called in. It's a long stop and no, wait. He's going out but the mechanics were gesturing... yeah he just lost a wheel. The Lotus mechanics have to jump out of its way as it rolls onto the pitlane. OH NO IT HIT SOMEONE WOW. It was a cameraman, he's been thrown to the ground! Everyone is rushing to him poor man. Fucking hell… Webber is still in the pits and the medics are attending to the cameraman, helped by the Mercedes mechanics as it happened in front of their garage...

We're 10 laps in. Lewis is close to Rosberg but he gets attacked by Raikkonen. He defends. Currently, Grosjean is in the lead. He hasn't pitted yet and he's making good lap times on the soft tyres, just like Alonso in P2. Jenson, P3, hasn't pitted yet either. Seb is the first of those who did. Behind him is Hulkenberg, also on old tyres. Then it's the three way fight between the Mercedes and Raikkonen for P6. Behind them are Maldonado and Bottas who also haven't pitted yet. Webber does come back out to the race, dead last in 21st, of course, with what must be a few minutes to make up for to reach the rest of the pack? The whole incident will be investigated as an unsafe release after the race. 

Seb overtakes Jenson for P3. Rosberg is told to push because Grosjean is about to pit and he'll come out in front of him if he doesn't close the gap to Hulkenberg. Not long after, Lewis says "Nico is not in the same race". He's still under pressure from Raikkonen. Back to Rosberg : "Nico, you're on a different strategy than Lewis, don't hold him up." But whatever Lewis says, he's not actually close enough to overtake him right now. Alonso pits. Lewis is getting closer to Nico. This is lasting way too long. Now he's close enough and Nico is just in the way. Grosjean also pits from the lead. And he’s indeed ahead of the Mercedes AND Hulkenberg thanks for nothing Rosberg, at least he finally let Lewis go. Also he holds up Raikkonen so actually thanks for that but not for long. Grosjean overtakes Jenson and he's in P2. Rosberg is called in for the first time. Lewis is already catching up to Hulkenberg but Raikkonen is also not far. In the meantime, Grosjean is actually closing to Seb. Hulkenberg pits. Lewis gets clean air but again, Raikkonen is within DRS range. Lewis says his tyres aren't holding together very well and he has no grip. And Raikkonen overtakes him. And now it's Alonso swooping on him. The Mercedes are still struggling massively with the tyre degradation. Lewis is quite literally spouting nonsense over the radio now. Seriously. He's saying he's not on the same tyres as the others, as we learn from the journalists that they've been put together in haste earlier in the week, I guess after the investigation that followed the last GP. I mean Lewis. I love you. But cut the bs. The car is bad for the tyres that's all. Head down and drive. And that's 20 laps. 

Alonso attacks Lewis. Lewis maintains position but barely. It's back and forth. Close racing. Lewis asks whether Nico has the same problem. Bono says "affirm Lewis, affirm Lewis, Nico suffering with same issues". Jenson pits from P4. Alonso still can't overtake Lewis. Damn he defends well to say he's struggling with tyres. "I'm pushing man, I'm pushing" he says slightly angrily over the radio. I guess he's been told to do so like he hasn't been defending like a lion for two laps now. We're told Alonso has been telling his team he's losing rear grip. Lewis pits. Damn he's slipping around coming in that's how little grip he had left. Unbelievable. They're switching to a three-stop strategy. He's out on another medium set, in P8. 

And an engine blows out. It's a Marussia. Thick white smoke over the track. OH MY GOD IT CAUGHT FIRE SO QUICKLY. Jules get out, get out! It stopped burning as soon as he turned it off, thank god. He's out safely. It's gonna be a Safety Car surely? No… Oh fucking hell! STOP THE FUCKING RACE! The crane is there but the car has started to roll back on the track and it’s in the middle of the track and the crane is just backing up beside it that's unbelievably dangerous wtf. Double yellows. The crane stops. It does not move onto the track. The Marussia is still going and we can see cars arriving in the background… thankfully by the time they get there the Marussia is leaving the track again, on the other side of it. It's still going. It runs over an ad sign. A marshal is running in its direction. But the ad sign stopped it. The Safety Car is out now. Finally. Seb pits. Grosjean pits. Raikkonen pits. That's the top 3. Alonso pits. A lot of them pit. Rosberg pits. 

We're told the cameraman who got hit by Webber's tyre is okay. 

Okay. Safety car in on lap 30. We're halfway through and here we go again! Lewis is closing on Hulkenberg. It's a struggle though. Damn. It's been laps. Hulkenberg pits. 

It's lap 40. Not much is happening, clearly. Grosjean pits from P2. Seb pits. That puts Raikkonen in the lead, followed by Alonso and Jenson. Lewis is up in P4 but it probably won't last with Seb on fresh tyres behind him. Seb is told to push to cover Raikkonen. Grosjean sets the fastest lap. Seb attacks Lewis who defends but a couple corners later it’s a done deal and Grosjean is coming now. And it's done. Lewis pits. He's out in 11th. He overtakes Rosberg for 10th. Jenson pits. It releases Seb in clear air.

For some reason the Lotus team has a dancing donkey.

Lewis is up in P9, closing on Di Resta. Raikkonen is still in the lead and they seem to be trying to make a two-stop strategy work but it's risky. Apparently his radio is having issues and the team asked him if he thinks they could make the tyres last to the end and he vehemently answered "I TOLD YOU ALREADY". So yeah. The other possibility is pitting for soft tyres and charging to the end. Just as Ted explains all that, he suddenly stops and exclaims "Oh no! No! The Lotus guys come into the pit! IT IS THE SOFT TYRES! AND IT'S KIMI RAIKKONEN'S TYRES!" Alonso pits at the same time. Seb is back in the lead. Raikkonen is now third and Alonso fourth. Perez is fifth, Jenson is sixth. It's a three way fight for P7 between Maldonado, Lewis, and Di Resta whom he just overtook. Ahhhh please be careful with these guys, Lewis… he's already attacking Maldonado but can't quite make it yet. 

It's lap 50, 10 laps to go. Come on. Lewis overtakes Maldonado this time. Next step is Jenson, no Perez as he's just been overtaken. The lead is close and caught in the traffic. 5 laps to go. Alonso is joining the fight at the front. Lewis is ahead of Perez. He might reach Jenson. 3 laps to go. The top 4 is separated by less than 5 seconds. Bono encourages Lewis. Final lap. Seb gets his own encouragement. LEWIS ATTACKS JENSON. Goooo. Yes! P5. 

And it's the end of the race! 

Seb kept Raikkonen at bay, Grosjean P3. It's Seb's first homewin! Lewis P5. 

Alonso has to park his car on the track, he's running out of fuel. 

Toto says they're still not happy with the tyre degradation. They're not happy with the cars dropping back either. They have to put their heads down and work hard. (It sounds like 2022 sigh) 

(casually touching his tit) (sorry) (not sorry)

Lewis says he got a bad start. They came on both sides of him so there was nowhere to go to defend. Of course Natalie Pinkham asks about his "not the same tyre as the others" comment. He chuckles. He looks away. He hums. He's uncomfortable.

"I have to hold myself back, I have nothing positive to say about these tyres".

He doesn't understand why they struggle so much on them. He says it's a shame because the team is working very hard and they're doing a good job and it's a good car, clearly, but for some reason it just doesn't work on these tyres. She talks about a young drivers test that Mercedes is not taking part in? I guess it has to do with the Pirelli testing? (Yep, I checked, as a punishment they don’t get to take part in it).

Lewis fumbles with his words a bit, he still really hates this type of situations. He says the fact that they got suspended from it doesn't help but it’s the way it is and at least they got some runnings when they did the testing with Pirelli.

They just have to keep pushing forward, he's just gonna pray and hope that the new tyres will work on their cars.

She says in the positives he finished in 5th and overtook his old team-mate. He laughs dryly.

He says yeah the only positive is that they got points. In the last race they had a chance to close the gap to Seb and then the tyres blow out happened but at least he got some points and then this time he had another chance at getting him but they're just far too quick. "I guess I'm still fourth or fifth in the championship" and lost more ground to them. He hopes in the next race they get a better chance.

But the journalists believe, and I gotta say I agree with them, that the issue isn't so much the tyres but rather the fact that the Mercedes is hard on them. Redbull and Lotus are making them work, so they should improve the car rather than wait for tyres that might benefit them. 

[shezzaspeare]

Pilot/Episode 1: Patching Things Up With Pastiche & Fanfiction

Hi, hello, and the wait is finally over! My name is Blessie, and welcome to the first episode webisode log installation I've decided to call these things an episode for now because why not also let me know what do you actually call these things episode of The Science of Fanfiction, where we take a closer look into our beloved works of fanon because we've all got plenty of time to spare till Season 5. Before I continue, I would like to thank everyone who's liked and reblogged the last few posts before this one. It means a lot for a small and growing Tumblr user like me, and your support is something I cherish more than my modules. You guys rock!

Anyways, like with most things, we have to talk about the boring and bland stuff before we proceed with the fun stuff. For today, we are going to settle the difference between a couple of things: first being the confusion between pastiche and fanfiction; then the distinctions between tropes, clichés, and stereotypes, which we'll tackle the next time. It's important for us to establish their true meanings in order for us to really understand what fanfiction truly is, even if it's merely just a work done for the fandom. I know – it's boring, it's something that shouldn't be expounded that much, but I believe that all forms of writing (unless it's plagiarised) is a work of art — and fanfiction is not something we always talk about. I hope that by the end of this, you'll learn about what they really are as much as I did. Let's begin to talk about the—

[Image ID: A flashback of John (left) and Sherlock (right) finding an elephant (not in the screen) in a room in The Sign of Three. End ID]

. . . I did say that this GIF will always have to make an appearance here, didn't I?

So, just as with Sherlock Holmes, all other works of fiction have their own pastiches and fanfiction, and many more original works out there have taken inspiration from them to create their own books. Although they've gained popular attention, this will not be possible if they did not have taken inspiration from the materials their writers had at the time.

[Image ID: Various actors as Dracula. Jeremy Brett in 'Dracula' (1978) (upper left), Adam Sandler in a voice role for 'Hotel Transylvania' (2012) (upper right), Gary Oldman in 'Dracula' (1992) (lower left), and Bela Lugosi in 'Dracula' (1933) (lower right). End ID]

For instance, Bram Stoker's 'Dracula' (the second most adapted literary character, next to the consulting detective himself) has been portrayed on the screen over 200 times — from Gary Oldman to Adam Sandler — and has spawned off numerous books and pastiches of its own such as Stephen King's 'Salem's Lot'. Its cultural impact served as a basis of how we see vampires today, since some characteristics of the Count were made by Stoker himself. Stoker's creation is the brainchild of his predecessors and inspirations.

[Image ID: Vlad the Impaler (left) and a book cover of 'Carmilla' by J. Sheridan Le Fanu (right). End ID]

Other than the ongoing hysteria over dead back then and the existing vampire folklore, Stoker also took his inspirations from the published books on vampires he had at hand. He is said to have taken inspiration from Vlad the Impaler, a Romanian national hero known allegedly for having impalement as his favourite method of torture. He is also said to have been inspired by the J. Sheridan Le Fanu's 'Carmilla', a Gothic lesbian vampire novella that predates Dracula by 26 years. I could go on, but hey, we're going back to Sherlock Holmes now before I deviate any further. However, if you want to know about Dracula's literary origins, I suggest you watch Ted-ED's videos about the subject matter such as this one or this one.

Very much like Stoker, ACD didn't just conceive Holmes on his own. He took his own inspirations from what he had available at the time.

[Image ID: Dr Joseph Bell (left) and Edgar Allan Poe (right). End ID]

As we all know, ACD's biggest inspiration for Sherlock Holmes was one of his teachers at the Edinburgh University, Joseph Bell. He was famous for his powers of deduction, and he was also interested in forensic science — both characteristics which Holmes is greatly known for. He also drew inspiration from Edgar Allan Poe's sleuth, C. Auguste Dupin ('The Purloined Letter' & 'Murders in Rue Morgue'). As ACD himself has said at the 1909 Poe Centennial Dinner: "Where was the detective story until Poe breathed life into it?" Some other writers he took after are Wilkie Collins, Émile Gaboriau, and Oscar Wilde.

Now, what does this say about us Sherlockians/Holmesians (depending if you're the coloniser or the one that was colonised)? Basically, ACD laid the groundwork for us with Sherlock Holmes: his humble abode 221B that he shares with his flatmate Dr. John Watson, his adventures, memoirs, return, casebook, last vow, and all that. Now that we have this material at hand, we can now make our own versions, takes, or even original stories featuring the characters of the Canon. Our inspiration comes from ACD's Sherlock Holmes, and we now get the chance to make our very own stories/conspiracy theories about them.

As I have mentioned earlier, Sherlock Holmes is the most adapted literary character in history. He has been adapted in over 200 films, more than 750 radio adaptations, a ballet, 2 musicals; and he's become a mouse, a woman, a dog, even a bloody cucumber. On top of all that are numerous pastiches and fanfics, and finally, we have arrived at the main topic of our post!

Fanfiction and pastiche are often confused together since they have three common elements: they take after the original work, they usually use the characters in that original work, and more often than not do are they set in that same time frame/period or not long after that. The common misconception is that pastiche are printed fanfiction, which is only partly true. While pastiche is definitely fanfiction in some ways and vice versa, there are fanfictions out there that aren't necessarily classified as pastiche that have been published.

Let's get on with our definition of terms to clear up the confusion a little more. Pastiche, according to Literary Terms, is:

. . . a creative work that imitates another author or genre. It’s a way of paying respect, or honor, to great works of the past. Pastiche differs from parody in that pastiche isn’t making fun of the works it imitates – however, the tone of pastiche is often humorous.

A good example of a pastiche is Sophie Hannah's 'The Monogram Murders', which is her take from Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot.

[Image ID: A book cover of 'The Monogram Murders' by Sophie Hannah. End ID.]

Although this was a commission from Christie's estate, it's still considered as a pastiche as:

It's takes after Christie's writing style;

It is set in the early years of Poirot's career (1929), which is still within the time frame that the author wrote him in;

It features Poirot and;

It pays respect to Christie in a sense that it stays true to her (Christie) characters and way of storytelling.

Meanwhile, our good and slightly unreliable friend Wikipedia defines fanfiction as:

. . . is fictional writing written by fans, commonly of an existing work of fiction. The author uses copyrighted characters, settings, or other intellectual property from the original creator(s) as a basis for their writing. [It] ranges from a couple of sentences to an entire novel, and fans can both keep the creator's characters and settings and/or add their own. [ . . . ] [It] can be based on any fictional (and sometimes non-fictional) subject. Common bases for fanfiction include novels, movies, bands, and video games.

To avoid any copyright infringement issues if I ever use a popular fanfic in the fandom, we'll use my (unfinished and unpopular) Sherlock Wattpad fic, 'Play Pretend'. You can read it here.

[Image ID: The second self-made book cover of Blessie/shezzaspeare's 'Play Pretend'. End ID]

Why is it considered a fanfiction and not a pastiche?

It takes after an adaptation of Sherlock Holmes (BBC Sherlock) which is a TV show, not the ACD canon itself;

The author (in this case myself) uses her own writing style and does not take after the original story's style;

Although it is set well in modern-day London and after Season 4, it also features scenes decades before the actual fanfic is set and outside of London;

I added a considerable number of characters, i.e. siblings to canon characters;

I had my own take some of the canon characters' personality especially after the events of Sherrinford;

It is written by a fan – myself. It is a work of fan labour and;

It is only a work of fanon, and isn't likely going to be considered by the show as its writing style is different from the actual show.

To put it simply, you can have more freedom in a fanfiction as it does not necessarily restrict you to follow or take after the original stories. Alternate universes (AUs) such as Unilock and Teenlock are perfect examples of this thing.

So can a pastiche be classified as fanfiction? Yes.

Can a fanfiction be classified as pastiche? Not all the time.

What's the difference? While yes, they share the basics, pastiche is technically leans more onto the original work's fundamental elements whereas fanfiction is a broader range of works inspired by the original work but doesn't necessarily follow all or any of its fundamental elements.

In order for us to understand it more, I'll give another example.

[Image ID: The 'Enola Holmes' title card (upper left) and Henry Cavill as its Sherlock holmes (upper right). Underneath it is a a scene from the opening titles of BBC Sherlock (lower left) and Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock Holmes in A Scandal In Belgravia. (lower right) End ID]

Most of you are familiar with these 21st-century adaptations of Holmes: the 2020 adaptation of Nancy Springer's Enola Holmes books and BBC Sherlock, which needs no further explanation – but for those who don't know, it's basically Holmes and the gang if they were alive today. I specifically chose these two as they are the ones that I believe would get my points across best. Though both are considered as wonderful pastiches with a well-rounded cast and awesome visuals, if we break them down bit by bit, we'll see which one is more of a pastiche and which one is more of a fanfic. (Yes, I know they're both screen adaptations. However, as Enola Holmes was based on the books and BBC Sherlock's fanfiction has the show's scenes written out in most fanfics, hear me out.)

They share these characteristics of a pastiche:

They feature characters from the Canon (Sherlock Holmes, Mycroft Holmes, and Lestrade);

They have additional characters added by the writers (Including but not limited to Molly Hooper, Eurus Holmes, and Philip Anderson for BBC Sherlock while Enola Holmes has Lord Tewkesbury, Eudoria Holmes, and Enola herself) and;

They pay respect to the original Canon as their stories are based on the cases (BBC Sherlock) or simply what was going on around them (Enola Holmes).

They also share these characteristics of a fanfic:

They are made by enthusiasts of Sherlock Holmes (Moffat has called himself and Mark Gatiss 'Sherlock Holmes geeks', while Nancy Springer's Enola Holmes books are not just one or two but six);

They follow a common trope (we'll discuss these tropes in the following episodes) that goes on in the fandom (Sherlock's Sister & Modern AU)

They are based on a fictional subject (Sherlock Holmes);

They used characters and story elements that are copyrighted by the author/author's estate (fun fact: prior to the production of Enola Holmes, the Conan Doyle Estate filed a lawsuit against Springer & Netflix over Sherlock's emotions since he was more 'sympathetic' than he was portrayed in the Canon – this was later dismissed by both parties) and;

Their writing styles don't necessarily follow ACD's.

Despite these similarities, there are very obvious differences between the two that separates them from being a pastiche and a fanfiction.

Enola Holmes embodies pastiche more as it doesn't stray far away from the original elements of the Canon. It's still set in Victorian England. While Springer added characters of her own and definitely twisted the Canon to suit her series, she didn't necessarily place them out of the social construct that was going on around the characters. It follows ACD's writing style more as Enola Holmes' setting still remains within the Canon's original setting.

Meanwhile, we can safely say that BBC Sherlock is a work of fanfiction. While it did give us The Abominable Bride, the main series focused on Holmes and Watson in 21st-century England, which is drastically different from Victorian England. There are phones, black cabs, and cellphones — things which ACD Sherlock Holmes doesn't have. It also diverted from the Canon in the characters themselves, which is mostly seen in the names: Henry Baskerville became Henry Knight, Charles Augustus Milverton became Charles Augustus Magnussen, the H in Dr Watson's name stood for Hamish and Sherlock's full name is actually William Sherlock Scott Holmes. They also changed the personalities of some Canon characters: Mary was actually an ex-assassin, Mrs Hudson was an exotic dancer who drove a kick-ass sports car, Irene Adler is a dominatrix, to name a few. Moffat and Gatiss created a world of their own featuring the characters of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, which is really what most of us fanfic writers do with Mofftiss' rendition of Holmes.

In conclusion: while pastiche and fanfiction could have been the same thing, they're actually not. There's more to them that just printed fanfiction or pastiche e-books, and we all should take some time to see and observe them in a closer perspective.

And that's it for our first episode! I hope you enjoyed it. It was a lot fun for me to write this, especially now that I'm only starting. I would also like to note that while intensive research has been done on this series, some parts of this comes from my own observation and opinion, which may vary from yours. I am very much open to criticism, as long as it is said in a polite and civil manner. I'm still young, and to be educated as I go is something that could really help me with this series.

Like and reblog this you like it. It helps out a lot. Be sure to follow me as well and the tags underneath if you want to see more of TSoF.

See you soon!

Blessie presents – The Science of Fanfiction: A Study In Sherlock (2021) • Next

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SOURCES • Pinterest, Google Images, Wikipedia, Literary Terms, Conan Doyle Estate, Definitions, The Sherlock Holmes Book, and Google