#I'm not sure if it's part of the museum's property or not

[dabblersofnonsense]

More fall vibes with this gorgeously picturesque view of the little lake near Gilcrease Museum.

Kofi

[puzzled-pegasus]

Additional WoF hcs

SandWings have a type of adapted webbing between their claws from their common ancestry with SeaWings, to keep them from sinking in the sand.

IceWings also have similar so they can swim and walk on the snow.

MudWings love frogs and will consider it good luck if they see a bullfrog, especially a particularly large one. For this reason, they tend to depict cranes and herons, which eat frogs, as crafty and a little bit evil in their storytelling.

MudWings generally don't eat alligators because of the belief they are related.

SkyWings incorporate eagles into their religious beliefs and believe that they are sacred, like angels or watchful guardian spirits in disguise, and they are Apalled at the prospect of eating one.

Coral loves dolphins so much, she named her daughter Orca. That's not really a headcanon, that's just a thing I just realized lol

SeaWings have a popular dessert they like to make from red kelp, it's like gelatin or pudding. It's especially popular among the lower class dragons.

SkyWings really aren't sure what to do with their war-mutilated veterans, especially the lower class ones. They hate any sort of imperfection, but they also admire the fact that they survived battle at all, so they altogether just try not to think about them. Maybe they even have a closed off section of town where they encourage them to stay. :(

I'm not sure if this happened already but I'm sure Thorn is going to either destroy the weirdling tower and cause riots or she will destroy the building and put the contents into a proper museum to preserve what an awful dragon Burn was

SeaWings have the highest literacy rate next to NightWings. Many IceWings can't read much more than their own names.

SeaWings can be immune to jellyfish venom.

Toys commonly given to dragonets include wooden, clay, or iron figures, dolls made from wood, cloth, or sometimes grass, stuffed animals, wooden practice weapons, dress up jewelry made from glass, and more. Additionally, dragonets, especially in the Kingdom of Sky, are commonly given bones to chew as an equivalent to being given a lollipop.

Dragons regrow their teeth multiple times in their life, as part of the reason they're able to live so long. This comes from their common ancestry with crocodilians.

There is said by RainWings to be a species of eagle in the rainforest that is similar to a harpy eagle, but much bigger, with talons as big as a dragon's. It has been reported to have flown away with dragonets before, and though a very rare occurrence, RainWings tell their dragonets about it partially for their safety and partially to scare them into listening to them. The eagle is probably called something SkyWing related---after one of the queens, perhaps. These predator attacks are one of the only reasons that RainWings still have venom.

As well as flowers, RainWings like to decorate themselves and their homes with brightly colored feathers they find.

NightWings, upon coming to the rainforest, have since introduced RainWings to glass flower vases. Many RainWings love them. They have also introduced them to the concept of cooking fruit to make jam and juicing it and/or fermenting to make tasty drinks

SandWings believe that ravens are a good omen and enjoy leaving scraps of prey out for them. They admire their tendency to clean up what is upsetting and avoided by most. IceWings see them as a symbol of death or a warning and are extremely creeped out by their intelligence.

Despite their love for ravens, SandWings are really annoyed by their obnoxious cousins, crows, and it is not an uncommon sight to see them chasing the birds away with a broomstick

MudWings are delighted whenever they see bluejays or similarly bright colored temperate forst birds, but not for any spiritual reason. They just don't see bright colors often :D

MudWings generally find it extremely disrespectful to pick flowers, especially ones that grow on someone else's property, because brightly colored flowers are not especially common in the swamps. It's quite the culture shock when they meet RainWings who pick every pretty blossom in sight.

Similarly, if a SandWing finds a flower in the desert which is wilting, they are obligated to bring it water.

[respectthepetty]

GMMTV 2024 Part 1 - Hot Tops

I did this last year, so I guess I'll do it this year too even though I'm salty like the Great Lakes in Utah about not getting JoongDunk, release dates for the remaining 2023 shows, nor Midnight Museum 2. Even though I have questions like if High School Fremeny is gonna be queer and why GMMTV is determined to make Earth seem old (Ossan's Love, really?!), there was a lot that I liked about this lineup like . . .

#1 - ON SALE Peaceful Property

I don't know if this show is a BL or not or what its name is, but I don't care. I'm gonna watch the hell out of it regardless. After enjoying New in The Warp Effect act wild, then Tay in Midnight Museum (thug tears!) be unhinged, I'm excited to see them play to those strengths in the Thai edition of one of my favorite shows, Los Espookys, because we have the rich kid who needs the help of the poor ghost hunters. It looks like a funny (and heartwarming) take on los espookys, so I'll be scared, but it has color coding which makes it a HOT TOP for me. - For the Heart

#2 - Wandee Goodday

Great was queer in Manner of Death. It was canon to me, so I followed him to Catch Me Baby where he clearly wasn't queer, but NetJames as the support were, so it was a win. So I'll be damn sure to follow this fine man on this wild adventure with Inn where he is playing an actual queer. Like he knows "he is queer and is already having casual sex with a guy" queer. It also features THOR, DRAKE and POND, while being directed by GOLF with the possibility of color coding, so who am I to argue with perfection. - For the Kinks

#3 - My Golden Blood

I don't like vampires, but I love camp, and nothing gets campier than this pilot trailer even if was unintentional. I laughed so many times during it that I'm going to treat this as a comedy whether it is or not. It had Neo and Mond while also saving some space for potential "older" vampires to show up (Papang anyone?). Fluke Gawin continues to take one for the team, yet stays winning, so thank this babygirl for his service, while Joss serves body. Amen. - For the Laughs

#4 - The Trainee

Everyone looks miserable in corporate America Thailand, which is realistic because it is soul-sucking and never-ending, but OffGun are getting to play adults AGAIN, and like I wrote last year - They are Kelly Clarkson. Even at their worst, they are better than every one else, performance-wise, and they have View, Piploy, and Sea with his beautiful side profile as supports. Because it is an office BL, I'm already rooting for it, and it features Gun crying which is only rivaled by Khaotung tearing up, meaning it's marvelous. - For the Adults

#5 - Kidnap

Both Ohms are in it with Title and a newbie, but I'm only showing up 42% for them and 58% for PAPANG! That's it! That's the reason. - For the PAPANG!

Honorable Mention - Pluto

It's really shitty of me to put a picture of the bully, played by THOR (again!), as the image for this when it is a GL, but the entire reason it isn't even ranked is because . . .

WHAT WAS IT ABOUT?!

There are twins? One gets in a car accident with her husband right after the wedding or on the way to the wedding? The other twins takes her place to figure out what happened? But falls back in love with her bestie? Or were they already in love? Or did the chick actually love the other twin? Make it make sense, Mary! All I truly understood was Thor & Baseball Bat. Everything else was confetti. - For the ???

Everything Else

As usual, I'm showing up for everything queer, so even if I'm not looking forward to them I'll watch them.

But Ossans' Love . . . really, GMMTV? *eye roll for making me sit through it again in another language*

[madamsnape921]

On the Plus Side

Chaper 5

<Chapter 4| Chapter 6>

Pairing: Frederick Chilton x female reader 

Warning: more ridiculousness 

WC: 1456

Raúl Taglist: @beccabarba @alwaysachorusgirl @law-nerd105  @prurientpuddlejumper  @welcometothemxdhouse @itsjustmyfantasyroom @lv7867 @word-scribbless 

@teamsladsandgents @storiesofsvu @navalcriminalimagines 

On the Plus Side Taglist: @caracalwithchips @jackdanieltorrance

Frederick calls out from his study, "I found something, Y/N come here." 

You walk into Frederick's study to see his books spread all around. They tower over the man as the sunlight bleeds into his room. "We have two options. We can either cut the ring or we can forge our own."

"How will forging our own give the ring the properties needed to work for vampires?"

"We need to find someone who knows about rings. We could try the museum?"

“What museum? Wouldn’t we need to look to some sort of vampire community?”

“I have no idea. I thought I was the only vampire. We normally don’t have conventions.”

You stare at Frederick blankly, “You’re the only vampire? In the entire world? How?”

"I have no idea. I'm just saying there isn't a vampire directory."

“Obviously, Frederick. I was just suggesting you being the only one seems far-fetched. We might find the answer we’re looking for if we try to find others.”

“And where do we look? Do we google vampires?!”

“Calm down, babe. How about we start with your former lover and creator?”

“That was Maradeath Kays. Her father was a jeweler.”

“Interesting. That’s definitely a start. I’ll start with some online searches.”

After hours of research, Y/N had a pretty good plan of attack. Before she could go find Frederick, he walked into his study, "What have you figured out?"

“Oh! I was getting ready to find you. Here’s what I got,” she handed him the paper with her notes.

Frederick looks over the papers, "Does this say what I think it says?"

“Yes, but we can try to find a different plan, if you’d rather not do that. I definitely can’t afford that, so you’d have to do those parts yourself.”

"I've got the cash. We can do your plan."

“I… I can’t do that. That’s a lot of money.”

Frederick jesters at his copious amounts of generational wealth.

“Frederick.”

"What? I can afford it."

“Okay. So… we’re going on our first vacation, and it’s already going to be an adventure.”

“Pack light, we will travel to Romania in the morning.”

She started walking out of the study, “will do. See you in the morning.”

____________________________________________________________________________

Frederick and Y/N flew over the Atlantic Ocean to Romania. They hoped to find an ancient ring that would make Y/N a day walker like Frederick. The first class cabins were as extravagant as they could be. Though, Frederick could not relax. He was too nervous about what could happen and who they would find on their trip. 

She had never been out of the country before, so she was feeling super excited but at the same time nervous. Was she seriously doing all of this to become a vampire? A vampire that she just learned existed. Did she want to be romantically involved with a vampire? She did want to be romantically involved with Frederick Chilton so she supposes Vampirism is the price of admission, but was it too high? She’s known about them for less than 48 hours now, and she was on a plane heading to Romania. Ever since that hot make out session, Frederick hasn't even touched her. It's unfortunate because the thought of getting completely railed by a vampire made her squirm in her seat. Her panties were for sure ruined.

Frederick looked over at Y/N and smiled. He knew this trip was a lot on her. He flagged someone and got two champagnes for them. He looks over at you and hands you the glass. He can feel the nerves pulsating off of you, or at least what he thinks are nerves. Frederick placed his hand on her lap and felt what seemed like a bolt of electricity go through him. He somehow could feel her unease, her desire, and her fear. Oh no... we're psychically bonded. Frederick smiled and looked at you “Hey, um, can I try something?" Frederick leaned over and pinched you. He felt the prick, but none of the pain.

“What the hell?” 

Frederick looked at her with shock and amusement. "Pinch me."

You pinched him, “what the hell!?”

Frederick rubs his arm and looks at you, "Huh, interesting."

Frederick dons his sleep mask and leans over to kiss you. "Goodnight, my dear. When I wake, I hope we are in Romania... or they are serving a meal. Either way, let me know if something happens." Frederick rolled over and fell asleep, much less nervous. 

You stared at him in confusion. You spent some time trying to figure out what you were feeling. You definitely felt the pinching sensation on your arm as you pinched Frederick’s arm. Maybe a weird vampire thing because of the two bites? If so, wouldn’t he have mentioned it before now? Now that you're focusing more on yourself, you noticed your nervousness was more amplified. Now, your struggling to stay awake. You weren't that sleepy before Frederick went to sleep. Weird. This is all so weird. You finally stopped fighting and slept for the rest of the flight.

____________________________________________________________________________

Frederick awoke to the sight of the rising sun over the Atlantic. He looks out the window and can see in the far distance the European coast. He looks over at you and watches you sleep for a moment when you wake up and stare at him

“Good morning. What time is it?” you asked before yawning.

"Time? I have no idea. The only thing I know right now is... look at the sunrise."

You turned to look out the window, “oh! It’s so beautiful.” 

"Yes, you are," Frederick extended his arm behind your neck and kissed your forehead.

You nuzzled into his shoulder.

"Are you ready to go to Europe? Are you excited?"

“I’ve always wanted to go. That’s why I had a passport. This is exciting, but I’m also nervous about being able to find what we’re looking for.”

“What do you think is going to happen? We’re going to seek counsel with an ancient vampire cult and get their blessings on our relationship?" Frederick laughed.

She stared at him blankly for a moment, “of course not, but we are looking for more… supernatural people. That does flare a bit of anxiety, Doctor,” she turned back to the window. She hated feeling laughed at. 

Frederick placed his hands in his pocket and felt the diamond ring he brought from his mother's things with him to Europe. She doesn't know this, but if we pull this off, then I have the ring for her.

The plane landed at Henri Coanda International Airport and after a quick stretch you and Frederick left the plane.

“God, I haven’t been to Europe in forever. This is going to be great. Should we get a cab and head to the hotel? Are you hungry?”

“Yes!”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You wake up the next day refreshed in your hotel room. Fredrick, dressing smart as usual, escorts you from your room to the small cafe and bakery next door. "What would you like?" 

“Surprise me,” you answered.

They enjoyed their breakfast before starting their search for the Kays family.

“The Kays family estate is deep in the outskirts of town. We will need a car."

Fredrick and YN walked out of the small cafe and walked back to the hotel. Frederick flashed a smile and his black diamond card to the concierge and before you knew it a black Mercedes SUV was delivered to the hotel. “Shall we?” Fredrick walked you to the car and held open the door for you. 

“So, we need to get to the western countryside. Look for a rundown castle…” Frederick moved into traffic.

The sun peeked over the hill as the couple drove to the countryside. The road was lonesome and dark. Frederick placed his hand on her thigh and lightly gripped it. "Are you ready for this? We're only a few minutes away."

"I'm incredibly nervous. We're possibly heading into a den of vampires for all we know. I'm just hoping I don't become anyone's dinner."

“To be honest, you’ve been in the den of vampires for months and that wasn’t a problem for you.”

“I didn’t know it was a vampire’s den.” 

“And yet you still thrived!”

You just shook your head at Frederick's antics.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Frederick pressed the button on the gate and an unseen speaker buzzed, "Hello. How may we help you?" 

“Umm, yes we are here to see the master of the estate on urgent business about a blood garnet."

“Go away,” they responded.

Frederick sighed, “Tell the Matron it is Frederick from Baltimore. We’re old friends.”

“Oh! Why didn’t you say so in the first place? In that case, go away, Frederick from Baltimore.”

[rhythmelia]

Support a Translator of Color (1 day left of Crowd Justice fundraising!)

Fresh post for the tags! As I've shared extensively in updates on this post since 2023.06.24, my friend Yilin Wang (yilinwriter on twitter) has had their translation work stolen and used uncredited by the British Museum in a major exhibit on The Hidden Century in Chinese history that featured major feminist revolutionary Qiu Jin, and when called out on that behavior, the museum chose to remove Qiu Jin's poetry and Yilin's translation, silencing both of them. Instead of, yanno, naming the translator and giving appropriate credit and payment. ....yup.

So! Here's the Crowd Justice:

Case updates can be found at that fundraiser (especially as the muskrat has made twitter into an epic trashfire at the moment) but some key points, in Yilin's words:

I need to raise at least £15,000 by July 10th to enable me to instruct expert lawyers in London to initiate a claim of infringement of my copyright and moral rights. I will be working with lawyers in the UK to bring a claim against the British Museum for its infringement of my copyright and moral rights in the Intellectual Property Enterprise Court (IPEC), which is a specialist court and part of the Business and Property Courts of the High Court of Justice in London. ......

Please contribute and share if you can - each and every small contribution is very much appreciated! Let’s hold the British Museum accountable together!  I realise that this is a lot of money at any time, and especially in the current economic circumstances, but the cost and difficulty of taking legal action is a huge barrier when it comes to access to justice. My hope is that if I am able to generate enough support to take this point of principle forward, it will give the British Museum and all similar institutions the maximum possible incentive to avoid similar conduct in the future, because they will see that there is collective power in communities who feel disrespected and insulted. .....

Why This Case Matters This case matters to me not only because I believe both my work and Qiu Jin's work should receive the credit and respect they deserve, but because it affects the copyright and moral rights of all translators, writers, and creatives. 

The British Museum has not issued an appropriate apology or taken proper responsibility for its actions, so if it is not held accountable, then this is a cycle that stands to be repeated.

Yilin was able to make the minimum to retain a lawyer, and is now working towards the stretch goal. Here's part of the statement from the lawyer on the crowd justice page:

Accordingly, it is not giving anything away to say that we sincerely hope that the British Museum come to recognise the shortcomings in their conduct so far, and move to make amends rather than fight Yilin all the way. We will make Yilin’s funds go as far as we can, but there is a real prospect of the case being drawn out beyond the funding she has available, so it continues to be the case that every pound she raises towards her stretch targets puts her in the strongest possible position - a position that the British Museum has extensive visibility of - to hold out for what she deserves with help of expert legal assistance.

Currently it's at £16,722 pledged towards the stretch target of £20,000 from 573 pledges in small amount donations. Help Yilin be able to keep going if the British Museum continues to behave badly and try to fight until Yilin's out of funds. Please consider reblogging and/or donating a small amount if you can - about 1 day left to July 10! (I'm in UTC-7 and it's the 8th for me but I'm not sure what timezone the fundraiser site is in, since it says 1 day left there)

tagging @copperbadge, @vaspider and @prismatic-bell on the off chance they might be interested in signal boosting? No pressure though!

[charlesandmartine]

Friday 18th October 2024

The first British person to spot what we now call Darwin was Lieutenant John Lort Stokes on HMS Beagle in 1839 but it wasn't until 1869 when a small settlement was established here and initially became known as Palmerston after Lord Palmerston the then Prime Minister and in 1911 the town was renamed Darwin. A port was soon established to supply the settlement but in 1897 a cyclone destroyed the whole lot; a cycle to repeat itself in 1974 when Cyclone Tracy flattened the entire town again killing 68 souls. Between Cyclones of course was a small conflict called WW2 which found Darwin a quite attractive target to the Japanese who successfully carried out a huge number of bombing raids, 64 in all. The mastermind Japanese commander who attacked Pearl Harbour then turned his attention to Darwin. American bases were established here and I'm sure over the next fews days we shall investigate these further.

Now affectionately referred to as 'The Top End' Darwin offers the tourist a great deal of interest.

The day started with a shortish run along the footpaths adjoining the Esplanade; early enough for it not to be too hot. Just as well, because the heat is on and it was promised to feel like 38 degrees.

Whilst still bearable we walked along the Esplanade passing the war memorials and down to where we first came ashore from our cruise in 2016. Memories were jogged and furthering these we thought we might catch a hop on hop off (hoho) to the Art Gallery. It was then we found that instead of paying £24 each for the hoho, we could catch a number 4 bus which was totally free!! Free entry to the Museum and Art Gallery as well, so perfect day all round! Now you know how it is when you ask for some travel advice from a bloke at a bus stop, any bus stop anywhere in the world, you ought to just know this is probably the one person in the universe that you shouldn't have freely opened yourself up to. I mean he looked innocent enough! We heard his travel plans, how much he was paying for his accommodation, about his brothers and so it went on. He got particularly exercised when talking about kangaroos. Part of the problem was that most words were expletives; if we could have cut those out the conversation could have been a fraction of the length. Then the bus came we made our goodbyes but he jumped on and sat next to us and enriched us with further insights. During the fairly short journey the driver chose to share his favourite album over the bus speaker system at several decibels! When he turned corners with his indicators going, we had a disco you could charge for. The benefit in all this was we struggled to hear what our new pal was saying! We reached the Art Gallery and it appeared he was going further. Clearly not an art lover.

We have been to this gallery before and it is predominantly exhibiting indigenous art, but it does have on display the pride of place work of a local taxidermist in the form of Sweetheart, a 16ft 10in crocodile! Sweetheart had not been very nice to a local community so it was decided to send a team of suicidal experts to capture and rehabilitate said 50-80 year old reptile. Sadly the operation did not go well for Sweetheart, and he died in the process, but lives on in his stuffed new attire. When the taxidermist did what taxidermist have to do, they found all manner of items within such as a sheep, various engine parts and bits of boats. The last time we visited this place, there was an excellent exhibition of pictures and reminiscentcies of the 1974 cyclone. It was closed today for refurbishment, but there was a powerful film being shown of the after effects of the storm. People's lives were completely shattered; destroyed. There was nothing left and everything needed rebuilding; property, lives, and way of life. But through it all, the people interviewed had nothing but praise for the help they received from friends, government and charities.

Bus back, no mate on board and unmolested we spilled into Coles for some further provisions. We ended the day on our lovely balcony, the sun casting its long beams shimmering across the sea whilst we sipped a chilled SB. Great day.

And on queue, as the sun disappeared completely, its work done for the day, a thousand birds incognito heralded the event yet again as though an orchestra under the control of a batton, their cheerfulness and zest filling their environment with song. Then, suddenly, without warning, all was quiet again until dawn.

[aita-blorbos]

AITA for reanimating a museum full of dinosaurs and setting them loose? This was while I was working as an ambassador.

I (15f) was part of a peace delegation to a foreign capital because I have some unusual talents that I could use to butter up the foreign nation's emperor. But here's the thing -- while I was there, this goddess showed up and told me she was temporarily giving me necromantic powers and I needed to use them to raise the dead, I guess she thought the city needed to be taught a lesson or whatever. I wasn't going to do it, but then the emperor freaking kidnapped me and EXECUTED my teacher on trumped-up charges!

Naturally I was pissed off. I figured it was time to use the necromantic powers, but raising the human dead felt kinda lame? Like sure it would freak people out, but there wouldn't be enough property damage for my taste. So instead, I went to the museum and reanimated all the dinosaurs, mammoths, etc. and encouraged them to wreck the palace.

I think I might be TA because I destroyed a really nice museum and ruined the peace talks when I was supposed to be representing my home country. Especially because it turned out my teacher wasn't actually dead, so I'm a little embarrassed. And the goddess wasn't happy with me either. But it did kind of work out in our favor because the emperor was so scared he abdicated, and the new emperor seems willing to make peace, so maybe I'm being too hard on myself. AITA?

[akwolfgrl]

LFT PART 39

Luffy made his way back to the platform, he had gotten blown away earlier but he had a nice nap in the street and a free lunch with Zoro so it wasn't a big deal. Zoro even showed off his cool new swords and told him all about his date with Sanji. Luffy was happy they found each other. He didn't care about romance and sex but he knew that other people did, besides the happier Sanji was the better his food would taste. Luffy also liked seeing Zoro's soft smile when he talked about Sanji, they way the corners of his eyes crinkle with joy, it was a different smile from when he was about to fight or when he found something funny. It made Luffy happy when his nakama were happy.

It was time to climb up and stand where Roger had once stood. Luffy could use his devil fruit to get up there but he didn't want to. He wanted to climb up there unaided by his rubber body, after all gold roger didn't have a devil fruit. Luffy began to climb up the platform once again, this time he made it all the way to the top.

“Wow!” Luffy exclaimed standing on the top of the platform looking out at the people gathered there. “So this is what the King of the Pirates saw before he died!”

“Hey! Get down from there! That is the property of the world government!” A voice shouted below him a man with a megaphone was angry with him. “It's only to be used for executions! So get it done bef…” Luffy watched as a woman in a cloak and hat hit the megaphone guy with a spiked club.

“Oh don't be so uptight about rules Mr. Officer it's not healthy, and Luffy… I've been looking all over for you,” The woman stared up at him and he looked down at her in confusion. She was talking to him as if she knew him personally. “Now, now don't tell me that you've forgotten my face. I'm so disappointed.”

“Wow! She's gorgeous!”

“What a beauty!”

“She has to be the most beautiful woman ever, that's for sure!”

The crowd muttered and exclaimed.

“I don't know any pretty ladies like you,” Luffy told her, still not recognizing her, then again he was the best with faces sometimes. “Who are you?” Luffy asked not liking where this was going.

“Well I most certainly haven't forgotten about you, after all you were the first man to have ever hit my beautiful face.”

“What?! I hit your face?!” He usually remembered people he hit.

“Oh the way you handled me so ugly,” She sighed and placed her hand on her check. “Why did it left me breathless,” She turned to the crowd, her arms spread wide. “Tell me everyone who among these four seas is the most beautiful one of them all?”

“You are!” Everyone cried.

“Nah,” Luffy could easily list why his crew was far prettier, Zoro was pretty like a forest, green dark and mysterious. Nami was pretty like the monarch butterflies, orange free and bright. Usopp reminded Luffy of the pictures of museums in books that Minkao would show him, filled with stories. Sanji reminded Luffy of the lights that danced in the sky when it was cold and clear, the way he always seemed to be dancing around when he was fighting or cooking.

“Yes that's right! It is me! I am the most beautiful among these four seas and even in the Grand Line!” The crowd cheered, Luffy didn't get it. Why is it so important to be the most beautiful? “There is not a single man who wouldn't kneel before me! However I only love strong men, and I will have you be mine at long last Luffy,” And she was back to staring up at him with her hand back on her cheek.

“Shut up you're so annoying,” He grimaced and sneered at her, she was weirding him out, he belonged only to himself and maybe his crew. “Just who the hell are you?”

“You still don't recognize me!?” The woman sounded upset. But Luffy could only shrug, she must not have left an impression on him, that meant she wasn't important or interesting enough for him to care.

“Freeze! This is the police. You, young lady, are under arrest for assaulting a police officer! And you young man get down from there this instant!” More police officers came running. Luffy ignored them, he'd rather stay where he was.

“You actually think you can arrest me?”

“S sir I can't, she is too beautiful..”

“I don't care, do your job!”

Behind the police officers an explosion went off and a huge piece of the fountain headed straight towards the woman. People began to scream and run from the bomb that went off. What was even happening? Luffy was very confused and concerned he didn't want the random lady to get squashed by the fountain but there wasn't anything he could do. Luffy watched as the large chuck of the fountain slid right off her leaving not even a scratch on her, crashing into a building.

“My my that was rather dangerous don't cha think?” She spoke with her other hand resting on her check this time looking towards where the bomb exploded.

“What just happened?” Luffy asked, staring in shock at the woman below him. Another chuckling figure stepped out of the smoke and dust.

“My apologies but I figured with your smooth skin you would remain unharmed, my lovely lady Alvida,” A male voice spoke.

“Alvida? Where?” Luffy put his hand on his gourd and began to look around for the ugly fat lady.

“He's talking about me, idiot!” Luffy looked back at Alvida??? What had happened to the mean fat lady he punched? He hoped Koby was doing good and working hard to achieve his dream.

“Huh? I don't know somethings weird here,” He scratched his forehead, he didn't think it was possible to change your looks so drastically in such a short amount of time.

“Ah so you noticed,” Alvida? put her hand on her hip, her clock pulled back with the other hand. “Thanks to my devil fruit, the sube sube fruit, nothing can damage my beautiful skin anymore, but my freckles did disappear. Thank you for noticing.”

“Yah that's not what I meant,” He honestly couldn't tell from here if she had freckles nor did he care.

“Anyway, if you are to be my man then you still have to prove it, you must be able to defend the man that I've teamed up with, exclusively for the purpose of finding you.”

“Ever since that day where I was blasted away!” A familiar looking man and the cloak figured behind him there, their cloaks off dramatically. “I tenaciously fought my way back to my crew, all the while wishing for the day when I could kill you. And what an adventure it was! For I poor Buggy the Clown lacked most of my body, an adventure or merriment, hellish dangers, and new friendships! A most grand adventure for the little Buggy! After much per…wait why the hell am I telling all of this to you?”

“Hi Buggy, why are you here? I don't need to hear your life story, it's boring.”

“You're still the same cheeky brat!” Buggy yelled at him.

The rest of the Buggy pirates began to terrorize the town, everyone screaming and running. Before Luffy could do anything a large heavy thing of wood came crashing down on his neck, holes for his head arms locking him in place. The man who Zoro had fought sitting on top of it.

“Nicely done Kabaji!”

“What's going on? Let me out!” Luffy demands to try to wiggle his way out.

“It's been awhile, rubber brat, is Roronoa Zoro still around? I’d love a rematch.”

“Now it's time for the public execution! You should be grateful and honored to die in the same place as the pirate king you rubber brat!” Buggy laughed loudly. It grated Luffy's nerves.

[kinetic-elaboration]

September 28: Tom/Jane, Visit

Tom/Jane, background Tom/Daria/Jane if you really squint

~700 words

Non-canonical scene from The Transitive Property 'verse, by which I mean I make no promises that this is the future

*

"Do you know any straight people?" Jane asks abruptly, into a protracted but not unpleasant silence. She'd been lazing out to the sounds of students playing Frisbee down two floors below them on the grass of the quad: loud voices and shouting through the crack of the open window. Just like at BFAC and Raft, the beds at Bromwell are narrow but long. She has nowhere else to rest but half on top of Tom, with her ear against his chest, his arm around her.

Another sound, existing on a different plane than that of the voices below, is the steady thumping of his heart. It sounds faster than she imagines hearts should sound. Maybe that's because he's still coming down.

His breathing stutters at the question: first a deeper breath in, like he's gathering air for his answer, then a breath out, and a moment later maybe something different than he'd initially meant to say.

"I'm the straight person other people know," he says.

Jane smiles. Yeah, that's right. "The token," she clarifies.

She hears him humming, a vague assent: hears in the normal way one hears and also the vibration of it through his chest. "Yeah."

All of the Bromwell friends he's introduced her to this weekend are queer, except for his roommate, who seemed all right but not quite like he should be counted among the others. Like her own back at BFAC, just someone else occupying the same room. Jane had joked, when they came back up after lunch, that they should put a sock on the door just in case.

Before that, they'd been like old friends with each other. Inside jokes from high school. A mini tour of the campus, during which he'd barely touched her. He'd brought her to the school's art museum, let her wander at her own pace through it, and afterwards they'd gone to dinner and that night she'd slept in her sleeping bag on his floor. He'd introduced her to all of his friends as another friend, someone he knew from Lawndale. She'd laughed on the inside at how simplistic that was.

But when she'd joked about the sock, he'd said, "Yeah, probably," doing that thing where he takes her all too seriously again. That thing she'd fallen for back in high school, that hook upon which she'd hung their whole relationship. He was staring at her without smiling, except a very little at the corner of his mouth, like he was fond. She stared back at him so long, it took all of the self-control she'd ever had not to kiss him right there in the hall.

"So which two of those girls are you going to date next?" she asks, imagines him rolling his eyes without bothering to look up at his face. He slides his arm down, wraps it around her waist and squeezes. His hand feels warm and big against the bare skin of her belly.

"Funny."

"I thought so."

The thin breeze through that cracked open window is cooling the sweat still on her skin. The whole train ride from Boston, she'd wondered if they'd end up fucking. Like that was ever any kind of question, really.

"Hey, look—" And she does hesitate, though she'd started the sentence sure she wouldn't have to. She hugs him a little closer. "I'm sorry Daria couldn't come up, too."

Tom shrugs. "I get it. Midterm deadlines suck. Did, um—"

She watches her own hand, splayed across his ribcage.

"Did you talk about it with her?"

"Is 'it' the possibility of you and me ending up naked in bed together?” Jane asks.

"Yes."

Obviously. "Yeah. She said, 'I know it's going to happen. Just tell me the details later.'" She does her best Daria voice for the quotation, that is makes her tone as deadpan and steady as possible, but she can't imitate the absolutely unreadable calm and resolve she’d seen in Daria's stare.

"Yeah," Tom answers. "Sounds like her."

"Don't worry," Jane adds brightly. "I'll leave out the part where you came screaming my name."

"I didn't—"

"That's why I'll leave it out." She turns her head briefly, presses her nose against his chest, like she's muffling a sound there or hiding a kiss. Then very seriously, and very quietly, she says, "She'll visit soon," and feels Tom pull her that much closer with the arm curled around her waist.

[icouldhyperfixatehim]

BINGO ROUND UP

a GL & a disabled MC: pluto!! we got one gang!! i'm just so pleased that we're making some headway on GL being regularly scheduled as part of their production rotation as it should be <3 i will say that the plot of this one wouldn't be doing it for me if it weren't GL, and whacks of nicholas sparks a bit more than is usually my taste. BUT things change over production, and i'm more than willing to be surprised!! interesting that they're opting for another disabled lead specifically w/blindness. i'm still scared but hopeful about their engagement w disability generally, and i do think it's cool that they're not portioning out intersections to their own shows to be the ~ focal issues ~ . it bodes well i think, and i'm really buzzing to see namtan and film's dynamic.

big shock pairing to make me rub my hands together like a fly: my golden blood come collect your trophy!! also putting a dent on main role for fluke and speculative element series, this has me absolutely fucking roided with anticipation lmao. it looks bananas, and chancey, and like the people making it are determined to do so with fun and camp, which is my favourite way to see a project made. i love that as well as unbranded, fluke has managed to stay role flexible enough that he can slide into this fantasy damsel space, and i'm gagging to see it all. maybe he'll wear something white and billowing and dashed with blood, gmmtv seems to be in the spirit of granting wishes w this one.

there seemed to be some rivals to lovers edged stuff, but not in the flavours i wanted so i left it uncircled. also disappointed by the lack of girl violence...that friend vs friend/school gang series could have been fun if it'd been girls in ripped fishnets with bats but i digress.

2024 for 23.5 is not the series of numbers i wanted to write, and no final trailer. and also barely any milk!! she was only on stage the once and not for something i'm interested in, so i'm chalking that up to tragedy. but she looked fucking smashing today, so i'll just have to fold up her event portrait in a locket or smth

congrats to the enigma fans [weeps in midnight museum]

i'm frustrated by how much leaning is being done on remakes, even just because being tagged in so many people's bingo i see how many cool, original ideas there are out there, and it just makes me gag in corporate to see this laziness. i wanted to watch whatever the gemfourth offering was bc i liked them so much in moonlight chicken, but i'll probably be giving their kieta hatsukoi a miss. i've never seen ossan's love, and getting a last dance with mix was on my list so i'll probably give it a go but i'm still miffed about it

i got monkeys pawed on the fighting and stunts bc none of it (except the camp acrobatics of my golden blood) seems like my flavour. alas alack

and a campy comedic role for my girl jan in the other drama to hit my spec fic box!! just like UMG, peaceful property on sale (not 100% sure on the title) looks like exactly my bag. i'm indifferent to whether it's actually BL, but thrilled that tay will be there. i can't think of anyone better to play the guy that can see ghosts, given his huge irl superstitious dramatics and easy goosing. this show is going to be so fun, and i think i might have even spotted a similar ghost-makeup style to what they used in something in my room? i'm so looking forward to this one, and it's so rude of them to tease me with it in october of all times, and not give it to me immediately.

overall, hits, misses, dodgy singing. thanks to everyone who played bingo with me, you all have beautiful creative minds and i hope anyone who had a bingNO this time gets a better part 2 <33

[tomoeakatsuki]

Okay hear me out, part 12 (or 2nd edition, part 1).

1st episode of TFATWS.

Because I'm rewatching it.

It's just... a very sad first episode. I mean, all the series have a heavy meaning behind Sam and Bucky's comedy. But the first episode is really heavy.

The first scene is Sam ironing a white shirt, wearing it with a dark jacket, and putting the shield in its case. Is he going to Steve's funeral? Most probably, because after, when he gives the shield to the government, he talks about Steve in past sentences.

Then, he's doing just a mission - actually, I don't understand the utility of that scene. To see how his life is going on after everything? And to introduce Torres? That's an idea. But, I find it a little out of context with the episode.

And after, he gives to shield to the museum - pay attention. He gives the shield to the museum, not to the government. Or better, the shield becomes a property of the government, but not a weapon. It's like an artistic object, that need to be preserved. He talks with Rhodey - that, totally out of contest, I know, but probably there's already a Skrull replacing him - who very gently let Sam know that he would have prefered if Sam had kept the shield and became the new Captain america.

Twenty minutes (more or less) after the start, it's Bucky turn.

It starts with a nightmare/flashback. A little cliché, but works with the story. It's a good excuse to introduce Christine Raynor, Bucky's psychologist - a good character, that I think helped a lot Bucky, and indirectly Sam, the only time they met - and show how Bucky it's coping with everything (bad, but not so bad).

Then there's Bucky as he appears to people: gentle, a little shy, trying to avoid any fight possible. No one could think that he's he was the Winter Soldier.

From that moment on, it's Sam's and Bucky's scenes alternating: Sam returing home to his sister and nephews; Bucky going on a date with the cute girl of the japanese restaurant; Sam and Sarah trying to get the money they should - but no because Sam is one of the many that returned from the Blip; and goes on like that.

Then, out of the blue, there's Torres in Switzerland, and a pretty good caos. with the Flag-smashers.

But the caos isn't even a part of what the government announces: there's a New Captain America.

All of this just to say that: 1. It's a good introduction to actually see how they're doing. Avengers: Endgame happened just six month before, and with all surely it wasn't simple - for anyone. 2. They don't try to make the atmosphere lighter, no. They say the things for how they are: messy, bad and caotic. 3. Bucky and Sam somehow recall the atmosphere of Captain America: The Winter Soldier. They can be shown as lighthearted characters, or as comical, but the truth is that neither of on is like that. It's more a the sarcasm is strong in this ones. That doesn't mean that their life is all ok. And well, if with Bucky is a pretty known things, with Sam usually is forgotten.

[jkl-fff]

Silly Game Time: Most expensive thing you want to own but will never buy (And for what reason)?

I'm going to rule out anything where the answer to the second part would be "Because it's prohibitively expensive." Mostly because I find it entertaining to actually give such asks some thought, and that seems like too facille an answer to be worth considering. Where's the fun in that, right? Limitations breed innovations, after all.

Anywho ... This is turning out to be a diffiicult question for two reasons. Firstly, I'm basically a bodhisattva liberated from the shackles of most material desires. Like, not by some spiritual virtue; there just are very few objects I actually want. A private jet or a yacht? Nope, I just don't care about those (heck, they're basically unethical for environmental reasons). A mansion? Not really, a small house would be more comfortable anyway. Electronic gadgets or objets d'art? Sure, they're cool, I guess, but I surmise I'd forget I even have them 99% of the time (asduming I wouldn't also forget even to buy them).

Secondly, if expense really wasn't an issue, then I probably would buy what few things I actually do want. Trips to see places? Meals at good restaurants? Tickets to media events? Commissions from artists I like? Yeah, I absolutely would buy those, and enjoy the experiences. So the question becomes this paradoxical search for something I want yet would still refuse to purchase (for some reason) given the opportunity.

Especially since there's a difference between aquisition and custody. Like, I would totally buy exotic animals off the black market ... and then hand them off to a zoo or nature preserve or rehabilitation center that reintroduces these animals back into the wild (since they're actually equipped and dedicated to caring for these animals). Or purchase great and culturally influential art pieces ... and then donate them to museum collections (since I believe public heritage should be where the public can appreciate it). Property? Sure, to give to organizations which protect it (for natural areas) or put it to public use (in urban areas, like making parks or low-income housing or whatever seems most needful in the nearby community).

Bah, I'm probably overthinking this, as usual ...

[fabrickind]

Discovering Cosplay Photoshoot Locations Part 4: Location Permissions and Costs

📸Discovering Cosplay Photoshoot Locations Part 4: Location Permissions and Costs 📸 Part 4 of the cosplay shoot location tutorial covers how to get permission for doing shoots in a location and budgeting for any associated costs. Remember, kids: trespassing is bad! YMMV on some of this, depending on your region, so remember that it's always good to ask first if you are unsure or if a website is unclear. You don't want to get yourself in trouble or ruin a location for other cosplayers. Part 5 will cover how to behave when on location, so look out for that.

Before doing a photoshoot, make sure you have permission to do a photoshoot in that location! This process will be different for different location types, and may vary depending on region. Anecdotally, West Coast US, for example, tends to be fairly lax about shoots in public locations, but East Coast US tends to have stricter regulations. This guide is largely USA-centric, since that's where I'm mostly familiar with, so check your own country's rules, regulations, and culture, especially if planning to shoot in a foreign country.

Public Locations

Most of my cosplay photoshoots are in public locations such as parks and public beaches. Many publicly-owned parks allow for non-commercial photoshoots on the property without a permit or payment. Be sure to check the website of the specific park you are looking to shoot at for any special rules they may have and if you need a permit or not. Keep in mind that some places classify a photoshoot with a paid photographer to be a commercial shoot and some only classify photos taken for commercial purposes. The location website would also have the application itself and list any fees you would need to pay, as well as qualifications for different fee tier levels. The vast majority of cosplay shoots would be in the lowest tier if permits and fees are required, as they have few people and little in the way of equipment.

Respect your location and avoid certain types of locations, even if they are technically public. Religious buildings may disallow photography on their property, government buildings (especially during business hours) might find your shoot distracting or disrespectful to government business, and locations like war memorials may be in poor taste. 

​Private Locations

If you rent a location such as a studio, you already have permission to shoot there. The same goes for your own property or where you live, and if you ask a friend or family member to shoot on their property or in their home. If you want to shoot at a private business, such as a bar or restaurant, be sure to ask permission ahead of time, offer to pay for the use of the location, and purchase goods or services (such as food or drinks) from the business as thanks. Ask ahead of time what kind of equipment you can bring, what times would be good (usually off times for the business), and be sure to tag them on social media posts of the photos later to help advertise their business. You may also want to look into having a location release form, which grants you written permission for the shoot and waives liability for the location, which can help give them peace of mind. Being kind and courteous can go a long way.

If you really want an indoor location such as a bar but can't get a local business to agree, try shooting at a hotel that is hosting a con while the con is going on. Be courteous, ask permission, and don't photograph other guests. Often, there are out of the way areas of fancy hotel lobbies that you can take photos in during a con without having to pay for a permit. If you get creative, you can get some stunning shots in these locations!

Sometimes other private businesses or locations will host events that allow you to wear a costume and take photographs. This might be a Halloween party at a local aquarium, a pop-up museum where they encourage people to take photos for social media, or other types of events. Be sure to check the rules for this type of event in advance. Some locations may ban specific costume elements -- full face masks, props, trailing elements, and skin coverage are common restrictions -- and some may ban certain types of equipment, with DSLRs, lighting equipment, and tripods or monopods commonly banned. For example, when I shot at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Halloween member night, I added opaque tights and a skirt to a leotard costume, kept my prop put away, and couldn't use any external lighting or tripods, as it would lighting is dangerous to the fish and other equipment would impede other guests. 

​Budgeting

When making your shoot budget, the location itself isn't the only cost! Factor in travel time and costs, parking costs, any incidentals that may arise such as food or emergency costs, and also plan to budget these things for your photographer. If your photographer is yourself or a photo trade with another cosplayer, these costs will be lower, but if you are hiring a photographer, you will need to pay for their travel as well. Also decide how far you are willing to travel for a particular location. Most of my shoots are local within an hour drive, but if I'm already going to be in an area that has a nice location and also have room in my luggage to pack a suitable cosplay, I will take the opportunity. I've done this in places as far as Rome!

If you are looking to reduce costs, you can split a shoot with other cosplayers. While the costs might be higher when adding more cosplayers, such as paying more for a photographer's time or paying for a longer time at a studio, the additional cost usually won't outstrip the savings when splitting the cost evenly between all the cosplayers. This can be a cosplay group all shooting together, or separate cosplays doing separate shoots at the same location. Make sure the location can accommodate the number of cosplayers attending, and make sure you don't tip over into being a large enough gathering to tip over into needing a permit or a higher tier of permit because it legally becomes an event.

Links to other parts: 1 Location Types, 2 Discovering Locations, 3 Indoor vs Outdoor Locations, 4 Location Permissions, 5 Location Logistics

[museumshift]

Museums in Media: The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (2021)

Hi! Well, it's been a while since I've done one of these. My new job has me super busy and, quite honestly, I haven't felt like "working" when I'm not at work. With that little personal note out of the way, I'm going to try to cover all the things wrong with how the museum industry, policy, ethics, etc., are portrayed in Marvel's The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. I won't discuss Madripoor as my understanding of black-market art deals is very very minimal, lol.

As with most movies, television shows, etc., museum policy and practice always seem flexible in order to support the plot. I will say though that this show gave me the idea to start these breakdowns as I personally felt it had one of the most egregious errors in recent memory. With that out of the way, let's dive in...

Smithsonian Shenanigans, Part I

In the very first episode, we see Sam Wilson donate the shield that Steve Rogers gave him at the end of Avengers: End Game to the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. A massive spectacle is made (not surprised) and it is immediately put on display. Now, the display itself looked weak so this was likely a placeholder until all normal registration could occur (e.g. accession process to include photography, incoming condition report, object specifics, etc.). As with most donations, I'm sure there was some sort of agreement between the donor (Wilson) and the recipient (Smithsonian) as to the use of the shield... likely for education, study, historical preservation, and display. By the end of the episode, however, we see that it is now in the hands of a "new" Captain America (John Walker).

Immediately, bells went off... I went off... at the ethical and policy violations likely occurring here.

Collections Policy

There is so much that a good Collections Policy can do to protect the museum, the donor, the objects, etc., to ensure that any and all donations are ethically and respectfully handled... I'm going to go out on a limb and say the Smithsonian has a pretty good one (even if it's fictional).

The only way that I could see the Smithsonian handing over the shield to the U.S. Government would be a deaccession or loan process. Now, I'm going to guess it's the former (deaccession) because there's no way a loan like that (use of object) would fly.

Deaccession in this case would violate most known collection policies (that I've been involved with) as usually there is a waiting period or caveats to the process. For example, duplicate items where you deaccession (remove from collection) lesser items... this usually means damage or you have a better representation of the item. However, museums will usually keep around three-five good examples if they have the room. Oh, wait... this is CAPTAIN AMERICA'S SHIELD™ so there's only one. This leads me to believe they deaccessioned it under the rule (that most policies have) where ownership of the item is suspect. Which, if this was the route they were taking, they should not have taken the shield in the first place. This is called Warranty of Title.

Warranty of Title

Warranty of Title is a guarantee by the donor (Wilson) that they have the right to transfer ownership and no one else has rights to the property. Warranty of Title is always considered before any donation. If ownership was suspect, the Smithsonian should not have ethically agreed to take the piece.

I believe that Sam Wilson did have correct ownership, not the government, for the following reason... it's not the original shield.

During the final battle in Endgame, Steve's shield is straight BUSTED. This shield was originally created by Howard Stak as a civilian contractor with the U.S. Government during World War II. If Stark's contract with the government meant that they (the government) retained ownership and copyright of his inventions, the shield would be classified as government property. However, with that shield broken, the one gifted to Wilson would not fall under this contract unless design copyright was involved. However, that can also get tricky due to how it was paid for, and/or there was no money to be made from creating a new shield based on old designs. Essentially, Warranty of Title on Sam's part should trump any potential government ownership as the shield's origin is unclear.

Has it ever been answered WHERE this shield came from? It's obvious that Steve had it made or got it from an alternate universe because... who the hell knows? There are so many fan theories out there that I could go on forever, but regardless, the government can't claim ownership of the current, intact shield. Unless something comes out in canon later or Stark's involvement with the government and his civilian contract is clarified. If anything, it could be claimed as a forgery.

Smithsonian Shenanigans, Part II

Earlier in the series, we are introduced to Isaiah Bradley, a black super soldier. Due to racism, among other things (I could go on here), they weren't celebrated or treated with the dignity and fanfare that Steve Rogers was. They were essentially experimented on and buried from history.

In order to right some wrongs about this, the Smithsonian erects a statue of Bradley as well as a narrative about his service and participation in the program. The plaque reads:

"Isaiah Bradley is an American hero whose name went unknown for too long.

Isaiah was one of a dozen African-American soldiers who were recruited against their will and without their consent for participation in human testing in pursuit of the super soldier serum. Most did not survive. The few who lived through testing were sent on secret missions during the Korean War. During the conflict, against all odds, Isaiah Bradley rescued his fellow soldiers and 28 other POWs from behind enemy lines.

However, fearful of the ramifications of a Black super soldier, some individuals within the government tried to erase Isaiah's story from history. His family was issued a falsified death certificate, and for decades the truth of his unflinching bravery was buried."

Well, that was quick.

It would have taken several months, or longer, to contract this life-sized sculpture, sculpt, and then cast this piece – even if they "had a guy" that does this for them. The narrative portion (research, design, and print) wouldn't have taken all that long but my biggest 'WTF' moment was the declassification of records where this became public knowledge. In the series, they act as if no one knows about this and that the program was hidden from the public. I'm sure that would have been a process to declassify, make available, and then allow information requests regarding this time in history... all of this was glossed over for narrative but I'm honestly confused that this scene was supposed to take place within weeks/a couple of months from the main storyline.

*************************

Thanks for checking out my latest breakdown. If you noticed anything else or have your own opinions, drop a comment below.

I am considering what movie/series to do next. There were some museum scenes in WW84 but given the date it was set, I don't know how they did things in the 80s. Probably not up to today's standard but probably not as bad as they show things.

If you have any cool recommendations or scenes you'd like analyzed, send them my way via comments, reblogs, or send an ask.

[punemy-spotted]

Hi Punemy. I just found one of your reboots on an It's a Wonderful Life post. And I was wondering how you're getting by now? I'm in a big corpo job and it doesn't pay enough to buy property too and I hit burnout. So I'm trying to figure out what people do to be happy out of traditionally "successful" roles and still. yknow. survive.

Hi friend. I'm so glad you reached out to me. I've... been having a lot of thoughts about this, so you'll see a rambling answer underneath the cut, because you're basically getting a distillation of my panicked 3am journaling.

In short: I wish I could tell you that I'm doing great or that I figured out the secret, because trust me, if I knew the secret I would share it so fast.

I thought I had my dream job when I landed an immigration lawyer position, except it burnt me out so badly I'm still traumatized from it, nearly two years later. Then I thought I landed my dream job in early 2023, when I got a great corporate counsel position with excellent pay and benefits... only to be forced out thanks to corporate nepotism and an industry I just... didn't fit in with.

I'm in therapy now, to deal with both of those things — both of those things and the burnout, but that's hand in fucked up hand, isn't it?

So you know what, I'm... not doing great.

And I think that's okay.

I'm so sorry to hear that you've burnt out. It's... hard. Incredibly hard. Therapy has helped me, and I think it would help anyone who has access to it — I can't recommend telehealth highly enough. The service I use right now is Sondermind, and it seems to be even more robust than my health insurance's website, for sure.

Beyond that...? Take it slow. If there's one thing I've learned since getting my license to practice law and bouncing from shitty firm to shitty firm, it's that I owe my employers only as much work as they pay me for. Nothing more and nothing less. And if I'm not finding joy in the work that I'm doing — be it the research or the culture — then it's time for me to bounce. I don't expect I'll ever own property, not unless my parents suddenly decide to retire back to India and leave me the house, and... that's okay. It has to be okay. It has to be okay because there are other things I can spend my money on. It has to be okay because the rainy day fund to sustain me while I'm unemployed is more important that the mortgage and the responsibilities I don't think I'm ready for. Maybe I'll be ready one day, or maybe I'll be fine in my tiny flat with my roommate and my collection of fountain pens.

Find joy in the world outside work. If you're paid for a 40-hour workweek, don't do more than that. Don't. Do, however, seek out friends. Go to museums and play silly games. Listen to music. Pick up a hobby. Go to therapy. Redefine what "success" means to you — when are you at your happiest?

I've been incredibly lucky to have a community of friends and family. I hope, truly and sincerely hope, that you also have a community of friends, Anonymous Friend. I hope you can lean on them when you need them. I hope they hold you up on your worst days and celebrate you on your best. Because there is no greater joy than having that community.

As for surviving outside of high-paying corporate jobs, honestly... I'm gonna say the cliché thing, which is that it's time for all of us to redefine survival. If we live in an era where owning property is no longer a part of our futures, then so be it. Tiny apartments it is — that doesn't mean you don't deserve to own your space for however long you live in it. Let every little joy build up on itself. Join a summer reading program and listen to audiobooks on your way to work, or call up your best friend on your way home. Take the time to look for work in fields you enjoy. Will you potentially take a pay cut? Maybe. But surviving on a smaller scale than what our parents had may just be what we have to do — and that's okay too. Maybe we'll make the world a better place for us down the line, but right now, we cling to what we have and survive.

Also, seriously, go to therapy. Can't recommend that enough.

I wish you well, friend. May you find strength and kindness in the many many years to come. And when it comes to burnout or bad days, remember, this too shall pass. And so too shall you, through it all.

[thatndginger]

15 questions 15 mutuals

Thanks for tagging me @vcaudley <3

Are you named after anyone? - yep, my mom stole my great-grandma's middle name for mine

When was the last time you cried? - I cried over this damn centaurworld scene a couple weeks ago and I refuse to be embarrassed about it

Do you have kids? - nope, and I don't plan to

Do you use sarcasm a lot? - not really, unless I'm around people who I know for sure will get that I am being sarcastic. I have problems with tone :/

What sports do you play/have played? - when I was a kid I played soccer, volleyball, basketball, track & field, and golf. Since high school I haven't played any sports

What's the first thing you notice about people? - vibes. Can't explain it, but i have never been wrong about someone's initial vibes

What's your eye colour? - hazel

Scary movies or happy endings? - happy endings

Any special talents? - anyone who has ever worked with me has adopted me as a work-child/younger-sibling

Where were you born? - Colorado, and not the cool part

What are your hobbies? - hiking, reading, playing video games, listening to mu husband's unhinged rants about anything and everything, photography, spoiling my pets, embroidery, sewing, questioning my sanity

Do you have pets? - four dogs and a cat. Their nicknames are Fat Man, Moose, Goose, Butt Boy, and Criminal. Criminal was recently jailed for destruction of property and sexual harassment, but she's out on probation again

How tall are you? - 5'4"

Favourite subject in school? - history, but only when taught by one teacher who'd argue with me

Dream job? - honestly, no idea. I don't want any of my hobbies or things I enjoy to be my job, and I don't have a career that really sticks out to me. Maybe one of those museum employees who just gets to infodump about their specific interests?

I'm going to tag @writeintrees @starssparksandstories @bookhags @literalisha @kayyythewriterinthestars @thetruearchmagos @msantoniaisamess (no pressure!)