#I'm a full on conspiracy theorist now

[hiraeth-doux]

the kate middleton thing is the most fun the internet has been since a bunch of rich people decided it was a good idea to visit the bottom of the ocean in a diy submarine built it someone's backyard

[vqlfstar]

a bit of a stretch but I don't think we need a book for that when we can look outside the window (north america is falling baby and the rest of the world's gonna follow soon or has already paved the way.)

but yeah I also yearn for this piece of information.

feels like desiring knowledge of a future that you have been informed of in the past (if that makes sense)

i don’t just want a book about each hunger games, i want to know the entire history of panem: the fall of north america and how it became panem, how long they existed as a capitol and thirteen districts, what led to the dark days, how panem changed in the time between the 10th and 74th games, if they have contact with other countries, what happened to the other countries, how far into the future this is

the brilliance of suzanne collins is that she created such a rich world where i’m genuinely interested in any sort of story set within panem, not just in context of the games but their entire history books

[flesh-and-fangs]

Y'all, I hate to say it, but no, Nandermo did not "go canon", in an "alternate universe" or through "implications" or otherwise. They were making fun of us. That was the point of all the little nudges and open questions that were quickly squashed. That was the point of the hypnosis ending. The point of that hypnosis was quite literally "Here, let's give the perfect fake wish-fulfillment ending to parts of our fanbase" (which is why there were three. They're fake. That's the point. The point is that they are supposed to be fantasies to appeal to people's hopes for the show).

Having Nandor and Guillermo as a classic sitcom couple set to a laugh track in a universe where none of the other characters exist was a jab at shippers who wanted Nandermo to be canon and cared more about that than the other characters or the premise of the show. They were making fun of "and they lived happily ever after" type fanwork. They were making fun of people who, in their eyes, ignored the irreverence and violence and black comedy of the show in order to make fluffy slash content. They were explicitly saying: "This is how we see you, and this is how we see what you want from this show, and we are telling you that it won't happen and we in fact have contempt for the very concept."

Why do you think they kept baiting the ship until the literal last lines of the show? They were making fun of us. They were saying "Ha! You still thought this would happen? After years of us saying it won't, to your face? Idiots." It's a comedy show, and they were making shippers the butt of the joke. They've been doing it for seasons now.

This is literally what Supernatural did back in the day. And nobody said that they made Destiel canon when they had an in-universe/alternate-universe stage play where the actors "explore Destiel". Fans back then recognized that it was a joke at their expense. That's what this is. Same as what happened in BBC Sherlock that one time, where in-universe conspiracy theorists said that Sherlock was in love with Moriarty (a ship the creators deliberately baited, mind you, same as they have here), specifically for the purpose of laughing at and making fun of that theory.

I'm so sorry, guys. I know you wanted to hope. I know you wanted to believe that the things the writers said at that con weren't true, but they were. I know because I wanted to hope too, even when I knew full well it wouldn't happen. They've been plain about how they feel about the ship for years. They saw it as a joke, one that drew in viewers, but was objectionable at its core. And they've followed through on that by baiting and jabbing up until the very end.

[arminsumi]

Satoru simping for you and Suguru telling him to give up (lol)

Note : this is just crack i found in the drafts lol enjoy??

Warnings : 🔞 mdni / suggestive

Satoru grits his teeth and makes a frustrated growl. "Fuck. She's hot." he mutters under his breath.

He looks away from you, like it was just too much to handle.

Satoru turns to Suguru, "Suguru."

"Yeah?"

"Should I ask her for her number?"

"Who — her? Nahhh, she's out of your league." Suguru says.

"What the hell! you're supposed to be my supportive best friend."

"No — I'm a cunt first and foremost before anything." he jokes.

"Can't your cunty mouth manage a little pep-talk?"

"It would be disingenuous. Satoru, I don't think you should be messing around with the principle's daughter."

Satoru makes another frustrated growl.

"Fuckin' bullshit..." he grumbles under his breath. He looks away and sinks his hands into his pockets.

"Besides," suguru adds, "she's got a boyfriend."

"—and you only tell me this now?! After I've been pining after her ass for how long!!" Satoru seethes.

Satoru looks at you annoyedly, but still admiringly. Like a doting puppy.

"Fuck it! Boyfriends are temporary!"

"Calm down, Satoru. No need to let your morals degrade over some girl."

"She's not just some girl, Suguru! Fuck, just look at her."

"Give it up, man."

"Maybe you're deterring me so you can take her all for yourself."

"Oh my god, Satoru. you sound as insane as a conspiracy theorist."

"Maybe she's into conspiracy theorists! Hey, I'll go up to her and whisper all sexy into her ear; "ooh, baby you know the moon landing didn't happen~"

Satoru looks around searching for a way to make his joke funny.

"—but I'll be landing on your craters tonight for sure."

"OH MY GOD. Satoru. stop."

Satoru continues his bullshit.

""Can I rocket into your pussy, babygirl?""

"Stop."

Satoru's laughing like a seal and going red in the face. He keeps annoying his best friend with examples of his wacky pickup lines.

"Wanna know why they call me Neil Armstrong, baby?"

"Satoru, I don't know why we're friends."

"Bitch you love me!"

"This is why she's out of your league. Because you're a nutter and she's a normal person."

"How do you know! She might be a nutter too. Shit, or at least I'll make her into one... yeah... I'll make her crazyyyy for me."

"... Satoru, don't drive her nuts."

"Okay, I won't drive her nuts. I'll just let her suck on my nuts."

"What the hell (lol)?"

"Yo, listennnnn, one look from her makes my balls feel tight and full." Satoru admits unashamedly.

"Ough! Too much information!" Suguru grimaces.

"SHE MAKES MY DICK HARD SUGURU!"

"LALALA NOT LISTENING!" Suguru plugs his ears and gets up and leaves the cafeteria.

[marzipanandminutiae]

the one thing I am full-bore conspiracy theorist about?

daily contact lenses

or, well, not their existence, period. they're a valid health option that is best for some people, medically. but the sheer aggressiveness with which they're being pushed nowadays

the last few times I went to the eye doctor for my annual check-up, she was HEAVILY on my case to switch to dailies. like, to the point of arrogance and condescension when I said I preferred to stick with monthlies (I've worn contacts since I was 12, for reference). I also posted about it on a forum and got massive negativity in response, as well as being talked down to by someone claiming to be an optometrist himself

now if this were like...anti-vaxxer sentiment I'd understand that reaction. but from what I've heard, while monthlies do carry a higher risk of eye infections and such, they're not medically unsound or unsafe across the board. I'm willing to accept that risk, and since science has not found that they're terrible and should immediately be discontinued, I feel like my wishes should be respected and not belittled

point two: plastic waste. they say it's somehow less than using monthlies, but frankly I just don't see how that's possible. 365 of those little eye chips- times two! -and their packaging, add up to less than a case and a bottle of solution every few months, plus 24 contacts and their packaging? it doesn't make sense to me, and it doesn't help that I mostly see contact lens websites repeating this "fact." of course all contacts produce plastic waste, and I'd be perfectly willing to accept this as one of those You Have To Consume; You Just Decide What Areas Of Your Life Are Optimal For Minimization of Waste And What Aren't things, if dailies weren't being pushed so hard

(also I found two studies showing that monthly-replacement soft lenses produce less plastic waste than daily disposables. which, like. yes, this should be obvious, but here we are. granted, that's only two, and both studies emphasize that dailies and their accoutrements can be recycled, but see below)

some big companies have "contact recycling programs" but like. who's to say that's not greenwashing? where's the oversight? where are the investigations into what these programs actually DO? god knows we've been there before with recycling and corporations trying to pull the nylon-poly-blend Vegan Wool(TM) over our eyes

they're also more expensive than monthlies, which like. does not lend a positive slant to optometrists pushing them so stridently

on top of that, I and some other monthly users have noted that our contacts aren't lasting as long as they used to. for me, it was 17-18 years of smooth sailing with barely any problems, and as of like a year ago my contacts barely last two weeks without clouding up, ripping, chipping at the edges, causing my vision to blur, becoming uncomfortable...my brand did change around that time, so I hope it's just that, and the sample size of other monthly users I've pooled is VERY small. but it sure seems interesting that they suddenly started pushing a product that doesn't last long enough for people to notice low quality, around the time that at least some users of the longer-lasting version start having problems

you're pooh-poohing all of my concerns- which are indeed backed up by science, it seems! -with a "fix" that relies on big companies being honest about recycling, to push me from a non-ideal but still medically sound option to another that makes you more money?

I'm normally a pretty grounded person but I'm full-on tinfoil hat about this one

[skylarsblue]

✦Incorrect C.O.D Quotes, since AO3 is down✦

Gaz: I wanna know what exactly your type is. Y/N: I'm not just gonna give you more fodder to throw at me- Gaz: I have an idea of it already, but I want details! Y/N: No! Gaz: Like- König! Would you- Y/N: Of fuckin’ course I wanna fuck König! He’s huge, he could LITERALLY snap me in half and my dad didn’t love me, of course I want him to fuck me! Soap: *does that weird inhale-choke-cough*

— (Dick mention + a woman’s experience of a dude making gross comments. It’s funny I swear-) Fem!medic!Y/N: most of the time, people are pretty nice and sometimes impressed when when I bring up I’m a medical professional. Other times…eh.. Soap: Eh? Y/N: Sometimes you get conspiracy theorists. Soap: Ohhhh… Y/N: Some evangelists, gross dudes. Gaz: Gross dudes? What’s the worst you’ve heard? Ghost, sipping a whiskey: This outta be good. Y/N: Uh, once I told this man hitting on me I was a field doctor? He said, and I quote. “Been awhile since my last check up, mind checking me for ball cancer.” And I- Gaz: WHAT Soap: YOU’RE KIDDING Y/N: I am not. I just- I walked away. Price: Fuckin’ hell. Y/N: It’s fine. He got shot in the dick next mission, ended up with a male doctor. Ghost: Karma at its best.

- Graves: Oh FUCK YOU Y/N: Tsk, oooo…you don’t have enough money for that. Soap: HAHA!

- Soap, drunk: Back Street’s back, alright! Do do do do- Gaz, drunk on Price’ shoulders: Dodooodo- Price: Simon, get your boy. Ghost: *picking Soap up by his belt, carrying him like a bag* Yes sir.

- Recruit: When you gonna stop giving me blue balls? Gaz: Whoa hey!- Y/N: Aight, I got my steel toes on. How bout we make’em black and blue? Recruit: I- Y/N: Shut the fuck up. I’ve already turned you down, get a hint. Word of advice? Rather than shoot for the stars, maybe shoot your shot in your lower bracket, yeah? Recruit: Gaz: Someone get a fire extinguisher, this dudes been burned. Soap: On it. *sprays recruit with fire extinguisher*

- Soap: Nice onesie, does it come in men’s? Gaz, in his pyjamas: I think you cum enough in men for the all of us. Soap: ACK- Ghost: *slides out of the room*

- Ghost: Have you ever considered, just once, using your brain first? Soap: Now why would I do that?

- (Insert random name I HC for Laswell’s wife) Kate, after being in a bad explosion and ending up in this hospital: My wife, she’ll get upset if she sees you rubbing me like that on my chest. Diana: I am your wife. Kate …. Diana: :) Heart rate monitor: BEEPBEEPBEEPBE- Kate Hi. Diana: Hehe, hi. Gaz, in the corner: Oh to be in love. Soap: This is disgusting, why can’t I have this? >:,( Gaz: Cause your type in men is awful. Soap: Hey!

- Y/N: *walks into common room* Hello, I am very upset. I feel a meltdown coming on and you are all buff men, so I would like to request being picked up and held like a baby for a short period of time, please. Soap: Do you want to talk about what’s bothering you? Y/N: Nope. König: ….*slowly approaches and picks Y/N up from under their arms* Y/N, clinging to him like a koala and hiding in his shoulder: Thank you, I appreciate you. König: *awkward back pat*

- König: :) Y/N: Bloopbloopbloopbloop- Horagi: Y/N! Y/N: What? Horagi: Tha-That is our colo-that is a dangerous man! Y/N: He’s not a dangerous man! Horagi: What are y- Y/N: We’re bloopin’! Bloopbloopbloop- König: -w-

- Price: Kid, I need you to- Gaz & Y/N: *dancing like they don’t have jobs to do* Gaz: Go stink! Y/N: Fuck it up! Gaz: Go stink! Y/N: Fuck it up! Gaz: Go stink! Y/N: That’s what’s up! Gaz: Go stink! Y/N: I’m in love! Price: AHEM Gaz: Oh shit- Y/N: HEEEYY captaaaaiinn, what’s uuupp ahaha… Price: *sigh*

- (Based on; Me if COD was real. Deadass. Full serious. I am not kidding) Gaz: So have you met the Captain yet? Y/N: No. Gaz: Are you nervous? Y/N: No no, I have a firm belief that they’re just people. Obviously I’ll respect him as a superior but that’s nnnnnnnnwho the hell is that? Y/N: *fucking breaking their neck* Gaz: Oh- Nope. No no, THAT is Captain. Don’t think about it. Y/N: I’m thinking about it. Gaz: That’s not allowed. Y/N: Ive done worse for less, if he asks I’m sucking it, you can’t stop me. Gaz: Jesus Bloody Christ- Y/N: Tell him to call me when he’s on leave. Gaz: Stop-

- König: *walks in* Ghost: ?? Soap: Oh, hey! Gaz: Y’a need somethi- König: *picks up Y/N under his arm while humming, leaving the room* König: I love stealing, I love taking things!~ Ghost: What the f-

- Colonel!König: I’m 42 so, I don’t- Y/N: YOU’RE 42?! Colonel!König: Yeah. Y/N: …it’s okay no one has to know babygirl~ König: NEIN! Nein, don’t call me babygirl!-

- (Based on this awful Gaz outfit I saw on Twitter) MILF!Y/N: *doing paperwork* Gaz: Would you date me? Y/N: Baby we couldn’t even get a drink together. You can’t buy me nothin. Gaz: What do you mean? :( Y/N: Look at your outfit! What are you wearing? Gaz: I think I look pretty fly. Y/N: For who, your mom? Gaz: :((

- Gaz: STOP DATING MY CAPTAIN Y/N: ….you know what, I’m gonna start dating him even harder. Gaz: What’s that supposed to mean? Y/N: You know what it means.

- MILF!Y/N: *shoving apple juice into a cart* They gon’ need nutrition. Laswell: How many kids do you have? MILF!Y/N: Eleven! Laswell: So I’m assuming your kids really like apple juice? MILF!Y/N: No but they looove orange juice but they’ve been bad this week. Laswell: What grade are your kids in? MILF!Y/N: Sixteenth grade. Laswell: PFFT Sixteenth- that’s not even a grade! So your kids graduated college? MILF!Y/N: No they, they- …where are my kids?

- (Her “kids” on the other side of the store) Price: Boys please- Gaz: I AM NOT LOSING! Soap, in a fuckin’ headlock with him: Yes you fuckin’ are!! Ghost: *slipping cookies under his mask, he did not pay for them* König: *looking for a fruity snack* Horagi: *grabbing as many packs of spicy chips as he can* Alejandro: This is a disgrace. *holding up frozen burritos* Rudy: These are worse. *motions to frozen tamales* Alex: Did you know you can use coke as rust remover? Farah: …and you want to drink it??

- Y/N: So. Kyle. Gaz, already afraid: …yes? Y/N: I found some of your old playlists… Gaz: Y/N: Gaz: Y/N: You an emo? Gaz: I was a SCENE as a teenager, get it right.

[currentlysleepingus]

What if danny stayed with the flashfam after leaving Amity Park, could be for angst reasons or regular 'he's 18 now' reasons , and Barry gets a new kid.

What if the first time he visits the watchtower because Barry finds out he likes space, and well, he couldn't NOT take him. He goes as danny Fenton, and everyone thinks he's Batmans. He cracks jokes like nightwing, is addicted to coffee like tim, and is oddly silent. What if Barry is a cool uncle unaware of the newfound sibling rivalry danny has with all of his kids. (Clockworks sends danny to fix up the families' mistakes) and just assumes that them fighting randomly on occasion is normal.

I want barry to be a cool uncle and danny to meet his ancestral side of his family ( the nightingales) and them to be like the Adam's family but it is just a lot of heros and such related in the most unusual ways. I want John constitine as a cousin, I want danny to get advice from Deadman and eat green lanterns constructed burgers.

I want to see Barry getting interested in ecto-science to try to understand danny better and to go around trying to figure out how to take care of Him properly. I want danny to be influenced by Wally and doing pranks with him. One is him just walking into Wayne's manor, acting like he belongs there, and none of the bat kids say anything about it. Bruce just thinks he's tim. I'm just saying we need more danny Fenton getting adopted by other members of the JL. We need potentialy mad scientist danny Fenton ( cause, his parents) being raised/living with/ adopted by people who are like that. The flash family is smart he would thrive there. I want the batfam to meet him and either develop a crush or an urge to protect him and get into a who's his favorite fight with the flash family.

I just want more flashfam and danny shenanigans. And on a completely unrelated note, I want danny to, at some point while he's in Gotham ( hopefully as a part of the cheerleaders as a field trips because mass without the flexibility is for the weak and the flash family have to be somewhat flexible given what they do so danny naturally tries to pursue that,) meets Benard and immediately gets wes flashbacks. What if everyone from Amity who's there meets him and decides that he can never meet wes because if he got guidance from someone who ( this is a headcannon) has the Cassandra curse and is normally right in his conspiracy theories meets a fledgling conspiracy theorist who people will hear out then the results would be disastrous. What If they're both overly enthusiastic about said theories and share what they have made and make it everyone's problem.

What if danny, after meeting the flashfam and batfam put his family name to use and randomly started claiming meta children who were in the system, children of villains who were treated unfairly, has a ability that seems evil, or is just a random nonmetal who needs a place to stay is a nightingale. What if it's like the Addams family and noone can prove their not related because that causes more problems and paperwork then to take it at face value. Would sam be morticia, or would the Adam's family be canonical to the au and just be a family that's from Gotham but moved. Like the nightingales. That would just infuriate the batfam more because Danny's family is from Gotham, he has their old, probably haunted manor full of children and other people he has adopted and has a goth girlfriend and a hacker friend but is living in central city. The complete opposite of Gotham.

I want danny gaslighting everyone and pretending he has Superspeed. I want the flashfam giving horrible excuses ad to why it's so different from what they do. I want danny to randomly drop the fact that he knows who the batfam are and refers to all of them by name when they're alone. His only response to how is " The dead speak, I just listen"

I want him to join YJ and randomly leave meetings stating that he needs to pick his kids up and not elaborating. I want his to be out with the flash family and just call all of Barry's friends by the wrong names. He does this to everyone but the flashfam and the names are never consistent but red hoods, whose is 'the avenger'.

I want the GIW decovere day green arrow initially because he is his mother's 3rd cousin so danny claimed him as a nightingale and stayed at his place for a bit and just drops horror stories and such nonchalantly. Green Arrow doesn't like this and tells the bat, and they get to work dismantling it.

I want Shazam and danny to be clocking each other immediately and making an entirely fictional story on how their related. I want danny to mention having an uncle coming to visit and everyone just assuming it's going to be a normal looking guy, maybe scrawnyand Dan just waltzed in scaring half of them.

I want danny and wally being the' I know a guy' but never explaining how and do the weirdest, definitely illegal, OSHA violation worthy things possible when their unsupervised. I want the ghosts to interact with the flash family. I want does to go to the school all of the YJ goes to and messing with them. Noone in the school questions the ghosts, they're in Gotham.

Does anyone else want this? A Wednesday, dani, damien trio with their golden retriever. No. Ok.

Does anyone have danny is an Addams or is adopted by flash or green arrow fic recs?

[francesderwent]

speaking as someone who hated Steve in season one, shipped Jonathan and Nancy in season one and two, and now full-heartedly ships Steve and Nancy, I always hated how Nancy and Jonathan get together in season two. I (obviously) hate the Murray of it all, because no story which viewers have been led to care about deserves to have its decisive climactic moment hijacked by a balding conspiracy theorist who (wrongly) considers himself an expert in human behavior. but even setting aside Murray (as much as it's possible to do so when he's inextricable to how everything plays out), I thought the scene did such a disservice to the Jonathan/Nancy relationship as it was set up. even once I didn't ship them anymore, that scene just seemed like bad, out-of-character writing. but I think I found a way to fit the scene into the larger story.

Jonathan Byers & Restraint

this isn't groundbreaking (I'm probably subconsciously stealing from a thousand Maria metas), but what made Jonathan and Nancy stand out in season one is romantic restraint. while Steve is climbing in Nancy's bedroom window and trying to unbutton her shirt and sleeping with her all by the end of the second episode, Jonathan and Nancy talk to one another, awkwardly, stiltedly. if I remember right, they don't touch, at all. Nancy is trying to connect with him, and Jonathan isn't opposed, but they're both very cautious, and the connection is difficult and uncomfortable. Jonathan's bizarre choice to take her photo while she's half naked and he's hiding in the woods is symptomatic of how he feels about her at this point: he sees her only at a distance, and sees that she's beautiful at the same time as he sees that she's not for him. in the photograph, he tries to capture what little of her he can have for himself. this stupid, grasping choice ends up hurting both of them.

so as we start episode three and really start to move into the center of the story, both Steve and Jonathan have crossed a boundary. Nancy and Steve aren't able to admit (yet) that what they did poses a problem. they're still close, but their closeness is actually an obstacle to their communication. Steve can't see what's going on with Nancy because he's caught up in his starry-eyed triumph that he doesn't have to pretend not to care anymore because he finally won her and she's finally his! and Nancy can't connect with Steve because in order to be honest with him she would have to admit that he hurt her, and she doesn't want him to know that. their closeness is a lie which prevents any other truth from being told, and as season one moves forward, the lie becomes more and more obviously a lie. Nancy lashes out at Steve for worrying about his father when Barb is missing. she kisses him when he comes to check on her, but lies about the baseball bat and what her plan is. Steve's supposed love for her can't survive seeing her with Jonathan, and he stands by while his friends ruin her reputation. he doesn't trust her enough to believe her when she tells him nothing happened. I'm just hammering the same point here, but they are literally too close to see clearly.

against this backdrop, Nancy's relationship with Jonathan appears starkly different. the revelation of Jonathan's transgression pushes him and Nancy further apart, forces them to take a hard look at themselves and a clearer look at each other. they see all the differences between them. they see the way the other person doesn't perfectly understand them. and they see all that because they can see clearly that Jonathan's crossing of that boundary was wrong. but because they share similar goals and want to work together, they have to stay conscious of all those boundaries, they have to be even more careful and respectful of them moving forward. if the defining moment of Steve and Nancy's relationship is falling into bed together without ever discussing what it means (and I think, for better or worse, it is), the defining moment of Jonathan and Nancy's relationship is him lying on the other side of the bed from her without crossing the line. and he is able to be a comfort to her because he doesn't cross that line! after the photograph almost ruins everything, the restraint is present in every interaction between them: the way Nancy holds ice on his face at the police station, the way she bandages his hand, the way he accepts her Christmas gift. I was really struck, this rewatch, by the image of them setting the bear trap together: they're moving in sync with each other, backing away slowly, carefully, because they know to move quickly or carelessly could be disastrous. that's their relationship in a nutshell. and that's what made their relationship so compelling.

now, both of these dynamics are still visible in the beginning of season two: Steve and Nancy are officially a couple, but they’re understanding one another less than ever: he doesn't understand why she feels they have to continue having dinner with Barb's parents, she doesn't understand how he could want to go to a Halloween party; she tells him everything about their carefully reconstructed lives is bullshit, he is absolutely shell-shocked because he thought it was real. Jonathan and Nancy are walking a thin tightrope: Jonathan takes her home from the party, puts her to bed and takes off her shoes, he tries to assure her that Steve still cares about her, they both quickly request separate beds at the hotel. but once Murray interferes, they fall off the tightrope and they fall off hard.

when the restraint breaks, all their careful intentional distance overwhelmed by exploding desire and tension, it's not just a kiss. it's a kiss that immediately becomes sex. they haven't said a word to each other about what this means or what they feel for each other. they've both been drinking. Nancy hasn't broken up with Steve. it's a betrayal of everything their relationship has been up until this point, and it's a letdown, because it doesn't feel like the Jonathan and Nancy we've been watching and rooting for for two seasons. it feels like the end to a different story, not this one.

and unlike the photograph which crossed a boundary and then had to be dealt with, for the rest of season two at least, there are no consequences. Nancy and Jonathan are just...together, after this. Steve gracefully bows out; he doesn't accuse Nancy, he doesn't even make her tell him what she did, he takes all the blame on himself. this makes Steve look really good, really mature and unselfish, but it's dishonest in a way that season one wasn't dishonest. season one was brutally honest about the fallout of Steve and Nancy having sex, and it was beautifully honest about what Jonathan and Nancy had to do to build a relationship on a different foundation. now Jonathan and Nancy kick off their romantic relationship on that exact same foundation as she and Steve did in season one episode two - we've had some sexual tension, we had sex, now we're a couple - and this time, for no reason, everything's fine.

if you assume that Jonathan and Nancy are endgame, it's a ridiculous squandering of one of the best-drawn relationships in the story. all their narrative potential is lost, wasted. in season three, Jonathan and Nancy bicker annoyingly and to little purpose; the majority of their arc is already behind them and the writers appear to be at loose ends, creating thin conflict for no reason.

where it starts to get really interesting is when you stop assuming that Jonathan and Nancy are endgame.

Nancy Wheeler & Illusions

so far I've been prioritizing Jonathan’s perspective: his making amends for the photograph and learning how to care about Nancy respectfully. it's through this lens that the sex scene in season two is out of place. but if you focus in on Nancy, the defining factor in the love triangle for the first two seasons isn't restraint. it's reality.

I've written about this before, but Nancy's arc in season one is about the shattering of all her illusions. she already had her doubts about her parents' marriage, but she was still playing the game, still trying to get good grades, still trying to seem like a good girl in front of her parents, still trying to seem cool in front of Steve and his popular friends. and one of the illusions that shatters most painfully for Nancy is her romantic illusions around sex. she bought into the lie that if she would just sleep with the cute guy she has a crush on, she would feel close to him and he'd love her. after episode two, she learns intimately that this isn't true. Steve tells her she’s beautiful, he doesn’t tell her he loves her. he falls asleep and she has to get dressed and walk home on her own, with no words of reassurance. she stands on the stair in Steve's sweatshirt and tells her mother coldly that Steve isn't her boyfriend and nothing happened, because at that point Steve isn't her boyfriend and she has to go to school the next day and act like nothing happened. he walks up to her locker and kisses her, but tells her only, “I had a good time.” we can see this tearing her apart before she ever starts to suspect anything has happened to Barb.

and so she starts to see through the falseness and thinness of what she used to think was important - because of Barb's death, because she discovers the upside down, and because of Jonathan. she tells him the story of her parents and their loveless decision to buy a house and start their nuclear family, and Jonathan answers, “screw that.” Jonathan is the one who gives her permission to reject everything she put her faith in. at last, someone is admitting out loud that trying to fit herself into these boxes is hurting her! at last, someone isn’t afraid to exist outside of the norms that are destroying her. it’s a relief, not having to pretend anymore.  

fast-forward to season two: Murray (ugh) says that Nancy doesn’t love Steve, that she’s afraid of who she really is, that she has chemistry, history, and shared trauma with Jonathan, and that therefore they should cut the bullshit and share the bed. notice: he doesn’t say Nancy loves Jonathan and should be with him. they’re just young and attractive and they have chemistry, so they should sleep together. there’s no pretty façade over it. and this is what Nancy has in common with Jonathan, that they don’t buy into the bullshit. and so here’s my hypothesis: Nancy walks out of her bedroom to find Jonathan because she can sleep with him without any illusions. maybe this time sex can mean whatever she wants it to. maybe this time she won’t have to twist herself into knots pretending like it brought the closeness she thought it would.

the reason this scene doesn’t feel like a satisfactory end to a romance arc is it isn’t the end to a romance arc. it’s the natural continuation of Nancy’s arc in season one, admitting, once and for all, that the pretty illusion doesn’t satisfy, that she doesn’t fit into that picture and she’s never going to. what she mutters to herself alone in her room, right before she goes to find Jonathan, is “I’m not afraid.” she doesn’t choose Jonathan because they love each other and they’re going to be together forever—because they don’t say they love each other, and they don’t talk about their future. she chooses Jonathan because he’s on the outside, just like she is, and she’s not afraid anymore to admit that she’s just like him.

through this lens, their fighting in season three isn’t the contrived conflict of a couple who got together too early and have to find something to do in the sequel. their fighting is exactly the same as Nancy and Steve’s fighting in season two. they’re too close to see each other clearly, and they can’t admit it. she wakes up in his bed, how can he not understand her? he lets her see him for who he is, how can she not recognize his pain? their lack of restraint does hurt them, just like it hurt Nancy and Steve, and knowing that the romantic magic of sex is an illusion doesn’t exempt them from that hurt. it doesn’t bring them into perfect closeness and unity, but it does bring them close enough to feel all their inequalities and disagreements without the objectivity of distance. their priorities are different; their plans don’t align. how could it be any other way, when they never talk about those things? at the end of the season, Jonathan moves to California, and when Nancy tells him she wants him to stay, he says only that everything will be okay because they have shared trauma—he doesn’t say that he’ll come back, he doesn’t say that she should join him, he doesn’t even make plans for Thanksgiving like Mike and El do. they have a bond that makes him moving away painful—but they can’t figure out what to do about it.

so Nancy and Jonathan sleeping together isn’t the end of their romantic storyline. it’s just a stepping stone in Nancy’s journey with disillusionment. Nancy tried using sex to get her happy ending with Steve, and it didn’t work. then she stopped believing in happy endings and clung to Jonathan who also didn’t believe in them, and that didn’t preserve her from disappointment either. what is all of this leading us toward?

Steve Harrington & the Love Confession

ahem.

Steve starts out as the epitome of everything that Jonathan and Nancy are growing beyond: popular, shallow, charming Steve Harrington who takes sweet Nancy Wheeler to bed. but in every season Steve proves himself again and again to be someone to rely upon—he comes back to fight the demogorgon after Nancy tells him to leave, he protects the kids from demodogs and evil brothers, he swoops in for the big rescue when Nancy’s about to die. and again and again, he receives no reward at all. he doesn’t get the girl (Nancy). he doesn’t get a different girl (Robin). he doesn’t even get an apology Christmas gift or to be Nancy’s friend, like Jonathan did. the only thing he walks away with, every time, is growth. he is a bigger person than when he set out, he’s more of a man.

in season two, he lets Nancy go with his insanely generous “it’s okay, Nance,” and submits to loving her without possessing her, watching her from his car outside the dance and then driving away. in other words, he learns restraint. in season three, he stops caring so much about his image: “Tommy H. would’ve made fun of me, or I wouldn’t be prom king. that’s stupid, Dustin’s right, it’s all bullshit.” he sees through the illusion and rejects what isn’t important. (and we know he’s learned restraint, how to love without grasping, because of the way he handles Robin’s rejection.) he’s a little slow—learning the lessons that Jonathan and Nancy do a season late and usually when no one is watching. but when he and Nancy are finally thrown together again, he’s different. he’s grown, and his love for her has grown, too. we know that, because when he jumps into the upside down and Nancy follows, and Eddie steps into Murray’s shoes and helpfully points out that something is afoot, Steve doesn’t react like Nancy and Jonathan did.

remember what Murray told Nancy and Jonathan: you have chemistry, history, and shared trauma, you should stop pretending and share the bed. what does Eddie tell Steve? that Nancy reacted to him being in danger by immediately, without a second thought, placing herself in danger next to him, to save him, and that it was “as unambiguous a sign of true love” as his cynical eyes had ever seen. already, there’s a huge difference. Eddie isn’t commenting on their sexual tension (of which there is plenty, Eddie had to stand and watch as Nancy ripped up her clothes to make bandages to tie around Steve’s midriff while they make eye contact). Eddie says he doesn’t know anything about their history. what he does know is what he just saw Nancy do. it’s not a connection, chemical or emotional. it’s love, love understood as an action, a choice. and he tells Steve: “if I were you, I would get her back.”

and Steve doesn’t wait until the first opportune moment to pull Nancy into his arms and give into his desires that he’s been so carefully holding in check for years. no, Steve does something very different. Steve tells Nancy exactly what he pictures his future as, and tells her that he wants her to be in it, that actually she is the most important part of his life. Steve makes a confession of love. and it stands out because when you think about it, there are actually very few love confessions in the show! no other couple says so clearly: “this is what you mean to me, this is what I feel for you, and this is what I want our life together to be.” Steve and Nancy and Jonathan and Nancy both sleep together and then slide into a relationship via the path of least resistance. Joyce and Hopper talk about a date, but don’t say “love” or talk about what this would mean for their families. Mike blurts to Max that he loves Eleven and Eleven happens to overhear it. Steve gives a wonderful confession to Robin about what he likes about her, but really doesn’t know her well enough to propose any kind of future. actually, the only character who comes close to Steve’s season four speech is Bob Newby, who tells Joyce that he loves her, loves her whole family that comes with her, and that he wants them to move to Maine together and be a normal family. but even Bob’s love confession is qualified by his not really knowing what’s going on with Joyce and her family, being kept slightly in the dark.

Steve is not in the dark when he confesses his love to Nancy—or rather, he’s in the midst of the darkest dark, standing in the depths of everything that terrifies Nancy and everything that made her stop believing in love, and he tells her anyway, because he knows all of that and he loves her anyway. they’re not too close to see each other clearly; he’s offering his love and his hopes to her so that she can look at them objectively and make her choice. and what he offers breaks open all the illusions that hurt her so badly. unlike the first time they got together, he’s all-in, telling her how he feels without asking anything of her physical first. unlike with her and Jonathan, he knows what he wants his future to be and is telling it to her clearly. unlike her parents, he’s offering her not security and normalcy, but a relationship motivated first and foremost by love.

the story isn’t just circling back to Steve because the will-they won’t-they with Jonathan has been played out. the story is circling back to Steve because he’s the only one who has all the pieces of the puzzle. he has the romantic restraint that Jonathan abandoned when Murray repackaged it as trust issues. he has the clear sight to see through the false images Nancy rejected. and when you put those things together—and put them together in a man who has been in love with the same woman for years—you get a love which wants to prioritize the good of the other, and is in touch with reality enough to protect the other effectively. and that’s where you get the love confession: it’s a way of stripping away all of the assumptions and illusions so all that’s left is the truth, but without using the truth to impose. Steve can offer Nancy absolutely everything, without crossing a line, without making it impossible for her to see what she wants. he can offer her everything—and if she says yes, he can give it to her.

[thatfrenchacademic]

OK so about this "34, unmarried and childless" article about Taylor Swift. Let me tell you about Scam Academia.

TL;DR: some mediocre dude had a half baked opinio nabout Taylor Swift that everyone hated, but like Mother Nature I let nothing go to waste.

Here is the take you have not heard yet, about this opinion: this guy is actually a good case study on how to develop your academic literacy, aka how to recognize a true academic from a scammer who presents themselves as an academic, but is just a crook. In a world of pseudoscience and pretend experts that have enough resources to organize their flat earth conference, let me walk you through the world of Scam Academic, where for a few thousand dollars, you too can claim to be a researcher with a doctorate! Follow me down a rabbit hole that I hate with my whole heart!

Preamble: I have zero skin in the TS game. I don't get the hype, the lore, the obsession with those 2000s bracelet or dissecting every single line or every single song.

But then. Some guy had to write an op-ed stating Taylor Swift was not a good role model for girls ("in the US and beyond"), and it is a terrible take on so many level, but here is the thing. Whiny conservative think-pieces about highly successful women who should get back to the kitchen and think of the children are nothing new. But this one is different.

This one is fucking terribly written. It's just an abysmally written blog post. Genuinely one of the worst thing I have ever read, and I read hundreds of undergrad essays every year for a living. It contradicts its own arguments in every paragraph. It over-explains concepts like it's a high school essay and he's trying to meet the word count. It says "this is a valid question worth asking" but does not actually explain why it is worth asking. It is so, so, so bad.

Conservative writers are usually more the "high brow, drowning you in grandstanding" kind of writers. They are, usually, good technical writers - it's the one thing that helps make their talking point sound legit and palatable. So an abysmally bad conservative writer? Ok, I am intrigued.

The author is one John Mac Ghlionn. I look up the guy on Google and...

Oh.

Oh no, John.

Spewing conservative bullshit at women AND a researcher? You're in my turf now, John. You could have continued to cover UFC Pillow Fight Championships, or alien technology and other riveting subjects, but you had try to connect two brain cells to argue a thing, and slap "researcher" on top of it. Now I'm offended, as a researcher.

1. I am sorry, researcher WHERE?

Ok so if one is a "researcher", it means one conduct "research". and contrary to what backyard conspiracy theorists think, "researcher" is an actual job. It is an actual professional occupation. You get an actual contract, and you are paid actual money. By an actual employer: public (University), private (Think tank, private company), or a mix of both (at Unviersity, but on a privately funded project, for example).

So where does our John Mc Ghlionn work?

Well. Nowhere, as far as I can tell.

John does not list any affiliation. Usually, when they write, academics will state their exact position (Researcher, Doctoral Researcher, Associate Professor, Chief Engineer, Head of Department, Research Director...) and where they work. For example:

That's what it is supposed to look like.

But John? Nope, no affiliation anywhere, on anything he ever published. That's a pretty massive read flag. Research takes ressources: at the very least, time and access to database and documentation, even in social sciences in humanities. You may not need a lab, but you sure as hell need money and full access to JStore at least.

So I thought he was just one of these "I google therefore I research" kind of dude. But then, out of nowhere:

I am sorry. He has a WHAT.

2. I am sorry, a Doctorate from WHERE?

So. One thing to claim to be a researcher when you are just a professional yapper. Another to claim a DIPLOMA.

And not any diploma. A doctorate.

Let's pause. "Doctorate" is actually a really broad umbrella term of all doctoral-level degrees. The most famous (and most prestigious, for better and worse) is the PhD, but a PhD is technically just one of many Research Doctorate of, theoretically, the same level (cue this helpful reddit post). A second category of doctorates are the Applied Doctorates, and while there is Discourse on where they sit vis-a-vis PhD, the easiest is to consider that they are not research-oriented. They are hands-on, practice-oriented degrees. For example: you can practice medicine with an MD. You don't need a PhD. You can still call yourself a doctor, though.

Alright, so which of these does our friend Johnnie has? Or is currently enrolled in? And in which University?

You will notice that John does not go by "John Mac Ghlionn PhD" or even "Dr John Mac Ghlionn", when you just KNOW he is the sort of person that would but that shit everywhere. And no shade here, because I, for one, do put that shit everywhere. Maybe he is just currently enrolled in a program and has not graduated. Fair.

Since John does not list affiliation, I had to switch from academic to internet sleuth, and dig out this article:

But we learn that in 2021, John was a "PhD Scholar" in "Parkmore Institute". "PhD Scholar" is not a title I am sued to, but it's also not raising any red flag: ongoing PhD researchers can be "PhD students", "PhD fellows", "PhD researchers"... It varies from country to country and from institution to institution, so why not "PhD Scholar".

Let's check out the Parkmore Institute.

Ok, they are not a traditional university, but they appear to be more of a postgraduate institution: offering only higher level degrees, not undergrad courses. Once again, not necessarily a red flag. They are usually very heavily research focused, and embrace the "research" side of academia more than the "teaching" side. In Germany, the Max Planck Institutes are research-only institutions who deliver PhDs. They conduct cutting edge research, in part because their researchers rarely have to spend time teaching.

But that is NOT the Parkmore Institute. First of all, let's see what programs they offer:

None of them are legit.

And I mean, none of them are recognize as even Applied/Professional Doctorate by the National Science Foundation (US based). And while a PhD in Human sexuality would be perfectly valid, but I'm going to on a limb and say I have some serious doubts about "Bodymind Healing" as an academic field.

These are not legit academic degrees.

What they are, is an excellent money-making opportunity for anyone working at the Parkmore institute. Students will pay, at the very least:

And 60% of this goes to their " faculty mentor". The Parkmore institute provides no research fund, no desk or office space (they are entirely digital), no access to any resources or library, not even a Zoom account. There is also no mention of any timeline: how long a PhD take to complete? Who knows. 6 months ? A year ? 5 years? What are the requirements to graduate ? Who knows ! And I would need to pay $200 to get in touch with them, so I sure as fuck won't know any time soon!

But let's get back to our friend John. Remember that he stated, in that 2021 publication, he was a "PhD Scholar" at Parkmore ? Well that's a shame because Parkmore does not deliver PhDs. Ain't that a bitch.

ALSO. Parkmore helpfully has page with all their Doctoral Recipients! And guess who is NOT HERE ! That's right, our Johnnie !

How can this be ? Well, three possibilities:

John is still not done with a PhD. After 4 years ? In a crank university where I am pretty sure I can submit the first draft of a litt review and graduate ? Nah

John never completed the thing. Boo, that would mean that John is lying, when he says he has a doctorate. Bad, bad.

John did graduate, and obtained his doctorate in [scrolls back to check] psychosocial studies, and then was not put on the website or was withdrawn some time before today, as Parkmore institute ended their affiliation with him, as per this bit in their application form

A shame, really. If John had been affiliated with the Parkmore Institute, it would give a shred of legitimacy to anything he writes to anyone just skimming.

Now, I would love to get in touch with the Parkmore Institute and ask to see John's doctoral work, which they DO have, since the application for also has this very interesting section:

(definitely very legit, very normal).

But I am not sure how I would even phrase that request without transparently going

"hey, would love to see what bullshit research is being done over there, since one of your graduate decided to go all Handmaid's tale for the last 2 years".

If anyone feels like sending that email, I am begging you to keep me in the loop.

3. Back up, back up, what's up with that article?

Remember the article where he was listed as a "PhD Fellow"?

Well, about that... No. Welcome to the world of predatory publishing, one more cog in the Bullshit Academic ecosystem.

First: not at article. It's a "commentary". Could be worth something ia good journal, but still would not be a piece of research. But that is the least of its sins.

Its sins are being published in a journal called "Sociology and Criminology-Open Access", by a publisher called "Longdom". Longdom publishing has a bunch of journals on a lot o different fields, with the particularly of being predatory; they will publish absolutely anything you send them, as long as you pay their Article Processing Charges:

There are entire lists of Predatory journals on the web, you can find on here and another here , Longdom Publishing is in both.

This is how John can publish this last minute, Redbull-and-weed-induced essay in an actual journal, with an abstract that, I kid you not, finishes with "Please find the paper attached." He slapped together a shitty essay about people in India are poorer and therefore more likely to exhibit psychopathic traits and therefore engage in corruption, purely base on vibes. It does not even deserve be given any consideration, not even to be debunked. There is nothing to be debunked. This would be a failing grade for a 1st year intro class.

CONCLUSION

On the surface, John Mac Ghlionn is the poster boy of failed edgelords who really wish they were Jordan Peterson, but unfortunately are just Doug, the guy for 10th grade who failed the Literature class and decided it was because litterature was too woke today anyway.

Beneath the surface, John is a case study in Scam Academia, and the proof that no matter how bad actual academia is, Scam Academia can always get worse.

A quick checklist to go through whenever someone claims be a researcher, an academic, a fellow, a doctor, a PhD or anything of the sort:

What is their affiliation? Is this a legitimate organization?

Do they have a PhD? Another doctorate degree? From where?

Have they published ? Where is it published?

[reality-detective]

A recent History Lesson 👇

Bill Gates invested a whopping $55 MILLION in BioNTech that made the Pfizer mRNA injection.

You will never believe the date that this happened...

Is this just a coincidence?

You know, the company that partnered with Pfizer to make their mRNA covid vaccine and drove Pfizer's revenue to a record $100 billion in 2022.

Well, I had a look and found something very interesting indeed. When did Bill Gates invest this large sum of money?

Turns out that it was on the 4th of September 2019.

Covid was discovered just two months later in November 2019 (at least the first time we got to hear about it).

This turned out to be very profitable for Bill Gates, his investment increasing by 10 times. The original $55 million was worth over $550 million just a few years later.

"The collaboration will fund the identification of potential HIV and tuberculosis vaccines and immunotherapy candidates in their pre-clinical development. It will further enable BioNTech to build out its infectious disease infrastructure, including platform development" - it says in the press release from BioNTech.

Guess what?

Bill Gates has also donated some $20 million to the BBC.

Now it is being reported that the BBC misrepresented the risk of covid in order to boost public support for lockdown.

In other words, the mainstream media deliberately mislead the public and scared them into supporting draconian lockdown measures, and also probably scared people into rushing to get the brand new mRNA injections.

Meanwhile Bill Gates investment grew and grew...

"One example is that they gave the impression that hospitals were being overwhelmed during the first wave. Some (mainly in London) were, but overall hospital bed occupancy was at an all-time low during that period" Professor Mark Woolhouse said.

Remember when we were told that the hospitals were completely full and we had all the dancing nurses on TikTok? Remember how some people were labelled "conspiracy theorists" for questioning this?

Turns out that the so called "conspiracy theorists" were right once again. The hospitals were not full. We were being lied to. I visited two hospitals during that time and they were empty.

Surely it is just a coincidence that Bill Gates just happened to invest large amounts of money into BioNTech just two months before covid?

In fact there was a patent for the mRNA shot before Covid. They lied about everything including the use of masks to stop the spread of an unconfirmed invisible made up virus.

I'm sure this information has already been out there by other sources. I'm just giving a reminder, the information is still available and you are free to löök this up for yourself. 🤔

[valyrfia]

You know what i have kind of being afraid lately that charles and max becomes a bit more distant and cold, because of how much lestappen started to get talked. Because before it was just fans, but now even f1 media uses the lestappen thing a lot

Like that video where they asked max "it seems like you explain things to max a lot"

The RPF curse unfortunately, the more popular the thing becomes, the more it spreads to people who aren't as strict with boundaries about it as they should be (because it gets them engagement!) and the more likely it becomes that someone who should NOT know about the RPF finds out about it.

The comments underneath Max's latest instagram post left me feeling uneasy, to be honest. Far too much "omg Lestappen!" or something along those lines making jokes that I would almost believe were lifted straight from the tag on tumblr. It's disconcerting. All I can do is warn about how I've seen other popular RPF go south in my time which is that people either a. end up trying to play into that content so much that it gets noticed by the people involved or b. conspiracy theorist begin to be incredibly invasive in an attempt to 'prove' that they are into each other/the ship is real etc. etc.

The issue isn't tumblr, it's fandom culture which historically was concentrated on tumblr going mainstream and people who I'm sure ten years ago would've bullied our ilk on whatever playground suddenly using fandom terminology or speaking openly about ao3 and shipping or using ship names in spaces where it's not appropriate. I've seen the complaint with Lestappen that it's full of 'ex-larries trying to do the same shit' when in my experience, it couldn't really be further from the truth. All the people who watched Larry happen either from within the fandom or as an onlooker (as I was) know full well how south RPF can go if you don't put in place strong internal and external boundaries. As a result, we may have some ex-larries or similar among us on tumblr, but in my experience the 'trauma' (for lack of a better word) and hindsight enables us to set down boundaries quite well and keep the RPF on tumblr and ao3. The people who are pushing romantic Lestappen past boundaries are those who have NOT witnessed something like Larry in real time, and indeed may not have had any real fandom experience in their more formative years and as a result have no idea how to interact with fandom etiquette or fandom culture. This applies to fans, but also to social media and media teams as well, who come across fandom terminology, see that it gets interaction, and choose to use it. It is a massive problem, and I'm so afraid to say that at the rate we're going at it's a matter of when Max and Charles discover what we mean by Lestappen, not it.

[jewish-vents]

My dad had me when he was 56. So he was the right age to get lost in the great right wing Qanon brainwashing and do a hard swerve into right wing politics, racism, xenophobia and queerphobia. But people tell me I'm lucky, because he's not a Jew hating conspiracy theorist. He's a Jew loving one who NEVER says "Jewish people" but instead talks about "the Jews". He goes on and on about the Holocaust. He calls himself a Holocaust advocate, and no, he will not accept that there's anything bad about that word choice. He says there's no rise in antisemitism in the US. He talks about how Trump will save the Jews, by which he means Israeli Jews, and since in his mind none of the other Jewish people - pardon me, Jews, we're not people - are going through anything right now, the day will be saved and everything will be perfect. Last Hannukah I couldn't even light the candles without him barging in and going on a tangent about how it's kind of the Jews' fault for dying in WWII because "most of them knew what was happening but they didn't leave". He thinks all Jewish people are rich. He talks about Jewish people the way humans talk about elves in Tolkien's work, a magical non-human race of wealthy mystical secret-keepers, a relic of ancient times, all-knowing and better than humans.

I'm adopted. I have 92.8% Ashkenazi DNA but living 3 hours from the nearest rabbi, who refused to accept that I couldn't drive over to him multiple times a week through the Rocky Mountains, I haven't been able to convert. I wish I'd never taken that DNA test sometimes. I wish I hadn't started studying up on Judaism. I wish I hadn't fallen in love with a religion full of people who don't see me as Jewish, won't help me be Jewish and find my lack of knowledge about Judaism to be proof I'm just some goy. Even the handful of Jewish people I've met who see me as Jewish look at me like I'm an ignorant non-religious know-nothing.

I feel so tired all the time. I feel tired, alone, and beaten down by years of living with him. I can't do this. I have to do thing. Everything is wrong. This is life.

.

[princeofmayonnaise]

okay so let me explain. so Neopets.com is run by Netdragon who has a CEO who is an AI and they recently deleted the accounts of Adam and Donna, the literal creators of neopets.com and long story short, the newbie chat on neopets.com has been the general discussion board for like 2 decades despite it being called 'the newbie chat' but one day I refresh the page and they have gentrified our home and it's called 'new to neopets' now and I'm like wat and TNT makes a post announcing there is now an official general chat which people (not me) have been asking for for years and a lot of people are so happy it's back and begin posting away on it but then a day later TNT makes up a brand new rule with no warning that we cannot dare talk about anything not directly neopets.com related on any of the boards anymore including non-neopian food and clothing (if you mention hats they MUST be hats that exist on neopets.com or ur account could literally die. this is an actual example given by a staff member in an email) and they began freezing and silencing people who had posted non neopets related things on a board called 'general discussion' which they never announced or explained the rules for whatsoever, and people only found out the rules because users began posting the warnings they received which actually explained the rules to them and people literally had to email staff to get the rules figured out and then post screenshots for everyone else to see because of course TNT couldn't do that for us themselves and then finally TNT makes an announcement that says no non-neopets talk is allowed on the general chat but then they they start freezing and warning people on the newbie chat too for posts that were made days before the rules changed and this is all because neopets wants to be 100% child friendly now except they are selling neopets.com wine glasses as merch and have held multiple events at bars you obviously have to be 21+ to go to and are encouraging players to go on Reddit, and they made a sorry mommy sorry meme tik tok of their neopets faerie characters on their official neopets.com tik tok oh and also the april fools day joke this year was about this child character from the early 2000s Nick Neopia who used to be this totally radical skater guy but is now a full grown thinly veiled Q-anon-esque conspiracy theorist who ranted about 'the globalist' which is an antisemitic dogwhistle and lets not forget the plot about staff members being brutally murdered either idc if it was years ago and so people are getting frozen and their pets obliterated for asking other players simple questions and yet there has been a board about BDSM up for literal hours while TNT is actively taking down other posts ALSO this was all after both the huge NFT and massive data leak scandals. does this make sense so far? are you following??

[thethirdromana]

Thoughts on watching the X Files pilot for the first time, having never previously seen any of the X Files:

Ooh are we starting with spooky vampire aliens? Is that what's happening here?

That outfit is terrible on Gillian Anderson.

I very much feel that Gillian Anderson became a lot hotter with age but now I'm wondering just how much of that is because of the impacts of 90s fashion.

So Mulder has the full conspiracy theorist decor right from the off?

I know that Mulder = believer and Scully = sceptic but I don't know if there's ever a situation where it's a Scooby-Doo thing and Scully will be right.

Over 200+ episodes it would be weird if she was never right.

Mysterious bite marks means aliens is a bit of a leap on Mulder's part.

"You're not squeamish" - I mean, she's a qualified doctor, they usually don't get to be squeamish.

Wondering if this episode was sponsored by the Oregon tourist board. Those woods look lovely, if you ignore all the murdering.

Even with the world's most open mind, it feels like a bit of a leap that Mulder goes straight to alien abduction and not, say, alien virus, or witch's curse, or any one of a bajillion other supernatural or otherworldly things that could be explaining all of this.

Ah, a pervy scene of Scully undressing. Oh, the 90s. Got to make sure we see the lead actress's bum in the first episode.

I have to say, this set up is gripping. Mulder's backstory, the growing closeness between Mulder and Scully already, the idea of a massive government cover up? So good.

Ignoring that they're standing by an open grave, the scene of Mulder and Scully laughing together in the pouring rain is very cute.

And then they hold each other gasping after Billy recovers? I mean, I know about the shipping, I haven't been living under a rock, but there is already even more of a vibe there than I would have anticipated.

A massive sinister warehouse in the Pentagon full of evidence! Nice.

And that's the end!

Well, that was a lot of fun. I'm not up for another 200+ episodes (and even if I was, my husband isn't), but I'm wondering if only watching the ones with an imdb rating above 8.0 would be viable. Any thoughts, X-Files fans of tumblr?

[blazehedgehog]

What the hell is going on with Elon Musk and X? Seems like everyone is having a meltdown these days.

Well, he (allegedly) gutted the company, set fire to the moderation team, and has generally spent the last two years very publicly buddying up to conspiracy theorists and right wing extremists (allegedly). Every feature change made in recent memory either (allegedly) benefits them or helps him cover up the many (many, many) moments where he (allegedly) embarrasses himself.

He campaigned to "get rid of Twitter's bot problem", an (allegedly) deliberate and clear lie given twitter is (allegedly) full of more bots now than ever before, and bad actors have (allegedly) been given all the tools to signal boost misinformation to a widespread and staggering degree.

His only goal in purchasing Twitter was to (allegedly) exert his control on one of the world's largest social media platforms and all he's done is drive people away. Nothing about it has ever been subtle.

To the point where I'm deeply suspicious you'd even ask -- it's so clear and obvious what people don't like about Twitter now that it's hard to believe anyone would even need to ask this question. But, also, for all I know, maybe you live outside of America, maybe you aren't super connected to this side of American pop culture, etc. etc. etc. I try to take everything in good faith, but from my perspective, it's weird you'd have to ask.

Because it's bad. It's obviously and clearly bad. And nobody halfway intelligent wants it.

Like, I crosspost between twitter and bluesky sometimes, and on bluesky I'll get 30+ likes and 15+ reposts and on twitter I'll be lucky to get one like nowadays.

Twitter has become a ghost town and its because Elon Musk (allegedly) turned it in to a haven for liars, grifters, scammers, and fascists. He (allegedly) thought it would be his political weapon and all it did was scare most sane people away. Even the grifters, scammers and fascists don't want to be there anymore, given how many of them are registering Bluesky accounts these days (and then getting shouted off the platform, in some cases).

It's worth mentioning that Musk is (allegedly) now shifting his attention towards buying Wikipedia, because, again, this guy (allegedly) thinks that being rich gives him the right to control information (and eventually rewrite history) as a political weapon.

That's probably not a good thing.

[canirove]

Friends, lovers… and an orange | Chapter 21

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Masterlist

“No! No, no and no!”

“Mase?” Adele murmured, moving her hand over the other side of the bed. It was empty. 

“I said no!” she heard again. 

“What the…” she said to herself, slowly opening her eyes and checking her phone. It was almost 1 p.m. She had definitely overslept, but with the night she and Mason had had, who could blame her? 

After their rendezvous on the rooftop they had gone back to the party, Rianne convincing them to have another round of shots. That had led them to the dancefloor again, where they had danced and sang with their friends until their throats hurt. 

Once back at their apartment, Adele and Mason had continued with what they had been doing on the rooftop. Clothes had started flying the moment they had crossed the door, and they hadn't been able to make it to their room. When they finally did and decided it was time to have some sleep, the first rays of sunlight were starting to be visible. 

“No means no! Do you hear me? No!” Mason shouted before throwing his phone on the couch.

“Mase, are you ok?” Adele asked, meeting him in the living room.

“Addie” he gasped. “Addie, I'm sorry. Did I wake you up?”

“Just a bit” she smiled.

“You look so cute right now” he chuckled, walking towards her.

“I'm slightly hungover and I feel like untangling my hair is gonna be a nightmare. How is that cute?”

“Because you are cute” he smiled, hugging her and kissing her forehead.

“I thought I was the hottest woman you had ever seen.”

“That too” he laughed.

“Mase… what happened?” she asked. “Who were you yelling at?”

“It's nothing, don't worry.”

“Mase… Mason. What happened?” Adele insisted, freeing herself from his embracement so she could look him in the eyes. “I thought that we could tell each other anything. That we trusted each other.”

“It's just… It's… My agency” he sighed, letting himself fall on the couch.

“What did they do now?” she said, sitting next to him.

“Turns out that yesterday's party wasn't as private and exclusive as we thought, there was someone taking photos of the guests, and our photos have made it to all the headlines this morning.”

“Our… photos?”

“Of us making out and being all over each other, dancing with our friends, drinking... They are saying we had a crazy and wild night full of excesses, from alcohol to sex, and maybe even drugs.”

“What?”

“Yeah” he sighed. “There are people saying that we left the party to go get high, but the insider who sold the photos says we left to do what we actually did.”

“That's, umm… Kind of them?” 

“I guess. But there is more.”

“More?”

“People believe you are pregnant, Addie. A pregnant woman doesn't do what you did yesterday. So you can imagine how crazy things are online, the fights people are having because of it. The believers say you weren't drinking alcohol, the non believers say you were. Then you have people hating on us because how dare we have sex and drink, that what an example we are for the young people who follow us, while others are telling them that good for us, that we should enjoy it while we can. And then there are conspiracy theorists analyzing all the photos to say it wasn't us or that we were faking everything, that couples don't kiss or touch like that. The usual with them.”

“So it is chaos.”

“Yeah” Mason sighed again while rubbing his temples. 

“And you were shouting at your agency because…”

“Because they… they…”

“C'mon, Mase” Adele said, taking his hand on hers and giving it an encouraging squeeze.

“They want to say that you had a miscarriage, Addie.”

“What?”

“That's how they want to explain what happened yesterday. That you had a miscarriage last month, and that partying was your way to deal with it.”

“That's… that's…”

“Sickening, I know. I told them that if they dared send that information to the press I was going to sue them, that I didn't care about the consequences. But they didn't want to listen to me. They kept insisting on this being the best option.”

“The best option? Oh, c'mon” Adele said, getting up from the sofa and starting to pace around the room. “Lying about something that serious is simply disgusting. Just coming with the idea is, to be honest. And if they think people will feel sorry about me, they are wrong. About you, most definitely, they are your fans. But me? They will blame me for what happened, say that I did something to lose the baby, that I was reckless. They will tear me to pieces, Mason.”

“I know” he said, also getting up. 

“And people at your agency aren't stupid. They keep up with all the comments and crazy theories, they know this will happen. But if they haven't cared about the hate I've gotten so far, why would they care now?” Adele said, not being able to contain her tears.

“Addie… Addie, hey” Mason said, walking towards her and cupping her face. “Addie, no one is gonna bully you. I'm not gonna let them.”

“But if they publish those lies…”

“They won't, I'm not going to allow it. No one is gonna hurt the woman I love, do you hear me? No one.”

“This is such a mess, Mason” she said, wrapping her arms around his waist.

“But we'll fix it, Addie. I promise you we will” he said while hugging her as tight as he could. 

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━

“Miss Turlington? She will see you now.”

“Thank you.”

“Adele!” Mason's agent said when she walked into her office. “What a nice surprise. What brings you here?”

“We need to talk.”

“Oh, ok. Please have a seat” she said, gesturing towards the chair in front of her desk. “May I get you something to drink? Water? Coffee? Tea?”

“I'm fine.”

“Alright, then. What did you want to talk about?”

“I want you to stop the madness you and your agency have created.”

“What?” she laughed.

“It isn't funny, Mrs. Lautner.”

“Please call me Erin.”

“It isn't funny, Erin” Adele repeated. It had been a week since the photos of the party had been published, and things hadn't calmed down.

Online it still was chaos, threats and hate comments being thrown right and left between fans and towards her and Mason. And in the real world, it was like they had traveled back in time to the days where the paparazzis camped outside their houses to get a photo of them together. They had even had to cancel their romantic gateway to the château they had visited after the Dior show and go back to London, someone tipping the photographers about where they were staying.

“I'm sorry, I'm sorry” Erin said. “But what do you want me to do?”

“Isn't it obvious?” Adele laughed. “I want you to release some kind of statement and tell the world that I am not pregnant and never have been.”

“But Adele…”

“No” she said, trying to channel her mother when she would get serious with her and Luca. “You are going to end this mess, and you are going to do it now.”

“That's not how things work and you know it.”

“You have two days. When Mason comes back from his work trip to Spain, I want this problem fixed.”

“Or what?” Erin said, arching an eyebrow.

“Or you will be losing an amazing deal that would benefit you and your agency, and that only I can get you.”

“What kind of deal?”

“Me shooting Mason for the cover of British Vogue’s March issue.”

“What?” she laughed. “That's almost impossible! Only big names get to be on the March issue, and it is always women the ones who do it. It is the most important issue besides the September one!”

“I know. But when you are Elizabeth Turlington’s daughter, and the current editor-in-chief of the magazine is your godfather…” Adele shrugged.

“He's… oh. That's… I'm listening” Erin said, moving forward on her chair.

“Well, we met in Paris during fashion week, and after seeing my photos for Dior, he asked me if anyone had suggested yet the idea of me shooting Mason.”

“It has happened more than once, and you've always said no. What has made you change your mind?”

“That this time I will be working for and with someone I trust and have known my whole life, and that I will have creative freedom, which is something that none of the other offers included.”

“Has Mason said yes?”

“He has. But on one condition” Adele said. “That you finally put an end to the pregnancy rumours by telling the truth: that I've never been pregnant, and that those photos were taken out of context.”

“It isn't going to be that easy, tho.”

“You and your team are very clever, Erin. I'm sure you will come up with something. But no more lies.”

“Ok, fine” she sighed. “We deny the pregnancy saying that you never were pregnant and it was all a mistake, and you shoot Mason for British Vogue. Is that the deal?”

“The base of it, yes” Adele said.

“The base?”

“We can add some extras. For example, if Mason and I are satisfied with the result of your explanation and the way you handle things after that, I can talk with my godfather and also get him an interview. Maybe video content, something like a behind the scenes of me shooting him and being all lovey-dovey. I'm sure fans would love that.”

“That would actually be amazing… Ok, fine” Erin said after a few seconds in silence. “We have a deal.”

“If we don't like what you do…”

“There will be no cover. I know” she said, offering Adele her hand. “Deal?”

“Deal” she said, shaking it. “Now let me call my lawyer so he can get the contract ready. He's waiting in the coffee shop next door.”

“What?” Erin chuckled. “There is no need for that, Adele.”

“I don't make deals without witnesses and with just a handshake, Mrs. Lautner. I'm my father's daughter and not an idiot, so I do things properly and, most importantly, legally. Leave it or take it.”

“I… Umm…”

“I have things to do, Mrs. Lautner. So if you could please make up your mind…”

“Fine, fine! Call your lawyer.”

“Thank you” Adele smiled. Her plan was already in motion, and the first part had been a success.