#..lee mee lone.

[dynamic-k]

hi im back home

after a 12 hour flight

in which my dad threw up

and i have 20 mosquito bites

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-

Anyways, this has lead me to think:

Do they have planes in Stick City? (That is what the place is called, right?) Do any of the Becker siblings get car sick/plane sick/motion sick???

Wait are there other cities outside of Stick City? And if Stick City is named that because there are Sticks living in it does that mean other cities have other species???

Hold up- IMAGINE A HOLLOWHEAD CITY!!! It could be like- a Swap!AU of Super Sticks!! Like- hollowheads weren't the recessive gene and the Becker's are actually sticks?? EEEK

Also, is Stick City in the Outernet?? And if they have different worlds, would they have planets? Or areas of the web that are connected to each other with portals and stuff that count as different worlds?

Yeah I think you can tell I'm trying to make the Super Sticks and Spark AUs actually fit together.

WORLD-BUILDING IS SO HARD WHYY

i have some more questions but i think i should wait considering you've gone 2 camp or smth like that

It's funny, the moment I get back home you leave yours xd

aoshrflaouhdfpiuhdasfihsa jet lag lol

Have a nice day!!! :D And enjoy your camp!!

-R

ps if anything here is factually wrong and I've been rambling on about nothing actually true its cos i didn't bother to fact check it im lazy

Finally I have some time to answer this before the ask gets moldy-

:D Hi! Missed you! New ask yay!

-

Planes in Stick City? I never once thought about this, so here I am now thinking about it-

See this is why your asks are so helpful!! I get to world build by answering questions I hadn't thought about until right this moment- :3

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I have decided that motion sickness is a thing that exists! Do with that what thou will. I think the hollowhead Beckers beloveds would be immune to normal motion sickness.

Red was already canonically prone to dizziness and motion sickness, hence the suppressants he'll get ahold of later in the plot when it comes up there's a minor issue with his teleporting armor. :>

[/proud-of-myself-for-casually-spoonfeeding-future-lore-to-everyone]

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Stick City was just the fanon-wide accepted name for the Outernet city we see from time to time in canon, and when I was starting Arc One, it was the name on my brain so therefore, was used.

I suppose, it does make sense for there to be implications of a Lizard City or something-

I think Stick City is the capital of the Outernet. For the world of Super Sticks, I mean.

(Not for canon, because then that would be a really bad capital to have- You see how shabby everything seems, and how indifferent the sticks are and how small it appears, aside from the mass that is Rocket Corp-?! That's a city, but it ain't no capital-) (...Is this just how I see the canon city? Does- Does anyone else think this too-? ..Is it just me here-)

In SuperSticks, I would absolutely say Stick City is the capital, hence the name that focuses on the species known as sticks that take up 98% of the entire Outernet. And also my SuperSticks version of Stick City is a lot more industrialized and expanded, truly worthy of being considered a capital city. THE CAPITALLLLLL-

And any other neighboring cities of sticks would have different names, like, uh.. Circuit Town and.. maybe, uh... Conduction, by itself as a landmark something.

I want to spend hours of my time coming up with map accurate expansions and hyperspecfic names down to the restaurants of my imaginary Super Sticks Outernet world now-

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There aren't planets, since the Outernet is virtual. There's basically world barriers at the edges, as I mentioned in a previous ask.

Also humans literally cannot travel to the Outernet, since it's virtual. Every stick figure is just tiny pieces of code to a human!

Can't canonically smash the very Human AU: The Spark, with the very code-structured heavy binary related stick figure society of Super Sticks, together. I need to author plot magic a portal and make a skit/non-canonical crossover.

XD

-

Now, portals that can go to different areas of the web? THAT could happen. :3

I think I'm wracking up Arc Three and Arc Four ideas, help-

[My brain works too fast, I literally just received a vague-ish idea of an extremely extensive webwide adventure in 4 to 8 seconds.]

....

HEHE Seconds-

-

:D

Thank you so much for the ask!!

[cinamun]

Imho after Indya and Darren deal with all this latest shit the ancestors will go "now THAT is some talent we should be recruiting!!!" And when they get to the end of the Elder stage they won't die, they'll *transcend* and be part of the Serving Wisdom Club, even if they only got two generations below them on the world not a couple hundred like the other ancestors 😂😂😂

FRIENDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD I can't imagine either one of them as elders or *gasp* ancestors!!!

[bunabi]

I have to block you for an hour after that mayo thing, that's abomination.

ILY, see you in an hour

listen, ive seen yalls favorite characters, dont even try to criticize my cravings lmao

[mizuno-marmalade]

(settles down with a smoothie) PLEASE tell me everything you have to share about your ocs bestie. i want to know it all

HAHAHA!!!! HOLD ON TO UR HORSE STARING OUT AT THE WATER (man.) CUS THIS IS GONNA BE LONG okay okay so!!! for context: they're elves and they're elemental. super cliche but like idc at this point. there are six main races (previously five), and each race was created by one of the main gods, known as a whole to the elves as the Celestials. There's Tierani, goddess of the stone (earth), and she created the Tierran elves. there's Ignos, god of the flame (fire), and he created the Ignael elves. There;s Eviral, god of the rain and sea (water), and he created the Evirean elves. Aarya is the goddess of the clouds and wind (air), and she created the Aerian elves. Then the main two gods are Lydith, goddess of the sun+light and creator of the Lumine elves, and Valael, god of the moon + darkness and creator of the Valerian Elves. There is also another race of elves that are part animal- the Carranian elves, created by the animal goddess Carrana, but they aren't usually considered as one of the ''main'' races and it's this whole thing. ANYWAY. so in like. The Beginning (tm), there was only Valael, but he was both darkness and light. and then at some point he decided "hey what the heck. i'm lonely." and he concentrated all of his light and his positive energy into creating Lydith, which ended up with him being all negative energy, all darkness. they built the world as we (the elves technically) know it, and through a similar process to how Valael created Lydith, created patron gods for each element. lydith and valael had not created their respective elvin races at this point. And then the elemental gods created the first elves, one race from each god. the first elves were very violent and restless, and this eventually led to the races (and in turn, their patron gods) fighting. Lydith and Valael, being the leaders of the gods, set out to put a stop to the war, and created the Atherian elves as a sort of peacemaker race. They created another god in the form of Arou, who represents the stars, and attempted to use him as the patron of the Atherian elves, but he, like the first elvin races, was volatile and unstable. he tried to overthrow Lydith and Valael, and he turned the Atherian elves into a sort of dictator race. Lydith and Valael, who are, evidently, bad at parenting, locked Arou away in a constellation prison, and split the Atherian elves into the Lumine and Valerian elves, so as to avoid another conflict. Fast forward a couple hundred thousand years, and out story begins!!! the two main characters (there's technically 4, but ylva and aria aren't like. /Main/ main characters. i love em but they're not) are named Aelia (it's supposed to be said EYE-lee-uh, but i pronounce it EH-lee-uh [like alien] in my head for some reason) and Caelum (KAI-luhm)!! and Aelia is a princess!! her full name is Aelia Loniye Dellwin, and she is known to her people, the Lumine elves, as the Princess of the Rising Sun. She’s sixteen and her pronouns are she/her. Her mother, Camellia, is a certified b-tch and i hate her. Aelia has this whole tragic backstory!! her little sister drowns, Aelia blames it on herself (even though she was like 6. Camellia wasn't watching them, but she's too prideful to admit that.) and Camellia ALSO blames it on Ell!! Camellia is from then on like, the worst mother ever, and Aelia grows up believing that she killed her sister, that she's an awful person, and she's got all these repressed emotions, and it's awful!!! Caelum is a sweet little farmer boy from a continent across this huge, wide river that's basically an ocean, and he lived with his grandparents and best friend, Myre (MEE-ruh). his grandmother, Johana, owned this little bed and breakfast, and Caelum and Myre both worked there!! he also helps his grandfather work their farm, which is where most of the food for the bnb comes from. Myre would work on the farm if she could, but she's blind and partially deaf, and considering their world doesn't have the technology that ours does, it's incredibly difficult for her to do farmwork. so she waits tables and cooks in the

bnb with johana. His life was mostly peaceful, and nothing really. happened. Ylvannia is a Carranian elf, and she is part wolf. im gonna be completely honest she's not that developed,,, but shes tall buff wolf lesbian. she n aelia are dating.. it's /technically/ weird cus Aelia is sixteen and Ylvannia is nineteen, but they've been close to each other since they were kids, and ylva isn't like. predatory or anything (aside from yknow. being a wolf), and their relationship isn't sexual and wouldn't be sexual ever, as Aelia is ace. They're fine. They've got a best friends to lovers dynamic and i love it it's SO cute. Time for Aria!! His full name (which i'm very proud of) is Ryliustyrkarro Ariaturis Yspiarine Tarioryvera. He's very small!!! He's an Aerian elf, and he likes to wear sweaters and capes and giant cardigans. he wears these big, round glasses, and he works (and lives, even tho he's not supposed to) in this observatory/ university, and while he is a professor, he mainly works in the archives. he's irresponsible and avoiding a debt that grows steadily larger every time he spends money and is ignoring his job, which does in fact pay money, but staying in the Aerian elves' territory and getting paid while still getting chased by debt collectors is. Not the best option, so he runs away from his job, from his debt, from his sickly sister and his very old father.  he gets to the woods near one of the neutral villages near Lumine territory, where he meets Ylva, Aelia, and Caelum!!

i'm tired now lol goodnight! this definitely isn't everything, but i hope u enjoyed reading about the incoherent clusterfuck that is the god'send universe!! god'send is a play on god's end and godsend and i'm very proud of the name

[ducktracy]

190. porky at the crocadero (1938)

release date: february 5th, 1938

series: looney tunes

director: frank tashlin

starring: mel blanc (porky)

at long last, frank tashlin has succumbed to putting porky on a diet. this is the first tashlin short to have a slimmed down porky, officially putting an end to “fat porky”’s reign.

the story credit goes to lew landsman—a bit of an anomaly, considering this is his only credit. much of the scoop on him has been lost to the sands of time, but evidently he was a gag artist, selling comic drawings to magazines and even touting showings of his art throughout the ‘40s and ‘50s. you can read more about him here.

porky aspires to be a bandleader at the prestigious crocadero (a parody of the cafe trocadero, a bumping nightclub on the sunset strip from 1934-1947), but quickly realizes he’s too poor to afford its flashy admittance fee. he works as a dishwasher, hoping to catch a whiff of the festivities, but is quickly let go after he proves too incompetent for the job. nevertheless, an impromptu change in plans finds porky at the bandstand conducting a number of acts, including a high-energy cab calloway finale.

the typography of the title card melts away, the camera panning out as we get a full view of the crocadero, illuminated by the moonlight and its flashy neon sign. pan back in to the sign and fade to a standee:

all of the selections are references to pieces of music, with said music serving as accompaniment. the score begins with “little man, you’ve had a busy day”, switches to “in the shade of the old apple tree”, and closes with a carl stalling favorite, “the lady in red”. 

pan over to porky, eagerly ogling the sign. volney white’s animation and mel blanc’s vocals combine to make an energetic performance that will only grow in fervor. “hot duh-dee-duh-dee-duh-diggity dog! all thuh-the-thee-the big shots in person!” the detail of porky’s little hat flipping around, staggering in time to his stutter, is not only funny, but elevates the energy of the sequence. “someday, i’m uh-guh-geh-uh-gonna lead a band, too! s-see?”

porky unfurls a diploma, to which we get a close-up of his not-so-trustworthy credentials (fingernails and all):

volney’s animation continues to be full of character as porky blabs on about how he’s gonna become a famous bandleader. “and meh-muh-mee-mm-maybe i’ll be eh-feh-eh-famous, like eh-leh-lee-le-leopold eh-seh-stokowski!”

a nice change in camera angles as we turn to an upshot of porky, furiously conducting his imaginary band to a rousing rendition of “poet and peasant overture”. 

the mood changes from fervent conductor to crooner as he chooses to mimic rudy vallee, conducting along to vallee’s 1937 “vieni, vieni”, complete with a hilariously amiable facial expression--a stark contrast to the fit he was throwing mimicking stokowski just seconds prior.

another seamless transition in tone to an impression of eh-buh-bee-beh-benny goodman, the song this time being “sweet georgia brown” in the stylings of the king of swing himself. the changes in mood and tone, in both the animation and the music, are as smooth as butter, especially for such drastic shifts in expression. frank tashlin doesn’t skip a beat with his pacing. this is especially true as the camera pans over to another nearby sign, a hilarious sight gag quickly putting an end to porky’s festivities:

dejected, porky rifles in his pocket and pulls out a lone coin emblazoned with a skunk—“one scent”. he trudges along solemnly, away from the crocadero, when all of the sudden a sign catches his eye: BOY WANTED. though porky has been slowly growing more consistent in his characterization, his age still fluctuated from picture to picture. frank tashlin would also portray him as a young boy in wholly smoke just a few months later.

tashlin flaunts his need for speed as porky wastes no time doing the signature volney white eye take and darting into the crocadero, a cloud of dust and the swinging of the doors serving as the only indication of his presence just milliseconds prior.

although the sign doesn’t elaborate on what job it is that porky is doing, the tower of dishes blocking the screen as we fade in to the new scene answers any lingering questions. pan out to porky, happily scrubbing away, while his boss, a pretentious walrus whose vocal stylings are hilarious and borderline incomprehensible orders him around. the bargain—if porky does his job, then he can “watch the orrrrrrchestrey, maybe, hmmm?”

a throwback to the days of working with disney, carl stalling “mickey mouse”’s a little penguin waiter—that is, his quick little steps are fervently timed to the jaunty tinker of an xylophone. the walrus blocks the diminutive penguin, peddling a platter of soup. after they inadvertently do a tango of side-stepping, the penguin wordlessly slides down the walrus’ back, zigzagging around a sea of tables, and right over to a lone giraffe, elevating the table like a car jack to fit the gjraffe’s height. the giraffe laps up his soup with ease. though not the funniest gag ever, tashlin’s quirks—the quick timing, hiding the penguin behind the plethora of tables, etc, make it more endearing.

back to porky, carrying a dangerously tall tower of plates with him. a fly causes him to nearly spill his goods, but ducking in place renders the pig safe. that is, until he throws all of the dishes in the air, swatting the fly spastically. the music cue of porky ducking, looking around to make sure the fly is gone, sounds eerily similar to the stylings of norman spencer, who scored the cartoons up until mid-late 1936. 

without a break in pace, porky catches all of the dishes he threw into the air in one fell swoop. more buttery pacing from tashlin, who is able to switch tones and moods at lightning speeds without missing a beat. this is INCREDIBLY difficult to pull off, and he makes it look too easy.

as to be expected, the fly lands right on porky’s snout. instead of attacking it without hesitation, porky slowly reaches for a spoon on the kitchen counter... and THEN disregards his duties as dishwasher, carelessly tossing his pile of dishes aside to swat furiously at his foe.

the pompous walrus from before spots porky’s silhouette from outside the kitchen doors, flailing and waving around like a madman. “der loafer!” his boss interprets porky’s frantic waving of the spoon as a frantic imitation of a bandleader, promptly tossing him out. porky recovers in the back alley, left with his diploma and metaphorical birds of cartoon pain as the boss scolds “today, you are a ham!”--a take on the bar mitzvah declaration “today, you are a man”, which has been spoofed previously in cartoons such as egghead rides again.

it doesn’t take long for the boss to eat his own words. frank tashlin does a great job of creating a genuinely anxiety inducing mood as a crowd of people, now filling the crocadero, chant “we want mu-sic! we want mu-sic! we want mu-sic!” the musical accompaniment is more akin to the stylings of scott bradley, in the sense that it’s purely atmospheric and contextual, rather than an actual melody. the chanting and disconcerting music get louder as we cut to dramatic up shots of hands clapping to the beat, down shots of foots stamping, etc. it’s genuinely unnerving--and the manager agrees, pacing circles around his office, muttering incoherently to himself about the absence of “the musicmaker”.

knocking on the door serves as a symbol of hope as the manager whips around. “who’s dere?” 

“telegram, i bet’cha!” inside bursts a total loon of an old man, his long, white beard whipping in the wind as he does donuts on his bicycle inside the manager’s office. if it weren’t for his looks and speech patterns, which already tell a story, carl stalling’s score of “the woods are full of cuckoos” certifies that this old coot definitely has some screws loose. 

the old coot reaches into the depths of his beard and pulls out said telegram. “y’ owe me sixty cents, i bet’cha.” the manager unceremoniously dumps a handful of coins into the coot’s possession, who does a few more donuts in the office, indicating his exit. that is, until he suddenly halts, tipping his hat to bid “g’bye, i bet’cha.” such a scene is nonsense--and it’s hilarious nonsense rather than perplexing nonsense. it makes no sense, and yet it’s speedy enough to get its point across AND not overstay its welcome. had the same gag been executed by someone such as ben hardaway, who probably would have LOVED this gag, it would have been milked to death and bloated to ensure the audience “got it”. here, frank knows when to start and when to stop, an incredibly valuable skill not all directors possess.

contents of the telegram include a rather morbid nod to the hit ‘20s song “i faw down an' go boom”:

to add insult to injury, the old coot sticks his head in the door and adds “yeah, and they won’t come ‘t all, i betcha!” before slamming the door. though i can’t place the animator, the style of the animation looks eerily similar to that of izzy ellis’, from the spiral motion lines to the thin, squished look of his face. izzy ellis would animate in the clampett unit after leaving ub iwerks’ studio, later animating under norm mccabe, frank tashlin himself, bob clampett again, and then bob mckimson. an example of some of his work under frank tashlin here. 

back to the crowd, still demanding their music in the same unnerving drone. the manager continues to pace in his office, until a bright idea hits. “that sving dishvasher! i must get him back schnell!” 

a moment of frank tashlin greatness: the entire cartoon screeches to a halt as a narrator explains “ladies and gentlmen, ‘schnell’ means ‘quick’!” and, just like that, cartoon hijinks resume. this joke is hilarious 83 years later--imagine the reaction it evoked from theatergoers in 1938. once more, the matter-of-fact execution of the gag is what sells it. no build up, no cool down, no bloating of anything. short, sweet, and to the point. it’s so hilariously and purposefully redundant that you can’t NOT laugh at it.

speaking of quick, that would be an understatement to describe the rapid cutting after the fact. the manager rushes outside, whipping around street corner after street corner to find the dejected dishwasher he berated just minutes prior. he finds his target, grabbing porky and rushing backwards--the same way he came at the same exact lightning speed--all while monologuing about how porky can be a bandleader and break all of the dishes he wants.

again, no breaks in momentum whatsoever as the bandleader tosses a nonplussed porky into a bandleader’s outfit, stuffing a pillow under his shirt (had this cartoon been made a few months prior, there’d be no need for a pillow!) and giving him a fake mustache/curl of hair via makeup. “pull de vool over dere eyes!”

thus cues the music portion of the cartoon. a spotlight shines on a sign introducing porky as “the jazz king”, much to the pleasure of the audience. a giraffe in the orchestra introduces the song with a clarinet solo of “rhapsody in blue” before getting down to business.

porky, dressed as paul whiteman, conducts whiteman’s “avalon”, as indicated by the music stand. volney white does some great animation here--porky struggles to keep his own weight afloat, his giant pillow-stomach sinking to the ground. he readjusts himself a few times, enjoying the spare seconds of peace where his outfit stays intact, only for the same charade to repeat. fun eye takes and volumetric animation from volney. it’s no coincidence that he was one of tashlin’s best animators.

the crowd shots in this cartoon are not to be overlooked--kudos and apologies for the poor people who had to ink and paint all of that! the crowd dances along to the stylings of porky’s music, including a pair of kangaroos and their joeys slow dancing together.

back to the little penguin waiter from before, tinkering along to deliver a drink. a spare trombone sucks up all of the goods in the glass, prompting a hilarious grimace from the penguin who just stands still, silently glowering before traipsing backwards (mickey mouse timing and all) to refill. 

cut to porky, who appears much more jovial. a clever pan out reveals that he’s enlisted in the help of a car jack to keep his extra weight afloat. and, with that, curtains (animation reused from the introduction to tashlin’s porky’s romance) close out on the pig. applause from the audience.

next up, “guy lumbago and his boiled kanadians”, a not-so-flattering nod to guy lombardo and his royal canadians. porky, dressed as a canadian mountee, directs “cryman lumbago”. carmen lombardo, brother to guy, was often poked fun at for the excessive vibrato in his voice--people would liken him to sounding like an old man on his last legs. not only that, but even by the ‘30s, guy lombardo’s music was often dismissed as slow, sappy “old person’s music”. the 1954 woody woodpecker cartoon, real gone woody, also makes fun of lombardo, also dubbing him as “lumbago” and calling him a square.

indeed, cryman lumbago is a decrepit old man with--you guessed it--lumbago, singing in a hilariously obnoxious vibrato. even the dancers in the crocadero stagger along to his vibrato, their dancing stuttering. the benign facial expressions of the crowd, despite all of this, is the perfect cherry on top. one wonders if guy/carmen lombardo ever saw this cartoon, and how they reacted to it...

just as the gag threatens to overstay its welcome (and, admittedly, it has), a screwball assistant who looks like a relative to another random screwball in porky’s duck hunt scoops lumbago into a wheelchair and wheels him off stage. the audience applauds, and there’s a feeling that they aren’t just applauding the music.

cue the most controversial, uncomfortable, yet also complex part of the cartoon: a tribute to cab calloway, or, as he’s dubbed here, cab halloway.

for today i’ll spare you the imagery, but we’re greeted by a (thankfully) rare anomaly in the porky pig-verse: porky and his orchestra are dressed in blackface, conducting a rousing rendition of “chinatown, my chinatown”.

obviously, any and all blackface is abhorrent, but this is an interesting case. it’s clear that this was meant to be an homage and celebration of cab calloway’s music. a certain level of care seems to have been put into this sequence—it’s not a cheap throwaway “haha blackface” gag purely just for laughs. the animation is FILLED with a surprising amount of energy and vitality, and the vocals of the calloway impression are eerily spot on. analyzing the animation from a technical standpoint, it’s VERY skillful. it is NOT easy to convey such high energy and such elasticity. the animation is vivid, rapid, and invigorating. for 1938 especially, such energy is jarring. this feels more like the climax of a 1945 bob clampett cartoon, not a run of the mill 1938 porky pig cartoon.

BUT, with that said, it’s still extremely uncomfortable--blackface is blackface, and just because the techniques behind it are good doesn’t mean the material being animated is good. as i mentioned, the intentions don’t entirely feel as nasty as other examples we have/will seen, but that doesn’t negate the harm it does. you can have affectionate homages to cab calloway and his music without blackface--look at betty boop’s snow white. plus, because the song is “chinatown, my chinatown”, any nuance this scene had is discredited when porky switches from blackface to dressing up as a stereotypical chinese man. uncomfortable and unnecessary--THAT is a cheap throwaway gag. 

nevertheless, it’s not in my place to preach about what is racist and what isn’t. speaking purely from a technical standpoint--the techniques and processes that went into the animation itself--this is a very impressive performance. high energy in both music and animation. the elasticity, speed, all of it is very impressive. the content BEING animated, however, has aged like rotten milk. though this isn’t as meanspirited as other instances that we’ll explore, it still absolutely has its problems and definitely encourages mindful thinking.

regardless, the number ends to uproarious applause, and porky successfully lives his dreams of being a bandleader. the cartoon closes on the penguin waiter, once more peddling a drink. just as the offscreen trombone threatens to steal his drink, the penguin swallows it all in one go and blows a raspberry to the trombone as we iris out.

an interesting entry for sure. frank tashlin’s talents cannot and should not be understated--his speed and timing of the cartoon are certifiably one of the most impressive aspects of the cartoon. indeed, a lot of fun music in this one, whether that be underscores or otherwise. the design of the cartoon holds up very well--tashlin’s streamlined backgrounds and layouts are always a treat to look at. porky is very endearing, especially in the beginning with his imitation of all of the bandleaders, and the incomprehensibility of the walrus is too funny not to laugh at.

of course, the elephant in the room is the ending tribute, which we already discussed. from a technical standpoint, the vivacity of the animation should absolutely be commended and appreciated, especially this early on. the music is VERY fun. but blackface is blackface, and it just hasn’t aged well and comes off as uncomfortable--at least--regardless.

with that, whether you choose to watch this cartoon is up to you. i think this is definitely one of tashlin’s best porky cartoons, and despite its gags and references that have now become dated, it still serves as an enjoyable watch. the whole blackface thing, however, is why this isn’t a cartoon i frequent often. i would trepidatiously recommend this, either skip the calloway sequence or watch it with an open mind. in all, a fun cartoon that i unfortunately can’t quite appreciate to its fullest extent.

with all that said, here’s a link!

[loverfighter]

ameliorate.

funky word to use, smack dab in the middle of a lecture like his manager is playing some mad libs instead of trying to convince him out of fleeing his tour for⏤what did he say it was? midlife crisis for dummies 101? 

maybe it was a clever ploy to catch at richie’s attention, big word for the big baby, knowing it was all going in one ear and out the other (not even having the good grace to sit down for tea! barbaric manners, your momma didn’t raise you in a farm! ha, joke is, you have no fucking idea where you were raised). but here he is, caught fish jiggying it up on the hook, as the syllables pound into his skull.

uh·mee·lee·ur·eit.

uh / clock like molasses, each second crawling to the next in a dusty classroom. 

mee / the endless drone of mrs. keller’s voice, lips puckering in emphasized pronunciation, spit streaming onto greta in the front (surprising that she doesn’t melt from all the water, but richie would swear he saw some steam, cross his heart and hope to die!).

lee / eighth grade dictionaries open on every desk, drool pelting the pages from the corners of slobbery, sleeping mouths. richie’s mouth near drooling for completely different reasons, the infatuation belonging to a teenager the mightiest force for the imagination, a lifeless classroom the ideal breeding grounds for a fantasy or two.

ur / for once, reality is better, and an entire script is exchanged in the span of a single look, mouths quirking as lips trace the sound of the word in obedience, once, twice, thrice, a dirty phrase syncing in by the second repetition. 

eit / a laugh that can never be replaced, stuffed into the palm of eddie’s hand, valiant in its gesture to dissuade onlookers from trampling upon the space between their desks, their eyes. still, mrs. keller gets cross, and ain’t that just killing two birds with one stone!

over in a succession of five blinks, nothing lingers but the foggy mirror of a smile, redrawn from years of muscle memory, sore from misuse. at the sight, his manager throws his hands up in defeat.

..

a baby wails and richie turns to his attention from his uneventful lap to the equally uneventful window, darkened to a neptune blue to aid the sleep that won’t come.

he inhales. 

it hits him right there, aisle seat of the plane, first class rider. phosphenes tease a once vivid memory just beyond his reach. in a blink comes the sunlight, that blinding light unfolding like a hand fan over the expanse of blurred eyesight, reaching for his all. then, a faraway, echoing shout in his ear as he breaks through the layer of water, a gusty fountain spraying mightily in the middle of a lake. his heartbeat slows. it is only those sensations, of the wild caress of sunshine on his wet skin and hands pushing at his ribs, of childish and wonderful wants and affairs, wrestling and laughing and the flurry freedom of friendship and something else cradled in the blue. 

he exhales, pulse racing like it’s fucking usain bolt on steroids. 

the memory hides, cowers behind a half open door. something like a teasing pinky promise of a reoccurring dream, soon to return but never when you may remember its wake. the hasty flight of the head and heart. richie doesn’t know what to do with it, and so off it trots, a feeling like all the rest⏤cowards, the lot of them, and he, captain at the helm (o captain! my captain!). his attention pulls to his carry on where a bottle of xanax beckons; maybe it might clog his throat up enough to stop his heart from coming right up. 

..

it’s an assault.

dozens of colors emerge from their shadows, memories pouring into his heart, settling in his being, home once again⏤not in the chinese restaurant his parents sometimes dragged him to, in the town he is now remembering he hated (hates, still, too close for comfort).

but he is found home in eddie kaspbrak’s gaze.

and secrets unfurl, ones that weren’t shackled solely by the chains of divine repression and magical amnesia and, well, plain ol’ repression.

his heart, too, unfurls from its pleated existence, unfolding to make room for what it once lost.

..

he had not thought of the space beside him as small until he remembered how it could feel with eddie taking its place. until he remembered but still lost him anyway. a crater so large, a meteor would be too small to fit.

the memories used to pull at him, like the strings of a ventriloquist, heart the maker and head the puppet. a breeze would whisper by, and in that moment it became the wind of eddie before his body smashed into richie’s, two magnets forced apart for too long. a song would play, and the beat would transform into eddie’s heartbeat, one richie would sometimes be able to feel in the small space of a hammock, or eddie’s twin sized mattress, or any other excuse that would do, anything he could get away with. he would sit in a busy diner and be filled with a charge to repeat an overcomplicated (this on the side and replace this with that and that on a different plate so that it doesn’t touch this and⏤on and on and on) order that didn’t belong to him. hundreds of memories and moments and snippets of a life, of a love, tripping on his heels like a dysfunctional ghost.

now the strongest memory is himself, alongside all of the tiny, needling ones. his lone shadow, his empty hand, his torn heart. knowing what belongs in the void space.

yet, he is kept company. by the smiles he can remember, the laughs, the words unsaid.

they are what furnish the ruins of his heart.

[superdecade]

Levidromes

A levidrome is a word that when spelled backwards makes another word. Well, at least not yet. It is not in the Oxford English Dictionary. Levi Budd is a six-year-old boy from British Columbia in Canada who has coined the term 'levidrome' after spotting that the word 'STOP' spells 'POTS' backwards. After realising that there is no such word in English for this phenomena, a social media campaign has started to get this word in popular usage (hence this post). I wrote a short Python script this morning that will pull all of the levidromes from a dictionary file. The full list is copied below.

aa ab aba abac abba abo abos abut acca ad ado ados ae aga agar agas agenes ah aha ahs aia aider air airts ajar aka al ala alan alif alma alula am ama amahs amas amen amene amir amis amla amman an ana anal anan anana anes anew anger animal animes anna annat anon ante apod araara arak arb arbas are ares arf aril arret arris arum arval aryl assam asses at ataata ate ates aua auks ava aval avel avid avo awa ay ayahs ba bac bacs bad bag bal bals ban bans bard barf bark bas bat bats bed beef ben bens bib bid big bin bins bird bis blub bo bob bobac bobak bod bog boh bok bon bonk boob boord bor bos bots bows boy bra braced brad brag braw bro brod bros bru bub bud bug bulb bun bunk buns bur burd burg bus but buts cab caba cabob cam camus cap card cares cep ceps cire cires cis cit cite cito civic clat cod cor cos cot cram cran crem cur da dab dace dad dag dah dahs dal dam dap daraf darb darg dart darts das daud daw daws day de deb debut decaf decal decarb dedal deed deem deen deens deep deeps deer dees deet deets def defer deffer deffo deg degami degged deid deified deifier deil deke deked del deled delf delis deliver delos dels deman demit demits den denier denies denim denis denned dennets dens depart deport depot depots derat derats dere dered deres deros derris dessert desserts deus devas devil devils devots dew dewans dewed dexes deys di dial dialer dials diaper dib did died dif dig dim din dinar diol diols diram dit div diva do dob doc dod dog doh dohs dol dom don dons doom door dop dopa dops dor dorb dormin dorp dorps dort dorter dos doser dot doy drab drac drail dram drap draps draw drawer draws dray drey drib drier droob drool drow drows drub duad dual dub dud duel duo dup dups ea ean eas eat ecad ecce ed edile edit ee eel eels een ef eh ehs eke eked elide elides elutes em eme emes emir emit emits emmets emong emos en ene enema enes enol enows er era ere ered eres ergo eric eros ervil eses esnes espial esse et eta etas etat etats eten etic etna euk eve even evil eviler evils ewe exul eye faced farad fe fed feeb feer fen fer fet fid fier fig fila fir fires fled flog flor flow fool fra frab fret fro gab gad gag gal gals gam gan gans gaps gar garb gas gat gateman gater gats gay ged gel gelder gem gen get gib gid gif gig gins gip girt girts git gnar gnat gnats gnaw gnaws gnome gnus gob god golf gon gons goog gorp gorps gos got grad gram grub gu gub gul gulp guls gum gums guns gup gups gur gut guv guy ha habus had hadedah hah hahs hajjah halalah hales hallah hallan halos han hap haram hay he heh henry hep her hey ho hob hod hoh hon hoo hoop hop hos huh hup id ikat imaged io iris iron is it itas iwi jar kabob kaiak kak kam kara kat kay kayak keek keel keels keep keet keets ken keps kier kips kirks kis kiths knaps knar knit knits knob knop knot knots know knub knuts kob kook kor korat kow krab krans kue la lab laced lacer lad laded laer lag lager laid laipse lair lam lamina lana langer lap lares larum las laud lava lavra leat leben led lee leek leep leeps leer lees leet leets leg leir lemel leper les let leud leva level lever levins levo lez liar liard liart lias lied lies lin lion lira lit live lived livre lobo lod loges loid lone loof looks loom loons loop loops loord loos loot looter loots lop los lotos lug luxe lyra ma mac macs mad madam maes mag mak mal malam mallam mals mam man map maps mar marah marc marcs mard marg marid marram marrum mart mas massa mat maws may me meed mees meet meets meg mem merc meter mets mew mho mid milks mils mim mined minim mips mir mis mm mo mod mom mon moo mood mool mools moops moor moos moot mop mor mos mot moy mu mug mum mura mural mures murram mus mut muton muts na naan nab nae nag nah nala nallah nam named namer nametag namma nan nana nap napas nappas naps naras narc narcs narks nas nat naw ne neb nebel ned nee need neep nef neg nek neks nelis nema nemas nep net nete nets neve neves new nib nid nil nimrod nip nips nis nit no nob nod nog noh noil nolos nom non nona nonet noo noon noop noops nori nos not notes notum now noy nu nub nun nur nus nut nuts nys oat ob oba obey obo obol od oda odas offed offer ogre oh ohm oho ohos oi oiks om on ono oo ooh oohs oom oon oop oor oot op oppo orb orf os otic otto oud ova ovel ow owt oxo oy pac pacer pad pah pal palp pals pam pan pans pap par pard part parts pas pat pats paw paws pay pec peed peek peel peels peen peep pees peh pelas pen peons pep per perp perts pets pig pin pins pip pir pis pit plap plug po pod poh pol pols pom ponk poo pooh pool pools poon poons poop poor poort poos poots pop port ports pos pot pots pow pows prat prep prod prog pud pug puh pullup pup pupils puris pus put puy radar rag raga rager rages raggas rail rait raj raja ram ramis rang ranid rank rap raps ras rast rat rats raw ray re real reaps rebus rebut recal recap recaps reccos redder redes redia redips redleg redraw redrawer reed reef reeks reel reels reens rees ref refed refer reffed reffo reflet reflow regal regar regna regnal regos reh reif reified reifier reik reiks reined reird reknit reknits reknot reknots relaid relit relive reliver reman remeet remit renies rennet rep repaid repaper repel repins repot repots res resat resod retag retem retool retrod retros revel reviled reviler reviver reward rewarder rewets rexes ria rial rias ribas riel rif rim rima rime rims rip rits rob roc rod rok rolf rom rones roo rood room rooms roop roops roots rosies rot rotator rotavator rotor rub ruc rucs rug rums run sab sabir sabra sad sadis sado sados sae sag saga sagas sagenes saggar sail sair sakis sal salep salles sallets sam sama samas samen san sanes sap sapan sappan saps sar saran saros sarus sat sate sati sav saved saw saz scab scam scares scot scram scran scur seals seam seat secret seder sedes sedile seed seeks seel seem seems seep seer sees segar segol seil seined seiner seis seisor seities sekos sel selah selahs seles sellas selles seme sememes semes semina sena senas sene senega senegas sennet senor sense ser sera serac seracs seral sere sered seres seric serif serons serres serum sese sesey sessa sesses set seta seton setule seven sexed sexer sexes sey seys sha shad shah shahs shakos shales shama shay shaya she shod shoo shtik si sib sic sidas sies sik sikas siled silen sim sima simar simis sin sined sinnet sip siri siris sirra sirred sirs sirup sis sit six skat skeer skees skeets sken skeps skier skio skips sklim skool skran skrans skrik skua slab slaes slag slaid slam slap sled slee sleek sleep sleeps sleer sleet sleets slim slipup slit slive slived sloid sloom sloop sloops sloot sloots slop slug smart smees smew smir smits smoor smoot smug smur smut smuts snab snag snap snaps snark snarks snaw snawed snaws sneb sned sneed sneer snib snig snip sniper snips snirt snit snivel snod snoep snog snool snoop snoops snoot snores snort snot snow snub snug so sob soba soc soccer sod soda sodas sog soger soh soho sokahs sokes sol solah soled solon solos som some son sonnet sool soom soop sop soras sorb sore sored sorter sos sotol sow soy spacer spaer spag spam span spank spans spar spard spart sparts spas spat spats spaw spaws spay spaz spec speed speel speels spek speks spets spider spik spiks spim spin spins spirt spirts spit spod spool spools spoom spoon spoons spoor spoots sports spot spots sprat sprits sprod sprog spud spug sris stab stag stang stap staps star stared start stat state stats staw staws steed steek steeks steel steels steem stellas stem stemme sten stenned step steps stet stets stew stewer stime stimed stims stink stinker stir stirps stob stonk stonker stool stools stoop stoops stoor stop stoped stoper stops stot stots stoved stow stows strad strap straps straw strep stressed stria strig strips strop strops strow struts stub stum stums stun stunk sturts sub subah suber succus sued sulu sulus sum sumac sun sung sup suras sus susus swad swam swang swans swap swaps sward swat swats sway swey swob swone swop sword swot swots syed syes syn ta tab tae tael taes tag tak taki taks talc tallat tam tan tang tanna tao tap taps tar tared tarok tarp tarps tart tas taser tat tate tats tav taw taws te teed teek teel teels teem teemer tef teg tel telfer ten tenet tenner tennes tennis tennos tenon terces terf terra terret tes tet tets tew ti tiar tic tid tide tig til tiler tils time timed timer tin tink tinker tins tip tips tirrit tis tit toc tocs tod tog tom ton tonk tonker tons too tool tools toom tooms toons toot top toped toper tops tor torot tort tot tots tow tows trad trail tram trams trap traped traps trat trats tressed trew trig trins trips trod trons troop trop troped trot trow tsar tub tuba tubed tuber tug tum tums tun tup tut two ug ulu ulus um umu un urb utu vas vat vav vid vug wad wan wang wans wap waps war warb ward warder warts was wat wats waw way wed wem wems wen wena wert wet wets wey wo wok wolf wolfer won wonk wons wop word wort worts wos wot wots wow xis ya yad yag yah yahs yak yam yap yaps yar yard yaw yaws yay yebo yeh yerd yes yeses yew yews yo yob yod yom yon yos yrneh yug yup zaps zas zel ziz zuz zzz

It is interesting to note that some levidromes are also palindromes. I wonder whether we need a new word to describe this phenomenon also?  Furthermore, there is no word in English for "a word that you make up in order to make another word make sense". I suggest: "emordivel" ?

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[gdmli]

Community Connect Acts of Service during COVID-19

The Community Connect Class of 2020 finished our last few sessions online, but a global pandemic did not stop our small groups from completing an act of service for the community. While many of our groups had to change our initial plans, many of us found creative ways we could give our time and talents while practicing social distancing.

It has been inspiring to see how in the midst of all of this chaos each of our groups found different ways that we could support the Des Moines community during these unprecedented times.

Maybe after reading through what some of our small groups did for their projects, you will be inspired for how you can give back during COVID-19.

Group One

(Katie Roth, San Wong, Kelly Marble, Amal Barre, Kelly Olson)

One of the group members, Amal Barre, facilitates an after-school program for youth, as a part of her job. She was putting together care packages for each of her students with treats and some fun activities that they can do at home. As a group they wanted to support her and her families by purchasing, granola bars, colored pencils and fruit snacks to add to the care packages.

Group Four

(Mee Yang-Lee, Michael Morain, Lisa Butler, Krystal Kruse, LB Lyons, Mallory Riesberg)

With nursing homes and retirement communities closed to visitors, it is a lonely time to be a senior. This group wrote cards with positive messages for residents at Woodlands Creek Retirement Community in Urbandale.  

Group Six

(Eric Idehen, Elizabeth Presutti, Ivon Mihura, Danielle Propst, Megan Winge)

Before COVID-19 brought volunteering in person to a halt, group six went to Lutheran Services of Iowa to assist refugees with studying for their citizenship and naturalization tests.  While in quarantine, they are exploring ways that they can virtually support the staff of Youth Emergency Shelter Services (YESS).

Group Eight

(Natali Justiniano Pahl, Mike Wilson, Emily Brahnsen, Laura Plumb, Nicole Schlief)

This group decided to be advocates for the causes they care about in the community. They identified organizations and wrote advocacy letters in support of five local non-profits to elected representatives.

During COVID-19, many non-profits are in need of policy changes or additional funding. It was something they could all do remotely and it felt especially important at this time when funding sources are getting cut, priorities are shifting, and the general world is changing.

American Civil Liberties Union

Food Bank of Iowa

Des Moines Area Religious Council Food Pantry

One Iowa

Greater Des Moines Habitat for Humanity

If you are sitting at home and wondering what you can do to help reach out to non-profits that you support to see if there is anything that they need you to advocate for on their behalf.

Our groups may not have been able to be together during this time, but each group in their own way was able to show up for the community in their own way.

[zeiranoit]

Tagged by @onetrashcanforeternity - one of my 2 friends on Tumblr. Rip Name: Emilia (Ee-mee-lee-ah) Nickname: Milla and Umulius (a mix between my name and the danish word for 'impossible') Sign: Capricorn (23rd December) Height: 172 cm Orientation: Asexual Ethnicity: White Favorite fruit: Watermelon for life Favorite season: Winter/Summer Favorite book: Fuck man.. guess either the Harry Potter series or the Percy Jackson series Favorite flowers: I don't have any.. Favorite scent: Blood .. jk it's feces Average hours of sleep: 8-9 Number of blankets I sleep with: Just 1 comforter Favorite fictional character(s): (I have a lot, these two are the faves over faves) Percy Jackson and Eren Jaeger Ideal trip: Roadtrip to South Italy with a tru bro, or an epic shopping trip to London, where i don't spent my own money When this blog was created: December 2014 was my first post. But I spent my first times just stalking and liking so probably November 2014. Number of followers: 144 (shoutout to the 7 of them that aren't porn blogs) Something embarrassing: Every single thing I do I'm lonely af so I sadly don't have anyone to tag. Truly rip

[thaiamulet-us]

Most Powerful Lucky Amulet : Ladies Snake Pendant - Nang paya Ngoo

The Most Powerful Lucky Amulet 

Name :Ladies Snake Pendant  - Locket Nang paya Ngoo

Blessed by : Ajarn Sekha from Cambodia

Whoever possess this amulet, it will bring you great success in life or in work or Whatever you wishes It can be used for all sex  Powerful amulet to help attract life's rewards to you Improve existing relationships, and gain respect and influence over people - money, financial success, success in your career, happiness of your family. A major ingredient in spells for a happy and long life, victory in financial matters, Love attraction, Business Success, etc. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++   The magical Powerful Ladies Snake amulet is very good for increase good luck and strong attraction has been empowered to attract luck, prosperity and fortunes for the user. It is ideal for business good for shopkeepers to increase trade and business sales or by businessmen, employees and salesmen to gain the respect and confidence of prospects, supervisors, and clients. Ladies Snake Pendant is used to enhance your beauty spiritually so that your lover will find you amazingly attractive and beautiful. As some times even if you are good looking but you may not have that charm or beauty to attract the person you want or love. For all these problems you may go for the powerful Ladies Snake Pendant , as once the amulet is on you then your personality and appearance will glow. Ladies Snake amulet will emit positive energies and vibrations on you so that where ever you may go you will attract others by your appearance and charm and will attract attention of every one around you. So now if you feel that you are not good looking or you are ugly or every one rejects you, then now is the chance to change yourself. This Ladies Snake Pendant  will not only make you beautiful but all those who have rejected you or have made fun of you will be sorry and will change their opinion immediately as soon as they will see you. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Ladies Snake an Angel of Prosperity, and can greatly assist you with increasing the flow of money and new prosperity into your life. Ladies Snake amulet can also assist you with releasing any blocks to the spiritual flow of abundance and prosperity, thus opening the doors for showers of abundance to enter into your life. This amulet may also be used for assistance with job/career and work-related goals.   This magical Ladies Snake amulet is consecrated for the purpose of attracting wealth, money, windfall profits, and business success. Guarantee your financial future and security with the use of this magic Ladies Snake amulet. Success in business, stock trading, real estate deals and any business venture will thrive when using the power of this magic amulet. Ladies Snake amulet will help attract money and riches. This particular magical quality is especially useful to people who would like to increase their chances of winning in games of change, is considered to be of most powerful amulet for merchants and business persons have always used the amulet to attract good business and prosperity, bringing a constant flow of customers , sales , and money , windfall luck great for lottery or gambling and lotteries.   Most Powerful Lucky Amulet ......................... > Enhancing Your Wealth Fetching & Business/Sales Luck, Gambling Luck. Secure Good fortune to Prosperity (Ideal For Windfall Luck & Attracting Customers & Opportunities To You) > Quick Boost Of Persuasion & Influencing Power; Success in Negotiation In Different Usages e.g. In Business Deals, In Convincing Your Partner, etc. > This amulet is ideal for anyone who wants to succeed in businesses. > Change bad luck to good luck, > Bring good luck and wealth especially in business, protect the owner from harm > Great for convincing customers ,clients to take your offers, successfully seal important deals, attract unexpected Bonuses, promotions. > To attract good luck, wealth, health and happiness. Good and forever prosperity. > Magically enchant your target for love or attraction purposes > Improves your personal appearance and aura > Influence people around you with ease > Improves your career graph dramatically ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Kata ; For Enhancing Your Wealth Namo tassa Bhagavato Arahato samma sambud dhassa (3 times). Na Cha Lee Ti – Pra Sit ti La Pa – Pha San Na Jit Ta – Sa Ta Hone Ti – Pi Yang Ma Ma – Sap Pe Cha Na – Pha Hoo Cha Na – Sap Pe Ti Sa – Sa Ma Kha Ta – Ka La Pho Cha Na – Vi Ka La Pho Cha Na – A Cut Chan Ti – Pi Yang Ma Ma Ome….Hai Look Pob Tae Sing Dee Dee – Hai Look Mee Lone Fah – Hai Look Ruai Nguen Tra – Hai Look Krai Rock Pai – Hai Look Yai Nai Dan Kan Ngan – Hai Look Man Nai Dan Chock Lap – Sa Tu Sa Tu Sa Tu Kata ; For Love Spell & Attraction 1 1 ) Na Von Na Vaen Na PraSit Na PraSean Na Von Vean Maha Goo (7 times) OR >> Kata ; For Love Spell & Attraction 2 2) Om Maha Raruai Ratod Ratuai Tooksen koomkon Hennagoo Gor Endoo Rakkrai Maha Raruai Nguey Ngong Jongjai rak Maetae Changnaidong Gor Leamprai Maetae Lookkai Gor Leammae Thangpootao Pookae Kinleaw Gor Leam Greun Sanstan LongLai WanWai PromJai PromTa PaSu AuCha Mahaa Pitsawong OmLong MahaLong Sitti Sawahome Read the full article

[azevial]

Lee Mee lone #leavemealone #comedy #funny #longhair #skit #voices #acting #hair #jokes https://www.instagram.com/p/ByuXdQCn8II/?igshid=453ckevcnkau

[shkon]

My brothers girlfriend was making fun of me and said I bet when you have your own place it's going to be all white everything. I chuckled and said ya and I'm going to have indoor plants too.

Shits my aesthetic dude lee mee lone

Of course everyone laughed at me. We can't all be dope like me haha