#top 17 of 2017

[writebackatya]

Gandra: Black Heron, what exactly is F.O.W.L.’s plan?

Black Heron: It is evil! It is so evil! It is a bad, bad, plan! That will hurt many people! That are good! I think it’s great cause it’s so bad!

Gandra: …I see. I think.

[intheholler]

On Appalachian and Southern Stereotypes

After seeing some people leap at the opportunity to insult and further harm us under my posts, even by obviously leftist accounts, I wanted to address some of the most popular stereotypes of our region.

Not as an excuse. There are many negative, violent and otherwise harmful features of the American South. We have a horrific history especially in terms of the violence we inflicted and continue to inflict upon the Black community that cannot be forgotten, and, as a culture, we do need to pay our dues.

But maybe this will help y’all apply some nuance to the situation and understand that we aren’t all your enemy.

Stereotype 1: Everyone is a Republican Racist

Absolute horse shit, my friends. There are people like me all over the south and in the hollers. We just get drowned out by the fascists, and it is all by design. 

In my home state of North Carolina alone, they are working tirelessly to make it impossible for young, often liberal (if not outright leftist) voices to be heard. They specifically target regions with heavy POC populations.

As recently as May of this year, the North Carolina Supreme Court overturned their own previous ruling which once made gerrymandering illegal. This allows Republicans free range to draw their congressional lines wherever benefits them most. 

Meanwhile, Roy Cooper, our Democratic governor, has been in office since 2017.

Gerrymandering is a real problem, and it reflects the worst of us. But it does not reflect all of us.

We are a working class, pro-union people.

We are coal miners and mill workers and farmers.

We took up arms against the government and fought for our labor rights during the Coal Wars as recently as the 1920s.

We bled for labor rights at the Battle of Blair Mountain.

It’s a myth that you keep perpetuating that we are all closed minded, bigoted regressionists. It diminishes the efforts of everyone from the coal miners to people like me while we try to make the region a better place.

It actually only worsens what you say that you wish you could “saw off into the ocean.” 

That's my home you're talking about.

Stereotype 2: Everyone is Obese

36.3% of the overall population of the Southeast is obese. This is true.

Have you considered why that may be? For starters, Southerners are more likely to be uninsured compared to individuals living in the rest of the country.

"Among the total nonelderly population, 15% of individuals in the South are uninsured compared to 10% of individuals in the rest of the country."

Partially because they didn't even expand the same Medicaid benefits to us. and partially because we are just so fucking poor. 

17% of the American South is below the poverty line, compared to 13% in the Midwest, 13% in the West, and 13% in the Northeast.

Percentages under 5% may not seem like much, but when you consider 1% of the total United States population is around 3,140,000 people, yeah, that adds up real quick.

How does this relate? Well...

Mississippi has 19.58% of its residents below the poverty line, and a 39.1% obesity rate.

West Virginia has 17.10% of its residents below the poverty line, and a 40.6 % obesity rate.

Kentucky has 16.61% of its residents below the poverty line, and a 40.4% obesity rate.

Are you seeing the trend?

We, generally speaking, are more likely to be unable to afford to feed ourselves wholesome foods, and we are less likely to be able to afford medical insurance--two things that are obviously important to maintaing good health and a "healthy" weight.

By the same token... 

Stereotype #3: We're All Uneducated 

The South and Appalachia are some of the lowest ranked in terms of educational funding and spending per pupil in the entire country. We don't even break the top 30 on the list, y'all.

49. Tennessee at $8,324 per pupil 47. Mississippi at $8,919 per pupil 45. Alabama at $9,636 per pupil 42. Kentucky at $10,010 per pupil 36. North Carolina at $10,613 per pupil 35. South Carolina at  $10,719 per pupil 33. Georgia at $10,893 per pupil 32. West Virginia at $10,984 per pupil

The top three best-funded states, by comparison, receive between $18k and $20k per pupil.

In terms of higher education, student loans are a death sentence for everyone but especially impoverished kids just looking for a way out. It just isn't feasible for most of us. And that's if we even tested well after going to shitty schools our whole lives. If we had better education, we'd have better literacy in all things, including critical thinking, allowing us to better see through the bullshit we are taught. But we don't. And you aren't helping the ones who are trying in spite of that.

Stereotype 4: Bad Teeth

Quickly going to touch on this one--when we consider a lack of access to affordable, healthy food, shitty medical insurance in general and our poverty rate, this one is kind of obvious. Even so:

“Dental coverage was significantly lower than the national average in the South Atlantic (45.6%), East South Central (45.6%), West South Central (45.9%), and Pacific (48.0%) regions.”

Every time you make a toothless hillbilly joke, ask if poverty is really the butt of the joke you want to be making.

These are just the most pervasive of them, imo. And they can all be underlined by extreme poverty which is absolutely by design.

It also contributes to why it isn’t so easy to “just leave” as we are so often dismissively told to do. Moving is expensive.

And why should we have to, anyway? Why should we have to flee our homes?

Why, for those who feel safe enough and/or have no other choice, should we not stay and fight to better the region?

And why can’t you other leftists get behind us and help us in our fight instead of perpetuating harmful stereotypes? We're your people, too.

Just some food for thought. And I hope some of y’all take a big ol bite.

[ecoamerica]

Watch the 2024 American Climate Leadership Awards for High School Students now: https://youtu.be/5C-bb9PoRLc

The recording is now available on ecoAmerica's YouTube channel for viewers to be inspired by student climate leaders! Join Aishah-Nyeta Brown & Jerome Foster II and be inspired by student climate leaders as we recognize the High School Student finalists. Watch now to find out which student received the $25,000 grand prize and top recognition!

[barrencelenny]

I feel like fic recs tend to be things that are complete, so I thought I'd rec some things that haven't been updated in a while (>a year) or abandoned, but I still like to go back and reread

with links and comments under the cut <3

Poured Over Ice in an Old-Fashioned Glass by prepandemicwriting (bealeciphers) [2016-02-04, 28k]

-classic bartender!barry fic. they're both kinda disasters all around? hilarious

Run Away With Me by asexual-fandom-queen (2016-05-23, 14k]

-the only time asking someone to run away with you has ever worked lmao.

Painting the Roses Red by Solarcat [2016-07-01, 20k]

-Family of Rogues but there's a third snart sibling that Len's got to protect. Lucy Snart that only exists in this fic and my brain ily <3

I bet these memories follow you around by MissSugarPlum [2017-06-07,5k]

-Lisa and Barry in high school at the same time, Barry being tiny and full of rage, Lisa being reluctantly charmed, mwah. chef's kiss.

Bolt from the Blue by town_without_heart [2017-06-16, 170k]

-pre-canon meeting is always delicious to me. eobard being aware of it is the cherry on top (what a creeper)

The Good in You (the Bad in Me) by blue_wonderer [2017-08-02, 26k]

-I have a soft spot for fics where Barry and Lisa are friends what can I say. set pre-canon, and barry is a goddamn delight

Get Me Through The Night by Mentalrebel [2017-08-07, 11k]

-super interesting formatting. it's a lifeline au? I have no idea what that it, but it's fun

Ties and Barricades by yersifanel [2017-09-01, 10k]

-pre-canon meet-ugly where len kidnaps his soulmate as part of his getaway.

Realignment (time & company) by writerdragonfly [2018-02-13, 12k]

-me? rec a time travel fic? of course. time traveller's wife au. gives some really interesting backstory to Len's mother/family

Unexpected Development by nirejseki [2018-04-05, 20k]

-it's so funny it's practically a crack fic. calling the reverse flash Mr. Banana is an inspired choice

since I can remember I've been runnin' from you by youmakemesoangry [2019-01-26, 14k]

-barry getting haunted by post oculus len yes oh yes

Sticky Fingers by MoriartyMastermind [2019-03-05, 18k]

-barry stealing wallets as the flash is like objectively funny okay

Resonance by Moriavis [2019-06-16, 40k]

-looove a soulmate fic and this one is so unique. Barry and Len meet when Barry's still a child, and it ends before they meet as adults, so really it's mainly a Leonard snart character study

Ice and Lightning by vomitingwords [2020-03-26, 2k]

-potentially the only figure skating au for this ship?

Zero to Sixty by scrubmarine [2020-06-26, 25k]

-barry meeting len out of costume because he's running away from Iris is a hilarious set up, and he kind of deserves it

Just Friends by Thundersnow [2021-08-11, 168k]

-a classic fake dating au, trying to figure out how a blueberry coffee could taste good has been a question that has followed me for years.

Shiva by crestfaller [2021-11-07, 17k]

-I always need more fics dealing with the loss of Henry tbh, and this is a really good exploration of grief.

What It Might Cost by Kateera [2022-05-17, 20k]

-a classic deaging fic, len is heartbreakingly cute

Stand Still by Taste_of_Bitterness [2022-09-15, 25k]

-len doesn't go on the waverider after running to stand still. Barry's kind of a mess here, tbh?

I Think I Love You by youmakemesoangry [2023-05-03, 67k]

-it's post Len and mick's legends trip, and they're helping out team flash. there's a truth spell involved. It's a classic trope. (also there's this bit where mick's reading Frankenstein and he calls creature victor's kid, and that's such a mood, my gothic fiction class spent like an hour talking about his daddy issues once)

[factorygirlsstuff]

Currently watching: Queen of Tears, The Midnight Studio, Lovely Runner, Into The Ring, Flower of Evil, & Link: Eat, Love, Kill

I started watching kdramas in May 2023 (updated 4/17/24)

My personal top 10:

It’s Okay to not be Okay (top fav) ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

A road to emotional healing opens up for an antisocial children's book author and an employee in a psychiatric hospital. (amazing chemistry & found family)

Crash Landing on You ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

A paragliding mishap drops a South Korean heiress in North Korea - and into the life of an army officer, who decides he will help her hide. (lots of crying but worth it)

Hometown Cha Cha Cha ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

At a crossroads, a dentist moves to a seaside village where she meets a handyman intent on helping his neighbours. (my most rewatched)

Her Private Life ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Dedicated art gallery curator Sung Deok Mi is a fanatic fan girl of White Ocean's Cha Shi-an, a dark secret she hides from everyone. (really supportive relationship, weird last couple of eps)

Business Proposal ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

In disguise as her friend, Ha-ri shows up on a blind date to scare away her friend's prospective suitor. However, plans go awry when he turns out to be Ha-ri's CEO and he makes a proposal. (my first kdrama! Super cute & funny)

Touch Your Heart ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

A famous actress, gets caught in a scandal with a son of a rich family; with her career declining quickly, she looks for one last hope to get back on the screen. She lands a role playing a secretary in a drama & then becomes a real secretary in order to play the part. (Healthy relationship, office romance)

Welcome to Samdalri ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

After suffering a fall from grace, a photographer returns to her hometown and bumps into her childhood friend, rekindling an unfinished romance. (childhood friends to lovers & slice of life/healing)

Happiness ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

The residents of a high-rise apartment fight for their lives against a deadly infectious disease while Sae-bom and Yi-hyun try to find the person because of whom the virus spread. (I think I really love friends to lovers)

Something in the Rain ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

When a single career woman reunites with her best friend's younger brother after he returns from three years of working abroad, their efforts to reconnect grow into romance. (they just felt so real to me, the romance was 🤌🏼, worst mom)

Cheer Up ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

A working-class girl joins her college's down-and-out cheerleading team, where she finds friendship, love, and an old-school campus mystery. (idk they felt real too, worst SML though)

Other kdramas I finished:

Healer ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ (binged in 2 days)

What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ (love PMY)

Love to Hate You ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ (Maybe I binged it too fast, but I don’t remember it lol)

Our Beloved Summer ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ (too slow for me & I usually don’t mind slow)

True To Love ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ (main leads romance was everything)

Forecasting Love & Weather ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ (something was off/missing)

Vincenzo ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ (🫰🏼)

When the Weather is Fine ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ (kinda slow but I binged it fast lol)

Squid Game ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

All of Us are Dead ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ (I like zombie shows)

Alchemy of Souls ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Alchemy of Souls: Light & Shadow ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ (the romance 🫰🏼)

Suspicious Partner ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ (dragged in the middle but loved this couple)

Save Me ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ (so good, just hard subject matter)

Shooting Stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ (loved the main couple so much & so many other cute couples!)

Doona! ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ (omg her visual, binged so fast)

Itaewon Class ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ (binged so fast)

Descendants of the Sun ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ (binged in 2 days)

Castaway Diva ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ (first kdrama to watch while airing)

The Matchmakers ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ (first sageuk, thought they were adorable)

Crazy Love ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ (it was good, but didn’t do it for me 🤷🏻‍♀️)

Moving ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ (I didn’t like all the flashbacks, but it was good overall)

Backstreet Rookie ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ (for some reason I loved this couple so much, problematic SML & annoying SFL)

School 2017 ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ (just perfect)

Dalie and the Cocky Prince ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ (the pet names 🥰)

Soundtrack #1 ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ (another friends to lovers)

Behind Your Touch ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ (idk why but I loved it, it was so funny to me lol)

Thirty But Seventeen ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ (great romance & cutest found family)

Kiss Sixth Sense ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ (really liked it, last 20 minutes idk 🤷🏻‍♀️)

I Am Not A Robot ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ (loved this, dragged a little in the middle)

My Man is Cupid ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ (SML annoyed me, the cutest ending 🥰)

Gyensong Creature ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ (I liked it, but it didn’t end I guess. So I’m waiting for season 2)

Cafe Minamdang ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ (loved it so much! It made me laugh & loved the FL!)

My Man is Cupid ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ (it was cute)

Marry My Husband ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ (it was a lot of fun & loved watching it weekly with everyone)

My Holo Love ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ (it was fine, only 12 eps so it was quick & slow burn romance.)

Queen of Divorce ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ (it started off really interesting, but some things were never explained & I wanted more romance between the leads)

Doom at Your Service ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ (I really liked it, the romance was SO good, but I was a little confused about how the contract worked.)

Doctor Slump ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ (loved it SO much! Everything was so cute & loved the romance)

Flex x Cop ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ (really loved it, gave me Castle vibes. #1 drama I was looking forward to every week. No romance, although we are getting a 2nd season so fingers crossed.)

Chicken Nugget ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ (it was definitely weird, but I laughed a lot)

Wedding Impossible ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ (really liked it, cute romcom)

Fight For My Way ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ (loved it so much, binged it in a day! I could not stop watching, friends to lovers really is the best.)

Rookie Cops ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ (really liked it at first, put on hold for a month, then the last few episodes were good again.)

Parasyte: The Grey ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ (it was really good)

Mad for Each Other ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ (so good! Loved everything about it, especially the couple)

Dropped: (I might try again 🤷🏻‍♀️)

Run On

Goblin

Hotel De Luna

Weight Lifting Fairy, Kim Bok-joo

King the Land

My Demon

True Beauty

The K2

Destined With You

The Story of Park’s Marriage Contract

Perfect Marriage Revenge

Moon in the Day

A Good Day to be a Dog

Open to recommendations!

[plasticflwrs]

★⠀⠀ ⁄ ⠀⠀TOWER OF BABEL is the fictional fourth studio album released by South Korean-based idol band PLASTIC FLOWERS on April 8, 2024. This will be the last album released with all five members being signed under SUPERBLOOM MEDIA, as the company confirmed the departure of four members in early March. It would later be confirmed by the various South Korean music shows that Plastic Flowers' lead tracks ARE U COMING, EASIER, and KNOCK ME OUT would be banned from performance due to inappropriate lyrics and negative effects on the youth. They would instead promote THE RIVER for a month.

★⠀⠀ ⁄ ⠀⠀The album gets it name from the biblical story of the same name from GENESIS 11:1—9 and is an origin myth meant to explain why the world's peoples speak different languages. According to the story, a united human race used to speak a single language and when they moved eastward to Shinar, they decided to build a new city and tower with it's top in the sky. Observing their city and tower, Yahweh makes it so they can no longer understand each other and scatters them across the world. According to leader SALEM, the name TOWER OF BABEL was chosen to reflect the major themes of the album, which includes miscommunication, self-destruction, decaying relationships, and escapism.

That is why it was called Babel—because there, the Lord confused the language of the whole world. From there the Lord scattered them over the face of the whole earth ( NIV; Genesis 11:9 ).

★⠀⠀ ⁄ ⠀⠀TOWER OF BABEL would peak at NUMBER ONE and achieve a PERFECT ALL-KILL with the fifteen songs locking out the top spots for THREE DAYS. The lead single ARE U COMING? would remain at the top of the chart for 739 hours, replacing DITTO by NewJeans as the song with the longest perfect all kill. Despite not promoting their actual title tracks on music shows, THE RIVER would earn 17 music show wins across the different shows.

TRACKLIST — playlist.

‘ # 001.⠀ ⠀A KISS WITH VENUS ──── written by oliver song, produced by kwak yulli and oliver song, and performed by oliver song. beginning with a heavy drum line and instrumental, a kiss with venus explores themes of love, sexuality, and self-expression as the narrator attempts to break their societal norms. as they "reach planet earth", the song confirms that it will deal with subjects that are often considered unconventional before leading into their challenges of stereotypes and diversity of an individual's identity. though beloved by fans, a kiss with venus was met with criticism from the general public as their open discussion of sex and oliver's sexuality was "too much" for them.

‘ # 002.⠀ ⠀TITLE TRACK: KNOCK ME OUT ──── written, produced, and performed by oliver song. twitter user @/oliver4eva summed it up best: "you know the pf album will be good if they get banned from music bank". knock me out deals with themes of desire, connection, and vulnerability as he wants to completely surrender to the passions of this new relationship. the chorus emphasizes the power and intensity of their connection, describing it as loud, angelic, and addictive, as they become completely captivated and consumed by each other. by the end, they are dependent on each other and the lover has made such an impact on their life, needing the other person their constantly and feeling insignificant without them.

‘ # 003.⠀ ⠀RUTHLESS ROCKSTARS ──── written, produced, and performed by salem kuaekulsri. originally released in 2017, ruthless rockstars is not only a fan favorite, but beloved by all five members. it was re-released with deurim to celebrate their short time together and show how plastic flowers have changed since 2017, with minor edits being made to the instrumentals. the song explores themes of frustration and defiance in the face of control of others. they are seen as suspects, watched closely, and labeled as "hopeless murderer" by those around them. those around the narrator continuously reject and oppose them, leading to a growing sense of resentment with the other around them. the chorus emphasizes their resolve to stay true to themselves because they are doing nothing wrong.

‘ # 004.⠀ ⠀THE FALL OF BABYLON ──── written by salem kuaekulsri, produced by minami hiro and salem kuaekulsri, and performed by oliver song. the fall of babylon is about two people who were once deeply in love, but that love was not strong enough to stay together. though they wanted to take their love to the next level, it was too intense and burned out quickly. they tried to stay together, but it was in vain, and eventually ended. it uses the ancient city of babylon—known as a place of destruction and ruin—to emphasize the unfortunate destruction of their relationship. anyone that's caught up on the plastic flowers lore clocked this as a draft from oliver and salem's break up back in 2022 and has been subjected to intense analysis by those fans, leading to the interpretation above.

‘ # 005.⠀ ⠀TITLE TRACK: ARE U COMING? ──── written and produced by oliver song and finn lee, performed by oliver song. an oliver song classic, he pulls out all of his favorite themes of yearning, escapism, and longing in a romantic situation. the lyrics paint the picture of a place where hopelessness is nonexistent and creating their dreamlike reality. they are eager for their partner's presence, symbolizing a deep emotional yearning for connection and intimacy. rather than their traditional music videos, the production for are u coming? was just a performance at cheeky's! in seoul, confirming that the place discussed in the song is a bar or some sort of party.

‘ # 006.⠀ ⠀TITLE TRACK: EASIER ──── written by lee jiyeon, produced by oliver song and oh deurim, performed by oliver song. now this was the talk of twitter when the highlight medley dropped and it was confirmed that jiyeon of all people had written easier. unlike the rest of the members, she's never been involved in a dating scandal so fans were surprised to see a break-up song from her. easier revolves around the question of whether it is easier to stay or go, contemplating the idea of letting go of a toxic relationship, but at the same time, admitting the love is too strong to leave. she is unsure if she wants to stay in such a relationship, creating a cycle where they are stuck running away and returning to each other. when asked about

‘ # 007.⠀ ⠀THE RIVER ──── written by salem kuaekulsri, produced by min eunji / roze, and performed by oliver song and salem kuaekulsri. if you loved please from ohio impromptu, you will definitely be a fan of the river. originally just meant to be a b-side and not promoted, when it was confirmed their three singles would be banned from music shows, they were quick to petition and lost once again. the river was chosen as the replacement title track because of how similar it is to previous singles and how much the members liked the song. the river focuses on the complexities of a failing relationship and highlights the struggle of two people walking down a lonely road together. the chorus explores the depths of emotions as the singer contemplates throwing everything into the river, symbolizing the desire for change and renewal.

‘ # 008.⠀ ⠀DAY DRINKING ──── written, produced, and performed by oliver song. this song explores themes of escapism, dysfunctional relationships, and self-destructive behaviors. it goes into the struggles and complexities of dealing with personal issues and trying to deal with them through unhealthy means. though he knows that the behaviors are unhealthy, it serves as a temporary escape from their emotional turmoil and helps them avoid confrontations. throughout the song, it reflects a trouble relationship as the emotional toil is taken on both parties and one's search for escape from reality.

‘ # 009.⠀ ⠀EAST COAST BLUES ──── written by oliver song, produced by lee jiyeon and oliver song, and performed by lee jiyeon. east coast blues dives into themes of self-destruction, depression, and a desire for escape. for many fans, this is seen as a spiritual successor to day drinking as it was also written by oliver and actually confirms them escaping from their current turmoil. the protagonist grapples with being overwhelmed by life's challenges as they think about moving to a different location to start new, highlighting a need for healing and self-improvement. despite the struggles in the lyrics, there is a sense of liberation in letting go of toxic influences and embracing the unknown.

‘ # 010.⠀ ⠀CRASH MY CAR ──── written by oliver song, produced by salem kuaekulsri, and performed by oliver song. the song depicts a sense of desperation and longing for someone near, even to the point of risking something like crashing a car to be with them. it suggests a strong emotional attachment and an ability to let go, as well as a willingness to do anything to be with the person they desire. poppies have so many theories about who this song could be about and it's causing a mini-fandom civil war as they try to figure it out. many still believe that salem is in the picture, while others—mainly solo stans of oliver—think there's a new person and want to figure out who that is.

‘ # 011.⠀ ⠀NOTHING / EVERYTHING ──── written by oh deurim, produced by oh deurim and oliver song, and performed by oh deurim and kang junyeong. as the member with the least amount of songwriting credits, fans were excited to see what she would bring to such a conceptually strong album. thankfully, nothing / everything would rise to the occasion as an introspective song that dives into themes of perseverance, loyalty, and self-reflection, inviting the listen to contemplate their own experiences and struggles they may face. they question if they have given everything or lost everything, yet acknowledge that despite any deep changes, their heart remains steadfast and unchanged in its dedication to their loved ones. on live, she confirmed the song was written about plastic flowers and how much she's given over the past few years.

‘ # 012.⠀ ⠀JOKE! ──── written by lee jiyeon, produced by minami hiro, and performed by lee jiyeon. whatever jiyeon is going through, it's creating some amazing music as joke! explores themes of power dynamics, control, and emotional manipulation within a relationship. this enters a new "arc" of the album, which heavily focuses on relationships and the downsides of them. it depicts a complex dynamic between two individuals, with one asserting dominance and the other at their mercy. though they don't want to harm their lover, the narrator gains a sadistic pleasure from the other's reaction and gets a sense of empowerment from it. the phrase "i know you need to be someone, evil angel, or someone has to suffer" reflects that power dynamic, insinuating the other person much embody a deceptive person or endure suffering for their relationship to continue.

‘ # 013.⠀ ⠀THE SWEETNESS ──── written by oliver song, produced by chloe lee, and performed by oliver song. using the concept of sweetness and darkness, this song explores the contrast between moments of joy and happiness with moments of despair. the lyrics depict a journey from innocence to adulthood, where the speaker reflects on the past and longs to return to a simpler time. the sweetness is described as seeping into one's bloodstream, bringing a renewed love for life while darkness creeps in like an unwelcomed intruder, descending into the depths of the basement. the sweetness poses the question "are you still sane?", implying a struggle with mental health issues or the consequences of relying on such methods to find temporary relief.

‘ # 014.⠀ ⠀THRONE OF LIES ──── written by salem kuaekulsri and kang junyeong, produced by salem kuaekulsri, and performed by oliver song. throne of lies represents a sense of uncertainty and confusion as the song implores the listener to not just speak empty words of affection, but to go beyond and truly convey one's true desires and feelings. they used the pounding drums and brass horns of the seoul national university marching band to add to this sense of tension and chaos. on the plastic Flowers youtube channel, they even posted a 10-minute vlog that went from their first meeting to their performance at their comeback stage. the musicians all confirmed that working with plastic flowers was easy as the five members remained professional and were always happy to help understand the song further.

‘ # 015.⠀ ⠀I KNOW THE END ──── written, produced, and performed by salem kuaekulsri and lee jiyeon. at the end of the world, the narrator finds herself in a state of detachment and longing for the comfort of home, which she lost a long time ago. throughout the song, she reflects on past memories while acknowledging the inevitability of change and loss. as the song progresses, there is a sense of acceptance and embracing the unknown, symbolized by driving towards the sun and letting go of that fear. the haunting outro, featuring a long scream from jiyeon, suggests a sense of liberation and rebirth.

★⠀⠀ ⁄ ⠀⠀FIND THE PRODUCERS ... finn lee ( @bluwavez ) ★ chloe lee ( @venusvity ) ★ min eunji / roze ( @d0zenr0zes ) ★ minami hiro ( @lvcky0ne ) ★ kwak yulli ( @superbloomz ).

ERA SUMMARY.

★⠀⠀ ⁄ ⠀⠀MAJOR ACHIEVEMENTS: 2,000,000 copies sold and The River won 17 times at the music shows. Are U Coming? also officially dethroned any record held by CNBLUE and Ft.Island as the top selling single by an idol band in South Korea.

★⠀⠀ ⁄ ⠀⠀This album was well received by fans and critics alike since they had spent the last few years complaining about "the old Plastic Flowers" being missing. Tower of Babel was the perfect combination of those beloved Oliver title tracks and b-sides that had gotten them their original fan base. Everyone has their opinions on Plastic Flowers' musical identity, but Tower of Babel will always be in their top five. It's just that album.

★⠀⠀ ⁄ ⠀⠀Critics rated the album four out of five stars. Though they were able to see some lyrical growth and new themes, many took issue with the album being composed of first drafts rather than finished songs. Many blamed Superbloom Media for this, however, as the band hasn't been given a proper break since their return from hiatus in May 2022. They praised Song and Kuaekulsri for their experiments when it comes to the new songs, however, they dismissed the other members as secondary songwriters. Han Jiyoon called the album "self-indulgent" and "fun", praising how the different arcs of the songs worked together to create a larger picture.

★⠀⠀ ⁄ ⠀⠀It was also noted by the members the album should be listened to in order of the original tracklist. Salem said, "putting the album in track order is always one of the hardest parts. For this album, we all agreed that the best way to listen to it was in order rather than shuffling around because of the different thematic arcs we composed. The beginning is very focused on that rougher and more rock and roll sound and mellows out at the end of I Know the End. It just makes the most sense."

★⠀⠀ ⁄ ⠀⠀When the track list dropped and fans saw they had brought in a bunch of guest producers and songwriters, everyone was torn, to put it nicely. Many Poppies have a complex about Plastic Flowers being completely self-produced for seven years and now, with their supposedly final release, they featured others? Call them Julius Caesar the way they felt back stabbed. Other fans were excited to see Plastic Flowers actually making friends and lowering the burden self-producing a studio album can take. Their main defense was that writing, producing, and promoting three studio albums in less than a year would destroy anyone so why not invite their friends to help out?

★⠀⠀ ⁄ ⠀⠀After Deep Dive's newest come back with Tax Writeoff, seeing Finn Lee in the credits for Tower of Babel was not surprising. Finn and lead singer Oliver were practically inseparable at this point and have been photographed inside their respective companies and even outside as well. In an Instagram live, a fan asked a question about working with Finn, to which Oliver replied: "It's always the best. He really understands whatever I can't put into words and where the music should go next. He's just great, I love being around him."

★⠀⠀ ⁄ ⠀⠀Salem stans were glad to see Hiro on the track list, knowing how close they are. In a live stream with Jiyeon, they reflected on how much fun it was having Hiro in the studio again and their misadventures with Roze as well. While reflecting on Bloom with Us!, Jiyeon said, "I know there's a lot of discourse surrounding having guest producers, but it made the album better. Having these fresh sets of eyes really helped navigate us forward and present the best album we could."

★⠀⠀ ⁄ ⠀⠀However, seeing the Chloe Lee of Venus on the producers list was a bit more surprising. In defense of Oliver, many Poppies had spoken ill of Chloe during Shooting Stars after she had called Oliver a "loser" on national television and seemed upset by his mere existence. In an interview with Elle Korea, Oliver laughed the whole thing off and reminded everyone about "evil editing" and that they'd gotten closer since Starzie's promotions for their debut album. "I mean, it's Chloe Lee," Oliver stated with a laugh, "I would be upset about losing as well. We've put that all aside, though. She was a really big help on The Sweetness and she got along well with the rest of the band. That's all you can really ask for sometimes."

★⠀⠀ ⁄ ⠀⠀In a suprise, it was Kang Junyeong who had the most to say about working with their label mate, Kwak Yulli of Belladonna. "I had never met her before this, but I can see why she's so popular. Great songwriter and even better singer, she's gonna go pretty far." He even likened her to bandmates Oliver Song and Serin. Yulli would repost the comment to her Instagram story with crying emojis and thanking Junyeong for his kind words.

★⠀⠀ ⁄ ⠀⠀The theories that fans were coming up for this album were actually insane but well proven by the lyrics and visual content. There were fan wars over any relationship pairing you could think of, especially with Oliver as many of his songs seemed to be about a new relationship rather than lamenting the past as usual. People looked into his recent interactions with other idols and his bandmates trying to figure out what was going on.

★⠀⠀ ⁄ ⠀⠀Speaking of shippers... The Salem & Oliver Truthers went insane over a report from Dispatch hinting at them maybe being together again. Their biggest piece of evidence was them being see shopping together in Gangnam. Not even a rumor about them being on a date and they had Twitter freaking out. Salem, however, shut this down pretty quickly with a comment while being interviewed on a variety show.

★⠀⠀ ⁄ ⠀⠀You either loved or hated the hair colors this era. While Salem, Junyeong and Serin all felt the love from their fans, they did not express the same feelings for Oliver and Deurim. Fans felt that their colors were playing it safe and should have also be a similar shade or just gone blonde like Salem had.

★⠀⠀ ⁄ ⠀⠀Plastic Flowers reminded everyone that they were singers first and a band second with their appearance on Dingo's Killing Voice. They sang Easier, Are U Coming?, Scared, The Chain, Death Valley's Take My Hand, Oliver's Youth, and b-sides Monster Among Men and Wishful Thinking. The video received over 2 million views within the first day.

★⠀⠀ ⁄ ⠀⠀This era was actually really good for the Found Family believers. There was very little fighting between the members and they all seemed to be at ease despite only one of them having a career past September. Even the hate train for Deurim seemed to be smaller than usual with the members talking about all the drafts and new music that she brought to the table.

★⠀⠀ ⁄ ⠀⠀The music video for EASIER was the talk of Twitter for days. The members were all featured on the accounts "kpop moments that could kill a sapphic" and "kpop moments that could kill achilleans" as they filmed in that cave. A self-described "Plastic Flowers anti" would go viral for asking "what business did Oliver Song have in that cave and acting like that" and honestly, they had a point! It's become a copypasta within the fandom now and is always featured in threads about Poppyville's best moments.

[lostlighter23-darkside]

CHARLEY ATWELL! WHAT A GREAT PAIR!

Letting it all hang out in her bed with an OMI! A Super Star with Smoking-Models (U.K.) and sister SF website Elegant Smoking but this award-winning photo is not from either site. Charley got around

Dual-Media 2-Post, 17-Pack (Megapost)!

Charley, 38, y.o., from Essex, U.K., has had her profile modified to the bare bones on www.smoking-models.com. Bio photo on both sites but no profile history, other than to announce she was shot for videos/photos 20 times on each site. No ability to call up any of the video shoot preview presentations of video and pictures. Charley did leave the SF world and ventured into mainstream modeling, some acting but plenty of Adult Entertainment websites. She might have the best pair of augmented and enhanced "fake" breasts; others say that are G-d-given, yet there is photographic and videographic evidence of her with smaller bosoms on the World Wide Web!

More Recent Photos!

From Instagram@charleyatwell (February 22, 2022)

From IG@charleyatwell (March 8, 2022)

From IG@charleyatwell (January 9, 2022)

A video clip from Charley's Instagram account (March 10, 2023) . . .

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Smoking Temptresses (@smoking_temptresses)

From YouTube!

From "Kurt Baker" webpage (2017)

From "Shane Kiely" webpage (2022)

From "Misty120s" webpage (2022)

Top-25 All-Time Favorite SF Models

No. 7

[ecoamerica]

Watch the American Climate Leadership Awards 2024 now: https://youtu.be/bWiW4Rp8vF0?feature=shared

The American Climate Leadership Awards 2024 broadcast recording is now available on ecoAmerica's YouTube channel for viewers to be inspired by active climate leaders. Watch to find out which finalist received the $50,000 grand prize! Hosted by Vanessa Hauc and featuring Bill McKibben and Katharine Hayhoe!

[the-robot-bracket]

Last Time! The Top 50 Robots Submitted

1. Five Pebbles - Rain World (13 times)

2. Wheatley - Portal (11 times)

3. GLaDOS - Portal (10 times)

4. Data - Star Trek (9 times)

5. Zane - Ninjago (8 times)

6. Murderbot - The Murderbot Diaries (8 times)

7. WALL-E & EVE - WALL-E (8 times)

8. Gir - Invader Zim (8 times)

9. K1-B0 - Danganronpa (7 times)

10. Look To The Moon - Rain World (7 times)

11. Aegis - Persona (7 times)

12. Pixal - Ninjago (6 times)

13. CAR-11E - Hi-Fi Rush (6 times)

14. Fresh Cut Grass - Critical Role (6 times)

15. P03 - Inscryption (6 times)

16. Starscream - Transformers (6 times)

17. Emma Matthews - Hatchetfield (6 times)

18. Mettaton - Undertale (6 times)

19. Calculester Hewlett-Packard - Monster Prom (5 times)

20. Frobo - Amphibia (5 times)

21. R2D2 - Star Wars (5 times)

22. Robecca Steam - Monster High (5 times)

23. One-One - Infinity Train (5 times)

24. Marvin - The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (5 times)

25. Echo - Ninjago (4 times)

26. Hatsune Miku - Vocaloid (4 times)

27. Baymax - Big Hero 6 (4 times)

28. Luna - Zero Escape (4 times)

29. AM - I have no mouth and I must scream (4 times)

30. V1 - Ultrakill (4 times)

31. Jenny - My Life as a Teenage Robot (4 times)

32. Wubbox - My Singing Monsters (3 times)

33. Boyd - Ducktales 2017 (3 times)

34. Drossel von Flügel - Fireball (3 times)

35. K9 - Doctor Who (3 times)

36. Hal 9000 - A Space Odyssey (3 times)

37. Karen - SpongeBob (3 times)

38. Connor - Detroit Become Human (3 times)

39. F.R.I.D.A. - Critical Role (3 times)

40. Goddard - The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron, Boy Genius (3 times)

41. Hera - wolf359 (3 times)

42. Virgil - Portal Stories: Mel (3 times)

43. Astro Boy - Astro Boy (3 times)

44. C-3P0 - Star Wars (3 times)

45. Janet - The Good Place (3 times)

46. Lil' Hal - Homestuck (3 times)

47. Yes Man - Fallout (3 times)

48. Carl the Robot - Meet the Robinsons (3 times)

49. Cryptor - Ninjago (3 times)

50. Metal Sonic - Sonic the Hedgehog (3 times)

And the Top 20 Fandoms:

1. Portal - 103 times

2. Ninjago - 28 times

3. Rain World - 24 times

4. The Murderbot Diaries - 16 times

5. Star Wars - 16 times

6. Transformers - 14 times

7. Star Trek - 13 times

8. Invader Zim - 12 times

9. Danganronpa - 10 times

10. Ultrakill - 10 times

11. Doctor Who - 9 times

12. Detroit Become Human - 9 times

13. WALL-E - 8 times

14. Critical Role - 8 times

15. FNaF - 8 times

16. Persona - 8 times

17. Undertale - 7 times

18. Hi-Fi Rush - 7 times

19. Zero Escape - 7 times

20. Astro Boy - 7 times

[reality-detective]

* * * Las Vegas Shooting * * *

Part 3

On the Thursday night that followed, the White House press pool was unexpectedly called in to witness a “photo op” that was taking place with President Trump…and included various military officials & their spouses.

As cameras were rolling, President Trump said, “Maybe it’s the calm before the storm. Could be, the calm…the calm before the storm.”

As reporters shouted questions, he said,

“We have the world’s great military people in this room, I will tell you that. And uh, we’re gonna have a great evening.”

Then, when asked what he meant by “storm,” he ominously answered,

“You’ll find out.”

MEGANON, the anonymous 4chan poster that I referenced the other day posted this on 4Chan after Trump made his “Calm Before the Storm” warning...

Then 👇

It is interesting to point out that the very next day after Trump made his cryptic remark, a fire broke out at the Federal Reserve Bank Building.

Here is an excerpt from a 10/7/17 Zero Hedge article titled “Fire Breaks Out on the Roof of the NY Fed.”

“Dozens of firefighters are fighting a blaze which broke out on the top of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, NBC New York reports.

Contrary to recurring rumors that the fire was created from excess money creation, the FDNY said that a generator on the roof of the building caused the fire in a chimney, although the severity of the damage to the building is not known.”

☝️ Was it possible that Trump’s warning “You’ll find out” was taken seriously enough…that it lead to an emergency bonfire of incriminating documents right on the roof of the Federal bank building?

Guess what happened after that???

On October 26th, 2017

The JFK FILES WERE RELEASED by PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP!!!

Funny that he releases the files on October 26th!! That’s the birthdate of Hillary Rodham Clinton!!

Reversing the curse!!

By the way, October 28th is a date with a lot of significance.

By choosing this date,

God/Trump/The Alliance/White Hats are reversing the curses that were placed on our society by ((these)) people.

((THESE)) people are the Occult/Witches/Warlocks/Satanists/Luciferians/Illuminati/Jesuits/Crypto Jews/Khazarian Mafia/Banksters/Deep State/Cabal/Black Hats/Rothschilds/Rockefellers/Clintons/Bushes etc. etc.etc!!

Löök up famous people born on October 28th you'll get a better picture of what I'm saying. 🤔

FUN FACT: Remember, Q started posting on October 28, 2017.

Facebook was originally launched as FaceMash on... you guessed it... October 28, 2003, (before changing its name to Facebook on February 4, 2004).

THERE ARE NO COINCIDENCES!!!

The PHILADELPHIA EXPERIMENT began during the summer of 1943.

On OCTOBER 28th, 1943,

The Navy Destroyer—USS Eldridge—was placed in an electromagnetic field and disappeared…not only from the screens…but also from our reality.

During this second experiment, the ship disappeared from the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard.

Simultaneously, sailors stationed 375 miles south at the Norfolk Naval Base in Norfolk, Virginia, reported the ship’s appearance for several minutes before it vanished.

Many believe that the USS Eldridge traveled through time.

Time traveling is a real thing and so is "Project Lööking Glass"

I hope this sheds some light on the Las Vegas Shooting Event, it was no random solo shooter acting out. It was all a staged event.

All links connected 👇

[7grandmel]

Todays rip: 17/05/2024

Athletic Doctor

Season 1 Featured on: GilvaSunner's Highest Quality Video Game Rips: Volume 1 Also on: SiIvaGunner: Starter Kit & Essentials

Ripped by Psynwav

ONE-YEAR ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL!!

I haven't slept in so long...I forgot what dreams were like.

Honestly - what better way could there be for me to celebrate the 365th main post on the blog, than to be fashionably late by a whole weekend? It's unfortunate, but...oddly befitting, really. Back when I was first starting out with the blog, I actually forgot about posting daily for a solid two weeks - and so, some old-ass posts like Chillin’ Like A Villain and (YTPMV) Bob​-​Omb Battlesources were made in quite a hurry retroactively. Nevertheless, it was on May 17th 2023, over on my main blog @melblur, that I suddenly decided that I wanted to write about one SiIvaGunner rip a day just for fun. After File Select Fusion Collab, I realized that it made more sense just to put these on their own blog, and with Snowball Park - Super Mario 3D World I moved everything onto here. It's all been a bit of a bumpy ride, is my point. But today, I've reached the big milestone that I was originally aiming for all the way back with Running Through Cookie Country - a year's worth of almost-always-daily posts on the weird and wonderful world of SiIvaGunner. And what better rip to discuss alongside this milestone than the channel's biggest hit, the milestone rip to stand above all others: Season 1's Athletic Doctor.

Now, I've been following SiIvaGunner since some of the earliest moments of Season 1, following along with the initial GiIvaSunner termination, the entire Reboot saga discussed in I Saw a Brainwasher Today, the Mashup Crusaders arc of Mr. Rental [B Side] ~ Out of Options, the channel ending of Epic Flintstones... Basically, I was there for just about the entire initial 9-month run, and have with but one Season's worth of an exception (Season 5) been following the channel damn near obsessively since. The point is that, through this, I have been able to follow the channel's most popular videos chart up and down with each passing month: I recall, for instance, how Nintendo GameCube Startup - Console/BIOS Music soared past all other rips back in the day and stayed on top for five month's time. That was, of course, before finally being surpassed by we are number one but with outdated memes over it and subsequently helping kickstart the entire We Are Number One meme trend (funny enough - you can actually find a youtube comment left by me on the rip in late December 2016/early 2017 expressing mild annoyance over the rip's popularity...). Athletic Doctor in comparison was of course always popular, but it took a while to truly climb its way up there - it was in the top ten, then top five, always rising, bubbling in the background. Eventually, starting with Season 3's premiere, the team decided to just make the rip the trailer for the channel for new viewers - where it still sits today, now as the far-and-away most popular rip on the channel.

I feel like the reason the rip became used as the defacto channel trailer, the reason it keeps being referenced in videos demonstrating what SiIvaGunner is all about, is pretty obvious. I've talked a lot in posts like Live and Ooooooooooooooh about how outright *effective* many of Season 1's rips were, and Athletic Doctor is the most prime example of that imaginable - it is a damn near pitch perfect joke executed shockingly well for the time of its upload in the channel's history. EVERYONE knows the music to Super Mario World, either through its usage in the game itself in the 90s, its appearances in games like Super Smash Bros. Melee in the 2000s and Super Mario Galaxy 2 in the 2010s - or just through sheer overexposure to it in just about any era of gaming YouTube. The game's soundtrack is the perfect blend of being immediately recognizable and incredibly easy to hum along to given the entire game basically only has three or so melodies, relying on its central leitmotif to a degree bordering on parody. Likewise as well, EVERYBODY knows Witch Doctor, either through excessive radio play, being a big hit with Alvin & the Chipmunks...or the 2007 Live Action Alvin & the Chipmunks movie that I myself grew up with, it's the kind of vaguely obnoxious (also arguably quite racist) nonsense novelty music that's incredibly appealing to young kids, the same way something like Crazy Frog or its ilk was in the 2000s as well.

Put simply, Athletic Doctor was a match made in heaven - and the joke is pulled off so expertly that it feels redundant to put into words. The Athletic Theme intro is iconic enough to where you're led into a false sense of security right off the bat, the melody swap is subtle enough as to not immediately be noticeable, making the moment you notice it even more noteworthy - only for the track's second loop to become a full-on mashup with the Witch Doctor track. Absolutely perfect escalation, just the right amount of buildup - but most importantly, it ends up actually sounding really good! The joke's great to be sure, very much like Live and Ooooooooooooooh - but I feel like the core reason why Athletic Doctor has continued to endure for so long on the channel, why it keeps getting remixed and referenced and paid tribute to on so many instances, is because it's just a genuinely good listen once the joke sets in. In other words, it is the purest distillation of SiIvaGunner's appeal - a joke so simple, yet pulled off with a magical appeal that remains even all these years later.

Through running this blog, it's that very specific appeal that I've wanted to try and encapsulate with the rips I cover, with what I write about them, to uncover that elusive magic of this dumb shitpost channel. Joel's big Grand Dad reaction that kicked the channel off is a good bit, to be sure, but its not a bit that could've lasted eight years and counting: In its earliest days, its easy to see how the channel could've just become naught but a novelty and fallen off the face off the earth once interest in it died. Yet through each year of the channel's life, with every Season that passes, it's evolved and adapted. Be it the spontaneous chaos of Season 1, the building storyline of Season 2, the mystery and nostalgia of Season 3, the sheer talent on display in the King for Another Day Tournament in Season 4 Episode 1 and the sheer joy of celebration found in Season 4 Episode 2, the whimsical experimentation of Season 5, the sudden introspection and moodiness of Season 6, the pure adoration and love for everything the channel stands for in Season 7, and the ongoing pure silliness of Season 8 - each period of this channel feels as if it's growing in a new direction, never content sitting in one place for too long - and yet the appeal of a rip like Athletic Doctor remains oh so core to the entire SiIvaGunner experience. The experience of which I've made my best effort to cover across all 365 posts on this blog. To show everyone the layers in which this channel goes in.

That's what I've been wanting to show you... but now, before I end this post, I want to briefly talk about what you've shown *me*. I know its a cliché thing to say, but really - it warms my heart EVERY time I receive messages about the blog. This all began as just a way for me to practice my writing ability, but suddenly I was having the actual rippers - the names that I'd admire from my MP3 player but hardly ever considered able to actually interact with - messaging me in private to express how happy my posts made them...not to mention the people in SiIvaCord discussing rips with me, digging into my writing, sharing anecdotes I'd never heard of, and everyone who requested rips genuinely eager to see what I had to write about them...like, again, its the biggest cliché on the planet, and I know this blog really isn't all *that* big in the grand scheme of things - but I never expected to even get more than five people actually engaging with what I post? To everyone, and ESPECIALLY to the silent majority reading my posts without a Tumblr account, the ones engaging from a distance - thank you SO much for validating all that I've done on here.

Now, there's still plenty of posts I have left in me, plenty of ones already in the drafts and unfulfilled requests well in the dozens. But like...tons has happened since when this all started 12 months ago. I got a summer job! I'm wrapping up what's hopefully my final three school courses! I've started listening to so much new music, expanding my music tastes, in huge part thanks to all the digging this blog has made me do! And, of course, getting to be this open about what's likely my absolute weirdest special interest has honestly made me feel more confident in myself as a person, made me a more outgoing individual in general. And so, to get all of my ducks in a row, to help straighten things out for a bit...I'm going to take a break from regular posting on here. I'm aiming for it to be no longer than a month's time - again, I have much I still wish to write about!! - but you'll of course still see me reblogging fanart and other such things on here just from using Tumblr casually. And hey - if you haven't already, I recommend you take the time to go scavenging through The Archive for daily posts that you might have missed! Having a blog with so much writing on it, so many posts, so much to discover for readers old and new...In a way, I've basically made it so that navigating the blog feels just like navigating the vast seas of the SiIvaGunner channel itself. And isn't that just the most fitting way to leave it all on - an ocean of posts, waiting for you to uncover them?

THAT SIIVAGUNNER TUMBLR BLOG WILL RETURN IN SEASON 2

[blamemma]

OMG emma, I swear I have been writing an Engineer!Max/Driver!Daniel story for the LONGEST time, I’ll try to summarize where it’s at here:

Okay so, let say Simon retires as Danny’s engineer a little early (sorry Simon ily) and Max starts as Danny’s race engineer in mid 2016. At first Danny thinks it’s a joke right? Like there’s no way this 17-yr-old kid is gonna be as good as Simon?? Except Max is GOOD. Better than good, actually. He’s the best. Because it’s MAX (and Max is Max). 2017 is a little bit of an adjustment period for them but then they GET IT RIGHT in 2018 and Helmut gets his wish: Danny wins the WDC that year and then his random RB teammate (idk who it would be and it’s not important for the story) wins it in 2019.

RB are on top and everything’s great. Danny and Max are so flirty on radio and F1 Twitter is losing it after every interaction between them, rumours are also abound in the paddock about them. But Max eventually ends up a little put out that everyone thinks they’re sleeping together (they most definitely ARE) because he also wants to be taken seriously, not always in the background, attached to Danny’s wins and loses.

He wants to prove himself basically, that he’s a good engineer because he just IS a good engineer and that it’s not just because it’s him and Danny. So in 2020 he jumps to Mercedes in a shock-exit a-la-Danny-to-Renault. Even more shook-ness he actually helps Lewis re-take the WDC that year, and the vibes are just RANCID at the final race. Like, Max is there with Lewis and Mercedes and can’t even look at Danny and Christian trying to console the team after the loss. F1 Twitter found dead, etc. etc. Danny hasn’t had a win in two years at this point (since he and max cooled things off in 2019) and finally snaps, and it’s announced by the next season that he’s moving to McLaren in 2021 (queue the ominous music)

There’s like six chapters of Max just sitting in Mercedes watching Daniel struggle in McLaren and just the LONGING and PINING is too much for everyone. They maybe break at some point before Danny leaves the grid and have really tender, desperate sex where Danny literally tells Max: “I miss you, I can’t do anything without you. You ruined my whole fucking career and my life, you know that?”

Cut to Danny being signed as RB’s third driver and then Max getting a call from Christian since he wants BOTH of his golden boys back. They’re in some office in Milton Keynes when Christian asks him outright: “how much?” and Max just stares at him because it’s not about the money at all. It never was.

“Of course, I would only come back to work with Daniel again.”

And Christian, to his credit, doesn’t even look surprised.

END SCENE!

ok u need to let me know when u publish this because i am hooked!!!

[wishwars]

ACSWY Historical Timeline

Not me desperately creating a timeline to keep track of all the small morsels of Will and Mike’s past history sporadically dropped in @campbyler’s “a cruel summer with you” fic because I’m going insane wondering what happened... 

They are currently 19 in 2023, having just finished their first year at college.

2022 (18 yo) - 

Will pushed Mike off the dock and he had trouble swimming apparently lol

But Mike also apparently shoved Will in the lake at some point

[not at camp] “follow the sparks (i’ll drive)” occurs

2021 (17 yo) - 

Something made Mike’s anger at Will “return with a real vengeance”

Something happened that had them on even footing that they “do not talk about” (both POVs mention this year as off-limits conversationally lol) [next bullet point?]

Will had a breakup and Mike was apparently there for him “as much as Max and El” (references to what Mike did in Ch 1)

[Joyce and Hopper get married]

2020 (16 yo) - Their first year as junior counselors.

[not at camp] The Pasta incident (Mike got sauce all over him and Will saw the mess over FaceTime)

[Mike came out as bisexual this year, though not at camp]

[Joyce and Hopper move in together]

2019 (15 yo) - The year “their group of friends really became a group.”

The slime incident (which caused Mike to have to shave his head--he retaliated in some way that also caused Will to have to shave his head)

Justin Bieber was Mike’s “accidental top artist on Spotify” XD

Will stopped wearing polo shirts lol

“Mike and El break up (right before camp/right at the start)”

[Hopper and Joyce are dating]

[Hopper officially adopts El]

2018 (14 yo) - 

Things go bad(?) as Will is now “the worst part” of Mike’s summers

The first lake incident occurred (where Mike ended up in the water after the canoe tipped and Will laughed at him)

Will apparently hid in the art room a lot

Mike and Will started the Great Food Fight (with Mike getting egg on Will)

Dustin and Mike did gave “the worst rendition of “baby” by justin bieber to ever be heard in all of human history” at the talent show, subsequently ending the annual talent shows lol

Mike and El start dating at the end of the summer

[Hopper fosters El]

2017 (13 yo) - The boys’ first year at camp.

They kissed (probably at an end-of-summer camp dance during “Fearless” by Taylor Swift) and it was Mike’s first kiss

As yet undated incidents:

Will alludes to Mike previously orchestrating something for revenge over what happened when they were 14

A previous time they were on even footing: “the last time they’d been on even footing like this had been…” [separate from 2021 incident, what happened??]

[Either 2017 or 2018 is when Jonathan and Steve are sent to the Isolation Cabin]

Feel free to let me know in the notes if I forgot/misplaced anything!

[greenbirdtrash]

"LORAX: THE MUSICAL": Once-ler guide

Decided to make a quick comparison chart for those who are still confused about multiple versions of the same stageplay, it's actually very easy to tell them apart, because only two of them have very noticeable visual differences. Hope this will be useful. As for now, there's three versions of the same musical: 2015-2017 (The OG, starring Simon Paisley Day), 2018-2019 (Starring Steven Epp) and 2021 (aka Covid version, aka electric boogaloo, starring Jamael Westman). Let's take a look on their pre-fame eras:

2015-17: - dark green hat - fluffy long hair

2018-19: - bright green hat - shorter, less fluffy hair (also seem to be a slightly different tone of green?) - bright green pants

2021: - no hat - short curly hair - cozy, "casual" outfit style

Not that complicated, right? Now that we got aquainted with the main trio, i'm gonna talk more about the 2015-17 and 2021 versions, because 2015-17 and 2018-19 are absolutely the same in their axe-hacker and fame era clothing, except the tiny details i already mentioned above. So..

2015-17

Most of the photos and videos that i post (or the ones you could possibly find on the internet) are featuring him. He was the first one, after all. Also, the OG blorbo had dark pants at some point, which was for test and promotional purposes, i guess. His "default" pre-fame look includes dark emerald tailcoat (the same one which is used for 2018-19 version), bright green neckerchief, brown striped suspenders, some kind of a vintage fedora and long striped fingerless gloves.

During his character development he switches to round glasses and striped jacket (in the end of the first act and in the axe-hacker scene), and then into a full green pinstripe suit with a tie and vest underneath. Also, in his "fame era" he switches to a different, more "formal" hairstyle.

Now that everything is clear with the OG one, let's switch to 2021 version.

2021

Oh boy, things are very different here. I still can't figure out the weird casual/formal outfit mix he has on during his early business days (he switches to a green jacket and differnet pants, but keeps his hoodie underneath for some reason), but unlike 2015-17 version, he seems to change into that kind of outfit after his family arrives to the valley, while OG Once-ler only switches his tailcoat to jacket during the lorax park and axe-hacker scenes. Later on, during his top fame era, he can be spotted in full-formal style, wearing dark blue (or black?) jacket with green stripes, green gloves (probably the same ones that 2015-2019 versions have on during their fame phase), bright green shirt and a striped green tie. He gets a different pair of shoes and aviator glasses (for the thneed 2.0 scene) as well. It seems like with the 2021 version, designers decided to give him something more "modern-looking" in all eras. Well, good for him. Good for him.

Despite all the differences, they still have some things in common, which are: fingerless gloves, watch and pocket square on the left side (present in all versions), striped socks and green hair..Obviously, the overall "green" aesthetic as well.

Thanks for reading//

[swiftthisway]

Former Loverfest post with Swifties’ Eras Tour dates…

🚨ATTENTION ALL SWIFTIES🚨

Taylor M&Gs may not be happening (stay safe and healthy @taylorswift 🫶🏼❤️) but that doesn’t mean impossible things don’t happen at a Taylor Swift concert ✨

Please feel free to join this post by adding a selfie, tour costumes etc and your tour information. I will be reblogging this throughout tour in hopes of helping @taylornation and tumblr mutuals find you!

Because we could leave the Christmas lights up ‘til March 2023!

@becauseoftswift (on top of the Lover camper, rt side):  Las Vegas NV, March 24, Section 129, Row 10, Seats 15 & 16; Los Angeles, CA, August 3, Floor - Q, Row 4, Seats 3 & 4; Los Angeles CA, August 8, Section C 244, Row 9, Seats 9 through 13; Never met @taylorswift

@swiftthisway (on top of the formerly stolen lullabies truck):  Los Angeles CA,  August 3, Floor - Q, Row 4, Seats 3 & 4; Los Angeles CA, August 8, Section C 244, Row 9, Seats 9 through 13; Met Taylor in 2017, but the rest of my group has not

2020 wasn’t what Taylor or Swifties wanted but we’ll take The Eras Tour with or without its head!

@nola-swiftie(middle,purple camper):  Glendale Swift City AZ, March 18, Floor - F, Row 19, Seats 25 & 26; Houston TX, April 22, Section 110, Row EE, Seat 9; Atlanta GA, April 28, Section 314, Row 18, Seat 22; Atlanta GA, April 29, Floor - N, Row 5, Seat 22; Minneapolis MN, June 24, Section 215, Row 13, Seat 17; Denver CO, July 15, Section 110, Row 7, Seat 5; Never met Taylor

@pharmaswift (right, purple camper):  Glendale Swift City AZ, March 18, Floor - F, Row 19, Seats 25 & 26; Los Angeles CA, August 4, Section N, Row 2, Seats 3 & 4; Never met Taylor

13 Days until The Eras Tour and Taylor’s still The woMan!

@ileftanote (pink butterfly):  East Rutherford NJ, May 27, Section 12, Row 17, Seat 14; East Rutherford NJ, May 28; Chicago IL, June 4; Never met Taylor

And there’s a lot of cool chicks out there!

@swiftliv​: Cincinnati, OH, July 1, Section P, Row 2, Seats 5 & 6; Never met Taylor

@taylorswift @taylornation

[zwedexx]

30 Canadians in 30 days

EXPLANATION

COMING JUNE 1st

Day 1 - Evelyne Viens x Italian Roma Reader (flirty)

-> After Ev signs for Roma, she wants to discover the city so you offer to take her around.

Day 2 - Sophie Schmidt x Houston Dash Teen Reader

-> R is the Dash's new signing and ends up struggling with their mental health due to the critism and hate.

Day 3 - Jayde Riviere x Man UTD Reader

-> You and Jayde decide to prank the rest of the squad for April Fools

Day 4 - Lysianne Proulx x Portland Thorns Reader (suggestive)

-> Despite winning the game Lysianne is pissed at you for ruining her clean sheet.

Day 5 - Rylee Foster x Aussie Reader

-> Social Media Hard Launch

Day 6 - Kailen Sheridan x Teen Reader

-> R gets adopted by Kailen.

Day 7 - Chandra Davidson x Bartender Reader (suggestive)

-> After winning the league, the Benfica squad goes out to a club where they meet the reader who is working as a bartender. Chandra can't keep her eyes off you.

Day 8 - Jordyn Huitema x Reader

-> First Date Blurb

Day 9 - Switch!Cloé Lacasse x Reader (18+)

-> You really miss Cloé. (You don't play for club or country together)

Day 10 - Sabrina D'Angelo x Arsenal Reader (slightly suggestive)

-> You and Sabs celebrate your 2 year anniversary

Day 11 - Simi Awujo + CanWNT x Reader

-> You get injured before the game that is supposed to be your first cap.

Day 12 - Jessie Fleming x Barrista Reader

-> Jessie falls for the barrista at her local café

Day 13 - Top!Melissa Dagenais x Non-Player Reader (very suggestive)

-> Melissa comes home to Montreal and to you

Day 14 - Sarah Stratigakis x English Reader

-> Love at first sight Blurb

Day 15 - Marie Alidou x Reader (angst)

-> After not contacting each other since 2017, you meet again at international camp.

Day 16 - Gabrielle Carle x Hockey Player Reader

-> Social Media Fluff

Day 17 - Ashley Lawrence x Chelsea Reader (suggestive)

-> Before leaving for international break, you and Ash get a lil drunk and end up confessing some things.

Day 18 - Quinn x Reader

-> You're in a depressive episode so Quinny takes care of you.

Day 19 - 2012 Christine Sinclair x Reader

-> TBD

Day 20 - Julia Grosso x Italian Reader

-> Socia Media Fluff

Day 21 - Jade Rose + CanWNT x Reader

-> During your time in CEGEP you develop a dependency on pain meds. The team suspects something when you arrive at camp.

Day 22 - Vanessa Gilles x Reader (Hurt/Comfort)

-> You get tackled during a game and Vanessa goes into full protective girlfriend mode.

Day 23 - Stephanie Labbé x Non-Player Reader

-> TBD

Day 24 - Desiree Scott x Teen Reader

-> TBD

Day 25 - Janine Beckie x Injured Reader (angst + hurt/comfort)

-> Janine is there you during your recovery period

Day 26 - Clarissa Larisey x Swedish Reader

-> TBD

Day 27 - Nichelle Prince x Reader

-> TBD

Day 28 - Olivia Smith + CanWNT x Reader

-> TBD

Day 29 - Kadeisha Buchanan x Reader

-> Social Media Hard Launch

Day 30 - Adriana Leon x New Villa Player Reader

-> TBD

[hugheses]

Have you ever read anything about why Jack decided not to go to college? I know he was projected to go first for a while and his goal was to make the team right away, but Quinn and Luke committed to Michigan at like 14. So when jack was 14 too it was kind of a long ways off from him knowing he’d go first overall. I wonder what his parents thought since their dad has said multiple times that their kids all playing college hockey was their dream

this is a kind of long answer so buckle up. first of all, as kids, jack was very different from luke and quinn. obviously all 3 are elite players now, but both jim and ellen have said that jack’s trajectory differed from a young age. so while quinn went 8th round in the ohl draft, the plan for him was always college and it wasnt until he was at the program that he started to be seen as a top player. but jack as a player was so elite so young that people were talking about him going first overall before he was in high school. he applied for exceptional status for the ohl so he could play as an underager but was denied (bc he was so physically immature and would have been playing against men) but had he played in the ohl, he would have not been eligible for the ncaa. so for a while that was the reason. and then he went to the program and after his first year a lot of michigan fans had hoped that he would graduate HS early to go play with quinn at umich, but he said that he wanted to stay where he was for his development. and at this point he's been the presumptive first overall pick for years, it wasn't until the year of the draft that kakko was seen as a serious challenger. most first overalls go into the nhl their draft year, with some exceptions like owen power obviously, but for the most part, 1st overalls who play in college either have earlier birthdays than jack (so would age out of the ntdp etc before their draft year like auston matthews) or graduate early on purpose to play in college. quinn's birthday actually falls in the weird category of spending 2 years at the ntdp and still needing to graduate early to go straight to college. to sum things up, college hockey was yes the dream for quinn and luke, but jack was always different and their parents have said as much. they wont explicitly say it, but they knew jack was going into the nhl long before 14. and i don't know how close it actually got to happening, but in summer 2018 jack was (allegedly) stopped by the admissions department from going to umich where sometimes they will fudge stuff for elite athletes. but i kind of doubt he would have gone anyway, because he loved the program and it was hockeyhockeyhockey 24/7 in a way college just isn't, and he lived close enough that he saw quinn all the time.

from earlier that year,

And Quinn said he'd be happy if Jack played for the Wolverines next season. “Playing with my brother would be a dream come true,” Quinn said. “He’s gotta make his own decision.”

and

Jack and the Hughes family has options. Along with U-M, the Mississauga Steelheads drafted him with the eighth overall pick in the 2017 Ontario Hockey League Priority Selection. Or he could stay at NTDP for the second year. “It could be a perfect scenario,” Jim said of Jack going to U-M. “But they’re not there yet. The beauty is Jack is in a really great spot right now. He values the development he’s getting with Seth and Wrobo.” Quinn said he and his brother haven’t talked about next year's possibilities yet. They’re focused on what they still can accomplish this season, on their respective teams.

and then here's an article on him choosing to stay at the ntdp that year. so the reasons he didnt commit young were mostly that he didnt know if he even could go to college, and then he almost did go as a 17 year old but ultimately did not. every school in the country would have tripped over themselves to try to nab him, but it was assumed by umich and everyone else that if he went to college, it would be there. but pretty much everyone at the time expected him to make the jump to the nhl immediately in 2019, including himself, he was very vocal about wanting to do so.

[vren-diagram]

The Nordic model has been characterized as follows:[16]

An elaborate social safety net, in addition to public services such as free education and universal healthcare[16] in a largely tax-funded system.[17]

Strong property rights, contract enforcement and overall ease of doing business.[18]

Public pension plans.[16]

High levels of democracy as seen in the Freedom in the World survey and Democracy Index.[19][20]

Free trade combined with collective risk sharing (welfare social programmes and labour market institutions) which has provided a form of protection against the risks associated with economic openness.[16]

Little product market regulation. Nordic countries rank very high in product market freedom according to OECD rankings.[16]

Low levels of corruption.[19][16] In Transparency International's 2019 Corruption Perceptions Index, Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden were ranked among the top 10 least corrupt of the 179 countries evaluated.[21]

A partnership between employers, trade unions and the government, whereby these social partners negotiate the terms to regulating the workplace amongst themselves, rather than the terms being imposed by law.[22][23] Sweden has decentralised wage co-ordination while Finland is ranked the least flexible.[16] The changing economic conditions have given rise to fear among workers as well as resistance by trade unions in regards to reforms.[16]

High trade union density and collective bargaining coverage.[24] In 2019, trade union density was 90.7% in Iceland, 67.0% in Denmark, 65.2% in Sweden, 58.8% in Finland, and 50.4% in Norway; in comparison, trade union density was 16.3% in Germany and 9.9% in the United States.[25] Additionally, in 2018, collective bargaining coverage was 90% in Iceland, 88.8% in Finland (2017), 88% in Sweden, 82% in Denmark, and 69% in Norway; in comparison collective bargaining coverage was 54% in Germany and 11.7% in the United States.[26] The lower union density in Norway is mainly explained by the absence of a Ghent system since 1938. In contrast, Denmark, Finland and Sweden all have union-run unemployment funds.[27]

The Nordic countries received the highest ranking for protecting workers rights on the International Trade Union Confederation 2014 Global Rights Index, with Denmark being the only nation to receive a perfect score.[28]

Sweden at 56.6% of GDP, Denmark at 51.7%, and Finland at 48.6% reflect very high public spending.[29] Public expenditure for health and education is significantly higher in Denmark, Norway, and Sweden in comparison to the OECD average.[30]

Overall tax burdens as a percentage of GDP are high, with Denmark at 45.9% and both Finland and Sweden at 44.1%.[31] The Nordic countries have relatively flat tax rates, meaning that even those with medium and low incomes are taxed at relatively high levels.[32][33]

The United Nations World Happiness Reports show that the happiest nations are concentrated in Northern Europe. The Nordics ranked highest on the metrics of real GDP per capita, healthy life expectancy, having someone to count on, perceived freedom to make life choices, generosity and freedom from corruption.[34] The Nordic countries place in the top 10 of the World Happiness Report 2018, with Finland and Norway taking the top spots.[35]

x

I think a lot of people are missing that the Nordic model is:

generally very friendly to businesses

composed of largely organically set standards (workers rights secured by collective bargaining and trade-unions, not by a centralized authority) (as opposed to a centralized bureaucracy)

Largely structured to provide citizens with benefits that make workforce participation easier. The ordering of the social safety net and welfare state make it relatively easy to upskill and hold a job.