#2021.. at the latter half of the season too..

[secondserves]

was just clicking on anything on youtube and came across this one from stockholm 2021.. i had no idea.. no one told me..

#2021.. at the latter half of the season too.. #hes so real for this #jannik sinner #lewis hamilton #tennis #f1

[rxin3akamallory]

Howdy!

(I am Taiga Aisaka irl lol)

I finally decided to make an intro on this account because it’s inconsistent as hell even though it’s my main one.

But yeah hello!

I’m Mallory (people call me Mal a lot) I’m a goofy ahh autistic 21 year old

She/Her are my preferred pronouns, but I’m okay with They/Them as well if it’s easier for you to use.

I’m biromantic/asexual

I’m not in college but I’ve been working for nearly a year now! It takes up half of my time but I’m still free decently often.

I like to draw, write, make OCs and self inserts, play video games, sing and listen to music. I sometimes post my art and characters occasionally but not often on here. (I should tho)

This is my main tumblr where I used to post strictly Finding Nemo related posts but my fixation had faded out since 2021 (I still love the movie and it’s sequel but it hasn’t been my main interest anymore)

Here are my other tumblrs if they’re interesting enough to take a look at.

Second tumblr: @rxin3srandomthoughts

Meme tumblr: @rxin3smemes

Aesthetic tumblr (kinda defunct now): @rxin3saesthetics

Stim tumblr (the one I use most often besides my main): @rxin3stims

I have a large DNI list on my stim tumblr, but I’ll put a general one here too. It’s also in my bio:

DNI if:

A nsfw/k!nk blog

Racist

Homophobic

Transphobic

Ablelist

And a personal one, if you romanticize serial k!ll3rs or sh00t3rs. Big on the latter because of personal trauma and because that monster has been romanticized here before and on other platforms on the internet and I find it not only disturbing and horrifying but also disrespectful to the victims, their families, and the survivors.

If you fit under any of this criteria, you will immediately be blocked.

A lot of my content is OC related, so here is a list of ‘em!!

Self Inserts (1)

Self Inserts (2)

Self Inserts (3)

Moodboards: 1, 2, 3

Self Insertmas 2023: Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, Day 5, Day 6, Day 7, Day 8, Day 9, Day 10, Day 11, Day 12, Day 13, Day 14, Day 15, Day 16, Day 17, Day 18, Day 19, Day 20, Day 21, Day 22, Day 23

Self Insert Birthday Countdown 2024: Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, Day 5, Day 6, Day 7, Day 8, Day 9, Day 10, Day 11, Day 12, Day 13, Day 14, Day 15, Day 16, Day 17, Day 18, Day 19, Day 20, Day 21, Day 22, Day 23, Day 24

I also have a lot of special interests and fixations! Here’s a “small” list of a majority of them to get to know me:

Non film/tv:

Tennessee (Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge specifically!) Literally my comfort place. I love when I get to visit sm!!)

OneRepublic (My favorite band!)

Littlest Pet Shop

Bunnies!

Film:

Wreck-It Ralph (only the first film)

Frozen (mainly only the first film)

Big Hero 6 (also the manga and the tv series)

Encanto

Finding Nemo/Finding Dory

Cars (1-3)

Onward

Guardians of the Galaxy (and the tv series and the 2021 game)

(Current fixation! Rocket is my bf fr /hj)

Jurassic Park/Jurassic World

The Florida Project

Madagascar (1-3)

Rise of the Guardians

Ice Age (1-4)

Rio (mainly the first film)

Sing (mainly Sing 2 only)

The Mario Movie (2023)

Vivo

The Muppets (specifically modern, 2011-2015)

TV:

The Fairly Oddparents (Seasons 1-5)

The Powerpuff Girls (1998 only)

The Office (US only)

My Little Pony (I haven’t finished it Friendship is Magic, I mainly fixate on the 2017 movie and the 2021 film from Gen 5)

Bluey

Fish Hooks

Green Eggs & Ham (Netflix)

Smiling Friends

Thomas and Friends (before CGI era)

The Peanuts (I didn’t know where to put it so it’s here lmao)

Video Games:

Animal Crossing (Mainly New Leaf and New Horizons)

Mario Kart (Mainly 7 and 8)

Mario Party (Mainly Superstars and Island Tour)

Animal Jam

Detroit: Become Human (My favorite!)

Cuphead (I never finished the show but I should)

BlazBlue (Mainly Chronophantasma and Crosstag Battle. And the anime Alter Memory)

Arcana Heart (Mainly 3 Love Max!!!)

Five Nights at Freddy’s (I don’t think it counts because I never played the actual games but I’ve watched so many play throughs)

Anime:

Studio Ghibli in general (I’ve not seen every film though)

Cardcaptor Sakura

Tokyo Mew Mew (I need to watch the reboot!)

Lucky Star

Toradora (my favorite!)

Madoka Magica (I need to finish Record! And I can’t wait for the next movie!)

Smile Precure (watched it because Glitter Force sucked)

Himouto! Umaru-Chan

The Quintessential Quintuplets

Rent-A Girlfriend

BNA: Brand New Animal

Fruits Basket

My Love Story

Ouran Highschool Hostclub

Love Chunibyo and Other Delusions

True Tears

Wotakoi: Love is hard for Otaku

Maid Sama

(There’s more but this is all I got in in my head rn)

Ask Answers!!

★

Well that’s pretty much it!

I hope you like my account where I occasionally post actual stuff and mainly reblog things from my interests lol

[bk-reviews]

Hello Everyone!

Today I will write about a slightly different topic than before. So far I have presented series, but now I will talk about a musical group called Forestella.

Forestella is a South Korean crossover male vocal quartet. The group was formed in 2017 through JTBC's singing contest Phantom Singer season 2. They were the winners of that season and became the most famous quartet throughout the whole show (3 seasons + All Stars). Sadly, I haven't seen their season yet, as English subtitles are not available anywhere but I will watch it either way, after finishing season 1 (which I stopped watching, because that too, only had English subs in the first half of the episodes). Since August 1, 2021, they've been under Beat Interactive, along with the K-pop band A.C.E, who I'm also a fan of.

As you can guess, the group consists of four members: Bae Doo-hoon (배두훈, tenor, 36), Kang Hyung-ho (강형호, countertenor, 33), Cho Min-gyu (조민규, tenor, 31) and Ko Woo-rim (고우림, bass, 27). Woorim and Mingyu are opera singers and the latter is the leader of the quartet. Doohoon is a musical actor, he studied acting at Korea National University of Arts. Hyungho is probably the most well-known of the four, the video of him singing both Christine's and the Phantom's part in the song Phantom of the Opera really blew up, many international youtubers have reacted to it. It's also worthy of note, that he hadn’t studied music before going on Phantom Singer, showing that he really has a natural talent for singing. He’s an amateur rock singer, who used to work as a chemist.

The name Forestella comes from two words: forest and stella (Italian for star). The Italian touch really comes in handy when we think about how many languages Forestella has sung in. They mostly sing in Korean, Italian and English, but songs in French, Spanish and other languages are found in their discography too. They currently have four albums; Evolution, Mystique, The Forestella and The Beginning: World Tree.

Forestella has appeared on Two Yoo Project and Immortal Songs, a competition where each episode features singers or bands who perform their reinterpreted versions of (older) songs. Currently, they are filming their youtube series called Forrecipe In The Woods.

In my opinion, Forestella is 100% worth to stan. I'm pretty open-minded about music, so I gladly listen to classical songs, but this group was the one that made me really interested in opera pieces. The members have fun personalities too, and they might be the most talented musicians I have ever known.

I hope I peaked your interest with my review. Take care✨

Sources:

https://kprofiles.com/forestella-members-profile/

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forestella&ved=2ahUKEwjr8KKA1I37AhWGhP0HHWzOCVgQFnoECHAQAQ&usg=AOvVaw3aSjvc470V7nHG1Tw6YSaJ

https://kpop.fandom.com/wiki/Forestella

#forestella #korean #music #classical music #Phantom singer #immortal songs #ace kpop #Beat interactive #Jtbc #ko woorim #Kang hyungho #Cho mingyu #Bae doohoon

[antiloreolympus]

10 Anti LO Asks

(Note: All of these asks are before episode 206 (Season 2 finale) so some may be dated.) 1. ok but I love Rachel spent the latter half of 2021 being like ooooh Kronos is coming back!! this is a big deal!! only to timeskip ten years and NOTHING happened. like wow even Kronos isn't a big deal when it comes to how totally not pathetic Persephone is as a 30+ year old doing no work and only being obsessed with a guy she knew for a month. literal masterclass in awful writing. It's almost impressive how bad it is.

2. Deadass I don't even get why RS is like oh yeh nymphs and other creatures should be second class citizens but they're also all "trash" and thus its good and even encouraged to abuse and mistreat them. like yeah that's what was missing, racism where the marginalized group are evil and "deserve" to be abused and mistreated by those with all the power over them. THAT's what mythology was so sorely missing.  jfc. I know a lot of the WT staff are white people and so is Rachel but wtf???

3. It's quite funny how a woman old enough to be my mother cannot draw or write worth shit and there are literal teenagers on this website who are a thousand times the artist and writer she could ever hope to be.

4. This isn’t me trying to be mean but like, why is everything from the book covers to the official merch so ,.. cheap looking? Like these are supposed professionals, not Rachel, doing it, yet they’re still so poorly designed and crafted. It doesn’t help the images Rachel gives time to work with are all in the rushed, ugly style now either 😪

5. I just find it funny that every time an LO fan or even WT promotes it its like ... they ONLY use art from the first 10-ish episodes at best. Like yall, that was over four years ago, why aren't you using current art to be more accurate? Like it's kinda telling on themselves they know the quality declined rapidly after the first few months but are like "just ignore that! look at this three good panels from 2018!"

6. I HATE those panels where RS tries to be anatomically correct to IRL humans and its like omg they look even worse (and are still wildly wrong anyway?? She cannot draw heads to save her life for real). Like lady just work within your stylization, there's a reason people picked up your work off what it used to be versus what it is now.

7. this isnt necessarily LO based but I do find it crazy how people like RS and her fans viewed the original hymn like ugh Demeter is such a bitch why wouldnt she be happy Hades married her daughter like .... you guys are aware ancient brides tended to be married at 14, right? maybe that's why Demeter was pissed and creeped out by him. They're so blinded by their fantasy of this "perfect Hades" that never existed over the truth of a mother defending her literal CHILD.

8. Zeus is objectively the only hot man on cast because he actually has a personality, fashion sense, and pretty hair meanwhile Hades just looks like a dusty old man with zero drip and a million and one red flags 🫣

9. "This style of story telling" what style? just lying and making everything up to where it matches nothing in mythology? my god, she's so concerned over looking like a clever writer who has everything planned out and knows more than anyone else (including actual greeks??? ma'am) over actually telling a decent story. ive never seen someone so self conscious about being perceived as a "real writer" before.

10. Why even use mythology when you won't keep any of the stories true to how they were, change all the relationships, and just make up whatever else instead? At that point just go "this was inspired by the greek myths" and use your own OCs, not claiming you're telling an accurate story with a ton of research put into it. Rachel really just wants to have her cake and eat it too, huh?

#anti lo #anti lore olympus #lore olympus critical #lo critical

[mysticalnightenthusiast]

S.N.A.F.U CH72 ‘Curtains 2021’

************************************************************************

A/N1:  Sorry for the delay in updating peoples!  I had exams at uni then the motivation to write just got up and left.  Hope you enjoy this installment.  I have other chapters ready to do so for the next week or two updates will be more regular!

************************************************************************

Daniel had a less than perfect (by his standards) qualification for the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix but still managed to get into Q3 from where he would qualify tenth on the grid.  In between garage commitments he had engineering and strategy meetings, media commitments and sponsor meetings so as a result Eadaoin hardly got to see him unless it was five minutes here or five minutes there, eventually though race day arrived and it was with an air of optimism and relief the end of the season was finally here that Daniel, Eadaoin, Blake and Michael piled into the Jeep and made their way to the Yas Marina circuit just as the sun began to set.

“Final race for the year then holiday time huh?” Cahir said to Daniel as they joined the queue lining up to get into the track.

“Well not straight away, got tyre testing for next year on Tuesday,” Daniel replied “after that then its holiday time, going to spend the winter break sitting on my arse and getting fat.”

“Sorry what are you going to do?” Michael piped up from the front seat.

“I’m going to work out every day and follow a nutritious, healthy eating plan,” Daniel said with a grin “I’ll keep alcohol and junk food consumption to a minimum and won’t do anything that contradicts my wellness plan.”

“Good lad.”

“Except New Year’s Eve,” Daniel continued as Eadaoin, Cahir and Blake laughed “I plan on getting absolutely smashed and finishing the night with a kebab from that Greek place across the road from Jimmy’z.”

“Yeah well I’ll cut you a bit of slack for New Year’s” Michael said in amusement “because I’ll be a hypocrite telling you not to whilst I go out and do the absolute opposite.”

“I think we all deserve to get smashed and end the night with a kebab,” Cahir said as the line crawled forward “I worked myself to the point of burnout, Danny and Eadie had that shit with Jemma and you and Blake have been following Danny around the F1 circuit all year and been as busy as he has been.  We all need some rest.”

************************************************************************

 After arriving on track and seeing Daniel, Blake and Michael off to Daniel’s driver’s room Eadaoin and Cahir made their downstairs to the hospitality hub.

“There are worse ways to end the year,” Cahir declared as they grabbed a coffee each and sat at a table in the corner “nothing beats being trackside at an F1 race, especially one where the driver’s championship is down to the wire.”

“I don’t disagree,” Eadaoin replied cheerfully “but I’m also looking forward to the break too, to be able to spend some more time with Danny without him or me having to go to work hanging over our heads, to sleeping in to holidaying somewhere tropical where absolutely no one is going to bother us. We need time to be a couple ya know?”

“Hey I totally get ya,” Cahir said sympathetically “especially after the year you two have had to endure. Well the latter half anyway.  Well you’ve got a lot to look forward to in the New Year, you’re trucking along at your new job and there’s new tech coming for F1 so there’s scope for improvement for Danny.”

“Yeah there’s a lot to look forward to,” Eadaoin agreed “what about you? What does twenty twenty two hold for you?”

“I don’t know,” Cahir confessed “and y’know I’m totally okay with that. I have a new job and I’m renovating a new house the world is my oyster.  I’m just going to pootle along and see where life takes me for once, it’s about time I stopped being an anal retentive gobshite.”

Eadaoin laughed.

“You’re not an anal retentive gobshite,” she said in amusement “just a gobshite.”

Cahir rolled his eyes.

“Har har,” he said dryly as he sipped his cappuccino “what are you and Danny doing after the race tonight? Hitting the town?”

“Nah, I don’t have the motivation and Danny will be too tired,” Eadaoin replied “it’ll be nearing midnight and unless Danny wins which is highly unlikely we’ll stay in, maybe share a coffee in that little bistro we had lunch in today before hitting the hay early.  Danny is just so tired and he needs to relax.”

“Yeah I can see that,” Cahir observed “you two going to do much whilst you’re in L.A?”

“We don’t have anything planned,” Eadaoin replied “just hanging around Danny’s house, maybe go up to his US manager’s cabin in Big Sur for a couple of days, go out to dinner a couple of times.  If it involves relaxing we’ll do it.”

************************************************************************

Two hours later after the driver’s parade and final engineering and strategy meetings the cars set out on their formation lap. Michael came jogging back from the track Daniel’s kit bag in hand.

“How’s he feeling?” Eadaoin asked taking the curly haired driver’s headphones from the trainer and putting them around her neck a habit that had become tradition with the last few races she had attended.

“Determined,” Michael replied “you know our guy, determined to finish clean, determined to finish in the points, he’s not saying much but I think he’s just keen to go on holiday, relax, and do something that isn’t connected to racing you know?”

“I definitely know,” Eadaoin replied turning her gaze toward the huge LCD screen at the back of the garage that was broadcasting the Sky F1 broadcast “well here it goes one last toss of the dice for the year!”

Once the last car on the grid took their place on the grid an excited silence fell in the McLaren garage as everyone waited for the race to get underway.  Charlotte Sefton the team’s media and PR officer arrived out of breath.  She grinned at Eadaoin and pulled on her team branded headphones.

“We’ve been waiting for this all season long, the finale, the title decider, under the lights here in Abu Dhabi. Its lights out and away we go! And Hamilton gets a decent start and he’s already ahead of Max Verstappen there’s a bit of jockeying going on between Tsunoda and Ricciardo Hamilton leads into the first corner , Norris goes wide Sergio Perez slips through into third place then comes Carlos Sainz but its Hamilton out in front!  The medium tyres working well for him as his team mate Valtteri Bottas challenges the Ferrari, into the hairpin we go now Hamilton leads Bottas, leads Perez, then leads Norris then the two Ferraris of Sainz and Leclerc, it is a dream start for Lewis Hamilton!”

Eadaoin immediately cringed as shortly after the start of the race Danny was forced off the straight line, but she let out a sigh of relief when moment later her easily slid back onto the racing line and continued on.  Meanwhile Lando was forced wider off the track and a collective groan of despair rose from all the personnel in the garage.  Charlotte who had a soft spot for the curly haired Englishman made a face and swore.

“Fuck!” she cussed her profanity muffled by the roar of the cars zooming past the pit lane.

The race was relatively uneventful for the first few laps then in the late teens the first pit stops began occurring.  Of the McLaren boys Lando was the first to pit on lap seventeen when he switched from the soft to hard compound tyres then Daniel pitted a lap later for the same tyres in the same time of two and a half seconds.  Both men rejoined the race mid-field and raced on intent on climbing the placings.

The first big drama of the race occurred on lap twenty six when Kimi crashed his car into the barriers at turn six which required a safety car.  A collective groan rose from the grandstand as the Finn got out of his car and waved to indicate he was alright.

“Aw man that’s gotta suck crashing in your last ever race,” Cahir commented to no one in particular “poor bloke.”

“Eh Kimi wouldn’t give a shit, he can now crack a tinny and sit on the beach for the rest of his life getting fat and enjoying life,” Eadaoin replied with a grin, keeping her eyes trained on the huge screen in front of them “or he can now do what he did in Monaco a few years ago when he crashed, leap over the fence get on a yacht and sink a few on the marina, I’d do-”

Eadaoin’s next words were cut off when another groan rose from the crowds as George Russell’s car slowed to a stop on the side of the track.

“We no one can say this race is boring,” Cahir quipped.

“This game is never boring,” Charlotte replied “something always happens, either on the track or behind the scenes.”

A short time later the race got back underway and was relatively uneventful until lap 35 when Antonio Giovanazzi crawled to a stop on the side of the track which triggered a virtual safety car.

“Its going to be sunrise before this race finishes!” Eadaoin exclaimed keeping her eyes trained on Daniel’s car which was pootling around the track slightly worse then mid-field.

“Nah we’ll all be wasted in an Abu Dhabi nightclub by then,” Cahir said with a grin.

“Speak for yourself I’ll be halfway home to Oz by then,” Michael said amused by the other man’s enthusiasm.

“Pity, if you were sticking about town I’d invite you out for a few drinks,” Cahir said cheerfully “Danny and Eadie are hardly going to want to hit the town"

Michael chuckled.

“Maybe in the new year when I get back to London,” he said in amusement “I’m not adverse to a night on the turps.”

“If you’re looking to hit the Abu Dhabi clubs you ought to head out with the mechanics,” Charlotte said “those boys will try and drink you under the table.”

“Oh don’t say that Cally sees that as a challenge,” Eadaoin said dryly “last time someone said ‘I’ll drink you under the table’ to him they ended up in hospital with literal alcohol poisoning.”

“Really?” Charlotte and Michael chorused.

“Weeeeell not the last time but yeah that happened,” Cahir confessed his face burning a magnificent shade of scarlet “I was pretty crook myself, took three days not to feel like hammered shit.”

“And he got absolutely zero sympathy from Mum and me,” Eadaoin said with a giggle as the race resumed “self inflicted injury that was.”

************************************************************************

Lando was the first of the McLaren lads to pit twenty two laps later when he switched from hard to medium compound tyres, Daniel pitted four laps later and the race for a points finishing position was on in earnest.

“Aw geez should I opt out?” Cahir asked Eadaoin showing her his phone upon which a betting app was open “if I opt out now I get my two grand back but if Max wins I get ten times that.”

“Aw take a chance Max might get this you know” Eadaoin replied.

“If Verstappen wins this it’ll be a miracle,” Charlotte commented “something big is going to have to happen for him to cross the line first.”

And something big did in fact happen.  On lap 53 Nicholas Latifi who had been battling for position with Mick Schumacher crashed at turn 14 absolutely destroying the front of his car.  An audible oooooohhhhhhh rose from the stands and the safety car was immediately dispatched.  Max pitted and the rest of the field slowed as per regulations.  Cahir dropped his phone on the table and let out a groan of frustration.

“Race hasn’t ended yet Cally don’t despair yet,” Eadaoin told her brother.

“Edie there’s two laps to go,” Cahir groaned “Max is going to have to be the second coming of Senna to win this thing.”

“Stranger things have happened!”

Nicky’s car was cleared from the track and the directive for the overlapped cars (of which included Daniel) was given.  The cars began the maneuver then “Safety car in at the end of this lap” flashed up on the screen.  This caused a roar of disapproval from the McLaren garage staff.

“What the fuck?  Danny hasn’t overtaken the safety car yet!” Eadaoin exclaimed as from the other end of the garage Tom his engineer swore “This is fuckin’ bullshit!”

“Aw no way man this is bullshit!” Michael exclaimed “No way is this fair, what the hell is happening?”

The rest of the race went by in a daze for those in the McLaren garage as the battle royale between Max and Lewis went down to the wire. The last lap began and the two men were basically wheel to wheel as they battled for the right to be World Driver Champion.

“This race that started with controversy has ended with controversy, here comes Lewis Hamilton though down the back straight, he’s got a slipstream he almost touches Verstappen they almost made contact!  Into turn nine Verstappen stays ahead of Lewis Hamilton of all the drama of all the controversy of all the magic moments in formula one in twenty twenty one it comes down to this!  And at this moment it looks like its going to go the way of Max Verstappen.  Mercedes not happy Red Bull will be delighted, they have shared a brilliant championship battle but the championship can only be won by one and it’s going Dutch in twenty twenty one Max Verstappen for the first time ever is champion of the world!  Lewis Hamilton finishes in second place after leading for so so long....”

“What in the name of Jesus H. Christ on a bike was all that?” Cahir wondered out loud as Max drove under the chequered flag and booming fireworks, the new world champion “has Masi been drinking?”

“I dunno,” Eadaoin replied “but something smells in Denmark for sure....”

************************************************************************

A couple of hours later after all the hubbub from the race had died down and Daniel had completed all his post race media and team commitments Eadaoin met him back at his driver’s room right after he had had a post race shower.

“Hey, how you feeling?” she asked watching the curly haired driver scrub his face dry.

“Tired,” Daniel admitted as he began dressing “mentally and physically.  I just want to get back to my own space and relax.”

“Well in twenty four hours we’ll be in L.A and we can do that,” Eadaoin said holding out on of his well work merch shirts “I ran into George on the way here and he’s keen to catch up before you leave the track if you’re keen.”

“Yeah I’ll check in with him before we leave,” Daniel replied tying up the drawstring on his shorts and pulling on the shirt she held out to him “is everyone else still here?”

“Yeah Michael, Blake and Cally are loading all your gear into the car,” Eadaoin replied “Bake said they would wait back down in hospitality for us when you’re ready to go.” 

Before he pulled on his Vans Daniel strode over to Eadaoin and embraced the redhead in a rib cracking hug.  She gave a little squeak of surprise and returned the act of affection.

“What’s up?” she asked her voice muffled by his muscular neck.

“Just needed a cuddle,” he replied.

“Babe are you alright?” Eadaoin asked in concern “you seem a bit flat.”

“I am a bit,” Daniel admitted as he pulled back and dropped a kiss on her forehead “It’s just been a long and disappointing year, even after Monza. I expected this year to be so much better than it has been, so has the team, Zak even said next year is going to have to be markedly better than this year for our partnership to continue....and I suppose I’m just glad it’s over y’know?  Now I can rest and recharge and look forward to Christmas.”

“Zak said what?” Eadaoin exclaimed in anger “that fat bastard said wha-”

“Babe- Babe- he’s right,” Daniel said flatly “even though I won a race this year the team and I expected more. I should have done at least as well as Lando has.  He’s averaging better in points gathering than I am and has been on the podium more than I have been....”

“Yeah but you don’t say that at the end of a long and difficult year right before the holidays!” Eadaoin exclaimed indignantly “why couldn’t he have waited til pre-season testing next year?  You won McLaren’s first race in nine years Danny!”

“I know,” Daniel replied “I suppose that’s just how he does things.  He’s right though I have to improve or I’ll have to start looking elsewhere for a drive in twenty twenty three, I know it sounds brutal but F1 is a brutal game....”

“Yeah....well I s’pose.”

“But for now I have the holidays to look forward to and once I get over jetlag you can bet all my attention is going to be on you.”

“Oh yeah?  And what’s that going to involve?”

“That would be telling Darling, that would be telling.”

************************************************************************

#F1 #Daniel Ricciardo #Daniel Ricciardo FanFiction

[fictionz]

New Fiction 2022 - July

The Bible, Douay-Rheims, Complete - "1 Paralipomenon" ed. Richard Challoner (1752)

More begetting children and all their names before coming back around to more of David's reign. So many chapters are just appendices to previous events.

The Bible, Douay-Rheims, Complete - "2 Paralipomenon" ed. Richard Challoner (1752)

Two Paralipomenon, say that five times fast. So now it's on to Solomon and his riches (again), Roboam talking about how his little finger is bigger than his dad's dick, and Jeroboam getting whipped with scorpions all the way to the fall of Jerusalem. It's basically another look at what we saw in Kings.

Dracula Daily - "July" by Bram Stoker & ed. Matt Kirkland (1897, 2021)

Dracula’s finally outta that musty old castle, though leaving Jonathan in the lurch is quite the cliffhanger. And that poor, poor captain.

Bad Hare Day by R.L. Stine (1996)

A mish-mash of various ideas from earlier books. It has the vibe of Haunted Mask and stealing secrets from weird adults, the experimenting with illicit stuff from Monster Blood, animal transformations from various books, bratty younger sister who bullies the protagonist, a Slappy-like snarky villainous character. It’s too much of a remix and more slapstick than horror.

Egg Monsters from Mars by R.L. Stine (1996)

A decent creature story, but the latter half kind of sags with the protagonist spending a lot of time just trapped in a freezer and struggling to stay warm. The villain is genuinely frightening but also one-dimensional and doesn't really explain his motivation well. And there's not enough of the egg monsters. It's close to a top tier book but just sputters too much along the way.

"Bathtub Mermaid" by Edith Zimmerman (2022)

Someone has to hear about the doll thief.

"its time for… the dark cabinet" by itstimeforcomics-blog (2015)

When you least suspect it.

Lost Highway dir. David Lynch (1997)

One can see the continuation of a theme in Lynch’s work since Blue Velvet. Does he want us see the darkness or the light?

Mad God dir. Phil Tippett (2022)

If the journey ends for you, it doesn’t mean it’s the end.

Mr. Malcolm's List dir. Emma Holly Jones (2022)

British accents always class up the cruelty.

Thor: Love and Thunder dir. Taika Waititi (2022)

Whoof, what a drop from Ragnarok.

Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers dir. Akiva Schaffer (2022)

A reflection of a reflection that is unaware of what it sees.

Where the Crawdads Sing dir. Olivia Newman (2022)

Pump up the volume on the mystery, tone down the romance.

Nope dir. Jordan Peele (2022)

The most fun take on Jaws since the original. A real hoot and also really fucked up at times. An understanding of horror by someone who continues to bring cool ideas to movies.

Vengeance dir. B. J. Novak (2022)

You get awful close but you shouldn’t have been the face of it. Now we ask, what did we learn?

Fear Street Part One: 1994 dir. Leigh Janiak (2021)

Really going for it right out of the gate. I’m in. Now I need to know if I should go back and read Fear Street after reading this bunch of Goosebumps books.

Fear Street Part Two: 1978 dir. Leigh Janiak (2021)

Even the devil craves a kind word.

Fear Street Part Three: 1666 dir. Leigh Janiak (2021)

Legacy is mankind’s ruin.

Goosebumps - "Bad Hare Day" (1996)

Erf, the book was rough, and the episode doesn’t do itself any favors by leaning into the snarky villain.

Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers (1988-1990)

A nostalgia bomb like every one of these 90s cartoons tends to be, though the tropes eventually wear thin when watching it all in one go. Monterey Jack may be what crystallized my appreciation of cheese.

Better Call Saul - Season 5 (2020)

This show... it doesn’t build the way Breaking Bad builds. It’s more of a roller coaster with the sense of hitting the same drop a few too many times. This season is a bookmark in place while you wait for the extra season that should have been season five.

The Book of Boba Fett (2021-2022)

I feel bad for the actors and crew of this ostensibly standalone TV show. Your makers should have had the fortitude to stick the vision.

Obi-Wan Kenobi (2022)

Better, but only because it is exactly what I remember. It’s comfortable, like an old pair of socks.

#the bible #dracula daily #bad hare day #egg monsters from mars #r.l. stine #edith zimmerman #the dark cabinet #lost highway #david lynch #mad god #phil tippett #mr. malcom's list #emma holly jones #thor love and thunder #chip n dale rescue rangers #where the crawdads sing #olivia newman #nope #jordan peele #vengeance #b.j. novak #goosebumps #better call saul #bcs #the book of boba fett #obi-wan kenobi #fear street #new fiction #2022

[ultraericthered]

Pokemon English Voice Compare/Rank, Champions

In which I rank the English dub voice actors of Pokemon characters from strongest to weakest, and sometimes throw in my 2 cents of who I think would be solid casting choices. This one is for Champions.

LANCE: 1. Bill Milsap - Voice of Lance in Pokemon Masters. Think Grant George crossed with Steve Blum and that describes Bill’s voice for Lance here, and I think it works really well. He sounds appropriately bold and heroic, but his voice can veer towards warmth and towards intimidating fearsomeness depending on the lines he’s speaking. 2. Ben Diskin - Voice of Lance in Pokemon Generations. While basically the same voice he does for other serious bishie characters like Young Xehanort, it suits a character like Lance. He’s particularly good when he raises his voice and displays his feroctiy. 3. Wayne Grayson - Voice of Lance in the main anime. When the character appeared in Johto and Hoenn, Wayne’s voice for him was terrible and not remotely fitting. But when Lance was reintroduced in Journeys, Wayne reprised the role and finally did him justice. 4. Robert Bucholtz - Voice of Lance in Pokemon Origins. For a Dragon Master, leader of the Elite Four, and future Champion, Bob’s voice acting for Lance is exceptionally dull and carries no presence. It’s just the most Average Joe sort of voice you could hear. FANCAST OPTION(S): Grant George or Max Mittelman for Lance?

STEVEN STONE: 1. Andrew Paull - Voice of Steven in the main anime. He was only in one episode of the Ruby & Sapphire series and like what happened with Lance, Andrew performed the part pretty awfully. But when the character returned in XY and Journeys, his vocal improvement fit perfectly and it’s hard to imagine Steven sounding any different. 2. Xander Mobus - Voice of Steven in Pokemon Masters. The sound of Xander’s voice always suited Steven, but his delivery was at first too smarmy and self-satisfied. His approach to the role as of the 2021 Anniversary is much better and more in line with Andrew Paull. 3. Tom Wayland - Voice of Steven in the animated trailer for Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire. Like his N from the last animated trailer, this is ill fitting even for just one line. He sounds too young and immature.

WALLACE: 1. Mickey Caputo - Voice of Wallace in Pokemon Masters EX. Goes very low and raspy despite the light, effeminate tone, and his delivery really sells the elegant artist who’s perfromative but level-headed. 2. Sean Reyes - Voice of Wallace in the anime. Nothing about this vocal performance stands out to me. Just like Wallace in this anime! FANCAST OPTION - Johnathan Todd Ross. He’s got the sort of voice I’d imagine for Wallace, so with acting and delivery akin to what Mickey Caputo did in the role, he’d be surprisingly excellent.

CYNTHIA: 1. Allegra Clark - Voice of Cynthia in Pokemon Masters. Her voice for Cynthia reflects everything that is awesome about her, and any time she’s had to do a reprisal her delivery has remained so on point. 2. Emily Bauer - Voice of Cynthia in the main anime. Being the VA for Cynthia AND Dawn meant that Emily had her work cut out for her early on, and in the latter half of the Diamond & Pearl dub she devolved into this very pretentiously high and mighty sounding faux-aristocratic tone. In the Best Wishes and Journeys dubs, her Cynthia saw massive improvement and is about as perfect as Allegra’s. 3. Tara Janye Sands - Voice of Cynthia in Pokemon Generations. With more material to work with, she probably could’ve done just fine, but for the short that features her she just put on a “heroic” tone and called it a day, failing to really impress with the few lines she got. FANCAST OPTION(S) - Nicole Oliver would be my top pick, but as she’s a Canada VA, Ali Hillis would be my number two choice. Or maybe Marissa Lenti if her Nicole Oliver impression has improved.

ALDER: 1. Cam Clarke - Voice of Alder in Pokemon Masters EX. It’s...it’s Cam Clarke, guys. One of the most seasoned veteran voice actors in the industry, making him perfect as an aging, experienced Champion. 2. Scottie Ray - Voice of Alder in the main anime. Scottie is very good at doing gruff voices, and also nailed the humorous and serious sides of Alder to really make use of an otherwise wasted character. 3. Andrew Eales - Voice of Alder in Pokemon Evolutions. His lack of much voice acting experience makes him playing Alder as well as he did a pleasant surprise, but the one downside is that you can sort of tell it’s a much younger VA trying to sound older to match the role.

FANCAST OPTION: Daran Norris for Alder, please? If Cowboy Bebop and Digimon were able to have him, I don’t see why not!

IRIS: 1. Cassandra Lee Morris - Voice of Iris in Pokemon Masters. Going higher, squeakier, and even more youthful than she normally does, Cassandra gives Iris exactly the sort of rambunctious, energetic, and sassy voice and performance I’d imagine to hear from the character.

2. TIE - Eileen Stevens & Anairis Quinones - Voices of Iris in the main anime. Eileen’s vocal performance as Iris is, for the most part, really good and lots of fun to listen to. My only issue is actually just the voice itself, how it sounds a little too matured and sometimes shrill compared to Aoi Yuki’s take. Anairis Quinones was my Fancast Option for Iris for a while since she’s got a voice not too unlike Eileen Stevens, isn’t white, and has Iris in her name...and then they actually cast her as Iris for the Masters 8 Tournament in Pokemon Journeys!

3. Cherami Leigh - Voice of Iris in Pokemon Generations. Cherami Freaking Leigh should be casting gold, but she unfortunately fell into the same trap Grant George did as N in that her line reads come in three different voices without any solid consistency. Had she carried her initial voice through the whole performance, she’d have got it.

DIANTHA: 1. Antonia Flynn - Voice of Diantha in Pokemon Masters EX. There is something about her naturally warm, melodius voice that makes Diantha so likable and pleasing to listen to, making her the best fit for a Champion who’s also an actress and occasional nobility LARPer. 2. Amber Lee Connors - Voice of Diantha in Pokemon Evolutions. Her voice sounds similar to Antonia Flynn’s, but her line delivery could’ve been better directed. I’m too aware that she’s acting here. 3. Laura Post - Voice of Diantha in Pokemon Generations. Opposite of the above, her delivery is perfectly natural but the voice might be a little too literal-minded in the Audrey Hepburn influence. 4. Vanessa Gardner - Voice of Diantha in the main anime. I’m sorry, but this vocal performance was just very bland and underwhelming.

LEON: 1. Cedric Williams - Voice of Leon in Pokemon Masters EX. Despite the laughably fake British accent, Cedric’s Leon sounds the most unique among the character’s voices and he best captures the enthusiasm, pride, and childish qualities that Leon is known for. 

2. Alejandro Saab - Voice of Leon in the main anime. He does a virtually flawless job of selling this incarnation of Leon, making him sound cool and tough but friendly and not unapproachable. He only falls to second place because we’ve heard him do similar voices for Roark and Kukui in Pokemon Masters well before he voiced Leon. 3. Aleks Le - Voice of Leon in Pokemon Evolutions. Maybe it was to fit the character model, but that voice is just WAY too deep. Aleks was a much better fit for Piers than he was for Leon. 4. Kai Jordan - Voice of Leon in Pokemon: Twilight Wings. This is the opposite problem from the above, as the voice Kai gives to Leon is too light and honestly sounds like it should’ve gone to Hop instead. FANCAST OPTION - IDK, an actual British guy would be nice.

NEMONA:

1. Yolis Arroyo - Voice of Nemona in Pokemon Horizons.

2. Olivia Vidas - Voice of Nemona in Pokemon: Paldean Winds.

3. Cristina Milizia - Voice of Nemona in Pokemon Masters EX.

FANCAST OPTION - Michelle Rojas

#Pokemon #Champion #voice acting #comparison #opinion

[phoenixwatchesmovies]

What I'm Watching: March 2024

New look, same round up. I made the mistake of watching too many things I have things to say about. Time to ramble about Wolf Creek, Penguin Town, The Woman In Black, In Our Own Time, Sinister, Alone, Repo! The Genetic Opera, and Cowboy Bebop: Knockin' On Heaven's Door...

Wolf Creek (2016-2017)

An anthology series which centers on different characters being targeted by crazed serial killer Mick Taylor in the Australian outback.

Just started season two, and I gotta say, I'm impressed. I wasn't sure how they could get an entire series out of such a basic premise, and to be fair, they didn't. They just expanded on the original concept. I've talked before about how consistent things are across the franchise in terms of production quality, and that's still true. If absolutely everything else about this show sucked balls, it's still gorgeous to look at. Well, minus a few moments of torture and violence and whatnot. It's toned way waaayyy down from the movies, but it is still Wolf Creek. I've adopted Eve Thoroughgood, and there's nothing you can do about it. As far as season one is concerned, secondary characters have a tendency to come full circle while also feeling like ships in the night compared to the main story, and I really like that. A lot. It's cool. Season two felt like a half step down for about five minutes, but the conclusion of episode two made me put down my crocheting and gawk, so take that as you will. Though, full disclosure, everything that felt super quiet in the first episode was spent on getting to know the new season's cast and that moment in the second wouldn't have had the same impact if I hadn't already spent time with these people, so it's calculated...kinda like the first act of the original movie. See what I mean about consistency? And after thinking about it, everything that feels repetitive or recycled in the series only feels that way because I've seen the movies, so again, calculated. You can come into the former without knowing anything about the latter and not miss a beat. If you are coming on from the movies, tho, it's probably for Mick, so let's discuss. He gets just enough backstory for certain moments to have more weight, but other than that? He's Mick. On the surface, an amiable, likeable guy with a sometimes iffy sense of humor who also happens to be a sick, perverted, depraved individual. And it's not like your first impression is wrong, either, which is the freaky part. He's climbing the ranks of my favorite villains due in large part to how grounded he is. He's someone you could meet any day of the week, or *gulp* when you're stuck on the side of the road and need a helping hand. Scary as hell, but also so much fun to watch.

Penguin Town (2021)

In a picturesque South African town, an eclectic group of endangered penguins flock together to find mates, raise families and mix with the locals.

K, so this isn't actually from the series I'm talking about, but those are indeed jackass penguins, so close enough. What do you want me to say about this? It's a nature documentary about penguins. It's free serotonin!

The Woman In Black (2012)

A young solicitor travels to a remote village where he discovers that the vengeful ghost of a scorned woman is terrorizing the locals.

Someday, I'll read the book and watch the og movie. Until then, why are all of my favorite horror movies about dead kids? No, seriously! Second, this is the third time I've watched this one, and my hands were still shaking by the end of it. Strike that. The cold sweat started about 45 seconds in as soon as those girls in the attic abandoned their toys, walked to the windows, and jumped. Then between the dark as hell subject matter and spooky as hell atmosphere established by the visuals and the sound design, it didn't really stop until the movie was over. I try not to watch this one too often so it stays effective in the creep factor department, but it might call for further study as far as photography goes, because this movie is very pleasing to look at. The village, the marsh, Eel Manor House itself, are all good on their own but also filmed well. The house and grounds in particular are *chef kiss* Shadows everywhere, framed in such a way you're sure there is something in them, and yet nothing is ever so dark you can't see it. Remember when movies used to do that? The whole look is everything you imagine when you hear the phrase "Victorian Gothic" and again, *chef kiss* I realize I've been slacking when it comes to keeping up with Daniel Radcliffe flicks, so remind me to do something about that. Dude sells the exhausted, grieving widower for sure, but also the resolve to see through whatever task is set before him. Not that he has much choice, because the stakes are high no matter what he does and every available course of action has immediate and dire consequences. Additionally, this reminded me I've also been slacking on J horror, because the vibes are very similar (at least, in my very limited experience with the genre). It's less about the spirit doing the haunting and more about the haunting itself. Nothing will sate Jennett's need for vengeance, not even being reunited with her lost son. The whispering throughout the house after Arthur and Sam leave it for the last time isn't just a threat, it's a curse. The only scene that matches the first for me is the last. It's eerie and tragic and bittersweet and horrifying, and I still look away from the final shot. *shudder*

Bee Gees: In Our Own Time (2010)

"In Our Own Time" is a new film on the long and illustrious career of the legendary Bee Gees, from their modest beginnings to unrivaled worldwide success in the "70's to the tragedy of losing their brothers Maurice and Andy. The story is told "in their own words" by Barry and Robin from extensive new interviews, and the film also includes archive interview footage of Maurice, videos, TV appearances and live performances.

I'm not even a documentary person, and I've seen this twice. Not too much to say about it other than that. If you're a Bee Gees fan and haven't seen it already, what's wrong with you? If you just like music/documentaries/etc, it's a good watch. With awesome tunes.

Sinister (2012)

A controversial true-crime writer finds a box of Super 8 home movies in his new home, revealing that the murder case he is currently researching could be the work of an unknown serial killer whose legacy dates back to the 1960s.

Going into this aware of its reputation and now having seen it for myself, I've got to hand it to this crew. Getting the audience in survival mode right off the bat, then keeping them there throughout, then making shit jump out at them is a hell of a way to make an anxious movie. My fight or flight responses kicked in every time Ellison watched a new reel, so by the time the jump scares started, I actually jumped. Bad stuff first: I didn't really care for the delivery of the supernatural elements. Specifically, the possessed kids showing up and looking so literal threw off my equilibrium after everything leading up to them was so atmospheric. That goes double for the Bughuul jump scares. They feel cheap and unearned compared to, say, the lawnmower. And this isn't a criticism, but GOD, this movie was depressing as shit. Hard not to be, given the thematic content and the ending (barring the aforementioned literalness of the supernatural), and that's probably the main reason why I won't revisit this much. Because the good stuff, is Good Stuff. The script is concise, the performances are engaging, the look and sound is fucking creepy. The soundscapes sound like nightmare fuel, and the few times the camera cuts away from a snuff film to focus on Ellison's reaction underlines how horrific it is. "It feels like something you shouldn't be watching," etc etc. See above where I talked about Woman In Black being lit where you can only see what you need to and everything else is left dark. And obviously, gotta discuss Ellison himself. I recently saw him included in a bracket of worst horror husbands, and I would agree. All I'm saying is, none of this would have happened if he hadn't moved his family into a crime scene to further his career. To his credit, he did eventually recognize he was in over his head, and it's not his fault he didn't know trying to pull the plug was going to make things so much worse, but still. Smooth move, pun intended. From another standpoint, Ethan Hawke sells it. The guy is just trying to provide for his family while also doing what he loves, and there is just enough time spent showing how much this family loves each other, even if they don't always like each other. Makes the ending that much more tragic. Particular details I want to grind up and snort: the look on Ellison's face when he realizes what he's watching, the shot of the reflection of the burning car in his glasses, and everything about Deputy So and So.

Alone (2020)

A recently widowed traveler is kidnapped by a cold blooded killer, only to escape into the wilderness where she is forced to battle against the elements as her pursuer closes in on her.

...yeah, this was basically Wolf Creek and Hush, but with a weaker script, less compelling characters, and a lot more rain. Not that it's not good, just that it's so similar I can't help but draw comparisons and ultimately prefer the other two. It's way less brutal than the other two, though, so there's at least that, and Jules Wilcox makes a great final girl. Still, she's no Maddie Young, and serial killer guy whose name I already forgot is no Mick Taylor. I'm not going to dwell too much on this one, as I don't have much else to say about it. It looks great, like if Wolf Creek was set in the woods, and the climax was exciting, like if Hush was set even more in the woods. It had positive reception, or so I've read.

Repo! The Genetic Opera (2008)

A worldwide epidemic encourages a biotech company to launch an organ-financing program similar in nature to a standard car loan. The repossession clause is a killer, however.

Let me give you my best friend's sales pitch for this: "Do you wanna watch Rupert Giles, Paris Hilton, the girl from Spy Kids, and actual honest to god OG Christine Daae go on a musical journey through a cyberpunk dystopia?" This movie is... hmmm... Well, here's the thing. It looks cheap but also so extra. The music sounds like it was written by angsty middle schoolers but also goes so hard. The premise is grisly but the delivery is completely batshit. And I loved every. Damn. Minute. I was on the fence for the first thirty minutes and asked myself several times, why the fuck am I watching this? It's taking itself so seriously and it's so over the top, and then it hit me, DUH. It's an OPERA. Once I connected those dots, I was fully invested and having a ball. If I'd been stuck on this when I was younger instead of, say, Phantom of the Opera, I 1000% would have turned out very differently. Which is an extra funny observation, because Sarah Brightman factors in either way, and I love her so much. "Things You See In A Graveyard" is my favorite number here purely because of her wailing ominously in the background. And I say it takes itself so seriously, but it also knows exactly what it's doing. Everything we see only happens because some goth dude starts yelling in a cemetery. Paris Hilton, Bill Moseley, and...other sibling whose actor's name I forgot have an entire number about their rivalry while at least two thirds of them are literally getting new faces. Survival is gatekept by the wealthy to the point where poor people are murdered by a system that forces them into debt in the first place. Oh wait, there's tonal dissonance between all of those things, you say? Don't worry, you've got an hour and a half to get used to it.

Cowboy Bebop: Knockin' On Heaven's Door (2001)

A terrorist explosion releases a deadly virus on the masses, and it's up to the bounty-hunting Bebop crew to catch the cold-blooded culprit.

Despite knowing the series, this is the first time I've ever actually watched the movie, and of course I loved it. It feels like an extra long episode, which means they did it exactly right. As far as I can tell, I've only got two gripes: one, there is some ambiguous/implied/questionable shit that goes down between Faye and the Big Bad that feels way waaayyy out of place, considering there is no precedent for anything like it in the series and I'm wondering why the addition was necessary. Two, I waited all movie to hear "Tank!" (the exclamation point is important) and it was all in vain. 😔 Other than that, it's all business as usual on the Bebop, and that's all I could ask for.

###

Whew! See you next month!

#watch a thon 2024 #wolf creek #penguin town #the woman in black #bee gees #sinister #alone 2020 #repo! the genetic opera #cowboy bebop

[iobnewsnetwork]

In a rapidly warming world, India should focus on effectively managing forest fires

So far this year, India’s erratic weather patterns have made headlines with non-seasonal rainfall in March-April followed by intense heat waves in May. However, one of the most dangerous threats to the environment, forest fires, have gone unnoticed yet again. The frequency of forest fire incidents in India has increased by 52% in the last two decades, from 2000 to 2020, according to a 2021 analysis by the Council on Energy, Environment and Water. This year too, there have already been fires in the non-fire-prone wet forests of Goa, and in the forests of Karnataka, Odisha, and Uttarakhand. There are concerns that forest fires may increase with the prediction of El Niño between June and September and the World Meteorological Organization warning of warm and dry weather in the latter half of 2023. According to the World Meteorological Organization, El Niño is a climate pattern associated with the warming of the ocean surface temperatures in the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean. While forest fires in India are mostly man-made, unseasonal high temperatures and deficient rainfall can lead to severe dryness in the vegetation and make the conditions conducive for the rapid spread of fires. The World Meteorological Organization in May published its Global Annual to Decadal Climate Update. Read the full article

#National #News&Updates

[skylen64]

Not a book update, just a personal rant. Warning, if you love the show, you will hate me. I am a Bookcloak. Although that name is pretty ironic.

Also tdlr: me ranting about the fandom of wheel of time breaking and how it broke my heart at the same time. Also, issues with the show and issues with the head of the Showfriend faction of the fans. I wish the show never existed because of what it did to the fans.

Like many Wheel of Time fans, I was ecstatic when the show was announced. Casting came out, and I'll admit I was a bit disappointed. But it would be worth it if the show was good. I got past the disappointment and was still just as excited.

I heard a few leaks, and some did concern me, like the budget for a wig, and covid slowing production. But, a Wheel of Time show was finally being made. It didn't matter if it was perfect. As long as it was good. I kept waiting.

Then the actor for Mat left. The producer claims it was because he didn't want to get a vaccine, but he left far before the vaccine was given out. I still kept waiting and hoping. Finally it was September 2021. The producer was doing an interview. One thing Rafe Judkins said stuck with me. Not in a good way either. "Sometimes I'll send Sarah an email with a fake script, then call her. I then threaten her with Thoms death, and love to hear her cry." Okay, maybe it was a joke, I told myself. So I kept hoping.

Then the big day came. You know most of us were watching prime, waiting for it to let us watch the show, poised on that play button for those first three episodes. Finally I could watch it. The show adaptation for my favorite book series. I could... okay those three episodes kinda sucked. But there's eight in a season, so it can improve right? Wrong. I couldn't watch past episode 5. I nearly threw up, and I wish that was an exaggeration.

I felt like I had been gang beaten. I was in denial, but I should've known from episode 2, when Moiraine killed with the one power. But that scene with Logaine and Loial were so well written, the rest had to be like that, or half right? No, no it wasn't. I had to keep watching through Steppin killing himself after denying a bond with a polygamous Green, or even Lan doing the mourning. I should have stopped when Mat and Rand were chased through the streets by serving girl, even if she was a Darkfriend. Or when Nynaeve pushed Egwene off a cliff. But I tried to keep watching.

I was in a rage, and I was in tears. I was in denial. That atrocity could have just changed its title and character names and it wouldn't be recognized as Wheel of Time. The character design, the scenery and the props were fine. The script... the script was the only thing wrong.

Then it made me remember another quote from the interview. "I tell the writing room what happened next in the books, they exclaim 'don't spoil us' because most don't want to read the books in fear of spoilers." I wish he was joking. Light, I wish I was joking. But watching that thing... I don't think he was.

But that wasn't the worst part. The worst part of the show wasn't its content. It was it's effect on the fans. I could honestly forget the show except the fans won't let me. I literally joined social media because I was looking for wheel of time fans. I got what I wanted, for about 4 months. The 4 best months of my life too.

We fucking shattered into 4 groups. The Bookcloaks, the Showfriends/ shills, the Hopefuls and the selfdeniers. The first two groups partly existed before the release due to issues with the casting. Some of the Bookcloaks were racist towards it at the time, others were concerned with the deviation from the plot. I was the latter, and certainly didn't support the former. But we were lumped together all the same, called racists and bigots. But that was only a drop in the bowl of pain to come. Ironically tho, that diversity shield worked well, although it didn't do jack for that Velma show.

The show came out, and the divides solidified within episode 5. Two weeks is all it took. The Hopefuls and the Deniers grew smaller, but still exist. The Bookcloaks in all are still called racist and bigots, and are outright banned if we even say something positive about that show.

A certain show subreddit moderator spearheaded this campaign. TheNewPoetLawrette (I forgot the exact spelling) as she was named is a SJW Karen. I say that as someone who's very much on the left. And she is the only person I have ever called either name. I had an unfortunate run-in with her on a discord server called The Queers Blessing (still love that name Sarah). A debate had started up about rings of power casting, when a Showfriend started a discussion about people complaining about the casting. I asked for the discussion to end there, because I didn't want the last haven I had to be destroyed. Of course they didn't come back online until after the drama ensued.

Miss NewPoet took it upon herself to go into a rant about how bigoted I was for not wanting to talk about it. And when I explained my reasons why (I'll admit right here my autistic brain didn't word it well) she lobbied to get me banned from the server. She outright called me racist, misogynistic and a homophob. Funny, because I'm a lesbian who's dating a beautiful trans woman, but she didn't need to know that. Also, why would you judge people by race? It's their actions that matter, and Miss NewPoets actions label her as a terrible person.

She also failed to get me banned on discord. Unfortunately The Queers Blessing went silent after that, most of us just wanting nothing to do with her. I feel sorry for Sara, as she did create that server.

There is no head of faction for the Bookcloaks or the other two factions. And quite a few of the Showfriends have joined the Bookcloaks in the past couple years. Even advocators of the show have joined. Well, they officially joined until a certain mod spearheaded another assault and got the Bookcloak subreddits banned from reddit.

Honestly, just for what it did to the fans, I wish the Wheel of Time show never existed.

#wheel of time #wot #wot show #wheel of time on prime s1 #the wheel of time on prime #wheel of time tv series #bookcloaks #Showfriends #fandom drama #i wish that show didnt exist. #wot book spoilers

[pitagain]

#365DaysOfVGM Day 108:

Superhero Level (Cut the Rope Remastered [2021, update in 2022])

Even moreso than Agent Intercept, no one decided to make a coherent upload of this awesome track online, so it’s up to me yet again, as I saw this possibility in advance by recording it in-game while I still had my subscription active!

A classic example of a track being what it says on the tin; Horns and sounds often associated with either electronic or orchestral compositions to make it sound heroic across the metropolis these stages take place in. What makes this one a favorite of mine isn’t just the stellar melody, but how much the high amount of Reverb enhances the melody, giving it a “magic” sort of feel.

On top of such aforementioned traits, it just feels relaxed and energetic enough to earn its own place on a list of tracks that usually go sharp in the former or latter direction, with that small distorted Guitar near the beginning not heard often in the list either.

Strange that the series took this long to theme a whole world around some of the Om Nom cartoon seasons, but it’s also where almost half of the underused Om Nelle stages in the whole game are at, so there’s that at least. What held the game itself back from going above the 2.5/5 rating in my case was how powerups were needed to truly get 100% stars, which from what I remember, was never the case prior, forcing the player to grind items in the same few hub worlds if they aren’t going to wait until each weekly challenge; this leads me to theorize that it’s a tactic to make sure those going for 100% spend more time on the game, because subscriptions don’t allow for microtransactions or advertisements, so as a result, money paid equals playtime instead, but for all I know, the model could just be an upfront payment instead.

On the series as a whole, it’s one of mobile gaming’s better outings, being a simple puzzle game that doesn’t try to impress you with anything superficial, just its base traits which you’ll know to either like or dislike less than an hour in; if you end up liking it as I happened to, you’ve got a good series of decent distractions to play on the side for your phone/tablet!

As a side note, the background is taken from cropped in-game footage, with a small bit of my touch-screen input to make sure the screen doesn’t dim and that YouTube’s bots don’t mess with the video for looking too “repetitive”, as silly as that may sound

(Length before loop: 2+ minutes)

#Cut the Rope: Remastered #Cut the Rope #CtR #Om Nom #apple arcade #applearcade #365daysofvgm #youtube #YouTube

[themovieblogonline]

Invincible Season 2 Teaser Gets Meta With Fans' Expectations

Invincible was one of the best new animated shows of 2021. Premiering on Amazon Prime Video, the long-awaited comic book adaptation blew everyone’s mind with its heartfelt story and brutal action. Even the animation style heralded back to Saturday morning cartoons. But with a successful season 1, fans have been anxious for any news of season 2. And with the release of a new Invincible season 2 teaser, it looks like we won’t have to wait too long. Well, hopefully not, anyways. Read on for more on the next season of Invincible. Invincible Season 2 Teaser References The Show’s Delay Invincible was a graphic novel series from Robert Kirkman, Cory Walker and Ryan Ottley. The series was so well done, that a film adaptation was in the works for a long time. The film adaptation saw Seth Rogen and producing partner Evan Goldberg attached as writers and directors. Those plans, unfortunately, never really went anywhere beyond the development stage. But a new animated series finally got made, with Rogen and Goldberg involved, and really took off! It was a great addition to adult superhero stories like Prime Video’s other original, The Boys. However, Invincible still had a twinkly-eyed, childhood wonder and optimism to it. It also subverted a lot of superhero tropes and expectations. The voice cast was fantastic with Steven Yeun leading the way as the titular Invincible aka Mark. But also J. K. Simmons as his father, Omni Man, Sandra Oh as his mom, and a plethora of A-list talent involved. So when Invincible season 1 was such a smash hit, fans wanted season 2. Like, right away. Which is a little unreasonable given it’s an animated show, which takes significantly longer to produce than live-action. Something that the Invincible season 2 teaser reminds fans of. Animated Shows Are A Lot Of Work Guys. Chill! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjDOpHuUppU The Invincible season 2 teaser begins with Invincible and one of his foes turned friends from season 1, Allen the Alient, sharing a meal at a burger joint. After some small talk, Allen asks Invincible when the world will get more of him. To which Invincible replies that he’s been busy with writing, voice-acting, animating, colour correction and a bunch of other stuff, related to the production of his animated show. As we see all those efforts reflected on screen. It was a meta moment when he’s basically pointing out everything involved in creating a show of this scale. Allen immediately dismisses most of this as ‘made up’, and forces Mark to provide a date. And so, Mark reveals that Invincible season 2 will premiere in late 2023. Not really specific, but at least we know that it will probably be in the second half of this year. The teaser ends with Allen revealing his inability to understand how Earth dates work. It’s a pretty hilarious teaser, but also incredible given when you realize that they must’ve animated, written and performed this just for a teaser itself. Unlike usual teasers which are scenes from the new season, it looks like Invincible either animated this whole sequence or repurposes an existing scene with new dialogue. But the latter seems unlikely. It’s a testament to how awesome this show is. But also lets fans know that the creators are listening and giving them what they want. Within reason. Invincible season 2 premieres on Amazon Prime Video in late 2023. Ish. Are you excited for the new season of Invincible? Let me know in the comments below. Read the full article

[regard-luxury]

Nissan Sports Vehicles Photos, Nissan Sports Cars Pictures

Unveiled in 2007 to succeed the Skyline GT-R, the GT-R is a luxury sports car that’s considered one of Nissan’s best efficiency automobiles. The no-nonsense, purpose-driven vehicle will get its energy from a turbocharged 3.8-liter V6 engine. While the original GT-R engine can deliver 478 horsepower, the NISMO variant can produce up to 600 horsepower. The Nissan 370Z is a 2-seater sports car, which was first showcased at the Greater LA Auto Show in 2008. It follows the 350Z, as the sixth generation of the Z model Nissan. Featuring a high-rev V6 engine and a handbook transmission, the 370Z is properly able to ship 332 horsepower.

The Silva 240SX featured a 2.4-liter inline-4 engine, which was used in many racing vehicles of that day, together with the Maserati 4CL. The all-new Nissan Z with a guide transmission and twin turbo V6 engine is the way forward for the Z-Car lineage. With inspiration taken from over 50 years of cautious composition, the next-in-line to carry the title of a Nissan Z-Car is simply nissan sports car models that—unmistakably Z. The Nissan 350Z, a two-door, two-seater sports car, kicked off production for the fifth technology of Nissan Z-Cars 2002 and ended the 6-year manufacturing hiatus in the US. 350Z, with its’ glossy redesign of 240Z DNA, helped rejuvenate the Nissan market presence going into the latter half of the decade.

We have combed through the archives of Nissan concept cars through the years and we predict we obtained most of them in our list under. December 5, 2021 Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. and Nissan Motorsports International Co., Ltd. today unveiled a newly designed Nissan Z GT500 race car at Fuji International Speedway. The new GT500 racer will participate within the Super GT Series starting with the 2022 season. The Z-Series started in late with the Nissan Fairlady Z in Japan and the Datsun 240Z within the US. Its introduction was the culmination of 3 years of research and design that efficiently seemed to create a modern-styled, two-seater 6-cylinder coupe for the North American market.

This material may not be revealed, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least quarter-hour. Tight inside, heavier than the final Z car, too much road noise. The 370Z Roadster is a recognizable velocity demon on the road, and is outfitted with everything you have to lead the pack in luxury and elegance.

It has a three.8L V6 turbocharged engine that may produce up to seven-hundred horsepower. It is a second-generation 2 seater sports car with monumental engine energy. It can produce 300 horsepower that's excess of the older era. The entry of 24 Hours Of Le Man to the sports car market surprised individuals. It was designed in such a method that its body didn’t have any impact on its speed. Nissan also launched its competitor in 1997 under the name, ” R-390 GT-1 “.

I recently had the possibility to sit in its driver’s seat for lots of of miles on highways and twisting backroads. The new Z proved to be a surprisingly likable long-term companion offering genuine comfort on the lengthy, boring stretches but excitement when the street invited it. There was no such problem in the 2023 Sport model with the handbook gearbox, which responded to clutch-dropping acceleration runs with a easy rush of torque. Nissan hasn’t quoted numbers yet, however my butt tells me that the new Z ought to hit 60 miles per hour in about 4.5 seconds.

The inside feels, except for an absence of adjustable lumbar assist, pleasantly fashionable with out lots of in-your-face gimmicks. The turbocharged engine delivers power like a steamroller in comparability with the 370Z’s naturally aspirated V6 and its easy, deep voice is kind of too refined for a Z. Don't fear, I’m sure the Dom Torettos of the true world will discover a method to crank it up. The 2023 Nissan Z is a rolling tribute to the legendary sports car model line, says Fox News Autos Editor Gary Gastelu. Of course, the best factor about the 2023 Nissan Z is that you just don’t need to spend $50,000 on it should you don’t wish to.

Subaru unveiled its BRZ model in July 2021 (starting from about ￥3.1 million JPY or $27,000 USD). With sports cars and other models concentrating on a variety of individuals, Japan’s car makers should also reply to the global acceleration towards decarbonization. The authentic nissan sports car models 240Z was introduced by what was then Datsun in 1969. It stunned the world, because complacent international automakers hadn’t expected such a cool car to return out of Japan.

Although the Nissan GTR not carries the "Skyline" name, it has its heritage within the Skyline range. The conventional straight-6 "RB26DETT" engine has been replaced with a new V6 "VR38DETT". And the "HICAS" four-wheel-steering system utilized in earlier models has been removed. It is hard to get excited about nissan sports car models the current Nissan lineup should you're a fan of this site. The current automobiles and SUVs are all respectable but they don't seem to be iconic or the sorts of cars readers of supercars.net get amped about.

[paigelts05]

Frostbite [FNAF]

https://www.deviantart.com/paigelts05/art/Frostbite-FNAF-900526667

Published: Dec 12, 2021

Renegade File Server Location: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23843413

For me, the span of October through February is spooky season, and in the Goretober prompt lists, I saw Frostbite crop up in a few. I usually prefer blood, but I thought I'd do something without blood but still gorey in a way. And what better candidate for this prompt than Mike. I just feel that it fits; H location Michel almost burns, so C location Mike almost freezes. It's a great parallel, and also C location Mike's airy vibe really fits with the whole almost freezing to death thing. Also he has splints because I've broken his legs at least twice. Maybe three times. He doesn't wear them at Freddy's because why risk more metal in the legs, but outside of Freddy's, it's easier to you know, not get your legs crushed. And as this would be set post 1997 and before he's recovered from a certain thing that happens during the second to last week of Freddy's being open, but Mike's last week of actually working there, enough to wear more discreet ones under his jeans, he wears these clunky splints that may or may not be based off the ones that Luca Balsa from IDV has. =°•.🌹 Story 🌹.•°=

°*°•°*°•°*°•°*°•°*°•°*°•🌹•°*°•°*°•°*°•°*°•°*°•°*°

It was November, 1997. "I know it's a bit soon, but I can go." Mike had told his mum, the chief of police, that he was going to help investigate an old storage site. There had been reports of activity that was either paranormal or criminal, so Mike had insisted on going, just in case it was the former and not the latter. Even though his legs hadn't had time to fully heal, he insisted. After some convincing, he was allowed to go, provided he didn't go alone. Two other officers and a rookie went with him. Just in case the threat was human, they brought weapons, but he had a hunch that weapons would be not necessary. The site wasn't too far away; just an industrial estate north of the city centre. It was a mass of concrete walls and plastic roofs, with some pure metal containers tacked onto the sides. The place looked both clean, and unkept. Amongst the many buildings, it was apparent that half were unused, and that even if they were available for rental, no sane person would use them. Dirt and leaves clogged the path towards the buildings, and everyone had to trudge through the cold wet foliage to even get close. Mike's attention was quickly grabbed by the central unit and it's cold storage. He felt a ghostly presence far colder than the bitterest winter chill. That had to be the place. The other three followed Mike as he walked into this abandoned storage unit, the epicenter of the abandonment. The side door to the building opened smoothy, a stark contrast to the dilapidated ruins they were walking into. He ignored the ruins of the storage unit around him, heading straight towards the cold storage. Despite the building having no power for either heating or air conditioning, the building got colder and colder the closer to the cold storage he went. Opening the door felt like stepping into a blizzard, and even the officer who came prepared wearing a thick winter coat felt the same chill that Mike did; an unnatural twinge that was colder than the ice that had formed on the walls and coated the floor. The cold storage was supposed to be powered off. Mike flicked on his torch and cast the beam inside; the only things that he could see were some unmarked crates that carried no scent yet an aura of pain, unmarked boxes strewn across the floor and shelving units, all left in a hurry, and the faint outline of something strange. The lights may have been out, but the room was freezing, as if it were fully functional. A thick layer of Frost coated every icy surface which crunched underfoot as they proceeded into the darkness. The rookie waited at the door, just so it wouldn't be closed behind any of them, just to be on the safe side. The rest carried on. The darkness spread for what felt like forever, even with a torch to aid their lack of vision. Walls weren't apparent until they were an inch from thier faces, and boxes seemed to appear on the floor out of nowhere, and that left Mike leading by intuition alone whilst the other two followed. With a little bit of looking, he found the electrical box and the cover swung open as if it hadn't even been locked. Looking inside, everything was coated in a thin layer of ice, but it was clear that it just needed to be switched on. Once the switch was flicked, a buzzing filled the cold storage unit and the lights flicked on, row by row, with a heavy click. Mike turned to look at his colleagues, but as he looked around, he found that he was alone. He wasn't too far from the door, as the unit was a lot smaller then what you'd expect it to be from navigating it step by step in the pitch black. He could see the whole place for what it was. Thin shelved were lined up around the room in haphazard coridoors, and the crates he saw before were more numerous than he expected. The ice on the majority of the floor was untouched, with the exception of the trail of footsteps around the room. Three tracks became two, became one. Mike inspected the footsteps closely to try and figure out what happened to the others, finding that it looked as if the they both had ran off, the footsteps doubling back and around, running towards the door. Mike ran to the door himself and tried to get it open, but it wouldn't budge. From outside, he heard voices. "You idiot, he's still in there!" One voice. "I didn't close the door, I swear, it did it on its own!" A second voice; that one was the rookie. "Well how's that possible if the mechanisms broke!" The third voice; everyone but him was outside. "I don't know!" Rookie's voice again. "Why did you let the door close?" That was the first voice again. "I didn't! It scared me away!" Rookie's voice. They were scared? "What did?" One again. "Same thing that made you two run out here bawling your eyes out." Rookie again, but why wouldn't anyone mention what made them run off? "Hey!" Mike yelled, "it's ok. I'll see if the electrical box has an auto release for the door on this side, seeing as there's nothing at the door here. You check for another way of opening it on your end." "Ok!" The rookie replied, and Mike could hear them already scrambling about trying to find a way to open the door. With a relived sigh, Mike went back to the fuse box. The trodden down frost cracked as if it had never been stood on, and with the power now on, the cold was only amplified by the presence of whatever was here. The cover of the electrical box wouldn't budge. It had a thick layer of frost and ice covering up the lock and hinges, as if it wanted to pretend that it had never been opened. Mike found a length of shattered pipe and begun to try and break the ice, but it was useless. Mike begun to question if he had really opened the electrical box the first time. He tried to open it again, taking a more gentle approach, yet it was still as cold as the rest of the room. The only thing proving that he had opened it before was a marking left imprinted on the ice by his hands where the ice had momentarily melted that would be impossible if the electrical box had never been opened. The hum of electricity was a reassuring and terrifying noise; a confirmation that he had opened the electrical box, yet a reminder that now the place was switched on, he was on a timer before he would freeze, just like the packages and papers and ribbons and crates that were strewn across the sparse shelving units, unmoving and encased in frost. He shook his head and figured that whatever was in here with him wasn't human and wasn't planning on letting him go any time soon, and that the only way out was to find out what it wants. Trying to bit take deep breaths, the icy air filling his lungs, making each breath feel like he was a step closer to freezing. Mike walked around, letting himself be guided by not his mind, but his instincts. Many of the boxes seemed to have an aura of sadness, fear, and pain, but none strong enough for him to investigate. Yet after walking near some particularly large boxes, he knew with his instincts and heart that he had found something. As Mike reached out to open the box, he saw his hands had become paler than usual as white frost seemed to form on his skin, or was it under his skin? He only just registered the pain of the wounds that the cold had begun to create on his skin, but he had to work through the pain to survive: just like he always did. Ignoring the numbness in his hands, he prised the lid of the crate and looked inside. A linen sheet had been tucked over something. Removing the sheet let him see an unmoving body underneath, hair and what was left of the physique matching the description of a missing person from just before this place got haunted. Mike grabbed his radio from his belt. The buttons felt stiff, but he managed to send a signal. "I've found a body. It's the missing person from a while back. Maybe now they've been found, they'll leave this place. Also the electrical box is frozen over, I -" Mike lost his grip on the radio and it fell to the ground with a crack. Splinters of ice and plastic covered the ground, but Mike didn't linger. He headed for the door, the frost under his feet just as fresh as it was the first time. He tried the handle. It didn't budge at all. He tried ramming into the door, but there wasn't even a notable thud. Then, he went back to the only other place he could think of: the electrical box. It had thawed. He opened it, but where a button for opening or even unlocking the door looked like they should be, there was ice and frost covering the labels, and some holes that used to contain buttons, perhaps long ago. He tried to turn off the power in a last ditch effort, but the button seemed frozen in place. Feeling Defeated, he closed the electrical box. He clutched his head and sunk to the ground, unsure of what to do next. Everything was getting so cold. He kept his hands under his arms to try and warm them up, but streaks of frost white continued to grow along his pale completion. If he could see his own reflection, he already knew his face would have similar patches of pute white. His tears had frozen into a thin layer of ice, and even his breath was cold now. He shivered as he tried his best to stay warm, but he didn't know if he could. He didn't know how long he'd have to last or how long he has left before he would freeze to death, but that timer was outside of his control. Everything was out of his control now. As the icy air tried to put him to sleep, a sudden banging at the door kept him concious. The sound of ice falling on ice gave him a bit of hope, but not much. The lights seemed to dim, and even the boxes nearest to him became a blur. A loud crash of a door snapping off its frozen hinges should have jolted him awake, but it didn't. What felt like too long later, something warm put his arm over thier shoulders and dragged him to his feet. He knew all of his weight - albeit not much at all - was being held up by this person. But it's not like he could help. He heard talk about the crate he had opened and it's contents. Talk about one of them getting the box to the station and the other two would take him to the hospital. He felt movement, and then felt warmer. The air was thicker out here and tasted like wet leaves and grass. Despite the November chill, it was warmer than the cold storage. He heard one of them talking on the phone to someone, whilst another fetched a regular blanket and a picnic blanket out of the car. "We can't just put him in the car, we've got to let him warm up gradually!" The rookie said as she laid the picnic blanket on the ground and helped the one that was holding Mike up in gently setting him down. Everyone begun to move around, dealing with the rest of this incident. Mike had almost forgotten on what terms he had come here; it was dealing with a ghost for work rather than his usual dealing with ghosts off the clock, so his colleagues would be doing all the talking and hopefully most of the paperwork too (everyone but the rookie owed him one for last week). His attention then drifted away. Mike didn't feel as if he could focus on his current surroundings. His gaze drifted beteeen the trees around him, and the frost on the edges of the leaves that remained. He then took a look at his own hands and noticed a similar pattern of frost on them. °*°•°*°•°*°•°*°•°*°•°*°•🌹•°*°•°*°•°*°•°*°•°*°•°*°

#2021 #fnaf #fnaf fanart #fnaf au #FNAF Renegade AU #Renegade AU #artwork #art #mike schmidt #fnaf mike #fnaf mike schmidt #cold #frostbite #horror #ice #winter horror #PaigeLTS05's Faves #Renegade AU Guards #artists on tumblr

[extreme-investor-network]

Bitcoin Is Sliding. Two Events That Might Move Cryptos This Week.

BitcoinBTCUSD –2.66%  and other cryptocurrencies slid back on Monday after rallying over the weekend. Digital asset investors are not immune to the fear of recession that has shaken wider markets, and the week ahead holds key catalysts that could see more volatility. The price of Bitcoin fell 3% over the past 24 hours and was holding around $20,500, having traded near $22,000 after a Friday rally that continued over the weekend. The largest digital asset continues to change hands at less than one-third its all-time high near $69,000, reached in November 2021, but is well above the $18,000 bottom that was hit during the trough of a selloff in mid-June. Other cryptos saw declines, too. EtherETHUSD –3.16% , the second-largest token after Bitcoin, lost 3% to below $1,150. Smaller cryptos or “altcoins” were similarly lower, with Solana and CardanoADAUSD –4.93%  each shedding 3%, while “memecoins”—initially intended as internet jokes— DogecoinDOGEUSD –5.66%  and Shiba InuSHIBUSD –3.04%  slipped 4% and 2%, respectively. It has been a rough ride for digital assets this year, with the market capitalization of cryptos tumbling to $920 billion from nearly $3 trillion in November 2021 as many if not most tokens lost upward of two-thirds of their value. Drawdowns in prices have led to cracks in the crypto ecosystem, such as the meltdown of stablecoin Terra, breakdowns at lenders including Celsius and Voyager Digital, and the collapse of a major hedge fund threatening wider contagion. But crypto’s correlation to stocks is to blame for most of the year’s declines. While Bitcoin and its peers should in theory trade independently of mainstream finance, they have shown to be correlated to other risk-sensitive assets like stocks, and especially tech stocks. And stocks are in a bear market, with the tech-heavy Nasdaq index losing 27% so far this year while the wider S&P 500 has slid 19%. “The downtrend in the crypto market persists, due to increased fears of an incoming recession. The Google search volume of recession has skyrocketed in recent weeks,” Marcus Sotiriou, an analyst at digital asset broker GlobalBlock, wrote in a note. Investors are nervous about the possibility of an economic slowdown. Facing the highest inflation in decades, the Federal Reserve has already moved to clamp down on red-hot prices with tighter monetary policy. The fear is that more aggressive interest-rate increases could dent economic demand to the point of spurring a recession. News in the week ahead could provide more clarity on the inflation picture and how companies view the economy—which may be catalysts for stocks and cryptos alike. U.S. consumer-price inflation (CPI) data is set to be released Wednesday, with expectations that inflation will push to a new 40-year high of 8.8% year-over-year. “The market seems to be bracing for potentially shocking numbers on Wednesday,” wrote Yuya Hasegawa, an analyst at crypto exchange Bitbank, in a note. “Bitcoin’s upside will likely be limited until then and its outlook for the latter half of the week will also depend on the results of the CPI.” This week will also usher in the start of earnings season. Thursday sees Wall Street heavyweights lead the charge, with results from JPMorgan Chase (ticker: JPM) and Morgan Stanely (MS), before Citi (C) and BlackRock (BLK) on Friday. “This is a very important season (aren’t they all) as the collapse in equities so far in 2022 is largely due to margin compression and not really earnings weakness,” wrote Jim Reid, a strategist at Deutsche Bank, in a note.  Solid earnings could signal that the economy is healthier than investors have feared. But that could be a doubled-edged sword; if the economy remains strong, the Fed has little reason to slow down the tightening of monetary policy, while wobbles in the economy could temper the pace of interest-rate hikes. Nevertheless, even if investors get what they want from the inflation data and earnings, Bitcoin still faces a ceiling, according to Hasegawa, who has a weekly target range on the largest crypto of $12,000 to $24,000. “A breakout from the current range is still unlikely even if the inflation data turns out to be significantly lower than expected,” the analyst wrote. Hasegawa noted that Bitcoin miners—who have been under pressure from higher energy prices and lower crypto prices—have been consistently adding deposit to exchanges, signalling more sell pressure ahead. “And Bitcoin’s 200-week moving average, which is currently at around $22,600, seems to be a strong resistance for the price,” Hasegawa added. Original Article Original Article Here: Read the full article

[marswatchesball]

What if...the Premier League had playoffs?

Yes I'm getting my dirty grubby am*rican mitts all over this thing, now 👏 I had this thought while watching the last matchday of the season, the one where up-and-coming club Manchester City shocked the world (/sarc) and secured the EPL title. In North American pro sports, there's always a postseason tournament of some sort used to crown the league's champion, pitting the best teams from the regular season against each other. In European football leagues like the Premier League, there's no such thing. The team with the best record out of them all at the end of the season is declared champions, full stop. I mean, when you play a full double round robin against every other team in the league, that's a pretty fair way to determine the best team, right?

Nah that's boring. Let's make up a playoff system instead.

We have quite a few options for a format. We could go the simple route and just have an eight team playoff, or get complicated with first round byes and have a 12 team playoff instead. I think I'll borrow MLS's method of doing things, but take the Premier League's smaller size into consideration. MLS has 28 teams, 14 of which make the playoff (which I think is too many but I digress), so that means the 20-team Premier League would have a playoff featuring the top half of the table (The final table for the EPL 21-22 season is a quick google away).

So in a 10 team playoff, here are the teams that would have qualified based on their finishing positions in the Premier League's 2021-22 season:

Manchester City

Liverpool

Chelsea

Tottenham Hotspur

Arsenal

Manchester United

West Ham United

Leicester City

Brighton & Hove Albion

Wolverhampton Wanderers

Sorry Newcastle, you're the first ones out.

To keep it an even playoff that yields one-on-one fixtures all the way to the final, there would have to be two play-in fixtures played by teams 7-10, while the top 6 get an automatic pass into the quarterfinals. (This carries over the incentive to finish in the top 6 to qualify for European play the following season! ...Not counting the Europa Conference League).

The bracket for such a playoff would then look like this.

It's exactly like the NBA's playoff structure! Just cut in half.

Idk about any of you but this is a tournament I'd enjoy watching. Now for the more finite details, like are these one-off matches, or two-legged ties?

I think the two play-in ties, the West Ham v Wolves, and Leicester v Brighton, should be single matches held at the higher seed's home pitch no matter what. After that, we could either have all matches besides the final as two-legged cup ties a la traditional European cup competitions, the first leg held at the lower seed's home pitch, and the second leg held at the higher seed's, higher aggregate score advances (just NO AWAY GOALS RULE PLS GOD NO). Extra time and shootouts if necessary. OR they could all be single matches, a la the MLS Cup Playoffs, each held at the higher seed's home field.

The latter is the more chaotic option, so I'll choose that one.

And of course the Final is a single match held at Wembley either way.

Would Manchester City still win the Premier League with a format like this? To even make it to the final, you'll have to win at least two matches against the best squads from the best teams in the league. Man City would certainly be the favorites to win, but one slip up is all it would take.

And who knows? Teams can go on hot streaks. Brighton ended the season on a five-match unbeaten streak. Despite finishing 9th overall, they could win their play-in match, and maybe force Man City to a shootout if they play stout enough defense? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ It's why I like playoffs. Weird stuff just happens sometimes, and I'd love to see weird stuff happen in this league.

#premier league #english premier league #epl #manchester city #liverpool #football #soccer