#what more does he want lol? he’s already one of the most famous people in the world rn

[releaseholiday]

thoughts on this ?

These are my only thoughts rn

[saintescuderia]

pancakes (pt. 2)

apologies for the delay; was marshalling the aus gp lol. enjoy.

AKA - the story of how the naive australian rookie befriended the gym junkie F1 hospitality worker with the shoe collection - and inadvertently broke the grid's most treasured and unspoken rule: you don't go for y/n.

series masterlist here :)

P2 - hamstring and piriformis stretches

“Y/N Tessio?”

“She works in hospitality.” Oscar clarified without an ounce of stress. He wasn’t embarrassed by this. Yes, he was close friends with a member of the F1 Hospitality. Yes, he was asking that part of his Formula 1 contract include that you become his personal trainer. Yes, he wasn’t going to accept any contract without that condition. 

Otmar didn’t know that last fact when he had laughed off Oscar’s request the last time they had spoken. It was the last nail in the coffin that showed to Oscar what had been gnawing at his gut for so quite some time: this team wasn’t quite right. Now, at lunch with Zak Brown, who had wanted more official meeting in the McLaren motorhome, Oscar laid out the same request. And Zak Brown seemed understand the severity of it: Oscar Piastri would not accept anything unless you were right there with him. 

This morning was only proof of it all. His anxiety had kept him up and it was only after finding you that everything seemed to work itself out. After you had made him run a lap around the track, you promptly dumped some melatonin gummies in his hand and sent him off to bed to sleep. And sleep he did. Oscar had woken up feeling more refreshed than he had in a long, long while. 

Refreshed, Oscar had taken your advice and called Lily. He mentioned love languages and she gushed. The call ended with them sounding more on page and stronger than ever. Oscar also took your advice in calling his dad to ask about a lawyer. His dad had been surprised that his son had been so forward thinking.

Oscar had admitted it was your idea. His dad stopped being surprised; of course it had been your idea. 

“Oh, they’re good people, Osc. The sort you need around you in a place like Formula 1! Make sure you have them on your team!” Oscar was already thinking what his dad was suggesting, agreeing wholeheartedly. He needed you on his team.

And that was before Oscar arrived at the Alpine motor home for one of the staff to let him known that hospitality had delivered some specially made protein pancakes and fresh orange juice for his breakfast. There was a note under cutlery with your scrawl of ‘take magnesium.’ 

He asked his Alpine trainer for some, the very same one you thought was an utter dickhead. Said trainer, François, somehow didn’t have any supplements. Sighing, Oscar dug into your famous pancakes that had the perfected macros for an athlete of his sort. He would just ask you for magnesium later - and take your usual heat of having a “fucking dropkick of a trainer.” It was just more and more proof that Alpine wasn’t looking good for him. Even he knew it was bad for a trainer to not be prepared like that.

Now, in a room full of papaya orange, Oscar looked at the American CEO and waited patiently for Zak Brown to tell him what he thought about the request to have you working alongside McLaren Racing as part of Oscar’s contract.

“What, um, what qualifications does she have?” Zak asked, shifting slightly to type on his computer. Oscar watched as Zak’s eyes grew as he stared at the screen. “Oh, I know her! She makes an solid cappucino!” 

“Melbournian barista.” Oscar smiled. It was true, you had gotten your barista license back when you were living in Melbourne. And if there was one thing Melbournians were proud of, it was their coffee. “She grew up near Albert Park.” Oscar added the tidbit you had dropped upon first meeting and Oscar was basking in the Australian accent. 

"Says she was born in Monaco." Zak said.

"What?" Oscar frowned, completely taken aback at this. You had never mentioned anything to him about being born in Monaco. You were from Melbourne, near the beach. That's what you had told him.

Nothing about Monaco, Monte Carlo.

In Europe.

But Oscar didn't have time to process that because Zak Brown continued on. “Still, it doesn’t say anything about Y/N being trained in anything health or sports-related.” The McLaren CEO said, his eyes skimming over his computer screen that likely read your resume that was stored in the shared F1 database. Formula One Group and the FIA had allowed team principals and CEOs to access these files when they needed to identify a snitch that had violated the NDA.

It was all too often that a team suffered a blow by a Hospo staff member whistleblowing some important fact they overheard while serving the refreshments. 

“She knows about Daniel.” Oscar said. Zak blinked, clearly taken aback. He swallowed and Oscar quickly added, “And no, she didn’t tell me. I figured it out that she knew and told her.” 

-

“Okay, you’re right. I do feel better.”

“Better enough to do another lap?” You grinned at your friend whose sweaty face dropped into a deadpan. You had both slowed down as you came to the starting line. Now that was nearing the 6am mark, there were more and more people starting to come out. 

But you were with a driver. You knew all too well that it would be fine. Drivers are untouchable. You wanted to milk this for all it was worth. “Come on, Piazza! A light jog!” You added, wanting to enjoy this just all the little bit more. 

“You’re insane. No.” To prove his point, Oscar actually came down to sit on the road. And then he lay flat on his back. You watched him and exhaled, accepting one lap was all you were going to get. Hell, that was more cardio than you normally did. And besides, you knew Oscar had a rough night and was running in Sambas. Athlete aside, you were just surprised he managed the lap in as is. 

So you came to sit beside him, except you didn’t lay back and try to catch your breath as he did. No, instead you stretched your legs out and then leaned forward to stretch out your calf muscles. 

Oscar looked over at you and rolled his eyes. The ever insane gym junkie Y/N. He knew he should be doing the same. His flexibility had really taken a toll and besides that, he was stiff and restless from all the travelling and the stressful conversations with his girlfriend and team principals. Oscar sat up and brought his legs out just like you and leaned forward to stretch his hamstring. Just like you. 

You said nothing about this but you didn’t need to; the smug grin on your face was enough. You switched legs shortly. Oscar copied. You brought both legs together. So did he. You leaned back and brought your knee up to stretch your piriformis. Oscar begrudgingly did so. And so it went as you and Oscar stretched your entire bodies out right there at the starting line of the Sochi Circuit. It was when they finished the reverse pigeon pose on both sides that you stretched your legs out and made no move for another stretch. You both settled in a comfortable silence and watched the sky. 

Oscar watched the sunrise and smiled, feeling a lot lighter after the run and the stretching. He glanced over at you watching the sun and felt a sense of appreciation for you.

“Think carefully of who you choose to drive for.” You said, breaking him from the reverie. “This will be your first F1 team and it will reflect on how other teams in the future will see you.” Oscar was quiet as he thought about your words. Some birds were starting to fly across and Oscar noted how your eyes trailed them. 

Oscar took a steading moment and then said what had been on his mind the entire night. “Daniel Ricciardo is going to be dropped. Zak Brown wants me to be his replacement.” 

You didn’t react. 

You didn’t have to. 

All you did was keep watching the birds. 

Oscar pursed his lips. Of course you weren’t surprised. You were never surprised. And you already knew about Daniel.

“You know about Daniel and McLaren.” It really wasn’t a question. You offered him a soft smile in response and sat up to stretch out your hand to gently squeeze his. Oscar frowned. 

“My platonic brother in Christ,” you began with a sad smile and he grimaced, “you have a good heart. Don’t let this place take that shit away from you.” 

You let go of his hand and Oscar sat up to face you. “Why didn’t you— you didn’t say anything.” 

“It’s not my place, man, I just make the coffee.” You said with a full fledged smile. Oscar was at a loss for words. You often worked shifts at McLaren - he knew that because those were the days you had double sessions at the gym. Oscar never found it in himself to ask. Now, he did. 

“Do you not like… McLaren or anything?” Oscar asked. “Should I not drive for them.”

You were silent for a moment looking ahead of you before you spoke. “No, nothing wrong with the team.” It was clear there was something wrong with something. Oscar couldn’t ask because you stood up and held out a hand to him. He took it and let you pull him up. “Come on. Reserve drivers are only needed after lunch. I’ll give you some melatonin to help you sleep and then you can call your girlfriend.”

“And find a lawyer.” Oscar added. “But I think Zak Brown could get me one.”

“Always have your own lawyer.” You said with such a firm conviction that it had Oscar looking at you with curious eyes. 

Sometimes, he wondered how you knew so much about the ins and outs of life in Formula 1. 

-

“So you’re saying Y/N actually follows the NDA?” Zak asked, bringing his hands together to rest under his chin. 

“Yep. Wakes up at 4am everyday and works out for two hours. Doesn’t drink or smoke and if given the chance, would probably run a half marathon at every track. She's worked with F1 for years so she knows the diet and routine of a driver.” Oscar paused and then tried to remember some more facts now that he had his chance, his opening.

Never mind that he didn't know you were apparently born in the heart of Formula 1.

Though, that reminded him— “She's fluent in French. And Arabic. Which will be good for the Middle Eastern and European races." Oscar added, thinking of your background. Or what he did know of your background. "And she has an international license.” Or he thought you did, vaguely remembering you mention something about cars in Japan.

Japan!

“I think she also speaks Japanese pretty good.” Oscar said, remembering Spa last year and seeing you conversing with Yuki Tsunoda as you made him a matcha.

“Hmm.” Zak pursed his lips. His eyes scanned over the resume once more and then nodded. “Look, Oscar, it’s no secret that I want you for McLaren. I think you’d be a very good fit here. If you think Y/N would be a good fit with McLaren also, then I’m onboard with that.” 

Oscar nodded, finally letting himself let go of the seriousness and let out a smile. He honestly couldn’t believe what he was hearing. This was actually happening.

But if his father had taught him anything, it was to not get too carried away. Oscar kept composed as he kept his face as neutral as possible and smiled politely. “That sounds really awesome, Zak, thank you. When could we get everything in paper so I can go over it with her?” And his lawyer.

“I’ll speak to some people today and we’ll get a rough contract outline ready. Helen, the PR manager, will send it to you and Y/N,” Zak looked back at his screen, “to the email on the resume here. And then we can organise a meeting and move forward.” Oscar smiled once more, feeling the stress and tension dissipate from his shoulders. 

“But,” Zak then added, “I can’t really promise anything. The lawyers will need to sort this out since she’s already under contract with the Formula One Group and if they won’t release her then there might not be much we can do about it.”

Oscar nodded, frowning slightly. “I understand.” Admittedly, that was something he hadn’t thought about. He’d been too preoccupied trying to get Y/N a place with him on whatever team he joined that he didn’t think about her tie with Formula One Group. 

“If all goes well, though,” Zak was quick to add, seeing Oscar frown, “we could even sponsor some study for her and help her work her way up. If she’s as dedicated as you say, and has that sense of integrity and spirit, then McLaren would be perfect for her.”

Oscar knew Zak was trying to butter him up with the promise of having Y/N. And Oscar had to admit, it was working. This was about you, after all.

There was a knock on the door. Oscar recognised Zak’s PA but couldn’t recall a name. She offered him a warm smile and then apologised. “I’m so sorry to interrupt but Lando wants to speak with you.” 

“Yes of course!” Zak beamed. “Send him in.” He stood up and Oscar’s manners kicked in and he stood up also, assuming the meeting was now over. This reminded Zak of him and he returned his attention at the young Australia. “Unless you had any questions or anything else you wanted to add?” Zak’s question made Oscar want to laugh since they were both already standing up and Lando Norris was already through the door. 

Oscar knew how these politics were going to go. If he did sign with McLaren, Lando Norris was going to be the number 1 in everything. And not just in driver priority. 

“Nope, all good. Thank you again for listening and being so receptive to my request about Y/N.” Oscar held out his hand. Zak shook it and smiled. 

“I have a good feeling about this, Oscar. I’m looking forward to the future.” Zak said. He came around the table to greet Lando and Oscar smiled at his soon to be teammate. 

This wasn’t the first time Oscar had met Lando Norris, such was the small world of karting and racing. However, it was the first time that Oscar had seen Lando since Zak Brown had made it clear that he wanted him to be Norris’ new teammate.

Oscar wasn’t sure how to feel about Lando, knowing that the driver was equal points talented as he was, well, spoiled. Not that a spoiled F1 driver was a novelty, but Oscar had noticed that Y’N’s mornings before a McLaren shift always ended with a long sparring session with the punching bag.  

“Alright?” Lando said with a lazy acknowledgement. “Heard the news.”

Oscar’s kept his face straight. Of course Lando Norris would see no need for subtlety. The PR training all drivers went through for the media usually extended to the Paddock as a whole as conversations were always sanitised. Everyone knew that what you said wasn’t what you meant. Talking around the issue was part of the life of Formula 1. 

Oscar was used to this. So seeing Lando so abrupt about this, and in front of Zak Brown, was quite telling. Especially when it was doubtful that Daniel himself knew anything about his imminent redundancy. 

“Yeah, I’m good. Nice seeing you around.” Oscar said, keeping himself polite and respectful - and making no comment about the news. He looked at Zak Brown once more and offered his thanks before letting the PA show him out of the room. Oscar looked back to see Lando staring at him. Oscar considered just what he was signing up for. 

Still, Oscar could turn around and leave the office with a weight off his shoulders. Even though he knew how it would look, walking out of McLaren, he was surprisingly more at ease than ever. Sure, Oscar knew the fallout of leaving Alpine and joining McLaren would be bad; especially if it meant kicking out another driver - and one that was a personal hero, but he felt a lot more at ease. No matter the fallout, no matter Lando Norris, he knew it would be okay. Because he was going to have you right there next to him. 

There was no way Oscar was going to survive Formula 1 without you. And your gym addiction. 

-

taglist:

@eugene-emt-roe @spookystitchery

[drawnfamiliarfaces]

I’ve been curious about your input.

If Chase had gotten the chance to know First Ninja’s siblings before their deaths do you think that he would’ve obsessed over them like he does over First Ninja? Or do you think Chase only has focus on First?

Oof, okay this is a hard question to ask for a person who now ships FirstxChase somewhat hardcore, because my knee-jerk reaction is like 'First would always be his instant focus', but it prooooooobably would be more complicated.

Okay, first of all, if we are talking in 'general' terms of canon 'unknown' Norisu Clan, I think Chase's interest would not reach the obsessive levels. Sure, they would be of great interest to him, and he certainly wouldn't mind adding a whole Clan of powerful Ninjutsu Warriors to his Fallen Warriors/Jungle Cats harem.

But would he actively, obsessivily pursue them? Eh, it would depend I guess, but probably not. Too much hassle to get all 9, lol, he would fight every single one and just get the last one standing

Which sorta leads to my personal take on one of the reasons I portray Chase as obsessive about First: he is the last Norisu left. It would hold a certain appeal for Chase to have this last warrior, the survivor and thus the strongest (since everyone else had gone and got 'ultimate sacrificied' or whatever, such a waste of fighters, in Chase's opinion). You can say, having all 9 devalues them and thus it would hold less appeal to Chase (First is like a rare collectable hah).

BUT if we are talking about my own headcanons/characterizations of Norisu Clan, it would be something like this:

If Chase met Norisu Clan Siblings before they 'made the Ultimate Sacrifice', he probably would be very curious about them (perhaps not yet to obsessive level but definitily more than just 'ill keep an eye on them from afar' type of attention). As a whole, the Clan would present 1) a challenge to Chase's own ego and abilities and 2) a possible present/future threat if they ever focus on him and his evils, after the Sorcerer.

The Norisu Clan, while full of powerful warriors are not just general ninja fighters (they have the same 'basic' training so to say), but also highly specialized in their own fields/abilities/preferences/interests. So while the Siblings are all fascinating in their own right, individually would be of various interest to Chase himself, also depending on what sort of person they are. For example, Chase would be more interested to engage with a warrior than a courtier, or a weapon's master than a monk/holy person (and yes its a subtle peek at some of my hc for Norisu siblings lol). So, while his interest certainly wouldn't wane, his regards/preferences to certain siblings would be obvious.

The ones who would interest him the most would be the Oldest Sibling (arguebly the most powerful of Norisu) and the Youngest (the one with the most uncovered/hidden potential) aka First.

The Oldest is not only powerful, accomplished warrior in all of the fields the Norisu Clan is famous for, but also is The Head of the Clan, so already, Chase who respects power and leadership would be greatly tempted, but in my opinion he would also be intimidated in some sense.

The thing is, I believe that Chase while seeking and respecting powerful people, does not like it when someone is more powerful than him. They present a threat and reduces his chances of getting them under his influence/control.

Because while Chase loves being powerful, (he sold his soul for it after all), what he grew to love even more is to have those with power under his control. After all why else would he start collecting powerful warriors in his Fallen Warriors harem? He defeated those people and added their strength to his own. Same with Wuya, who was a powerful witch, and who he essentially crippled in order to keep her close, under his influence and less of threat. Same with Omi, whose potential he saw and wanted to have as his own, to nurture and direct.

So the Oldest Sibling would be a powerful temptation, but also a more obvious threat. The Youngest aka First, on the other hand? Would be an even bigger temptation with much less threat.

There is something special about First, after all he was the one who faced Sorcerer in the end. Perhaps his specialness only became obvious after a life changing tragedy of loosing his Siblings, but even under protective shadows of his Clan, he would be noticeable.

Chase would probably see that hidden potential and it will invoke this need for him to have this potential under his control and by his side. Perhaps he would try to manipulate First into joining him (like he did Omi), by using his siblings. Or even try to make him join by making them join? (Well, that's certainly some AUs to consider for later, lol.)

So, in short, would Chase obsess over the whole Clan in general? A little bit, but they would also be a greater threat to him as a whole so the obsession would be much more cautious I think. But would he obsess over them as means for him to manipulate one of them, First, into joining him? Much more likely IMO.

(it also segways into my hc about the overprotectiveness Norisu Siblings would feel when they realize Chase's attention to First and his desire to manipulate him, which would make them all go ballistic because NO CREEPY IMMORTAL PRINCE OF EVIL SHALL TRY TO MANIPULATE THEIR BABY BRO)

(of couse they do not need to worry, First's strength of character wouldn't waver under Chase's dubious attention. He is also too busy thinking about kicking Sorcerer's butt.)

[stormblessed95]

I don't follow or keep track of tiktok couples who got famous by making their relationship their job. Queer or straight couples, because I think that's a bad idea, but that's a whole seperate post (that we could relate to jikook as well if you want).

Oh please make one. I also think one of the major reason they became so private is to keep their relationship safe,not just from military or anything but just to keep it private and safe as possible. The reason nick and Pierre broke up was they started to feel like their relationship became more of a brand than an actual relationship. Like posting about your partner or private life once in a while is ok, especially if you are at two different places career wise, but making it your whole job and personality is definitely hard as gradually it will be just job and playing out characters for media than actual relationship.

Lowkey, saw this guy Chris from tiktok who said most of what I could say about it, he went through his own tiktok relationship public breakup too, it was awhile ago I believe. A relationship is between 2 people. You can share without giving it up for public consumption. You can share some stories and moments and your love without jeopardizing your privacy if you want to. And that's important.

Your intimacy as a couple together is meant for the 2 of you, not for people to invite themselves into. Tom Holland and Zendaya are a really good more recent example of a couple who does this. Jikook do not owe anyone confirmation of their relationship together (romantic or not) for it to exist. Their bond does not exist for our enjoyment. It's theirs. They can share without outting themselves. They can share without confirmation. They can not share without suddenly becoming enemies. They are real people, not characters in stories. Making your relationship what you base your content on or what you talk about all the time, makes things more fictional (for lack of a better word, it's not quite what I mean, but hopefully yall understand) at times because you don't just get to experience things, you have to turn them into a story for your audience too. And there is pressure to give the audience what they want. No one is owed anything here. From anyone online or from BTS or from Jikook. Everyone's relationships are their own.

I don't want Jikook to come out or confirm their relationship or anything. I want them to stay safe. I want them to only ever come out if and when they feel safe to do so. And if that's never, that's fine by me. I'd love it for the representation given on such a global scale, but I'd hate it because I worry about their safety enough ALREADY. Lol

[robertdowneyjjr]

In recent years, Tony has taken using the Robert Pattinson interview technique ie: lying about answers because he’s bored. Fav movie? Footloose. Fav food? Spaghetti. Fav band? Steely Dan

Again, non of these are true and he changes the answer so often people catch on he’s lying, which wasn’t a problem until he got a new set of friends that want to get him a birthday present and if they google anything about him the get…conflicting info. And asking him about what he wants makes him go all awwww no need i don’t need presents. Which is unhelpful

Unfortunately Steve is still too new to the future to catch the issue and give Tony some very thoughtful gifts based off his recent answers and Tony smiles and says he loves them and oops he’s committed

(Also please picture Steve planning a first date with Tony with them watching Footloose and eating spaghetti while listening to Steely Dan. And Tony did not hate any of them but they weren’t his actual fav but now they might be???)

And Steve does find out the problem on his own but makes Tony continue to pretend he enjoys his fake favs until he confesses lol

LMAO oh my god yes absolutely all of this.

to be fair, tony had never really given the press real answers whenever he was asked things that were too personal, even back in his younger days. he was already in the spotlight enough, he didn’t need the whole world to know every single thing about him. but he always had the same scripted answers just for consistency’s sake, and he always had some bullshit reason to explain it all. favorite food? new york pizza (because new york will always be home). favorite movie? the godfather part ii (because it reminds him of his mother’s stories about immigrating to america, and he doesn’t get to visit his grandparents nearly enough). favorite band? abba (who doesn’t like dancing queen?)

but after he comes back from afghanistan, after the ultimate wake up call, he just can’t be bothered with keeping the press happy anymore. he still doesn’t much care for letting people know too much about him, but he also doesn’t put too much effort into appeasing the press because he has other things to worry about. so the next time he gives an interview and the reporter asks him one of these inane questions, he tells her his favorite band is steely dan. then twitter goes wild. his ultra fans pull up the receipts from his past decade of interviews and calls him out on it. “i thought it was abba??” someone tweets, and it gets thousands of retweets. tony replies simply with, people change ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

from then on he makes it a point to give a different answer every single time he gets asked something personal. in 2008 his favorite band was steely dan. he was paramore’s biggest fan in 2009. in 2010 he became the world’s first and most famous directioner. 2011 rolled around and he told some random reporter on a red carpet that he only ever listened to duran duran. then in 2012 he wore a black sabbath t-shirt and everyone figured out that was his “favorite” of the year.

then he meets steve. sweet, wonderful, thoughtful steve, who has finally built up the courage after four years of friendship and asked tony out. steve, who wants nothing more than to impress tony and show him that he pays attention and wants to make this work. although tony had told steve early on that he should never trust what he reads on the internet, steve is adamant about planning the perfect first date. he wants a second date. and a third. and a fourth. you get the point. he needs tony to know he’s serious about building a relationship together.

so he googles. he bypasses all the opinion pieces and the articles that are clearly from gossip rags or less-than-credible news sources. but he figures official interviews that tony gives should be fair game, right? and man, does steve find out a lot about tony and the things he likes. he figures out quickly what he should cook for dinner: singaporean chilli crab (people magazine circa 2009). he sets the table with the loveliest carnations he could find (reddit ama circa 2014). he queues up footloose to play on the tv while they eat a homemade chocolate soufflé (vanity fair circa 2011 and tonight show circa 2015). steve’s done the research. he knows tony will be happy he’s put so much effort into this night.

and tony, well. he doesn’t hate all of those things but they were never really his favorites. his real favorites? his mama’s carbonara. ac/dc. back to the future. sunflowers. but he doesn’t want to burst steve’s bubble. none of that matters, anyway, when he gets to spend time with his ultimate favorite person.

(steve finally figures it out when rhodey comes to visit one day with a box of tiramisu from the hole-in-the-wall he and tony used to go to in boston and tony lights up in a way that he’s never done when eating steve’s chocolate soufflé. he still keeps making the soufflé though, just to see if tony would ever confess)

[majaloveschris]

I live in the NYC area and recently received a local newsletter from my neighborhood showing outdoor summer movies in the local public park.

The reason I’m telling you this is bc something kind of interesting happened. One of the movies they were showing this summer is mrs Harris goes to paris.

In the neighborhood newsletter blurb discussing the movie, they mentioned Lesley manville (the star), AB, and then isabelle huppert.

No mention of Lucas Bravo, Jason isaacs, etc.

It was really bizarre to me bc AB being listed as second billing for a random local newsletter makes little sense to me as she was very clearly not the star or even second star. Lucas B technically should be bigger than her as he has a pivotal role in Emily in Paris which is still going on and hasn’t been canceled, and he was just in a romcom hit with George Clooney and Julia roberts last summer. He’s also a professional model and has been on runways and mag spreads this past year alone.

Ab had WN that got canceled and she didn’t even do any interviews for the second season. She has not been in any large endorsements or gotten any super prestigious roles since, but she did go public with a more famous actor.

If anyone is questioning if the PR is working…there’s your answer. Her name is getting out there and the search algorithm for her name is getting more and more out there as well.

Is any of this due to her own talent and success? (LOL)

Or is it more likely the huge PR boost given to her by someone else’s name?

I think the reason some ppl, esp team real, is doubtful about PR bc AB herself is not doing the legwork to put her name out there for more positive professional recognition. Her very actions/inactions seem to point to her hoping that the PR boost will do the work for her.

Many women who started dating more famous men usually had their own careers or would leverage the association to their professional benefit. Examples: Kaia gerber (mother is supermodel Cindy Crawford, boyfriend is Austin butler), Gigi hadid (already famous in her own right) and whatever her thing is with Leo DiCaprio, Hannah Davis (model) and Derek Jeter, Natalie V (works in the industry) and Henry Cavill. You’ll see most of these women have their own personas and social media and continue to do their own thing outside of being connected to famous men. Even if you feel they dated/married up or are opportunists as well, they still have their own thing going on. They didn’t just go into hiding so all ppl will ever think of is that they’re spending all their time following their man around.

By contrast, the dating rumors began for AB and she immediately pivots to “never being seen” unless it’s to let ppl speculate she’s with him.

She gives the vibes of a person who very much hopes the offers will fall into her lap bc she got her name attached to an A lister. She forgot that she is not marketable by herself and has no IT factor so ppl are still not checking for her. Being pretty on a basic level and attending one fashion show does not make you a star.

I know ATP the discussions on this have hit beyond the point of broken record. But I stand by it - she never wanted to work for fame. She wanted it handed to her, and still does. Her little friends JA and his sister also wanted to reap the benefits by association, and really believed all of their statuses would magically elevate due to their “association” with an A lister.

No wonder CE has spent this entire year mentioning the “industry” and what it makes you do. This was a hint, y’all.

This whole "relationship" definitely gets her name out there. WN was successful, but not enough to give her a name in HW or in America.

I think one of the other really good examples of how big of a boost it is for her can be seen on WN's number. So the official People article came out on November 10, 2022, exactly on the day the show's second season debuted. The first season had never been trending before that. Not when it came out, not when they announced the second season. However, after the announcement, not just the second but even the first season started trending, with the first season in 32 countries and the second season in 70. I've seen that a lot of people have said they only started watching the show because they wanted to see who the woman Chris is dating is. And I will also admit that back in, like, January 2022, I also checked the show because I was interested in who she is.

Obviously, I'm not saying those people didn't like WN or that they just watched two seasons because she is dating him. I'm pretty sure there were people who did it because of that, but I'm also pretty sure there were people who liked the show and the characters, but maybe they didn't even know about it before that. WN is not my cup of tea, but that doesn't mean it's a bad show. Not at all. But I think the fact that it started trending and that more people started to watch it has to do with their relationship. It has to do a lot, in my opinion.

A lot of Chris fans love them together, support them, and even defend her and their relationship. So yeah, the fact that her name is now connected to his helps her out big time.

It always bugged me that she never really promoted her work. I guess she did a little more when the second season of WN came out, but it wasn't anything special. She also seems reluctant to engage with her fans. They keep tagging her; they write sweet messages for her, but no reaction. Not even a thank-you or anything like that. They were trying so hard to save WN.

I just don't like her or her personality. I mean what we can see from it.

[destinyc1020]

At the end of the day the problem is that people want bragging rights for their favourite actor (in this case Tom) on social media while they (the fans) are still on social media. I have no doubt in my mind that Tom will get many accolades in his career should he choose to continue acting because he is a good actor imo. Anyone that thinks he is doomed because its not happening right now is definitely being led by stan groups on social media. They want him to be white boy of the month or whatever they got going on over at twitter. Grand scheme of things, that's not important. Y'all will remain frustrated trying to get people on twitter to like Tom.

Their attention span on an actor depends on if a small group of people (critics) gave a project the thumbs up and whether said actors is making sure there's a steady stream of pretty pictures of him/her for them to look at. It's all fickle is what I'm saying. So you have to make a choice to either tune into Tom's projects and tune all that other noise out, stop stanning Tom altogether and find another actor who's getting the accolades you want to fawn over now or just leave the social media platform that's making you this exasperated about the career of a rich dude who could retire at anytime if he wanted to mind you (coz he's already THAT successful but it doesn't scratch the itch for the accolades obsessed fans, oh well).

At the end of the day the problem is that people want bragging rights for their favourite actor (in this case Tom) on social media while they (the fans) are still on social media.

Exactly! That's the problem.

I have no doubt in my mind that Tom will get many accolades in his career should he choose to continue acting because he is a good actor imo.

He is, and he will! Like I said earlier, whenever you are a good actor with talent, you're hard-working, you're easy to get along with, and people actually LIKE you, you WILL go far, and you will eventually get your flowers....ESPECIALLY if you're a white, straight man in Hollywood lol. Like c'mon...give me a break. 😅

Anyone that thinks he is doomed because its not happening right now is definitely being led by stan groups on social media.

BINGO!!!

They want him to be white boy of the month or whatever they got going on over at twitter.

Does everyone just forget that Tom WAS "White Boy of the Month" when Spider-Man HOCO came out?? 😅 Ummm...Tom was EVERYWHERE!! In fact, when I first saw that movie at the theater, within 15 mins of the movie I said to myself: "Omg...this guy is gonna be HUGE...he's gonna go far"... And I was right!

Like you said, people's careers ebb and flow and there will be one "White Boy of the Month" one year, and another one the next. The point is, what do you do AFTER that?? If you are a good, talented actor (like Tom is), you will CONTINUE to get roles and you will continue to be famous. Right now, Tom probably has way more fame that he can even handle or feel comfortable with lol. If he wishes to take a break, or only film one movie a year, that's his CHOICE.

So you have to make a choice to either tune into Tom's projects and tune all that other noise out, stop stanning Tom altogether and find another actor who's getting the accolades you want to fawn over now or just leave the social media platform that's making you this exasperated about the career of a rich dude who could retire at anytime if he wanted to

Or... there's option #4... You can continue to stan Tom, AND also be fans of other actors who are out here working today. You really don't have to pick and choose. You can do BOTH! 😅 It doesn't have to be either or! I do agree though that most fans need to stay off of Twitter if they wish to maintain their sanity.

[lovesitcomsandgaystuffs]

What's your opinion on the theory I've seen a ton that Azz's bloodline ability is for whatever reason going to be related to "transforming into a woman" or "swapping genders"?

I personally can't stand the theory myself but I'm curious on your thoughts about it :0

Hi! thanks for your question.

In short I can't stand this theory either, every time I read it I roll my eyes.

I think this theory is closely tied to another one where they say Azz is female and this is going to be revealed later, both really bother me.

I feel like a certain part of the fandom really wants Azz to be a woman for reasons that sound slightly homophobic.... The amount of comments I saw saying things like "Azz should have been a woman" "If Azz was a girl she'd be part of Iruma's harem" "it would be better if Azz was a girl" etc.

Now does this theory have any basis? Let's see...

One of the reasons I see used in these theories is that Azz's name is Alice which is a feminine name, personally I didn't think much of it because I can see Amaryllis giving her child the name she likes regardless of the child's gender or that even in the Underworld they don't give much importance to whether it is a feminine or masculine name.

However, for many people this detail is important and I fully understand why.

Azz is the only male character to have a female name (or the only character to have a name that does not match their gender).

Now this is not really true because

Pamela is also a feminine name curiously his last name is Incu which sounds very similar to incubus so looking at Pame's personality (stereotypes sorry) and this it would not be crazy to assume that Pamela is an incubus.

But what if in Japanese his last name is totally different from incubus and this is just a coincidence?

Incubus in Japanese is インキュバス and Pamela's last name is インキュ so I don't think it's a coincidence.

I'm going to digress and talk a little bit about Pame, sorry!!!

I find it interesting how Pamela is the only one of the first year demons that Nishi-sensei didn't show us his bloodline magic but specialty magic.

Just like Azz and fire, entice is not Incu's bloodline magic it's a magic he's good at.

And in the episode before this one Nishi-sensei reminds us that they are not the same in this scene (using screenshots of the spanish version because it fits more to what I'm trying to say lol)

Oolo: I'm glad to be on the Agares team! Your special skills are the best!

Agares: it's not my special skills, it's my bloodline magic skills.

Funny how the two male characters who have female names are Azz, son of a succubus (would that make him an incubus?) and Pame who could also be an incubus and his magic specialty is entice.

(I once read a Japanese fan with the theory that maybe this was a sort of a succubus tradition something like "for good luck give your son a female name!" or maybe they just don't care about the gender of the names)

Anyway, this brings me to another of the arguments used by those who have the theory that Azz can swapping genders/become a woman.

So far all the Asmodeus family members we have seen are female except Azz and we have only seen succubus and no incubus (maybe incubus don't exist in Mairuma?).

Incubus exist in Mairuma because in the spin off there is a character who is one, although we can take it with a grain of salt because this spin off is canon but not written by Nishi-sensei.

But Nishi-sensei already confirmed that succubi are a race of demons in Mairuma and that incubus also exist.

Last of the reasons and my favorite although not many do not talk about it.

Asmodeus and Solomon changing places (legend in the Talmud).

One of the most famous stories of Solomon and Asmodeus is where Asmodeus tricks him into giving up his throne.

'Solomon continued to keep Ashmedai imprisoned, but one day, Ashmedai in turn tricked Solomon into taking off his magic ring. Thereupon Solomon lost his power over the demon-king, and Ashmedai cast Solomon off his throne. Ashmedai assumed Solomon’s appearance and ruled in his place, while the real Solomon became a wandering beggar. Eventually, Solomon returned to Jerusalem and warned the sages about the counterfeit.

When King Solomon returned, Asmodai fled from his wrath.Similar legends can be found in Islamic folklore. There Asmodeus is called Sakhr (Arabic: صخر the Rock or the Stony One), because in Islamic lore, Solomon banished him into a rock, after he takes his kingdom back from him. There he counts as the king of the jinn'

If Azz's bloodline magic is inspired by this legend, it would make sense that he could shape-shift (or at least swapping genders).

But according to what Ifrit-sensei said Azz's bloodline magic is something he could use to defeat him in battle and I don't see how swapping genders would be useful in that situation.

Again I made an unnecessarily long post where I ramble a lot to end up saying almost nothing in one question, sorry!

Resumen, I like this theory? No

Can I stand it? Not at all

I think it is likely to be true? Honestly no

If it is true how would I react? Very disappointed

+ plus that it does not have much relation but I take this opportunity to add it since I talked about entice and Pamela.

Again, using the Spanish translation as an example because blah blah blah

I want to point out that it seems important to me that the manga tells us that magic like "entice, charm, aphrodisiac" is not a bloodline magic but a magic that basically everyone can learn it, some may have special talent for it like Pamela.

For example both Kerori and Azz (probably Ix as well) have charm among their special abilities on the sheet measuring skills in chapter 219.

"Special shows your special abilities".

So obviously the bloodline magic of the Asmodeus family is not going to be similar to a magic that in theory a lot of demons can use, if it is related to seduction it's going to be in an unconventional way, me thinks.

[dawnrider]

Hi doll! I’m sending you these asks now for your 20 yr tomorrow.

Happy 20 Years Dawn! That’s so exciting! 💕You ready for some questions, because I wanna know so much.

1. What is your favorite story you’ve written? (It doesn’t have to be completed or even posted, just one that stands out for you.)

2. Do you have any projects coming up for this next year that you’re excited about?

3. Would you rather become a famous writer, being able to make money for doing something you love, or keep writing as a hobby for the rest of your life, but still really enjoying it?

4. What made you start writing in the first place?

5. Do anybody in your life outside of tumblr/fanfiction/ao3 know you write? What was their response/how do they feel about it now?

6. Is there anything you’d like to learn? (Could be a hobby, a new technique in your writing, a skill for work, improvement for something you already do,etc.)

7. What is something most people don’t know about you?

8. If you could write one paragraph (3-5 sentences) to describe your life, your experiences, your personality, who you are, what would it say?

9. Any advice for people who write/create, new beginners or experienced ones?

10. What is a goal you wish to accomplish this next year in regard to writing?

Well hi @heynikkiyousofine! Here goes!

1. What is your favorite story you’ve written? (It doesn’t have to be completed or even posted, just one that stands out for you.)

I think it's a toss up between To Sleep Perchance to Dream, How Does Your Garden Grow, and Given. They're all pretty different, but they all try to characterize our favorite idiots as close to canon as I could get them.

2. Do you have any projects coming up for this next year that you’re excited about?

I'm always tinkering, puttering, procrastinating. I'm excited to finish up Garden, which will hopefully be sooner rather than later. And Possibly Your Lying Smile, if the stars align properly. And of course, always excited for @inuparentsday in January!

3. Would you rather become a famous writer, being able to make money for doing something you love, or keep writing as a hobby for the rest of your life, but still really enjoying it?

That's a hard one. If I could still love it as much as I do and make money from it? I think that's a no brainer. But obviously the reality is a lot different. Writing doesn't pay the bills, especially not right away. So I can dream about it, but I think it will always just be a hobby, and that's ok.

4. What made you start writing in the first place?

I used to write silly stuff as a kid. Like 10/12 years old. I always wanted more story than what I read. So I made more. I started fanfiction in college though. I was inspired, was often alone, and had the free time between classes and while working overnights in my dorm.

5. Do anybody in your life outside of tumblr/fanfiction/ao3 know you write? What was their response/how do they feel about it now?

Just a neighbor friend, and now my best friend. Obviously Mister does too. My neighbor is an editor, so I asked for her help with the chapter Fundamental from Bushel and a Peck. I wanted an outside perspective and she was willing to help. My best friend I just recently told and she was very happy for me. She was amazed that I'd kept it secret for so long, but also impressed that I had done something for so long.

Mister is... He's not always that supportive. But it is what it is.

6. Is there anything you’d like to learn? (Could be a hobby, a new technique in your writing, a skill for work, improvement for something you already do, etc.)

I always dream about being able to do art. I can admit that I just don't have the patience to keep at it. I'm one of those people that doesn't stick with something if I think I suck at it. I do dabble with handwriting/hand lettering stuff and would like to work on it more.

7. What is something most people don’t know about you?

Uh.... Hell... lol I've mentioned it before, but maybe not recently. I am a swing dancer. Mainly Lindy Hop. I haven't gone as much recently with kids and COVID, but at one time I danced 4-6 nights a week. I was an instructor in my old city for years.

8. If you could write one paragraph (3-5 sentences) to describe your life, your experiences, your personality, who you are, what would it say?

I suppose I would say that I am someone who tries to take care of others, sometimes to the detriment of myself. It has been my mode of operation for most of my life. Writing is one way in which I am able to do something that is ultimately for me. (Though I share it with you all because I can and you're so kind about it!)

9. Any advice for people who write/create, new beginners or experienced ones?

Mostly that you should enjoy it. It was something we often said about dancing (as a hobby): Once it's not fun anymore, it becomes Work™. Don't make your hobby Work™. You are not obligated to anyone to create something in a certain way, in a certain timeframe, or even at all. If you choose to post your work, do it when you're ready to, not because someone is making demands of you.

10. What is a goal you wish to accomplish this next year in regard to writing?

Finishing WIPs where I can manage it. And moving older stuff from FFnet to AO3 after editing and modifying as needed.

[krskrash]

Art in the Digital Wilderness...

Im just gonna be brutally honest with how I feel at the moment. And this may come off really weird & cringey, but it is what it is. maybe you can relate to this in some way, who knows.

maybe you'll just hate on it... because, that does seem to be the current state of content nowadays: hate watch it. hate read it. hate lurk it. hate hate it. we're in a ✨ Hate Era ✨ that aside...yet slightly in mind... trying to grow as an artist in this day and age seems like a ridiculous struggle that I cannot even wrap my head around, daily.

any and all tips for artists to grow, seems to be extremely outdated and honestly just a guessing game. 

I don't think anyone is out here actually cracking the algorithms; I think it just comes down to...

being at the right place, at the right time, with the right people watching or stumbling across your content... and it all adds up together to...

✨ Sheer luck! ✨

Yes, hard work and determination is also involved. I don't mean to discredit anyone's success; but just... "pOsTiNg CoNtEnT dAiLy!" & "EnGaGiNg WiTh YoUr AuDiEnCe!" or... "cOlLaBoRaTiNg!" only gets you so far, if anywhere.  Honestly, a lot of that art advice just seems designed to maintain the popularity of the already popular artist, at the moment.

We are being sold, a pyramid scheme, people!

At least it seems that way... How many art groups have you joined, just to end up being another number at the end of the day?

How many “ArT rElAtEd” questions have you put out there, in a caption, before pressing 'Send', just to be left answerless. How many group art trades have you joined, for it to just zap any and all creativity out of you, at the end?

How many tags have you used...

Or don’t use!

What are your thoughts on tags?

Do you use "keywords" nowadays?

How many "viral trends" have you tried to follow, or successfully followed, just to be left with the same results in the end. 

Absolutely Nothin'.

Another silent struggle that no one really talks about is, gaining a large following and it not reflecting towards your art content or the actual thing that you're working towards, at all.

Sure, it's great that a lot of people are following you, but... don't you...also... want those people... following you...for... Your Content...too?

I don't just want to be ✨ TuMbLr FaMoUs ✨ ...okay, calm down could I be any more dramatic?!

...I want my work to actually be seen and appreciated at the end of the day, too. WOW! How original. This is what most people want, as artists. . . ..Is what you must be thinking, right about now. As Chandler Bing (the late Matthew Perry) would say...

Thanks! Im just being honest about my current thoughts at the moment, pertaining to art, if that's ok with you! I bet Van Gogh felt a similar way, when he was alive.

Did you know? Even though considered a master now, Van Gogh only managed to sell one painting during his lifetime - ‘The Red Vineyard'.

Yes, I just compared myself to The Great, Vincent Van Gogh.

What?

Im still trying to achieve the art audience that I've been not just waiting for, but trying to attract since like 2016...only with a bunch of people following me now lol

And it's crazy to think about the state of social media noways. There was once a time on Instagram, where nudes were not allowed, At All.

I received a suspension for posting what I believed to be a tasteful nude Drawing, a while back...

Now, open up Instagram, I guarantee, you're gonna see a pair of fake tits in your face, with nothing but a thin sheer fabric not even trying to hide a nipple. It's wild.  Like, don't get me wrong, Im not hating...but if I post slightly nude art now on instagram, is it gonna get yeeted, meanwhile the actual nipples get to stay up...

I also realize that lately I have a love/hate relationship with digital art. Don't get me wrong, digital art is great for it's conveniences purposes...but Im more of a traditional art girly. That's the art medium I started with and I miss getting messy with paints and all that. These are things that can be improved in the future, but I feel kind of defeated every now and then. And I don't think Im alone in this. I watched a YouTube video from someone the other day, RawBeautyKristi, and she kind of shared a similar feeling towards social media at the moment or the state of it. Just everything is very much hate fuelled, vapid. Empty. It just kind of feels like...what's the point? you know? and I guess what Im trying to say is that...Im supposed to find the point, we're supposed to find the point; but I haven't found it yet. And maybe you haven't found it yet, either. I feel kind of discouraged to create things and that this is a whole different level, of something that just...Im turning into a competition, when there really is no way to compete with this. especially when it comes to digital art, or art in general. Social media, even. But I can't help but think about the first time I put my work out there and how well it was received. I guess I've been trying to capture that same reaction or outcome with art again, but it really was just luck.

I don't think what I shared is really that original, I think a lot of people artists or not, could relate to some degree: a desire for recognition of some sort…and I want to be a Van Gogh; as cliché as that may sound it's the truth.

but maybe it's just not meant for me. and I guess Im just trying to find a way to be ok with that and also acknowledge other factors like:

I've moved, changed art mediums and changed my social media handles a bit here and there; which, all of that combined, also makes it difficult to follow or keep up with someone. Put digital art aside and turn to traditional art...we have...Child Art Prodigy’s out here. Like how do you compete with that?! The answer is you don't! lol There's really no need for this kind of pressure that Im putting on myself.

Which is why questions like this are laughable:

because there's really nothing I can do, and Im not going to drive myself into a mental state, all in the name of trying to stay relevant. you know what Im saying? I don't know... Perhaps it's about, exploring platforms beyond the mainstream; supporting each other, and finding joy in the process, not just the numbers. Our art deserves to be seen, appreciated, and celebrated; but it's also ok if it takes a little longer than others, or doesn't happen at all... maybe it'll happen. maybe it won't.

So, let's redefine success beyond follower counts and algorithms. Let's create a space where every artist's journey is acknowledged and celebrated. Share your stories, your struggles, and your victories. Let's navigate this together. And remember: "We don't make mistakes - we just have happy accidents." - Bob Ross

[zeglythofficial]

Aha a new video with a different editing POV. Me likey. Boy, isn’t human behavior fascinating and human relations even more so? I’ll say my thesis statement - is to try and get under the skin of RT.  I know we are definitely not imagining things between them. So the question is what is it between them. Why do they have such attraction. This is beyond co-stars, friends, buddies, you name it. We have already done a fabulous job processing these two but now we need to deconstruct them. Are they truly in the burgeoning stages of something deep or are they simply two empathetic people meeting in platonic joy?

R always looks impressed with T. Even simple whistling or him shooing away an airplane. Surely her bf has some skills to amuse her unless she’s a deeply kind person being complimentary. X for doubt but further I think comparisons with other co-stars might provide extra clarity.

Agreed!

Omg, she’s biting her lip. Ohhh, to be in her brain right now: psychologically a little heavy, he says. Maybe, she and Tom had very deep conversations about their characters, which tied into another commentor who indicated that it was through rehearsals that the true depths of their feelings where revealed. Like they were using their characters to say what they truly wanted to say but why? Tom already did that in that Vanity fair interview as himself. Rachel spent most of the press tour singing his praises. Why use Lucy Gray and Snow as avatars then. Any deets?

Agreed! Tom was surprised and unsure what to say. It was such a huge out pouring of emotion from her or maybe he didn’t want to say anything after the way that KISS interview went. I wonder what order this was. Also, her outpouring was so obvious that maybe concerns about Js reaction might have popped in his mind. Remember that 1 million hit interview.

He wanted her. Does she want him and in what way?

When T likes someone (in non-attraction way), he’s polite not as playful. There’s an interview with T and Hunter  and his body language was very neutral. I get the sense, Hunter is more fond of him.

I think we’re in the beginning stages of something deeper :) but for now, they’re enjoying the bliss of their friendship

1. She’s very impressed with him in generally and I think it’s because like she said herself “he’s going to be so famous” so she’s happy to know him!

3. I think it’s easier to express feelings when it’s not coming from you but “someone else”, example Coryo and Lucy Gray. Like R and T having deep convos about what their characters would do and say is more safe than having a convo about themselves and their own feelings. So R would say, “Lucy Gray would love if Coryo kissed her full of passion!” And T would go “Yeah! Coryo would tongue kiss her and hold her face!” But in reality, they’re voicing their own desires onto their characters.

4. T was speechless and got flustered. I wish we knew the order of interviews too. T always did interviews with J that day too so he kept in respectful with R lol

5. R wants him but she seems conflicted! J has a hold on her

6. T and H are more friendly vibes! I think they’re equally fond of each other but aren’t playful. My friend (not the tarot one!!!) said the actress who plays Clemmie might have a crush T but he’s not interested at all lol. I found that hilarious.

[theneighborhoodwatch]

Hi! I am real new to Welcome Home and was piecing together all the stuff on the site until I realized, someone already did it!!! So thank you for this excellent collection of information! However, there was one thing I noticed that I did not see mentioned anywhere, and I am not entirely sure it is relevant but I wanted to get peoples thoughts.

The "About Us" page mentions that Ronald Dorelaine is likely the creator of the show (or Playfellow, or both?). Dorelaine is an interesting surname and I couldn't find any information about it ever having been used as a surname. I messed around with anagrams and found "R. Dorelaine" is an anagram for "Ed Lorraine", which are the first names of the famous American demonologists Ed and Lorraine Warren - specifically, their collective career is responsible for a LOT of American horror, especiallg that which seems to share some themes with Welcome Home. Most notably IMO is Poltergeist, Amityville Horror, and Annabelle.

The Warrens were Roman Catholic and often participated in cases where they were tasked with assisting in investigating and/or exorcising some kind of demon or malevolent spirit from a house that, in its own metaphysical way, has "come alive". Considering the use of some demonology references (Baphomet/Tarot/"as above so below") as well as christian imagery (the cufflinks), and the obscure nature of Home's intelligence, I wondered if this was unintentional or maybe something more!! :)

It could be totally grasping at straws, but I thought it was a cool coincidence nonetheless and was curious what people (who've been familiar with the source material longer than I, lol) might think!

OHHH - this is more in the realm of speculation, i think, but that is a REALLY interesting find... my personal theory for the time being is that "dorelaine" was chosen as a surname for ol' ronnie bc of its similarity to "darling," (or in-universe, the other way around) i don't think i can really confirm whether or not either of these are intentional yet, though - both because so much of welcome home is still either under wraps or in development, and because as much as i fantasize about being a proofreader some day, i'm not the one writing welcome home. i also wanna reiterate that the cross cufflinks were scrapped, like, Right before the website first went live, and any cross imagery seems to have been relegated to home himself - although that's still significant in this context, given the third paragraph.

also! to answer your question of "so is dorelaine or the playfellow workshop the creator of the show?" - older versions of the "what's welcome home" page listed both as the show's creator interchangeably, but after the january 14th update, it only lists the playfellow workshop as the producer/creator, meanwhile ronald dorelaine's name is relegated to the "about us" page, and with more ambiguous phrasing to boot (i.e. "he must be the creator [of welcome home and/or the playfellow workshop" rather than "he is the creator.")

tl;dr: is it intentional? i have no idea. is it a really neat observation regardless though? absolutely yes.

this whole thing, though, does get me thinking about the concept of haunted objects/locations in the context of welcome home. ever since the january 14th update, the website itself seems to be acting as a prologue to the rest of the story, and so far has been playing out as a much more typical horror story than one would expect - there's a plucky everyman research team, mysterious lost media with an even more mysterious creator, and a strange puppet (or at least, the most prominent of the bunch) seemingly haunting their website for reasons yet unknown. i believe this is intentional, though - from the way clown himself describes the project on his website, welcome home seems much more interested in the puppets' perspective than anyone else's. the question is no longer "wouldn't it be fucked up if puppets killed you?" but "wouldn't it be fucked up to be a puppet?" in that sense, i think it's strangely appropriate that our introduction to this project - to these characters - is filtered through others' perceptions of them. even wally, who you'd think would be the obvious exception, seems hesitant to reveal too much right off the bat (or equally likely, he's being as straightforward as he can be, and there's something very very important he isn't taking into account.)

i don't think welcome home is a Literal ghost/posession story, if it is such a story at all - i feel that would be too easy, almost, to have everything be explained by "a ghost/demon did it" - but i have to wonder, if we frame the events of welcome home (or what we've glimpsed of them so far) as a haunting Of Some Sort: are the neighbors doing the haunting, desperate for communication but unable to leave the town that was built for them even after it stopped being of any use to its creators? or are they themselves being haunted, their existence both sustained and horribly limited by human interference, shaped by ideals they barely even comprehend? is it both? "as above, so below" - commonly understood to be talking about celestial mechanics's effects on terrestrial happenings (the seasons, the tide, etc.) i have seen it also summarized as "what happens in a higher realm or plane of existence also happens in a lower realm and vice versa," and that is interesting, isn't it? i cannot speak to the presence of demonology in welcome home proper, as the baphomet imagery seems exclusive to some relatively Ancient concept art for a version of welcome home that has long since been scrapped, but the fact that "as above so below" seems to have survived in some form is very. smiles wide showing my teeth and gums.

[rei-caldombra]

Uramichi Onii-San- The Woes of the Working Adult - Anime Review

This is a very low spoiler review for anyone reading this who has not seen the show. There is just one section that has direct spoilers, outside of that it’s just general premise and thematic stuff that I talk about. This show is also a slice of life comedy with no proper plot so I would not be concerned about the spoiler I bring up there ruining your viewing experience. 

I’d call this a pretty straightforward comedy with flavoring of adult suffering. Quick synopsis-- this show is about a group of adults who work on a children’s tv program where kids are present on set. Most of the actors are very mentally unwell due to the daily stresses of life, to the point where they can’t even keep their masks on completely for their job. Which leads to very funny outbursts of depressing reality. 

It's really nice having a show about working adults and the mid 20s-early 30s age group that I think of as the earlier proper adult range. This is an age group that is usually just segmented to a few side characters in most anime and manga. As someone who has entered this age group in recent years, I relate a lot to what's going on here and, in a way, fear my approach to the age of the adults on screen lol. There are so many issues of adult suffering that get brought up here. To mention some of them- Numbness to emotions, not wanting to get out of bed, not having confidence that you will be willing to get up in the morning, that urge to go to a random place just to avoid going to work (I directly relate to his experience of his urge to get on a random bus rather than his work bus, but for me its been wanting to get on a random train). Feeling lost and directionless. Stuck in the day to day. Feeling unsatisfied with what your life is making out to be. Thinking you are dull. Pushing through difficult times for a specific goal. Having something you were passionate and successful at before that did not translate into a job in that field. Feeling despair over not being in a relationship, pressure to get married. Not having many friends. Relying on little moments of happiness. Needing to do your job no matter how terrible you feel. Feeling suppressed by society. Annoying unreasonable bosses. Considering a few days off in a row is a momentous occasion. Even if you are not as mentally unwell as many of the characters in this show, if you are a working adult you will have lots of moments that you can relate to. 

While it does bring up these very real and depressing things, don’t misconstrued it as the tone being genuinely depressing or heavy. They really are played as jokes despite the truth to them both irl and for the characters in universe. This is not a show that will bring down your mood. The comedy works super well for me, I think the show is very funny. When it comes to shows that are primarily comedies, it's hard to say much more than that. Directly describing jokes takes away part of their punch for anyone who hasn't seen them already, and loses the context that helps make them funny, so I'm going to avoid bringing up specific segments I really liked, as much as I really want to talk about some of them. All I will say is the main bit of the show is the adult characters reacting to positive/innocent things with a jaded adult perspective. 

You can empathize very easily with the characters through their very relatable and real issues. This does a great job of getting you invested in the characters. I really like the inner monologues we get from Uramichi that show his thought process. The characters largely do feel like they could be real people. 

Having a character voiced by Mamoru Miyano is always a plus, I actually first came across this show because of clips of his character. There’s a lot of famous Japanese voice actors here- the previously mentioned legend, Hiroshi Kamiya, Sugita Tomokazu and Yuuichi Nakamura. I knew I recognized most of the main character’s voices when I first heard them. As such the voice acting is super good. 

I don’t know much about being a children’s programming actor so it is interesting to get a glimpse into that. Such as the detail that the costumed characters' lines during a live show are pre recorded and played through speakers. It's also interesting seeing them adapt scenes to random things happening, like the kids asking certain questions. The characters needing to act and follow a script while also reacting to the chaotic element that is children makes for an interesting setting. I do feel I got a good glimpse into this space from Uramichi San. I tend to really like slices of life that focus on niche subjects. I like getting a glimpse into a space I know nothing about through something more interesting than documentaries or articles. And to me the mark of a good niche subject show is not successfully appealing to people already in that niche, it is being able to interest people who aren’t. If a show can keep someone with no knowledge or interest in that niche entertained, it’s got great writing and execution. And Uramichi San certainly does keep me interested.

I do have one talking point that does require bringing up some examples directly. One criticism I do have is that there's a bit of dissonance between whether you can take what the characters are saying as real or not. There are times when Uramichi will say something depressing while performing on the show and other characters would react as you would expect if someone said something they shouldn’t around kids. But then other times where he does and the characters don’t react as if he did. Sometimes you can assume the camera or audio is not going in these moments but there are moments where you can’t justify that. When they put on the concert is one place you see this. The jokes of the songs going from positive to depressing while continuing to have the energy of a kids song are genuinely really funny. But it does take you out of it a bit because in context that implies the song was actually written that way. Which doesn’t make sense for the in-universe shows writers to do. And it doesn’t make sense for the characters to suddenly not follow the song’s actual lyrics and not have anyone react weirdly to it, including the audience. It tends to leave you thinking something along the lines of “wait, are they just gonna leave that in?”.There is some internal consistency with the children reacting properly at least, as the show goes on the kids replicate the depressing ideas more often. Which is funny and makes sense. This doesn’t ruin things completely, but it does kinda hurt your desire to think about what the characters are doing more deeply due to the lax internal consistency. I think you just have to accept it's loose with these things and that the priority is telling jokes over having a 100% consistent view. It's a bit awkward but I can accept it because the jokes we get out of this are generally quite funny. 

When it comes to art and animation, it’s pretty good. There is extra fluidity during more high movement scenes which are nice to see. There are a lot of great expressions that manage to portray the impression of someone smiling through suffering. The overall presentation of colors, character designs, etc. are good too and fit with the setting of a children's program. I like the variety of hairstyles we get from all the characters. I have no complaints in the presentation department. 

I’ve been enjoying this show a lot! I love these barely functional adults whose hinges are largely broken. It’s very funny and I like the adult themes it brings up. It’s not perfect in its execution at times, which can break your immersion a bit, but what you get from that loose attitude still works. Despite frequently bringing up depressing subject matter that any adult out there will find something to heavily relate to, it manages to keep a very silly and positive tone. This show comes very highly recommended! I hope you are properly taking care of yourselves my fellow working adults. Stay strong and thanks for reading!

Also Kumatani is best boy.

[woaddragoon-nadya]

Predicting the end of 2.55

Just finished up the fight for Ishgard, but I haven't started crystal tower yet so I'll give my thoughts just to see what comes of them. Also just some of my thoughts on stories/characters

Spoilers for 2.0 onwards below!

1. Betrayal of the Braves

I think the leader of the Braves is going to backstab Alphinaud. Obviously he's still alive given the trailers, but I think maybe the leader turns the Braves into an evil organization? I don't see any promo materials after this that include them. Idk he for sure killed that other kid. I just don't see the benefit other than money. Maybe he's a monetarist?

2. Alphinaud is SUPER immature

Alphinaud is pissing me off. Still love him, but he is just so naive. "You guys are the absolute worst for not helping Ishgard!! 😡😡"

The Admiral (being logical) "We have to farm out jobs to WOL because we don't have enough people for our own problems? Also we literally JUST had a war that killed hundreds (if not thousands) of soldiers? That Ishgard didn't help with? WOL also just uncovered a double agent within the Flames even though Ul'dah is already on the edge of collapse? Where are we getting soldiers from??" And Alphinaud, who really shouldn't even be at this meeting, gets mad at her! Buddy this is a stupid hill to die on!!

They always say the Alphinaud is the negotiator but I'd argue like half of the other scions would be better candidates. It always is so weird to me that everyone calls him "Commander Leveilleur." He looks and acts like he's 19 (coming from a 19 year old)! Surely Papalymo, Y'shtola, Thancred, or hell even Urianger would be better? Somebody more mature with fewer anger issues.

3. Losing the Light

Also, maybe its just the RPer in me, but I really wish there was more emphasis on WoL losing the light. Hopefully that'll come after the crystal tower quests? Imagine you're the chosen one. The fabric of the universe decides to make you her sword. And some dead fuckin dragon just takes it away for no reason? The main reason anybody gives a shit about WoL is because they are so powerful and special. So the fact that we can't tell anyone that a part of us got ripped away? Minfilia goes "aw that sucks." And we just don't do anything else? Moonbryda probably would've lived if we still had the light. And we aren't IMMEDIATELY swords/wands blazing killing the thing that did that to us?

Every time my WOL shrugs when asked how she's doing I want to tell at the screen. Like "Babes, you're TRAUMATIZED. Everybody uses you for their personal benefit. You just lost like half your ability to fight the people you are famous for fighting. Say something please!" And she does not.

4. Tarturu future?

My final note: If Tarturu dies I'll riot. Idk I'm terrible with facial expressions so maybe it wasn't meant to be sinister but her send off at the end of her little quest is making me nervous.

5. Final Thoughts

I absolutely adore FFXIV, and I hope this doesn't make anybody think I don't. Most of it is great. I'm super happy to be working with Cid and his crew for the Crystal Tower because they were by far my favorite part of ARR. I've really been enjoying the 8-mans even though I fucked one up earlier by not looking up the mechanics beforehand (what a way to be introduced to tank busters lol). It's just some of the story stuff that can be a little frustrating. I know that shrugging off your trauma is kind of just the way it goes with MMORPGs but knowing that doesn't make me feel any better y'know?

[thyenemybeloved]

What does Shaozhen even look like?

Hello! Thank you so much for the ask :D I definitely plan on posting a sketch of him in the near future and there are still a few things that I must decide on about his final design but I'll try to answer your question as accurately as possible!

Appearance-wise, he's very much a fusion between my own version of Sanzang and Wukong (that you can see in said previous post I made): he's closer to Sanzang in size (1m70 as opposed to Wukong's 1m60) and looks more human-like than Wukong. Basically, where Wukong looks very much like a humanoid monkey demon, Shaozhen looks more like a human with monkey-like features (like his nose/mouth area and ears are more monkey-like, and he also has fangs and claws), he has white/blond/light-colored fur covering most of his body (not as much as Wukong's though) but he's missing a tail. He has similar eyes to Wukong's but gentler and his sclera is lighter with blue (?) irises (still haven't decided yet). Overall, despite his demonic heritage, he kinda has an angelic/saintly air about him, "pure" for a lack of better word. Since I picture both Sanzang and Wukong as being rather beautiful (though in their own, different ways), I also imagine Shaozhen to be the same but I will need to draw them side by side to really differenciate the different ways I imagine them to look, which is similar enough to notice their relation to each other but also different enough that they all look unique and like their own person, which is difficult to put in writing alone.

(Although, bear in mind that in my story, he's only known as Sanzang's child at first, which is already taboo enough on its own given Sanzang's status as a monk, and not Wukong's, which is why Shaozhen usually hide his appearance. He's already being ostracised and shamed for being the son of a monk, especially one as famous as Sanzang, and since he and his group are often relying on people's charity during their travels, he cannot afford to let people know about his true nature as it would both further compromise Sanzang's reputation as well as his group's ability to find shelter and whatnot, given that they're all demons and Shaozhen is considered the only "normal" one in their group.)

His clothes are honestly the coolest part of his design in my opinion: he wears long, all-white robes that covers the entirety of his body and a large straw hat with a long, half-opaque white veil that mostly hides his face from view. He also wears several pieces of golden jewelry that are actually power limiters, kinda like Wukong's circlet. He's known to never reveal his face under any circumstances, which he likes to claim is because of "spiritual reasons/modesty", which causes a lot of people to gossip about him but he honestly couldn't care less. Underneath his robes, he wears a black, sleeveless turtleneck shirt and combat pants for when he needs to fight. Basically, he looks very regal, elegant and refined as per his monk status but when he's angry or fighting, all this refinement goes of of the window. He's also way more laidback when in the company of his friends alone, it's just that he has to pretend a lot and be composed most of the time, lest people find out his secrets. Shaozhen is also never seen without his fan and antique cigarette-holder because he's classy like that.

There you go! So sorry this got so long, I know I kinda rambled a lot but I was pretty excited and this quickly got out of hand lol If you ever have more questions about his appearance or want to know more about his personality or his relationships to the others in their group, do let me know, I'll be happy to answer you again! I hope this was a satisfying answer and if not, stay tuned for future art posts about this AU! Thanks again for your interest :D <33

[sakunataa]

Since I was in middle school, Yandere Simulator has been a favorite game of mine. I started following and later playing the game at a period when I was having trouble being who I truly was and starting to like darker things. Although the game occasionally made me feel frightened (what I get for playing it so young, lol), with time, I came to appreciate it for what it was because of its dark, atmospheric nature.

I chose to get into darker media after I started watching gameplay for other games on YouTube. I noticed that there was more substance to it, and that there were more people who enjoyed it. So? Yandere Simulator has become my obsession, and I've made the decision to immerse myself in the community. I got to meet many other people, one in particular who helped me realize my dreams.

YandereDev himself.

A man with whom I don't speak to very often. But when I do, it's genuinely like meeting a famous person; I get the honor of actually speaking to my idol. Even if he occasionally becomes dissatisfied and frustrated with his own endeavors, this responsible, knowledgeable man loves his audience and what he does. He made it possible for me to understand that I have the ability to turn my passions into reality, even with just reading his WordPress posts and playing his game. I haven't regretted a single message I've sent him, and I only feel joy when he approaches me first. Even if we aren't close, I'm just glad to have met him.

And so when the recent drama came about, that's when I realized I had to solidify my decision.

Imagine that you are me and that you suddenly notice the most recent instances crop up at midday when you wake up. You then instantly head to WordPress to see if you can find out more information. Of course, it was certainly a surprise.

But the message I read was the most straightforward and honest I've ever seen. Well-written. Well-stated. And very sincere.

Admitting these kinds of things is difficult, especially if the public already holds unfavorable views of you and has done so for a long time. Making a game is challenging enough; having people laugh and point at you because of made-up disputes and faux accusations may make it seem nearly impossible.

He isn't a "failure of a human being" or a "sick bastard who doesn't deserve anything." He's human, just like the rest of us, and I refuse to put down another fellow human being.

He needs all support he can get during these trying times more than ever. It would be unacceptable of me to turn against him or use abusive language toward him. Everyone is making every effort to put the events that have occurred behind them. We can't keep clinging to the past because if we do, we won't be able to go on and develop the capacity to support others who have admitted very private things.

Because what you're doing right now is instigating more and more drama on top of drama. And that isn't fair.

I'm sick of holding grudges against people and never forgiving them. I will be blocking anyone who wants to bother me about it. Even if I am just another name in the crowd, I will continue to support Dev and his game. When I've struggled, his game has always been there for me. I can't just stand by and let this happen while being able to step in and lend a supportive hand.

Thank you YandereDev for everything. And thank you for developing Yandere Simulator.