#I really do miss the season 15-17 era

[max-xie]

in honour of gothcleats becoming cannon, all gothcleats moments throughout season 2 (some are more of a stretch then others but shhhhh)

normal and taylor teasing link about asking scary out on a date even though that wasnt what the note said -ep 1

scary says link is metal for pissing on a teachers foot - ep 1

link saying scary is a better soccer player then him - ep 1

link askes scary and only scary what class she is - ep 1

scary choses to go to detention with link - ep 3

scary says link is cool for leaving class - ep 3

link wrote scarys name first when writing to the principal about skipping school -ep 3

link said scary was smarter then him - ep 3

link offers scary to the dance with him or normal and she in return gets very flustered and says no -ep 5

scary admits link is her friend - ep 5

when taylor mentioned that link needed another date, scary sighed loudly to draw attention to her - ep 5

link's voice gets higher when he is talking about how scary is doing a speed date and he said he "doesnt care" very rushedly like he was lying - ep 5

scary called link "pretty cool" - ep 5

link was the only one listening to scary when she went to the mic to tell everyone to run from the dance even though the mic wasnt on -ep 6

link said that scary should get something when the group was saying who should get what from the vending machine - ep 7

link said that he hopes scary is okay - ep 10

link got scary a black coffee and sugar just how she likes it with out him asking, plus he noticed how she likes her coffee - ep 11

link called scary really nice - ep 12

link helps out scary to not be scared in the up down room - ep 13

scary told link not to listen when papa john was talking to them - ep 15

scary knew links exact height - ep 17

scary giving advice to link on how to talk on the phone - ep 17

scary didnt want to say to link "dont get cocky kid, this is the only pussy youre gonna get" when sparrow suggested it -ep18

link and scary figured out how all the magical items worked together - ep 18

link said that scary is probably a good singer - ep 19

link said scary dresses cool - ep 19

scary said that link is so cool when wearing goth clothes - ep 19

out of everyone, scary insults link the least when vinc asks her to insult her friends -ep 20

link went "yes!" when scary said she wants to go back to soccar - ep 20

link giving advice to terry jr about scary and how terry can show his love for her -ep 20

link says "scary youre such a leader" -ep 21

scary tells grant to give link some space -ep 23

link asks scary and only scary if thats her when when went to the church of the doodler and changed into their grand daddies -ep 23

link tells hermie to be a little less when flirting with scary -ep 24

links dnd character is a LOT like scary, plays soccer, looks deep and brooding but is broken inside -ep 24

link misses scary when she wasnt there with them - ep 26

taylor said "fuck scary!" and link said "well... i dont know" - ep 26

1:05:00 (with ads) aka gothcleats bitchy era - ep 27

link breaks the pic anchor with love for scary ("not leaving the group"🙄) -ep 29/30

when mat rolled a 17 for whether the anchor was broken out of love or hate and when the 17 was rolled freddie said "that's love baby" -ep 30

link defended scary against normal -ep 30

scary said that link had a good normal impression -ep 30

scary laughed at links joke -ep 30

link said that he is worried about scary -ep 30

scary said that she never thought that link was a piss boy and defended him -ep 30

link was the only one not to say "i" when they made a vote whether or not theyll vote scary out -ep 30

link heals scary even though they are fighting eachother -ep 31

link hugs scary and scary takes the hug -ep 31

even though scary casts eldrich blast link keeps hugging -ep 31

link said that scary looks peaceful when she sleeps -ep 32

link defends scary by saying she is going through something when taylor was mad at her -ep 32

link says that scary is always funny -ep 33

link asks scary what character she is and asks nobody else -ep 33

link kept on saying "you can do this scary! you can do this" -ep 34

normal as pickle rick told link to tell scary he likes her (and to just fuck already) - ep 34

normal apologies to link about what he said about him telling link to to ask out scary and said that he can ask her out in his own time - ep 34

link screamed "where did scary go" when she disappeared -ep 37

link told normal to stop talking about dads bc scarys step dad died -ep 38

normal said that scary and link had a big crush on eachother and they didnt deny it -ep 38

link said he HAS LOVE FOR SCARY -ep 39

link said that all of scarys thought are dark and beautiful -ep 40

link gives scary protection -ep 41

scary defends link when grant said he is going through a phase - ep 42

link said that scary doesnt need to apologise to tony pepperoni -ep 44

link says he only cares if scary feels better -ep 44

link told only scary a joke about tony and how his wife hated him -ep 44

link says that they should cook dinner for scary more often and asking her if she wants dinner - ep 44

scary is the first person to help link when he turns into lego -ep 48

scary reassurances link that he isnt dead and she trys to calm him down -ep 48

scary declared link the leader and said he was really strong -ep 48

scary said that link is greater then the sum of his parts -ep 48

Lincoln askes where scary is first -ep 49

link got mad when they didnt save scary -ep 49

link wants to find scary -ep 50

scary wishes for links ball when they wished for him without it and he got upset he didnt have it with him -ep 51

link says "thanks scary you really get me" -ep 51

link says that scary is good at a lot of things -ep 51

scary turned into lerry bc she saw link go into heaven prison and she didnt do anything about it (like try to stop that from happening) and her tone sounded sad when she told the group this -ep 51

link says that scary turning into lerry was really impressive -ep 51

scary freaked out when link said he was not needed -ep 51

link said scarys jeans were cool -ep 52

link said that scary is such a good whistler -ep 52

link remembered reminded the group about how scary wants the thrown -ep 52

link convinced taylor to be the air dropper so that scary could have the thrown -ep 52

scary and link talked about what theyll do when they all become god only together -ep 53

link and scary talking about buffy -ep 53

link asked scary what she thinks about the whole god wish situation -ep 53

linc called scary honey -ep 53

scary called linc babe -ep 53

linc called scary babe -ep 53

scary says "oh i love you" to link -ep 53

link says "oh i love you too" to scary -ep 53

link puts his arm around scary to dance -ep 53

link and scary have a son together named "gerry" -ep 53

GOTHCLEATS CANNON IN FUTURE!!! -ep 53

#gothcleats #dndads #dungeons and daddies #lincoln li wilson #dndaddies #scary marlowe #this took me months #there is actually a lot of things

[dear-ao3]

could you explain the mclaren reputation era please I missed it

ok well i don't really understand it entirely so bear with me here as i fumble through this.

essentially yesterday mclaren archived (deleted?) every single one of their instagram posts (and there were Thousands) except for this kind of twist trap esque video of lando, oscar and their car with the tagline "whatever it takes" like the imagine dragons song, or perhaps a 15 year old boy posting selfies of himself in the gym.

this of course is exactly what taylor swift did however many years ago right before she dropped her reputation album, archived every single one of her instagram posts except for these three videos of a snake slithering around and i don't remember what the words were associated with it but it was foreshadowing her reputation album. this was the album that she released directly after she got a whole lot of shit for her 1989 tour, took basically 2 years off and came back with some s tier bangers about how basically she didnt really care what the media thought of her, but she was reinventing herself (remember the "im sorry, the old taylor can't come to the phone right now, why? oh! cause she's dead!" meme" but essentially, it was her comeback after awhile away.

mclaren, as we know, has not won a championship since 2008 with sir lewis hamilton. their driver line up, lando norris and oscar piastri, is the youngest pairing of drivers on the grid (lando is 24, oscar is 22) and while the 2023 season for them started off absolutely terribly (their car fucking sucked) they were able to do some major upgrades throughout the season and turned it around by the silverstone race (just under halfway through the year). from silverstone on (13 races total) mclaren finished in the top 3 nine times (with both oscar and lando on the podium at the qatar and japan races) and were consistently in the points. oscar also won the sprint race in qatar. and lando had i think 17 overtakes at the mexico race, starting 19 and ending 5th. which is kind of incredible. in a season of absolute red bull domination (lets remember that a red bull driver won ever race except for the singapore race, which carlos won with the help of lando) they were consistently challenging them and there was one time in texas (i think?) where lando almost was able to overtake max.

so yes, red bull is definitely the favored team at the moment and is coming off of quite possibly the best season they've ever had. however. mclaren have some distinct advantages going into the 2024 season:

they do not have to worry about silly season. as we know, 14 drivers have contracts ending at the end of 2024 which means the absolute mad rush to resign and offer contracts across basically every team. redbull is basically guaranteed to not resign checo and might even swap him for daniel ricciardo halfway through the season whereas lands contract with mclaren ends in 2025 and oscars ends in 2026. mclaren can spend all of their time worrying about the car and the drivers rather than who they are signing.

oscar piastri. oscar just finished his rookie season (and previously won the f2 and f3 championships and won rookie of the year this year). in terms of rookie years he had an outstanding one. people compared him to lewis hamilton's rookie year. as a refresher, lewis hamiltons rookie year was in 2007 (also at mclaren) and he won his first championship in 2008. oscar is the first rookie since lewis hamilton to get multiple podiums and win something in his rookie year. expectations are running high here.

lando norris's expiring contract. as we know lando has one more confirmed year with mclaren. cel of mclaren zak brown has announced that they want to extend landos contract with mclaren, but, hes starting to get really really good, which means that a top team like red bull or mercedes might also try to get him as a driver. this is the year for mclaren to prove to lando that they can give him what he wants (which is to win a race. in his 5 years of formula 1 he hasn't won anything. and once he starts winning then hes going to want to win a championship. but. there is max verstappen to contend with). so their absolute balls to the wall tactic could work pretty well for them here. pre season testing doesnt start for over another month and they are already clearly locked in to the 2024 season.

lando and oscar actually get along. sure, formula 1 is an individual sport, but there is the drivers championship (for the individual driver) and the constructors championship (for the team with the most points). so they do have to work together. drivers not working together in the past has led to some ... undesirable results for teams (the great brocedes civil war of nico rosberg and lewis hamilton that ultimately resulted in nico retiring after he won his first championship, whatever the hell was going with max and daniel for part of the 2018 season, the french civil war at alpine between pierre gasley and esteban ocon) they are also both very consistent drivers. neither are incredibly crash prone and seem quite willing to work together on the track to optimize results.

yes they do also have disadvantages. lando has never won a race, they only have one pole position between them (lando in russia in 2021) and they're not a red bull. clearly they're the underdog in the situation. but they did finish fourth in the constructors championship in 2023 ("best of the rest") (and after basically getting next to no points for the first several races on account of the fact that their car was shit) behind ferrari, mercedes, and red bull. they're coming for the top 3 and honestly it could be their season to lose.

if ferrari doesnt change their strategy approach then they could be out of a shot at top 3. also ferrari have to deal with the nightmare of resigning both of their drivers (or finding new ones). merc and red bull will both be giving it their all (lewis hamilton really really wants to win his 8th world championship before he retires and max is well. max.) but if mclaren has a competitive car from the start of the season and doesnt have to play catch up for the first several races, then they could easily finish in the top 3.

also they released their livery today? which really confuses me (is that different than the car unveiling? what is going on someone mansplain it to me please)

#not a tag #from saph #thats more information than you will probably ever need to know about mclaren #mclaren #f1

[fanfictasia]

I adore your fics and have been feverishly devouring them for years, but I was catching up and was SO confused by these tags at all, but especially in a non-time travel fic (I saw it in the tags for a couple of others):

'Parental Rex CT-7567 | Rex and Anakin Skywalker Adopt Ahsoka Tano, i will make that an official tag even if i have to write a bazillion fics to do so lol'

I just...please help me out lol. Even in a time travel fic, the traveller is generally visiting the clone wars era, not prior to the clone wars. Why would two men in their early twenties adopt or need to adopt a 15-17 year old and why would she want that? (Since a lot of fics are season 3-5 and she was 15 by season three and 17 when she left the order, or even ROTS era when shes on the cusp of adulthood)

Rex doesn't have a parental relationship with Ahsoka and was the biologically the same age as Anakin on Christophsis, despite the questionable choice to visually depict 18-26 year old young men as 45+, seeing as they age at twice the rate but canonically leave Kamino physically twice the age of ten, or even younger as the war continues like we saw with Domino squad being deployed early, making some clones the equivalent of being in their late teens.

Plo Koon had a very parental relationship with Ahsoka, which is a clear contrast to her working relationship with Rex and eventual close friendship.

Sorry, I'm just so confused! In a modern universe, it would be like a high school student working at McDonald's having a father-daughter relationship with their college night manager, which would be so inappropriate 😅

Anakin is her older brother-mentor and Rex is her equal, which is made so clear in season seven and they weren't close prior to that and them being close at all seemed to be a retcon.

Is it meant to be lowkey Rexwalker shippy? Am I missing something?

This isn't meant to be rude at all, I just don't understand it, so hopefully you won't mind answering 😅

Anakin might have been very close in age to Ahsoka, but he was still her master, and that in and of itself is a very parental role. He protected/took care of her during the war and taught her everything she needed to survive, in a way that a parent would. That’s especially clear after seeing the flashbacks in the Ahsoka series. They might be too close in age to call them anything but siblings, but they’re also far more than just siblings because Anakin is still her caretaker and she’s his responsibility.

For Rex, it wasn’t really until seeing Tales of the Jedi, that made us realize how much Rex helped Anakin with training Ahsoka. Rex was like Anakin’s first friend since TPM (excluding Padme) and also based on the 7th Season, they obviously supported each other a lot in everything they did. So no, definitely no Rexwalker shipping, but a very close brotherly bond, so they both helped “raise” Ahsoka together, even if Rex is also so close in age to Ahsoka. (Technically, younger.)

I used to consider Plo as Ahsoka’s parent, but looking back, he’s really not. They might be close and he might be a mentor to her but he’s **not** a parent. If he was, he wouldn’t have just told Anakin to stop searching for her in the Padawan Lost arc, because she’s “responsible enough” to “find her way back to him”. Like come on. That’s not what you say about your child. Ever.

Anakin is the one who always worried over Ahsoka and protected her, and looked out for her. That’s why we consider him a parental figure to her. And Rex is just along for the ride.

Does that make sense? :) 

And thanks for the ask!!! :D

#star wars #anakin #anakin skywalker #ahsoka #ahsoka tano #captain rex #anakin and ahsoka #anakin and rex #rex and ahsoka #anakin is ahsoka's dad #rex is ahsoka's dad #they're coparents #<3 #ask answered #anon ask

[zalrb]

I MUST REALLY LOVE MY FOLLOWERS - BRIDGETON 3.01 review

1. "Dearest gentle reader, did you miss me?" Me:

2. I'm not doing this recap.

3. I maintain that Nicola should be Belle in the next live action we'll eventually do.

4. Idk man, Kathony just feel SO unnatural.

5. MINI MOUSE MAN NEXT TO BIGGER MOUSE MAN

6. Who will be the prize of the season? And it's Colin?

7. All of these women are gorgeous and all of these men are like basic white bread. I -

8. I'm upset because this is supposed to do something for me

and it's resolutely not.

9. Oh please. Francesca looks like every other woman there.

10. Prudence is probably the only character I somewhat like. I think. She's the terrible one, right?

11. I might like that family the most because they're the schemers. They're actually DOING QUASI-INTERESRTING THINGS.

12. Colin is a fuck boy without fuck boy good looks. Please stop it.

13. And I'm not saying he's ugly. I am saying he's plain.

14. This is my problem with Bridgerton. It SHOULD be fun. And it's punishing.

15. Where the fuck is Edwina? I DON'T CARE ABOUT KATE.

16. They should shock us all and have Edwina come back and just murder everyone like Carrie.

17. Leave her alone, Colin.

18. I know the point of this season is Polin but I already know she deserves better.

19. GIVE ME MORE OF THE BICKERING SISTERS. They're terrible. I'm interested.

20. "Well that's your fault for marrying men without title!" But Prudence's man is one of the, like, two most good looking of them all, so you know.

21. OOOOOOOH IS PENELOPE GONNA WEAR LAVENDER NOW? THE COLOUR OF LOOOOOOOOVE.

22. Considering that I barely pay attention to this show, did Penelope do like irreparable damage to Eloise and her family for this fallout to be as serious as it's meant to be?

23. That's a genuine question.

24. This Kanthony love scene is ... awkward.

25. Kanthony? Kathony? Whichever. Whatever.

26. And even when he goes down on her I'm like idk, Outlander would like a word.

Someone is BANGING ON THE DOOR and Jamie does not stop until Claire orgasms, so.

27. So Penelope is basically "draw me like one of your French girls, Jack" but with clothes.

28. The one thing Bridgerton had going for it was the music and I'm not hearing any classical renditions of pop songs. What is the POINT?

29. This ball looks like every other ball in this show.

30. Oh, there's the music. abcdefu is a good choice for her, I do have to say the music choices are at least better than TSITP. She SHOULD be talking to Colin as it plays though.

31. I'm not sure why I hate him, I just do.

32. If she enjoys embroidery let her enjoy embroidery, Eloise. Don't "not like OTHER girls" them please. Jesus.

33. "D-do you all like to read?" I get it, Pen.

34. TELL US ABOUT YOURSELF. NOW. Isn't Francesca meant to have a chaperone? Isn't there a dance card or something? Aren't there RULES?

35. I'M ONLY 30 MINUTES IN?

36. Original Mouse Man, what are you doing? Aren't you a viscount with responsibilities?

37. "I expected conversation, I did not expect to be inspected--" then you weren't prepared at all for this. This is the ERA for that, should you not KNOW? WHAT?

38. Everything is muted and dramatic at the same time.

39. Oh, Kathony in another scene. Are they going to try and have sex?

40. Yes.

41. "I've already spent YEARS taking care of Edwina" I mean, did you?

42. "So why don't we put ourselves first for once?" I MEAN, DIDN'T YOU?

43. BRO, WHERE IS YOUR SISTER?

44. "We have our lives to be viscount and viscountess" man, pull a Downton Abbey and kill him.

45. "Think of the balls as..." You should've had this conversation BEFORE the ball.

46. "It pains me to see you upset." "Then perhaps you should not have come." Ha.

47. "and what I have learned is charmed can be taught" which is funny because Colin isn't charming no matter how much the show tries to convince me he is.

48. I suppose it's better than watching Theo James.

49. AND HE WILL FALL FOR HER DURING THE LESSONS.

50. The handshake is supposed to be a Moment and it's interesting because it's called attention to and yet also breezed by at the exact same time.

51. LOL what she wrote was SO TAME especially for a MAN in THIS society? "Is this new character the real him or is it a ploy for attention?" DAS IT??? Please be serious.

52. oooh drama, if he finds out who Lady Whistledown is, he'll destroy her life. It's just hard to think there are stakes when it's ... Colin.

DONE.

#review

[oswlld]

oswlld's monthly wrap up: march

note: i am trying something a bit different this year, so bear with me as i figure out how i want to format this. i wanted to spend more time sharing what i consume, beyond what i rb, and put my thoughts in one place. these posts are okay to rb

--

When We Cease to Understand the World, Benjamín Labatut [started 02/24, finished 03/14] What an outstanding example of blurring the lines between fiction and reality. I am content in never knowing what’s real and imaginary in the lives of these people. May we never forget that for every new idea challenged, there is a real person with real emotions and motivations behind it. 4.25⭐️ in storygraph. — No Stopping Us Now: A History of Older Women in America, Gail Collins [started 03/03, finished 03/30] This book makes some strong points, but comes off weak in its execution. By having it be told decade by decade, it becomes hard to follow along when so many names and events are being tossed around. Without a firm thread tying all the themes together, the achievements ended up feeling lackluster when it should leave you feeling a sense of pride and hopefulness. 3.25⭐️ in storygraph (I rounded up, but it feels more like a 3.15)

23.5 Degrees, GMMTV [started: 03/08, ongoing] What a breath of fresh air!! With my busy schedule, I managed to catch the first two eps and I’ve loved every minute of it. It doesn’t take itself too seriously, while still keeping a tight grip on its sense of identity. The series soaks up every aspect of its space theme like a sponge. Content specifically made for me, tysm! As much as I have tried refraining from consuming more high school settings, I couldn’t help but be enamored by what I have seen so far. I have paused this series for now, but hopefully I’ll be caught up before the end of April. I should be able to watch it live on Fridays in May. Until then, I will miss them dearly! — Always a Witch, Netflix [started 03/28, in progress] At this time, I have only seen episodes 1-5. So far, it’s a very straight-forward series. I am restraining myself from calling it predictable, because there are one or two things that really turns some tropes/themes on its head. But all-in-all, I am still waiting for this show to grab me. For a show that checks all the boxes that really makes a core jessi show, a series with time travel, magical realism, and found family, it has yet to completely sweep me away. Time really got away from me this month, but I will finish this series sometime in the next two weeks. We shall see if the latter half gets better.

Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour (Taylor’s Version) [watched 03/15 thru 03/18] I have seen this live and did see the original film in theaters last year, so this experience was more of a rewatch. This time around, my parents wanted to watch some of it with me so we made a whole evening of it on 3/15 so that was really neat. I will be traveling a lot in April and will be taking an audio copy of this to keep me entertained. — Oscar Nomination Season [started 02/17, ended 03/24] All of my initial reactions of what I managed to cover this Oscar season is in this post. Some of the strongest categories I have had the pleasure of covering this year were the Best Documentary (feature), Best Production Design, Best Live Action Short, Best Documentary (short), and Best Animated Film. I have several more films to tackle later this year, but my overall impression this Oscar season was just alright. One or two films have hit an extremely high note for me, but no worst of the worst.

BEYONCÉ, Beyoncé [relistening] During the pandemic, I really got into waching YT reaction channels reacting to full albums. One of my favorites is HTHaze and he is only beginning his listening journey through Beyoncé’s discography (yes, for the first time!) His reaction to Beyoncé’s self-titled made me want to relisten to it in full for the first time in years. I tend to only revisit a few songs through the years, but I do love going back to albums after time has past to recontextualize everything all over again. I’ve had my longtime faves from my 20’s but in my mid-30’s, the songs that hit harder now are: Pretty Hurts, Haunted, and Jealous. — Bewitched, Laufey [first time listening] The same YT channel got me to listen to this album. I am guilty in having my first listen be through his video first before diving into her album properly. With that said, the brain rot went FULL ROT. I love LOVE her compositions. Having learned from her Tiny Desk that getting a grand piano influenced the way she wrote her songs makes the whole conception so much grander. Her voice is soooo, it’s SOOOOO !!!!!!! I read a comment somewhere that her dream is to rejuvenate jazz the same way Taylor Swift did with country for a younger generation and that really spoke to me. I truly believe she is heading in the right direction in achieving that. My favorite run of songs goes from: Haunted, Must Be Love, While You Were Sleeping, Lovesick, California and Me, Nocturne (Interlude), and Promise. Those seven songs in that succession is so GOOD, ahH! — Once the Musical [relistening] Every spring, I fall into a Once spiral and it just gets deeper and deeper. This time though, I only tackled the core faves on YT rather than committing to the full audio (w/ Arthur Darvill and Joanna Christie). Although Arthur Darvill’s Leave will forever solidify his Guy as my Guy, Declan Bennett is The Guy of Guys for me. My mandatory relistening experience always goes: Arthur’s Leave, Arthur’s Say It To Me Now, Declan’s Say It To Me Now, Declan’s When Your Mind’s Made Up, Zrinka's If You Want Me, Once’s Spotify Jam Session. And it would all be on a loop lol. — Cowboy Carter, Beyoncé [first time listening] This is still fresh in my mind, having only listened to it in its entirety once through. My first impression is that it’s one of her most cohesive albums to date. Having had the first taste of what she would eventually achieve all the way back with Lemonade and The Gift, Cowboy Carter feels like a natural progression in her discography. I don’t have a top songs list to provide at this time, as I would need more time with the album. Fav songs come with time. Although, I did listen to 16 CARRIAGES when it was released several weeks ago and I knew then it would be a spectacular album. What a phenomenal single to lead a phenomenal homecoming.

Where’d You Go Bernadette, written by Maria Semple and narrated by Kathleen Wilhoite [started 03/22, finished 03/29] I… I didn’t like this. And that’s alright. Even if I didn’t like the premise or the characters, I did enjoy the format of the narrative and the narrator (especially her singing!!). But in the end, this was just not meant for me.

—

As it is still March when I am writing this, I wanted to endcap Women’s Month with a special shoutout to two women in my life that have been working with me to improve my overall well-being: Wendy (personal trainer) and Sofia (life coach). I am in a better headspace because of the work and trust they have in me to build a life I want. I cannot wait to see what I am capable of this time next year.

#oswlld 2024 wrap up #mine: edits #oscars 2024 #23.5 degrees #always a witch #laufey #beyoncé #cowboy carter #once the musical #where'd you go bernadette #will be returning each month when i post these #see you again soon :(

[aestheticvoyage2024]

Day 71: Monday March 11, 2024 - "This was 32 months"

32 months was a memorable one - put a pin in it. It was a stand out mile marker. The one where the tantrums hit, and we soaked it all up with humor and skill. Personally, Id been ready and wondering when it would hit - all that work Ive been doing so hard on myself is work I was doing, I know now, for 32 months. Ready to be mindful intentional skillful. Ready to be free of fear and full of joy. And William provided a lot of joy. I likened it to running the rapids, which once I figured out how, began to sharpen and enjoy the skill of running right to the edge, but preventing the meltdown, in a healthy productive way. And taking every opportunity to practice and show repair. Finally, we're here and we were ready and making a big positive impact on William's future. He developed hard this month, and we loved bearing witness to it! And we were so blessed to have backup most of this month from Grandma, visiting from cold wintery Michigan. Some of the most eventful tantrums she got to witness included meltdowns over not getting his third popsicle or wanting to climb in and out of the car seat on his own. There is also the one where I caught him trying to climb into the freezer to find Ice Cream. In full disclosure - Id probably meltdown if you interrupted my perfect plan too. All perfectly reasonable explorations of the boundaries of his horizon. Totally fine with him testing and challenging. I can hold space for that. I can be his sturdy leadership.

Not only was 32 months the tantrums era, this was also William's Beyonce Era. Not sure who first put Beyonce in his brain - but fairly certain we can blame my Mom for throwing Crazy in Love on Youtube into his little 32 month brain, after sitting on the toilet looking at the A is Awesome book. B was you know who. If he falls hopelessly in love with curvy mocha colored goddess, we'll know perfectly well where it came from. At 32 months you flipped from Elmo and Abby, to Beyonce.

A lot of great weather this month and we spent a lot of time reading springtime books - Mama has been keeping us fully supplied with new seasonal books and as we flip into the 33rd month we're reading a lot of St Pats books. He's been mostly accident free, and fully potty trained and multiple times while we were out at the Donut Shop or the Taco Shop, he'd pop a squat right in the parking lot. Once, at Pacos, to get Flan, he sat feet off Speedway and watched all the cars whiz by, while whizzing in the back of Mama's car. So memorable.

These are fun times. Riding and running the rapids and I just tell myself to be present, keep showing up, and dont miss a thing. Its a wild time, but such an important time to test your skill. I really feel like we're setting a positive foundation for the next several years. I keep pouring it all in, and we'll see where it goes in the 33rd month!

Favorite Food: Donuts

Favorite Song: Beyonce - Crazy In Love

Favorite Book: Twinkle Twinkle Little Star in Daddy's bed

Favorite Show: Gecko's Garage / Troy The Train / "Bumper Cars"

Favorite Toy(s): Monster Trucks bought with his own money paper

Best Phrase/ Word: “No, I Dont Want That!"

Favorite Favorite: Beyonce. No, Real Beyonce

Least Favorite: Sleeping in his own bed.

Big First:  First Physical Tantrum, First I'm Sorry, First time buying toys with his own money (Valentines money from Aunt Jane)

Song:Beyonce - Crazy In Love

Quote: “Finding the good inside can often come from asking ourselves one simple question: “What is my most generous interpretation of what just happened?” ― Becky Kennedy, Good Inside

This was 31 months This was 30 months This was 29 months This was 28 months This was 27 Months This was 26 months This was 25 months This was 24 Months This was 23 Months This was 22 Months This was 21 Months This was 20 Months This was 19 months This was 18 months This was 17 months This was 16 months This was 15 months This was 14 months This was 13 months This is 12 Months This is 11 months This was 10 months This was 9 months This was 8 months This was 7 months This was 6 months This was 5 months

[jaimehwatson]

1, 2, 10, 11, 15, 19!

Thanks Syb! <3

1.What’s something new that you tried in a fic this year? How did it turn out and would you do it again?

I wrote erotica involving a trans character for the first time in A Proper Apology! (Well, technically he's not actually human and wasn't really assigned any gender at birth, but you know, basically I wrote him like he's trans.) As someone who's still in the process of figuring out a transmasculine identity myself, I often prefer to read and write fics where the characters are all cisgender because it's like, I'm here to have fun, I don't even want to deal with thinking about all that complicated stuff that affects my real life right now. But I'm happy to have given something different a try with this fic, and I hope it's something I'll be able to do more in the future as I get more confident in who I am. Shout-out to @glitterarygetsit for beta-reading that one and helping polish it!

2. How many fics did you work on this year? (They don’t have to be finished or published!)

Apparently I've published 16 (most of which are pretty short), and I also have my Yuletide fic about to be revealed and bring it up to 17! Then in my unfinished drafts I have at least 5 more, all of which are for Our Flag Means Death. The new season gave me so many ideas that I didn't finish all of them, but maybe I'll revisit some in the new year!

10. What fic made you feel the happiest to work on?

Probably my magnum opus, Tonight on Ring of Revenge! It's my longest fanfic and probably in my top 5 longest works of fiction I've completed in general, and it was really fun and satisfying to be able to gradually make a wild idea I had while watching wrestling work out. I'm really proud of it and it feels very unique to me - like plenty of other people are also great at writing the kind of horny one-shots I do a lot of, but no one else made the pirate wrestling AU, that's a Jaime Special

15. Rec a fic you wrote or posted in 2023

I'll do the same one I just answered - Tonight on Ring of Revenge! It loosely follows the overall plot of season 1 of OFMD but set in the modern era with the characters as pro wrestlers instead of pirates. Is that an extremely silly idea? Yes! Does it also actually suit the themes and characterization of the show really well? You bet! Are there ridiculous campy wrestling plots and choreographed fake violence and also sex? Hell yeah! I had a lot of fun doing research for it and I think there are plenty of details in there that wrestling fans will appreciate, but I also added plenty of author's notes explaining things for readers who are less familiar with wrestling. It's about 26k words and has a cute happy ending! Enjoy!

19. Share your favorite opening line

I think I have to go with this one from When You Like And Where You Like!

"We have three years of the past to discuss. Let that suffice until half-past nine, when we start upon the notable adventure of the empty house." As Sherlock Holmes leaned casually against the desk in my study, a self-satisfied smile on his pale and aquiline face, I was seized with a momentary urge to leap from my chair and throttle him.

The first line of dialogue is directly out of "The Adventure of the Empty House," and if I remember correctly, it precedes a bit of a timeskip to the story picking up later that night. The second line is me starting a little missing scene! I really enjoy writing stuff like this that follows canon closely and could arguably have happened in between without necessarily contradicting anything, and I think it's a solid opening in terms of how much it establishes in those first two sentences: if you've read this story you'll probably recognize that line and know immediately at what point in canon this is set, and you'll understand why Watson is angry and why this is something that deserves a missing scene to get into his reaction to what's going on more!

2023 in Review Fic Writer Asks

#asks #fanfic #my writing #our flag means death

[that-golden-lyre]

I posted 1,112 times in 2022

30 posts created (3%)

1,082 posts reblogged (97%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@flowerflamestars

@ladynestaarcheron

@vidalinav

@hoax1918

@arinbelle

I tagged 245 of my posts in 2022

#nesta archeron - 29 posts

#thanksvember2022 - 28 posts

#nessian - 28 posts

#cassian - 24 posts

#the old guard - 17 posts

#dream of the endless - 16 posts

#the sandman - 15 posts

#hob gadling - 15 posts

#yusuf al kaysani - 13 posts

#dream x hob - 11 posts

Longest Tag: 114 characters

#what about the rest of us poor writing simps trying not to absolutely loose it everytime you post a snippet huh???

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

So we have another late one. May I start with the fact that this fic is a beautiful version of the “if you love me go to sleep, know your limits”, meme. And I ADORE it. It is wonderful and warm and Dream is in his soft boi era and I’m in love with it. The fact that Dream experiences every dream of every living thing and yet his feelings for Hob are SO STRONG that he NOTICES when he is not there is enough to make me cry. But Dream reveling in the routine of Hob’s life had me in a fucking puddle. The way Dream just wants to be a part of it as much as he wants to simply be present for it. You can feel the eons of existing in the way his feelings are described and that is once again a BIG favorite of mine. I love how Hob is so unfazed by him at this point in his life that he just figures this might as well happen but there’s still a little bit of embarrassment, not really embarrassment but…being unnerved for once? I don’t know how to describe it, but the way that Hob for the first time realizes that he’s sharing this tiny part of domesticity with Dream, but he’s almost too tired to be fully embarrassed about it. Anyways, if you love Dream x Hob domesticity as much as I do, READ THIS. Absolutely loved it! Thanks to @astrangebird for sharing! 💜💜

12 notes - Posted November 27, 2022

#4

Oh no I missed a day....GUESS I'M DOING TWO POSTS THEN!!!!

For day 11, I give you an incredibly recent read! Oh, the way my heart actually skipped a beat reading this. I've said it before but when writers can portray the depth of years onto an ancient character the writing SLAPS 👏🏾. Listen kids, Dream of the endless is basically the pathetic meow meow equivalent to an eldrich terror. Reading fics about him is honestly a LARGE hit or miss for me. Because people will either treat him like a horny teenager or a boring old man. He's the collective unconscious of EVERY LIVING THING. That being said, the portrayal I have of him in my head is a pretty damn high standard. BUT SHIT @fellshish really hit the nail on the head for me. It's not that Dream never acts dumb about stuff, it's just the WAY he's dumb about stuff is so...well...different. The way that Dream's inner monologue is in SUCH denial if not only for the fact that as long as he has control then none of it is real. Until it is, until he wants it to be real so badly that he forgets a bit that this is HOBS DREAM. I absolutely love how at the end of it all, he gives the choice back to Hob. He stops trying to control destiny as if that wasn't what he's been doing this whole time. He surrenders...to Hob. And the romanticism of him surrendering to him regardless of how Hob reacts was just absolutely beautiful. Anyways, now that I have 1,000% spoiled this fic for you, you should STILL go read it! Thank you to @fellshish for sharing! ❣️

12 notes - Posted November 12, 2022

#3

I don’t think you guys understand how much I needed this. Netflix has a habit of cancelling shows with representation in them and I’m scared for this show. Fingers crossed that the bastard son and the devil himself gets renewed for season two! 🥹 Now, this fic. I needed something to fill my head with after this show became my new hyper fixation of the week. The show is so much fun and I honestly love the poly vibes that I’m getting from the main trio! No love triangle, just a triad. As it stands this fic is like getting a warm cup of hot chocolate after being outside in the snow. After the emotional STORM that was that season finale, reading this was like tying a beautiful bow on top of a heartbreak. This fic had me yearning for the love these three have for each other in the darkest times. And hey, maybe this wasn’t the cheerful bow that other people want, but it’s the aftercare post massacre that I needed. Because maybe the bad times were the good times ❤️. So if you’re obsessed with this show just like I am, go give this a read! Thanks to @wandersmoklight for sharing! 💝

14 notes - Posted November 20, 2022

#2

We’ve got something new folks! No nessian today! 😂 Okay, I will admit I watched the old guard movie before I read the comics but I’m SO glad I did!!! Props to @hoax1918 for the artwork it is GORGEOUS! This fic goes into an everyday detail that I absolutely love! I love how this just exposes the reasons they care for each other and how they got there. It’s a simple gesture, but they can’t help it! They’re literally magnetic. There’s something about the story that just brims with the electricity of the possible. I fully enjoyed just how hard they’re trying NOT to be fond of each other in public. But again, they can’t help it and I will forever love the pining in this dynamic. Nicky and Joe just have this sweet sadness about them before they become a couple and I don’t think I’ve found that in many other ships! So if you’re looking for a bit of ancient yearning definitely give this fic a read! Thanks to @shadowhannibad for sharing 💘

18 notes - Posted November 19, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

Ok I am still on my Dreamling domestic bullshit. Sorry not sorry. This really made me want to curl up by a fire and hug a cat. The way that this just slaps me in the face with the need to have someone care for me, the tiny details of everyday care just KILL ME. And that’s it isn’t it? That’s the love that Dream and Hob so desperately need, they want someone who will love every detail of who they are. I think that’s what they deserve! After centuries of pining and being alone, Hob doesn’t want to hold back! And Dream is venturing again into love when it has never turned out well for him, he’s afraid. The apprehension that this fic explores, the silent touches, and HILARIOUS timing on Dreams part. But Dream is never convenient is he? And Hob for all that he is has never bothered to care! Not when he was rich, not when he was poor. Dream just integrating himself into Hob’s life accidentally! Literally chefs kiss 💋! This fic really is just full of details that I continue to loose my mind over (because I definitely read it too many times). Sometimes after reading the sandman I forget that Dream loves quiet, yet so so loud. He integrates the person he loves into his very being. He has seen every for of love every living being has to offer. Love is a part of Dream as much as slumber. I absolutely LOVED every bit of this fic! And if you love Domestic Dream and Hob, you NEED to read it! Thanks to @wordsinhaled for sharing! 💙💙

33 notes - Posted November 25, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

#tumblr2022 #year in review #my 2022 tumblr year in review #your tumblr year in review

[marjansmarwani]

2, 15 & 17 for the ao3 wrapped? :)

Absolutely!

2. How many works did you publish this year?

Only 20, it was a really slow year for me with a very long unplanned break.

But I am going to have at least one more done before the end of the year, hopefully 2!

15. What WIP are you taking into next year with you?

So, so many.

@justaswampdemon and I were actually talking about this last night as we went through out respective wip folders. I have so many things started - several with a couple thousand words written - and someday I would like to finish all of them. But a quick preview of some notable ones:

breakup era AU where TK cuts ties with everyone and skips town

honeymoon goes terribly wrong (co-written with @justaswampdemon)

hostage situation where TK and Carlos go in because paramedic is a good disguise for a cop

the next two chapters of my Enzo fic

an MCD fic

an Andrea pov AU of early season 3

A Grace and Carlos story

A Grace and Carlos (and TK and Judd) high school reunion fic

the rest of my bthb card (including a very tasty ice storm AU)

Barista!Carlos

and so many more

17. Your favorite character to write this year?

In an absolutely strange turn of events no one saw coming, Owen.

Yes I have mixed feelings about his character but overall I do enjoy him and my main complaint is that the writers choose boring and stupid storylines for him. The man has so much trauma and a heap of issues that make character studies really fun to write. I do not know why that is specifically what my brain chose to focus on this year, but I'm not too upset about it.

Honorable mention to Gwyn and TK though, and next year I need to get back into writing Marjan. I miss writing about her.

ao3 wrapped?

#ask games #anonymous #fic talk

[creampuffqueen]

Ranking Songs from Taylor Swift's Album 'evermore'

hi guys it's me again ranking more songs bc this is fun haha

anyway let's do my favorite taylor swift album, evermore!!!

'tis the damn season- everything about this song is so fucking good to me. it's like the best christmas song that's not christmasy at all. favorite favorit favorite

2. right where you left me- this deserves to be on the main album tbh. so good. i sat there, dust collected on my pinned up hair- as is going to be a theme with miss swift's albums, the storytelling aspect of this is incredible

3. marjorie- okay gonna be real i had no clue this was about her grandma. for me honestly it gives me older sister vibes. but yeah sure grandma. anyway it's a fantastic song

4. dorothea- i really like this one. i enjoy how it's about how even if you and your friends don't see each other all the time you still love each other, and still support each other. and that's beautiful

5. no body, no crime- this one's gotta be top five. it's so iconic. i love songs about murdering awful husbands. plus very slight country taylor makes a return. her voice plus the voices of HAIM mesh so well

6. champagne problems- almost made top five. but i love this song a lot. what a shame she's fucked in the head

7. gold rush- this one feels like a poem to me. love it

8. evermore- i love what she does with bon iver. but a really good, almost ethereal feeling song about healing and that's iconic

9. ivy- not much to say but i just enjoy this one whenever i listen to it

10. willow- honestly so good but soooo fucking overplayed half the time i can't stand it

11. tolerate it- i used to like this one a lot less but then i saw it live at the eras tour and it totally changed my view on it. also every time i listen to it i think of taylor throwing shit around while singing it and it makes me smile

12. happiness- finding happiness again after heartbreak. what's not to love?

13. long story short- it's fine. no big opinions on it

14. coney island- also fine

15. closure- the banging around in the beginning always throws me off. otherwise a decent song i guess but that part bothers me enough to put it this low

16. cowboy like me- still upset that it has fucking nothing to do with cowboys

17. it's time to go- why does this exist. it's so boring. it does nothing for me. instant skip

and there it is!!! other evermore girlies (gender neutral) feel free to share your own opinions!!

#mal rates music #taylor swift

[littlevampie222]

50 Dig A Little Deeper Questions

1. Do you prefer writing with black or blue pen? Black, but it doesn't really matter to me.

2. Would you prefer to live in the country or the city? Suburbs, but more so on the country side.

3. If you could learn a new skill, what would it be? Better at crafting (well, just have more patience so I could do better lol)

4. Do you drink your tea or coffee with sugar? ABSOLUTELY NOT! 🤮

5. What was your favorite book as a child? Green Eggs and Ham, anything R.L. Stine, or the Junie. B. Jones series!

6. Do you prefer baths or showers? Both. But bubble baths most of all!

7. If you could be a mythical creature, Which would you choose? I really don't know 🤔 Most of the cool ones come with a serious downside to them. But if I had to choose, a vampire.

8. Do you prefer reading paper or electronic books? Paper, when I can.

9. What is your favorite item of clothing? Converse shoes! (If that counts as clothing lol). If not, graphic or band/wrestling tees.

10. Do you like your name? Would you ever change it? Nope. Never really have. But, I'd never change it now. I wanted to as a kid, though.

11. Who is a mentor to you? Eh, no one in particular.

12. Would you ever want to be famous? If so, what for? Never. I like my privacy and peace of mind.

13. Are you a restless sleeper? Very much so.

14. Do you consider yourself a romantic? I think so.

15. Which element best represents you? Earth 🌎

16. Who do you want to be closer to? My family.

17. Do you miss someone at the moment? Many people 😭

18. Tell us about an early childhood memory. Sitting on a blanket spread out on our lawn with my mom and our new puppies, while my Dad had music playing in his car and tinkered around in it.

19. What is the strangest thing you have eaten? Nuggets dipped in mashed potatoes, then in ketchup. Pb&J mixed together in a bowl. Or raw noodles.

20. What can you see outside your bedroom window? The street. Trees.

21. What are you most thankful for? My life, my family, my home.

22. Do you like spicy food? Nope.

23. Have you ever met someone famous? Plenty!

24. Do you keep a diary or journal? Sometimes.

25. Do you prefer to use pen or pencil? Pencil.

26. What is your star sign? Capricorn.

27. Do you like your cereal crunchy or soggy? In between.

28. What would you want your legacy to be? Just that I was a good person.

29. Do you like reading? What was the last thing you read? A comic, probably.

30. How do you show someone you love them? With gifts, doing kind things for them, or telling them.

31. Do you like ice in your drinks? Rarely, unless I'm at a restaurant.

32. What are you afraid of? A lot lol Mostly heights.

33. What is your favorite scent? These days it's coconut stuff.

34. Do you address older people by their first or last name? First.

35. If money was not a factor, How would you live your life? Not much different than now, honestly. See the above response about being famous.

36. Do you prefer swimming in pools or in the ocean? Pools.

37. What would you do if you found $50 on the ground? Idk 🤷🏻‍♀️

38. Have you ever seen a shooting star? Did you make a wish? Idk.

39. What is one thing you would want to teach your children? Manners! To stand up for themselves. Strength.

40. If you had to have a tattoo, what would it be and where would you get it? I have some, and plan for quite a few more.

41. What can you hear right now? UFC.

42. Where do you feel the safest? At home.

43. What is one thing you want to overcome.conquer? Eh, a lot of things honestly.

44. If you could travel back to any era, Which would you choose? The 20s or 50s.

45. What is your most used emoji? 🖤

46. What is your favorite season? Why? Autumn/Spring. It's pretty, lots to do, I love the atmosphere of it all. And the temperature isn't bad either!

47. How would you spend your ideal day? I'd be wanting to do so much, idk lol

48. Describe yourself using one word. Loyal (to those that are loyal to me).

49. What do you regret the most? Nothing.

50. Invent your own word. What does it mean? Idk lol

#Dig a little deeper #surveys #questions #ask #Im Bored

[lonelier-version-of-you]

Alright, I’m gonna finally get round to rewatching “If Not For You”. I’m nearly a week late, given I was planning to rewatch it on the anniversary, but what can you do. Anyway, time for one of many examples of why series 15 was where Henrik peaked.

Edit 1: I know I say this a lot, but I really do miss when Henrik faced actual media criticism and scrutiny (in-universe) for his actions. One of the most frustrating things about the later series wasn’t just his bad decisions as CEO, it was that he was almost never called out on them, and if he was we were expected to treat the person calling him out as some sort of panto villain. They wanted him to be beyond criticism.

Edit 2: I love Sacha's patchwork-style shirt from this episode.

Edit 3: Serena: “Are you coping alright?” Henrik: “...And what can I do for you?” Dodging the question there, eh, Henrik?

Also, Henrik doing his pencil-tapping OCD compulsion thing!

Edit 4: I can’t believe I’m complimenting Serena, but I do like her outfit in this ep.

Edit 5: Guy Henry is SO GOOD.

Edit 6: Chantelle: “Too much time in make-up chairs, Mr. Hanssen, you’re losing your touch!”

Edit 7: Guy Henry is brilliant at conveying Henrik's depression.

Edit 8: Henrik is so autistic in this episode. I knew that, but it shows even more than I remembered.

Edit 9: Michael, my beloved!!

Edit 10: Jac showing concern for Henrik and regret for her vote of no confidence in him!

Edit 11: Henrik: “If you know me at all, Mr. Cunningham, you’ll know that I never abdicate my responsibilities to this hospital.” Ironic, but in this case probably deliberately ironic for once because the episode literally ends with him running away.

Edit 12: Henrik asks the consultants if he can count on them to support him. Jac says yes, but can't bring herself to look him in the eyes.

Edit 13: Omg the sensory overload scene!!

Edit 14: Karol is so lovely.

Edit 15: Karol talking about Henrik without realising that he’s talking to Henrik, and Henrik playing along with it, is such a good scene.

Edit 16: “On the one hand, he is surgeon who cares about his patients. On the other hand, he is CEO who needs to make money. I don’t think that the two are possible.” Yeah, Karol just summed Henrik’s character up pretty well.

Edit 17: Henrik's last patient storyline before "Hanssen/Hemingway" involves a parent who walked out on their kid. Clever, Holby writers.

Edit 18: The compassion Henrik shows toward Dylan Brenton is so sweet.

Edit 19: Karol 💕

Edit 20: Mo is thinking of leaving... she then proceeds to stay 4 more seasons and even made a guest return in S20.

Edit 21: Jonny singing football songs in theatre 😂

Edit 22: The AAU subplot in this episode is nice. I do long for the days when Holby had lighthearted storylines.

Edit 23: I mean, or maybe I just long for Michael Spence. 🤣 He was great.

Edit 24: Aaand Henrik's just revealed his identity to Karol!

Edit 25: Henrik getting the phone call from Sweden.

Edit 26: Oh, Dylan :( And the fact that his last words were saying to Henrik "you saved my life" makes it even more emotional.

Edit 27: The fact that Henrik’s last patient storyline before the Fredrik reveal is about a parent who walked out on their son... and the storyline ends with the parent losing said kid.

Edit 28: Jac breaking up with Jonny.

Edit 29: Oh, Henrik :( "My first day here, I saved his father, and I thought that I could save him. Imperfect symmetry."

Edit 30: I’d forgotten that Henrik never actually turned up to his meeting - he ran away instead of attending it.

Edit 31: This era was just... it was SO GOOD at just letting Henrik be disabled. It was so good at letting him not understand things or not be able to do things. I know I’ve said that before but it’s worth saying again. Series 15, my beloved.

#holby s15 rewatch

[myketheartista]

HOLDS MY LITTLE GUY UP

🍩✨DONUT!!! ✨🍩

#enthusiasm at its best #rvb #redvsblue #rvb donut #redvsblue donut #franklin delano donut #MY SON #MY PINK LITTLE GUY #precious to me #I really do miss the season 15-17 era #I drew donut A Lot and he was just…. cries… he was going thru his arc…. I’m so sad I miss him #he is so soft and OUGH #yeah……

[aunnokokyuu]

As the one time every four years that everyone watches figure skating is finally here, I’ve taken it as my God-given duty to educate you guys about the complete and utter CLOWNERY and the corruption that goes on daily in the Russian figure skating scene. I’m not joking when I say this shit is like bad reality TV. A famous coach has a cult following. Politicians get asked about coaches feuding. Putin, the president of Russia, got mad over unfair scoring and dissed a Canadian skater on live TV. It’s insane.

And there is a LOT of drama going on here, so I’ll try to explain it just in time for Olympics so you guys can understand why you are almost definitely not going to see a single ladies’ medallist over the age of 17 years old this Olympics (or possibly ever again).

If the only time that you tune in to figure skating is once every four years, here’s how things are going to go. You’re going to watch the 2022 Olympics. You’re going to casually watch the ladies’ figure skating segments. And if you’re a little bit observant, you’re going to think: ‘Why is every single medallist under the age of 18 years old? And why are they all Russian?’ And if you do your research, you’ll see that not a single girl over the age of 18 years old who is non-Russian has won gold in ladies’ figure skating for the past two winter Olympics. Why is this?

Well, it all started with Evgenia Medvedeva, one of the most famous figure skaters in the world. (If your last interaction with figure skating was with Yuri!!! On Ice in 2016, she’s that girl who wore a Victuuri shirt on the famously homophobic Russian national television, got illustrated into YOI official art, and did a routine to Sailor Moon. So. She’s really awesome and my favourite.)

Anyway, Evgenia won everything in the 2016 and 2017 seasons. She completed a Grand Slam twice, which is when a skater wins literally every major competition, at the ages of 16 and 17. Those two years were called the Evgenia dominance era, because she just kept winning. It was insane. She was Miss Stability because she literally never fell, she was reliable, she was unbeatable, she was the favourite to win the 2018 Olympics.

And then, just in time for the Olympics, at the old age of 18 years old, she started to fail.

The first time she fell in competition after two long years of straight clean programs, people thought it was a fluke. But then she fell again, and again, and again. And her younger, less injured teammate, 15yo Alina Zagitova, started to take the spotlight. Alina wasn’t struggling with back problems or a broken foot like Evgenia. Alina was born in the right year, at the right time, which made her 15 years old just in time to qualify for the Olympics, and she won the gold medal for ladies’ figure skating. Meanwhile, the favourite to win the Olympics won silver, being pushed aside for her younger and healthier teammate.

Now you might think, wow, that’s really sad. But it was just a one-time thing, right? Alina will surely go on to have the long and fruitful career that Evgenia, by some fluke of the universe, didn’t get to have. Right?

Wrong. Alina retires at the ripe age of 17 years old after peaking at 15 and the figure skating world. Goes. Crazy, because now people are beginning to notice a pattern. It started with Yulia Lipnitskaya, 15 years old at the Sochi Olympics, who skated the best programs of her entire life and retired soon after. It continued with Evgenia, who peaked at 16 and 17 and then developed chronic injuries that make her unable to turn her back to the left (a horrifying statement she revealed in a recent interview), and then with Alina, who skated her best at 15 and ‘took a break’ at 17, which fans have dubbed the ‘expiration date’.

Now, you might be remembering the figure skating greats like Yuna Kim, Michelle Kwan, Mao Asada. They didn’t retire at 17. This is not normal. This was not even close to the norm ten years ago, but now we’re heading into Beijing 2022 and a 15 year old is the favourite to win gold. So what is the the common factor that caused all these skaters to retire at 17, 18, 19?

The answer? Eteri Tutberidze, a famous Russian coach with a monopoly on ladies’ figure skating. Her students, which include Yulia, Evgenia, and Alina, have won literally every single competition under the sun for the past few years. And one by one, without fail, all her students have broken their bodies by the time they reach 17-18. She has never been able to successfully coach a student over 18 years old, but she doesn’t need to, because when one girl gets too old, three will come to replace her. If you’re talking solely about results, then sure, Eteri is a great coach. When her students shine, they shine bright. They’re one-season wonders, winning everything. But they’re one-season wonders, so after a few seasons, they’re replaced by the newest girl, the girl who’s 15 at the right time, younger and less injured. Why is this? Why don’t these skaters have longevity?

Well, it’s because of the body type you need to have to land jumps in figure skating. In skating, there are jumps called triples (where you rotate three times in the air) and quads (where you rotate four times). Quads were practically unheard of in ladies’ figure skating until 2018. That’s how recent they are. A quad in ladies’ fs has never even been landed at the Olympics before. This is because quads are insanely hard to do, and normally they require a lot of muscle, strength and grit to power through the four rotations in the air. Before 2018, the last quad jump had been landed by Miki Ando in 2002. 16 years before the next quad.

Before 2018, the highest technical jumps women did were the triples. Then Alexandra Trusova (aka Quad Queen Sasha Trusova aka the one to root for in the 2022 Olympics) came along and fucked shit up landed a quad toe loop at the age of 13. Sasha is the first female skater to land the quad Lutz, quad flip, and quad toe loop jumps, the second to land the quad Salchow (after Miki Ando), and the first to land two and three ratified quads in a free skate. She started the Quad Revolution and basically ensured that all the girls competing with her had to have quad jumps or a triple axel in order to win over her. And they did. Anna Shcherbakova, Kamila Valieva, Sofia Akatyeva, Adeliia Petrosian, all started landing quads too.

And that’s all well and good and all, yay for technical advancements or whatever, except that the reason quads started booming in the ladies’ was because a certain coach had figured out that you don’t need to be made of muscle, or have years of training, or experience to land a quad.

No. You just need very, very low body weight.

Yeah. Now you see where I’m going.

Girls have started landing quads like never before. At the junior levels (>15yos), it’s become commonplace to see Russian preteen girls train quads as if they’re jumping machines. Teenage girls have the perfect body type to quickly rotate four times in the air- a slender frame, narrow hips and short height. And once they hit puberty, it’s over. Quads rely in pulling in all your body weight as closely as possible to your centre, allowing you to maximise your speed of rotation- but you can’t pull in hips or a chest. That’s why most female figure skaters lose their jumps after puberty, and why so far only teenage girls have managed to land quads. And how do you delay puberty as long as possible so you can keep winning for as long as you possibly can? Well, it’s simple. You just don’t eat.

Even before the Quad Revolution, Tutberidze’s skaters relied on their low body weight to do triple jumps so much that during the 2014 Olympics, 15yo Yulia Lipnitskaya had to subsist on a diet of entirely powdered substances. The girl did not eat a single tangible meal the entire time. And by the time the 2018 Olympics rolled around, Tutberidze had forbidden 18yo Evgenia and 15yo Alina from drinking water for fear that a few grams of water weight might affect their aerodynamics. Alina mentioned in an interview that they could only rinse their mouths out with water and spit it back out.

The thing about quads is that no one really knows the long-term effects they can have on these teenage girls’ health, as the oldest girl to land regular quads turns 18 this year in 2022. However, Evgenia Medvedeva only did triple-triple jumps her entire career, and she ended up with a broken foot and can’t even turn her back to the left. So. Whatever the long-term effects are, they’re going to be bad. 15yo Daria Usacheva was supposed to be a strong contender this year, but a hip fracture during practice at the NHK Trophy made her unexpectedly withdraw. Alena Kanysheva lands a quad at 14 and retires at 16. And still, still even younger girls will come to replace them and drive older skaters who can’t land quads anymore out of the sport. Ladies’ figure skating has turned into a sport where 15 year olds dominate for one or two seasons, and get traded in for newer and less injured skaters.

And it’s not like the girls themselves aren’t painfully aware of this- Sofia Samodelkina barely missed the cutoff age for the Beijing 2022 Olympics at 14 years old, and she revealed in an interview that she prays every night for them to be postponed to 2023 because she knows that when she turns 18yos in 2026, she won’t be able to compete with the younger and stronger 15yos. Evgenia knew that she couldn’t stay with Eteri once she turned 18, because the technique no longer worked, so she left Eteri to be coached by Brian Orser (but forgot to send Eteri flowers for thanking her for being such a great coach so Eteri went on a smear campaign against her and showed Evgenia ghosting her texts on Russian national television). Then judges started underscoring Evgenia just for the crime of training under the ‘wrong’ coach, so she had to return to Eteri.

So if everyone knows that this is going on- if everyone is aware that figure skating is built on the broken bodies of young girls who sacrifice their long-term health for the sport only to be cast aside at 17 years old- is anyone doing anything about Tutberidze’s borderline abusive training methods?

Well. The ISU (international skating union) gave Eteri an award for Best Coach, if that’s what you mean by ‘doing something about it’. Because apparently they don’t give a fuck that these girls are being used like products and discarded just as quickly as they come. They just care that her girls win.

And win they do. Enter: the 3A, the trio of elite Russian figure skaters Anna Shcherbakova, Aliona Kostornaia and Alexandra Trusova (nicknamed the 3A because all their names start with an a but everyone calls Alexandra as Sasha).

The 3A won every. Major. Competition. During the 2020 season. They didn’t let anyone else on that damn podium. They were playing musical chairs with those three podium spots. The main surprise when you watched fs wasn’t ‘omg who will podium’ but ‘omg in which order will 3A podium’. And if you recall, 2020 is the year our reigning Olympic champion Alina Zagitova turned 17, so she was already on her way out. Anna was 15, Sasha was 15 and Aliona was 16- optimal ages in figure skating. Aliona didn’t have quads, but she had a beautiful triple axel and artistry, while Sasha had pure raw athleticism and Anna fell somewhere in the middle. But unfortunately, they weren’t born in the right year. By the time the qualifiers for the Beijing Olympics rolled around, Anna and Sasha were 17 and Aliona was 18, and a new face entered and broke nine world records in her debut season alone- Kamila Valieva.

Kamila is, supposedly, better than all the girls who came before her. (Even though I still like Aliona better.) She has the artistry and consistency that Sasha lacked and the quads that Aliona lacked. She’s the full package of everything a skater should be, and she’s 15 years old in an Olympic year. She has it all, and tbh doesn’t really have any other competition. Anna and Sasha are still leagues ahead of everyone else but if they’re as unreachable as kings, Kamila is as unbeatable as a god. Kamila, Sasha and Anna are the three skaters representing Russia at Beijing (Aliona withdrew from this season due to a hand fracture she’s ‘not allowed to talk about’.). Anna is almost definitely injured nine ways to hell, Sasha is probably injured too, so Kamila is probably the only one who’s like. Even moderately healthy out of the Russian girls, if you discount the fact that she’s like severely underweight. Idk if she’ll be the one to break the cycle, but hopefully this monopoly on ladies’ fs ends soon and new rules are put in place to stop girls giving themselves chronic injuries by the time they turn 16.

Anyway, that’s the summary on the figure skating drama. Please cheer for Sasha and Anna! I want Sasha to be the first person to land a quad at Olys because she was the one who started this whole quad revolution so it’s only right that she should finish it. Wow this took me a long time to write and we only covered the tip of the iceberg. Hope you guys enjoy the Beijing Olympics btw happy cny 祝大家新年快樂, 身體健康 (god knows they need it) 心想事成 etc etc

Edit: Hi, it’s op here! I regret my poor choice of words in calling this as ‘drama’, I meant to refer to the ‘drama’ as all the issues I mentioned in the first paragraph like Putin dissing a Canadian skater unfair judging scores home bias etc etc, but I guess it was misread as the fact that I was calling this institutionalised child abuse ‘drama’. I wrote this post to bring attention to the child abuse happening because I think it’s wrong and unfair that no one is doing anything about it and I do NOT mean to trivialise it as drama. Sorry this was such a poor choice of words cuz I was fr gonna talk about those whole other stories but then I got sidetracked with this whole thing and I forgot to change the words ‘drama’ 😭😭😭 Thank you so much for understanding 😭😭😭

#beijing winter olympics #beijing 2022 #2022 olympics #figure skating #ice skating #yuri on ice #yoi #victor nikiforov #katsuki yuuri #evgenia medvedeva #alina zagitova #kamila valieva #aliona kostornaia #anna shcherbakova #alexandra trusova

[jackredfieldwasmyjacob]

I was (kinda) tagged by @glittertrail, mil gracias jo 🥰🥰🥰

1. Why did you choose your url?: When i was a kid and on my first social media sites (basically Deviantart and mail accounts) i always used "jackdragon" as my username because of Jack Redfield from Memorias de Idhún, I wanted to keep that theme on Tumblr and I came up with this one I quite like :)

2. Any side blogs?: Yes, both are dead but I don't really know how / want to delete them lol, they're @skamesptranslations for, well, Skam España clip translations; and @gleespana again, pretty self explanatory, I had a project of rebooting Glee but set in Spain and with Spanish songs and stuff.

3. How long have you been on tumblr?:

I created the account on 2014, but from 2015-2016 I was absent. I came back in 2017 and I've been here since.

4. Do you have a queue tag?:

Nope

5. Why did you start your blog in the first place?:

I honestly don't remember? I think it had to do a bit with the crush I had at the moment, she had a Tumblr and maybe I wanted to have something in common with her? I don't remember us talking about Tumblr tho 6. Why did you choose your icon/pfp?: I wanted an Amira icon cause she's my favourite character from the Skamverse and someone made that really funny edit with the Hackerman meme after the clip in season 2 where Amira dug up all info on Joana and whatnot; so I just took it lol (looking back I should've asked for permission, sorry to whoever it was).

7. Why did you choose your header?:

Kieutou is probably my favourite ship ever so yeah. But after Druck ends my Skamverse era will probably be over and tho I want to keep the pfp I want to change the header; I don't really know what to choose as a replacement tho (I'm all ears if you have any suggestions!!!) 8. What’s your post with the most notes?:

A "put in the tags" post I made a while ago about what would your name be if you were named after the river closest to your hometown. It blew up way more than I could've predicted, last time I saw it I think it had over 5k notes. 9. How many mutuals do you have?:

I haven't counted but I would say around 200? Maybe??? 10. How many followers do you have?:

1062 which I think is just insane 11. How many people do you follow?:

601 12. Have you ever made a shitpost?:

Yeah, I've made some lol 13. How often do you use tumblr each day?:

Too much... No but really, I would say, in total, it must be like 2-3 hours? Maybe? 14. Did you ever have a fight/argument with another blog once?:

I don't really remember any, no! I've had some hate anons (and non-anons) but there was never any beef I think 15. How do you feel about “you need to reblog this” posts?:

I don't really like them tbh, sometimes I will reblog it nevertheless (if the cause is important enough to me), but most of the time I'll just ignore it 16. Do you like tag games?:

I love them!!! 17. Do you like ask games?: Everybody knows I love them, yeah, they're my favourite part of this site!

18. Which of your mutuals do you think is tumblr famous?:

There certainly are mutuals that are big in the skam fandom but I don't know if they would classify as "tumblr famous", they are for me at least I guess. I would say @jon-astronaut, @j-purplesunsets-rainydays @fatoudixon (I screamed when I saw you were a mutual hello 😳) @aahelvede and @gotskamstuff are the most well-known mutuals I have. And apart from them, I have an irl famous mutual, miss Hajar Brown herself which honestly makes me loose my mind everytime I remember it lol. 19. Do you have a crush on a mutual?: Not really! I do have a lot of friendship crushes like @ la ganga, @skamesp @claimedbytheearth @minglana @im-too-tired-to-think @espanhois @what-islife15 (my beloved❤) and many more I'm probably forgetting but yeah, none romantic I think (and if I had I wouldn't say it lmaooo)

And I tag basically everyone I have already mentioned (la ganga: @naguaraquerandom @alicechesire @eskamtrash @sarcasmisalifechoice) @looselysealedkrypton @afolksongs @sonechkaandthedynamos (i just realized i should've include you in famous people as well, you're one of the balkan tumblrinas!!!) @gwendolynlerman

#tag #i had a blast making this ngl #also sorry for all the tags i'm sorry if i annoy any of you! #especially the ones i deemed tumblr famous

[sakura-83]

Things from Anne with an e that I feel like writing down

Season 1 Episode 4: An Inward Treasure Born

1. The really good transition shot following the firewood as Gilbert chops wood, Ruby carries it inside, moody putting it in the fire, and Marilla closing the stove, despite none of it actually being in the same place. You almost don’t notice it because of how smoothly the transitions are shot

2. “Not going to school again today?”

3. Anne singing to herself wandering around in a daze

4. “If she doesn’t go back to school soon, you may have to send us both to the looney bin.”

5. The ladybug rhyme

6. Marilla actually asking for Rachel’s advice

7. The cuthberts remind me a lot of my grandparents tbh

8. Anne getting so distracted the oven catches fire, I’ve done that before

9. Anne screaming at Marilla about how it’s hard to do well in life when you have no friends. I’ve been there before

10. Starting to think Matthew is autistic but that could be its own post

11. “She can’t like me when no one else does.”

12. The mention of Katie Maurice, one of Anne’s imaginary friends made from her reflection. The show doesn’t really explain it as thoroughly as the book does so I was confused until I started reading the book

13. The way Anne reminds Matthew of himself when he was younger

14. Jerry fixing his clothes any going “hello ladies~” except he’s like 12-13 so it’s completely ineffective

15. “We’ve been worrying about her.” “Diana especially.”

16. Anne skipping school but still continuing to teach herself anyways

17. Griselda the pinecone

18. When they call the minister on you 😔

19. The way Marilla, self proclaimed conservative, still doesn’t agree with the idea of Anne learning only to be a wife, to not go back to school.

20. An unexpected but intriguing conversation about the integrated concepts of gender and class privileges. Jerry has opportunities Anne cannot because he is a boy but Anne has opportunities Jerry cannot because his family is poor. Anne will always be looked down on by some because she’s a girl but Jerry will also be looked down on for being from an immigrant family.

21. “I don’t see how I’m ever going to be a very good wife quite frankly.” “Probably not.” “I have such a bad temper-“ “true!” “And I’m dreadfully wicked and impatient and skinny and homely DON’T SAY ANYTHING JERRY-“

22. Anne laying down in the middle of the hayloft to lament while poor Jerry is trying to move the hay

23. Anne saying words and Jerry just standing there like 🧍🏻

24. “This is unlike you.” “I have no idea what’s like me. None at all.”

25. Poor Matthew asked if her mind was burdened and Marilla was like “is there anything I can cook or mend or fetch for you” like ma’am please calm down

26. It is very interesting to see how in pre-modern technology era, stopping a fire was way more of a community effort

27. Anne knowing how to help stop the fire because of every fire manual she read and rushing inside without a second thought

28. Jerry being like “she ran inside!!! It was Anne!!! Anne slowed down the fire!!!! :D”

29. “😏 Maybe you could be a firefighter.”

30. “After the events of this evening you should be grateful to have a bed to sleep in at all.”

31. “It doesn’t matter what the other girls think Ruby, it matters what you think.”

32. “I am NOT a Gilbert Blythe fan.”

33. “It’s a shame you’re not in school anymore. You seem awful smart about things.”

34. “As long as they bring food, I don’t care if it’s Quasimodo.”

35. “Go home, and bake cookies!” “Headline, they already did.”

36. Anne yelling at Billy 💖

37. “Gilbert is so chivalrous 🥰.” “Oh hes somethin alright.”

38. Anne bring sure that she could fistfight Billy

39. Matthew teaching Anne how to fight and fake sparring with her

40. The avonlea story club

41. I think Ruby understands what Anne is saying less than Jerry does

42. RUBY SAYING THAT SHE’LL MISS ANNE

43. That prompting Anne to return to school

44. “In my day we didn’t get to choose. I think you should make your own decision.”

#anne with an e #renew awae #awae #anne shirley cuthbert #anne of green gables #gilbert blythe #ruby gillis #diana barry #mathew cuthbert #marilla cuthbert