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taetr4ck · 4 months

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from home, to home

yang jeongin x reader, 1.2k words, no warnings — fluff, yearning

a/n : happy jeongin day !! sorry for not posting it on his birthday (it’s already february 9th in my country) :( happy iyen birth aaaaa i almost banged my head against the wall writing this one RAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

“for the passengers of flight A0251, please proceed to gate 6,”

upon hearing the announcement, you grasp the handle of your luggage tighter — trying to calm the anticipation from the surprise you prepared for Jeongin. it’s past dinnertime, and by the time you arrive at your destination, it’ll be past midnight.

being countries away from your lover is no easy feat. the relentless longing to catch a glimpse of their face, to feel their touch, and to bask in their presence and embrace burdens your heart, magnifying the pain of being apart.

before the plane takes off, you message him. it is a casual text, not wanting to spoil the surprise.

“baby, i’m going out tonight. i’ll call you after a few hours, okay?”

“yup, be safe and have fun :)” he replies.

you suddenly laugh at yourself. going out, huh? more like going out of the country.

upon arriving at your destination, it is already 2 in the morning. the streets bathed in the soft glow of the convenience stores' lights, casting long shadows across the pavement. the stillness of the night envelopes the surroundings, broken only by the occasional rustle of leaves in the gentle breeze. despite the late hour, there is a sense of tranquility in the air, as if the world slows down to a peaceful rhythm.

you suddenly realize that pastry shops are already closed at this hour. with a sigh, you make your way towards the cold glow of the nearest convenience store, hoping to find something similar to a cake.

the aisle of pastries beckons with its tantalizing display of sweets wrapped in cute packaging, making your stomach rumble with anticipation. your gaze lingers on the last piece of cheesecake sitting on the middle shelf. its creamy, off-white hue melds with the color of the soft, overhead fluorescent lights.

as you’re about to grab the pastry, a hand swiftly joins – both of you holding the same piece together. there is a second of momentary silence — after that, you step back.

“sorry, you can have that piece,” you say to the man beside you, still looking at the cheesecake.

you’re greeted with a long silence. “...y/n? is that you?” the man looks at you in shock and hesitance.

the familiar voice seems to jolt you from your fatigue — you look at him in surprise.

“what… Felix?”

“what are you doing here? did you go here all by yourself?” Felix asks, still holding the cheesecake.

“oh, and never mind this… you can have it.” he hands you the pastry.

“thank you,” you take the cake from his hands.

“i came here to surprise Jeongin. and please, don’t tell him,” you utter in a quiet tone.

you explain the details, and he nods in agreement.

“do you know where he is? i can take you there,”

“oh and before that, let’s pay for these items first. it’s on me today.” Felix offers, leaving no room for refusal.

after leaving the convenience store, the clock ticks past 3 in the morning as you navigate the peaceful streets to Jeongin’s condo. finally arriving at the building, the cold breeze greets you, softly washing over your skin.

“here’s a spare key to his unit. i always bring it with me just in case.” he hands the key to you.

“he should be asleep by now, the practice drained him a lot,” he added.

“thank you lix. i’ll treat you to a meal sometime,” you say as he helps you unload your luggage in his trunk. he smiles at you softly and wishes you the best.

the sound of the elevator heightens your anticipation even further, each ding echoing through the hallway like a drumbeat of excitement.

as you leave the enclosed space, the hallway is dimly lit with soft, cozy lights – emitting a warm glow. the sound of the luggage echoes softly in the quiet hallway, their gentle rolling adding a subtle rhythm to the anticipation-filled atmosphere.

the gentle twist of the key upon unlocking resonates through your lover’s living space. you ease the door open, not wanting to disturb his slumber.

you untie the shoes he gave you on your birthday, setting them aside beside his own — your heart swelling with fondness and nostalgia.

you set your things aside carefully, only turning the dim light on to avoid disturbing his sleep.

the drumming sound of your heart intensifies as you take a step, echoing through the quiet space as you make your way towards his bedroom.

you find his figure sprawled all over the bed, his arms snuggling against the pillow — wishing it was you. as you observe his serene expression, the feeling of vulnerability intertwines with the warmth of yearning and intimacy gently embracing your heart. the sight before you fills your heart with tenderness and adoration — the rush of overwhelming emotions that makes your heart feel as though it might burst out from your chest.

you sit beside his sleeping figure, your fingers running gently through his hair — each strand soft and delicate, just like the man he is.

Jeongin slowly opens his eyes, stirring from his sleep. his eyes try to adjust to the light illuminated by the lamp on his nightstand, seemingly confused by his surroundings.

“hi baby,” you can’t hide your excitement anymore. a soft smile escapes from your lips, not wanting to disrupt the peacefulness of the moment.

“hello baby,” he replied. you don’t think he’s fully awake at the moment, so you only smile until the realization hits him.

“...wait, y/n?” his eyes are wider now, realization washing over his features.

“oh my god y/n, you’re here? this isn’t a dream, right?” he sits up and slaps both of his cheeks lightly, seemingly in disbelief as he struggles to comprehend the reality of your presence before him.

you wrap your arms around him, an unspoken answer to his question – sharing the familiar warmth that only your embrace can provide.

“i’m here, i’m home,” you say in a whisper while playing with his hair soothingly.

“y/n, y/n, you’re here. oh my god… this better be not a dream,” Jeongin presses a soft kiss on the crown of your head, his voice filled with mixture of astonishment and delight.

you rub his back with gentle strokes to calm him down. “happy birthday, my love. the cake is in the fridge. kind of a bummer ‘cause it got deformed on the way here.” you say with a chuckle.

“the cake can wait,” he murmurs softly, his focus entirely on you. your beauty catches him in a daze – his eyes all focused on you. your presence fills Jeongin’s heart with warmth that surpasses any dessert. “i can’t believe you’re here. i missed you so much.”

“it feels good to be home,” you added. you looked at him with such adoration. after being countries away from your lover because of personal ordeals, it feels good to be here – the once almost unfamiliar space instantly turns into a sanctuary in his presence.

Jeongin presses a sweet kiss on your lips, tears almost welling up in his eyes. “don’t leave me again,” he pleaded, making your heart sink.

“mhm, i don’t have the heart to.” you hummed, giving assurance. you won’t leave him again, and the thought of doing so breaks your heart.

Jeongin wraps you in his arms all night — not wanting you to leave any second. the warmth of your embrace lulls him into a peaceful sleep, the comfort of your presence soothing his restless body.

the way back home feels much better – knowing you're waiting for me.

⋆ taetr4ck, est may 2023. / requests open

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estherax · 1 year

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Disco Elysium creative team VS Studio ZA/UM: the complete(?) timeline (updated on March 24th)

Recent news confused a lot of people, including me, so I made a timeline of events to understand the situation better! If you have any corrections, more info and sources feel free to reach out to me or add to this post!

Important parts are highlighted in orange, names and organizations to keep in mind are in italics, the newest corrections and updates are highlighted in green, other information elaborating on the situation is in (brackets).

October 1st, 2022. Martin Luiga puts out a Medium post announcing the dissolution of ZA/UM cultural association and confirming that Kurvitz, Hindpere, Rostov no longer work at ZA/UM studio "since the end of last year and their leaving the company was involuntary."

October 3rd 2022. Kotaku published an article, claiming "the studio hasn’t been transparent about what exactly happened with staff either." According to "two sources familiar with the situation, the studio’s internal announcement of Kurvitz’s departure late last year [2021] also contained a threat of possible legal action against him. Any split would have been made messier by Kurvitz and Rostov being shareholders in the studio, the sources said. It’s also clear ZA/UM has gone out of its way to try and keep the situation quiet. Kotaku reached out for an interview with Kurvitz in February [2022]. The studio declined on his behalf, but provided no indication the developer had already left the company." Kotaku also mentions a tweet from Martin Luiga announcing the dissolution of ZA/UM cultural association. One of Martin's tweets (further elaborating on the dissolution) was quote tweeted by user nob69691 with caption "the suits have killed disco", to which he responded with pictures of the game’s executive producers, Tõnis Haavel and Kaur Kender.

October 25th, 2022. Kotaku Australia reports Kurvitz’s company, Telomer, has filed an application against Studio ZA/UM to "obtain information and review documents." Court date is listed as November 28th, 2022.

Kotaku also reached out to Martin Luiga for a comment; when asked if the case’s purpose was to regain control of the Elysium IP, he responded, “What else could it possibly be?”

November 9th, 2022. Studio ZA/UM puts out a statement detailing the dismissed employees (unnamed) "had limited to no engagement in their responsibilities and work, created a toxic work environment, demonstrated misconduct towards other employees including verbal abuse and gender discrimination, and attempted to illegally sell ZA/UM's intellectual property".

In an Estonian newspaper, Estonian Ekspress, ZA/UM CEO Ilmar Kompus has further accused Kurvitz and shareholder Saandar Taal (Rostov's alias) of "humiliating colleagues and intending to steal IP" as well as "belittling women and co-workers."

Kompus added that their dismissal was demanded and carried out by Kaur Kender, executive producer on Disco Elysium and their direct manager at the time. Kender was placed on a leave of absence on medical grounds in late August according to Kompus.

Speaking to the Estonian Ekspress, Martin Luiga said he was "driven to drink by the unnatural work arrangement" at the studio. "The work was organised in such a way that the goal did not seem to be to make games, but rather to make people quarrel with each other."

(I am also adding anonymous claims, take them with a grain of salt)

One source that spoke to GamesIndustry.biz, who asked to remain anonymous, described the situation as "not black and white," and said that long-term staff were reluctant to speak out about Kurvitz’ behaviour because they respected him, and felt like they owed him for their positions. Sources that spoke to the Estonian Ekspress described a clash of two visions between the business team of ZA/UM led by Kompus, and the creative team formerly headed by Robert Kurvitz, which considered profit "secondary." This was corroborated by our sources, one of which described the situation as "CEO corporate scheming on one side, a toxic auteur on the other."

On the same day, Kurvitz and Rostov shared a Medium post explaining their side. Kurvitz and Rostov are minority shareholders in Studio ZA/UM, while "the majority of this company’s shares were initially held by Margus Linnamäe, who provided the initial capital. In 2021, Linnamäe was bought out by another minority shareholder," a company called Tütreke. They say this company "is a vehicle for two Estonian businessmen — Ilmar Kompus and Tõnis Haavel." Kurvitz and Rostov described Linnamäe as a trusted majority shareholder, but didn't share the same sentiment regarding Kompus and Haavel. "As soon as they became majority shareholders, we were quickly excluded from daily operations, our employment was terminated and our access to the company’s information was shut off. Our firing came weeks after we started asking for documents and financial data, which is still being kept from us. We have now learned that Tütreke OÜ must have obtained control over Zaum Studio OÜ by fraud. We believe the money used by Tütreke OÜ to buy the majority stake was taken illegally from Zaum Studio OÜ itself".

Studio ZA/UM denied any claims of fraud and insisted that dismissal of wokers "was a decision that had to be taken for the wellbeing of the collective."

Correction: Ilmar Kompus's statement came out first on Estonian Ekspress on November 8th 2022 21:06. His statement and Studio ZA/UM's statement given to GameIndustry.biz were reproduced and published in a GameIndustry.biz report on November 9th. Rostov and Kurvitz's Medium statement came out later on November 9th. GameIndustry.biz report added an excerpt from Medium on November 10th. (i used Wayback Machine to check this, the report was updated between 11:08 and 11:53)

November 9th 2022. Kotaku puts out an article, summarizing the above statments from Studio ZA/UM, Kompus, Kurvitz and Rostov. "When asked by Kotaku, a spokesperson for ZA/UM declined to elaborate beyond its original statement [about dismissal of employees over misconduct], including whether the allegations also applied to Rostov as well as Helen Hindpere."

23rd of November, 2022. PC Gamer reports a hearing was held in Harju County Court in October, where Kurvitz and Rostov argued that Kompus had allegedly sold four concept sketches (for Disco Elysium sequel), to Tütreke for just over €1 and then immediately bought them back for €4.8 million using Studio ZA/UM's money. This amount is what was apparently used to buy Linnamäe's large stake, and put it in the hands of Kompus. "Kompus allegedly hoped that ZA/UM and Disco Elysium could be resold quickly. [...] But there remained a problem: Robert Kurvitz is the creator of Disco Elysium, still owns a piece of it, and has the right to block any acquisition."

The latest legal battle was lodged by Kaur Kender, executive producer and marketing manager of the game, "who claimed in court that Kompus cheated him out of just under €1,000,000." At Kender's request, the court seized Kompus' stake in Studio ZA/UM to prevent a sale or transfer of holdings during the proceedings.

Haavel is also accused in the lawsuit of following Kompus' actions. The filing pointed out that the holder of the IP rights to Disco Elysium is a subsidiary called YESSIRNOSIR LTD, which is owned by ZA/UM UK. The director of ZA/UM UK is Anu Reiman, who is also reportedly a partner of Haavel's. Kender claims that Haavel's involvement is being "kept secret" because he's €11.2 million in debt as a result of his 2015 conviction.

Speaking to the Estonian Ekspress, Kompus denied the existence of a lawsuit against him, and Haavel called the allegations "completely absurd." Both were shown legal documents by the outlet and did not respond.

December 8th, 2022. According to GamesIndustry.biz article, Kaur Kender has withdrawn a lawsuit against Tütreke.

Studio ZA/UM provided a statement from Kompus, but could not provide a reason for Kender's withdrawal. Kompus says: "We are pleased that Kender and his attorneys have chosen to withdraw their lawsuit – one that should never have been filed in the first place. Their decision affirms there was no basis for their accusations and that I have acted appropriately and responsibly, as underscored by the corporate records I provided."

The article also mentions Studio ZA/UM was unable to provide an update on the suit's progression against Kurvitz's company, Telomer.

PC Gamer reached for comment, Kender stated that his lawsuit against the owner of Studio ZA/UM proved to be successful and provided a timeline of the lawsuit:

Kaur Kender's lawsuit against the owner of ZA/UM was successful.

Kaur Kender's (his company, Chromed Investing OÜ) lawsuit against the owner of Zaum Studio OÜ proved to be successful.

On October 25, 2022, Kaur Kender's company filed a lawsuit against OÜ Tütreke (Ilmar Kompus company), in which was demanded the seizure of Zaum Studio OÜ's share belonging to OÜ Tütreke.

On October 29, 2022, the Estonian court secured the action and shares belonging to OÜ Tütreke were seized.

On October 31, 2022, the order securing the action was forwarded to Nasdaq and the Estonian Business Register.

On November 1, 2022, Kaur Kender sent a letter in English to contacts, including Ilmar Kompus and Tõnis Haavel, stating that the minority shareholders demand the convening of a general meeting.

On November 4, 2022, Ilmar Kompus' company OÜ Tütreke paid a total of 4 million euros to Zaum Studios OÜ in two payments.

On November 11, 2022, Ilmar Kompus' company OÜ Tütreke paid 800,000 euros to ZA/UM Studios OÜ.

Ilmar Kompus referred in the corresponding payment orders: "Return of the amounts received on the basis of the contract on 12.2021-01.2022 due to the nullity of the contract".

To the extent that Ilmar Kompus returned the illegally taken 4,800,000 euros, Kaur Kender achieved the goal of the lawsuit filed, and the court proceedings in this case will be terminated.

PC Gamer also provided commentary and an excerpt from Estonian Ekspress: "Eesti Ekspress reports that Kompus "paid back" €4.8 million to Studio ZA/UM in November. The outlet says that the reason provided for the transaction was that the €4.8 million "was received on the basis of a void transaction." Eesti Ekspress points out that Kompus "controls both sides" of that void transaction. [...] By now transferring €4.8 million to the company to repay it for a "void transaction," the intended message seems to be that he didn't use company money to buy his shares. But why did he have the €4.8 million in the first place?"

Robert Kurvitz told PC Gamer that his party is aware of "Kompus’s view that the money taken from ZA/UM Studio was 'repaid'." Kurvitz says he's seen a "partial bank statement allegedly confirming such repayment," but remains unclear on the "source and legal nature of this repayment, and the further use of the allegedly repaid funds."

"Further, any 'repayment' of the company’s money which was used to illegally acquire a majority stake does not erase the main consequence of the initial injustice⁠—which is that Kompus remains the majority owner, a position that he was only able to attain by using the company’s money as his own," said Kurvitz. "In light of this, there has been no material change in our situation, and we continue to consider our legal options. We cannot comment on the decisions taken by Kaur Kender with regard to his claim, to which we were never a party."

March 14, 2023. GamesIndustry.biz reports legal dispute between Studio ZA/UM and the game's producer Kaur Kender has been resolved.

"ZA/UM has announced that ex-staffer Kender has repaid all debts owed to it. Also, per a court order, Kender has repaid CEO Ilmar Kompus for legal fees from a lawsuit that was eventually withdrawn back in December. Additionally, he's divested all his shares in the games company.

Studio ZA/UM says both Kurvitz and Rostov have dropped their "unfair dismissal" claims due to lack of evidence. However, the company says it continues to face a "series of baseless allegations from former employees" and expects more claims to "fall apart under legal and factual scrutiny."

March 16, 2023. In a statement sent to GamesIndustry.biz, Kurvitz and Taal (alias for Aleksander Rostov) said the press release is false in multiple areas. The pair maintain they are the remaining minority shareholders of the studio. The developers explained, "The press release implies that our employment claims against the studio were withdrawn for lack of evidence. They were not. We see our dismissal as part of a larger campaign against us and will pursue legal options accordingly." The statement adds that they disagreed with Kender admitting the lawsuit he withdrew in December 2022 was misguided.

"Kender's lawsuit was based on the misuse of ZA/UM's funds (€4.8 million) by the majority shareholders [Ilmar Kompus and Tõnis Haavel] to increase their own stake in the company. In the press release, Kompus and Haavel admit to this misuse, arguing only that the money has been 'paid back to ZA/UM,' " the duo explained.

"Paying back stolen money, however, does not undo the crime; here, it does not undo the majority that Kompus and Haavel have illegally gained in ZA/UM."

Additionally, they described that, unlike Kender, they will not be silenced in this ongoing legal dispute. "Unlike Kender, we have not participated in the looting of ZA/UM, and Kompus and Haavel have no power over us."

March 23rd 2023. GamesIndustry.biz updates initial post with a reply statment from ZA/UM. The studio reiterated that Kender admitted that the lawsuit was misguided on his part. It said, "In addition, as part of a court order, he also paid the legal fees for CEO Ilmar Kompus, who had to respond to that now-withdrawn claim." ZA/UM adds, "Using details like 'looting,' 'stolen money,' and 'crime' make for riveting reading but are far from reality. The actual harm to the studio is not from some fictional 'looting,' but rather from Mr. Kurvitz and Mr. Taal, while employed by the studio, refusing to do their jobs, creating a toxic workplace, demeaning colleagues, and attempting to misappropriate Studio IP."

Additionally, the studio explained that Kurvitz and Taal are welcome to challenge these facts in court.

(The next court hearing is scheduled for September 11th.)

#disco elysium #de #studio zaum #za/um #i read like 15 articles for this i hope it helps #if i got something wrong please let me know

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celticcrossanon · 4 months

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BRF Reading - 9th of February, 2023

This is speculation only

Cards drawn on the 9th of February, 2023

Question: What will Prince William's next three months be like?

Interpretation: Joy at having his wife back mixed with dissatisfaction about the choices available to him and something happening to Harry.

Card One: The Two of Cups.

This is a card about relationships, especially romantic relationships, and it is the soulmate card. This card tells me that Prince William will have his soulmate back with him in the next three months. Princess Catherine will be well and happy and able to join him for events. This will be a great relief to him - a huge burden is going to lift from his shoulders when this happens.

The clarifier for this card is The Devil. This is normally not a good card, but in this case it is presenting in its astrological aspect. The Devil card represents the sign Capricorn, and it is Capricorn energy that I am getting from this card. Princess Catherine is a Capricorn, so this is verification that the Two of Cups is about her and she will be restored to her soulmate in full health and able to join him in activities again.

When I look at this card, I hear the voice of one of my friends who also reads tarot, saying that she always loves seeing the Devil card turn up when she reads for herself as for her it means wealth and worldly riches. I think Prince William is going to feel like he has all the riches in the world given to him when is soulmate is well and back by his side at events.

Card Two: The Nine of Cups in reverse

When the Nine of Cups is upright, it indicates emotional satisfaction, contentment, and wishes coming true. When it is in the reverse you are dissatisfied, not content, and your wishes have not come true.

The energy from this card is of dissatisfaction. Something is not going to go the way Prince William wants it to go, his wishes will not be fulfilled, and he will be left feeling unhappy about the result of something. The card shows the reunion of Eros and Psyche, so this could be something about himself and Catherine - for example, he may not be able to be with her as much as he wants over the next three months.

The clarifier is the Seven of Cups. The Seven of Cups is a card about choices, but some of those choices might be illusions, and some may be bad for you. It can also be a card of illusion and wishful thinking.

The card shows Psyche begging the goddess Aphrodite for a chance to be reunited with her husband, Eros. Aphrodite sets her three difficult tasks to fulfil before the reunion can occur.

The energy from the clarifier is of someone having to make difficult choices. They have to take the hard path, not the easy path. I'm feeling an energy of duty as well - doing your duty even though you would rather be somewhere else.

Both these cards are cups, so this is all about emotions.

I think that Prince William is rather unhappy about not being able to spend as much time with his wife (and his family) as he would like. He has to leave Catherine to perform some official duties while the King is out of commission. He knows this is part of his duties as the Prince of Wales, and he will do them to the best of his ability. but at the same time he would rather be home with Catherine, making sure she is well and recovering and has everything she needs.

I hope that makes sense. It's not resentment or anything like that which is coming through, but rather a sense of dissatisfaction about having to leave his family, a sense of 'this is not what we planned and I would rather be able to do what we planned', but instead he is willingly doing his duty because that is what he expects of himself (instead of, for example, pushing the duties onto Princess Anne and saying that he can't leave his wife).

Card Three: The Ten of Pentacles in reverse.

The Ten of Pentacles is a card of family, legacy, financial security, inheritance and tradition. In the reverse, it indicates family disputes or a broken family, turning away from your roots, debt, breaking traditions, and instability. The card can also represent the BRF as an institution.

In this reading, the energy from the Ten of Pentacles in reverse is that of a broken family. Something is going to happen that takes away the stability and/or the status of one of more members of the BRF, and Prince William will be involved in this is some way. The card is giving me a feeling of a small amount of hurt at what he has to do, but he will do it anyway as a way to restore stability to the BRF, even if it means breaking traditions.

The clarifier for this card is the Page of Pentacles in reverse. Pages can be messages, especially messages about money and/or status, and they can be children, in this case an earth sign child, or they can be the beginning of something (a bit like an Ace). This is also my card for the UK as a country. In the reverse, the Page of Pentacles signifies bad news about money/status or about an earth sign child, immaturity, unreliability, missed chances, and laziness.

The energy from this card is that of Prince Harry, the earth sign child of King Charles, who is currently embodying the values of immaturity, unreliability, laziness etc. The card speaks of a message going to Prince Harry that contains bad news about his wealth and/or status, Combined with the Ten of Pentacles in reverse, the two cards together give an energy of Harry being removed from the family in some way. The image I get is of the family as a group, and suddenly the group splits open and Harry is booted out, and then the group reforms.

I think that Harry is going to have something done to him that makes it very clear that he is no longer regarded as a member of the family, and I think that Prince William will be involved in this in a major way.

Both these cards are Pentacles, so this is definitely about material goods (e.g. money, status) in some way.

Underlying Energies (Three Cards)

Underlying Energy One: The Moon in reverse

The Moon in reverse is about things being illuminated, seeing clearly, and secrets coming to light. The energy of this card is very strongly that of secrets being revealed. Sometime in the next three months, some secrets are going to come to light, and as this is a major arcana card, I would say that they are going to be publicly revealed. The distorted shapes that you see in the dark will be gone and the light of truth will be shone upon these secrets.

Underlying Energy Two: The Six of Wands

The Six of Wands is a card of success, of coming home triumphant, of receiving rewards and public acclaim. This card gives me the energy of triumph. The reveal of the secrets in the Moon card will be a moment of triumph for the BRF and for Prince William in particular.

Underlying Energy Three: The King of Wands in reverse

The King of Wands is the card for Leo, and in reverse it means that a Leo is overshadowed or undone in some way. The card is giving me the energy of Meghan for the Leo person. Combined with the other two cards it says that the revelation of secrets and the triumph of the BRF will be over Meghan. She is going to be cast down, overshadowed, have her reputation ruined by whatever secrets are revealed.

The energy here is of relief - this revealing of secrets will be a huge relief to the BRF and will take a burden of stress from their shoulders. They are going to feel a great deal of relief when this happens, in a 'thank goodness it is over' kind of way, and they will be much more relaxed afterwards. This applies to Prince William as well, but also to the BRF in general.

Note: I think that this is the big reveal that Lady C has been talking about. It has the same sort of energy about it.

Conclusion

I have three energies for the next three months for Prince William. Firstly, his wife will recover and will be back at his side, which will take a burden of worry from him. There is a lot of joy around these cards.

Secondly, Prince William will be dissatisfied about the choices he has to make. I'm not getting acute unhappiness, but rather an 'I have to do this but I don't really want to do it' emotional discontent.

This could be about Prince William having to take time away from his wife to perform royal duties while she is recovering. He will do his duty, and he will do it to the best of his ability, but he would rather the extra duties had happened when Princess Catherine was well and not during her recovery period. It could also be about other choices that he has to make during the next three months.

Thirdly, something will happen about Harry - he will be removed from the family in some way, lose status and/or wealth in some way, and Prince William will be a part of this action, even though it does hurt him a tiny bit to do this to his brother, but it is necessary for the stability of the monarchy.

Underlying all this is the revelation of a secret or some secrets, most likely publicly, than will be a triumph for the BRF and very damaging to Meghan Markle. It is quite likely that her reputation will be ruined when this secret/these secrets are revealed.

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vettelsvee · 28 days

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THIS IS THE LEAST I COULD DO | Sebastian Vettel

f1 masterlist | history series masterlist | season 1

summary: sebastian is back on track… sort of. diana is back as well —better said, she’s welcomed to red bull racing as a race engineer intern

word count: 4716

warnings: a not so good behavior from certain person towards diana. i remind you that this is a fictional work and everything represented here is just pure fiction.

taglist: [@theseerbetweenus @annewithaneofthegreengable @vincentvanshoe @formulaonebuff @roisinivy] if you wanna be tagged in each part just tell me in the comments <3

a/n: welcome back to history! hope you like this season even though is not my fave (for now, 2010 season is my top 1), but the ending is 📈

feedback, as well as reblogs and comments, are truly appreciated!

2023

"The first time I met Diana was in Jerez, in February 2009, during the presentation of the RB5. Sebastian and I had to present the car we would be using that season and she had come for a first contact with the team. I swear Seb talked to me about that intern too many times to the point I wanted to shut him up," explained the Australian, laughing. "Do you remember when, because of you, I thought Diana was your girlfriend? And then I asked Christian and he said yes!"

Sebastian Vettel remembered that as if it had happened a couple of minutes ago. His obsession with the young woman who was now his wife grew during the 2008 winter break, even though they had no contact beyond the messages they shared on that fateful Christmas Eve. When the German found out from Britta that the girl would be joining them in the Andalusian city, and no matter how much he tried not to care, he couldn't help but wish the day would come soon to see Diana Wagner again.

"You talked about her all the time, Seb," Webber continued. "It was normal for me to think she was Hanna."

"I know, I know," the German insisted in a playful tone, hitting the older man's arm. "Leave it alone and focus on what we have to talk about! I'm hungry and sleepy, so you better wrap this all up as soon as you can."

[...]

2009 February 9th

Jerez, Spain

It was February and Sebastian, who seemed to have paid no attention during Geography classes in high school and was apparently unaware of the climatic differences between countries, was surprised at how the sun shone powerfully in the clear sky over the city of Jerez. He was eternally grateful to be able to enjoy much milder temperatures than those in his native Germany, where winter was potentially colder than in the south of Spain.

The two Red Bull Racing drivers arrived in a golf cart driven by a circuit worker to an area near the circuit offices, from where they would depart to carry out that presentation that Sebastian was not looking forward to doing.

This time they weren’t alone but accompanied by Karina, a Colombian woman in her early thirties who worked as the team's public relations from possibly that moment since Sebastian, despite being the rookie, had heard of some of its members. The woman, however, was totally unknown to him no matter how hard he tried to remember.

The fresh air blowing through the city of Cadiz was hitting them directly, something to be thankful for as sweat was starting to invade their bodies due to nerves, especially the younger one. After all, it was his first contact being, what many people considered, the young man who would lead Red Bull Racing to success.

Red Bull Racing’s chosen one.

To say that Sebastian felt pressure from the expectations that fans, journalists, and especially those not so admirers of the Formula 1 world who tended to criticize, had placed on him was an understatement.

The moment they stepped out of the cart, that internal tingling increased. They were barely taking their few belongings when they were already surrounded by the press, and as they approached the room where they would meet with Christian Horner, who would come out with them on stage, the media, with their cameras and microphones ready to capture any situation to manipulate or sell it as they saw fit, surrounded them overwhelmingly, as if they were criminals.

Webber seemed used to so many people paying attention to him, although he felt a little annoyed by the treatment they were receiving. Vettel, on the other hand, felt like he was losing air incredibly surprisingly, and all he wanted in those moments was for a bubble to surround him and take him out of there. His anxiety was escalating, but all he did to cope with the situation as best he could was to wonder if he was really prepared to face fame in such a way.

If the season had just begun, he didn't want to imagine how that same situation would unfold a few months later, when half of the calendar was complete.

"I think they know us a little around here, don't they?" the younger of the two commented ironically, turning his head to Webber as he tried to put aside his intrusive thoughts.

Mark just nodded, sharing the same opinion as the boy. The Australian was much more serious than him and, at that moment, he wasn't in the mood for much joking, although deep down he felt sorry for the pale face and droopy eyes of the German. That event was not only important for Red Bull but also for them, especially for himself. Since it had been announced that Sebastian Vettel would replace David Coulthard at the end of his very first full season as a rookie, the pressure had started to overwhelm him incredibly.

Flanked by the security that had been hired for the event, Sebastian and Mark, along with the woman accompanying them, managed to navigate the growing crowd of journalists that began to accumulate in the vicinity of the venue. As they got closer and closer to the room where they would be expected, the intensity of the flashes and the impertinent voices faded away. As soon as they arrived they came across a too nervous Christian and a much calmer Britta.

"Damn, you finally made it."

The blue team director headed towards the drivers as soon as they crossed the door and the room closed.

"Were you lost or something?" the British insisted.

"No, no," explained Vettel somewhat agitated. "The press had set us up big time."

"Don't overdo it, Sebastian," Mark replied to the younger one. "This is nothing compared to what you might encounter after a race."

Christian listened carefully to the absurd dialogue the two teammates were having, trying to extract some importance from it that wasn't just a stupid argument for the reporters. As soon as he got tired of them his posture stiffened, his features became serious, and he didn't hesitate for a second to interrupt them when he saw on his wristwatch that they should have been on stage five minutes ago.

"Okay," the man began, filling the room with a sepulchral sound. "You arrived later than expected, and your nonsense conversation made us delay everything even more. Besides, I don't think Karina has explained anything to you along the way, so I'll have to tell you now, clearly and concisely," he added.

His gaze turned to the Colombian, who until that moment had been talking animatedly with Roeske. Quickly, the younger one stood up and adopted a much more serious posture, with her shoulders raised, her back completely straight, and her arms static, as if she were a figure from Ancient Egypt, totally hieratic except for a smile that she couldn't help but let escape from her lips. There was no need for any indication from Christian to know that she had to explain in detail to Sebastian and Mark what each of their roles would be in the presentation:

"Okay, guys, the presentation will be divided in three main parts. First, we'll have a brief press conference where you will be answering, together with Christian, some general questions about your expectations for the upcoming season. Then, we'll move on to a photo session with the cars, where you'll be posing for photographers and anyone who feels like seeing you," Sebastian, at this last part, added a disgusted grimace that was suppressed from a distance by his public relations. "We'll finish with Mark," she pointed to the Australian, "announcing that the preseason tests will be taking place this very week, and with Sebastian," she now addressed the blonde, "explaining that today, exclusively, you'll be driving the RB5 for the first time."

Both drivers listened carefully to everything, without putting any impediment, and nodding constantly to make sure Horner saw them taking it all in.

"During the press conference you have to be careful with what you say," Karina continued, and Sebastian felt that the message was directed especially at him. Did the girl know something about his constant screw-ups with the media? "Avoid any kind of controversial comment that could be interpreted negatively and, above all, those that could be misunderstood."

"Your answers should focus on the team and, especially, on what we expect for this upcoming year," Christian included. "Remember that there are many cameras and microphones recording everything, and if the press already misinterprets and questions everything we say..."

"It's better to tread carefully," Webber interrupted.

Sebastian, listening to all that, realized he wasn't prepared for any of what he was about to experience, but he would do his best to do the best job of presenting himself there, in front of all those people, and give the best version of himself not only for himself but for the people he worked with.

The tension increased when one of the Red Bull members who decided to come to Spain opened the door, letting the noise of the flashes penetrate the walls of the room. Christian, Mark and Sebastian were about to go out on stage, and as much as they were focused on the role they would have to play shortly, Sebastian was startled when he felt a tiny hand take his wrist.

Britta knew her client was the focus that day, and she didn't want him to make any mistakes that could not only cost him his newly acquired job but also his reputation.

"I need you to listen to me carefully," her voice was quiet, but completely firm, to the point that even she herself was alarmed. Her hand was still holding Sebastian's, and for the moment, she had no intention of letting go. "Don't mention Diana under any circumstances. Understood?"

The boy frowned, surprised by Roeske's warning. He knew he had to be careful about what he said, but he didn't expect such a direct warning, especially when it was about Di.

He loved Britta, but he hated the version that had appeared in recent months: the one that thought the only thing that mattered to him was the Austrian even though, in a way, she was right.

"Why, according to you, can't I talk about Diana?" Vettel replied cautiously. "Besides, I was only going to talk about the team that I know nothing about and the upcoming season, which I don't expect anything from."

The German sighed and, after lowering her head to gather some patience and calm before facing the boy again, she looked at him seriously.

"Sebastian, I know you perfectly," she revealed. "You're a big mouth, and when it comes to Wagner, you tend to say more than you should. By the way, I totally forgot: important: Diana’s coming today."

The guy, who had his feet supported only by his heels, stumbled and was about to bump into a table next to him. He hoped his “workmate” would be in Spain, but he hadn't thought it would be possible for her to stop by the RB5 presentation.

"Diana is going to be at the presentation? Here, today, at the event? Really?"

The young man tried to keep calm as best he could, but his stammering showed otherwise. Britta responded to him seriously, explaining that Christian Horner mentioned it that very morning just before Webber and he arrived.

"I don't know why he didn't tell anyone before," Roeske confessed. "Maybe he wanted to avoid distractions... So please: be as discreet as possible when she appears, and do not mention her name under any circumstances. Remember: try to think with your brain, not with your dick."

Seb nodded, laughing and processing the information. While it was true that he already had his own limits set, and he knew he had to be careful, the news of the Austrian being there, paying attention to everything he said, took him completely by surprise.

"Don't worry, Britta," Vettel managed to say. "I won't say anything. Thanks for letting me know."

The PR smiled at him conspiratorially. Before the boy left the room, she hugged him, and she didn't let him leave until she reminded him that he was the best and, again, to focus on Red Bull Racing and the months ahead.

As soon as he stepped onto the improvised stage, the cheers were so loud that Diana, who was approaching the circuit entrance, almost drowned in the deafening noise coming from inside.

As the girl approached the circuit entrance, the growing crowd of journalists and motorsport enthusiasts was overwhelming. She knew perfectly well what it was like to be anxious for the launch of a new car, and the RB5 had caused a stir throughout Formula 1. The cameras moved back and forth at a breathtaking speed along with the flashes. You could even hear some reporters asking questions to the people around the Jerez Circuit.

The bleached blonde, still queuing up to access the event, saw Christian Horner chatting animatedly with Mark Webber and the German who had brought so many smiles to her face every time she reread his messages.

As soon as she crossed the gates and made her way to the area reserved for the Formula 1 team, she was pursued by one of the security guards who was strictly controlling access.

"I'm sorry, miss," the man explained, tapping Diana's shoulder somewhat aggressively. "Without a credential or an invitation, I can't allow you access. If you'd be so kind as to come with me..."

Diana felt a wave of frustration washing over her. Quickly, she took off her backpack from her shoulders and opened it aggressively to search fiercely for something to corroborate that she was part of Red Bull. At the same time, the man's patience, standing there completely upright with his arms crossed, began to fade.

Again, the Austrian looked towards the stage, and saw the three men chatting animatedly, pointing at the cars under their feet.

Time was running out quickly and, with it, Diana's chances of being able to do something.

Without thinking twice, the girl closed her backpack and slung it onto her back as quickly as she could to, at that moment, start running. She didn't stop to look back, trying to dodge everyone present and the security guards who had started chasing her as best she could. Every step she took was a reminder that she needed to improve her physical condition.

In the midst of the chase and her nervousness, Wagner began to hear someone calling her by her last name. After stopping and taking a quick look around to try to figure out where the female voices were coming from, she could see Britta Roeske, a little way to her left, waving her arms, trying to get her to approach. Diana heaved a sigh of relief and, relaxing her pace, approached her savior.

"At last, Diana!" the German exclaimed, opening her arms to hug her. "Horner and I didn't know if you would make it on time."

"Yes, I'm sorry," the girl began to explain in perfect Spanish without realizing that Roeske wasn't understanding her. "It was my fault. I thought the taxi ride from my hotel to here would be faster, but..."

"Honey, can you talk to me in German, please? I would even settle for English."

Diana lowered her head when she realized she had been speaking in Spanish the whole time and, trying not to die of embarrassment, repeated, now in German, the reason for her delay, all thanks to the incredible traffic jam that had formed a few streets before reaching the circuit.

At the same time she listened to Vettel's PR, her eyes began to wander towards the stage, where the drivers and the team principal were chatting animatedly and trying to interact as much as they could with the audience. Her heart began to beat strongly when she heard Sebastian say that he was very excited for the opportunity they had given him months ago to be part of Red Bull; she felt the same way, and it was all thanks to the guy who was giving that speech.

"Wow, it looks like Christian had a luxury skiing vacation," Diana commented when she heard the story Roeske had told her about Horner's trip to Switzerland. "I wish I did."

The German's gaze became completely curious at the girl's last words. Her instinct of something being wrong had been activated, and she was determined to try to find out more about what seemed to be worrying the blonde.

"And yours?" she inquired, trying not to make a big deal out of it. "Is there anything exciting you have to tell us? Tell me you have a boyfriend," she said excitedly, although she regretted it because it seemed a bit intrusive.

"Nah, quite the opposite. It's been very quiet," she lied.

Her forced smile was telling everything to the older woman. Diana didn't want anyone to know, for the time being, the truth about her father's health, so she had to hide it as much as she could.

Roeske became concerned when she saw that Diana's eyes became somewhat watery; moreover, the tone of voice and expression that had appeared on Diana were a bit... worrying.

"Well, we all need to rest from time to time. If you ever need to talk to someone or vent about something," Britta added, trying to let the girl know that her help was there for whatever she needed, "I'm here. We haven't talked much, but that doesn't mean I can't listen to you."

Diana didn't know what to say. Although she hadn't had much contact with Sebastian's right-hand, she quite liked her. In fact, there had been a few occasions when she had wanted to approach the woman to exchange some inconsequential words with her, but her shyness always won.

Christian Horner's voice penetrated the room, making everyone, apart from the two German-speaking blondes, engrossed in the explanation of the purposes and objectives that Red Bull Racing would pursue starting the following month. Sebastian was listening attentively while trying to remember the faces of the people in the front rows, something he loved to do whenever he had any public appearance. However, his gaze began to wander a little further back when he spotted a blonde head next to Britta. Diana was having a conversation with her, her hands were moving constantly.

Even in a crowded place where he was supposed to be the center of everything, Diana Wagner captured all his attention.

To his surprise, he didn't mind at all.

For a moment, everything around him faded away, existing only that girl who, no matter how much he tried to forget her for more than obvious reasons, he couldn't. When she made eye contact with him and waved shyly, a mocking smile formed on the German's mouth, who began to feel a strange tingling in his stomach.

"Hey, Seb, are you still on Earth? Damn, I think we lost him, Christian."

Mark, upon asking Sebastian a question and receiving no response from the German, decided to throw another sarcastic remark while giving him a light tap on the arm to get his attention. Horner leaned closer to the young man's face and passed his free hand in front of him; immediately, Vettel blinked rapidly and forced himself to focus his gaze on his boss, who was subtly indicating to him to say something.

"Are you listening?" the Australian insisted again.

"Come on, Seb. We're in the middle of the presentation!" Christian shouted now as calmly as he could. If that was what he expected from the young man, what six years they had ahead of them... "Did a cat eat your tongue, or did you get lost in the clouds of Valencia?"

"We're in Jerez, but yes" the German hurried to say, earning some good laughs from the audience. "I'm sorry, I got distracted by a fan out there," he said, specifically pointing to the area where Diana and Britta were. "Where were we?"

Despite the murderous looks Britta was starting to throw his way at that moment, all Sebastian noticed was Diana's blush and her shy demeanor, clearly embarrassed, and flattered by Sebastian's words.

After a successful presentation and a much more acclaimed question session than expected, Christian Horner announced that the surprise of the day would be that Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber would be driving, for the first time, the RB5 for the crowd and the press present. The audience exploded in cheers, applauses and even started chanting, eager to see two highly acclaimed Formula 1 drivers in action.

Horner, immediately after stepping off the stage, tried to put on his best smile as he approached Diana, who was with Britta backstage. With a quick wave of his hand, he gestured for her to come closer to him.

"Be careful, okay?" Roeske whispered before the girl moved away, "Whatever he says or he does, don't lose your nerve. Nod and try to say yes to everything even you don’t agree."

Diana nodded, feeling sure of herself for the first time in her life in that world, although a little nervous. Then, she followed Christian's hurried pace, who seemed to be taking her to a more secluded place on stage where they could talk privately.

"What's this all about, Horner?" the blonde demanded, crossing her arms and trying not to let her guard down, "I thought we had discussed everything when you called me last month."

"It's nothing, Diana," the Brit clarified quickly. "I just want to talk to you again about the details of your joining Red Bull. After all, it's not the same to talk through one of those strange devices as it is face to face."

Roeske watched from a distance the conversation between the two, trying to decipher what they were saying, but it was impossible. She knew that Christian Horner had one of the most important roles in the team and that anything he wanted could be possible. At the same time, she was worried about Diana and how she would be treated. She wasn't her mother, and she wasn't trying to be, she was sure she already had one, but the fact that Sebastian spoke about her every time they saw each other had ended up generating in her a kind of special affection for the girl who seemed to matter so much to her client.

If only he wasn't so stupid and confessed what was on his mind, things would be so different...

"First of all, I want to tell you that we are extremely excited to have you on the team. Your skill and determination are undeniable," confessed the team principal. "Seb told us that it was you who came up with his strategy in Monza, and let me tell you: Rocky was completely impressed by it."

"Yes… well, it wasn't that big of a deal, but thank you," she said, trying not to give importance to a merit that publicly wasn't hers. "I am also very excited to join your team and have the opportunity to not only learn from the best, but also to become the best."

Had she gone too far by saying that last part? Perhaps the furrowed brow of the man in front of her was an indication that she had, but she couldn't care less.

"I'm glad to hear that, Wagner, but I want us to talk about more serious matters."

"I know," the Austrian replied.

Diana didn't want to show weakness, but she knew she had to control herself a little and think before saying whatever came to her mind no matter how right it was. That frankness seemed to bother the team principal, whose expression went from joy to anger in a matter of seconds.

"Diana, let me be clear," he muttered. "The conditions to be on this team are simple, but non-negotiable, so I hope they are clear to you from this moment on. You will have to dye your hair blonde as soon as you see the slightest reddish tone in it," how did he know that blonde wasn't her natural color? "Also, you have to come to work impeccably every day and only wear the team polo with a skirt and medium heels," who the hell had come up with those stupid rules? "I don't want you to socialize with drivers inside the paddock unless it is strictly necessary, as it will happen with our two.”

What were those stupid rules? Who invented them and thought they would be great if they wanted to promote equality?

"Your performance will be closely monitored," Horner continued, not giving Wagner a chance to express her apparent disagreement. “And, if you don't meet the expectations we obviously won’t count more on you.”

The young woman's discouragement was incredible, but her ambition was even greater. If she had to live from then on with those impediments to make her dream come true, she couldn't care less.

Christian knew he had gone too far with his way of expressing himself, but his pride was such that it prevented him from apologizing to the newcomer. Calming down a bit, and trying to calm the waters, he looked directly at Diana, and although he did give her another ultimatum, this time he did it much more calmly:

"I want you to know that I’ll try to trust you as much as I trust Sebastian with him recommending you," he acknowledged. "His word has proven to be much more reliable than that of many people not only with more experience in this sport. If he says you're capable, I’ll believe it too. But first, I have to see it myself."

The blonde tensed at the man's last sentence.

"Sebastian and I are just friends, Christian," she defended herself for no reason. "In fact, I would say we're not even that."

"I’ll try to trust you, Diana," he finally revealed with great effort what he had wanted to tell the young woman from the beginning, "and I'm sure more people will if you keep working and improving as you have been doing so far."

"Then why do I have to do everything you've asked me before?"

All the girl wanted to do at that moment was to calm her anger at the bipolarity that the man had shown in those moments. She knew there was a vast background behind those words and that, possibly, they didn't come from him but from some superior who wanted to test her.

"Don't screw it up, please," he simply said. "For God's sake, do not to screw it up."

The tension that had accumulated in the place dissipated as soon as Sebastian appeared, bursting in with a bottle of water in one hand and his helmet in the other, his driver’s suit open to his waist and sweat drops falling heavily from his forehead. His eyes lit up when he saw Diana, and her heart skipped a beat.

Without wasting a second, the driver placed his helmet and protective gear carefully on a nearby table and rushed to his friend. She couldn't help but smile as he wrapped his arms around her and they united in a hug that Diana wished would never end, while she kept repeating "thank you" in his ear.

It was the first time they had seen each other in person since November of the previous year, and a simple, insignificant caress was saying everything they hadn't said, and even more than they wanted to say because, at that moment, they were afraid to be honest with themselves and with each other.

Sebastian, without letting her go, gently stroked her hair and began to kiss her forehead affectionately, earning some giggles from the girl that were music to his ears.

"This is the least I could do, Di," he said when he pulled her away from him a bit, but without letting go of her chest. "You deserve this and much more, and I'm going to fight to give you everything you deserve. I promise."

#formula 1 #sebastian vettel #sv5 #f1 #formula one #vettel #sebastian vettel fanfic #sebastian vettel fanfiction #sebastian vettel x oc #sebastian vettel x female oc #f1 fanfic #f1 fanfiction #sebastian vettel fic #history #emma stone #diana vettel #history sebastian vettel #sebastian vettel history

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skitskatdacat63 · 8 months

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2009 Reference Guide to Seb's Hair(Long post w lots of pics):

I would rate these but I love every version of him too much so I cannot pick 🤭, I'll add some commentary though. This took a horrible amount of time but it was also a great excuse to download and show off a truly terrible amnt of Seb pics(I was in tears half the time bcs of cuteness agression)

0. Testing(Jerez)(February 10th-12th):

Honestly such perfect Seb hair, I find this soooo cute!!! His hair is honestly always so perfect at Jerez testing every season. I love the length and style, he looks so incredibly pretty <3

1. Australia(March 26th-29th):

And now he is...bald. I actually kinda love this hair, he's my little kiwi fruit!! But I also can't help but mourn the Jerez hair. I'm just like: why did you feel the need to go bald, Seb??? It makes him look so young!

2. Malaysia(April 2nd-5th):

3. China(April 16th-19th):

I think the highlight of his bald era is how much he embodies the nickname "sunshine." Like the way his hair and eylashes glow in the sun??? Literally sunshine. Also it's cute to see his hair grow more fluffy

4. Bahrain(April 23rd-26th):

The texture differences are so interesting, I think this length looks its best when it's more fluffy like in the top right pic.

5. Spain(May 7th-10th):

It's funny how his hairline does that point in the middle, again: looks better when he looks unkempt

6. Monaco(May 21st-24th):

Weirdly shocked at how much his hair grew in-between Spain and Monaco??? Also I forgot that those fashion pics were from this weekend, and I was jumpscared by his mohawk look. I think he should keep away from hair product hahaha

7. Turkey(June 4th-7th):

Lego hair looking ass. Kidding kidding, just think his hair looks best all natural

8. Silverstone(June 18th-21st):

Lowkey kinda baffling to me how different his hair looks at different stages of the weekend. The podium hair especially is just soooo different, its very cute but yeah idk

9. Germany(July 9th-12th):

I did not realize he cut his hair again during this season?? Seeing these was very surprising to me, I had thought he grew it out for the entire season but I guess not! But I guess if he hadn't gotten a haircut the entire season, he'd probably have his angelic curls of 2010 by the end

10. Hungary(July 23rd-26th):

Kinda love the looks he was serving this weekend, it's just very spikey and cute(also the cunty sunglasses!!

11. Valencia(August 20th-23rd):

12. Belgium(August 27th-30th):

That garage lighting makes his hair look soooo much more yellow rather than his fair blond in the sunlight

13. Italy(September 10th-13th):

This transitional growing period is not my fav, just the way his hair sweeps in is funny

14. Singapore(September 24th-27th):

Looking particularly blond this weekend!! His hair is just very light and pretty

15. Japan(October 1st-4th):

I think most of these are from post-quali and for good reason; I love the way it looks like he has highlights in all the bottom pics

16. Brazil(October 15th-18th):

I love his scruffiness from this weekend!!! The scruffy stubble is sooooooo!!!

17. Abu Dhabi(October 29th-November 1st):

Pretty cute I think but yeah like nothing can really compete with his hair length in 2010 for me so I look at these and I'm like, ooooo growing longer!!

Conclusion: I think it's fun to get to see the process of someone's hair growing out. I've noticed that a lot of men with short hair get very consistent haircuts to keep their hair generally the same length, and I think that's so boring!! I think it's great to grow out your hair for a few months time because you get to see yourself at all the different stages and experiment with all kinds of different looks! So yeah, props to Seb for serving all kinds of looks this season!!

Also it's always interesting to me how much hair length/style and facial hair can change a person's look, but particularly how old/young they look. Like when he shaved his his head, it made him look so young. But in Brazil for example, with the longer hair and scruffy facial hair, he def looks older!

And of course, let me know which you like the best :D My favorite is Jerez <3

#i need a tag for posts like these which is just:#normal posts that catie normally makes in a normal fashion(not deranged)#this is mainly just ref for me #and for people like me who feel the urge to be ultra specific in everything they create #hope this was interesting for people who are not just me!!#i love how I originally foolishy tried to make this in one night. so naive.....#okay anyways posts i wanna make in this same vein:#more seb hair guides obv(guys idk if you knew but im very normal abt his hair)#id like to try and categorize all his 2009 and 2010(and before) helmets since theyre not on his website and i love them a lot #this would take a horrendous amnt of time but id love to try and make a guide of all nando's facial hair(hes had so many wild ones okay)#and then i wanna rate all the rbr race suits bcs i think about them *so often* and i have many thoughts #sebastian vettel #sv5 #f1 #formula 1 #formula one #catie.rambling.txt #we do a little bit of f1 #normal posts that catie normally makes in a normal fashion

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7grandmel · 5 months

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Todays rip: 10/01/2024

Kill & Learn (Recut Ver.)

Season 4 Episode 1 Featured on: SiIvaGunner's Highest Quality Rips: Volume L [Side B] Also on: STUDIO TRIGGER QUALITY MUSIC WORKS

Ripped by Smoky

youtube

High Quality Never Dies.

The end of Season 3 was quite a tumultuous time for SiIva. Being a music channel on YouTube, the SiIvaGunner channel always teeters over the gaping maw of copyright strikes from music production companies, made worse by YouTube's lack of protection from these false strikes. All of SiIvaGunner's content obviously falls under the umbrella of fair use by the nature of the channel: its core goal and aim is to REMIX music, not reupload it. Yet, in December 2018, eight videos were targeted by Sony Music Entertainment of Japan, which eventually spiralled into the channel's deletion at the beginning of 2019. Five years and one day ago, on January 9th, SiIvaGunner celebrated its third anniversary - with its main channel dead in the water due to YouTube's incompetency.

It's a damn shame that shit like this can happen to just about any aspiring creator on YouTube, and the team was immensely fortunate to have an audience large enough to catch YouTube's attention this time. By February of that same year, the channel was back, Season 3 was over, and Season 4 Episode 1 was officially online. And those copystruck rips were not going to be forgotten.

Kill & Learn (Recut Ver.) is not the same rip as the one that was initially part of that eight-video striking spree from 2018. Yet its an absolutely terrific remastering effort, uploaded during the long-awaited STUDIO TRIGGER event later in the Season. Much like the Planet Wisp Mashup Medley, its a direct tribute to the legendary ripper Triple-Q and one of his many in-jokes, of drawing comparison between the stories of Sonic Adventure 2 and STUDIO TRIGGER's Kill La Kill. Kill & Learn (Recut Ver.) is technically the third spin on this idea, with Triple-Q's own mashup Kill la Kill OST: Final Boss Theme first, followed by the original Kill & Learn (Uncut Ver.), and finally with Kill & Learn (Recut Ver.). All three follow the same premise, mashing up Kill La Kill's second OP Ambiguous with the main theme of Sonic Adventure 2, Live & Learn, yet all feel very different from one another. Live & Learn (Recut Ver.) is, to me, the ultimate endpoint of this concept, and the best of the three - it screams hype from every point of the song, with Live & Learn's vocals fitting the instrumental of Ambiguous like a glove - it's a mashup that felt destined to happen, and is here executed with five years worth of refining.

It warms my heart to see Kill & Learn (Recut Ver.) sitting at such a high view count (over 700K views as of writing) despite the troubled circumstances of its production, of how the original Kill & Learn (Uncut Ver.) is likely never going to be back up on YouTube. Yet, through the hype of the STUDIO TRIGGER takeover and sheer love of the original rip, we found a way to push this rip far past the original's view count. No matter what, high quality finds a way to live on!

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livingforstars · 4 months

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The Eye of an Hourglass Nebula - February 9th, 1996.

"What's happening in the eye-like center of this planetary nebula? The geometry revealed in this Hubble Space Telescope view of the central part of an "etched hourglass nebula," known as MyCn18, presents a puzzle. First, the axis of this central region does not line up well with the outer hourglass structure. Next, the hot star (the white spot to the left of center), which ejected this gaseous nebula as it evolved towards its white dwarf phase, is not exactly at the center of the "eye". These unexpected results leave astronomers looking for the missing pieces of the ejection process that created this unusual and beautiful structure."

#nasa #space #cosmos #universe #astronomy #astrophysics #astrophotography #hourglass nebula

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gunsatthaphan · 4 months

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~ Monthly BL Breakdown: January 2024 ~

✨ Happy February!!! 🎭

Disclaimer: ALL shows can be streamed here or here, as well as on Youtube and other platforms. For more info on where to watch what, check out this post!

New breakdowns are coming at the end of every month - feel free to add stuff! -> previous breakdowns

What came out this month? (green = seen/currently watching)

🌟 BL Drama no Shuen ni Narimashita: Crank In Hen - January 2nd (Japan)

🌟 Ossan's Love Returns - January 5th (Japan)

🌟 Refund Love - January 7th (Thailand)

🌟 Time The Series - January 9th (Thailand)

🌟 Intern in My Heart (BL side couple) - January 10th (Thailand)

🌟 Sukiyanen Kedo Do Yaro ka (Although I Love You, and You) - January 11th (Japan)

🌟 Beside You (mini series) - January 11th (Thailand)

🌟 I Wish You Love - January 21st (Thailand)

🌟 Happy Ending - January 23rd (South Korea)

🌟 Love for Love's Sake - January 24th (South Korea)

Monthly likes/dislikes

👎🏻 I've been catching up on some KBLs from last year this month and sadly most of them were very disappointing. I put a few on my watchlist that generally had good reviews but yeah let's just say I'm glad I didn't miss anything in the last 2 years lol. The only one I liked was Love Mate, the rest was pretty much pointless. Hopefully the upcoming ones will be better 🤞🏻

New series & movie announcements

🎥 Beating Again (dance-themed, starring Kaownah K., Earth K. and others) - Date TBA (Thailand)

🎥 Unknown - Date TBA (Taiwan)

🎥 The Book Store - Date TBA (South Korea)

🎥 Term Begins - Date TBA (Thailand)

🎥 Mafia Prince and the Bookworm - Date TBA (Thailand)

🎥 Black Forest - Date TBA (Thailand)

🎥 Go Alone With Me - Date TBA (Thailand)

🎥 Can I Love You? - Date TBA (Thailand)

🎥 The Shining Star - Date TBA (Vietnam)

🎥 At My Fingertips (Unintentional Love Story spinoff) - Coming May 2024 (South Korea)

🎥 Connecting To You - Date TBA (Taiwan)

🎥 The Star (movie) - Coming March 2024 (Thailand)

🎥 What's the Nong? - Date TBA (Thailand)

Other news from the BL world

❗️ Actors Mike Chinnarat, Fluke Pusit, White Nawat, Pluem Purim and Lee Thanat have left GMMTV.

❗️ After Korean actor Choo Youngwoo won an award for "Best Rookie Actor" at the recent KBS Drama Awards, he came under fire for not mentioning his participation in the BL You Make Me Dance which launched his career and earned him the award.

❗️ Actors Jin Hoeun (All Of Us are Dead), Kwon Hyuk (The New Employee), Byun Junseo (Perfect Marriage Revenge) and Nam Yoonsu (Extracurricular) have been confirmed to star in the upcoming BL Love In The Big City, which portrays the life and love of an HIV-positive gay writer.

❗️ ZeeNunew and GeminiFourth won an award respectively for "Best Thai Artists" at this year's Seoul Music Awards.

❗️ The Chinese BL Stay with Me is getting an audiobook. The series furthermore recently confirmed its second season, further details are unknown.

❗️ Over a year after its initial premiere, the Thai BL To Sir, With Love won "Popular Foreign Drama” at this years's Vietnam Face Of The Year Awards.

❗️ The Thai BL Playboyy will no longer air on youtube after the suspension of the channel due to explicit sexual content. The show will continue to exclusively air on Gagaoolala, as well as RakutenTV.

❗️ Actors EarthMix had a cameo appearance in Ossan's Love Returns; they will star in the Thai adaption of the same name later this year. Details about the production are still unknown.

❗️ MileApo (KinnPorsche) were announced to star in the upcoming series Shine. The show is an extension/spinoff of Man Suang and focuses on Khem and Chatra's story in more detail.

Upcoming series & movies for February

👉🏻 Anti Reset - February 2nd (Taiwan)

👉🏻 Perfect Proposal - February 2nd (Japan)

👉🏻 City of Stars - February 2nd (Thailand)

👉🏻 Love Syndrome: The Beginning - February 8th (Thailand)

👉🏻 Baka Pwede pa? - February 9th (Philippines)

👉🏻 1000 Years Old - February 14th (Thailand)

👉🏻 My Strawberry Film - February 16th (Japan)

👉🏻 A Secret Love - February 17th (Thailand)

👉🏻 Unknown - February 24th (Taiwan)

👉🏻 Wedding Impossible - February 26th (South Korea)

👉🏻 Kiseki Chapter 1 & Chapter 2 - February TBA (Thailand)

#doreens monthly bl breakdown #thai bl #bl drama #upcoming bl #update #bl news #im so upset about everyone leaving gmm like wtf #idc that they added a bunch of new ones i want the old ones back #i have separation anxiety djkhkdfj 😭#how dare you change old patterns #bold of u to assume i have no mental illnesses lmao

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orchidyoonkook · 1 year

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To What We Were Before, And All The Things After | JJK | Ch. 2

Title: Unknown Numbers and Sharp Tongues

Pairing: Prince!College Student!JK x Fine Arts Major!(F)!Reader

Series Rating//Genre: (M) | College AU, Mild Royalty AU, Smut, Angst, Fluff, S2F2L, Indiffernce to lovers, sloooowwww ass burn

Summary: You get a text from an unknown number and it flips your day upside down.

Warnings: PG13, mild swearing, arguments

Word Count: 3065

Release Date: February 2, 2023, 1:40PM

A/N 1: She’s shorter but just as important

Series: Chapter One

It’s 12:07pm the Wednesday after the assembly. You're sitting on your bed sketching when a text vibration sounds from somewhere within the blankets crumpled beneath you.

A pencil lead stained hand carefully snakes its way through the sheets to find your phone, and after locating it by your feet, you see a message from an unknown number waiting to be read.

Unknown Sender [12:07pm]: Hey, is this YN?

You raise a brow at the semi-suspicious text.

Normally when this happens, you just delete the message. You have everyone you're willing to speak with in your contacts already, so you know that it’s most likely spam. But the difference with this one?

They know your name.

That being said, your guy friends back home have been known to, on occasion, pull shit because they know you can’t do anything about it.

Though, that has never once stopped you from waiting to see them again in person and retaliating. Patience is a virtue and all that, but you think they’d of learned by now…

So you fire back, just in case.

You [12:08pm]: Hobi I s2g if this is you again I’m sending Nayeon that picture of you from 9th grade with shutter shades on and your ass stuck in a tuba

Unknown Sender [12:08pm]: Oh wow, uhm…no, its not Unknown Sender [12:09pm]: But remind me never to get on your bad side. Unknown Sender [12:10pm]: It’s Jungkook actually... I may have grabbed your number from Yuri’s phone. I hope it’s okay I messaged you

Jungkook?

As in The Prince of the Western Shores, Jungkook?

Well...

This certainly isn’t how you thought your afternoon was going to go.

You figured you'd never hear from him again after Monday’s assembly, like everyone else he’d greeted—Yuri aside apparently. Yet here you were, on your bed, in your university dorm room, having a midday text conversation with Prince Jeon Jungkook of all people.

You laugh to yourself and quickly change his name in your contacts, keeping it subtle. You don’t want someone to see his name pop on your screen and then suddenly have a legion of people harassing you about how you got the prince's number, and if they could get it from you.

You [12:11pm]: yeah, it’s fine

And why wouldn't it be? You don’t dislike him, though he seemed to have thought so. Sure, you don’t particularly like the guy yet, but you're confident he feels the same about you—if he even thinks of you, that is.

He probably just wants recommendations for things to do this weekend or to know where the cleanest washrooms on campus are. God forbid his royal bottom touch a less than sanitary toilet seat.

PJK [12:13pm]: Im afraid she had to explain to me who ‘blueballzbitch’ was when I accidentally saw your text to her the other day. Apparently my reaction after reading it was very funny

You [12:13pm]: I cant believe she still hasnt changed my name in her phone! That bitch!! she promised :( You [12:14pm]: Thats only my name because i told her she couldnt bring guys back to our dorm after 1 AM anymore!

PJK [12:14pm]: can I ask why?

You [12:15pm]: there may have been an incident of a very drunk half naked man climbing into my bed at 4 am instead of hers…. You [12:15pm]: And needless to say, not the nicest way to wake up

PJK [12:16pm]: no I would think not. Though that explains her reaction a bit better

You didn’t even want to know.

She did kick that guy out the second she heard your scream though, drunk as she was. But it didn’t stop her from moping for a week at your new rule.

Tough, you’d had a test the next day, so your decision was final.

Your academics wouldn’t pay the price for someone else’s actions. On that you were and always have been, firm. You’ve even lost a few friends because of it.

But now your starting to wonder why he wanted to message you in the first place.

You [12:17pm]: i dont mean to be rude, but why did you save my number? To be honest i didnt think I’d hear from you again after monday

PJK [12:18pm]: well if we’re being honest…

There are a million different ways he could follow that sentence, and your mind is simultaneously running through all of them.

It takes him a few minutes, and a couple disappearance and reappearances of the texting in progress bubble, before a reply comes. Your pencil may or may not be a bit chewed on the end as a result.

PJK [12:21pm]: I was hoping that we could be friends, or acquaintances at least. I dont mean to come on too strong, its just that…. well you’re the only one whos really treated me like a regular guy, and i’d like to have at least one person to speak to who wont ‘glaze over the truth with pretty white lies’ just because of who I am. Its a surprisingly hard attribute to come by in people when you have words like “prince” and “your highness” attached to your name PJK [12:22pm]: Everyone either wants something from me or something I can do for them, and when we met? I could see you just…didn’t. It’s like you didnt even care I was there and that was incredibly refreshing for me PJK [12:23pm]: so um, yeah… that’s why

Oh…

Oh.

You were expecting anything else. Like literally anything else. He could’ve messaged you saying he wanted to give up being prince to join a traveling circus and was wondering if you knew the quickest train route into town and you would’ve been less surprised than you are right now.

But…Friends? He just wanted to be friends?

You guess you played your part a little too well on Monday. A part you didn't even realize you were performing.

Was it really so difficult for people to treat him normally that the only person who had done so in three days, was you? And it was so noticeable that he sought you out because of it? His professors, at least, would have treated him like any other student…right?

You sit up, sketch long discarded on your bedside table.

What would Yuri think about this? What would Nel think? Jungkook isn't just some guy from your Advanced Colour Theory class, he's the prince of your kingdom.

You know your boyfriend wouldn't care if Jungkook kissed your hand in a passing greeting, that’s the standard greeting for every woman.

But friends?

Regular contact?

Potentially being seen in public with him?

Even a high ranking societal man would feel threatened, let alone Nel; the highschool boy you fell in love with from your tiny hometown.

Biting your lip, you think.

You’re not an idiot. You know if people see you—a girl—hanging out with Jungkook—the prince, but more importantly, a boy—publicly, they will start talking. You know how the media make grand stories from two anonymously sourced, out of context quotes and a grainy picture from 100 feet away.

What you don’t know is if you would or even could handle the public speculation that came with that.

You don't want the media to come between you and your education. You don’t want to be at the center of attention. You worked way too hard to get where you are to have it washed away with a shitty ‘Prince Jungkook's college fling’ article that holds headlines for less than a week before the news cycle changes.

Your credibility would be gone in an instant. And you’d only ever be remembered as ‘that girl the prince probably slept with in college.’

You should say no.

You’re going to say no.

—Wait.

Are you even allowed to say no?

Your phone pings again.

PJK [12:24pm]: i really just want my university experience to be as normal as possible before having to trade it all in for a crown and kingdom. It’s my last shot to experience life as a person before becoming a symbol and im hoping youll be kind enough to help me with that PJK [12:24pm]: but i understand if you dont want to. Like i said in my speech, im not unaware of the repercussions of my celebrity, and its effects on others, both positive and negative. So please by all means, whatever answer you give, i’ll understand

Shit.

Shit!

Now you’ll feel like an ass if you say no, and you know that wasn’t his intention with the message, but you can't help it. He just wants to be as ordinary as he can be for a while. That isn’t a lot to ask—of anybody.

After re-reading his messages about a dozen more times, you find your entire view of Jungkook shifting in an instant.

Maybe he was the spoiled, rich, and plate delivered opportunities prince you expected him to be, but funnily enough, somewhere along the way it was you who forgot that he was an regular person. Just like you had told Yuri such a short time ago, and just like you now had to remind yourself.

Jungkook’s really not much different than someone without all the special features his title brings him.

And with that in mind, you know your reply.

You [12:30pm]: can i think about it?

And not seconds later.

PJK [12:30pm]: absolutely.

A breath you didn’t know you were holding releases.

PJK [12:31pm]: that’s already further than i thought i’d get—if we’re still being honest.

You [12:33pm]: im always honest, you dont have to worry about that. And same goes for you, dont worry about being truthful with me. Lies only create problems, and i dont have the time for them

PJK [12:35]: glad to hear it. I look forward to your answer, whenever and whatever you decide

Gently tossing your phone back onto your bed, you leave the conversation at that. You know you wouldn’t be able to make your mind up without going through all possible outcomes in your head first. And Yuri is usually a good enough listener to pipe in with decent advice now and then.

So, for now, you pick up your pencil and sketch pad, and wait for Yuri to return from her afternoon class.

A few hours later, and a decent way through your third life study, Yuri bursts through the front entryway. Your bedroom door’s open, and you’ve got a clear view of her shucking off her shoes and outer layers after casting her books onto the dining room table.

So much for your focus.

But you're glad she’s back, your conversation with Jungkook from earlier is still wracking your brain.

“YN, Sweets! You are NEVER going to believe the day I’ve had!” Yuri makes her way over to your bed, inhaling deeply enough you know a monologue is about to follow.

“Me too! But you first,” you slip in before the floodgates burst, knowing all her focus will be solely centered on you the second you mention Jungkook reaching out.

“Jungkook invited me to lunch!”

Or maybe not.

“Well sort of, that’s why I’m late getting back. He asked if there was a more secluded place to eat on campus,” she says the word like it’s a secret. Like she thinks he asked for seclusion to have it be a more intimate setting with her, versus a more private space for him.

“So I showed him that little cafe behind the greenhouse that no one ever goes to cuz it’s too far away from central campus—you know the one that might as well just be a part of the greenhouse cuz of how close it is?”

You nod. You were very familiar with that cafe, frequently going there to paint the flowers in the windows, and also, to think. But she doesn’t know that. It was sort of a safe haven for you, because like she said, it wasn’t a very popular place on campus, so it was quiet.

You didn’t know Yuri even knew about it.

Now sitting criss-crossed on the end of your bed, she continues, “Yeah, so I brought him there and we both got coffee, then I got a croissant and he got a sandwich. But YN, get this: we take. our coffee. the. same. way. Try and tell me we’re not made for one another now! Same major, same coffee, next thing you know we’ll be finding out we’d picked out the same baby names.”

She stops to take a breath and you take your cue. “Woah there, Yurls, slow down a bit on that last one,” she makes a face at you. You ignore it. “But I think it’s great you're making a new friend that you have common interests with and are excited about,” you say, putting extra emphasis on ‘friend,’ thinking back to your conversation with Jungkook about people only ever wanting things he could give them. Surely you could subtly help your friend this way. “Just try to remember you have to be friends first before anything else happens.”

She doesn’t miss a beat. “Friends? YN please! We’re practically already dating, that’s three times in as many days he’s asked to hang out,” she closes her eyes, hugging herself. “I can almost hear the wedding bells.”

You look at her plainly and try your best not to sigh.

She must know that this is just Jungkook taking her up on her offer, right? The one she made after seeing him off to the cafe by the biz-admin building the other day?

Before they parted ways, Yuri’d mentioned to him that if he wanted more inside knowledge or help getting around the campus he could ask her. And it made sense, having all their classes in the same area, when he said, ‘I’ll take you up on that.’

You know, because not unlike this conversation, she’d rushed home right after to tell you.

Jungkook’s just trying to get his bearings in what is clearly still a very new experience for him and Yuri’s reading into it all wrong.

You look at your friend who’s staring dreamily at nothing, more than likely caught up in whatever wedding scenarios of herself and Jungkook her brain is creating.

Waving a fruitless hand in front of her face before snapping your fingers, you break her trance. “Helloooo? Earth to Yuri, come back down here please so I can talk some sense into youuuuu.”

“I’m here,” she says, smacking your hand away playfully, gaze snapping to your less than amused one. Her smile falters at the sight. “What’s that look for?”

“Oh nothing, just that you sound like a delusional teenager instead of a functional adult at university pursuing a degree. You just met the guy three days ago and you’re already picturing your wedding together? Because you hung out over coffee twice and showed him where his classes are? He’s still a stranger, Yuri. Can’t you hear yourself?”

Her expression quickly changes to one of offense, and maybe even hurt.

Perhaps you’d been a little too honest, but it’s not like this was new for you two. Sometimes she needed a swift blow to knock her down and she knows this, she knows you’d never intend to hurt her feelings. You always wanted what was best for her, and you know she feels the exact same way for you.

So you’re shocked when she says, “You know you don’t have to be such a bitch about it if you’re going to be jealous,” crossing her arms defensively.

Jealous? You are anything but jealous, and you wonder why that’s where her mind jumps to first, brows scrunching in confusion.

“I’m not jealous. Have you forgotten about Nel? Boyfriend of five years, highschool sweetheart, ringing a bell?”

“Nel’s not a prince YN,” she counters in a tone so even, it’s unsettling. “And it wouldn’t be so unheard of for a woman in a relationship to be jealous of her friend who’s in one with a prince she wants for herself.”

Oh, so that’s where she wants to go with this. She thinks that Jungkook will somehow make you forget about the five wonderful years with Nel. Like half a decade measures up to nothing if it means getting someone with a better name and a bigger paycheck.

Fine.

If she wants to get bitchy about it, so will you.

“Yeah, well it’s a good thing you’re not dating one then, isn’t it? Don’t get so defensive when all I’m doing is trying to help you see that.”

Yuri stands dramatically from the bed, clearly pissed, and storms out of your room, grabbing her things from the dining room table.

“I’m going to my macroeconomics class. By the time I get back, either have your door closed, or don’t be here.”

She leaves as rushed as she came, and you try not to flinch at the front door slamming shut, but do anyway.

You shove your work off to the side, bringing your knees up to rest your elbows on while the palms of your hands cover your eyes, giving yourself a moment to breathe and process.

This isn’t the first time this has happened and it certainly won't be the last. It was a downside between your personalities. You were the anchor who kept her from soaring too high in the clouds, just like she was the helium that kept you from drowning.

But sometimes she wanted to see the stars, and sometimes you were scared of the surface.

Releasing a deep breath, you decide to head out, having finished school for the day anyway. You only had morning classes on Wednesdays—an intentional scheduling on your behalf to have somewhat of a break midweek. You work hard but also know that burnout can kill.

Switching out your pencils for watercolour paint trays, and your sketchpad for your watercolour paper, you decide that the greenhouse sounded great right about now, especially now that you knew Yuri wouldn’t be there.

There isn’t a better place for you to go and blow off some steam.

Tossing your brushes, materials, travel water and wallet in a tote, you slide on your shoes and leave the dorm. The door closes much quieter this time.

Chapter Three: Greenhouse Muses and Surprise Guests

A/N 2: I’m pretty sure this is the shortest chapter in the series (so far) but as you’ve read it’s an important step so I hope that’s okay!

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fernsnailz · 3 months

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February 2024 Review Roundup

well i sure did watch some stuff and read one book this month

the things i finished this month reminded me that for every incredible piece of art i find myself enjoying, i end up watching some Hot Garbage immediately after to balance things out again. idk why i do this.

i have quite a bit to say about both the things i enjoyed and the things that brought me physical pain this month, so there is um. a lot under the cut. any previous desire for brevity i had in january has been completely thrown out the window as i use these roundups as an outlet to gush about things i like and complain about things i didn't. fair warning, if you open the readmore you will be scrolling for a while. enjoy i guess

House of Leaves

does any other book out there have the balls to write a completely fake interview with stephen king

House of Leaves is a novel you gotta throw around a little bit. It feels really weird that my copy is still in the pristine state I bought it in - It seems like it should have water damage and smell like mildew with its pages falling out and spine cracked into pieces. Getting the full story from this book requires flipping back and forth, turning it around, searching for answers. All things considered it’s not that difficult of a read, but its format still allows you to feel like you’re discovering every hidden piece for yourself, and I really liked that interactivity. I was engaged pretty much the whole way through.

I don’t really think I’ll be able to revisit this book anytime soon though. It’s difficult for me to format what else I’d like to say about it because to be honest, it caught me off guard and disturbed me on a fairly personal level. There’s a relief I feel when I remember that I don’t actually know what was going on with the house - maybe that was intentional on the book’s behalf, maybe I just didn’t look hard enough for answers. I don’t know. But the implication that something divine was down there was enough of an answer for me. The book's good. read it if you want a spooooooky time or if you never want to look at a hallway the same way again

Doctor Who (Series 1-4) (rewatch)

ok so this is a fuckload of doctor who to cover so i’m gonna give some thoughts on a few of the characters and my favorite + least favorite episodes

9th doctor: My favorite butch lesbian. Christopher Eccleston truly embodies the concept of The Doctor so, so well: otherworldly guy who knows too much, genuinely cares about life across the universe, and also has a bit of deep, unresolved rage. His moments of joy and careless fun stick with me the most, he absolutely radiates with life and brings so much to this character.

Rose: I first watched Doctor Who when I was in middle school, and I didn’t like Rose that much back then. And guys. I have bad news. I'm still not really much of a Rose fan

I definitely understood her more this watch through - that desire for adventure and some sort of control over her life, emotions so strong that she’s willing to throw near everything away. That’s just what being 19 is like sometimes. I think Rose is a very compelling character who just happens to frustrate me a bit. And that’s kinda the point, her co-dependent relationship with the Doctor is doomed to fail and it's meant to hurt. Ultimately, I think when I first watched the show I was too young to understand Rose, and now I’m just too old to relate to her.

Captain Jack: Jack is my favorite character. I fucking love this guy. Dude has the worst luck in the whole universe and still cannot be stopped. Legendary. Every episode with him is a goddamn delight because he has so much chemistry with every single cast member. No notes 10/10 i love my problematic bisexual king

10th doctor: About four episodes into David Tennant’s run I realized that he dresses like a Hazbin Hotel character and it made me very sad. Still, there’s a reason this guy inspired every middle schooler to buy a pair of converse in 2008. He has style, he has depth, he’s got the sauce. It’s genuinely terrifying to see his anger, I like that a lot of 10’s run is about his denial of godhood and power over life in the universe, something that the rest of the time lords desired. idk i like my sad pathetic little weasel but he's also a huge fucking asshole sometimes which sucks. especially when it's directed at Martha.

Martha: Martha I am so sorry for what this show put you through. Martha was my favorite companion when I first watched the show, and I still have a huge soft spot for her. Her ability to hold her own and navigate foreign worlds using her own intelligence absolutely rules, and her drive forward is unbreakable. But the show seems to put her down at every possible opportunity, most notably with how 10 treats her. Her struggles and wants are constantly ignored, and she's often treated as a rebound from Rose. And I like that she eventually chooses to end it by not traveling with 10 anymore, but it hurts because it feels like she was never given the same chance or care that Rose and Donna were. This era of Doctor Who really doesn’t treat its black companions well because Mickey goes through something similar - both Martha and Mickey are characters designed to be ignored or left behind, and it sucks.

Donna: Donna Noble is one of the greatest fictional characters to ever exist. Despite seemingly living a fairly average life and working a fairly average job, Donna reflects the idea that no one is truly "average" and every single person is brimming with personality, life, and love. I love that her relationship with 10 is purely platonic, personally their friendship feels like it has a lot more depth than either of the romance-oriented relationships 10 had with Rose and Martha. 10 and Donna bounce off of each other so well and it's delightful, Donna brings so much humor and life to every world she's taken to and it's incredible. I wish her and Captain Jack could have interacted more.

My favorite episode: The Runaway Bride is hard to not choose as my favorite. I have a blast every time I watch this episode and it’s such a good introduction for Donna. Also the Tardis car chase kills me, I love when it cuts to the kids in the back of another car clapping and cheering. I was also surprised by the episode Midnight - it’s dreadful to watch and I kinda loved it. So much spirals out of control when shit hits the fan, even though no one has any idea what they’re trying to fight against. Really interesting exploration as to how fear can drive people apart.

My least favorite episode: It’s Love & Monsters. I wish I liked this episode - stories that follow regular ass people living in this world are often some of the best episodes in the series (Weeping Angels and all that). And this episode definitely has some of that. It’s honestly really touching to see this group of nerds get together and enjoy life in the first part of the episode. I think the antagonist of “guy who absorbs people” ends up dragging down any charm this story had because he just. eats all of the interesting characters. But despite me disliking this episode, I honestly have a deep respect for it - it’s fucking crazy. It ends with the main guy telling us about his sex life with his girlfriend who is now stuck in a piece of concrete. Where else are you going to get a story like this. It fucking sucks and that’s hilarious

oh also the production design: GODDDDDD I FUCKING LOVE THE PRODUCTION DESIGN AND SETS ON THIS SHOW. I love how dirty and rundown a lot of the spaceship sets look with wires and lights scattered everywhere. And a number of alien designs also go CRAZY with the prosthetics - I keep thinking about the Hath from The Doctor’s Daughter and how every head prosthetic had liquid inside it that could bubble. Absolutely crazy. I also love the moments where you can clearly see they did not have that much time and just had to throw something together or pain a bald cap green. Jank is the nature of sci-fi production design and I dearly love and miss that Doctor Who jank.

Rebuild of Evangelion

Last year after finishing the original Evangelion series + End of Evangelion, I remember going through the Evangelion tumblr tag and being very confused by the number of slice of life/found family-esque fanworks of the cast. It left me puzzled and thinking “...did we even watch the same thing??”

APPARENTLY NOT

[spoiler warning here because these movies are very good and i give the best parts away. if you want to watch these movies then DO IT NOW!!!!!!!!]

I honestly never expected a world where these characters got a happy ending. I so, so badly wish I could see 3.0 and 3.0+1.0 in theaters - these movies are stunning. I know I say things “go crazy” a lot, but man. They go fucking CRAZY.

While I have a few issues with how the first two movies adapted the original show, I do think the changes they made better serve the story this rebuild is trying to tell. For example, my favorite episode in the original Eva series is episode 18, where Toji is chosen to pilot Unit 03. It’s absolutely terrifying because Shinji doesn’t know who 03’s pilot is, yet he’s forced to be inside Unit 01 as it tears 03 apart. His resolve not to kill anyone despite not even knowing who’s in danger is an aspect of that episode I love and speaks to Shinji's inherent humanity, and when he learns Toji was in there it hurts even more. The rebuild movies change Unit 03’s pilot to Auska, and Shinji knows she’s in there from the start. I think this choice works for the movies and is still an effective emotional beat, but personally I still prefer the version where Shinji had no idea who was in there. That lack of knowledge is infinitely more terrifying to me.

I really like what these movies did with some of the angel designs though. The sixth angel (the fuckin. blue diamond cube thing) works really well in 3D/CG animation. The way the thing warps and moves is otherly and terrifying - and it’s just a fucking cube. I’ve always really loved how the Eva series approaches angel designs and the divine - despite the alien-like designs, there’s often something extremely familiar about them. They’re often reminiscent of an animal, a machine, or a human. This is also how they approached the anti-universe in these movies, I loved how it takes the form of various locations from the series and turns them into a movie set. It’s deeply familiar, but ultimately just an illusion of familiarity like the angels and the divine.

Also I gotta say. I fucking love Mari. I think she’s hilarious. She first meets Shinji by accidentally parachuting into him and then immediately starts crawling on all fours to sniff him. This girl also introduces “Beast Mode” where the Eva pilots can go wild turn their mechs into a fucking. superpowered beast of some sort. And also she defeats a whole army by using the Eiffel Tower as a spear. She’s such an absurd character and I honestly kinda love it. The only thing I knew about these movies before watching them was this gif of her Backing That Shit Up and she truly lives up to the insane nature of this shot.

My favorite section of these movies is definitely the first part of 3.0+1.0 where the pilots are basically just living a domestic life in a small town - it’s truly beautiful. The growth that Rei’s copy goes through here is fantastic, I love stories about seemingly emotionless beings learning how to live. And right after she dies, we get the shot that absolutely broke me the first time I saw it:

This shit. The way you can just barely tell he’s been crying from the red around his eyes. They don't talk about it, they barely linger on it, but it's allowed just enough time to punch you in the gut. I don’t know why this shot got me as hard as it did but goddamn. jesus christ. i want to throw up

There’s some goofy shit in these movies. The infinite synch rate. Misato’s stupidass hat and sunglasses. Some goofy ass 3D animation that doesn’t age super well. The rainbow that shows up every time an angel dies. But these things really didn’t take me out of the core of these films, and there’s so much genuine emotion and beauty in this series that had me absolutely hooked - especially in the last two films. They go crazy. My favorite line is 100% “The only thing a son can do for his father is pat him on the shoulder… or kill him.” and man. ain’t that what Evangelion is all about. i love these movies

High School Musical 3

kinda slaps just a little bit

High School Musical 3 starts with a finale number. The last high school basketball game of Troy Bolton’s life - and it goes kinda hard. The classic pep band brass that’s essential to so many High School Musical numbers returns, and the constant theme of two feuding cheer teams in the background? Genius. This is truly art. I love listening to Now or Never without visuals because in the middle Troy just starts coughing and gagging seemingly out of nowhere

Unfortunately, starting the movie at such a high point means that the rest of the runtime doesn’t quite match up to it. The story lags and meanders quite a bit, but part of me kinda appreciates that - it’s their last semester of high school, which is always a time of confusion and turmoil. However, I do have a pitch for how they could have countered the constant falling action this movie seems to go through:

The Wildcats should have lost their last game at the beginning of the movie.

What if the game is instead the inciting incident that leads Troy and his besties through their tumultuous last semester? Troy is still torn between basketball and theater, but his identity would be even further challenged here - is winning and success all that matters for him, or is it the love of sport and performance that keeps him going? idk whatever this movie came out 16 years ago i can’t be out here writing AUs for it jgnfsgfnjdksg

Some miscellaneous thoughts about this movie that i don’t care about formatting into larger paragraphs:

Ryan and Sharpay’s number (I Want It All) slaps as usual. The part where Ryan shouts “MADISON SQUARE GARDEN!!!!!!!” makes me so happy every time i hear it

The production design and sets go absolutely fucking crazy. I still have no idea how they pulled off the spinning hallway in Scream.

One of the classic staples of HSM is Chad’s shirts. Most of them are fairly silly and like something you would expect to find in the walmart clearance section. However, there’s one shirt he has in this movie that confused the hell out of me. It’s this one:

What the FUCK does Greenster mean. Is it just a combination of Green and Monster?? Why??? What green monster are we talking about here????? Where the fuck did this shirt come from?????????

Avatar The Last Airbender (2024)

There’s really only one word I can think of to describe what this show is like: sauceless. No flavor. No depth. No character. No sauce. This show is honestly so fucking boring and seems to fundamentally misunderstand what the appeal of the original Avatar series is - not necessarily because things are changed or removed from the original, but because nothing of substance is added in return.

Most of the characters are mere echoes of their original counterparts when compared to their source material. Sokka is reduced to a guy who wants to fight good, Katara’s stubborn and confrontational nature is very rarely utilized, and Aang’s mischievous antics and love of fun is sorely missing. One of the major reasons for the dull interpretations seems to be the directing - While I have faith that most of these actors are trying their best (especially since a number of them are kids/young adults), the direction seems to be incredibly lackluster and takes away nearly every cast member’s stage presence or personality. There’s a number of reaction shots of the main trio that just look like this: 😐😐😐 as if they were just told to “look concerned” at the events unfolding before them. And these issues are apparent in the majority of the performances - for example, General Zhao talks like he’s in a board meeting up until the last episode, and it’s an incredibly flat performance. He talks somewhat monotone in the original series as well, but this live-action take on the character often meanders with his dialogue and lacks that sharp, terrifying quality that I think this character needs. Uncle Iroh also feels incredibly stiff in this adaptation, and it’s a goddamn crime that they took away the cunty little outfit and chains he was originally wearing when he gets captured by earthbenders. wait who said that

Credit where credit is due, there’s a few cast members that seem to be giving their best. It’s clear that Aang’s actor enjoys the role and does pretty well despite the lackluster direction and dialogue he’s given. On top of that, I think Zuko’s actor is honestly the best part of the show. His take on Zuko leans much more into teenage tendencies and sarcasm, which, although it can be silly, is a welcome take of the character in my opinion and pretty fun to watch. There’s this one line he has at the beginning of episode 2 where, in an incredibly whiny tone of voice, he goes “He RAN! The ultimate warrior! He’s a Coward :((((“ and the read is so. fucking funny

The case of bad direction isn’t limited to the performances, however. It’s also stunningly apparent in how everything is shot. Despite being in a widescreen format, most shots are incredibly centered - you could crop the entire runtime into a 4:3 frame and you wouldn’t be cutting out much of anything. I’ve seen some speculation that this was an intentional choice to make things more adaptable or readable for TikTok/phone video, but honestly I think that’s a dumb take. I think the issue stems from a lack of creativity and thoughtless composition. Keeping everything staged in the center can make shots feel disjointed, lacking much depth, or completely empty. It’s a boring way to shoot and indicates that the show lacks any unique vision at all.

Overall, this show doesn't really seem to understand what makes Avatar interesting in the first place. It's more interested in spectacle and action than the characters' relationships, emotions, and mistakes. I try not to compare it too much to the original since it's allowed to take liberties with its adaptation, but very few of its changes add much to the end result or give it a unique voice. It's just sauceless and boring.

Some YouTube videos i liked in February:

💥 My House.WAD - Inside Doom's Most Terrifying Mod (some supplemental House of Leaves material for ya) 💥 Martha Jones Deserved Better (this video explains how Doctor Who did Martha dirty better than i ever could) 💥 bringing JUSTICE to the worst garfield game 💥 Selling Kids for Clout: The Downfall of Family Channels

And that’s my roundup for February! Thank you for reading, I promise there are no more reviews left to scroll through below this goodbye. Nope, nothing else I watched this month. Bye!

…ok is everyone gone. phew, i’m glad no one noticed i pulled an hbomberguy and hid the largest part of this post under a false ending. Anyway holy shit i need to talk about hazbin hotel

Hazbin Hotel

well i didn’t like it

Hazbin Hotel is a weird, fascinating mess of a show. Every episode left me wondering what creative decisions (or lack thereof) led to the sequence of images I just watched. There’s been a lot of discussion of this show recently and I’m not interested in covering every critique I have, but there’s a few things that I'd like to talk about somewhat in-depth.

Hell is real and it's just Red Chicago

The setting of Hell is kinda boring in this show.

Let me try to put this into perspective. Aside from the hotel, here’s a list of the locations we see in Hell:

A boardroom

A video store

Vox’s evil lair (it has cyber sharks which is kinda cool)

Various streets

Another boardroom

A BDSM club

Carmilla’s house (it’s gray and has. balconies?)

A porn studio

A bar

Another bar

A town square (full of cannibals)

None of these locations really take on any sort of otherworldly form besides some vague demonic imagery scattered throughout (and the cannibals. i guess. whatever). In short, Hazbin Hotel’s setting resembles Chicago more than it does Hell.

I can see a world where that’s intentional. Perhaps making Hell resemble a modern city could be used as a thematic tool or point of relatability? But Hazbin doesn’t really do anything like that - since the characters rarely ever interact with their environments, these locations end up seeming like they lack creativity, like they’re just cardboard sets where characters go to swear. They all start to blend together after a while - every street feels the same, every boardroom fades into the background, and every bar feels like a google image search result for the word “club.” This world feels stunningly empty despite the busy designs and colors. Even though the backgrounds are painted and designed fairly well, nothing of substance is ever really added to them through the story.

However, a few musical numbers take effort to break away from these settings. This felt like a weight off of my shoulders whenever it happened, it was nice to see some interesting setpieces and backgrounds that weren’t red. I liked the bombastic and over-the-top broadway lights in Loser and the glowing alternate world in Charlie and Lucifer’s song. But these moments are few and crowded by the dull locations in Hell - or worse, the Hotel itself.

Despite being the namesake of the show, the actual Hazbin Hotel is… lifeless. Which, yeah, it’s a hotel where dead people go in the afterlife, but it’s missing any sort of personality or history besides “it’s old and falling apart.” I expected the hotel to be full of secrets - like maybe some hidden passages or rooms, or mysterious cabinets full of rotted meats, or old valuables hidden under the rugs by the previous owners. Something for the cast to explore and discover, and as they get closer to each other they also start to understand the hotel more. Alastor seems very intent on keeping the physical hotel standing for some reason, but I never really understood why. There’s nothing there. And that nothingness is fully realized when at the end of the show, they just rebuild the entire hotel to be grand and beautiful - an emotional beat that didn’t hit me at all because I never felt like I knew the hotel in the first place. Despite rebuilding it from the ground up, it will feel just as empty.

3 SHOTS THAT DRIVE ME CRAZY

I was truly baffled at how some of these scenes are timed and put together. Multiple sequences left me feeling nauseous and dazed - the camera moves like it’s being swung on the end of a rope, and there’s so many misplaced or meaningless cuts scattered through these episodes.

There’s a sequence of three shots in the first episode that I want to dissect. I will fully admit that I'm breaching nitpicking territory here, but the shot composition issues in this show are pretty rampant and my analysis here is just a hyper-specific look at a single part of that larger problem. Hopefully you can also use it as a quick storyboarding lesson too idk

First, we see Adam teasing Charlie.

Then, it cuts straight to this shot:

A few things here.

Shot 2 is just closer on the characters, which is not a great idea to cut to after the previous waist-up shot. On top of being a jarring jump cut, there is no purpose for this new shot. All the information we see here (Adam laughs, Charlie fake laughs) could have just been conveyed in the previous shot.

Despite the characters being in the same position as the last shot, the background changes. This straight up just feels like an error. I think the idea is supposed to be that the camera is at a different angle, but the position of the characters does not convey that. It looks like reality changes behind them.

And if that’s not enough, this is the shot we get immediately after those two:

In this shot, the residents of the hotel sit on the couch as Vaggie walks into the shot, framing them between her legs. But there’s something… off.

Vaggie either looks like she’s floating or she’s three stories tall. Quick storyboard lesson as to why:

The main problem with this shot is that the perspective of the background doesn’t match up with where Vaggie is placed. The couch is framed as if the camera were above it, but Vaggie is framed like the camera is floor-level below her. I’ve traced the shot and added a perspective grid to hopefully better illustrate this:

Do you see what I mean? If the camera WAS actually on the floor like Vaggie’s position in the shot suggests, the composition would look more like this:

Notice how much closer the floor grid is to the bottom of the frame and how you can see the underside of the couch.

And to be fair, this is probably what the original storyboard for this shot looked like! Personally I think something went wrong in the compositing stage - this might be a couch background from another shot that was reused here to save time, or whoever approved this shot just let the error slide since the shot is so short (i've been there. sometimes you let the jank slide). Most animated shows will have some poorly framed shots and continuity errors because mistakes are bound to happen, but two egregious ones right next to each other like this is. pretty bad. It's so noticeable from a directing perspective.

Here’s the thing: these three shots happen in the span of like 10 seconds. Most viewers probably wouldn’t notice these issues, and that's fine. But even though these errors are quick, they stack upon each other so fast that even if you can’t pinpoint exactly what’s wrong, something still feels wrong. There’s so many other moments where the show breaks extremely basic shot composition, continuity, and staging rules - for example, the second musical number of the show breaks the 180 rule like four times for no good reason. The whole show feels like a dizzy, nauseating mess because the shots rarely feel like they form anything cohesive.

MY ROOMMATE TOLD ME TO GO TO BED SO HERE ARE SOME FINAL THOUGHTS

Here’s a rundown on some other thoughts that I don’t care to format into larger sections:

The show seems to lack much to say about sin and redemption other than “redemption good.” like sure, but what are they being redeemed from? Is heaven truly the place they deserve to go after being redeemed, even though it’s shown to be unjust? Are there sins that are too great to be redeemed from, or others that shouldn't be considered sins at all? I asked myself a number of questions like this, but never got many answers from Hazbin.

This show has a bad relationship with kink and sex. Both are mostly used as a punchline or a form of control. I didn’t like it. Perhaps the reason Hazbin never really comments on the nature of sin is because it needs you to consider sex and kink sinful or otherly for these jokes to hit.

Some of the animation is crazy good. I will praise any animator that even attempts to make these character designs move. A number of extremely talented people worked on this show, a few of the musical sequences in particular have some incredible movement.

Alastor is a very boring character. It’s wild that most of the side characters in this show only exist to talk about how much they like or hate Alastor, he mostly just stands to the side of some shots or kills random nameless goons. I expected him to have a much larger role in the story, but he just gets his ass kicked in the final episode and then crawls back to the hotel.

Episode 4 is the most cohesive, and i think Angel is the best character in the show. Unfortunately, the fact that Hazbin takes so much effort to show Angel’s misery left me… concerned? None of the other characters get treated as poorly as Angel by the narrative. There’s a few smaller explorations of trauma, but nothing remotely compares to what Angel is put through on-screen. This isn’t to say that I think the whole cast needs to be extremely traumatized and constantly miserable, but rather that I find it concerning that the only character subjected to incredibly graphic abuse and torture (that we see or hear about) is the gay sex worker. Which sucks, because I think the concept of hypersexuality resulted from sexual abuse is an important topic worthy of discussing in adult media. I just think they tried to execute this theme without much critical thought beforehand.

I think the voice cast does a fantastic job for the most part. Keith David is way too good for Husk.

I really liked the one shot where Charlie opens her phone and we see that she has a contact for every individual egg minion.

I was very brave and got through this whole review without talking about my new least favorite character of all time, Vox. here’s what I think of him:

The overall vision and end result of Hazbin Hotel is just mediocre. While I don’t know what led to the messy state this show ended up in, my guess is that it was probably the result of inadequate direction, sloppy writing, and lacking creative support from the studios involved. Because of this, please understand that I have no desire or intention to put down any individual artists that worked on this show - I hope it's clear that most of my criticisms are directed at the larger vision these artists were given to execute and/or the lack of creative support they received while working on this show.

I also don’t really have much desire to participate in any further Hazbin discussion or discourse because it has wasted enough of my time already and I want to be free of this curse. please spare my inbox from hazbin hotel discourse. please. i'm begging.

You want to know what the most fucked up thing about this is though? Despite everything I said about Hazbin, Avatar the Last Airbender 2024 is still the worst show I watched this month. I would take Hazbin over Avatar 2024 literally any day.

well if you got this far. thanks for reading. also sorry you read all that. whelp alright back into my hole i go bye bye

#to get to my hazbin hotel opinions you must first read my pitch on how i would have written high school musical 3 #jesus christ. either i gotta watch less things or learn to shut the hell up next month this is a longass post #review roundup #long post

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