welp. 🥹🥹

Can Scar please please please please team up with someone this week. Anyone. Please, I don't want the repetition of Last life. He is going to die alone again please

Why I Am Not Coming In To Work Today [abridged], Jess Zimmerman

part one | part two

btw not to make everything about My Fucking Guy but i honestly think one of the things that seperates q!phil out from the other islanders is the approach he takes to dealing with the lack of agency + control all the islanders have over whatever the fuck the federation's doing.

it shows up most prominently whenever tubbo is excitedly telling him about the 'progress' he's made with cucurucho or various investigations (ie: trapping him into a corner with the 'do you have free will' questions), and phil always shoots it down w an immediate 'that doesn't mean anything. curucuho will say anything to mess with you. you can't take anything he says as true.'

and it's not that phil is... a paticularly pessimistic character? he's just EXTREMELY practical. like, he's yet to give up on anyone EVER finding ANY answers (he was the one who initially gave the federation that one week ultimatum w the cage for a cage stream), he just doesn't trust the idea that curucuho is ever going to voluntarily give them. they're uncontrollable + senseless - you might as well argue with the weather.

and like, if that's how he sees the one (1) and only point of contact the islanders HAD with the federation for months, it explains a lot abt his characters lifestyle! ofc he sits on the wall all day, talking to his kids, and keeping his head down. he believes that the federation wants nothing more than to drag the islanders into sick games + tasks just so they can fuck with their head (ie: curucuho revealing he was the one cellbit gathered all that information for). and while he can't totally PREVENT any of that from ever impacting him, he can make sure his kids are well fed, well protected, and as happy + comfortable as he can manage. this is objectively not a perfect situation, there is a guaranteed amount of suffering + fear that he can't mitigate, but he can at least account for it.

like, he REFUSES to engage. whenever curucho shows up, he treats them with total ambivalence. he's not going to get riled up by anything they do, he's not going to get super attached to the guy, he's just gonna laugh it off and irish goodbye it when things drag on. the ONLY time he's strayed from that general guiding principle has been since he's lost his eggs, and can no longer afford to let the federation's fuckery go: those are his fucking kids.

hence the completely unprecedented levels of outward rage and sadness and terror he shows throughout the birdcage streams - almost all directed directly to cucurucho. it's all a completely fair + proportional response to the horror the islanders are being subjected to, but it feels so different bc until now, q!phil has been so dedicated to not reacting, and not giving the federation any sign that they're actually getting to him.

Charles Leclerc stands on the grid with Carlos Sainz (and Andrea Ferrari) behind him at the Anthoine Hubert Memorial 🥺

Joined on his other side by Mattia Binottto and Sebastian Vettel.

Anthoine Hubert Memorial prior to Belgian Grand Prix | 1 September 2019

📸 Jerry Andre/LAT Images

(Meant to post this before the race weekend started, but was torn about whether I should. See my tags.)

literally the most unrealistic part of the leaks was that shoko wasn’t mad about the plan…

it's scary in the dungeon meshi tag right now....................... like.................... i feel like the writing of this episode was brilliant in how it included so much information and gave us a clear history of shuro's experience, a clear view into his feelings of resentment, and made it extremely and plainly obvious, with its use of the theme of being well-fed, that this is him at his worst.

the fight between him and laios was entertaining in how it was presented in contrast with everything and everyone else, but having it be a childish fight between two people who suck at communicating in different ways and for different reasons, didn't have bad intentions, and yet hurt each other, did wonders for their respective characterisations. shuro finally eats a bite of the food that senshi, "the guy who teaches everyone about being well fed", kept for him, and with a clearer mind not only treats his companions better (showing how touched they are that he thanked them is a perfect example of "show, don't tell": he doesn't usually do that or hasn't been doing that, but right now he did!) but also takes one of these clear headed, mature decision that laios earlier complimented him for.

laios hit him first - it was inappropriate. shuro hit him back - that was an immature decision. the fight wasn't nasty, it was equal amounts of childish on both sides and it led them to communicate with each other, which was what was missing between them. it was something that they both needed, it was something that was just for the two of them, which is why everyone else left them to it. once he ate something, shuro immediately behaved much better, so it's easy to picture - especially when laios has described his past self in a good light - that when he is in good condition, he has other qualities as an individual. i'm not saying this because i want people to look at a character i like in a good light - i'm enjoying him because he's very pathetic - but because it seems so clear that this episode's writing screamed "this is this man at his worst". the use of food guys. remember the food

of course i don't think you should use physical fights as a mean of communicating with your friends but i don't know if you guys (saw the big dragon woman) noticed that their situation is a little bit messy and scary and tiring .

etc. etc.

You’re gonna die if you keep that up (Patreon)

I know Ashton and Orym are less likely especially with the more popular ships, but I loved that Ash looked at Orym and then called them all family. It does feel like they're pining

yeah it was very cute ;w;

it's gonna break my heart if ashton has these one-sided feelings :(

trying to remember that nothing is set in stone and there are so many episodes for things to develop on orym's end

Do me a favor and go vote for Otis, guys! He's losing right now and I'd hate to see him get out in the first round, especially with the year he's had

man city destroyed kalvin phillips' career but u won't hear about it cos it's not united

Do you think Sticky had friends when he was competing?

"Friends" for lack of a better word. Because I bet it was more like "That one girl in the green dress he waves at sometimes" and "The kid in the blue jacket he recognises" and "That redheaded boy who makes eye contact occasionally"

Worth it.

Getting back into comics is fun. Minus the Getting Back Into Comics part of it all

head in my hands listening to “all i’ve ever known,” “flowers,” “wait for me,” “come home with me (reprise),” “doubt comes in,” and “road to hell ii” from the hadestown soundtrack