#epic win I will be celebrating more later | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

Visit Blog

Explore Tumblr blogs with no restrictions, modern design and the best experience.

Fun Fact

When “GIF” was named word of the year in 2012, Oxford Dictionaries U.S.A. credited Tumblr for pushing the word.

#epic win I will be celebrating more later

therealesino · 5 months

Note

This might be kinda random but I was wondering, what would all the Royaul characters be as tarot cards? What's their uprights and reverses? This question has been on my mind for quite a while since the latest update hahah

I really like this question, so I took some time to really think about it, and I think this is how I would see them.

Cross - wheel of fortune. Both reverse and upright. Wheel of fortune is luck, opportunity, change, destine, winning. It can also mean karma, and honestly, Cross is the personification of karma. (just ask Samuel and Carol uwu) Honestly, on that note, ask the harem too. They did nothing to deserve what happened to them, and they got to see justice served. UwU

Reversed, this is bad luck, disappointment, misfortune, mishap, unforeseen setback. We see this in the guard, and how he interacts with his father honestly. And we will be seeing this more as the story progresses.

Killer - 10 of swords (I'm sorry baby D:) Upright this means ruin, failure, bitterness, collapse, exhaustion, dead end, victimization, betrayal. All things that would describe royaul Killer. Killer has been betrayed, brutalized, and broken in ways we haven't fully seen yet. He's changed, and he's hurting.

Reversed, this is survival, improvement, healing, lessons learned, despair, relapse. So, not without hope, but Killer has been changed by his experience, and he will struggle with healing.

Nightmare - 5 of cups. The 5 of cups means loss, grief, disappointment, sadness, mourning, discontent, feeling let down. These are all things that would describe royaul Nightmare, especially after his father's betrayal and his mother's death.

But revered the 5 of cups means acceptance, moving on, finding peace, contentment, seeing positives. Which is how he differs from Killer. Killer struggles so much to move on, to let go, where as Nightmare is ready to shed who he was and be something new. Something better with Cross and the others. He's changed yes, but he's not going to let it stop him.

Dust - the star. The star represents hope, inspiration, positivity, faith, renewal, healing, rejuvenation. Which I think we see a lot in the collar and the wall. Dust was breaking down, falling apart at the seams, until Cross came along and pulled him back together. But he had to believe in Cross, and have a little faith, that everything was going to be okay.

The star reversed is hopelessness, despair, negativity, lack of faith, despondent all things we saw from Dust when he was in the parlor. He was giving up, on the verge of falling down, and giving into madness. His mind in tatters that it left him spiraling down.

Horror - four of wands. This card represents community, home, celebrations, reunions, parties, gatherings, stability, belonging. And let's be honest, without Horror, the others would have fallen apart in the parlor. He's the one who held them together, and kept them sane. We'll get to see Horror shine soon enough, and remind everyone why he was seen as a pillar of strength before the fall.

Reversed, it means lack of support, instability, feeling unwelcome, transience, lack of roots, home conflict. And well, we all know what happened when Tempo tried to separate the harem.

Epic - Justice. Epic is justice through and through. It represents justice, karma, consequence, accountability, law, truth, honesty, integrity, cause and effect. Much like Cross, Epic is karma and justice, and honesty. But unlike Cross, it comes at a much steeper price, and he does not always win. In fact, if you ask Epic, he losses a lot uwu

Reverse, justice is injustice, retribution, dishonesty, corruption, unfairness, avoiding accountability. Now I wouldn't say Epic is corrupt, far from it. But his life has been nothing but unfairness, and as a spy he is rife with dishonesty and retribution.

The avoiding accountability, well that will come later in his personal life UwU

EDIT

Not me forgetting Dream.

Dream - Death. The death card represents transformation, endings, change, transition, letting go, release. Which is not where Dream is at the moment.

He's stuck on the reverse of death, which is fear of change, repeating negative patterns, resisting change, stagnancy, decay.

Dream was so, so traumatized by what happened to him, so changed, so broken, that he's stuck for the first part of the story. He resists everything good that is being given to him and doesn't trust a single thing, leaving him falling apart on the way side.

Eventually, and after some stuff, he will transform into a being of change, and release. He will let go of some of his hurt, once he accepts that things are different, and honestly, thats okay.

#undertale #fanfiction #royaul

75 notes · View notes

just-late-roman-republic-things · 7 months

Note

Is there an argument that Sextus Pompey is one of the most underrated Roman generals? (well admiral technically)

[slams desk] He is the very definition of underrated! In fact, I think this calls for a Sextus Pompey Appreciation Post!

We first meet Sextus in Egypt while he helplessly watches from a boat as his father gets into another, smaller boat, then is stabbed in the back and decapitated.

After that Batman-esque origin story he joins the republican army, almost kills Caesar at Munda, and escapes to raise an army again in defiance of Caesar's dictatorship. This boy was fighting for the republic while Brutus was still getting his angst workouts in. Did I mention Sextus was only 22?

Army - ahem, I meant navy. Romans in general were shit at sailing, but our boy is shockingly good at it, and also very good at Not Getting Caught for several years while Caesar gets shanked and a four-sided civil war erupts in Italy.

We have Sextus to thank for Livia's family escaping the proscriptions! He gave sanctuary to them and many other refugees and republican sympathizers, especially after Philippi, and later got the proscriptions lifted so they could return home.

Sextus proceeds to kick Octavian's ass, sometimes through raids and destroying ships, but mostly through blocking Italy's food imports. Astonishingly, a lot of Romans side with Sextus and pressure Octavian into making a treaty with him, or else Octavian might end up like dear old Uncle Julius. Yep. Sextus came very close to overthrowing the future emperor with economics.

So what does the treaty look like? It looks like Sextus, Antony and Octavian standing awkwardly on wooden platforms a hundred feet apart on the ocean, because Sextus is NOT letting himself get sea-shanked like his dad was.

At the celebration party afterward Sextus' lieutenant asks "Do I shank them sir? While they're drunk and surrounded by our dudes?" And Sextus goes "Uggghhh why did you have to TELL me, you should've just killed them but now I'm honor-bound to say no."

Also the treaty lasts for like five minutes before Octavian and Sextus are fighting again. (Antony runs off to vibe with Cleopatra.)

Sextus goes ✨full theater kid ✨and starts calling himself the Son of Neptune, sacrificing horses to the sea, and wearing a spiffy blue cape. Oh, and he celebrates beating up Octavian with a commemorative coin. That's Scylla the sea monster on the right there. Metal.

Octavian continues to be an incredibly bad admiral, at one point being reduced to huddling in a cave and cursing out Neptune after a storm destroys his ships. He resorts to calling in Marcus Agrippa from Gaul.

Agrippa takes one look at this terrifyingly competent pirate/freedom fighter/Percy Jackson roleplayer, who can wreck ships faster than Agrippa can build them. So Agrippa has to build his fleet in a fucking lake that's supposedly the entrance to the Roman underworld and connect the lake to the sea, just to keep Sextus from wrecking his shit too early.

You know you're a badass when it takes an army from the gate of Hades itself to stop you.

Sextus Pompey and Marcus Agrippa have an EPIC showdown (and Sextus destroys Octavian's fleet again, just for fun). Agrippa wins because he's absurdly perfect at everything. Sextus yeets off to Asia Minor where one of Antony's lackeys executes him.

And you'd think that would be the end of it...but...

400 years later Emperor Julian writes a...fanfiction? in which Neptune is still mad at Octavian, and bullies him again, making this one of the longest-running jokes in Roman history.

Sextus Pompey was the last great leader claiming to defend the republic against the triumvirs, and he was incredibly resourceful, competent, and brave from a young age. His tragic backstory, flair for the dramatic, moments of honor and compassion, and the fact that he very nearly won mean he deserves way more attention than he gets.

#put him at the same table as ventidius and labienus and lucullus and sertorius #the underappreciated roman commanders club #sextus pompey #sextus pompey appreciation post #just roman asks #jlrrt essays

91 notes · View notes

saintmeghanmarkle · 5 months

Text

A Year in Review: All the times Meghan Markle been publicly called out in 2023. Highlights and favorite #MarkleMoment from last year? 📌Part 1 of 2

These are her humiliating moments over past year that she’s been publicly called out for in some way. All with proof, all archived from media reports around the world. Get cozy, save this post, and as always, appreciate the upvotes so it doesn't get targeted for downvotes! Posting it now as many of us will be celebrating Christmas with our loved ones. Although we are a diverse bunch, this unites us all :)

Here’s some from 2022 to inspire you:

Harry and Megan of “overseas”

the Funeral candle

no Jubilee balcony

voetsek Megan

I love the part where…(YouTube comments on their Netflix trailer)

Marriott Meg

12% Rotten Tomatoes rating for Netflix flopumentary, with her cutesy (mocking) curtesy

What was your favourite from 2023?

Air New Zealand’s epic trolling tweet re Sussex Class (a truly underrated gem). Proves Meg never bought Thomas Markle his flights for the wedding, as Harry claimed in Spare. https://archive.ph/wip/chjhf

'Live to Lead' quietly dumped on Netflix New Year’s Day. Jacinda Arden's PMO puts out a statement that when she filmed it years earlier it wasn’t affiliated with Harry and Meghan. https://archive.ph/DiDzT

South Park, Worldwide Privacy Tour episode.https://archive.ph/Sqc99

Frogmore no more. KCIII evicts Harry and Meg from Frogmore. Toad Abode eviction, just leave your spare keys on the bench.https://archive.ph/PeCPQ

9 edits on a Telegraph article about Harry and Meg's 'appalling treatment' from the Royal family. https://archive.ph/wip/suU7g

Chris Rock blasts their victimhood (on Netflix special, extra irony). Points out all families speculate on what the baby will look like. https://archive.ph/3NdgW

The underrated British Vogue moment, where they posted a pic of the best wedding veils of all time of Meghan, intentionally on William and Catherine’s anniversary. The public response was epic. They were not having it. Trolled by posting pics of Catherine in her veil. https://twitter.com/BritishVogue/status/1652309496482394116

Coronation weekend: Montecito Meg will never appear in that historical record. Claims a 4 years olds birthday is more important (hot tip: kids are portable. Just like Lili was for her birthday during the Queens Jubilee). Weak PR attempt about lemon cake with lemons from her tree, and somehow Harry defying the laws of physics and time to make it back in time for Archie’s alleged party. Close second: her urban safari hike PR pap walk the next day. Honourable mention: Anne’s feather. https://archive.ph/m0fcH https://archive.ph/9BsWW https://archive.ph/7UNDp

Queen of Hertz; flees via high speed “near catastrophic car chase” papped taxi “chase” that the taxi driver, Backgrid, and NYPD deny. 4 paps, with 1 on a bike. For 2.5 hours. Yes, a bike. https://archive.ph/EBmZ9

Spotify, bye-bye to “f$&@ing grifters”. https://archive.ph/OWTI2

Publicly manifesting Duchess of Dior? Dior source is “nonplussed as to how the story came about.” Dior firmly stares - No Deal! Update: a few months later, Princess Maria Olympia of Greece has a Dior and Aquazura contract. Repeats the process with Cartier page six article Aug 6th. Nothing. Camilla wears Dior a few days later. https://archive.ph/wip/k0hiA

Netflix manifesting: rom coms, Bad Manners feminist Miss Havisham, Harry saves Africa (sarcasm on it not being a country), Meg to offer advice of safe birthing practices, buying the rights to a Princess who dies in a car crash https://archive.ph/wip/W9xQg https://archive.ph/wip/8COXT https://archive.ph/JDspD

“Turns out Meghan Markle was not a great audio talent, or necessarily any kind of talent” - United Talent Agency CEO Jeremy Zimmer. https://archive.ph/wip/4TnM6

Taylor Swift turned down Archetypes Spotify appearance. https://archive.ph/VjC07

No Emmy nomination for Harry and Meghan, "devastated". Scoreboard: Meg = 0 nominations. Thomas Markle = 2 Emmy wins. https://archive.ph/wip/m3PQS

UnSussexful trends on Twitter after Harry and Meg blame their lack of success on "bad luck."https://archive.ph/CauG3

Report surfaces that Sussexes tried to bum a ride on Air Force One following QEII’s funeral. Access denied. Also tried to tie Jill Biden’s lemon dress the day after the Oprah interview to Meg as a sign of support. Meg sends Jill a basket of lemons. https://archive.ph/ZofTQ

Celeb “friends” bail. Public reports the Beckhams aren’t friends after no invite to Brooklyn’s wedding, no celeb studded InterMiami game. Serena holds a baby shower, no Meg to be found.https://archive.ph/k02N8 https://archive.ph/6rfSO

No birthday wishes from the Royals. Confirms no Balmoral for the one year anniversary of the Queen’s death, despite the Sussexes confirming they will be in Germany the day after for Invictus.https://archive.ph/0IAaO

Sussexes claim to be friends with John Travolta! And he noped that one in record time.https://archive.ph/dPjLW

Meg attempt to convince everyone she was at the Taylor Swift concert in LA while Harry is in Japan/Singapore but no pics exist. Despite many actual celebs having pics there. Not a single one. Outside of the one helpfully provided to Page Six that’s a cropped version of her pink linen suit from the Laker’s game, Harry cropped out. Later, the pic is updated with Harry back in it after it's pointed out on this sub. https://archive.ph/DhvlY

Meg dresses in beige coat, scarf, in August. In California. Attempts to merch them, including the Nucalm (aka sticker) on her wrist, with only that cuff of the coat helpfully rolled up to show it off better. Note she has not managed to elude the pap on her “casual walk”, yet there is nary a pic from the Swift concert. Skills. Despite posting it on their own Insta with a promo code, one day later NuCalm denies that they are affiliated with Meg. Ouch. https://archive.ph/MVGfP

A) Meg and Harry attend Beyoncé to deflect for on the Heart of Invictus flop and rumours their marriage is in trouble. Harry manages to make Beyoncé with Meg look like he's a sulking toddler. B) Meg attempts to change the SEO results and attends Beyoncé a second night in a row, takes pics with Kerri Washington and Kelly Rowland. Kerri Washington crops Meg OUT of the pic on her Instagram.https://archive.ph/As4RZ https://archive.ph/wip/NOL8m

Meg’s Backgrid planned pap, inside the restaurant, at In N Out. Allegedly buying milkshakes for a 2 yr old and 4 yr old an hour away. Which is why she's 'late' to Invictus. (Still think this was likely her assistant who hopped out of the car, went inside to take the pic, and then met her after the drive through, and they sold the pic via Backgrid.) https://archive.ph/wip/bvgjX

post link: A Year in Review: All the times Meghan Markle been publicly called out in 2023. Highlights and favorite #MarkleMoment from last year? : SaintMeghanMarkle (reddit.com)

author: somespeculation

submitted: December 17, 2023 at 02:25PM via SaintMeghanMarkle on Reddit

47 notes · View notes

sapphicpoetspost · 1 year

Text

my favorite aspect of animal crossing new horizons is the gender euphoria I get from playing it. all your villagers automatically refer to your character with they/them pronouns, regardless of what "style" you select or how your character presents. epic win for nonbinary gamers!

the ability to experiment with hair dye, short hair, etc. is one of the game's most fun features. regardless of which "style" you pick you have access to all the same clothing items and hairstyles. you can also change your "style" at any point throughout the game! epic win for all trans gamers!

the fact that gender doesn't exist in animal crossing it's "choose your style" is amazing. (although it does result in many moments of confusion selecting back and forth between the two options, wishing there was a "none of the above" or "no" option)

Animal Crossing New Horizons: Please choose your style.

Me: No.

Animal Crossing New Horizons: You can change this later.

Me: Fine. I'll play along, Nintendo. But I promise you I will change this so many times, I'll forget what I have it set as at any given moment.

*Disclaimer: despite celebrating positive experiences I've had with this game, I acknowledge that animal crossing still has work to do to be more trans inclusive. you choose your name when you begin the game. after that, there isn't a way to change your name without completely starting over your island. this leaves some trans ppl having to choose between losing their progress in the game or being deadname. I hope Nintendo implements a way to change your name without restarting in future updates.

#animal crossing #animal crossing new horizons #nonbinary #nonbinary memes #they/them

176 notes · View notes

disneyparksattractionstournament · 8 months

Text

Favorite Disney Parks Attraction Showdown: Round 3 - Group A

Videos and propaganda under the cut!

MuppetVision 3D: Disneyland, WDW Hollywood Studios

Propaganda:

"Muppets!!! We love the Muppets!!! And also the last thing Jim Henson worked on!!!"

youtube

It's a Small World: (Any version/park!): Disneyland, WDW Magic Kingdom, Tokyo Disneyland,Disneyland Paris, Hong Kong Disneyland)

Propaganda:

"it's a small world" is one of the oldest rides still standing today, and I think it's for good reason. It might not be as thrilling as expedition everest or as flashy as the haunted mansion, but it has a distinct charm that has people coming back year after year. The design of the ride itself - inspired by Mary Blair - is whimsical without being garish; the gold and white of Disneyland Anaheim is reminiscent of their early classic films, while the colorful geometric shapes in Tokyo Disneyland are fun and funky. It's one of the few rides with installations in every park. The propulsion system created for it would go on to be used in later rides like pirates of the caribbean, so if you're a fan of the latter, you have the former to thank for that. You either love or hate the infamous song, but there's no denying that it's catchy. What's more, I think what really keeps people coming back is it's message. "it's a small world'' emphasizes unity, but it also celebrates the diversity and uniqueness of cultures around the world. It's not "you and I are both the same", it's "you and I might be different, but at the end of the day we both laugh and cry and have hopes and fears and many more similarities than what our geography and government tries to say". Sure, it might be corny, but it's not like anyone goes to Disney to get away from this type of cheesy shmaltziness."

"Taken from Escape From Vault Disney podcast, but, three women and a stoner were the main artists and I think that's important. Adding to that, the song is good and no I don't care if it's annoying. Listen to the original version, it's freaking beautiful. Mary Blair art is cute and charming and the whole attraction just looks like kids coloring and drawing and singing and being friends!!! The adult chorus in the finale room is like the parents joining in and spending time with their children and encouraging their kids to respect each other and don't judge people. But also it's like those kids are adults now and refuse to let negativity win and they see the beauty and kindness in people and dang it, that's what being human is about!!!! Be kind to others and accept and help people because we got one earth people!!! And it has just one moon and one golden sun!!! Also the clock has a name. His name is Glockenspiel and he's just a happy guy I love him. Also inspired the boss in Epic Mickey and that boss theme is so good omg"

"it's stuck in your head now isn't it"

"the song may be annoying. it may be creepy. it might, despite its intentions, come off as kind of xenophobic. but, goddamn, it's one of the few good memories i have from my disneyland trips as a child"

Video is of Disneyland, but any version/your fav for the poll!

youtube

#disney parks #disney parks attractions tournament #poll #disney #disney world #tournament poll #disneyland #round 3 #muppets #hollywood studios #muppetvision #small world #wdw #Youtube

37 notes · View notes

nicolesainz · 2 years

Text

The burgundy on my t-shirt when you splashed your wine into me (CS55)

Carlos Sainz x female reader

warnings!! mature content 18+ sexual themes!!

It was Carlos’s 28th birthday. Another epic weekend for him, since he won his second Grand Prix ever in Zandvoort. This was truly a moment to cherish. Me, Charles, Rupert and Onõro, found this as the perfect opportunity to host him a surprise party in order to celebrate both occasions.

The boys were in charge of keeping him occupied throughout the day, while I was taking care of decorations and preparing Carlos’s house alongside with his family. I was sure they would keep him away from the house, since as a newly Spanish Grand Prix winner, the streets of Madrid would flood with his fans and Ferrari supporters who would congratulate him on another epic win.

- R : How is everything going? Need any help?

- Y/N : Everything is in control. Don’t stress. If I need anything, I’ll let you know.

-R : Great! We are at the golf track now and probably will still be until you call us to head back

- Y/N : I will text you when it’s time to bring him in

-R : Noted. By the way, he’s been asking for you. The moments we got in the car he said “Where’s Y/N? Is she not coming? She loves golf”. Obviously I said you were with a few friends.

- Y/N : Thanks Rupert! I owe you. Also he really believes I like golf?

- R : Not simply like. You love it.

- Y/N : I must be doing something wrong or he’s blind. Anyway, gotta go. Have fun and don’t come back until I say so!

- R : Copy that. See you soon

I hung up the phone and headed to my car. Needed to drop by the market to buy a few ingredients I was lacking of.

My car was smelling as if Carlos was in at the moment. His smell is so intoxicating but also calming simultaneously. My breathing would get heavier every time he hugged me. It was a safe place. By the years this hug made my heart race faster than it used to and bring back memories from our childhood that made me realize I was in love with him since forever.

As I was walking around the market in search of the ingredients, I felt a body knocking me off and it falling down too a few seconds later

“I am so sorry. I wasn’t looking at where I was going. Are you okay?” that voice that echoed through my ears was more than familiar

“Isa?”

“Y/N? Hi! I feel even more bad now. Please forgive me. Are you hurt?” she was as sweet as always. The Isa I first met in middle school. The kindest person. Carlos’s ex girlfriend too. I was the reason they got together. At a mutuals friends party, we were all hanging out and decided to introduce them. Two months later, they announced they were dating. Their relationship was very private. Very few of us knew they were together. Even at races, she would only be pictured alongside me and not Carlos.

“No, I am sorry. My mind was wandering somewhere else. How have you been?”

She then started telling me about leaving Madrid and living permanently in Portugal, working with one of her best friends as a model. Also mentioned she was in a relationship with one of her co-workers and a very famous Portuguese model. Of course, I already knew since I follow her socials. It was her first ever public relationship. Isa did not like to post much about Carlos. With the amount of fans he had as a Formula 1 driver, she had heard from other girlfriends how some comments may get really nasty. So she preferred to stay away from the spotlight. It was better for both of them.

“I am so glad your life is going this great! You deserve it”

“Thank you. But, tell me about you! How is everything? Are the boys good? Give them my regards”

“I am good. Flying out almost every now and then. Trying to combine work with the races and personal life. The boys are good too. We are hosting Carlos a birthday party tonight”

For a split second, my mind thought about simply not inviting her. I wouldn't know if Carlos or her would feel comfortable around each other. But I also didn't want to be rude.

“You are more than welcomed if you would like to come!”

“Sadly, I can't. I’m flying out tonight. Plus, I don't think it would be a great idea for me and Carlos to be in the same room”

“Oh okay. Well, whenever you are back in town, don't hesitate to text me. We could hang out, the two of us”

“I would be more than happy to meet up again. I hope you guys have fun today. And Y/N, go for it. Don't let your chance go away”

“What chance?”

“He truly loves you more than anyone on this planet. We all know that. Don't let it go to waste” she gave me a kind smile with a playful wink.

“Have a safe trip Isa”

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

- R: Can we come back? If I stay here with him a minute longer, he won't make it alive

- Y/N : Yes you can. I was about to text you. Guests are slowly arriving.

- R : Fucking finally! We are on our way. I will let you know when we are close

- Y/N : See you soon. And bring the birthday boy back alive

No more than twenty minutes later, Rupert texted me that they are 5 minutes away. I told everyone to hide behind the couches, as I would be hiding behind the door! I truly wanted him to like this surprise. That moment brought back to my mind Isa’s words. Should I really go for it? Confess my feelings after 25 years? As I was thinking about all the possible scenarios in my head, I suddenly heard the door unlocking.

“Honestly Carlos I could literally hit you with-” Rupert was about to say when we all interrupted him

“SURPRISE!! Feliz cumpleaños Carlos!!” His eyes were glowing. They were wandering around the room, seeing all his friends and family together. Before he could say anything, his focus turned on me. It was like he was about to rip my heart out. I had never seen such kindness in his look.

“Gracias a todos. Lo aprecio mucho. Estoy agradecido por todos ustedes (thank you everyone. I appreciate it dearly. I am grateful for all of you)

Charles, Rupert and Onõro went to hug him first. Then his parents were in line with his sisters and afterwards Lando, Max, Pierre and Daniel.

When he was finished with everyone, he quickly wrapped his arms around me and held me so tight, as if I was about to run away. All the memories were flooding back, every little “thank you” and “you're the best person” were echoing through my ears. I could feel his grip getting tighter around my waist. My arms were caressing and gripping his back equally tightly. I could have stayed like this forever.

“Te quiero a muerte”(i love you to death) he softly whispered to my ear, as he placed me back and let go of me.

“Enjoy the party Mr. Sainz” I gave him a playful look and was about to go get a drink, when he grabbed my arm and pulled me close to him.

“So that's why you’ve been missing all day, huh?”

“I definitely wasn't with any friends whatsoever”

“Don’t you wanna spend some time with the birthday boy, no?”

“The birthday boy wants you though” his eyes darkened and a sense of lust appeared in them. One I hadn't seen before

“Go play with the other boys Carlos. I will be around” he lets go of my hand and I move towards the table with the drinks and chat with Rupert for a while.

“He hasn’t taken his eyes off of you” Rupert quickly mentions before taking a sip of his drink

“What do you mean?” I take a quick glance at Carlos who was currently laughing at something that Lando said

“Oh come on Y/N! We all know Carlos secretly likes you, even though he doesn't want to admit it”

“And what exactly can I do about that?”

“Talk to him? Explain how you feel? He hasn’t dated in 2,5 years. Nor been with any woman.”

“I don't think its a good idea Rup. We have been best friends since forever. He would hate me and I would hate myself too if I make this relationship awkward”

“Y/N, listen to Rupert. Plus, he thinks you like me. And I don't wanna end up in a dog fight with my teammate” Charles came by, as he was listening to the conversation we were having.

“We will see”

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was past 2 am and everyone had left. I told everyone that I would take care of the mess and clean it up. I was the one least drunk. As I was throwing away all the empty bottles, I heard a loud thump coming from outside of the kitchen.

“Carlos? Are you alright?” I raised the tone of my voice so he could hear me

“Yes, cariño! More than alright” I went up to him and held him steady as he was about to fall down. The wine he had in the plastic cup was splashed on my shirt, which made his eyes grow. The cold feeling of the wine made my nipples visible, since I had taken off my bra.

Carlos’s eyes were scanning my whole body from top to bottom. He bit his lower lip and said in one breath:

“Cómo es que nunca me había dado cuenta de lo hermosa que eres?” (How come I had never noticed how beautiful you are?)

The blood quickly rushed to my cheeks, which made me lower my look from his. I didn't know how to feel. To my surprise, I saw the grown bulge on Carlos’s jeans, which made me leave the room. Before I could react, he jumped in front of me and stopped.

“Its bedtime mr. winner. I have more work to do”

“I would much rather you being occupied somehow else”

At that moment, he brought his two fingers under my chin and lifted it up for me to look at him. His beautiful eyes were calming my soul down but his rosy lips were setting it on fire. There was a war going on right now between my heart and brain.

“I would give up the whole world for you. Just to make you happy. I am sorry for all the pain I have caused you. I have never loved someone more than you. And I don't think my heart will ever allow me to” the words that came out of his mouth, were the reason why I felt alive at that moment.

“Puedo besarte?” (can i kiss you?)

All i simply did was grab him by the hem of his shirt and connect our lips. This was all I was wishing for. He didn't waist time to lift me up and carry me upstairs to his bedroom. His lips were following a path that was going between my neck and lips. A soft groan escaped my mouth as he bit my lower lip hungrily. When we reached his bedroom he threw me on the bed and took off his shirt quickly. What a sight for sore eyes!

Then climbed back to my body and begun slowly undressing me, while his lips were constantly connected to mine. Once my shirt was gone, his mouth flew towards my hardened nipples and started making circles with his tongue around them

“Oh my lord-“

“No need for praising baby”

His hands were making their way towards my panties which were soon destroyed as Carlos ripped them apart fiercely.

“I’m so sorry for wasting so much time cariño”

My womanhood was dripping wet and Carlos seemed to be more than pleased with this result. He lowered his head, which I followed with my eyes and started leaving hungry kisses on my pussy.

He suddenly rose up

“How many? Show me”

I held up 2 fingers

“What a good girl. Abre, mi amor (open up, my love)”

I obliged to his command and spread my legs wide. I seriously couldn’t believe this was happening. Suddenly, there was a blissful feeling inside of me. As if I was one step away from heaven. His fingers were pumping in the perfect rhythm, earning a louder groan from me.

“Am I the only man you’ve been this wet for, cariño?”

“Y-yes” I said with no hesitation

“Don’t keep your voice down. I want to hear you. Louder” his movements became faster and my pussy was clenching around his fingers

“Fucking hell Carlos” my moan was even louder now. Just what he wanted

“Hell? I must be doing something wrong then. I wanna send you to heaven”

“I’m go-gonna-co-come” I let out a soft whimper as I was too focused on how his fingers were making me feel so good

“Then do so,Hermosa. On my fingers” in a few thrusts, I felt the warm liquid leaving my body and I finally opened my eyes. A sight of Carlos with his messy hair being underneath me was presented. I thought I was dreaming. But then I realized I wasn’t, once he put his fingers in his mouth to taste me.

“Cielo(heaven)” Carlos gave me a lusty smirk, brining his face closer to mine and sharing a hungry kiss. His hands were firmly cupping my cheeks, while mine were roaming all over his muscly and tense body. When I reached the lace of his underwear, Carlos looked at me with pleading look.

“I’m yours to use. However you want. Make me feel alive again” this phrase, was the beginning of everything. A wild story was about to unfold.

My fingers lurked inside his pants and firmly pushed them downwards, which lead to his cock being fully exposed to my eyesight. I was slightly taken aback, at which Carlos commented,

“Te gusta lo que ves?(do you like what you see?)”

“Full of surprises Sainz”

“Only for you”

I lowered myself on my knees. Once I was beneath him, my lips softly touched the tip of his cock, which made Carlos flinch a little. I smiled at his reaction. My tongue did a few first swirls around it, before opening up fully and taking his entirety inside me. I started off slowly until I could find the best pace for the both of us. My free hands were simultaneously squeezing his balls to give him more of a feeling of who was now in control.

“My fantasies just became my reality” he softly spoke out. Those words made my heart race faster. Was I really his fantasy? This whole time?”

I started sending the pre-cum, coming from his tip in the back of my throat. To which I didn’t complain. Means I was doing something right.

He hasn’t stopped looking at me. As if he is taking a picture of me with his eyes.

“Darling I’m close” he let out in coordination with a loud moan

In less than a few second my mouth was filled with his juices.

“Swallow. Every. Last. Drop” his lips were brushing mine and I did so before he could kiss me again.

“Thank you for the gift Princesa”

“Happy birthday Carlos”

“I know I’m very late, but I want you to know that I love you. Every bit of you. Unconditionally. And I always will” his eyes were sparkling as those words escaped his mouth.

“I’m glad this isn’t one of my dreams, because I love you too. As a best friend and more than that”

————————————————————————

#carlos sainz f1 #carlos sainz one shot #smut #formula 1 #carlos sainz jr #carlos sainz x reader #carlos sainz imagine

212 notes · View notes

popculturebuffet · 14 days

Text

Supermay!: President Luthor Review (Comission by WeirdKev27)

Hello all you happy people and welcome back to SUPERMAY, a month long celebration of all things superman.

Today we spotlight one of the greatest villians of all time. Not even going to undersell it I LOVE Lex Luthor, in large thanks to Clancy Brown's performance as the man the myth the legend in Superman the Animated Series and Justice League. Wether he's a super scientest, a super buisness man or some combo of the three, Lex is a fascinating character.

Lex is a perfect mirror to clark: Clark had two loving wonderful parents, Luthor's were abusive. Clark has incredible power, but uses it to help people, while Luthor has incredible intellgence but uses it to crush others under his heel metaphorically or quite literally depending on the day. Clark is empathetic and belivies in everyone, while Lex belivies in no one but himself. They don't just come into conflict because Luthor is a terrible person.. they come into conflict because it's hard for these two to coexist: Superman wants Luthor held acountable and as a rich white man in america, that's a tall order, and Luthor simply can't STAND that all these people love Superman and not him.

So that lead's us to today's comic, an intresting chapter in Lex's history borne ENTIRELY out of that egocentric spite: In 2000 Lex Luthor ran for president.. and he WON. Most of you are likely aware this happened as it's been adapted a few times, the movie superman/batman: public enemies adapting the end of his presdiency, Justice League Unlimited featuring him doing said campaign (if JUST to piss superman off/further his evil plans), and Smallville has that happen somewhere.

It's an iconic storyline.. that's sadly undercollected. Yeah today's review covers trade released after an even less subtle evil billionare won the presdiency.. and the probelm is Luthor's campaign was less a storyline and more a big status quo change. As such this collection covers a handful of stories, dosen't really feel like an actual storyline, and only covers up till just after Lex is elected.

There IS a decent reason as this trade was likely reconfigured from the original trade released around the time the storyline happened, and the year after this they began reprinting the era these stories come from in "Superman: The City of Tommorow"... which stopped after two volumes. DC.. isn't great at collecting it's own history, though marvel's only a smidge ahead thanks to their Epic Collection line. They have a bad tendency to stop halfway through and this was a casuality.

Still this trade does at least provide a peak into the election of lex luthor, why he ran, who his running mate was, and how Clark took his greatest enemy WINNING. So join me under the cut for all that and more!

Our first of many stories, and pieces of stories, is The Why. And it's easily my faviorite collected here as it's simple yet brilliant. It's a story with no dialouge till the final panel, with muted colors around, that follows a day in the life of Lex Luthor.. and how no matter what he does or where he goes he can't escape superman: He sees him on a news, at newstands, an employee having a superman action figure (who he naturally gestures his assitant to fire), even a tatoo on a woman he was going to flirt with and maybe unsatisfygly do sex with. I mean lex CAN be hot but let's face it: there is no way in hells someone that egocentric is not selfish in bed.

So we get to the final page.. where he sees a headline with superman and gets an idea. A wonderful awful idea

It's a true masterpiece and while some would say "would luthor REALLY be so petty as to run for president just to spite superman", I say "Early into this post crisis version of the character the man spent billions of dollars and had a woman kidnapped to find out his secret identity and later created a temporary cure to Lois Lane's mother's terminal illness just so she'd date him". Pre-Crisis he was sore superman made him bald and dedicated his life to destroying him. Lex Luthor is a petty bitch and always has been.

This brilliant story was by Greg Rucka, who if you haven't heard of him, you rmissing out. Rucka has done a ton of work at DC with the two standouts to me being his sadly short lived run on Wonder Woman, redefening the character, givnig her her own lex luthor and really just killing it. THen eh did it AGAIN for rebirth. The other is his run on Catwoman, which took Frank Miller's edgelord riffic Year One retcon of Catwoman having been a sex worker.. and recontexualizes it, making Selina's rough background part of her and making her a champion for sex workers and others who simply dont' have one, taking what was meant as stupid fanservice and giving it depth and weight. What i'ms aying is he's really awesome so it's not a shock some of the best stories here are him.

So we then go to part of a story called Adversaries, by JM Demattis, one half of the masterful team behind Justice League International. As Superman is having his morning meditation and thinking "golly gee nothing could ruin this gorgeous day"... Lex Luthor announces he's running for president.

Now you may be asking "Jake how in the flying fuck is lex luthor running for president. " And while 2000's superman is one of the gaps in my comics knowledge I know enough about the time period to know what's going on here and thus why Lex has a shot, with the various storeis themselves filling in a gap or two.

Okay so a while back, Lex Luthor was dying. This was the famous "Kryptonite gave him cancer" story, which I know thanks to the Justice League cartoon. Like the cartoon he eventually escaped it, but rather than Braniac curing it he found another way out: Cloning.

Yes folks Lex Luthor cloned himself, and then pretended to be his own illgitamte child for a while. I mostly know about THIS because I did read the death of superman, reign of the supermen and return of superman all of which happen while Lex is pretending to be his own son and also romancing supergirl who was a shapeshifted alien blob who trusted him for something at the time rather than a teenage girl, which still dosen't make it less creepy as it's still lex luthor grinding up against a member of superman's family. He's also the reason she didn't intervene in said death, telling her to back off clearly hoping superman would die. Granted he ALWAYS hopes superman will die this time he just happened to be correct.

The clone eventually degraded, Luthor blew up metropolis, and he made a deal with the demon neron for a new body. He later pinned all his crimes on a "failed clone" and thus was scott free for any overt supervillany. So as far as anyone knows Luthor's record is clean.

Helping this are two factors: one is that while Luthor was shady as fuck, like most buisnessmen in the 80's and 90's he didn't go around announcing it or hoping he can get courts to ignore his crimes and put them down to "politics". He kept his hands clean like any shady billionare so superman could stop his nonsense, but couldn't really stop HIM, with superman the animated series keeping with this line of thought.

The other is that any shady stuff left tha tcould be dug up.. was erased. See something very weird I haven't read the storyline for happened right before this: at the dawn of the millnieum, braniac attacked and converted metropolis into a literal city of tommorow, a futurestic city packed with fancy tech, robots and other stuff. Braniac was beat but Luthor barganed with him: His baby daughter for the knowledge of how to work all this. Thus Lex was able to make everything run well and had the popular vote.

Finally we have the climax of the year long Batman epic No Man's Land, a story that like president luthor has been adapted a few times because it's that good an idea. Now what it was was a bit nuts.. after a massive earthquake and a plauge, the goverment, backed by some shady folks hoping to profit off the situation, decided Gotham just.. wasn't part of america anymore.

Yeah they just.. set up guards so no one got in or out, and it was declared a no man's land, hence the title. Many evacuated but some coudln't and some like Batman, the GCPD and most of Batman's partners stayed behind to try and save the city. It introduced Cassandra Cain Batgirl, and was where Nightwing and Oracle finally hooked up.

The important part to this is towards the end, as the goverment was finally shamed into doing the right thing Luthor stepped up to help rebuild the city. Naturally this being Lex Luthor he can't do a nice thing unless it either benefits him or pisses off superman somehow, and so he tried to steal the city out from under it's citizens, foiled naturally by batman. So while Batman stopped his shit, the public at large just sees this as a huge humanitarian boost and a bane against the incumbent who you know, signed off on no mans land in the first place. Granted any presidency would struggle after electing to abandon a city and let the joker sort it out, but Luthor being the guy who went in and cleaned up the mess only makes it worse.

It's also here I want to stop and point out the obvious parallel: Lex Luthor is a buisnessman, with a reputation for putting his names on things, having heavy ties to one of america's big cities, flaunting his wealth and being pettily vengful at everyone who so much as sneezed at him wrong. As much as I don't want to talk about him, we really can't talk about this arc anymore without talking about Donald Trump.

Luthor getting elected got comparisons to Trump, to the point they threw in the story Luthor the Unauthroized Biography in here despite having happened long before this arc , simply so they could use this cover

The thing is though while the two have SOME similarities, Luthor's campaign was done long before Trumps.. and thus Luthor presents himself as an actual human being instead of some shouty sack of skin and hair plugs who dosen't understand how anything works. Luthor may be evil.. but part of what makes him an intresting villian is the presentation: Luthor wants to be seen as a good man, to be praised. His reputation and power is everything. Thus luthor packages two evil schemes as him trying to help people, packages everything he does carefully.

Trump DOES have a carefully cultivated brand.. but also has zero filter. He never has. He flat out admitted a few months ago he'll be a dictator on day one.. and day 1001 but he didn't say that part, but he sure is thinking it. Trump is a bafoon who got into office preying on people's need for some sort of economic upturn, pandering to racists and other anti-change bigots, and getting a loyal army of fellow dumbasses to back him and whatever he does, to the point his loyalists held the senate hostage and that he's been able to use them to get away with formenting an insurrection. Would lex luthor storm the captial? yes. Would he do it in a way that couldn't possibly be linked to him? Yes.

Again i'm not saying Lex is a good person: he gave his daughter to an alien robot man. Lex Luthor is a monster. I'm saying that he dosen't really resemble trump.. because he's a FUNCTIONAL monster. Part of why this arc works is that you can see WHY lex can sell america on this as he uses a mostly pristine image. Trump had a combination of luck and racisim. Luthor actually worked at it.

Anyways one of Superman's foes The Adversary, a guy I know nothing about and whose unrelated to the trickster god from marvel far as I know, kidnaps luthor, superman rescues him.. and superman is all too happy to give him a haughty "your welcome" after luthor is a dick about it saying his people could've handled the giant flying man as strong as superman.

Our next story is another Greg Rucka banger, The Most Suitable person and is another tie to Batman. Lex knows he can't keep his company and since he gave away his only children to use as a puppet king, he instead courts the best woman for the job: Talia, daughter of Batman superfoe Ra's Al Ghul. It's an intresting pull and makes sense: He could have his right hand woman mercy run it.... but he needs her at his side for his evil schemes and it'd still look like he was running it. He needs someone he can trust to run it and not take it from him, but also not make it less evil.

Talia at the time was on the outs from her dad and not really in a mood to accept given the centruies old head of a large terrioist group kinda wants her dead. Lex naturally takes her no.. by having a bunch of mercnaries pretending to be her dad's men. It IS left ambigious if it was really them.. but like Talia I fully think Lex set this up and despite his refusals he WOULD blow up a building and get 17 mercs killed just to get what he wants. She agrees to here him out if only because it's clear he won't take no for an answer... and there's no telling what he'd do for an encore.

Next is the great debate, a fun short story and another likely backup. This time it's from my boy Peter David, writer of X-Factor over at marvel, and Young Justice and Supergirl here at dc among a LOT more. It's a fun three pager where Luthor has a nightmare of a debate.. with two face.

Next is some forward movement with the concept, the american way by Jeph Loeb, who'd not only write superman for the luthor presidency as a whole, but would also write it's end with Public Enemies.

Lois and Clark get an ugly suprise that morning: Luthor's picked his running mate..and it's Clark's childhod friend Pete Ross, a former senator and clear pick to get the vote of midwesteners. And living in the mid west I can tell you this ploy probably woudl've worked.

Clark heads down there to find out what the hell and after LUthor exploits his sudden apperance for press, Clark asks pete what the fuck. Pete explains he's given up on dreaming: he wants to be a winner dammit and Luthor is going to win.

Clark confides in his parents, with Pa not knowing what the hell got into Pete.. I mean he was apparently always a moron but my god. Clark considers talking to his wife Lana, Clark's childhood sweetheart, and Ma tells him he should but that she's suffered enough and he shoudlnt' write a piece against pete.. even though pete did this dumbass thing himself and it's clark's job as a reporter, not to mention pete FLAT OUT ADMITTED he's only doing this because he wants to win.

Lois goes to work where Perry, SHOCKINGLY isn't happy. Also she ignores Jimmy, expect that to be a theme here. At any rate, Perry is pissed, but Lois is more concerned about a ticking time bomb: she agreed to kill any one story luthor asked and is afraid the bill will come due. This.. dosen't come up strangely. I THINK it plays into the arc, but I can't be sure as it's missing here.

Superman decides to deal with his own issues with this whole situation the way he does.. by battling a giant monster in the atlantic. He wins.. but finds a bigger problem, Aquaman, whose still in his angry phase but is ANGRIER than even usual: turns out it's Lexcorp that's been causing creatures like the giant monster thing to go nuts, and he's going to do something about it even as Clark TRIES To get him to calm the hell down. Thankfully this isn't bad character writing as there's a reason for Arthur being mopeier than usaul.

For now Clark swoops into an event for Lex, but before he can talk to Lana, Aquaman shows up with a giant net to kidnap lex luthor

Superman naturally goes after him only to find THE ARMIES OF ATLANTIS led by former aqualad and current tempest garth, who orders superman to stand down or he'll flood the city

Garth is the key indicator somethin'gs up: arthur does have a tendency to be a grumpus in this era, him doing this isn't SUPER out of character.. but declaring war and Garth participating in it and activating a giant wave machine? Something's fucked.

Superman may be faster than a speeding bullet.. but he isn't fast enough to stop garth.

Thankfully he gets some help from the boys YOUNG JUSTICE IS HERE! Specifically the comics version, which I love dearly and which is nothing like what got on screen. Nothing against the cartoon, Weisman did a great job, it's just based more on the teen titans with bits of greg's own ideas. Young Justice is more like the teen titans cartoon , which was intended to be a YJ adaptation but they coudln't get the rights to some of the cast.

The lineup for this crossover is the core of the team: Robin (Tim Drake), Superboy (conner king) Impulse, and Wonder Girl (Cassie Sandmark), along with their mentor and advisor and babysitter my boy red Tornado. Clark is.. less than enthused, but takes the help as they hit the streets. Naturally things don't go on too long before robin and cassie get eaten by that big thing from earlier.

This is on purpose though: Tim revs up the super cycle, had cord attached to it and superboy and later superman PULLL PULLL while he revs up, allowing them to pull the thing back into the ocean. Superman sincerly compliments them, which is nice: clark may be mildly frustrated with them.. but he's still superman. He's not a dick and as weird as the plan was, it worked. He quickly saves lois , as he do then goes to rescue Luthor.

This being Luthor though.. he spins it in his favor. He claims he had no idea the braniac tech he was using was turning sea life mad.. including the atlantians, explaning why Arthur done did a war crime, and vows to actually fix it, spinning this pr disaster into a win.

Then he gets another PR win.. the hard way. He gets shot. The culprit is Jenny Hubbard, a minor character I had to look up, a waitress he once offered a million dollars to spend a month with him... then left long before she could accept the offer, it being a cruel prank he does to fuck with people. Naturally the media spins it as her being delusional... it also uses the same shot for an entire page but i'll only show you 4 panels

Also for some reason they didn't think to not have a shot wher eluthor looks like a preist getting down instead of having just taken a bullet... he smiles in his hotel room. It's as if he planned it.

The next story is another Loeb story, and another backup, tales from the Bizzaro World. Batman shows up and he's understandably nettled: As I mentioned, and learned from this story, the braniac 13 thing wiped Luthor's records. That means there's no dirt to dig up, the planets records also wiped and Batman wants to know if Clark personally has anything.

Clark dosen't.. but is pissed Bruce would even ask, pointing out this isn't the usual try to take down luthor thing: their talking about a political canditate running for office and this isn't something they should be doing.

I see both points: Luthor should be stopped and Batman is right ot question the american people's judgement when they let no man's land happen. But Clark is right: he can't just suddenly DECIDE who can be president or can't. He's not king superman. He put away the pope hat ages ago. He can vote, he can use his power at the planet to TRY and stop this.. but they can't just start deciding who runs america. Even if the people choose wrong they should be allowed to choose. Granted i've now seen how bad the people choosing wrong can go.. but the whole point of elections is to prevent a dictator ship, just like this one and likely others after it given the way the republican party is going. If someone else is sinking canditates ;using their billions and connections and bat skills, that's not freedom and clark is aware of it.

We move on to election night as everyone prepares.. and we get a really nice moment with Clark and Jonn

A reminder the leauge isn't thrilled about this either. More on that in a minute

In the office Pete White considers two headlines: Luthor Loooses.. or Luthor wins.

We then get Triumph Over Tragedy, a heavily doctored detaling of luthor's past, leaving out that he killed his dad, that the evil clone was him, etc. It's a neat piece that goes over his history and shows just how mnuch he's buried..a nd he buries it again as he asks cat to cut out the piece. This ending is chilling.. especially now as we have full channels like fox news dedicated to telling blatant lies and propping up people like luthor.

We then get the results as Jimmy is assigned to do a story on where they were when they heard about his announcment.. only for him to be interuppted. Perry announces, comparing it to other disasters.. that luthor has won. They have to press on because shit is going to get bad.. but they ahve to. While the Luthor trump comparssions don't really work for the most part.. this part hits as it's the reality most of us faced that day: that someone truly bad won.

Next up is another greg rucka story. Batman shows up , wanting the kryptonite ring. Luthor can have it or the presdency. Luthor says nah he can have both.. and shows just how bad things are now. While he said in the cartoon "you know how much power i'd have to give up to be president" this shows how much he GAINS: every wet works orginzation in the us now responds to him and he threatens batman: come after him again and he can track him and his allies 24/7 and he will. Bruce says he'll be back.. but it's an empty threat. Luthor.. has once again won. It's a great shor tlittle story, showing WHY Batman was so afraid of this and how even Superman's equal... can't lay a finger on him. Luthor.. has won.

We get a jeph loeb short story next: have you heard the news. it's a fun short three pager as Superman goes into an absolute RAGE on saturn's moon. He's.. not happy and luthor can see that. I also would like to take a minute to praise Ed McGuinnes, who did the art on Jeph Loeb's story. He has this nice bombastic cartoony style i REALLY love and it's always a pleasure to see him when he pops up and we'll be seeing him again when we cover public enemies at some point.

Next is the confrontation with Lana. Turns out part of Superman's understandable bafflement is that he kidnapped her like I mentioned.. and she never told pete as she couldn't without compromising clark's identity and admits they have NOTHING on luthor and that maybe pete will make it better and her marriage has to be mor eimportant. In other words.. it's all justifications: while Lana COULD have told Pete what happened and it's on her to not trust her husband enough. Clark would've let her. The truth is she just didn't want to and cries as she hopes he won't be president. Unsuprisingly this marriage did not last.

We get one final piece of election night: Superman storming in.. and admitting defeat

I love this image as it just convey's both how little clark wants to do this.. and how much he has to. To show america he won't undercut the president even if that president has cameras on saturn just to see if superman has a venting session.

Next up is a snippet of an issue, where Luthor has his big innaugration parade. He even hired an old friend to help celebrate

Trust. It's interuppted by some protesters from the Suicide Slum, a poorer area of Metropolis that got left behind by the Braniac updgrades to the rest of the city. Luthor dances a little sidestep saying he's not in charge of Lexcorp, he'll look into this, bullshit bullshit.

Clark and Lois go to talk to John Henry Irons, aka Steel aka Lana's next better husband. Then we cut off but we'll be seeing my boy here soon

For now we have my other faviorite story in this collection, a very close second to our first: Help.

Help is set at christmas and follows Clark as he talks with the other members of the Justice League about the shit that just went down, clearly stressed to hell given the people he protets and tries to inspire.. just willingly choose an egomaniac with a shady history to be their new leader. We also get a murder's row of artists for each vingette, written again by Jeph Loeb.

The first is the Martian Manhunter.. and Plastic Man as he was the only member of the expanded league from Morrison's run to stick around because he's awesome. Fun fact; Ben Schwartz has apparently campaigned to play him. James Gunn.. get.. get on that buddy.

Jonn is TRYING to help Clark relax but he can't because he's a boinger. And again a sociopath is in the white house. Clark wonders if he shoudl've done more to stop this.. but Jonn helps put it into perspective: Clark is integrated into this world a bit better than Jonn is, something he envies... especiallys ince what happened made no sense. But he assures clark the second Lex does something illegal, he's there... which also feels like his way of assuring his friend he did the right thing. We also get a sweet moment as plastic man makes him smile. Clark gives the two a gift: rubber bands fo rplastic man, choco's, jonn's faviorite oreo stand in, for .. well guess. It's a fun runner as I love the idea Clark gives his friends each a cheesy gag gift.

Next up is aquaman, by rob liefeld, which is shockingly passable. Clark and Arthur both look pissed off and dead at the same time but at least their spines are in tact. Arthur is actaully on lex's side since he's the first world leader to both promise trade with atlantis and offer commuincation and while Clark admits those are probably lies, Arthur warns they better not be, implying Luthor would be kinda stupid to do anything. Arthur then gets his gift a snowglobe and cracks the closest thing he can to a smile.

Next is a talk with green lantern drawn by Mike Wirnego, who i'm less familiar with but whose art looks sensational and expressive here. Granted anything is expressive after Rob Liefield but still, it's good stuff.

The League's green lantern is Kyle Rayner, imaginative boy and 90's guy. So naturally his stance is Luthor is crooked.. but so was the last guy and so will likely be the next guy. Things really don't change. Kyle still votes though as he has to hope things will be better. It shows Kyles' character off well: he's flip and easy to crack a joke.. but he's an optimsit at heart. His stance here is honestly mine: the system is broken, our vote only pivots thing slightly in elections where a known criminal and tyranical narcsist isn't running.. but it's worth voting just to TRY and make things better. There's no reason not to vote even if sometimes it's the lesser of two evils. Kyle's gift is ring polish, which he cracks up about.

Next up is Wally West, the flash by art motherfucking adams, an artistic legend and a genius at the pen. Truly fantastic stuff as always. Wally is picking up some chcoclates linda wanted, last minute of course since when your the fastest man alive you can do that cliche without coming off like a douche. Also when you have undiagnosed ADHD. Wally's stance is voting early and often, as that's the american way and admits he'd drag luthor out if Clark asked.. but he won't ask that because that's not the american way. The American way is putting your faith in something and hoping it works out. Wally gets tube socks for some reason.

Next is Diana, Wonder Woman and it's by Ian Churchill who i'm less familiar with.. but i'ts not drawn great. Diana also has large fake nails for some reason. It's this weird tendency i've noticed: artists tend to give long painted nails to women even if it didn't fit the character back in the 80's through the 2000's. I don't mind it if It fits and I could see diana doing it for a fancy occasion or fun, but not for a sparring session.

Diana dosen't care about the electoin and while she probably did vote she's more worried Clark is slipping and has already let Luthor win mentally. He hasn't but it's good of her to worry. She does have a valid suggestion that comes off as more in character though: take some time off. Granted i'ts written as "as a woman and as your only friend whose a woman " which just tells you a 2000's man wrote this. He gives her a tiny mjonr, which I again don't get but gets him a hug. Awww.

We end on Batman whose still pissed at Clark, rubbing the whole "letting humans have free will thing' in his face and saying when the time is right we will take down luthor. In other words prime bat dick behavior, not suprising for the era wher Batman was extra dickish at times.

So Clark takes the advice of a friend who didn't want him to interfere with free choice and takes a few days off in kandor with lois, content for now to accep tthe situation

We then get World without Superman by Mark Schultz... and this story is just..

The IDEA for the story is good: Around christmas time we see Clark depressed that Luthor won. Granted it dosen't jibe well with the previous story: Luthor won, but clark at least tried to take some time away from. I can still allow it though thanks to personal experince. Like with Perry's line before CLark depressedly watching the tv as Luthor makes good, butters up to the league and geninely seems to have america's approval hits harder after the 2016 election. Anyone on the left.. was left dismayed and shocked this actually happened, that this openly racist, sexist, homphobic pile of hair and spray tan won. I can sympathize with Clark having GENUINELY belivied in the people.. and them having let him down. I can buy that Superman, one of the most hopeful and hope inspiring characters in all of fiction.. could be laid low by this.

So the followup, Lori Lee of the time traveling Linear Men who i'd only vaugely heard of before this, shows up because things are going VERY bad thanks to decisions clark makes soon, that he quits being superman and gives up.. and the world goes to hell as a result. This idea.. is brilliant. While the it's a wonderful life riff is common, I like merging it with the future segment of a christmas carol here.

The problem is that they go WAY too far in this distoypian future to the point that it defies logic and sense. A good bad future has to have some sort of logic to it. To use an X-Men example because I got x-men on the brain now and always, Days of Future Past was effective because it was so simple how things went wrong: a mutant killed an anti-mutant senator, that ramped up anti mutant tensions, and things slowly escalated to the regestration act and the sentinel program going public. It took TIME for the world to go to hell in a realistic fashion.

This story does try to do that, it's 15 years later, Lexcorp runs the world. A large part of this is due to Our Worlds at War, a massive crossover and interstellar war that happened next year. During that war a powerful being named impereix decided to unmake reality due to a percieved imperfection in the cosmos and given his drones were incredibly powerful and if defeated detonated like nuclear bombs it took ALL of earth's superheroes as a united front, along with a few villians of course, to fight it back. Luthor proved his presidential chops by directing the conflict. The idea that this war goes badly without supes is a good one.

The problem is it dosen't really make sense with the storyline next year or even objectviely: Luthor apparently spent through a bunch of heroes with costly battle strategies.. but while Clark being gone DOES impact the superhero community severely and his clear replacement, Wonder Woman, was also gone, replaced by her mom, they still have the rest of the league, and if they coudln't inspire hope, there's the justice society of america, who the whole superhero community looks up to and who have vetran clout. Sure Lex could TRY and send them on a suicide run and did send them on a risky mission in the actual war, but the fact of the matter is it'd be a bit hard to both overtalk and cover up the deaths of world war II vetrans. Heroes who as far as I can tell have a unviersally good reputation. It's also overlooking the younger generation like DIck Grayson or Wally West, both of whom have enough collections across the various dc heroes to rally them.. and rally tem against luthor if he went to far.

Even putting that aside.. the second step, putting in laws to fuck with all them, is more plausable.. but the fact their ALL gone but batman and co by this point dosen't make any sense to me. Only one league member wasn't against luthor's election on some level, Arthur, and even his terms were VERY conditional. Luthor would have to do a lot of state sec killing to get the heroes down to a point where they couldn't just overthrow him and while he has the b13 tech, the heroes have geniuses like Oracle, Steel, and Batman on their side to help reverse engineer things. I also don't think bruce would remotely wait to go commando on Luthor and is smart enough. I'm not saying batman's a god : many a weak story has made batman a gary stu by forgetting he's a flawed man.. but he CAN beat lex luthor even with the world against him and wouldn't let Luthor get this far.

With days of future past the X-Men are a bunch of average people, with only charles having any political pull at the time. Batman.. is a billionaire. Wonder Woman and Aquaman both rep whole nations. Kyle and Wally while average joes are both gods. The only reason the justice league didn't say, remove Luthor the second he got elected.. is he was rightfully elected and they respect that. Even Batman, as pissy as he's been, knows better than to do that. But if things got bad enough they would and would let america hopefully pick someone better. Even if they ended up jailed.. they'd expose luthor if it killed them. Maybe i'm just an optimist, maybe the world would beat them all down.. but i've read enough dc comics of all kinds to know these characters.. don't give up and would fight their hardest for a better world even if it killed them. So it feels reductive to say superman being gone instantly means their all fucked. It'd mean they'd be more depressed, might go to darker places without clark, and some MIGHT give up.. but I can't imagine everyone giving up because superman decided.

And yes folks.. THAT'S what they went with. Superman just GAVE UP ON earth. I could buy Clark giving up on being superman if pushed enough: the world is full of heroes and as seen with the later storyline up up and away, which I hope to cover one day and might save for the next supermay, the dcu.. didn't burn down because he was gone a year after being depowered. He can still do good as Clark Kent. I can't buy Clark being SO fed up he'd leave. Retire maybe, and even then that's hard to buy.. but it's PLAUSABLE. Superman abandning his parents, wife and friends to fend for themselves and NEVER coming back is ludcirious, especially since the imperix war ended up spreading wide enough hat there's no way he wouldn't speed back to help. Darkseid pitched in for fucks sake: you think he'd let Superman sit out a war he had to humble himself to get help for? No. Darkseid is. Darkseid would be PISSED superman gave up and demand he come help or he'll kill his ass. I get the writer probably didn't have all the pieces, but said pieces really hurt htis series longetivity

What also hurts it is the present day part: Lois, Jimy and Perry try one last hail mary to save journalism.. and fail, as Luthor saw it coming a mile away and has his personal hit squad kill them. and some tigers. I don't buy Lois being this dump or thinking cozying up to luthor would remotely work. He took satstifaction in Lois, Jimmy and Perry joining his propoganda.. but he never forgot.

We also get another insult with that.. see some heroes.. sold out to luthor.. and who they choose...

Yeah normally on this blog I try to be positive. I will point out when a work is bad or not great.. but I try to be constructive. Explain why it is or at least thrown in a joke. I try to avoid nerd raging.. but my GOD does the choice of having Plastic Man, Booster Gold and Huntress honk me off. Part of it is i'm a big fan of the latter two thanks to JLI and Birds of Prey, respectively. So I admit to a little bias. That being said, said bias is from having actually read the characters apperances and not just picked who would make a good edgy shocking luthor justice league out of a hat.

I get WHY each one was picked: Plastic Man comes off a tad shady and entirely unserious, Booster is both not all that serious and was introduced as a willing corprate shill: he had standards but DID it for the fame and to escape his criminal past and once bought an island with justice league money, while Helena often clashed with the bat fam at the time due to her more violent methods and bruce being a tad dickish.

The problem is NONE OF THIS MEANS THEY'D SIGN UP WITH LUTHOR. Plastic Man is loosey goosey.. but he's not so loosey goosey he'd agree to work for luthor to opress people. Booster sold out.. but he both grew past that and already fueded with Luthor in his solo: he knows he can't trust him and if he's going to make money, he'll do it on his own and if things are going THIS bad he'd either go back to fix them.. or just go back entirely to avoid this crap if the's that cynical. He also wouldn't blow up a building full of people under any circumstances that aren't accidental, and even the latter is a bit much for Booster. he may be a fuckup.. but he's not a "murder a bunch of people fuckup" and is a good guy, i'ts just buried under layers of self intrest.

Finally Helena.. has a super strong sense of justice: she DID start her career killing and went after the mob because they murdered her family. She'll do things Batman won't , or at least would at this point in her career.. but I can't remotely buy her selling out to luthor and not trying to put a bolt in his head, even if he is the law. She went outside of the law in the first place, why would she trust it enough to work under lex? This feels like the writer picked three characters he thought might do it and didn't bother to think thorugh how their fans would feel, which happens a LOT and always feels cheap and has only gotten worse since booster and helena got furhter fleshing out in the later 2000's that makes this somehow dumber.

Our last few stories cover his actual swearing in and right after and i'm going to rapid fire them as they aren't BAD stories, but mostly either small one offs clearly designed to set something up later.

The first is the actual innugaration which is a full story.. but I simply don't have much to say about it. It's by the same guy who did the previous dumbassery, but he does a good job here. I'ts innaguration day and Steel and his niece and future steel herself Natsha plan a protest. They even run into some othe rheroes: Pat Duggan, formerly Stripsey sidekick to the star spangled kid.

His daughter courtney, bitter about having to move when her mom married pat and being a bit of a brat at the time found the equipment and became a costumed hero just to piss him off. Pat used some powered armor he was making to become S.T.R.I.P.E. to keep an eye on her. That's where we are here, with Courtney and Pat having bonded but still not being on the same page a lot of the time. This would soon change as Courntey realized her bio dad was a piece of shit, and accepted pat as her dad, becoming Stargirl and taking up that legacy.

For now though their just at the inagguration because history and all that, but naturally superhero stuff breaks out as Steel's protest was leaked to team luthor. HIs bodyguards mercy and hope attack, but with an assitn from Courtney Steel wins the day.. and asks how they knew. He figures out itw as a setup.. just in time for someone else.

A supervillian attacks, having been created by the same circumstances that John Henry and co were protesting: luthor's devistation of the suicide slum. Naturally superman sweeps in as he planned not to attend, a silent protest but WAS nearbye just in case. He, Steel, Stargirl and Stripsey win of course, and Luthor also wins of course, getting a photo op with superman as "you wouldn't deny your president would you". A masterful dick move sir.

The next one is cleaning up a loose end, courtsey of Karl Kessel, long time superman writer and superboy co-creator and writer.. the connor kent one. Luthor was actually married once to the Contessa, an immortal buisness woman he secretley married who is the mother of his child and once took over his company. Luthor blows her up with missles as you'd expect.

The last two are setups for later... that i'm baffled are in here. The first one I get a little. Cerce, wondy's arch enemy I mentioned (one of them anyway, she has a few contenders) waltzes up planning a partnership but Luthor shoots her down and is naturally a dick abou tit. Some shady man offers her his help and.. that's about it. It's a decent story showing that Luthor's old criminal buddies aren't getting any free rides by this administration, it just baffles me it's in here. You could've used the pages to finish one of the other stories from earlier or put in a story from his adminstration. We also get one setting up his bumbling assitant Mercy is bitter about. That's.. really it. That's how it ends.

So overall this trade.. was a bit better on the second go round. The first act, while pieced together, does tell a cohesive story.. they just felt for osme reason the need to include the innguration and some other stories to pad it out at the end. It would've been better to end at luthor becoming president, maybe at the justice league story dealing with it. We really didn't NEED the terrible future story or the innaguration and tales. The rest tells a good story of how luthor GOT here, how he won, and how Clark feels about it. Throw in the unathorized biography and it would've been enough. Still if you have a few bucks the trade IS worth picking up, and did the best it could with the space it had. IT's an intresting look at an intresting storyline and has some real gems: like I said "The Why" and "Help" are really great stories and worth the price of the trade alone. Thanks for reading

Next time: We get super serial as we look into "The Clan of the Firey Cross"

#superman #clark kent #lex luthor #us elections #lois lane #steel #john henry irons #lana lang #perry white #dc comics #aquaman #martian manhunter #wally west #kyle rayner #batman #wonder woman #plastic man

10 notes · View notes

sortanonymous · 7 months

Text

YRB to CRB!!!

Congrats to Ryan Blaney! After years of knocking on the door of joining the elite, he overcomes pit crew struggles and straight up outruns Larson, even off what looked to be another clutch pit stop to win it all! Also such a good race on its own, especially later on! Even just one lap of Blaney and Larson's epic back-and-forth in the closing stage had infinitely more excitement and intrigue than all 312 laps of last year's finale put together. (I mean, the Cup finale track could still be better, but unless it's modern Texas, even the most mid tracks will all have a good one on occasion.)

(I normally use the league's own pictures for these posts, but this Trackhouse one was too awesome to ignore!)

Also, while I would have preferred to see the Closer win tonight (enjoy retirement, Harvick!), I'm so glad to see Ross take home the win! Granted, it kinda made last year hurt even more since now I'm just wishing he ran like that last year at this track instead of laying down and letting Logano bludgeon everyone, but great to see him end a relatively underwhelming season with a win. And even if it was in far less publicized fasion, it's cool to see the Melon Man make playoff history for the second year in a row by becoming the first non-champion since 2013 (and of the bracket era) to win the finale! Here's hoping good footage of his post-race celebration surfaces soon enough, because I need to see just one last melon smash before the year is done.

Welp, time for some championship-worthy memes and posts because why not.

And lastly proof that Penske's social media guy has Future Vision (plus some reactions I captured at the very last second):

#nascar #nascar cup series #nascar championship weekend #phoenix raceway #ryan blaney #ross chastain #don't mess up my hot streak bengals #kevin harvick #nascar memes

9 notes · View notes

scotianostra · 8 months

Text

The Scottish actor Nicol Williamson was born on October 14th 1938 in Hamilton.

Williamson was an enormously talented actor who was considered by some critics to be the finest actor of his generation in the late 1960s and the 1970s, rivalled only by Albert Finney in his generation.

Born the son of a factory owner. When he was 18 months old, his family moved to Birmingham, England. Williamson was sent back to Hamilton to live with his grandparents during World War II due to Birmingham's susceptibility to bombing, but returned when the war ended, and was educated at the Central Grammar School for Boys, Birmingham

He left school at 16 to begin work in his father’s factory and later attended the Birmingham School of Speech & Drama. He recalled his time there as “a disaster” and claimed “it was nothing more than a finishing school for the daughters of local businessmen”. After his national service as a gunner in the Airborne Division, Williamson made his professional debut with the Dundee Repertory Theatre in 1960.

In 1962 he made his London debut as Flute in Tony Richardson’s production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream at the Royal Court Theatre. His first major success came in 1964 with John Osborne’s Inadmissible Evidence for which he was nominated for a Tony Award when it transferred to Broadway in 1965. 1964 also saw him appearing as Vladimir in Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot at the Royal Court Theatre. In 1968, he starred in the film version. Williamson’s Hamlet for Tony Richardson at the Roundhouse caused a sensation and was later transferred to New York and made into a film, with a cast including Anthony Hopkins and Marianne Faithfull. Faithfull later stated in her autobiography Faithfull that she and Williamson had had an affair while filming Hamlet.

His most celebrated film role was as Merlin the magician in the King Arthur epic Excalibur in 1981. Director John Boorman cast him as Merlin opposite Helen Mirren as Morgana over the protests of both actors; the two had previously appeared together on stage in Macbeth, with disastrous results, and disliked each other intensely. It was Boorman’s hope that the very real animosity that they had towards each other would generate more tension between them on screen, as is evident from their scenes together. Williamson gained recognition from a much wider fanbase for his performance as Merlin. A review of Excalibur in the London Times in 1981 said, “The actors are led by Williamson’s witty, perceptive Merlin, missed every time he’s off the screen.”

Some of his other notable cinematic performances are as a deeply troubled Irish soldier in the 1968 Jack Gold film The Bofors Gun; Sherlock Holmes in the 1976 Herbert Ross film The Seven-Per-Cent Solution; and Little John in the 1976 Richard Lester film Robin and Marian.

Williamson had a reputation as a bit of a hellraiser and a troublesome man who was known for several tantrums and on-stage antics. During the Philadelphia tryout of Inadmissible Evidence, a play in which he delivered a performance that would win him a Tony Award nomination in 1965, he hit the equally mercurial producer David Merrick. In 1968 he apologised to the audience for his performance one night while playing Hamlet and then walked off the stage, announcing he was retiring. In the early 1970s, Williamson left the Dick Cavett Show prior to a scheduled appearance, leaving the host and guest Nora Ephron to fill the remaining time. In 1976, he slapped an actor during the curtain call for the Broadway musical, Rex. In 1991, he hit co-star Evan Handler on the backside with a sword during a Broadway performance of I Hate Hamlet.

In 1974, Williamson recorded an abridged reading of The Hobbit for Argo Records, with authorisation for abridgement provided by Tolkien’s publisher. The recording was produced by Harley Usill. According to his official website, Nicol himself re-edited the original script, removing many occurrences of “he said”, “she said”, and so on, as he felt that an over-reliance on descriptive narrative would not give the desired effect. In 1971, Williamson married actress Jill Townsend, who played his daughter in the Broadway production of Inadmissible Evidence. They had a son, Luke, but divorced in 1977.

Despite concerns over his health in the 1970s, Williamson admitted drinking heavily and claimed to smoke 80 cigarettes a day. In an episode of The David Frost Show in the 1960s, during a discussion about death, which also involved poet John Betjeman, Williamson revealed that he was very much afraid of dying, saying that “I think of death constantly, throughout the day” and that “I don’t think there is anything after this, except complete oblivion.” On 25 January 2012, Luke Williamson announced on his father’s official web site that Nicol Williamson had died on 16th December 2011, aged 75, after a two-year struggle with oesophageal cancer. The news was released late as the actor did not want any fuss to be made over his death.

#scotland #scottish #actor #theatre #cinema #television

8 notes · View notes

telomeke-bbs · 2 years

Text

THE KAZZ AWARDS 2022

Kazz Magazine held its annual awards on the night of 21 July 2022, and it was a glitzy affair livestreamed on YouTube that lasted almost six and a half hours (linked here).

Bad Buddy Series, Ohm Pawat, Nanon Korapat and Love Pattranite managed to win six awards between them (one of which – for Couple of the Year – graciously comes with two trophies, which is why there are six laid out in front of OhmNanon in their photo above, in addition to Love's).

Kazz Magazine is a Thai monthly fashion and lifestyle publication that focuses on celebrity culture for a youth readership (teens and twenties), so the awards (with a public voting component) are arguably less industry recognition and more a reflection of popularity among the younger set. Doesn't mean they're not deserved though!

These are the awards that they won:

Popular Young Female of the Year 2021 (my rough translation of รางวัลสาววัยใสโดนใจแห่งปี 2021) – Love Pattranite, one of five winners for Popular Young Female of the Year 2021.

Popular Young Male of the Year 2021 (my rough translation of รางวัลหนุ่มวัยใสโดนใจแห่งปี 2021) – one each for Ohm and Nanon, among the five winners for Popular Young Male of the Year 2021.

Best Scene – Bad Buddy Series.

Best Actor of the Year – Nanon Korapat.

Couple of the Year – OhmNanon.

I don't know why the first two awards are for 2021 while the rest seem to be for 2022 though. 🤔

The following are the timestamps on YouTube if you want to skip ahead (there are a lot of musical performances, a number of which – including OhmNanon's, unfortunately – aren't really worth sitting through):

Popular Young Female of the Year 2021 (Love Pattranite) – 4:05:21

Popular Young Male of the Year 2021 (Ohm Pawat) – 4:12:14

Popular Young Male of the Year 2021 (Nanon Korapat) – 4:13:09

Best Scene – 5:07:43

Best Actor of the Year – 5:10:03

Couple of the Year – 6:00:03

Bad Buddy's Director Backaof Noppharnach was busy filming and did not attend, but sent his thanks and congrats on Twitter later. Ohm and Nanon collected the award for Best Scene on his/Bad Buddy's behalf.

In case you were wondering which scene won it – it wasn't The Epic Rooftop Kiss (that was my first thought too 😉). BBS's winning scene (beating out Not Me's giant rainbow flag sequence) was the tin can conversation starting at Ep.12 [4/4] 13.02, where PatPran re-live their secret childhood routine but with their full-grown love now in the mix. PatPran's joyful play-acting with Thai in the formal register is also a summary of their (somewhat secret) relationship, especially when they reference Bad Buddy's Thai title of แค่เพื่อนครับเพื่อน ("Hello. Who's there?" "Just a friend, buddy." "Are you really just a friend, buddy?" "That’s right. Because you don’t tell anyone I’m your boyfriend."). It's a gentle, heartfelt, full-circle moment totally deserving of its win, that Director Backaof uses to bookend their story by morphing them back into their kid selves as the music swells and the camera pans away before the epilogue. 👍💖

Congrats to all! I know the fandom is cheering. 😊💖

#kazz awards 2022 #ohm pawat #nanon korapat #love pattranite #bad buddy #ohmnanon #patpran #missing my PP rascals so much #คิดถึงBBS

23 notes · View notes

blinditcms · 1 year

Text

GRAHAM LAWRENCE on the cover of this week’s most recent tabloid! many say that the 43 YEAR OLD looks like MATTHEW GOODE, but i don’t really see it. while the AUTHOR/BUSINESS OWNER is known for being LOYAL my inside sources say that they have a tendency to be INSECURE i swear, every time i think of them, i hear the song LOUDER THAN WORDS from TICK TICK... BOOM

BASIC INFORMATION:

name: graham edward lawrence. nicknames: gram. pronouns: he/him. gender: cis man. age: forty-three. date of birth: january 16th, ‘80. place of birth: henley-on-thames, oxfordshire, uk. astrological sign: capricorn. orientation: bicurious.

APPEARANCE:

height: six foot two. build: tall and slender, strong rower-type physique. hair colour: dark brown. eye colour: green. wardrobe style: according to his son, he has a kind of cosy cottagecore or professorcore chique going on. he doesn’t really know what that means. tattoos: none. piercings: none.

HEALTH:

physical ailments: type 1 diabetes, chronic migraines. mental ailments: struggles from imposter syndrome. alcohol use: socially. drug use: nothing except for prescription medicine. addictions: has a bad smoking habit, but only when stressed.

PERSONALITY:

positive traits: loyal, patient, collected. negative traits: insecure, easily overwhelmed, forgiving. mbti: INFJ-A

ACTIVITIES & SKILLS:

skills: writing, cooking. weaknesses: any kind of ball sports, logic puzzles. languages spoken: english, french, spanish.

CAREER DETAILS:

2001: finishes his bachelor’s degree at oxford university and starts his graduate programme in literature, linguistics and languages at princeton university. also meets dominique kennedy and immediately hit it off. suddenly became a part of the “kicking it with the kennedy’s” cast simply by dating dominique and is thrust into the celebrity life. 2002: continued studying and working at princeton as well as starring on the popular tv programme, and soon marries his sweetheart dominique. 2003: the divorce is all over the papers and the tv and he is hounded by the press. he becomes somewhat of an ‘elligible bachelor’, but tries to step away from the spotlight to work on his writing. 2005: publishes his first science-fiction novel. there is quite a bit of hate about his actual quality of writing, but most critics are shut up when he is nominated for the hugo awards and wins. he continues writing the series. 2008: the third book of his bestselling science-fiction series is published and later in the year, their son reid is born. they agree on shared custody and since then, his writing slows down. 2010: reid is staying with graham a lot more now, and his bookwriting comes to a bit of a halt. he manages to wrap up the science fiction series and sell it’s film rights before taking a step back. 2011: graham starts his own business of copywriting and editing for other authors, while working on some small projects, but not publishing anything himself. 2019-now: now reid is 11, he allows himself to go back to his own writing and try to publish again. he is quickly picked up by a new agent and publishes five books in quick succession, of which two standalones and one prequel to his original series, and two entries to a new epic fantasy series, which is receives incredibly well and is currently in a bidding war for film.

WANTED CONNECTIONS:

sister: graham came from a wealthy upper-class family in the uk and has one younger sister (approx. 3 years younger). (best) friends: graham splits his time between his home in england during the school holiday periods/when reid is with his mother and his home in los angeles, so he would have friends from either side of the pond. ex-lovers: graham has dated somewhat - not an awful lot, and never anything too serious. he’s always made sure to keep it out of the press as well.

#* ☆ graham lawrence. | muse.

2 notes · View notes

nwdsc · 2 years

Photo

(Tradisyon | Wesliから)

Tradisyon by Wesli

WESLI EXPLORES THE ROOTS OF HIS AFRO-HAITIAN CULTURE ON TRADISYON Tradisyon is the first of a two-part project that retells the story of Haiti’s past and imagines its future. “You have to know where you’re from to know where you’re going,” says Wesli, the acclaimed Montreal-based winner of the prestigious 2019 JUNO Award. Overflowing with 19 songs, Tradisyon explores traditional chants from the voodoo religion, explosive carnival rara rhythms and lilting, folksy twoubadou songs. To prepare for his ambitious new musical project, Tradisyon, the uniquely talented Haitian-Canadian songwriter, guitarist and producer Wesli (Wesley Louissaint) had to return to his roots. He embarked on a multi-year musical pilgrimage to explore often hidden facets of Haitian traditions. Wesli traveled across his homeland, visiting lakous, gathering places and community groups for practitioners of Haiti’s voodoo religion, to learn songs in African languages brought to Haiti hundreds of years ago. He honed his skills at a wide range of local musical instruments, from powerful interlocking rara horns to intricate drums in all shapes and sizes, not to mention folk instruments such as the Haitian banjo. And he reconnected with the profound spirituality and rich life philosophy of Afro-Haitian beliefs, which represent the inspiration and motivation, indeed the very soul, of Haitian culture. The result of this ambitious research is Tradisyon, the sixth album of Wesli’s celebrated career, and the first of a two-part set that retells the story of Haiti’s past and imagines its future. The encyclopedic first album features 19 songs, original compositions and treasures from the expansive Haitian music repertoire. By drawing on these traditions, Africa inevitably emerges -- through the rara, petro, nago, congo and yanvalou rhythms, and the lyrics sung both in Creole and the African languages of Yoruba, Ewe and Fon. They are all accompanied by local instruments such as the bamboo, the kata, the segon, the boula, the manman and the banjo, an originally African instrument that had been adopted by European colonizers. Of Haitian origin and Montreal adoption––but above all a citizen of the world––Wesli is one of those rare artists capable of exploring different sounds while keeping his identity and his roots firmly anchored in his traditions. Ever since the release of his first album Kouraj in 2009, Wesli’s creativity has been unstoppable, leading to the acclaimed album Liberté dans le noir in 2011, the star-studded ImmiGrand and the more traditional Ayiti Étoile Nouvelle in 2015 and an expanded version of ImmiGrand in 2017. Only a year later, the prolific artist released Rapadou Kréyol, an exploration of African rhythms and instruments Wesli believes Haitian musical culture has neglected as it is increasingly drawn towards the commercial music encouraged by globalization. In 2019, the astonishing album was awarded the prestigious JUNO award for World Music Album of the Year. For Wesli, winning the JUNO award proved to him that the musical and cultural value he brings to the world had been accepted and welcomed, a message he hopes other young Haitian musicians will see as a sign that they too can inspire change with their craft. The Tradisyon project, named after the Haitian and African diasporic traditions it honors, is a continuation and deepening of the goals of Rapadou Kreyôl. This previous album “was something that I wanted to do for the Creole culture” Wesli explains, “but I did so much research into the culture, I felt like one album wasn’t enough.” After years spent visiting various Haitian villages, learning lyrics in new languages, and recording the album’s percussion tracks in Haiti to capture a truly authentic, island sound, Wesli returned to Montreal to finish putting the epic albums together. When asked about the immense scope of the project, Wesli reflects, “I wanted to write a story, but a story that I didn’t create, because the story has been there for hundreds of years. I’m talking about the traditions, the core elements of a great culture: the Haitian culture.” In Tradisyon and the upcoming Tradisyon, Pt. 2, Wesli accomplishes the incredible feat of weaving this magical musical story through complex and ambitious arrangements. Wesli has himself been a character in the epic story of Haitian culture. Born in 1980 to a financially challenged family of seven children in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Wesli built his first guitar at the age of eight by stringing an old oil can with nylon fishing line. His musical adventure began at a young age when he sang alongside his mother in the gospel choir of the local church. His father, Henri Louissaint, was a well-known banjo and percussion player of twoubadou, a popular Haitian folk music style. Inspired by his parents, Wesli began playing the guitar as his primary instrument along with banjo and a wide range of traditional percussion. Growing up in household that struggled to make ends meet, Wesli was often told that he had to be seven times better than anyone else to make it out of poverty. After experiencing the joyful, passionate music played around him as a child, both by his parents and his broader community, he dreamed of becoming a professional musician. He likes to say, “music chose me to share its spirit.” His own spirit was challenged at a young age, when his family fled to a Cuban refugee camp during the violence that erupted after the 1991 Haitian coup d'état. Just 11 years old at the time, this difficult experience taught him “resilience, reconciliation and forgiveness” in the face of conflict. “No matter what,” Wesli says, “you can rebuild yourself and give yourself a positive direction, and make yourself into a new person that is useful to the society that you are living in.” This desire to serve his society has driven Wesli throughout his life, encouraging him to create change and bring Haitian culture to new audiences through the power of his music. At the age of 21, the musical prodigy won a scholarship contest sponsored by the Canadian government which allowed him to study arrangement and percussion in Montreal. Since then, Wesli has made Montreal his home, a process of integrating his home culture with an unfamiliar world which he describes as difficult but transformational: “I always like to say that I have two hearts. I have one heart in Haiti and I have one in heart Montreal, and that makes me who I am now.” Wesli put both of his hearts into the making of Tradisyon. The album starts with the thrilling call of the koné, a metal trumpet used in carnival parades. The opening song “Peyizan Yo” is a rallying cry for the farmers of Haiti who form the core of the island’s economy. Inspired by arrangements of voodoo music from the 1990s, the song asks people not to steal land from the farmers, who provide the nation with its sustenance. That is followed by “Fè Yo Wè Kongo Banda,” a traditional song used in the beginning of Lakou Congo ceremonies to call the spirits to gather. Sung by a Samba, preachers of the Afro-Haitian cultural tradition, the song often begins a Capella before the entire community lifts their voices and pounds their drums in celebration. A number of the songs on Tradisyon pay tribute to legends of Haiti’s musical past. “Samba” is an homage to Azor Rasin Mapou, one of the most influential artists in voodoo culture, while the rara composition “Wawa sé rèl O” celebrates the efforts of roots musician Wawa Rasin Kanga to pull the shroud of secrecy from Afro-Haitian traditions. “Konté M Rakonté M” sings the praises of Éric Charles, one of the founders of the band Haiti Twoubadou, which in the 1990s revived the twoudabou folk music style. Tradisyon features a number of banjo-led twoubadou tracks, notably “Kay Koulé Trouba” in which Wesli describes a leaking house––a metaphor for his interpretation of the fragile condition of Haiti’s cultural values in the present day. “Makonay” is a call for unity, singing of the circle created by the coming together of people from all the provinces of Haiti who each bring their own values to create a diverse, unified culture. “Trouba Ewa” aims to elevate the twoubadou musical style by bringing together a modern lover’s story with the traditional sounds of Haitian folk music, creating a unique, captivating arrangement dedicated to present-day Haiti. The upbeat reggae-influenced song "Le Soleil Descend” was the first single of the album and its colorful video launched the Tradisyon project in June 2021. Featuring Quebec singer-songwriter Paul Cargnello. the two artists sing about uniting under the sun. As Wesli says, “The sun breaks down all cultural, social and political borders and barriers. Under this sun we are all one people because it is this same light that inspires us and illuminates our paths.” Congolese drummer Kizaba joins Wesli in “Peze Café”, which blends the igbo rhythm with the classic folk song about a child sent to buy coffee for his family before being wrongfully arrested on his way home. Sung in Haiti during the dictatorship of François Duvalier to protest military brutality, this age-old song and the parable it tells gathers new meaning and power each time it is performed. In Wesli’s rendition, his striking vocals take center stage, backed by his stripped-down guitar accompaniment and Kizaba’s expert cajón playing. Overflowing with these and other highlights, Tradisyon honors and reveals Haiti’s rich musical history. The upcoming follow up, Tradisyon, Pt. 2, explores the new directions for the island’s music, blending traditional genres with electronic music, Afrobeat, soul, funk, hip-hop and more to create a rich, festive and uniquely engaging sound. Always thinking about the future and the legacy he leaves, Wesli’s aim with Tradisyon Pt. 2 is to give young Haitian musicians a “formula to merge ancient and new sounds. We are coming from somewhere, now we are somewhere else. You have to know where you’re from to know where you’re going. Tradisyon is where we’re coming from, and Tradisyon, Pt. 2 is where we’re going.” クレジット2022年10月21日リリース

#2210 #WM #***

2 notes · View notes

hyperfixationsstation · 5 months

Note

Anyone remember the Olympic semi-final in 2012 between Canada that happened at old trafford? Epic battle, likely a reason UEFA mens leagues saw earning potential and began investing in women clubs because profit/marketing potential was all over the place that game. As the game went on and on, people kept entering the stadium (likely free tickets) to just sit and enjoy a very good soccer game, as the Brits do. This is the game Pinoe scored twice with one being the "olympico" from her corner kick. In that same sequence and her celebration, in the background, you can clearly see British men standup and clap respectfully and admirably for that impressive goal. Abby scored on her penalty and Morgan scored the game winner with seconds left, after completing two ET's. It was a marathon of a battle of 2 great teams with the loser likely playing their best gamer ever. Here's a brief clip of it that NBC Sports has archived. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_I_SmFsMa8 To imply it doesn't matter much anymore, I don't see how to get there as a final point. Americans became very interested in 2015 WWC due to them being thisclose to winning the WC in 2011. Only a year later, rising above their defeat by winning gold against the same team that beat them in 2011, in the 2012 Olympic games in London. It's primarily just good business sense. Americans, investors and sponsors expect American athletes to win 24/7 against other countries. Which always means big $$$$$$$$ for both parties involved. Its been a key part of American culture, likely since 1776.

i think the olympics has been a great comp for the growth of the game and i dont think people are necessarily it isnt important anymore but as the game grows similar to the men its prioritizing maybe what teams want to compete in as there are many more tournaments now and i think as americans we hold a higher stock in the olympics than i think other countries i also think it would be great to have our youth teams compete i something as big as the olympics

1 note · View note

charcherry-weekly · 10 months

Text

Charcherry Weekly - Issue 155

Hey there, Mage of Light Nick Card here. Things are happening all the time. Let's focus on this week.

Friendly Fighting

Early this week, Page of Mind Samm and her husband Page of Rage Jovin had a friendly sparring match in the barren land beyond the mountain on grass 3. Reportedly it was an epically even match-up that ended in a geyser emerging from a crack in the ground, and both parties being very much exhausted from exertion afterwards. Reportedly they both enjoyed the fight and their bond remains strong as ever. Samm received medical attention afterwards.

The next day, Jo-squad leader Johnny fought against Flux Emit in what could be characterized as a wrestling match right off the coast of lake river rose, atop a platform made of perfectly generic objects. Due to the delay in scheduling, accommodations for spectators were made more readily, including bleachers and concession stands, also primarily made of perfectly generic material. A rather even mix of Jo-squad members and dungeon crashers arrived to cheer for their respective fighter. In the end, though they were quite even most of the time, Flux managed to win by causing Johnny to tumble into the water. As part of the deal they had both made, Johnny had to take a week off work. Reportedly, this has had effects on Jo-squad management, though exacts are unknown. There are some reports after this fight that the two of them, Flux and Johnny, have been seen occupying the same public spaces together, though there are repeated denials of any sort of budding connection. Samm ran her shaved ice stand at the site of the match, but fell asleep due to the energy needed from recent life player based healing techniques applied to her. She was later carried home by mysterious aquatic benefactor Kieran. Prince of Time Aeons Edgeworth also ran their snack stand, having sold hot chips that day. Being interested in expanding their snack business, Aeons afterwards proceeded to hire a newcomer as their potential new employee for a later planned snack stand location in Unity Village. This has yet to be fully realized however.

Someone set us up the Bomb

On the 20th was Rogue of Heart Charles's 29th birthday. To celebrate such an event, your dear newsletter writer visited them in their home and gave him some yogurt covered pretzels. We talked briefly about their plans for the holo chamber, which they only had vague thematic ideas for, but minimal known gameplay. There was also a brief discussion regarding the Unity Library, and how it has seemingly "chosen" me as its librarian, despite my lack of knowledge in proper publication stewardship. After I left, there was a reported explosion at the sea base, prompting Kieran to mysteriously show up to try and rescue Charles from risk of flooding. It is assumed that a voidco member was the one responsible for the explosives, with further theory in place that it coincided with the 10th anniversary of the "chumplist incident", in which the identity of the one who killed charles's dreamself was revealed at the time in the past. Personally, I see only minimal connections, which rely upon the assumption that Horrorterror Googlegoth (known for antagonizing the lost pawns and previously enslaving Page of Void Dylan. Yes, That Dylan.) was apart of voidco at some point in the past. Hyacinth, if you can, it would be helpful if you could investigate this, and any possible word regarding the fate of the founder of the company as well.

As for Charles, he successfully escaped the flooded chamber and is now highly disgruntled as a result, but safe regardless.

Without Further Ado

Earlier today, your dear newsletter writer received word that the order I placed with Motor Industries regarding two different sets of poke-armor was fulfilled, and quickly sent to my place of residence in Unity Village. It was delivered by a pack of very adorable mecha-eevees, all rather average eevee sized. It took some effort, but I managed to open the crates and examine the armor sets. One set appeared incredibly rushed looking, while the other had a professional handicraft look to it. It is important to note that the lower quality model matched the description of the pokearmor commonly used and complained about at the Unity Gym. It is advised to avoid using the low quality pokearmor on your pokemon. Further investigation will need to be made on a later date. In other news however, a seemingly rogue mecha-eevee was found hiding in the crate of the lower quality armor. It caused some mild mischief and even temporarily evolved into a mecha-jolteon, but later ran low on battery power. I invited it to plug in for the night, melted by the sheer cute factor. If there are any available experts in examining such constructs, please contact me later.

This week’s known market stands in Desertia Town:

Katie’s potion stand (*CaFAI filling in for Katie when unavailable)

shinyjiggly pokesnacks stand (ran by Rufus)

That should most likely be most of what happened this week. Kanjaweii is still in a worrying position, the newcomer hired as secondary snack clerk appears to be from an entirely different dimension, and Samm is fielding ideas for new geologic features to add to grass 3. Stay safe out there. https://letssosl.boards.net/thread/389/charcherry-weekly-issue-155

#charcherry weekly #sbargv2 #sbarg2.5dungeoncrashers #pokemon

0 notes

Last Seen Blogs

ewingpqjkock

Untitled

sssssxiaokeai

无标题

rabbiata

Rabbiata

livebifopa

Untitled

kafeiwearingmajorasmask

kebabs.