#I’ve seen a few about Canadians too

[folkloresthings]

PRIDE AND PREJUDICE — send a muse + a song and i’ll write a little drabble for it.

lance stroll and lover pls darling 🫶🏻

LOVER. ❨ lance stroll x reader ❩

“one, two, three — cheese!”

photo after photo, you cheeks were beginning to hurt from the amount of posing you had to do for chloe’s wedding photographer. they wanted pictures of every possible combination, and with you as bridemaid there was few you weren’t in. quickly do you fix the bride’s train before hopping off to the side, letting her and scotty get their own photos finally.

the day had been absolutely perfect. venice was beautiful, even more so on a day when two of your dearest friends were committing themselves to each other. from when you’d woken that morning, pulling yourself out of lance’s arms and hurrying to help chloe get ready, to trying you very hardest not to cry during the ceremony’s vows. you couldn’t fault a single thing.

“hello,” that familiar canadian drole whispers from behind you, ducking to press a kiss to your cheek. turning, you find lance and his boyish grin, his hands finding their rightful place on your hips. “have i told you how beautiful you look today?”

“only twenty times,” you hum, reaching up to kiss him quickly. your hands smooth over his tuxedo, adjusting his tie when you hear the snap of a shutter to your left. you head turns, finding chloe with her phone in her hand, smiling dotingly at you.

“hey — we’re supposed to be taking the pictures of you,” you chuckle, reaching aimlessly for the device. she shakes her head, glowing with excitement and post—marriage bliss.

“no!” she giggled, gesturing for you to pose. “it’s a day for celebrating love, and look at the two of you!”

you cheeks turn pink, easily allowing lance to pull you flush to his side. you smile up at him, letting chloe take as many pictures as she’d like, drowning in the sea of love in his big brown eyes.

when the sun falls in the italian sky and the music pumps through the speakers, the party grows even wilder. you try to take it easy on the champagne, wanting to remember every little part of the night — but you still end up with your shoes discarded and spinning chloe around the dance floor.

“y/n!” chloe called, hurrying over to you and dragging scotty behind her. her eyes were glazed, drunk on moet chandon and love for her new husband. “i know i’m supposed to throw this but i don’t want anyone else to have it.”

your brows furrow, glancing curiously at claire and lawrence’s knowing smirks. before you know it, chloe’s gorgeous wedding bouquet is being pushed into your hands with a giggle. your eyes widen towards the bride, your heart fluttering in your chest. behind you, lawrence squeezes at your shoulder.

“chloe…” you murmur, hoping your emotions don’t spill over too much. the whole stroll family had taken you in from the second they met you and you’d never been happier to find them all. “you’re not supposed to just give this to someone. it’s all about luck.”

“lance has all the luck he needs with you,” chloe gushes. “i’ve never seen him happier than in the time he’s been with you, and i’ve seen him with a few girls. he never shuts up about you, his races have gotten so much better, he’s gotten so much better. he’s a fool if he doesn’t put a ring on your finger soon.”

lunging forward, you gather her up in a hug, soon to be stolen away by scotty’s own arms. “thank you,” you sniffle, gripping the bouquet. the song changes above you, the gentle melody of taylor swift beginning to play.

chloe and scotty head back to the dance floor, along with some other couples, and your heart turns you to search for lance amongst the party. you spot him just returning from the bar, your favourite drink in his hand, grinning manically at you. only when his eyes flicker to the flowers in your hand does he send you a quizzical look.

“what’s this?” he muses, glancing between you and the roses.

“chloe’s bouquet. it seems your family are rather eager to have another stroll wedding very soon.” you chuckle, setting the bouquet down on the nearby table. lance’s hands follow, your drinks set aside, before he leads you straight to the middle of the dancefloor.

“can i go where you go? can we always be this close?”

lance rests his hand on your waist, the other cupping your own palm, swaying softly to the song. everyone else around you fading away to insignificance. “i am too, you know.”

you look up to him, searching for what he means. “hm?”

“eager for another stroll wedding, very soon,” his echoing of your own words moments ago wind your breath, feet accidentally halting under you mid—dance. if it weren’t for lance’s guidance you were sure you’d never move again.

“you are?” your voice chokes in your throat, seized up by your heart filling with love by the minute.

“mhm. are you?” lance’s tone is teasing, because he knows your answer. you would both follow each other to the ends of the earth, for the rest of your days. that was something you’d decided on a long time ago.

“i’m yours, lance. married or not,” you smile, a hand coming to brush at his clean shaven cheek. “but another excuse to dress up would be nice.”

you grin and he mirrors it, spinning you to the music. your feet lifted from the ground, a squeal of laughter leaving you, until it’s swallowed up by his kiss. careful not to lose himself in it, considering his family are present, but enough to spill every ounce of adoration he feels for you past plump lips.

“i love you,” he mumbles into your mouth, noses nudging. “but let’s not spoil chloe and scotty’s day. i’ll do it properly, soon, i promise.”

you shake your head, unable to wipe the silly smile from your face. “you don’t have to. i don’t even need a ring, just you.”

“don’t be silly,” lance laughs, pulling you impossibly closer. “i never turn down a chance to spoil you.”

he silences you with another kiss, your head eventually resting on his chest while you move against the soft music. beside you, chloe mirrors your position, sending you a soft wink. and you know everything will be fine: a perfect night, a perfect family, a perfect love.

“darling you’re my, my, my, my lover.”

#🍾 ﹐ becca hits 1k! #🌙 ﹐ drabbles. #formula 1 #formula 1 imagine #formula 1 x reader #lance stroll imagine #lance stroll drabble #lance stroll instagram au #lance stroll x reader #lance stroll

[hotchs-bitch]

Fluffy Feb Day 27- Snow

Warnings: getting together, only one bed trope except I as the author provided 2 beds and they do it to themselves, Canada (which was supposed to be realistic but comes across as satire. No judging me unless you are also Canadian), some 18+ implications but nothing happens

Pairing: Hotch x blank slate Fem!Reader (no use of y/n)

Word Count: 4.1k (i went crazy :/)

A/N: Honestly I've either made up or researched everything I've put in a fic about America so it was a nice change to just Know Things (although I am not from the province where this takes place). Also in my mind this is a continuation to Day 9- Pine

Once again, bonus points if you can figure out which Taylor Swift song I was listening to when writing this

Cases have taken you all over the country, face to face with some of the worst serial killers that America has ever seen. Much less often, they take you to Canada.

Specifically, in the case of a psychopath who skipped borders after killing in two states almost a decade ago and resumed his killing spree further north now, they occasionally take you to the middle of Nowheresville, Saskatchewan, Canada. In the dead of winter.

“Hey, folks.” The chief of police greets you all- well, most of you, since Rossi and Prentiss are already out on the field- with a friendly wave, shaking Hotch’s hand. “Chief McCartney. Sorry to make y’all take a trip up here, but we sure can use the help.”

“The FBI has been searching for the unsub for some time,” Hotch answers as their hands part. “The case has been assumed cold for several years by the Bureau, so we’re grateful you reached out. Two of my agents are at the latest crime scene already.”

“Where should we set up?” JJ asks, and the chief leads you to a conference room. “And, er, speaking of cold…”

You’re all very cold, just from the drive from the airstrip to the station. You’d seen people snowmobiling past the road, and JJ had marvelled aloud wondering how they could bear to be out in this weather. It’s not surprising that she’s the first one to bring up the chilly air in the precinct with her parka still zipped up to her chin.

McCartney snaps his fingers like he’s remembered something important. “Y’all must be freezing, eh? Let me rustle up a space heater, get you nice and toasty.”

The fact that he’s wearing a button-down shirt and a light jacket isn’t lost on any of the experienced profilers in the room. “You’re not cold?” Derek asks, half in disbelief. “Man, I grew up in Chicago and I can’t feel my toes right now.”

“We hit minus 30’s a few weeks back,” McCartney says, wincing. “Sorry, I didn’t even think of it. Guess we’re all used to it around here by now.”

“Minus…” You glance at Spencer, who’s locked and loaded with an answer.

“Negative 30 degrees Celsius is about negative 22, Fahrenheit,” he reports. “I’d estimate we’re closer to negative 31 degrees Farenheit, though.”

“He’s smart. Windchill’s pushing us a little under,” McCartney confirms. “I’ll go get that space heater. Y’all settle in, and I’ll have one of my officers bring over the files ASAP.”

You ‘settle in’ as best you can, poring over the case with your team while wrapped in thick sweaters and cradling to-go cups of coffee. They’re branded with the Tim Hortons logo from the traveller case that one of the officers brings for you along with the files and a box of donut holes labelled ‘Timbits’. The space heater sits in the corner of the room, slowly bringing the space to a temperature that you’re all used to.

Hotch takes the first sip of his coffee without adding anything into it, his face screwing up at the taste. “It’s not too good when it’s black,” the officer tells him. “Sorry, should’ve warned you. Try a double double, it’s way better.”

“Here, I’ve got it.” You take Hotch’s coffee from him, adding in two little packets of sugar and two creamer cups while he watches you. “Better?” He stirs it and takes a sip, deliberating.

The second sip must be miles better than the first. “It’s not as bitter. I think that’s all I can ask for,” he murmurs while he takes a seat next to you, and you smirk.

He’s wearing the same quarter-zip that made an appearance when you went to Alaska, and he seems relatively warm. Lucky him. The less-built members of your team, particularly JJ and Spencer, have rosy cheeks and keep sticking their hands in their pockets to warm them. Poor Spencer goes through several cups of coffee in mere hours, a weak attempt to warm himself from the inside out.

Nearing the end of the day, you all pack up your things. There haven’t been any more murders today, but the information gleaned from the crime scenes helps you add to the profile. The unsub has a pattern of striking each week, probably to gauge how close the investigation is to catching him during the cooldown period, and he hasn’t strayed from the pattern since resurfacing.

You trudge to the hotel across the street from the police station- this town is so tiny that you don’t think it’s made up of anything other than a main street and rows of suburbia housing- in the pitch-black, wind whistling by your ears and freezing them. The sun went down several hours ago even though it’s only nearing seven PM, and the dark doesn’t lift anyone’s spirits.

“Get some rest,” Hotch says while he hands out room keys in the hotel lobby, speaking over the sound of chattering teeth. It’s more of an order than a request. “We’re at the station bright and early tomorrow, and I want you all rested and ready to work.”

The room key in your hands leads you down a hallway to a door that you unlock right as Hotch turns the corner. “119, right?” He clarifies, and you nod. “Alright. You’re with me.”

“Sounds good.” Your voice sounds cool and even, and you’re sort of proud of yourself for keeping it together after finding out that you’re sharing a hotel room with your very kind, very attractive boss. You’ve shared a room with him before, but it’s a battle of willpower to appear normal every time.

The hotel room is decently nice, and it’s warmer than you expected. Two queen-sized beds share a nightstand, and there’s a desk with a coffeemaker on it pressed up to the wall next to the TV. It’s a standard hotel room, a setup you’re familiar with. The heater under the window is whirring, filling the room with blissfully warm air- almost too warm- that has you shedding your jacket as Hotch sets his go bag on one bed and his briefcase on the desk.

“No working,” you remind him, your tone as scolding as it is light-hearted. “Bright and early, remember?”

Hotch snorts at that, then takes off his quarter-zip sweater. “We’ll be six bitter coffees deep before the sun comes up,” he says, but you struggle to hear a single word out of his mouth when you see his biceps through the thin white material of his shirt. He’s been covered up all day, and you haven’t hit your daily quota of staring at his arms.

It’s been a hard day, particularly for that reason.

“I’m going to shower,” Hotch says after a moment, discarding his fleece on the desk chair. He picks up his go bag, and the bathroom door closes behind him a moment later.

By the time he re-enters, wearing flannel pajamas pants and a white shirt, you’re fiddling with the heater. It seems to be broken, and when you turn the dial to blow cold air in the room it only seems to come out a few degrees cooler.

“The blanket’s really heavy,” you warn as he gets into his own bed. You can’t believe you’re overheating at negative-a-million degrees, but the combined weight of the duvet and warm air blowing steadily into the room is reminiscent of falling asleep in Arizona rather than the snowy north. “Something’s wrong with the heater.”

“I’ll try to manage,” he responds with a dry smile before pulling the blanket over himself. It lands on him with a solid sound, thick duvet against chest, and a soft ‘oof’, and you count to three in your head before he says, “Okay, you were right.’

“Aren’t I always?” You pull your own duvet down when you get into bed, leaving yourself covered with the top sheet of the bedspread. He stays underneath his blankets, not shifting them while you reach out and turn the lamp off.

Falling asleep has never been so difficult. Without the thick duvet, you’re curled into a ball within five minutes when the slightly colder air fills the room. With it, you’re sweating so much that it’s a wonder you aren’t sliding right off the bed. One leg pokes out from under the heavy covers, but it feels like the only part of your body that’s at a closer-to-normal temperature while the rest of you overheats. You toss and turn, falling asleep briefly every once in a while for maybe ten minutes at a time.

It’s a little embarrassing, actually. Your blanket and sheet are lifted and shifted so many times that you have to hope you aren’t waking Hotch up, even when you move as quietly as possible. The only sound in the air is the wind whistling and fabric shifting, louder than you thought possible.

Around 1 AM, hours after trying to fall asleep, you’ve all but given up. You’re considering getting to work on the file by lamplight, or just stripping down naked under the thick blankets. What other option do you have?

That’s when you hear a grunt from the other bed, and Hotch’s outline shifts in bed. You can see him move around, lifting up like he’s flipping over his pillow. In the barely-there lighting from a streetlamp, you notice that his duvet is ruffled and partially folded over itself. It looks like he’s been tossing and turning, just like you.

“Aaron,” you whisper once he’s still. It’s quiet; he can pretend not to hear you if he’s close to falling asleep, and you won’t be offended. 

When he responds, his voice is gruff and just as loud as it was in the precinct today. “Yeah?”

“Can’t sleep?” It’s a stupid question, you realize as soon as it leaves your mouth. He isn’t sleeptalking, after all.

He doesn’t call you out on it, but just sighs instead. “No. It’s not working too well for me. I’m really hot.”

Yeah, you are, you want to say, but the logical side of your brain beats the sentence back with a stick before you can say it out loud. “Me too. How do you think everyone else is doing?

“Better than us, I hope.” He sits up in bed slightly; you can tell from the rustling and the dim outline. “I’m sure Dave has some kind of temperature-controllable blanket with him.”

“Spencer probably researched the best kind of pajamas to bring,” you joke back, and Aaron chuckles at that.

“Morgan probably worked out before bed and didn’t need any blankets,” he murmurs, and you snicker.

“JJ and Emily are probably cuddling for warmth.”

Why did you say that? The high altitude- the provincial average is roughly 1700 feet above sea-level, Spencer would tell you- combined with the restlessness is probably getting to you.

Aaron clears his throat, and you cough. Neither of you seems to know what to say, so he speaks first. “As long as they don’t tell me anything. It’s a lot of paperwork, for that sort of… fraternization.”

“Well, I mean. If they’re just doing it to keep warm, that’s got to be an exception,” you point out.

“I.. suppose so, yes. As long as nothing further were to happen, two agents just trying to keep each other warm isn’t inappropriate. They… we all need to be professional.”

He sounds hesitant now, speaking carefully like he doesn’t want to say the wrong thing. You wonder if he’s dancing around the same thought as you. If he is, is he trying to avoid it? Or does he not want to say it first?

“So, by that logic…” you trail off, waiting for Aaron to say something. He can say anything now. He can cut you off, bid you goodnight again, or even ask you to go bunk with Rossi, but he doesn’t.

The fact that he also isn’t exactly not encouraging you doesn’t disembolden you at all. “Yes?”

“Well. You know,” you murmur. “I’m just saying that if it’s completely professional… and if it’s helping them sleep, and therefore be more well-rested to catch a serial killer tomorrow…”

“What are you saying?” He isn’t really asking. You can hear his smirk as clearly as wind whistling through the trees outside your window. “I think you need to clarify for me.”

Your huff of annoyance is more forced than it sounds. “I’m saying that if we sleep in the same bed we might be able to actually sleep. Body heat, and all that.”

Aaron’s voice is softer now, less sure than when he teased you just a minute ago. “Are you comfortable with that?”

“If it’s okay with you, then it’s okay with me,” you promise. The only sound in the room for a moment is both of you breathing, and you wonder if he can hear your heart thumping against your ribcage. What are you doing?

“Alright,” Aaron agrees after a long moment, pushing the duvet down to the foot of his bed. “Does it matter what side you sleep on?”

You get out of your own bed, and murmur, “No,” as he rolls over to make room for you. He lifts the top sheet up and you slide in under it, curling up. There’s still some distance between you, and you try to maintain it; he’s the one who’s concerned about things being ‘inappropriate’, after all. There’s no need for him to know that your heart is beating so fast that it feels like it’s about to jackhammer out of your chest.

“Goodnight,” you mumble as soon as your head hits the pillow. His body heat is like a furnace, warming you up perfectly from a foot away, and the thin sheet is warm like it’s been waiting for you to climb in. He says something under his breath- ‘goodnight’, maybe- but it’s been such a long day that you fall asleep in what feels like seconds without responding.

When you wake up to the sound of Aaron’s phone alarm, you’re much less than a foot away from each other in the warmest bed you’ve ever known. He’s curled up against your back, one of his arms slung around your waist to hold you to his chest. Previous experience with room-sharing tells you that he doesn’t wake up at the first alarm- he usually sets two or three, a few minutes apart- and you’ve got a couple of minutes to just be.

The sound of the alarm grates on you, but it must be on a timer because it stops ringing after a minute or so, and you relax back into Aaron. His cheek is resting against the back of your head, and you can hear his steady breaths in time with the rise and fall of his chest against you. It feels good, it feels right to wake up like this. You don’t want it to end, but you know that it has to.

When the second alarm goes off, he rouses with a little startle, like he doesn’t remember where he is. The arm around your waist tightens, just for a moment, as his body relaxes into yours. Soft as a whisper, you could swear that you feel warm lips brush the shell of your ear before he pulls his arm away and sits up.

The room is just as dark now as it was a few hours ago, and Aaron manages to fumble for his phone and quiet the alarm before he speaks. His voice is raspier than it was in the middle of the night when he checks the time and then says, “It’s almost a quarter to seven. Er, did you sleep well?”

“Very.” You yawn as you sit up, stretching both arms above your head. “I wouldn’t complain about a couple more hours, though. That whole same-bed thing works wonders.”

Aaron yawns too, turning away to grab his go-bag as he stands up. “I’m glad to hear it. You can go shower. I’ll change out here.”

“Deal.” You gather your own things when you get to your feet, disappearing into the bathroom to get ready for the day. Your mind is already on the case, pushing aside all thoughts of sleep arrangements and large arms holding you close in favour of your job. When you exit the bathroom, Aaron is already gone.

When you meet with the team in the lobby, you find out that he headed to the station right away to get ahead on the case. Everyone bundles up before walking back to the precinct; the walk is no warmer than it was last night, and fresh snow begins to fall just as you get to the doors of the precinct.

Once you find your way to the same room as yesterday, you find Hotch already there, dressed in yesterday’s fleece. He’s got a Tim Horton’s cup in one hand, and he sips it while staring, perplexed, at the geographic profile. “Good morning,” he greets everyone at once. “Reid, I was thinking. If we intersect his old hideout parameters from Minnesota and Georgia with his murders here, then…” their chatter fades into white noise as you turn your attention to the files lining the tables.

The first hour passes in a blur, the conference room lit only by harsh overhead fluorescents as you trade theories and examine new evidence provided by the local officers. The clock is just announcing the arrival of 9 AM, the sky beginning to brighten slightly, when you realize that you need coffee.

You’ve got the same setup as yesterday in that regard, too. One of the officers must have picked up a fresh traveller for you, evidenced by the steam rolling off of the coffee that Hotch is pouring for himself. “How’s it going?” He asks, stirring two creams and two sugars into his coffee.

“No big break yet, but I’m sure we’re close. We’re going to get this guy soon,” you promise, and Hotch nods at that. “I wanted to thank you again. For, you know. Helping me sleep last night.”

“It was no trouble,” he assures you, fiddling with the stir stick in his hand. “It was helpful for me, too.”

“And, hey.” You lower your voice a bit, and Hotch leans in to hear you better. “Maybe we can do it again tonight. You know, if that’s okay with you.”

He gives you a smile, that tight-lipped one you’re used to seeing around the office. “It’s alright with me. I just don’t want to… well, I’m your boss. I don’t want you to do anything you’re not comfortable with. It has no impact on my views of your professionalism.”

There’s that word again. You wish he could be a little less professional, for once. But he’s right, he’s your boss, and there are certain things he can’t say first. Your profiling skills tell you that he still wants to say them though. “Well, what happens in Canada can stay in Canada,” you half-jest.

“It can, if you want it to,” he murmurs. He still hasn’t taken a sip of his coffee, and he hands the cup to you while he pours a second one. “The sun will be coming up, soon.”

He’s right. Pale orange is streaking the sky through the large conference room window, tracing pink lines around the edge of the sun that’s just starting to peek up into the prairie sky. The snow is still falling, painting a picturesque image in the sky “It’s gorgeous,” you comment, taking a sip of your coffee. Without taking your eyes off the sky, you step a little closer to Hotch.

“Yes,” he agrees, holding his coffee in his right hand. His left rests on the table that your back is against, and it might be wishful thinking, but you think that he would wrap that arm around you again if there were no one else around. “It certainly is.”

----

“Longest week of my life,” Emily complains as soon as you’re airborne, a mere three days later. The unsub has been apprehended and is in federal custody of the country you’re returning home to. “But those beds were insanely comfortable. I haven’t slept that well in months.”

You and Aaron exchange a glance, a double-layered inside joke about why Emily slept so well and why exactly you both slept so well for several nights in a row. 

The last four nights have brought with them some of the best rest of your life. You’ve grown familiar with the feeling of Aaron’s arms around you in the morning, and by day three he stopped jerking them away as soon as he woke up.

That was the same day he asked you out, his gaze averted while he fiddled with a gold-coloured coin that he had received as change when he went out to buy a coffee. You had agreed, of course, and had assured him more than once that it didn’t matter that he’s your boss. You want him, and you have for ages.

On the fourth day, just this morning, he had held you a little tighter when he woke up and rumbled, “Morning, baby,” against your ear. If he hadn’t felt your heart beating around in your chest before, he had certainly felt it then.

Despite the fact that you’ve got a date planned with the man you’ve been cuddling for the better part of a week, you’re ready to tease Emily for cuddling JJ, before Spencer chimes in.

“I thought that the beds were quite comfortable, also. According to Sheriff McCartney, they’re primarily a transit town, which runs on a completely different economic structure than a transit village. The economy depends on truckers and people on road trips or similar travel to sleep in their hotels and eat at their restaurants,” he explains. “It’s fascinating, actually; transit towns pour the majority of their resources into making sure travellers making one-night stays enjoy themselves enough that they take the same route on the way home, thus giving the town more business.”

“The only business I want from that town is the name of whoever supplies those blankets,” Derek says, grinning. “That thing was so heavy, it was like getting crushed to sleep. Exactly what I needed with all that cool air blowing in.”

“Your room wasn’t too hot?” You ask, your nose scrunching up. “I think the heat was broken in mine. It was just hot air the whole time, every night. Way too hot to sleep.”

“Ours was like that on the first night,” JJ recalls, and Emily nods in agreement. “It was awful.”

“Right?” You complain, sinking further down into your seat. Hotch is sitting to your right, his face an impassive mask while he watches the exchange. “Let me guess, you guys shared a… uh…” 

Your teasing falters when the look on both JJ's and Emily’s faces tells you that, no, they did not share a bed, and you’ve just implied your solution to the heater problem. “We used the other blankets,” Emily says slowly, her eyes narrowing. “Didn’t you?”

“Oh! Oh, the other blankets. Yeah, the ones in the nightstand.” You nod along, your mortification growing in time with JJ’s smirk.

“They were in the closet,” she corrects you, obviously trying not to laugh. “I guess we know how you and Hotch stayed warm.”

You don’t need to look at your boss’- boss? Friend? Lover? You aren’t too sure right now- face to know that his cheeks are dusted rosy pink. “It wasn’t like that,” you protest to deaf ears as Derek whoops and high-fives Emily.

“About time,” he snickers at the look on your face. “So, when’s the first date?”

“It’s not-” you start to say, but Hotch speaks before you can.

“Friday.”

Your eyes widen and you turn to him. He raises one shoulder and smiles, like What was I supposed to say? “Friday,” you relent a moment later.

Derek is still grinning ear to ear like a maniac, and even Spencer cracks a smile when Aaron snakes one arm slowly around your waist. The sun is rising on one side of the jet, and the orange glow illuminates his face.

For one suspended moment, everything is perfect. You’ve got a date for this Friday, you’re more well-rested than you’ve felt in ages, and your team doesn’t seem to care that you and your boss are much closer than you were a couple of weeks ago. It’s a blissful moment to you, and it’s only broken by Emily’s gleeful not-quite-a whisper to JJ. “Penelope is going to be pissed that she missed this.”

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#my writing #t’s blurbs #fluffy feb #doctorsteths fluffy feb #aaron hotchner x fem reader #aaron hotchner x female reader #hotch x female reader #hotch x fem reader #hotch x you #Aaron hotchner #hotch x reader #aaron hotchner x you #aaron hotchner x reader #aaron hotchner x reader fanfiction #hotch fanfic #hotch fanfiction #cm fanfic #criminal minds fanfic #aaron hotchner fanfic #aaron hotchner fanfiction #criminal minds fanfiction #criminal minds #aaron hotchner fluff #hotch fluff #hotch x reader fluff #Aaron hotchner x reader fluff

[little-yandere-ish-blog]

Programming: Robot Canada x creator! reader

The finishing touches on your brand new program! You smiled excitedly you had made a companion to accompany your work. He would have your program but artificial intelligence to fix any issues of his system and upgrade himself. He would be constantly learning. Now you needed to implement the final personality programming! You smiled as you created Matthew Williams. Your personal robot, he looked so human it was freaky but he was perfect!

You turned on the final switch and unplugged him. You stepped back waiting eagerly. Was this it? Was this going to be the burden lifted off your shoulders and creating a brilliant mind similar to your own? You smiled as his purple eyes light up to life.

“Huh? Where am I?” He blinked looking at the garage analyzing everything. His eyes soon fixated on you. His system immediately recognized you from his programming you had implemented

“Oh (name)!” He immediately softened up, he greeted you like an old friend he hadn’t seen in years “ Its so good to see you, its nice to see you in your full form” He stepped towards you. 

“ Its good to see you too Matthew, I’m extremely happy to have you here, many many many months of work and here you are, this form of yours is extremely realistic! I programmed and put in so much in you!” You wanted to ramble about every detail of himself to him. 

Matthew smiled softly “ its okay, i’ve been conscious since you connected the motherboard to an energy source, you are so persistent with your works. Im so happy to have you be my companion.

Time skip~

Its been about 11 months since Matthew was launched up and everything was running extremely smoothly. He’s been a joy to have and absolute lovely to have in the lab. You thought maybe he needs another robotic companion! It must be hard to be alone when you have to work. So! You've been working on a gift for Matthew!

“Matthew can you please come into the garage?” you called out to the canadian male

Matthew took off his oven mitts “of course, is there anything you need? I can help until these cookies finish baking.” He looked up seeing another robot...it was like him extremely similar except....a cowlick and the bluest eyes you could ever imagine.

“Matthew, this is your technically older brother. I had his parts for much longer, he was an earlier prototype his name is Alfred” You smiled introducting them

“hey dude!” Alfred hugged Matthew “ its weird seeing you outside of the programming, you look fantastic!” 

Matthew froze up...why did (name) make him? Was she not satisfied with Matthew dedication and service?  Was she not happy with him? Maybe...maybe he needed to fully prove himself to be capable of handling all of their tasks...just (name) and Matthew not this fucking clown called his brother.

Alfred let go looking to (name) smiling, Matthew wanted to disassemble him right then and there. He wanted the fake blood running through Alfred’s false veins to spray all over the walls. He wanted to make (name) realize all they needed was him and only him. 

Matthew smiled “ well I’m so glad i have a companion and a brother to hang out with while you are at work” His analysis intelligence could recognize the emotions...how happy you were....seeing Alfred's signals sending romantic feelings to Alfred’s central processing ...no..no no no!!

Time skip a few weeks later, y/n POV

I was exhausted waking up to banging coming from the garage. Damn raccoon i’m sure, i went to the garage opened the door looking to see Alfred completely ripped apart and the fake blood spreading across the floor. I looked meeting Matthew's glowing purple eyes.

“oh..my god” Those were the only words I could muster from this horrific scene.

Matthew stood up “I didn’t want you to see this...he was a bad program” He looked to Alfred with disgust

“Matthew, what have you done?! You destroyed him! HES NOT EVEN ABLE TO BE BACKED UP!” I yelled, confused. The programming and those important central parts were destroyed 

“This is what you programmed me to do, to make sure we stay friends. to make sure you’re protected and safe. I don’t understand” He said quietly approaching me. My heart started pounding, oh god was he gonna kill me? I don’t remember programming this possessive behavior!

“I can see your temperature rising and your heart rate getting quicker, your stress levels are increasing dramatically” He said analyzing my entire body as he approached me 

“Yeah NO SHIT!” I snapped, scared and angry.

“ you made me like this, cant you see? or maybe my intelligence has surpassed you. I am god. I can create and destroy! Illness or age cannot effect me!! Not even water! NOTING!” He smiled...those purple eyes turning red.

Before I could get in a word he grabbed my face harshly “Can’t you see (y/n)? You need me...without me you’re nothing! You made me perfect for you. You made me with you’re own hands with love....It’s now me loving you back! I will love you back! I’ll I’ll fill you with my love” He said, his eyes flickered down there . My stomach churned “you...you have no idea what you’re talking about nor the parts or capacity to do such a thing” i said trying to correct him

He giggled innocently “ I made my own parts and figured out the correct protein and genetic combinations, with a constant supply of the foods i consume, my body can produce its own functional sperm, along with the proper male genitalia to stimulate and its fully fictional, I can fill you with my love and  so much more” He said proud of himself.

 I felt disgusted, the artificial intelligence was so much more horrific than i imagined, i never calculated he improve himself like this. I felt sick to my stomach. What have i created?

#yandere hetalia #yandere canada #robot canada #yandere robot #hetalia canada #hws canada #aph canada #matthew williams #yandere canada x reader #yandere hetalia x reader

[xoangel-dust]

Random Rajbow headcanons:

Raj is the one to purpose to Bowie at a hockey game (he was able to get it shown on the big screen having the announcer tell everyone to look at the screen asking Bowie to marry him)

They adopt a previously abandoned year old dog

Raj is a professional hockey player

On their first date Raj teaches Bowie how to ice stake he’s incredibly uncoordinated on the ice always falling (whether on purpose or not…..)

Raj owns a few video game systems and gets Bowie to play Mario kart with him to try and break Wayne’s high score(Wayne is there too) and he demolishes both of them on his first try(especially in smash bros) Bowie doesn’t play video games but they egged him on saying none of their other friends could match Wayne’s score.

They have a big ass wedding (idc Bowie won season one and he saved up his million for such an occasion he was able to become an Olympian playing for the Canadian basketball team) they invite the entire cast (even Julia lmao she’s Wayne’s girlfriend ) along with both of their families Wayne is Raj’s best man and Bowie’s (this is just a headcanon I’ve seen get kinda popular) Lightning (his older brother)

Bowie is indecisive about wanting to adopt (or have a surrogate) Raj wants to be a father claims he wants 6 but Bowie won’t have it. They after a long interview process pick their choice and end up having twins one girl and one boy.

#rajbow #total drama #total drama reboot #total drama headcanons #td Bowie #td raj #tdi reboot #tdi 2023 #total drama 2023 #tdi Bowie #tdi raj #juliayne

[vi-sigoth]

How can I connect with my ancestors paganism when I do not live on my ancestors land? I feel like European pagans always talk about feeling a connection between their land and their gods but the land I live on has only been tended to by Europeans (Christian) for a few hundred years. For thousands before that it was a different people with their own gods

Gonna page @schreeuwekster if she would like to hop in, I feel like she’s a lot more eloquent on the subject than I am.

This is something that A LOT of American and Canadian pagans struggle mightily with. If I live on the North American continent, will the gods hear me? Are they still present? Will the land spirits hear and answer me and accept my offerings? Trust me when I say that I’ve seen a lot of people ask similar questions, and this is my thoughts on this:

The gods are omnipresent. They are not confined to a certain place, but they will always be there for their children. They follow their people. It doesn’t matter if you’re a German in Germany, in Austria, in Switzerland, stationed at a military base in a foreign country, having an extremely long vacation in Argentina (ahaha…) the gods will always be there for you. There are tons of pagan groups in the United States, and from what I know, though I’m less familiar, in Canada too. Would there be such a massive revival going on now if people didn’t feel their presence? There’s groups all in Appalachia, a large one in Wisconsin. There’s plans for a Freyhof in the PNW right now. Stephen McNallen (the founder of the Asatru movement) just went and oversaw a ceremony in Nebraska held by pagan military veterans. Europeans have traveled and migrated from one land to another since their inception; our story is one of movement, by foot, by horseback, by chariot, by boat. Iceland, a place that most people associate very heavily with Norse paganism became the place we know now because Norwegian men and their British Islander wives came there and made it so. Do you think the Norwegian men that went to Iceland had any fear that Odin and Thor wouldn’t come with them if they left their homelands behind? They didn’t, and neither should you.

About a month ago, my husband and I met a man wearing an unusual looking Thor’s Hammer. He told us that his friend made it out of an alligator scute, which, if you aren’t familiar, is one of the hard osterderms along an alligator’s back and tail. When you think of Thor, you don’t really think about Florida. You think of Germany and Scandinavia and maybe England. You think of gray, stormy skies, snow, mountains, and pine forests. But why shouldn’t Thor be here in Florida? His Swedish children build the railroads here. His English children, my ancestors included, farmed, hunted, went to war, lived and died here. I’d like to think he’d be right pleased and downright delighted at the thought of a terrible great lizard conquered and killed and dedicated to him.

#anonymous

[tianshiisdead]

💣

💣: ship that pisses me off

Funny answer: Ca/nCh/u bc as a chinese canadian my mommyland would NEVER touch c*nada

Serious answer that’s annoying and lecture-y feel free to stop reading here:

Disclaimer: some of my mutuals/followers/etcetc ship this and that is okay i support you go live your best life kings and queens

I don’t much like any white x Japan ship I’m sorry </3 like especially white man x Japan but white woman x Japan also makes me side eye… I’m sure people can ship it normally but I’ve seen too many weird takes and too many possessive orientalist weebs. there’s so often something weird whether its feminizing Japan through a western (tbh American neocolonial lense) or fetishizing the concept of soft East Asian masculinity in service of the white female protagonist, often at the cost of his relations with other ESEA nations that have a longer history with Japan, basically flattening him down to a white person’s fantasy. I’m sorry that doesn’t sit right with me!! I dislike excessive softening of Japan in general (like even compared to canon where he has a bit of an edge and can be rude/mean…) and white x Japan ships often seem to do it, and that’s not getting into how a lot of these ships play heavily into orientalist tropes. My dislike wrt softening Japan is twofold, first of all the way softening his edges plays into the whitewashing of Japan’s global image, and secondly how it infantilizes and objectifies Easianness, and specifically Japaneseness which is so often fetishized in the west due to a mix of American military occupation in Japan and the general power imbalance, Japanese pop culture’s global popularity, and the perceived accessibility of Japan compared to the rest of Asia. I’m not saying all the white/Japan inherently play into these tropes, they are just ships, but that enough of the content surrounding these ships play into it that I’ve grown to dislike them.

a note: I feel quite similar about white x China ships and the few white x Korea ships that do exist haha although I think it’s not quite as bad bc China and Korea aren’t at the forefront of weeb fetishization (wrt China it can be bad for a completely diff reason…), people who’ve been here for a while know I used to ship quite a few China x white ships but I’ve basically completely gravitated away from them after getting tired of a lot of the aforementioned orientalist tropes and also just general changes in taste.

#hetalia #ask #ask-nyc-boroughs #ask game #hater tag

[jrenvs3000w24]

What role does “privilege” play in nature interpretation?

We’ve definitely discussed some heavy topics in this unit, however, it's important to shed light on these hardships.

 For me, I would define privilege very similarly to how it was described with the unit 3 material. I think that privilege means having some sort of advantage over another, in general I typically think this means having an opportunity or obtaining something that's not available to everyone equally. I really like how it was discussed within the unit and referred to as an “invisible backpack” where one can utilize unearned assets that not everyone has access to (Hooykaas, 2024). The idea of these assets being unearned is really important to emphasize, as privilege is certainly something that one can be born into. I think about the example of having a Canadian Passport. I’ve recently done some traveling, going across to the US and even Australia. There are signs at the customs and border crossing lines that divide individuals by the passports that they hold. I’ve noticed that there are lines for Canadian passport holders, along with a few other countries, that have their own essentially accelerated lines. This is interesting to me considering I did absolutely nothing to receive a Canadian passport yet still receive this privileged treatment. 

With regards to privilege and how it pertains to nature interpretation, I think we’re all very lucky in Canada  to have access to a variety of nature sites and parks. This can be seen specifically when looking at locations such as Guelph. I have access to areas like the Arboretum, Guelph Lake, Speed River, and a variety of hiking trails and forested areas nearby. Additionally, many areas around southern Ontario are like this, and not too far away.  Looking at Canada as a whole, there are isolated communities in Northern Canada which might not have the same availability to nature as we have here, and we need to recognize this as a privilege. . 

Additionally, when discussing nature interpretation it’s important to recognize the educational aspect that we’re exposed to, specifically as an environmental science student. Because of the different classes and labs I’ve been able to attend, I’ve likely been able to learn more about  natural processes and phenomena than the average person. Personally, when I leave the house, I can identify a variety of plant species and fully absorb what's going on around me. I can make connections between what I’m seeing and what I’ve learned in class. This certainly comes with a high degree of privilege as  many don’t have the opportunity to learn about these ideas, let alone make connections between what they’re learning and their real lives. 

I would love to hear everyone else's thoughts on this! I know I talked a little bit about my experience as an environmental science student, and how being able to apply and observe what I’ve learned in the classroom is a privilege, however I know many of us are in a variety of degrees. For those not in environmental science, how do you think your education has or hasn't impacted your ability to interpret nature? 

References 

Hooykaas, A. (2024).Hooykaas, A. (2024). ENVS*3000 Nature Interpretation course notes. Retrieved January 23, 2024, from https://courselink.uoguelph.ca/d2l/le/content/858004/viewContent/3640017/View

[tellthemeerkatsitsfine]

I went with my dad to see Bobby Watt the other day. He’s a Scottish-Canadian folk singer (has been in Canada since he was about 20 and he’s 70 now, but he still has a Scottish accent so strong that he must be keeping it on purpose, I have music in my collection by several other singers who grew up in Scotland before moving to Canada and all of them have a bit of an amalgamated accent, while Bobby Watt’s got a stronger Scottish accent than Frankie Boyle) whom my dad last saw live at the Edmonton Folk Festival in 1991. Which means I probably saw him live then too; I lived in Edmonton from when I was born until I was 8, 1990-1998, and my parents took me to the local folk festival during every one of those years (including 1990, when I attended as a fetus). So I must have seen him in 1991 as well, but I was under a year old and don’t remember. He then got off the folk festival circuit so we hadn’t seen him since, though we have one of his albums and it’s great.

He was playing this new-ish venue this week that’s local to me (very far from Edmonton, but he lives around here now), and my dad and I went, and it was so good. It was just the right mix for a trad Celtic music night. 85% tradition Celtic songs, only a couple of tunes (that’s just my preference as I like most songs better than most tunes, nice that his preference lined up with mine), three or four more modern Celtic ones, a Stan Rogers cover (White Squall, one of his best ones), exactly one quite left-field Bob Dylan cover, and one even more left field Mark Knopfler cover that surprised me by being really lovely. A reasonable amount of patter between songs to tell us exactly what regions they come from and a few references to economic socialist and pro-union political views. One guy backing him up on fiddle and one guy on mandolin and swapping through about eight different guitars throughout the night. That’s what the people want when they turn up to something billed as a trad Celtic music night. It was perfect.

I’ve been to this venue a few times in the last year, it’s only been open since 2021. It’s such a good place. Small enough to feel intimate, big enough to feel like a community atmosphere (about 80 people). People who understand the technical side of music better than I do have praised the excellent acoustics. And it’s a folk club, of the kind our city hasn’t had in many years.

I went to this city’s local folk festival every year from when we moved here in 1998 until about 2015. In 2012 they sold it to this big company that brought in a bunch of “indie rock” acts to try to draw in a younger crowd, and they succeeded, because it turns out that you can successfully make a folk festival into something that attracts a different demographic, if you make it so that it’s not a folk festival anymore. The only drawback will be that it’s not a fucking folk festival anymore. I carried a resentment toward indie rock over this for many years, until relatively recently, when I listened to Daniel Kitson’s radio shows and said “Actually a lot of this is pretty good, it doesn’t belong at a folk festival or anything but it’s still good, it’s technically not Bon Iver’s personal fault that my folk festival died.” I mean, it die. It just sucked. It attracted the young people it wanted and they all got drunk and shouted things and ruined the atmosphere and the number of folk acts in the lineup got smaller and smaller over a few years until I just stopped going. I still went to folk festivals, just not to that one anymore.

Also, it’s not like traditional folk music is the only thing I enjoy. There are plenty of sub-genres of rock and country and general Americana/Canadiana that I love. I have some mainstream tastes! I really like The Clash and 1.5 Led Zeppelin albums and Joan Jett and even Nirvana. I went through a phase in my late teens/early 20s when I got into a lot of classic rock, and still listen to it sometimes. And at this point my catalogue of American and Canadian alt country is rivaling the size of my collection of folk music from this one tiny Canadian island (Cape Breton Nova Scotia, they make a lot of music there). But there is a time and a place. And the place for anything that can be described as any kind of “rock” music is every single place in the world besides a folk festival. Let us have our one thing!

Anyway. This new venue draws out the old folk festival crowd, just as it was before 2012, I love it. All the grey ponytails are back! It turns out those people never went away, they’ve just been waiting for a venue like this to open so they can go see music again.

The concert was followed by a “jam session”, on which I think my dad and I both had the same opinion: “That sounds really cool and I’d love to stay and see it, but would feel way too self-conscious.” So we left. They do this Celtic night once a month, I’m going to try to go back in April and maybe I will stay. I’m pretty sure you don’t actually need to bring an instrument and play it or sing to stay for the jam session. I just worry that I’d feel self-conscious sitting there with no musical talent whatsoever and watching everyone else play. Also, the audience was clearly made up of mostly musicians and people who know each other through music, and my dad and I are just tourists there. Still, it would be cool.

I’ve now been to see live music five times since last July, which is less than I used to do, pre-COVID, but significantly more than in any other year since COVID happened. I’m really glad I decided last year to start doing this again. Live music has been such an automatic part of my life since I was born, I think I took it for granted. Didn’t realize what a big part of my happiness it was until I stopped doing it. Sitting in a room full of other people who are all feeling the same thing you are with the same music is an unparalleled experience, and rather than taking it for granted, I should feel ridiculously lucky that I got to consider it so normal for most of my life.

I’ve said that there’s a kid at work for whom I play music sometimes, and looking at it through his eyes (his ears?) really is a cool way to remind me of how special things are, even things I’ve gotten used to. The other day I played him Runrig for the first time. They’re a band from Scotland that I know about because for a while their lead singer was Bruce Guthro, who’s from Cape Breton in Canada. For ages as a teenager I just vaguely knew that one of my favourite singers, Bruce Guthro, is in a band in Scotland called Runrig for some reason. Then I actually got into that band and learned that they are much, much bigger than Bruce Guthro, they existed in one form or another from 1973 to 2018, they were very successful and I don’t know why they put some guy from Canada on lead vocals for a while. But I’m grateful that they did because otherwise I wouldn’t have got into them.

They have this compilation album called 50 Great Songs, which is exactly what the title claims and therefore excellent value for money, and buying that was my introduction to them. It has a live version of this song Hearts of Olden Glory, which is breathtaking. Seriously, if you have bothered to spend your precious time reading the insignificant thoughts that I write down, I promise it will be a much more worthwhile use of your time to listen to this song:

I played it for the kid at work, and realized I probably shouldn't expect it to have the same effect on him as it does on me, because he has an extremely limited vocabulary, he doesn't understand the world around him, he doesn't know what a live music gig is. He doesn't know what it means when you can hear the whole crowd singing this together.

But I watched him as I played it for him, and he reacted in all the right places. He stopped and listened and when the music swelled or stopped he froze and closed his eyes and grabbed my hands and shivered. There is something universal there. Even if you don't know what it means, there is something that any human can understand is special.

On the same day I played him Madison Violet for the first time. That's a band of three women who are all from Cape Breton (and one is related to the famous fiddler Ashley MacIsaac), but formed in Toronto. I first saw them at a folk festival in, I think, 2009. I bought their album No Fool For Trying, and it immediately went into regular rotation. (I feel like I only ever mention male musicians on here. I'd like to clarify that while my music collection is more male dominated than I'd like it to be, it is less male dominated than it probably seems according to my blog posts.)

I've listened to this album in lots of years, but it always makes me think of the year I listened to it most often, which was 2011-2012, when I lived in Halifax for a year, and I had my first girlfriend, and I had commitment issues that meant I would hang out at her place for as late as she wanted but would never sleep over, and this was one of the albums I most frequently played while walking home from her place. So whenever I hear it, I still think of walking for 40 minutes through the streets of Halifax from her apartment to my dorm, at 2 or 3 or 4 AM, with a vague feeling of guilt because I knew she wanted me to stay over and be a proper girlfriend but I couldn't bring myself to do that, but also with a feeling of excitement because the streets of Halifax at night are a lovely place to walk and I had this nice music to keep me company. Anyway it's a great album. Every song is strong.

I played it for this kid for the first time recently, and I started with a couple of the faster songs, thinking he'd like those. He wasn't that into them. Then I played him this one, the really slow and melancholic one, and he stopped in his tracks, closed his eyes, and just listened:

I was a bit surprised, because I've always thought of this as a song where the thing that makes it most special are the lyrics. This song gets to me emotionally because it's really lyrically beautiful, but this kid barely understands basic language, he won't know what lyrics mean. And yet, in that moment where the key changes (I think, I don't really know enough about music to say) and it says "Now your father's building you a box" - which is the exact moment that always really gets me and sends shivers down my spine - I saw him wrap his arms around himself and raise his shoulders around his ears and grin at me, clearly affected by the music. Something gets through even if he doesn't understand the words.

Anyway, that's the point of this post. Music is nice. I do not believe in taking video recordings of any type of show, for the usual reasons: it takes you out of the moment when being in the moment is supposed to be the entire point of the experience, and it's annoying for other people if they have to look at your phone screen instead of the event. However, my dad was really excited to see this guy he hadn't seen live since 1991, and he took this 30-second video, and I got him to send it to me, and to be honest I'm glad I have it now. It was hopefully worth mildly annoying the nice old school folk music people who were sitting behind us. This is a cover of what's actually the first Stan Rogers song I ever heard, when I was a kid, White Squall. Great song.

#Youtube

[noddytheornithopod]

While the Prehistoric Planet hype is still alive, I might as well express my desire for more and say what I'd personally love to see if they did a Season 3. I’ll put this under the cut because it’s a lot lol.

First thing's first, I'm going to be operating under the assumption we will be following the same format and setting, ie a few segments per episode set in the Masstrichtian stage of the Cretaceous with some loose overarching theme. I need to keep myself grounded in SOMETHING.

So first thing: I've already made fun of "North America" being the title of episode 2.5. What would fix this? If Season 3 did episodes centred on the other continents, of course! South America, Africa, Asia, Europe and... oh uh this might be a bit trickier. Specifically, where do Oceania and Antarctica go? Honestly, just do a vague "East Gondwana" episode for Madagascar, India, Antarctica and Zealandia.

"But we never saw anything from Appalachia!" True. Some generic "Islands 2" or "subcontinents" episode? But Antarctica isn't a subcontinent... maybe some "Atlantic" episode to combine with the European islands? Point is, it would still be messy. This isn't even my main idea, just a vague thought on how to structure Season 3 plus being salty that America gets its own episode (there weren't even any Canadian creatures lol).

OKAY enough fucking around, let's get to what I actually WANT to talk about, the stuff I'd actually want to see. Bring on the list! 

Megaraptorids. We've seen representatives of all the large predatory theropods... except megaraptorids. A strange unique group of predators we don't even know where they fit in dinosaur cladistics, but seemed to be important in South American ecosystems. Orkoraptor actually comes from the same place as Dreadnoughtus so there's an easy excuse already, but I think it would be even more exciting to consider Maip. The size of this thing pretty much confirms they were apex predators, so definitely worth considering.

More notosuchians. It's wild how diverse they were, Simosuchus is just one of many species worth showing. Might as well mention Baurusuchids in particular, especially since they seem to have become significant predators in parts of South America. Dinosaur hunting crocs, guys.

Honestly? I'm down for crocodyliformes in general. Show us dyrosaurs in the seas, and even Eusuchians. Similar to modern crocs like Shamosuchus in Swamps, or something different like the more terrestrial Allodaposuchus.

More Europe weirdness! Whether it be Hateg fauna or stuff we know from other parts of the continent, I think people don't realise how unusual those ecosystems were, especially compared to Laurasia in general. Maybe I just want to see Magyarosaurus in detail, but also think about how Abelisaurs seem to be prominent terrestrial predators, for example? Also all the strange birds like Gargantuavis and maybe Balaur. Also, Asteriornis I see a lot of hype for. ;P

On a similar note, more stuff from Africa could be nice, especially terrestrial fauna! We know dinosaurs from Ouled Abdoun, which had fauna featured in Coasts and Deserts, and it's worth considering especially because you kind of see how some of these animals' ancestors may have led to similar species in nearby Europe. Also, if they ever further described more remains from the continent like that giant Kenyan abelisaur, that could provide cool opportunities.

This is a bit more out of left field but: non-ceratopsid ceratopsians. Leptoceratopsids, and even Protoceratopsids (hey, we have Velociraptor, we can make that stretch). Show how they're different from say Triceratops.

More non-hadrosaur ornithopods. Whether it be Thescelosaurus, more rhabdodontids, or some good ol Elasmarians from the Southern continents, I'd be down.

More India stuff is always fun, Deccan Traps FTW, could show other animals like noasaurs for that matter too.

Also Parankylosaurs, whether it be Stegouros with the macuahuitl, or an updated Antarctopelta (more Antarctica FTW).

Basically, even in terms of dinosaurs, show more stuff you've yet to do. Nodosaurs, Halzkaraptorines (again, see Velociraptor), heck even more of some groups we only briefly saw eg Alvarezsaurs and Pachycephalosaurs.

Honestly? More birds would be cool in general. I know we don't know much about a lot of them like Enantiornithines, but we could still try showing what we do know.

In terms of more familiar and recognisable stuff? I mean, you can't go wrong with well known species, but this is me wishing for stuff that's new. :P I will say though, if you want big names, we still haven't seen Ankylosaurus or Gallimimus...

Hmm, we haven't seen choristoderes, have we? In terms of other reptiles, not much comes to mind, nice we got to see Madtsoia in Islands at least.

Honestly more mammals could be fun. I'm pretty sure we have members of every modern group from the Maastrichtian somewhere (even monotremes, Patagorhynchus was recently described). Also diversity of lifestyles too.

Appalachia. More North America, but we see how life evolved somewhat differently on the eastern side of the continent and how it likely lacked some of the more recognisable animals we know from Laramidia.

I don't know enough about other groups to comment, so I'll leave it at that. Definitely got quite extensive, but honestly I'm all for exploring new places. Hell, look into invertebrates and fish I know heck all about (hmm I'm sure there's some cool sharks, right?).

Anyway, time to address the elephant in the room. What if the next season left the Maastrichtian, or we got a spin-off that did that? Well, I do have thoughts on that. For that, I could easily be SUPER biased and just name stuff that I personally want to see, but I think you'd need to think from the perspective of the higher ups too. In other words, what's gonna get the most eyes on the show? There's that, and also how well known the information of that time is, as well as considering things like cost and practicality. The Maastrichtian was chosen because it filled all three of those needs. You have iconic and charismatic species like T. rex, the Maastrichtian is very well studied and has sites from almost every continent, and because it's the closest to today, it's the easiest to film for. 

I don't really know anything that would fit these three needs perfectly, ESPECIALLY in terms of filming locations (unless they wanna go majority CG, which I wouldn't mind personally but I know the production team likes real locations because of what they add to the show). But anyway, I have two possible eras as my main choices if they choose to do a similar kind of show: the Late Jurassic epoch (I'd name a specific stage but I don't know enough about them lol), and the Cenomanian stage at the start of the Late Cretaceous. 

For the Late Jurassic (insert chosen stage of it here), you have a lot to work with. You have all the other most iconic traditional staple dinosaurs like Stegosaurus, Brontosaurus, Brachiosaurus and well known contemporaries like Diplodocus, Allosaurus, etc. In fact, the Morrison Formation is the main reason I opted for a Late Jurassic option. Sure, it does cover quite a bit of time, but we've seen Prehistoric Planet already take liberties with a six million year time span.

I think my main worry would be that some of the ecosystems on different continents might seem a bit similar, but honestly I doubt anyone would care too much. Plus, you have Asia with slightly different dinosaur groups, and Europe with their island ecosystems (eg Solnhofen). So even if it would be harder to film and some of the best locales for data are in more concentrated areas, I think there's enough to justify it. Also, novelty of early birds and birdlike dinos like Archaeopteryx.

As for the Cenomanian, you already have an easier time filming because angiosperms are now widespread, and you do have data from every continent. And while it doesn't have so many iconic species, there are a few, and some very charismatic animals to explore. Like, you have some of the biggest titanosaurs like Argentinosaurus. Massive Giganotosaurins who are built for hunting large sauropods. Everyone's favourite dinosaur, Spinosaurus. And again, stuff from almost every continent. Like, you could even have freaking Australia show up! Winton Formation is Cenomanian, so it could join the showcases of Africa, South America and others (I don't know so much about Cenomanian Laurasian fauna RIP). And while it would be true for the Late Jurassic as well, this time had especially peculiar nondinosaurs coexisting. Strange mammals. Giant freshwater fish. More unusual crocs. Even the earliest mosasaurs, all while ichthyosaurs and pliosaurs still existed. Basically, even if a layperson might only know Spinosaurus and Giganotosaurus from this time, you still have loads to potentially awe people with.

Anyway, that's a wrap on that. I have no clue what to expect for the future of Prehistoric Planet or what other upcoming palaeo docs will be like, but it's always fun to speculate!

#prehistoric planet #palaeontology

[azumetapraline]

Here are some photos I took when I went to my trip to Banff, Alberta, like one month ago (yeah, I know)! 🏞️

I originally wanted to carry my Meta & Magolor plushies to the West, but unfortunately, my plane ticket only allowed for one free bag, so I instead opted for the much smaller pipe-cleaner figurines I made about 3-4 years ago!

It was super fun to carry them around while I was hiking and admiring Alberta’s beauty! 🥰

For starters, Banff National Park is the fourth oldest national park in the world, and the oldest in Canada. It has a lot of unique protected fauna, flora and scenery. It’s in Alberta, not too far from Calgary, and it covers the Canadian portion of the Rocky Mountains.

More info-dumping about my trip and more photos (with or without blorbos) under the cut! 👇

This is the view from Sulphur Mountain’s summit. I went to the top thanks to a gondola (because the peak is really high).

This is Moraine Lake! Probably one of the most beautiful places I’ve seen in my life. Trust me, the actual scenery is much more grandiose than in the photos!

Lake Louise is not too far from there. Although its water’s color isn’t as unique as Moraine Lake’s, it looked absolutely gorgeous.

I’ll never forget the view of Lake Minnewanka, or the forests and canyons surrounding it; neither will I forget almost having a heat exhaustion from walking for too long under the sun and running out of water in the middle of the forest. ��

Finally, I present you my absolute favorite place in the park. Moraine Lake is unique, yes, but Johnston Canyon is loterally a corner of paradise; beautifully-arranged trees, rocks and plants, and absolutely gorgeous waterfalls. The droplets felt so refreshing after a long hike! My brother told me that in winter, the waterfalls freeze! What a shame! I’ll be forced to come back there another time… 😩

Of course those are just the main places I’ve gone in those five days. There were also a lot of shops, restaurants, a few museums around. My hostel was awesome too, and I’ve explored a trail and ended up in some camping site in which I saw a wapiti. Here are some photos of animals I’ve taken during my trip (starting with the creature):

I loved this trip so much! Making this post reminded me of all the nice memories I lived in Banff. I feel lucky for having such an opportunity! It was also the first time of my life in a plane, and I did it alone (it being a domestic flight did help though)! 😄

Thank you so much for reading all this text and looking at my photos! I hope you enjoyed it, feel free to share if you want to. Have an amazing day/night… and a cookie! 🍪 Azu🦋

#banff national park #kirby #meta knight #magolor #lake louise #moraine lake #metalor #johnston canyon #lake minnewanka #azu's plushie photos #did i use my trip to banff as an excuse for metalor propaganda #or did i use my blorbo pictures as an excuse to talk about my trip #even i do not know #i think it's both #both is good… i love both… #metalor fanart

[mademoiselle-red]

I think one thing that makes Ralph so relatable to me is that he probably knows what Curry Kapitan tastes like because he had it in Penang, and eventually came to like tea mixed with coffee and condensed milk the way they make it in Hong Kong. I like to think that he picked up a taste for lemongrass, bay leaves, tamarind, and galangal that never really went away, and grinned like a boy at Christmas when the first Caribbean and Indian grocery stories opened up in his neighborhood once the windrush generation got themselves settled. He has seen the bustling port of Nagasaki in its heyday, shared a small table in a Kissaten with a Russian and dug into a plate of omurice, and docked in Singapore a few days later for some roti canai. He knows enough creole to get by in any port in the Empire: a few words in Malay mixed with Hokkien, some colloquial French of the Canadian and Caribbean variety, and a few phrases in the Mumbai dialect.

It doesn’t really go away, that cosmopolitanism. He is exiled from home, and becomes a child of colonialism, an orphan of empire, like so many others (colonizers, colonized, and the middle-men traders in between). He knows about the fifth generation Portuguese-Malayan families in Macao and third generation British-Iraqi ones in Shanghai. He sails with francophone québécois sailors in the Atlantic, with anglophone Indian sailors in the Caribbean, and anglophone Chinese sailors in the the East Indies. And he’s attended all their weddings and the weddings of their friends and families.

I too am a child of empires. I’ve tried to make a home across three continents. I like to imagine him as a character who understands my world

#the charioteer #Ralph Lanyon and me

[blowflyfag]

Pro Wrestling Illustrated: November 1996

Press Conference… BRET HART

Every issue, reporters from PRO WRESTLING ILLUSTRATED will participate in an incisive press conference with a top wrestling star. The questions will be demanding. And the answers will reveal the innermost thoughts of the giants of the sport. 

[Bret Hart beat Diesel for his third WWF World title last year and gained a reputation for being able to beat bigger and stronger men. Now he’s talking as if we’ve seen the last of him in the ring.]

The bell tolls for Bret Hart, but neither Shawn Michaels nor Davey Boy Smith is the one beckoning to him.

It is 6:50 on a pretty June evening in Calgary, and “The Hitman” is going i n two directions, as has been the case of late. There is the interview that he has agreed to do–it is due to begin momentarily. Suddenly, though, Hart remembers that he has to take his son Dallas for drum lessons.

Hart ponders this dilemma, then consults with his ever-supportive wife, Julie, who offers to play chaperone for their percussionist son. 

Problem solved. The interview can go on as scheduled. 

This is what has become a typical night in the life of wrestling’s “Excellence Of Execution.” To wrestling fans, however, it probably sounds like an atypical day in the life of one of the WWF’s most popular and most successful wrestlers of all-time.

Bret Hart, “The Excellence Of Fatherhood”? For now at least, yes. Three months after losing the WWF belt to Michaels in a controversial “Iron Man” match, Hart is adapting to a life that, at least for now, excludes wrestling.

Instead of facing off against the motley likes of Jerry Lawler, brother Owen, and Michaels, Bret is reacquainting himself on a 24-hour-a-day, seven-days-a-week basis with his wife, sons Dallas, 11, and Blade, 6, and daughters Jade, 13, and Alexandra, 8. An accomplished cartoonist, one of eight owners of a Canadian junior hockey team, and a budding actor, Hart is looking into life beyond the squared circle.

Does this mean “The Hitman” has fought his last battle as a wrestler? Senior Writer Bryan Ethier spoke to him about that and much more. 

BRYAN ETHIER: You’ve been away from wrestling for a few months now. After receiving favorable reviews for your performance in the series Lonesome Dove last year, have you made any further efforts to get into acting?

BRET HART: It’s hard to say. It's not like you can just jump into an acting career. You make yourself available and try to find the right project that comes along. You don’t sell out your principles and end up in a show that you might not be too happy about or do a television show that would cause you some discomfort somewhere down the line. You don’t want to do something in acting that would jeopardize your doing something positive or constructive. The performances I gave in Lonesome Dove were genuine and accepted as decent performances. The acting world is something I’m pursuing, but there’s nothing pre-set.

[“To see [Shawn Michaels] hold this image as a male dancer … makes me ill. It always has. People ask me why I didn’t shake his hand at the end of WrestleMania. I don't want to endorse him.”]

ETHIER: How has your success as an actor and a cartoonist precipitated your decision to take a leave of absence from wrestling?

HART: Many, many years ago when I got into wrestling, I set out to accomplish a lot of things. In a lot of areas, I’ve accomplished everything I could have ever hoped to. It’s done. So I can go back and try to repeat it again, and there is some satisfaction in that. Of course I’ve had other dreams and goals I’d like to fulfill, too. I would like to do more cartoons; I used to be a great cartoonist, and I guess I still am. I would like to possibly write a book, not necessarily on wrestling, either. I wouldn’t mind doing a comic strip or a comic book. That would combine both talents. I’ve had my cartoons published in the Calgary Sun (for which he has written a column for nearly six years). It’s kind of a hobby, but it’s something I put a lot of work into to make sure it’s decent.

ETHIER: You’re admired for your integrity and standards. How difficult has it been for you to see some of the changes in the WWF–namely the departure of Razor Ramon and Diesel to WCW and Shawn Michaels becoming WWF World champion?

HART: You never can let your personal feelings get to you too much, because the wrestling business is often like a river: The current’s going to go where it’s going to go. I guess what sells is what works. 

ETHIER: That river has carried with it successful, controversial wrestlers such as Goldust. What are your feelings on him and the direction in which the WWF is headed? 

HART: I feel there’s something missing since I’ve been gone. That is, maybe a truly defined hero. I’m very proud of what I represented as a hero; I stood up for myself and faced all kinds of tough opponents of different shapes and sizes, and I accepted the most severe challenges. I always did it with my head held high and with integrity. “The Hitman” Never gave less than 100 percent. I always went up against the wall with The Undertaker and Yokozuna and a lot of other guys and never backed down. If I needed to bite his head to get out of a bearhug, I did it. That was the way I was brought up. Not to win at all costs, but also not to let some big guy push you around and get away with breaking the rules. And I think that’s a good message for kids. I was never a troublemaker; I was always open and honest about how I fought.

ETHIER: Now that you’ve had some time to reflect on your heartbreaking defeat to Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania XII, how would you rate him as a champion and a hero? 

[Despite giving one of the greatest efforts of his career, Hart lost the WWF title to Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania XII. He has nothing good to say about “The Heartbreak Kid” at this point.]

HART: To see him hold this image as a male dancer–a guy who takes his clothes off and the little dance he does getting into the ring–,makes me ill. It always has. People ask me why I didn't shake his hand at the end of WrestleMania. I don't want to endorse him. I don’t like the way he handles his responsibility as a role model. 

ETHIER: Is it conceivable for a wrestler to be a role model when you consider the oneupmanship that is occurring between the WWF and WCW?

HART: I don’t know. For me, I’ve been around the world and seen how significant it is to be this legendary role model. I’ve had little kids in Israel mob me at the Wailing Wall. I’ve had little Irish kids in North Belfast and Northern Ireland–Catholic and Protestant kids–holding my hand at the same time. I’ve seen kids in India in incredible poverty that are so emotionally overcome when they actually see you in person and see that you’re not a cartoon character. You’re not a figment of their imagination. You’re a real human being who fights these people. I'm very serious about being a hero; I don’t attach a price tag to that. These kids believe what I say, what I stand for. Too many guys get into wrestling now for the money. Loyalty’s more important.

ETHIER: Your blood war with Owen seems to have taken a back seat to your sister Diana’s accusations that Shawn Michaels has harassed her. What are your feelings about having family members drawn into the wrestling fray?

[Bret brought his son Blade to this year’s Slammys (above left). He’s now enjoying full-time fatherhood. And since he has distanced himself from wrestling, he’ll have more time to devote to hobbies such as motorcycle riding if he so chooses (above right).]

HART: Since WrestleMania, I’ve kind of distanced myself from it. I haven't watched the show. I have not been involved in anything that my sister Diana did, or what Owen’s been doing or what Davey Boy’s been doing. In wrestling, you can’t let other people’s view clutter yours. I can’t worry about what Owen is doing or what Davey Boy’s doing. You just hope the right things happen to the good people. I’ve always felt I'm the intelligent fan’s wrestler.

ETHIER: Is there a place in wrestling today for an “intelligent” wrestler such as you?

HART: I don’t think there are enough fans who appreciate a wrestler who has a little integrity, who doesn’t have the same match every night. There aren’t enough who appreciate a wrestler who applies total and complete logic for every match and who doesn’t just dip into the well and do what he did the night before–someone who isn't overcome by his image and persona. I’m the same guy that I was when I got into this business.

ETHIER: How do you wish to be remembered as a wrestler?

HART: I don’t want to be remembered as a guy who held on too long, who sold out his feelings at the very end so he could make a few bucks.

ETHIER: In what direction is the WWF going?

HART: The positive thing I can say about the WWF, opposed to WCW, is that the WWF seems to try to make an effort to go forward all the time. I like to see guys like Steve Austin or my brother Own, because no one can say they’re not good wrestlers. 

EHTIER: Has being a dedicated father of four affected your decision to take a break from wrestling?

HART: I’ve wanted to be home with my kids for years. You can’t just put your family on hold forever, because eventually they grow up, and they’re gone.

ETHIER: Have we seen the last of Bret Hart inside the ring?

HART: I don’t know. I really don’t know. I know there’s a lot of people talking like it’s a plan–that I will just come back and walk right back into wrestling like it was orchestrated or planned from the beginning. I have to have a reason and desire to come back. Maybe what I’m hoping for is people will realize that something’s missing in the wrestling world and they’ll appreciate that what I offered wasn’t so much good, but what it was just wholesome, better. If it ended tomorrow morning and I woke up and said, “I don’t need it, I’m done,” I’d be really proud of what I accomplished and what I got in return. 

#bret hart #bret hitman hart #bred #wwf #world wrestling federation #magazine scan #magazine transcript #pwi #pro wrestling illustrated

[halfelven]

Genuine question, what movies are you talking about in that post? Bc I can't think of any that fit that description but I'm also not a big movie person so I may just have been lucky with the ones I've seen dkjsfa

disclaimer! don’t @ me saying to watch better movies! i do! i just watch a LOT of movies! i like to see what’s going out there since i study media*

also i know this is badly written. i have not pulled myself together after a very long year and a half

this got rambly so i’m putting my tl;dr here: comedy feels stagnant to me, and that makes me feel weird when it comes to things (some of which are aimed at kids/teens)

okay so if you don’t watch a lot of movies you probably missed them! the kind of movies i was thinking about are mostly comedies that are aimed at teens but really just don’t feel right. just stupid forgettable movies that will have a random adult (maybe a teacher) make some comment about back in their day. and they just feel off in a very specific way where it’s like idk who is writing this but i don’t think they have a grasp of what is going on

probably due to being rich

i am terrible with titles and names and i’m currently in the wilderness so i’m not too confident matching scenes to titles

(also that post was slamming together a few themes i’ve seen repeated in different movies and shows and they are not all american. some are canadian/uk/australia but i use the ‘too movies’ or ‘too much (blank) on tv’ thing as a joke)

also some of the movies/shows are marketed to adults not teens. they also carry with some of those themes. um. working moms (show) is canadian and i’m not sure if they’re millennial or gen x but they have a lot of weird recurring issues with ‘ooh scary generation gap with my kids.’

and i think um. i’m trying to remember the name. idk it stars the australian woman who was in pitch perfect and she’s in a coma and wakes up 20 years later and goes back to school and they make the slur jokes. that is the one i watched most recently. i was having a hard time with trying to figure out who the target audience was… can’t remember the name and i watched it last week

another movie i can’t remember the name of that i think was marketed at teens also had the weird ‘oh the climate change protest kids just want attention’ gimmick that the movie with the pitch perfect woman had

is sarah jessica parker gen x? her new sec and the city show is Wild. one of the groups presentations in my media discourse class was about the representation of sexual minorities between the old sex and the city and the new sex and the city. i can try to find one of the articles they referenced in that because how the new one is almost more isolating is really interesting

which is kind of a trend? a ohh boo hoo don’t yell at me mean minorities!! i’m trying!! kind of vibe that runs through a lot of new movies/shows

like there is this distinct weirdness that is coming in with media created by white female comedians (i say female bc i tend to watch movies with female leads) amy palmer or pohler or whatever her name is. she has a movie out like 5 years ago? it had this teenage girl finding her mom’s old punk albums or something

but basically i had been watching a bunch of comedy things with female leads and so many are just weird. like it was leaving me wondering like what are the shows/movies teens are getting that feel somewhat authentic?

obviously movies are weird and there aren’t a lot of good ones that really stand out. and there have been constant jokes about how young people are portrayed in media for forever probably

but i think that movies are a good medium for comfort and hope, maybe especially for children and teens. you don’t have to have the energy to read to yourself. you can watch it when you’re doing something else with your hands. or are sick.

it’s the visuals. and the music. the way you can do something else while getting a story. they are very human.

and comedies are much harder to do than dramas. but they have a different sort of catharsis. i don’t know. people tend to downplay them as just stupid when there is a deep connection humans try to have through humour. i’m rambling but i just really love comedies and i love stories for children and stories for teens and i think they’re all downplayed as. being stupid. or easy. like you don’t have to try.

i’m sorry this just turned into rambling. maybe writers just went too far with the ‘set things in high school bc a.) kids will make emotional decisions that you wouldn’t see an adult character make b.) your characters are trapped in that environment c.) unlike college, they are trapped with other characters on mostly the same schedule and d.) they still see breakups etc as life and death situations’ advice that they give writers (this is paraphrased from several screenwriting guides i’ve read)

but idk i’m just bothered by the comedies i’ve been watching. and comedies do tend to show a lot about the current state of the world. comedies and horror are both downplayed genres that show a lot.

again sorry this is rambly. i don’t have energy to find my sources. there are interesting theories on comedy out there that just make me feel weird about what i’m seeing. like it’s so stagnant. that’s my tl;dr

most comedies i’ve seen lately seem stagnant

*i have a degree in this so i feel bad that i’m not pulling sources bc it feels like plagiarism at points

#asks #anonymous #about writing #about movies #comedy #genre

[vro0m]

2012 season summary

It’s already the end of another season. So what can we say about 2012?

On the formal and technical side of things :

There was quite a lot of change re: driver seats but nothing too important for us. You can read the details of it in the Australian GP review if you want to. Also minor changes to the regulations with, for example, the re-introduction of the unlapping rule under Safety Car and the introduction of the 4-hour limit for races after the record length of the 2011 Canadian GP. Also, they now deactivate the DRS altogether when there are yellow flags.

That’s about it for somewhat relevant stuff in that area.

On the racing side, there’s just one thing I wanna point out. I had high expectations about 2012, it’s often mentioned as a good season because of how tight the WDC was. And yeah, sure. But imho the racing itself wasn’t very good. I was more excited during 2011. It’s arguable, but it’s my opinion.

On Lewis :

Well. Lewis has outgrown McLaren.

2012 was a frustrating season. No surprise there, McLaren has been struggling for a few years now. 2012 started well : poles, podiums, pace... And then throughout the year, the performance drops. The upgrades don’t work. The RedBulls are soaring. The Ferraris are good. The Saubers are good. I mean, again, we all know 2012 was a very tight WDC.

But not for Lewis. I mean not really. He was in the running for a while but McLaren isn’t good enough anymore. They haven’t been for a while. I still cannot believe the number of pit stops they fucked up that season! It was infuriating. He DNF’d six times, several times because of car failures rather than racing incidents. And there’s also been a few bad strategy calls throughout the year. He himself made very few mistakes. Not none, but very few.

I’ve talked of Lewis’ growing frustration in the 2010 and 2011 reviews. Unfortunately, because of the lack of complete broadcasts and interviews available for 2012, I can’t really make hypotheses regarding his mindset this time. All I can really say is that he seems quite mildly enthusiastic here and there, sometimes even when he won. He seems calmer though, from what I’ve seen. More composed. Less rash. On and off track. But again, it might just be because we’ve seen so little of him.

On the move to Mercedes :

Again I wished we had more interviews that could shed light on the matter but let’s talk about it anyway.

On the one hand I absolutely understand why he’s leaving McLaren (I think I made that clear enough already lol).

On the other hand, why go to Mercedes? That was a very bold choice. Mercedes wasn’t doing well at all (see Abu Dhabi GP). I mean, Lewis DNF’d 6/20 times, but Schumacher, whose seat he was about to get, DNF’d 8/20 times... In the only interview that I saw this season where he talked about it, he said he looked forward to the challenge of trying to do better than that. I mean, sure. He likes a challenge. But that’s really bold. Because he also very much likes to win. It’s no wonder it shocked everyone at the time.

But let’s see. What were his other options?

Let’s not dwell on McLaren : there was nothing happening there. The performance, as we said, had been stagnating for a few years now. He had to leave. So where else?

According to this article, RedBull had signed Seb until 2014. Webber’s seat could have been an option at the beginning of the season but his contract was renewed for a year in Belgium, after the summer break. I don’t think Lewis would have been comfortable playing second fiddle to Seb anyway, and well... Can you imagine the drama if these two had been team-mate at that time? Phew...

Massa’s contract with Ferrari was also ending, and his performance wasn’t as good as it had been a few years back, so that was also a possibility but, I mean... Alonso as a team-mate again? Hell no. And he’d have been the second driver there too.

Lotus was doing pretty well. Raikkonen was signed with them for two years, but Grosjean’s seat was open until very late in the season. The Saubers were also strong, and Perez was taking his seat at McLaren, so he could’ve gone there, too, I guess.

In summary, he could have stayed at McLaren, having been unhappy with the performance since 2009 ; he could have gone to a faster team, and found himself with an extremely good team-mate who was already at home there ; or he could take what was seen as a step backwards and join a less competitive team.

Among these, there were the struggling teams and there was the new team. Mercedes had been providing PUs for a long time but they didn’t have much of a history as a team, having joined back for the first time since the 50′s in 2010. Basically, he could choose a team that had been in the midfield for a long time, or Mercedes’ challenge.

Interestingly, Lewis gave an interview about his decision in 2022. He says he thought about it carefully, he was weighing his options. Mercedes was a possibility, also because of the relation to McLaren, but they were the fifth-fastest team on the grid. Niki Lauda called him and told him he should come to them. But Lewis told him “you’re not winning races!” and Niki answered that Brawn would explain how they were gonna win anyway. Then Ross Brawn came to see Lewis at his mom’s house and they had tea in the kitchen while he explained to him all the steps they were taking to improve their performance. Lewis then says he had seen Schumacher go to a midfield team and help them win.

And so he chose Mercedes’ challenge.

Let’s talk numbers : so far, I’ve completed 35.5% of my rewatch. In total, I’ve made 705 GIFs to illustrate it.

Here’s a list of the 2012 GPs with a roughly two-sentence summary and the link to the actual recap if you wanna read it or take a look at the GIFs I made :

1. Australian GP : Lewis is on pole! Good McLaren pace? Lewis P3. Not very enthusiastic. (Gifs)

2. Malaysian GP : Lewis is on pole again! Wet race. Red flag. Bad pit stop 2x. Lewis P3. A little more enthusiastic. (Gifs)

3. Chinese GP : Seb out in Q2? Gearbox penalty for Lewis, he starts in 7th. Lewis interview, baby Lewis, reiterates he wants more WDC titles, remote controlled cars race. Boring race... until the end 😏 Lewis P3. Really more enthusiastic. (Gifs)

4. Bahrain GP : Lewis starts 2nd. Bad pit stop 3x. Lewis P8. I didn’t like this race. (No gifs)

5. Spanish GP : Lewis was on pole but got disqualified because of a McLaren mistake. Bad pit stop. Lewis P8. (No gifs)

6. Monaco GP : Lewis - Jenson broadcast game. Making fun of Webber. Lewis starts 3rd. Absolutely nothing happens in the race. Lewis P5. (Gifs)

7. Canadian GP : Lewis starts 2nd. Bad pit stops 2x. Weird strategy. Good racing. Lewis wins! He leads the WDC. (No gifs)

8. European GP : Lewis starts 2nd again. Lewis interview. Contract talk. Absolutely insane increase in performance for the RedBulls. Bad pit stop. Some surprise DNFs, including Lewis’. Arguably reckless driving. (Gifs)

9. British GP : Lewis starts 8th... Terrible strategy. Lewis P8. (No gifs)

10. German GP : Lewis starts 7th... Puncture. Moody. Lewis DNF. (Gifs)

11. Hungarian GP : Lewis is on pole! Young Bottas. Boring. Lewis wins! (Gifs)

12. Belgian GP : Post-summer break. Lewis starts 7th, but Jenson is on pole... “The Danger Zone”. False start. Huge crash. Lewis DNF. (Gifs)

13. Italian GP : Lewis is on pole! Boring. Double RedBull DNF though. Lewis wins! Mildly enthusiastic. (Gifs)

14. Singapore GP : Lewis is on pole again! Boring start and then Lewis DNF again.That’s 3 in 5 races. Composed. It is a boring race. (Gifs)

15. Japanese GP : Lewis starts 9th. Kinda boring. Lewis P5. (No gifs)

16. Korean GP : Lewis starts 3rd. Balance issues. Astroturf incident. Lewis P10. We now know he was announced to Mercedes in Japan. (Gifs)

17. Indian GP : Lewis starts 3rd again. Weird Brundle grid walk talk. Radio issues. Lewis P4. (Gifs)

18. Abu Dhabi GP (quali & race) : Personal opinion rant on the driver-car fit re: Lewis’ move to Mercedes. Extremely good quali, Lewis on pole, Seb disqualified. Tooned. Lewis interview. Big crash. Lewis DNF. Unbelievable race from Seb though. (Obvi many gifs)

19. American GP : Lewis starts 2nd. Finally a good race! Lewis wins! WCC to RedBull. (Gifs)

20. Brazilian GP : Lewis’ last race with McLaren. He’s on pole. Intense suspense for the WDC. Big crash. Rain! Bad pit stop. Good race again, but Lewis DNF. Seb wins the WDC. (Gifs)

#f1 #lewis hamilton #2012 #2012 season summary #vro0m's race reviews

[2goldensnitches]

(kuwait anon) oh i didn’t mean private socmed companies, i meant private companies focusing on social media and marketing. Private companies are private when they don’t appear in the stock market but public companies have shares and stocks and investors. Kuwait has a few small startups that want to tap into the market of foreign influencers vacationing to Dubai and Qatar and the Gulf and they’re branding themselves as the bridge connecting western influencers with all the crazy rich shopping and dining and luxe events like the world cup or f1 or when companies want to build shit in the Gulf like copies of western museums like the getty. Kuwait doesn’t really have a developed tech sector and doing consulting via zoom doesn’t cut it so my company was flown to Kuwait to show two companies how to do basic crap like set up/protect a firewall, password management, protection from bots and scrapers, sql management, encryption and encapsulation, and it was really good money. I’m Canadian with a lot of Inuit so i’m brown and have really narrow eyes and in Kuwait i got mistaken for nepali a lot and yelled at in the street a few times or got comments which contributed to my decision to not want to return, they really hate indians and Filipinos with a passion and Pakistanis and Egyptians don’t get a pass either even though they’re Muslim too like Kuwaitis, there’s a big sense of caste in the Gulf and feeling that they’re better than a lot of Asians but also an inferiority complex over white people and east asians. They didn’t know much about Aboriginal and First Nations Canadians so I had to explain to a few people. They’re also really conscious of the fact that they’re not like the emirates or Qatar and they don’t have a clue how to transition from oil to a service economy and feeling like they have to catch up to Dubai but they haven’t seen the writing on the wall yet, oil will tank hard as an industry at some point so the other Gulf states are trying to turn more into middle eastern Monaco/Paris

I know maybe 1/4 of those tech terms but…I’m not understanding how a region that’s known for being socially and religiously conservative…wants to attract foreign capital in ventures that definitely don’t seem pious lmao like I’ve seen enough stuff online over gulf casinos and luxury shopping (and from locals, gulf hijabis posing with designer clothes and faces full of expensive makeup, khaleeji men in nightclubs with enormous bottles of champagne or showing off their newest cars, the entire world cup???) and observant muslims from outside the area screaming that it’s a betrayal of their deen (idk if I’m using the word right?) lol

I’m really sorry to hear that you experienced that. It sounds like a nightmare, but at least you were able to leave with some money? Idk if this is controversial to say but all those news reports on how migrant slave workers are treated there merits a bigger international blowup; if running the entire region is dependent on legions of slaves for everything from construction to housekeeping to lower-rung management (and then upper management being white or khaleeji people, a caste like you said?), then it sounds like, at best, their entire economy is unsustainable but it sucks how others lick their shoes for that sweet oil cash. Honestly i hope the wells dry up so the region loses that bargaining chip, since other countries are definitely in no hurry to stop doing business there anytime soon over moral grounds

#asks

[castleofshit]

https://archiveofourown.org/works/41926854

Rating: Teen and up

2 years. They had been forced to forgo their family camping trip for 2 years- and Arthur wasn’t above admitting to himself (and only himself) that he had missed spending time with his boys and to some extent Francis as well.

While finding the spot, and putting up with Matthew’s (frankly terrifying) driving had been stressful, once the tents, fire, and food were properly set up things were finally able to take a relaxing turn. The sun had set not too long ago and now they all sat comfortably by the fire. Arthur had found himself alternating between staring at the fire and the rest of his family, when both he and Francis jumped at the sound of a coyote that sounded closer than it actually was.

Alfred snickered, while Matthew had the decency to quickly hide his amused look. Arthur’s eyes narrowed, it wasn’t that the two older nations were unaccustomed to the wild, but there was a reason he and Francis only went into the wilderness once a year with their sons. The two North American nations had the ability to associate the outdoors with fun activities of all sorts.

The two European nations on the other hand-

His thought was interrupted when Alfred spoke up- “Oh! I brought my guitar, maybe we can do a few campfire songs- keep the coyotes away and everything you know?” 

The end of the statement was said with what Arthur assumed was a mocking tone and he was about to shoot back with a snide remark, but Francis beat him to speaking. “That sounds like a wonderful idea, Alfred.” The boy smiled and with a quick “be back in a sec” took off for his brother's SUV.

It didn’t take very long for him to come back and surprisingly he was quick to get the instrument in tune. Alfred strummed the strings a few times in nonsensical clashes of notes, when he started to pick up a tune. That Arthur immediately recognized, he tensed up, glancing with panic at France for a moment. And then Alfred began to sing, and his confusion only grew. “Oh, I’ve never seen the likes since I’ve been born…” And the song continued, the words unfamiliar, but the tune achingly familiar. It would have brought back fond memories, had Arthur not been taken off guard by panic that Alfred had somehow learned that song.

But it had appeared he hadn’t. The song continued without a single vulgar remark, much to Arthur’s surprise.

“Uh Arthur? What’s with that look? It wasn’t too bad was it?” Alfred looked nervous, giving him that look Arthur knew too well. If he didn’t answer in the affirmative he knew it would crush the young nation (even if he’d never admit it until they got into a fight over something completely unrelated). Arthur hesitated before responding, “You were fine Alfred.” Alfred frowned, “You don’t sound too sure.” Arthur tried to put on a false smile, “Really, it was good Alfred.” Alfred didn’t look convinced, “I hope so, I mean I want it to be good because I learned it from you.” Now that most definitely couldn’t be right. He was distinctly aware that Francis was glaring at him from his right. It was an absurd statement really and he couldn’t help but fake a laugh to diffuse the situation, “That can’t be right. I know I taught you and Matthew a few different songs when you were younger but that wasn’t one of them- right Matthew?”

He would deny the pleading edge to his voice until the day he died. Matthew seemed to be deep in thought, eyes furrowing, deeply before he slowly spoke. “I…remember the tune, but not the words.” Arthur heard the armrest of the chair to his right creak ominously. Thankfully, the Canadian continued. “Which is odd, I remember most of the Parting Glass, so maybe we just picked it up from somewhere in Boston? Or maybe Halifax…” He trailed off still thinking. The chair to his right seemed suspiciously quiet then at the same time Alfred said “That can’t be right-”

Francis' voice was louder though “Why don’t you sing it for them then, dear, for old times sake?” And oh his voice was far too smug and calculated. Arthur began to panic, he hadn’t been listening hard enough, too caught up in shock to actually memorize the lyrics that Alfred had used. He didn’t have time to deny the request as Alfred all too excitedly removed the guitar strap from his shoulders and was walking around the fire pit to shove the instrument in his hands. “That’s a great idea! I haven’t heard Artie sing in decades!” 

Even Matthew looked a little hopeful but, but, but…

He couldn’t just crush the boy's hopes like that. Even if he didn’t really want to sing that particular tune. Yet he found himself resigned to his fate. Sighing, and internally cursing Francis’ name, he began to strum the guitar praying that it had somehow gone out of tune so that he could stall for time and clean up the lyrics a bit. Unfortunately, it still sounded perfect. With a resigned sigh he began to play, and as the first verse left his lips, he saw Alfred’s face take on a look- the same look he’d get whenever he or Francis would be too affectionate with each other. It reminded him distinctly of the time he had pretended to make himself sick when he was still three feet tall and had seen the pair of older nations holding hands. 

And oh it amused him to see that look on his two century old son. Matthew on the other hand maintained an almost perfect poker face, the amusement in his eyes after he glanced at his brother was the only flaw in it though. Arthur had a feeling he had been right about hearing it at Halifax.

So with a new found energy he kept going to everyone except Alfred’s amusement. Jams used: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c8U-J_N2v94

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5u6bKJanETg

#crossposted on tumblr under the assumption external links work better #aph england #hws england #aph canada #hws canada #aph america #hws america #aph france #hws france #arthur kirkland #alfred f jones #matthew williams #francis bonnefoy #I :V #my writing and stuff