#IMAGINE HIM WITH THE ELECTION YEAR AESTHETIC PLEASE I NEED THIS

[stuckinthesun]

PUT DREW STARKEY IN A PURGE MOVIE OMG

I think he’d fucking BODY the role of a purge slasher I mean we know he can play crazy

[hejsandra1]

From Cop to Mother

It's time to imagine what can be, unburdened by what I may or may not have said in 2020.

2024-07-05

I'm not american, but both in 2016 (when I was 14,) and in 2020 I was following the American election pretty intensely. The reasons I think are not that hard to understand. And, like clock work, I'm being drawn in again. I said it's obvious why a european would be invested in the state of the most influential democracy and overall country in the world, but it's not just practical -- it's also just the american entertainment and grandeur that keeps you plugged in to everything. There are no bland american politicians, at least not on national level. Everything is at once super high stakes and silly to the point of insanity. It's also one of the few times when Twitter is incredibly fun. Ususally it's frustrating, over-dramatic, collectivistic, shallow and disorganized, full of the most minute and pointless discource, but during the election year all of these weaknesses becomes strenghts, because american electoral politics are fast-paced, aesthetical, gameified, made up of small moments that may or may not be decisive (most likely not), and small comments or clips that make or break someone's likability. And the minute is allowed to feel important, when two politicians are polling side to side. This tweet I think really summarizes the intensity of american politics the last elections, compared to european elections that are in comparision uneventful and predictable. Not even major events in other elections, like rush elections called by politicians who know they will loose them, come close the rush of finding out via Twitter that caucuses for the democratic candidates are being decides based on coin tosses.

So after the first debate I'm drawn back to twitter like an addict drawn back to a good time, and I'm not disappointed. There's a seemingly unified rallying around vice president Kamala Harris and I find myself immediately on board. Yes yes yes.

She's fun, is the main drawing point, and I don't think that's pointless. Americans want fun. They also want someone who's not on their death bed. Is she goofy? Yes. But maybe that's a good thing. All the vids Republicans are posting trying to defame her (probably sensing she's the new target) just makes me smile. She's fun. She tries hard in a way that's so obvious it loops back to being genuine.

So, okay, most of this is maybe some sort of manic cope, but it feels strangely realistic -- not just a future of escaping catastrophe one election more but genuinely moving on -- to an era of lofty liberalism, xane'd out but progressive politicians and laughter and fun. If you gaze long into an abyss, the abyss will start sounding like Kamala Harris saying you need to look at what can be, unburdened by what has been 5 minutes in a row. After a while it start sounding so genuienly profound. You now, Trumps strenght has always been that he can say whatever and the opposition gets frustrated because his base doesn't care, they just want him to push his politics. I do think the progressive side is accelerating towards that point. I do not care. Please save NATO and the environment and lgbtq-rights and democracy. Please do a little dance while you do it. Americans can choose between old testament fire and brimstone Father or the zoony non-dualism of a chaos Mother, maybe they'll choose mother. Maybe being unburdened by what has been is what I need in my life rn. Maybe it's what we all need. Waking up to hear the catastrophe of that debate genuinenly made me ill at ease from all the way over here. So just having hope for someone even if it's a sort of at-the-end-of-the-world type of hope, it's nice. That almost makes it more intense. Maybe this is the sort of post-all-hope manic Hail Mary that convinced the apostles Jesus rose from the dead, that this was the plan all along. At the end there's a sort of burning hope. And not hoping for anything will kill you for sure.∎

[cullnstm]

            hi  everyone  !  my  name’s  koa  ,  i’m  21+  (  with  a  birthday  coming  in  t - mius  four  days  🥴  )  ,  and  i  absolutely  love  any  form  of  cheesecake  so  please  ,  i’ll  take  it  via  amazon  fresh  for  my  birthday  .  this  intro  for  my  son  has  been  vastly  overdue  ,  and  i  apologize  !  i  finally  feel  much  better  after  slipping  into  a  slight  funk  ,  but  i  finally  up  to  writing  his  intro  (  and  don’t  roast  me  ,  it’s  the  exact  same  one  from  another  rp  but  it’s  fine  )  and  so  here’s  everything  you  need  to  know  about  mister  cullen  !

            [  ALEX  FITZALAN  /  ALETHEIA  /  ANADEIA  /  MUSE  13  ]  /  CHRISTOPHER CULLEN  is a  21  year old  POLITICAL  SCIENCE  major.  HE  is known for being  NONPARTISAN  &  AUTHENTIC  but  MACHIAVELLIAN  &  UNSYMPATHETIC  .  when  i  think  of  them  ,  i  imagine FEMINIST  ENAMEL  PINS  LITTERING  HIS  BACKPACK  , THE  LINGERING  COLD  THAT  FOLLOWS  AFTER  HE’S  GONE  ,  AND  MASTERING  THE  ART  OF  FAUX  INTEREST  IN  A  CONVERSATION  .  and  even  though  they’re  a  proud  HU  student  now  ,  we  all  have  our  roots  .  theirs  run  back  to  them  being  a  NEWCOMER  .  i  asked  around  and  it  turns  out  they  ARE  an  AOP  student  .  in  their  interview  ,  they  managed  to  woo  the  admissions  team  by  SHARING  A  VIDEO  OF  HIS  BEST  ARGUMENTS  FROM  HIS  TIME  ON  HIS  HIGH  SCHOOL’S  DEBATE  TEAM  .

statistics  .

FULL  NAME  :  christopher  patrick  bartholomew  cullen  .

NICKNAME(S)  :  chris  ,  topher  ,  and  toffie  (  by  his  little  sisters  only  )  .

BIRTHDATE  /  AGE  :  september  15th  ,  1998  /  21  .

ZODIAC  :  virgo  .

HOMETOWN  :  darien  ,  connecticut  .

GENDER  :  cis  male  .

NATIONALITY  :  american  .

ETHNICITY  :  white  caucasian  .

HEIGHT  :  5′9″  .

LABEL(S)  :  the  zealous  and  the  connard  .

ROMANTIC  ORIENTATION  :  biromantic  .

SEXUAL  ORIENTATION  :  bisexual  .

OCCUPATION  :  political  science  student  at  hatchet  university  .

LANGUAGES  SPOKEN  :  english  ,  latin  ,  and  conversational  spanish  .

POSITIVES  :  desirous  ,  spellbinding  ,  ingenuous  ,  nonpartisan  ,  and  authentic  .

NEGATIVES  :  worrisome  ,  machiavellian  ,  cocksure  ,  unsympathetic  ,  and  narcissistic  .  

background  .

            patrick  cullen  was  a  wide  eyed  and  bushy  tailed  first  year  law  student  who  knew  he  wanted  to  make  a  change  in  the  world  .  from  the  get  go  ,  he  knew  that  he  wanted  to  be  a  criminal  defense  attorney  as  he  was  not  a  rich  kid  by  far  and  saw  that  there  needed  to  be  a  change  in  the  american  justice  system  .  it  wasn’t  easy  for  him  by  far  ,  and  he  was  the  student  who  needed  to  work  throughout  college  in  order  to  make  ends  meet  ,  but  he  wasn’t  going  to  let  that  deter  him  from  his  goals  .  during  his  first  year  in  law  school  was  when  he  met  a  political  science  graduate  student  named  stephanie  daniels  .

            stephanie  was  made  up  of  unruly  blonde  curls  and  an  australian  accent  ,  but  she’ll  still  debate  you  until  she’s  blue  in  the  face  .  coming  from  a  wealthy  family  ,  stephanie  found  herself  constantly  being  told  one  of  two  things  :  she’d  either  be  the  perfect  housewife  or  the  perfect  mother  .  determined  to  change  that  narrative  ,  stephanie  went  through  college  with  the  best  grades  and  she  was  not  idle  to  being  interrupted  by  the  men  who  attempted  to  speak  over  her  .  stephanie  is  a  woman  who  knew  what  she  wanted  and  she  was  determined  to  get  it  .

           so  ,  when  she  met  patrick  at  a  party  she  told  herself  she  wasn’t  going  to  attend  ,  their  worlds  flipped  on  their  heads  ,  but  in  the  best  way  possible  .  their  first  date  was  filled  with  gentle  laughter  and  it  wasn’t  at  the  fanciest  restaurant  in  town  ,  but  they  enjoyed  themselves  nonetheless  .  despite  their  major  differences  ,  the  couple  managed  to  make  it  work  and  following  two  years  of  dating  and  engagement  ,  patrick  and  stephanie  married  .  despite  patrick  coming  from  a  poor  background  ,  there  was  never  a  reason  for  the  two  to  not  be  together  –  it  was  evident  with  the  way  that  they  looked  at  one  another  from  the  moment  they  met  .

           as  the  years  passed  ,  patrick  found  himself  working  at  a  law  office  while  quickly  rising  in  the  ranks  while  stephanie  ran  for  city  council  .  during  that  same  year  ,  patrick  and  stephanie  welcomed  their  first  child  ,  a  sweet  baby  boy  named  christopher  .  their  son  was  the  apple  of  their  eye  ,  and  they  absolutely  loved  having  him  in  their  lives  .  from  the  get  go  ,  christopher  had  always  been  around  his  parents  and  around  their  political  ties  .  christopher  was  always  found  attaching  himself  to  his  parents’  pant  leg  as  they  worked  to  provide  him  the  life  that  he  had  in  darien  ,  connecticut  .

           more  years  passed  ,  and  their  world  changes  again  as  stephanie  is  elected  as  congresswoman  for  the  state  of  connecticut  .  for  christopher  ,  who  was  ten  at  the  time  he  saw  the  world  change  for  the  first  time  since  his  parents  were  now  in  the  public  eye  and  there  was  suddenly  security  detail  around  their  home  .  christopher  while  growing  up  ,  though  ,  found  that  this  was  exactly  what  he  wanted  out  of  life  ,  as  weird  as  they  may  sound  .  he  liked  what  his  mom  did  ,  and  he  liked  seeing  what  his  father  do  with  ensuring  that  the  justice  system  was  held  accountable  for  their  actions  .

          when  christopher  was  in  middle  school  ,  not  only  did  his  parents  welcome  his  younger  twin  sisters  cassandra  and  courtney  ,  but  this  was  when  he  started  his  development  into  someday  becoming  a  president  .  middle  school  was  when  he  began  joining  student  organizations  and  even  developed  his  love  for  lacrosse  .  during  high  school  ,  christopher  continued  with  lacrosse  as  midfielder  and  was  elected  as  student  body  president  during  his  sophomore  year  .  he  knew  from  the  get  go  that  he  wanted  to  be  someone  who  made  major  differences  ,  so  while  he’s  making  his  way  to  someday  being  mr  .  president ,  for  now  he  was  more  focused  on  ensuring  a  place  at  a  college  .

           now  a  student  at  hatchet  university  ,  christopher  is  studying  political  science  as  he  has  plans  on  attending  law  school  once  he  graduates  .  he’s  president  of  the  student  association  ,  vice  president  of  speak  to  lead  ,  and  a  midfielder  on  the  lacrosse  team  !  when  it  comes  to  the  fact  that  he’s  an  aop  student  (  and  pertaining  to  his  subplot  )  ,  a  lot  of  people  don’t  think  he  got  into  hatchet  based  on  his  own  merit  since  his  parents  are  extremely  influential  and  his  spot  could  have  easily  been  bought  .  christopher  really  makes  no  effort  to  tell  people  the  truth  since  he’s  convinced  that  they  won’t  believe  him  anyways  ,  so  lets  people  have  their  rumors  .

headcanons  .

he’s  on  the  lacrosse  team  and  plays  the  position  of  midfielder  .  he  only  ever  learned  latin  because  it  made  sense  to  his  parents  so  now  he  knows  a  dead  language  that  only  ever  works  when  he’s  reading  difficult  books  or  traveling  !

has  his  driver’s  license  but  he  doesn’t  really  drive  .  he’ll  get  an  uber  if  he  needs  to  go  far  distances  ,  but  he  likes  being  able  to  walk  places  since  his  dorm  isn’t  far  from  different  campus  locations  .  

topher  spends  most  of  his  time  outside  of  his  dorm  ,  and  usually  doesn’t  get  back  until  late  at  night  .  his  days  start  really  early  for  training  and  practice  ,  then  he  has  classes  pretty  much  all  day  and  he  likes  to  study  right  after  .  of  course  ,  he  has  his  student  association  meetings  and  then  he  goes  to  the  gym  so  he  probably  only  gets  a  wink  of  sleep  before  he  starts  all  over  again  .

he  doesn’t  like  leaving  his  apart  without  being  put  together  ,  and  it  mostly  stems  from  being  a  congresswoman’s  son  !  his  style  is  mostly  made  up  of  chinos  ,  long  coats  ,  turtlenecks  ,  chunky  sneakers  ,  and  a  gucci  belt  to  flex  .  

he  can  make  people  worry  about  him  sometimes  ? and  it’s  mostly  because  he  will  literally  go  days  without  answering  phone  calls  or  texts  ,  but  then  he’ll  pop  back  up  like  nothing  ever  happened  .  he  really  does  hate  how  much  he’ll  make  people  worry  about  him  sometimes  ,  but  that’s  the  d*pression  doing  all  the  talking  .

personality  .

since  he  has  really  big  ambitions  for  himself  ,  christopher  can be  really  overbearing  at  times  .  he  hates  when  things  don’t  work  out  for  him  and  he  really  hates  when  people  try  to  overstep  .  he  definitely  is  the  guy  who  takes  over  group  projects  and  assigns  people  a  part  because  he  wants  things  to  work  as  smoothly  as  they  can  .  he  can  be  pretty  charming  as  explained  by  his  aesthetics  :  he’s  mastered  the  art  of  having  a  faux  conversation  with  someone  so  sometimes  he  might  not  be  truly  listening  .  he’s  getting  the  important  parts  and  then  that’s  what  he  works  off  of  .  he’s  not  that  way  with  his  friends  ,  though  .  i  can  promise  you  that  .  he’s  the  most  chaotic  boy  on  the  entire  planet  and  will  definitely  find  a  way  to  ruin  your  life  if  he  wanted  to  .  despite  all  of  that  ,  though  he’s  a  jock  at  heart  !  when  he’s  with his  friends  he  can  be  really  laid  back  and  all  about  enjoying  himself  in  the  now  .  

desired  relations  .

for  specific  plots  ,  i’d  love  for  him  to  have  his  best  friend  !  the  person  who  really  knows  him  the  best  and  can  tell  when  he’s  truly  dealing  with  something  .  topher’s  a  crier  because  toxic  masculinity  is  not  a  thing  ‘round  these  parts  ,  so  get  ready  for  him  to  show  up  being  a  soft  boy  .

i’m  really  feeling  a  one  night  stand  with  some  substance  ? like  yeah  ,  they  have  their  fun  together  but  they  don’t  pretend  to  not  know  each  other  in  public (  unless  they  have  like  a  fierce  rivalry  going  on  or  something  )  so  they  probs  tend  to  be  a  little  like  confidants  at  times  but  it’s  still  them  having  fun   !

give  me  a  plot  where  they  full  on  hate  each  other  .  no  lingering  feelings  ,  no  soft  moments  –  give  me  a  full  bred  spicy  hate  ship  that  literally  gets  your  blood  pumping  .  it’s  all  i  want  in  life  ,  thank  u  .

something  soft ?  something  really  sweet  and  enough  to  make  my  freaking  teeth  rot ?  i  don’t  know  something  literally  anything  just  give  me  the  softness  that  i’ve  been  craving  for  my  boy  .

[shellheadtmark2]

actually, because i’ve gotten a lot of new mcu mutuals lately, and i need to redo my 616 tony stark care manual bc i wanna tweak it and make some aesthetic changes (because i’m just Like That), things you should probably know because i am actually 616/marvel prime/main continuity-based.  i swear i’ll be serious this time.  maybe.

the original flavor tony is not going to be the same tony you’re used to from the mcu - mcu tony is actually more marvel ultimates inspired, which is a whole kettle of fish unto itself and that i have a verse for, but we’ll get to that at a later date.  instead, meet main continuity tony.

+  he started his path to iron man in a very similar way to mcu tony, in that he was injured by his own weapons (depending on where you pull from the sliding timescale, it’s everything from landmines to micromunitions) that damaged his heart and left him slowly dying.  we all know this story, right?  he built the first iron man to escape and the rest is history.

+  the difference is, main continuity was dependent upon the armor’s chestplate for a few years. the arc reactor ain’t really a thing in 616, instead we have the rt node.  similar in function, only tony could use it to do unibeams without the suit.  anyway, when tony came back, he took on iron man as an alternate identity, and told the world iron man was his bodyguard.  no one knew for a few years there that tony stark - handsome, generous, kind-hearted benefactor of the avengers who opened his home to them - and the metal-clad adventurer known as iron man was the same person.  it took a mishap with molecule man and a tiny red silk thong (no, i’m not kidding) for that little secret to come to light.

+  he was in his very early twenties when he became iron man - much younger than his mcu counterpart, and he’s very, very good at being iron man.

+  his relationship to most of the avengers - and heroes in general - is very different.  his best friend in the entire world is steve rogers - he’s had a captain america memorabilia collection since before the avengers pulled steve out of the ice (which is another thing - the avengers thawed steve, and tony has always idolized him - there’s no resentment there - and steve was not a founding member, he came in after the avengers had already formed).  his other best friend is rhodey, who was his employee-turned-military liason for stark unlimted (formerly known by many other names).  his other other best friend is pepper potts - they’ve never actually been romantically involved.  his other other other best friend was happy hogan, who died a few years back during the nightmare of civil war - which was much more us-based and much more horrific in tony’s universe.  he’s carol danvers’ aa sponsor.  he’s good friends with reed richards.  he’s been friends with stephen strange for years.  he and bucky barnes are fairly close and tony’s the one that got rid of bucky’s trigger words.  he and natasha have dated...ish, and are close.  he was never peter parker’s mentor, as his peter is a full grown adult, but peter did intern for him for a while.  and was on an avengers team with him before civil war.  he, steve, and thor are still the big three, but they have a friendship that’s been forged in the fires of really bad mistakes and they’ve come out the other side still close.  he knows the guardians of the galaxy because he was a guardian for a while during his big vacation in space.  he’s dated more avengers and x-men than you can shake a stick at.  and jarvis for him is edwin jarvis, his living, breathing, now semi-retired butler who served the avengers for many years and is part of the avengers family.

+  he was director of shield for a short time after civil war and steve rogers’ assassination.  he hated the job and he hated steve being dead and he hated what he forced himself to do so bad he literally erased that entire year out of his head.  and to get rid of the database full of superhero secret identities stored in his brain but you can’t tell me he didn’t have a more recent backup without it.

+  his first ai was named homer.  jarvis actually was pepper’s ai, for her rescue suit, and was never tony’s.  friday is and has been his main ai for years, and she has a hologram form.  she mostly runs the day to day stuff that doesn’t require tony to physically be there for the company.  which, also, tony is still ceo, he hasn’t handed that over to anyone, and pulls double fulltime duty as both a working stiff and an avenger.  his eyebags are designer.

+  he was secretary of defense for a year - he got himself elected when he found out someone in military research was reverse engineering and stealing things from the iron man.

+  he’s in his early 40s and looks younger:  being an extremis enhancile for a while and then undergoing a full-body reboot does wonders for the skin, apparently.

+  he’s canonically bisexual.

+  is known for using himself as a lab rat for incorporating experimental technology into his biology.  ask me about the suit he carried in his bones!

+  he’s 6′1 with blue eyes.  that’s, uh.  kind of important to know.  he’s tall.  he’s lanky.  and if you’re not a metahuman he might just can kick your ass, because captain america trained him in hand to hand combat (of which he’s very proud of).

+  the ten rings are literally ten alien rings used by his main archvillain, the mandarin.  they hurt.  a lot.  and he hates when he gets an up close and personal view of them smashing into his face.

+  he’s not as quippy as his mcu counterpart, and instead is more prone to bad puns and rambling awkwardly.  canonically he has depression, anxiety, and ptsd, and struggles with them regularly.  he’s also a recovering alcoholic.

+  take mcu tony’s tech.  then put it on steroids.  then make it the craziest scifi thing you can imagine.  and you’ve got the barest hint of what this tony’s tech is like.  seriously.  ask me about the suit he literally carried inside of himself.  or the time he could control machines with his brain.  616 is wild.

+  he’s been homeless.  and i don’t mean rich people homeless. i mean living on the street, nearly froze to death riding out a blizzard in a doorway and almost lost fingers and toes to frostbite homeless.  tony’s a Rich Boy but one who’s had a taste of how the other half lives on more than one occasion.  he’s also worked a regular nine to five like everyone else and lived in what was...honestly...a really shitty apartment.

+  he’s adopted, and he has a(n adopted) brother named arno.  his bio mom’s a former rockstar, and his bio dad a hydra double agent.  you literally can’t make this shit up.

+  he’s incredibly self destructive and self sacrificing.  if things look hopeless he’ll be the first to offer himself for the pyre.  because he has absolutely horrid self esteem.

+  he’s a liar.  he’s sneaky.  he tends to make decisions for other people without consulting their feelings on the matter - partly because of a tony knows best attitude, but also because there are people in the world he’d do anything, and i mean anything, to keep safe, even if they hate him in the end.  it’s kind of awe inspiring and terrifying if you manage to inspire that level of devotion in tony, because really.  anything.

+  he has a playboy reputation, but he’s anything but.  you either get casual sex out of him?  or you’re married now, sorry, that’s just how it is.  he settles and nests with a vengeance.  he’s one of those people that would love to be happy and safe and loved and married and all that happy shit but doesn’t feel like he’s worthy of it.  his issues with this have issues, to be honest.

+  if you call him in the middle of the night and need an evac and you’re on his People list he will come.  twice in two days.  dropping everything to go to the middle of indiana to do it.  if you are sad and text him about it he will bring you food.  if you don’t answer his texts he will find you and check in on you.  if you feel out of place and adrift he will try to buy your baseball team and move them back to brooklyn to make you happy.  if you die and he can’t cope with your death he will buy your first avengers indenticard for 2mil at an auction because he can’t stand the thought of anyone else having it.  if you’re really special he’ll call you “beloved” and “captain handsome”.  sometimes sweetheart.  please note these things are all canon.

+  he dies a lot.  it’s okay, he gets better.

+  his irrational fears are the dark and cockroaches.  his actual fears are waking up drunk and the suit becoming a coffin.

anyway this is a Lot.  and it’s not even really scratching the surface so.  i’m gonna just drop this on the dash as is.  and you know it helps for me to make dumb lists like this from time to time to refresh things.  anyway, i know it’s a lot!  i know it’s different!  but my (broken) ims and disco (shellhead#8434) are always open for questions and plotting.  and my inbox, too, ig.  so you know.  remember we’ve got a canon multiverse.  it’s real easy for me to drop him in the mcu to make your day annoying.

[ruslanalekseev]

Was Hiruzen a Good Hokage?

No. As many people have already pointed out, Hiruzen was very indecisive, and he always did what his advisors told him to. Which wouldnt be that bad, if not the fact that almost every single one of their decisions were suggested to them by Danzo.

Hiruzen might have had good intentions, but good intentions wont do you much good, if:You orchestrate the massacre of one of the founding clans in your village. You dont react to bullying towards the villages probably most valuable shinobi.You cant even bring yourself to killing one of the greatest criminals from your village

· Suggested Reading

What if a gay person was elected as the POTUS?

We have already had a gay President. James Buchanan Jr. was the 15th President (18571861) He was a member of the Democratic Party.

The only president to remain a bachelor, Buchanan's personal life has attracted great historical interest. Buchanan had a close and intimate relationship with William Rufus King, an Alabama politician. Buchanan and King lived together in a Washington boardinghouse for many years, from 1834 until King's departure for France in 1844.

King referred to the relationship as a "communion", and the two attended social functions together. Contemporaries also noted the closeness. Andrew Jackson called King "Miss Nancy" and prominent Democrat Aaron V.

Brown referred to King as Buchanan's "better half", "wife" and "Aunt Fancy"

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How did Canada manage to control COVID 19 so well despite its shared border with the US?

When doctors and scientists here in Canada told us that the COVID-19 virus would not only kill some people, but others who contracted the disease might suffer permanent damage to organs and body systems, we listened and became afraid. Then, when it was shown some young children also suffered devastating organ failures, we knew we must all do what we can to protect ourselves and others.

We didnt each need to personally know someone who has been so affected, we just imagined how our own actions could cause this result. For some reason, Americans do not seem to feel that same empathy for their fellow citizens. Tragic and sad

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What is the significance of WhatsApp for Facebook?

Why did Facebook acquire WhatsApp at such a hefty price of $19 billion?

Let us think about it. Say you are talking to your girlfriemd and you decide to go for a movie coming weekend.

It is not a big information for you. But for facebook it is a priceless piece of information. Since it they know now that you ar going to the movie they will project all the ads that is pertaining to movie going.

. Hence facebook achieves a greater accuracy of targeted ads. And hence 19Billion dollars.

Also facebook knows everything about you except your messages to your intimate people. Now that they bought whatsapp they literally know everything about you to sell you out when the time comes.

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Will Joe Biden be worse than Trump?

Worse at what? I guess it depends on what you value and what you place importance on. If youre a Republican partisan it doesnt matter what Biden does itll be worse than Trump.

If youre a Democrat partisan it doesnt matter what Biden does because itll be better than Trump. If youre an independent youll recognize that all Presidents have pluses and minuses. Theyll do things at annoy you and things youll applaud.

I didnt vote for Trump in 16 and hes done things I despise and things I applaud. I didnt vote for Obama either time and he did thinks I liked and things I hated

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Do many Chinese people hate Fujianese people?

I don't know where did you get this view.

In college, I had a roommate coming from Fujian who is an authentic, courteous, helpful person with lots of computer's knowledge. Every time our computers occur in problems, our first thought is to seek for his help not to go maintenance store straightly because of its expensive charge. There are a few Fujianese.

as far as I'm concerned, They all good person through conversation and cooperation. But, I can't say Fujianese all good people since I had met all good Fujianese. In working with people, The significant thing We need to do is giving our sincere heart to them.

Similarly, you will be rewarded for your sowing.

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How old should a kid be before seeing Deadpool?

FWIW, the airline cut is devoid of *all* sexual content (to the point of blurring out the slight glimpse of butt-crack visible in the opening credits, as well as losing the Stan Lee cameo), but I dont believe they removed *any* of the violence or swearing.

What a country!As for child-appropriateness, it depends on the child. I was OK with my kid seeing the airline cut because he never swears and he doesnt like gory violence (it wasnt too gruesome on my 5 phone screen).

Other kids his age may not be able to handle this material. Heck, I know adults who wouldnt do so well with this material

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How can we stop people from throwing garbage in the empty plots?

Please know that if people throw biodegradable garbage only in an empty plot after removing all plastics and dry wastes, you are actually replenishing the ground.

This will improve vegetation of the plot.The second approach is to promote home composting and community composting. This can happen only if there is source segregation.

Third approach is to penalize through a law.Instal leaves composter in the entrance of the plot and encourage people to deposit the dried leaves into it. Many aesthetically good looking composters are available.

The process is very simple and no stink involved.Be creative and you will have many more options. Cheers.

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Could we derive energy from gravity in space?

You mean free flowing gravity? Yes.

Look at a grandfather clock and see the weights it has to keep it going. Except for dams most of the ways are small but all together make up huge amounts. You could use the same clock system method with a much larger counter weight and just by hand moving it back up daily to the top would generate constant power.

In other words you could produce huge amounts of potential power by a little daily hand labor.Now you got me wondering if there is a natural limit it this because it is not being done or that people are just lazy in not doing this

------

How will the GOP change if Trump loses to Biden?

I dont think they will change at all, at least in the short term.

Trumps presidency has done one useful thing - exposed the corrupt innards of the Democratic party, and the Republicans, with or without Trump, are going to want to follow through on things, especially when the Durham report comes out. Trump has also shown how to do things economically, such that even Biden wants to plagiarize him. Theres been absolutely nothing wrong with his policies.

They were working great prior to the pandemic and theres no reason to think they wont work again when things finally get back to normal

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Who is the best teacher for sociology for the UPSC optional preparation in Delhi?

Hello there .I am a Civil engineer , who did not have any prior knowledge about sociology .

I was an expressive person and with the suggestions of friends , I chose sociology as my optional .I went to Pranay Aggarwal Sir and that was the best decision I made . Reasons :-He took classes in small batches with led me to focus more on the subject .

He is very interactive which makes sociology come out very naturally from oneself .He is very helpful and extremely accepting of different ideas which gave me confidence and started loving the subject . His notes are all encompassing and I can vouch for it

------

Why was Paul Manafort sent to prison?

This just reported by NY Times:Banker Accused of Arranging $16 Million in Loans to Manafort to Gain High-Level Trump PostA banker in Chicago has been changed with trying to buy an appointment as Treasury Secretary. He arranged $16 million in loans to Paul Mafort. I dont know if the prosecutors knew about that alleged crime when Manafort was sent to prison.

This news certainly speaks to what kind of person Manafort is. It continues to astound me how corrupt Trump is that he picks people like Manafort. How can Trump voters have been so clueless to have voted for this narcissistic(oops, I better restrain myself).

------

Why was the Roman Empire so successful?

the roman empire was successful in its government form.it probably had the most advanced government in ancient times, a republic which represent each of the classes in society.

Outsiders or barbarians could also aspire to gain citizenship if they work hard enough, slaves could gain or buy their freedom. This makes roman empire have a equal opportunity system similar to the american dream.But things slowly deteriorated once ceasar become dictator for life, or sulla and marius trying to monopolize power through using the military triumphs.

It lead to rise of emperors and rulers not acccountable to the public, and right to rule slowly degenerate into hereditary succession or military coup.

------

Did the music of led Zeppelin change your life?

Yes!

As does every song does, some more than others. The Rain Song played while I was enjoying the company of a young lady I met on Manhattan Beach as I was coming out the ocean, exhausted from surfing for 5 hours. I collapsed on my board and was laying there taking in the scene when this beautiful blonde girl with curly hair, piercing blue eyes, and a body of a Black girl, blocked the sun, looked down and said are you ok?

. That was the beginning of summer of 91 and we had fun. Especially the night we spent in a motel on the beach, listening to led Zeppelin

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Who is the most under appreciated American president?

Adams greatest war president in our nations history.When almost everyone in the young country wanted war with France egged on by that snake Jefferson. Adams held back, he understood war was not necessary would be destructive and would cripple the country for decades, he also well understood his stand would likely cost him his reelection but he stood firm.

The country did not go to war but he did loose his office. Such a shame the country remembers the man who did his most noble service as a citizen under an English king and not the man who formed the nation after the Revolutionary War

------

Why did you leave Hinduism for Islam?

People group or regroup into religion for rudimentary security reasons, not due to any love for a religion.

Any person who understands the first alphabet of any religion will know the purpose of religion is to help and serve the society he or she lives selflessly, particularly those who donu2019t follow his/her beliefs and faith has to be served, loved and cared.If someone thinks that his/her religious group is better than the other, it discredit the fundamental first alphabet of the religion. Islam, Hinduism or any religion in the world, if it is practiced by grouping and subgrouping its practioners, it is deplorably divisive for the society and in general human welfare

------

In WW2 during the Battle of France, why did it take so long for France to surrender?

Why didn't France surrender earlier?

France waited so that the English could be evacuated from Dunkirk. They held the German back while the small boats could get in and get the boys home.

Then they had a resistance to organise not easy when you have a whole lot of tanks running over your toes. Finally, the Italians decided to pop in for a late entry in the game of conquest so they had them to send packing. Then they surrendered.

That is to say the French Government surrendered, the French people on the other hand fought on.If you have ever seen Monty Python and the Holy Grail, you see just how ferocious the French can be in their taunting of opponents.

[nemrut]

Untitled W.I.T.C.H. story

As I watched Cornelia, Irma and Matt step out of the portal, I frowned.

“Where are the others?” I asked, as I moved to hug Cornelia.

“Hay Lin had to help out at the Silver Dragon, Taranee was dragged along by her brother for something and Will’s mom kinda drafted her to assist with something work related. Honestly not sure, Will was yelling about needing rescue from evil paperwork and running but I’m not breaking into her mom’s workplace again. Red is on her own.”

“I love your teamwork,” I said, “Always so encouraging to see the Guardians of the Veil stepping up and show why it was them that were chosen to safeguard Infinity.”

Matt, the abandoned girls boyfriend rolled his eyes as Cornelia shoved me with a snort. “Shut up, you ditched us more than once for a sale.”

“And am I a guardian, Cornelia? Do you see me wearing these ridiculous tights?”

Irma clutched her chest as if her heart had been shot, a look of betrayal on her face. “How dare you! Ridiculous tights? It’s the finest fashion and armor Kandrakar has to offer.”

Cornelia was equally outraged. “We deposed the last ruler of this planet and we’ll do it again,” Cornelia threatened with a smile and I laughed.

“So, what’s the plan?” asked Irma and leaned over the balcony to see a lot of construction going on. “What’re you building over there?”

I took a deep breath, knowing that this might not go over all that well.

“Phobos’ weird Star Gate thing, on a really small scale.”

Cornelia, Matt and Irma spun around looking at me, eyes wide and mouths open.

“I’m sorry, I think the last fold did something to my hearing. I could have sworn you said something like building a fold portal to earth.” Matt’s voice got a bit shrill which couldn’t have been good for his singing.

“Yeah, that’s the plan.”

“WHY!?”

“Look, guys, it’s very simple. Yes, I may be the Queen of an entire planet and have magical powers akin to a literal goddess, but that doesn’t mean I don’t miss electricity or the internet. Or good plumbing. Or refrigerators. Or modern medicine. Or tampons, well, magic kinda makes that way more convenient actually, but for all the others who aren’t me, tampons would be neat. Which is most people here, basically everyone else. You know, modern technology and science. All the good stuff. I want it here. For me and for them. I’m a giver.”

“Why do you sound like a villain when you say it like that?” Irma asked raising an eyebrow which I ignored.

“I’m not going to steal anything or kidnap anyone. I am going to take gold and jewels from our treasury here, change them to earth currency and get a lot of books. Thankfully our languages are similar enough and the most difficult thing is coming up with stuff anyway. With that already handled, all we have to do is to learn how it is done and try to apply it here, without the mistakes that you people did, of course. Earth people are bad at this, you know. Would be cool to have everything without wrecking the planet and nature. Here I am hoping magic will do the trick.”

“You people?” Cornelia looked baffled and incredulous.

“That sounds great and all, but you really just want the internet back, right?”  asked Irma at the same time.

“Oh yes, so much. Movies, make-up, fashion, movies, games, music,  electricity in general. I need it back, guys!”

“You said movies twice. Also, I’m not learning how to build steam engines,” Cornelia said, crossing her arms. “As if I didn’t have anything better to do than uplift this backwater hellhole. No offence,” she hastily added.

“Yes offence but that’s not why I asked you morons here. If I wanted technical expertise, or any kind of expertise for that matter, I would have bribed Taranee here. No, you lemmings are going to, for now, work as my gophers. Take a few of my subjects and give them an earth crash-course until they know enough to make transactions.”

Matt took out his smartphone, pushed a few buttons and read something for a few seconds before he spoke. “I just checked my schedule and it seems I’m too busy for that Elyon. Looks like I’ve to do anything else but that. Sorry for that, would love to help but I really don’t want to. Solid talk we had and good luck.”

“What he said,” Irma pointed at Matt and Cornelia nodded.

“Hard pass, gorgeous.”

Well, it’s not like I expected them to be helpful, especially after they told me they had ditched Will the way Caleb had his mother in the necklace.

“Way to be helpful, guys. Here you are, lounging in the lap of luxury and privilege that is western civilization and refuse to do give even a little bit of time to help those in need. For shame.”

“Said the wealthy, magically powerful very much not elected monarch.” Irma wasn’t impressed but then again, she had always been a sharp one.

“Yeah, didn’t think you’d buy that line either.”

“Honestly, in all seriousness, that’s your long term goal? Get a few books and build stuff that is way above the technological level of this world? Never watched all that much Star Trek but seems to remember that it was a bad idea there.”

“Well, I’m going to be cheating a lot. With magic. Like, the portal thing is there so that the fold will be permanently open to allow for cables in-between worlds. So it will be less inventing the meridian internet but rather accessing the internet and electrical networks of earth.”

“That’s possible?”

“Well, I could plug in the charger of my phone with a fold between my bedroom here and on earth. And as long as the fold is open, I even get a weak wifi signal.”

“Aren’t you stealing internet?”

“Oh, is miss mind control trying to argue morals with me?”

“Objection retracted.”

“But no, I would have paid for the Brown house. Of course, if I want to set up things, would have to pay for other stuff but I would first need to research what I would need exactly. And how to make it so that no one wonders where it all goes to.”

“Imagine the whole different worlds thing gets blown because Aldarn was shitposting on Twitter.” Irma seemed amused at that and crackled after a few seconds thinking about that.

“So, you’re going to have your people toil away in order to give yourself access to youtube and facebook. What was the difference between monarchy and dictatorship again?” Matt asked.

“The difference is fuck you,” I replied, shooting him a cross glare. “And having electricity and warm water and modern sanitation and all that is going to help everyone as well.”

“Easy there, your majesty,” Irma was barely holding back her laughter. “You really have gotten quite demanding and bossy over the last few months.”

“What? No, I’ve not.”

“Elyon, sweetie, you have. It’s not bad or anything, but you did get a bit more-“

“Like Cornelia,” Irma helped her finish her sentence for which she was rewarded with a cute snarl.

I, on the other hand, was aghast. “I haven’t gotten that bad, did I?” my hands went to my cheeks.

“Oh, screw you two bitches! You wish you were half as awesome as me.”

“Who are you going to send to earth to learn earth customs?”

“Well, Caleb seems like a good choice. He already has a solid grasp on a lot of things and it’s not like he isn’t there enough. Might as well do something useful when he is there. You know, pleasing Cornelia should take only a few minutes, lots of free time afterwards.” Cornelia flipped me off, the rude tramp. “My parents are probably going to be the main people taking the helm on that one. They’ve lived there for years, they know it very well, they are already established and our house serves as a nice basis. And they’re adults, so, yeah, that tends to make things easier than having a seventeen year old try to do this shit.”

“What was this crap about us having to take care of newcomers then? Seems like we’re not needed at all.” Irma sounded confused.

“Well, it would be helpful. But truth to be told, I’d like your more…esoteric help. Mainly Will and Irma, really, so it’s too bad she isn’t here.”

“Wait, wait, wait. You wanted us to abuse our powers to grant you unlimited access to technological facilities and applications? Brainwash people and infiltrate computer systems? That’s what you wanted us for?”

“You make it sound worse than it is.”

“Oh, I’m sorry, Elyon, you must have confused us for the Guardians of Corporate Espionage when we’re, in fact, very much not that!”

“You’re so dramatic,” I complained to Cornelia. “I know Irma uses her powers to let herself off easy with tests and oral examinations. How is that any better than me wanting you guys to fudge the numbers in order to help tens of thousands of people.”

“Oh yeah, you’re really desperate to give Aldarn and the rest of the Rebellion access to porn and catvideos.”

Matt, Cornelia and I laughed at that and Irma flashed us a confident grin.

“Oh boy, I would pay to see that, to be honest,” Matt said, not even trying to reign in his grin.

“Not going to lie, porn would be a huge success here,” I admitted, “think it definitely has potential as a business endeavor but we don’t want to go too fast. Folks are in some ways a bit more conservative. It’s a medieval setting, after all.”

“You know,” Irma started, “I always wondered how close they are to our world.”

“Well, racism isn’t really a thing between humans, seeing they are living together with countless other races and this world has been aware of Kandrakar and other worlds for quite a while. That said, it still very much exists with regards to shapeshifters and other life forms. Lurdens as well. And whatever Tracker was.”

“How come they still haven’t technologically progressed if Kandrakar has been connecting them to so many different worlds?” Cornelia wondered.

“Phobos didn’t make things easier on that regard but before that, no idea. Maybe they like the aesthetic?”

“Well, Kandrakar isn’t exactly high tech either,” Matt said, scratching his chin. “I mean, it’s pretty much monks in robes and aether and whatnot.”

“But mostly because they have magic, right? No need for an electric heater if you can just magic the right temperature and stuff. Light, communication, heat, whatever, everything can be done by magic. Why bother with technology?” I said. “Which is different to here, because not every citizen is a wizard or sorcerer. And no magic in the world can replace YouTube, so, yeah. I want this done.”

Really, it was like herding cats with them. Every time I had them to a teensy thing, they started complaining and bickering.

[jomatto]

Daily Reflections: 1/29

First Thing in the Morning?

It feels good to wake up and not have to worry about doing a damn thing. I should’ve taken a break sooner. It’s no good being a workaholic if I don’t enjoy the fruits of my hard labor every once in a while. The only reason I stuck to such a rigid schedule was to acclimate myself to the grind. Now that I’ve got my legs back, it’s time to take full advantage of my flexibility.

Play Anything?

I played some BF1 last night and I was killing it. My last match I went 52-6. I was pulling off some crazy stuff like headshots from across the map on pure reflex. When you’re on fire, you can’t miss. That’s what I live for, baby. I hope tomorrow’s patch won’t mess with my game.

What does DeepFakes Mean for the Future?

A lot of people are frightened of a world where anything can be faked. The technology to manipulate video footage and synthesize voices will soon be accessible to the masses. It may only be a matter of time when everything you see or hear is completely made up. If you think FAKE NEWS wasn’t bad enough now can you imagine a world where anything can be staged? Scandals and sex tapes for everyone.

I dread to think what Russia can do with this tech – or even the US for that matter. Get ready for next-gen election interference everywhere all over the world. When you think of how dumb the average citizen is it’s easy to see how much influence this kind of technology can afford the average troll. Hell, even the smartest of us may have trouble when the tech has advanced far enough to create results near indistinguishable from reality.

Should you be worried about this kind of future? I don’t know about you but I’m not worried. As far as I’m concerned, “reality” has never been real. It’s merely something that we as a society have agreed upon. Our perceptions may share basic characteristics but when you get down to the nitty gritty, everybody’s version of “real” can dramatically vary from person to person. Just talk to a schizophrenic and you’ll see what I mean.

If you need any evidence outside of mental afflictions, just look at this country’s political divide. Anybody who supports the Republican party and everything it stands for clearly does not share my reality so what does throwing a few fake videos into the mix going to do that hasn’t already been done? We rewrite history all the damn time to suit our own narratives and until we cease to exist reality will forever remain fluid, expansive, and localized.

If there’s anything humans are good at it’s adapting. I remember learning about the first time someone staged a photograph in history and it was quite shocking at the time because when cameras were first invented people thought that they had finally devised a method to capture absolute truth. This ain’t the first time society’s been fooled and it won’t be the last, because as long as people are steering the ship reality will never be truly absolute.

Watch Anything?

On Sunday, I watched Darkest Hour but not before seeing the trailer for Lean on Pete for the sixth time. I’m getting tired of this kid and his horse. But the worst part of it? I think I may actually go and see it anyways. That’s marketing for you. My first impression was that it’s an overly dramatized coming of age story that leans on an animal to draw out cheap sympathy but I can’t deny that it has credentials. Writer-Director Andrew Haigh made his mark with 45 Years which I heard good things about. Since I have MoviePass, I might as well catch it.

Another trailer that I’ve been seeing a lot is Isle of Dogs. I wasn’t too keen on it at first but I’m starting to really dig it. It’s Wes Anderson and the last two movies I saw from him (Fantastic Mr. Fox and Grand Budapest Hotel) were great and he hasn’t let me down yet. My only worry is how it treats Japanese culture (I’m an expert) and if they don’t get it right, it will certainly affect my enjoyment.

Gary Oldman has Best Actor on lock. It’s hard to think this is the same guy who played Commissioner Gordon. What really sold me on the performance were the prosthetics. At first glance, I tried to find Oldman under the makeup but after a while he seamlessly blends into this character called Winston Churchill.

That’s why I’m rooting for Kazuhiro Tsuji to win it at the Oscars for Best Makeup & Hair. Born in Kyoto and raised by an alcoholic father and abusive mother, I think this guy deserves the award not just because of his difficulties in life, but because he is talented as all hell and his work is incredibel. I read that Oldman’s acceptance of the role was contingent on Tsuji being the makeup artist. Tsuji didn’t have a good time in Hollywood. Actor egos and being on set really wore him down mentally so he escaped the industry. It really says something about the project when director Joe Wright decided to take this man out of retirement.

As for the rest of the cast, they did a great job. It’s a movie carried by its performances. I really liked Ben Mendelsohn and Stephen Dillane in the supporting cast but my favorite character after Churchill is Layton, played by Lily James. She’s been charming in everything I’ve seen her in and at a base level I just find her visage aesthetically pleasing. She plays a fine supporting role both in the film and to Mr. Churchill.

However, if it were up to me, I would not give this movie Best Picture. It’s a great film to be sure but it never manages to capture the wide gamut of emotions that a Best Picture should. It deserves to be nominated but not to win – just my opinion.

How’s planning for Maui?

I’m on the hook for $2400. That’s how much I’ve got committed -- airfare, hotel, and car rentals have all been taken care of. The only thing I need to worry about now is food, drinks, and activities. I thought I would have to do more research but things are so expensive across the board that it almost doesn’t even matter.

But I was mindful enough to leave myself an escape clause. I want 2018 to be the year of due diligence. Whether because of laziness or fear, I tend to shy away from the mere act of asking a question. I won’t turn away from now on because if there’s chance to do something amazing, I gotta at least give it a token effort, no?

Are You Hyped About Black Panther?

Social media impressions are coming out of the red carpet premiere and they are glowing. I saw Creed, I know what Ryan Coogler can do and to say that I am hyped would be the understatement of the century. Long live the king!

[california-doom-merchants]

The Apprentice: S1E2

I wrote the first one of these mid-January in between the election and the inauguration and:

I enjoyed writing it to hell

It's my favourite thing I've written in ages

I'm ill so I've got a big ball of spite that needs directing at SOMETHING

Fuck everything this man stands for

So that in mind let's begin. The US Apprentice, Season 1 Episode 2, aka “Sex, Lies and Altitude”, aka “Fucking Kill Me Dead”

First episode didn't have this theme song which opens with the refrain “Money money money, got to have it”

It's nice to be back, as in “the last time I watched this the star of this show didn't have a big red apocalypse button those sure were the days”

It opens on the two guys who didn't get fired walking back into the group

“David is...departed” motherfucker he lost in a reality show he didn't DIE

Alright so for all the opulence around them these guys are sharing rooms which are smaller than dorm rooms, like why the fuck are those even in Trump Tower

Maybe it's to make the co-eds feel more at homeroigoeinrgre

“The reality is that every board meeting will mean someone goes home” that's the basic premise of the show yeah

The women's group are gonna vote on who they want to be project leader

There's a whole bunch of drama between two of the women and like it's a competition aimed at businesspeople, of course they all want to lead this is Not Exactly Surprising

Trump is meeting the tiny apprentice idiots at an advertising agency

“This is Round 2 in a 13 round fight” too many rounds. too many.

Men's group are like “alright it's an advertising task, you worked in advertising, boom you're the leader”

seeing as yesterday you went to THE MOTHERFUCKING NY STOCK EXCHANGE *AIRHORNS* to get told “fuck you, sell lemonade” maybe not the best plan

but what do I know I don't have a BA in Money

One of the women is wearing a multicoloured bandanna at this business meeting and damn if that ain't Early 2000s Aesthetic right there

They meet up with the president of the advertising agency who's like early 50s and ripped and also in a tshirt and jeans for some reason??

He and Trump are very touchy-feely

He shows off his shitty open-plan office like it's the Taj Mahal and a security guard scoots right by them on a fucking scooter

“Advertising is an amazing thing, it's a powerful powerful tool, weapon”

Just drops “weapon” in there as if that's not actually quite disturbing

“this time you're gonna be working on CORPORATE. JETS” and they grin like 9 year olds

they gotta design an advertising campaign which sounds super tedious but again my name ain't Jonny Business what do I know

“the winning team is gonna be flown from New York to Boston by PRIVATE JET. For dinner”

oh boy I hope the jet is covered in gold

also I really hope they have to make their own travel arrangements home. fuck you peasants, third task is hitchhiking you motherfuckers

the advertising guy is like “cool you gotta make a 30 second advert and also a magazine ad”

he also gives them some friendly advice like “swing for the fences. and failure is not an option”.

Another way of putting that is “Take risks, and also make sure nothing goes wrong” which is ??????? you can't have risks without the chance of failure you chiseled fuck

oh wow so I didn't mention last time that each episode has like a business monologue?? from the big white supremacist himself

this one's titled “Don't Negotiate With Underlings”

alright so the “monologue” is like three sentences and two of them are “Deal with the boss”

like leaving aside a) DUH, b) could have titled that like “Talk To The One In Charge” or “Go Straight To The Top”

“Don't Negotiate With Underlings” makes you sound simultaneously like a total shithead but also a total shithead who's dealing with a hostage crisis

An advert popped up for Geena Davis on Will and Grace and props to whoever recorded this for not just switching channels

I don't even watch W&G but give me anyone who was in Thelma & Louise over this garbo

So the women immediately call up the company they're advertising for

“Hi we're working on your ad campaign” yeah in the same way that Maggie Simpson is driving Marge's car

“okay so we have an appointment today with the CEO and senior vice president of marketing” wow lucky they both happened to be free!!!

They are playing up the “this woman is ambitious and mean” angle to the fucking hilt

the leader literally picks one other woman to go to this meeting and fucks off without giving any other instructions

the next shot is them running out of the building and into a road like zoo escapees

the guy leader is like “we don't need to meet with the people who we're designing an ad campaign for, what do they have to offer??”

the women literally have to run to get to the meeting with the CEO

“one of the reasons you've been put on the Marquis Jet case is to wow us” well it was because you'd get to star on primetime CBS

meanwhile all the other women are looking at the jet they're (tangentially) gonna advertise

“my design idea is something that's very...risky” alright lay it on me

“I want to show a phallic symbol” HOLY SHITTTTTTTTT

but no seriously please don't, this show already has all the dicks I can handle

“I want to show a phallic symbol because it's a plane”

“I want to show a phallic symbol because it's a plane and if you buy the card you're gonna go UP. You're gonna go WAY UP”

Then there's a long lingering shot of the front of the plane

Smooth jazz starts playing

Ron Jeremy is there

“it's gonna be so bad they're gonna LOVE IT”

like credit's where it due, it takes a certain sort of courage to get a task like this and go “what if I make it DELIBERATELY shit?”

they're showing the woman they've established as Angry and Uncooperative talking about what a bad idea this is but I'm 100% on her side

and not just out of fuck-the-editors spite, this is so clearly dumb

Speaking of the editors, they've edited this one scene with the guys so badly it looks like one guy phoned another just to tell him who Warren Buffett is

“our project leader isn't motivating us, he needs to be our cheerleader” ummm

“Mr. Trump's been our cheerleader, Donnie's been our cheerleader” this is rapidly approaching Stockholm Syndrome, the only interaction he's had with you is to tell you that you're bad but not quite as bad as someone else

maybe he just knew some really nasty cheerleaders

There's a montage of these guys directing a TV ad being filmed and it could not be more obvious that they're clueless

It just cut to one guy who said “Victory. Victory for the men” and then it cut to someone else

Or maybe I hallucinated it

Nope it's still there

Fuck

Okay holy shit the women's ad just got referred to very casually as “Tammy's Testicle Ad”

There's two photos where they've shot the plane to look like a dick and like balls

That's like something eight year olds would do if given a budget

One of the guys working back at the office has literally laid down on the conference room floor to sleep

Honestly I don't even have the heart to make fun, I'm here for the obnoxious business people and the fascist in charge, not the guy who's clearly not in the right place emotionally to be on a TV show

The women are getting into full flight attendant outfits to make their pitch because “it's the full experience that sells it”, in which case where are your dongs

they're also doing a direct mail side of the campaign and the guy they're selling to is like “but people just toss direct mail”

She assured him it's “damn good”

I'm just enjoying the moment before he realizes their definition of “damn good” is largely genitalia-themed

These posters are the worst thing I've ever seen

also who the fuck direct mails a fucking private jet renting service? know your audience like what the ass

“alright guys you've set the women's movement back about 70 years”

damn dude imagine being told “hey design an advert for a plane!” and then two days later being told “you are traitors to your gender”

The guys are getting ready to present

“I am the Zen Master of presentation” yes but how capable are you of talking about DONGS

oh my god the men have made a Powerpoint and it actually has the “pie charts woosh onto screen” effects

they don't mention it but the pie chart absolutely mentions direct mail so both teams must have been told to do this very stupid thing

then they hand the committee first class cigars at the end

the committee is torn between the men's “a bit generic but overall good” approach and the women's “DICKS AND BALLS DICKS AND BALLS” approach

Everyone gets called back in so the ad company guy can call “The Big Guy”

The women won

I hate this

The women all get into a limo to go to their private jet and they shout “Donald's Divas!” and I can't anymore

Meanwhile the men are bickering

“Here's my guarantee to you – someone's getting fired tomorrow”

like is this stuff handed to them on a cue card or do people on reality shows just spend all their time re-iterating the concept and premise to other people on the show

“The jet was a taste of the Trump lifestyle” honestly props on making a TV series that is essentially an advert for yourself and getting it to last 10 plus seasons

Then there's this contrast montage of the women eating in this fancy restaurant and the guys eating at their shitty apartment complex

but you know what? the men look like they're happy and the women are all alone in a restaurant and look pretty miserable

why do the rewards always make me envy the losers more

is it because the winners have extra Trump proximity

(yes)

I don't want to get into the “drama” because it's like 95% manufactured but yeah the women are arguing

Race comes into it and frankly I can't imagine a worse forum to discuss misogynoir

but apparently this whole “flight to Boston, dinner, flight back” means they're on the move at 4am and that seems more like a penalty to the next round than anything else

like did nobody think of this?? or is this more of this “successful people don't need sleep” shit

one of the guys (the dude who slept) is very obviously freaking out and one of the guy says “sit down, relax, close your eyes”, puts a cowboy hat on him and gives this monologue like “imagine yourself fishing, the mountains at your back”

the other man thanks him and stays there for a bit

honestly I feel like I'm meant to laugh at this but it's oddly touching

smash cut to someone else - “yeah we need to fire that guy”

the losing team has to pack up all their stuff every time they go to the boardroom and I imagine that being just a hassle rather than genuinely unsettling

Trump walks into the boardroom out of the shadows just like he does in my nightmares

it's surreal watching these guys defend a “losing” idea which was actually professional

“you should have met with the guy who hired you” well YES

the team leader has to pick two other people who were responsible for losing

but the whole reason they lost was due to a decision he made so he picks the “fell asleep” guy and then someone else seemingly at random

this is Not A Very Well Thought Out Aspect Of Your Show

“I had to pick someone!” and then Trump's like “bit disloyal”

No it's literally one of the rules of your shitty TV franchise

The team leader is lying about stuff which is on tape which is a bold move

but dick-themed direct mail was also a bold move so what do I know

“Sam, you're a disaster, don't take offence, everyone hates you”

This is said to the same guy who was like “Donnie's our cheerleader!”

The team leader got fired

Honestly I think it's more because they think the other guy is good TV and they don't want to get rid of him too soon

and for someone who just didn't get fired he looks really quite upset

guy who got fired is like “I'll call you direct in five years when I have my first building”

I googled it, he does not own a building

So in summary – this wasn't fun. This wasn't interesting. This wasn't good television, or even good reality television. At best it got me to laugh at an absolutely terrible ad campaign and at worst it just made me feel bad for the guy who got fired, the guy who didn't get fired, the cast, the crew, the security guard on the ridiculous looking scooter and pretty much everyone involved in this trainwreck besides the walking talking constitutional crisis at the centre of it.

See you for Part 3!

[olmopress]

take me home to sillycon valley

week 3: Tim O’Reilly, “What is Web 2.0″ / Richard Barbrook & Andy Cameron, “The Californian Ideology”

sooo i think that this week’s readings are in fact a truly magnificent, wondrous study case in ideology. our first reading is nothing less than a seminal blogpost by tech guru tim o’reilly on web 2.0. writing back in 2005, timmy tells us all about how the economy of the internet managed to survive after the *TOTALLY UNEXPECTED I MEAN WHENEVER ELSE THIS HAPPENED IN THE HISTORY OF CAPITALISM* dot-com crash of the year 2000. the post is a business lesson in, basically, how to develop companies like facebook or twitter – timmy from the block has got it all: the web as a platform, software as service instead of commodity, the long tail, folksonomy over taxonomy, sites that act as “middlemen” in communication... boy he had it all figured it out.

this is especially true, and particularly interesting, when our boy casually drops definitions like “architecture of participation,” “users [who] add value,” and “architecture of politics.” in these three formulations there is, frankly anything that is truly relevant about the web 2.0. to careful and hopefully critical readers, “architecture of participation” should draw attention towards the need for the web 2.0 to make users feel that they’re making the internet, that they participate in the beautiful amazing blissful perfect not-at-all-solely-for-profit enterprise of the web company. “users [who] add value” is something else we know fairly well: it refers, of course, to the economic value that users produce by using the free platform. this economic value, yes i know everybody knows it these days, is the users’ data. but the one that should really really really ring a bell to anyone who is sane enough not to be a disgusting individualist is “architecture of politics.” now. kids. can we please stop believe that nobody had figured out in advance how the internet is first and foremost a political tool? look, hey, this totally un-influential guy knew it very well in 2005. we were only mesmerized enough not to see that. and now, too bad for us, dystopia is reality and internet rigged our elections and surveillance is rampant except that it is enforced by private organizations instead of the state. which is worse. way fucking worse.

but enough with the anxiously depressive part. i wanna talk about how this is all ideological mumbo jumbo produced by the hideous neoliberal bourgeoise apparatus. and to do this i need barbrook and cameron. their article is so damn good in explaining to us young padawns how the hell could happen that hippies could ally themselves with reaganite enterpreneurs obsessed with their ridiculous ideals of dEmOcRaCy and tHe InDiViDuAl. just like all great story, that of the californian ideology starts with a fake revolution: that of the 68. ok moment of awareness 2.0: can we all please make a big big circle and repeat all together that “NO, THE 68 WAS NOT A REBELLION AGAINST THE BOURGEOISE, IT WAS JUST SPOILT BOURGEOISE KIDS MESSING UP WITH THEIR RICH PARENTS BECAUSE THEY WANTED TO SCREW MORE, MAKE MORE DEBTS, CRIPPLE ECONOMIC SYSTEMS, AND DESTROY OUR ECOSYSTEMS TO SATISFY THEIR VERY BOURGEOISE NARCISSISTIC «NEEDS»”? ok thank you kids. need that every now and then.

so, we were saying. Californian Ideology™ is a direct descendant of the 68. it is the deformed and demonic son of late capitalism. it stemmed out of two different utopias: one pathetic – the electronic agora – and one horribly dystopic  – the elctronic marketplace. and it wonderfully showed us that wonderful social liberal ideals are nothing if people do not organize to contrast those who own to much wealth: as the history of the californian ideology shows us, those who want money for themselves and slavery for others always win, if they’re not contrasted harshly enough. drop that knowledge on them, comrade Mao.

and so here we come to the crucial point. as barbrook and cameron wonderfully illustrate, unfettered libertarianism and techno-utopianism leads us back to the good old plantation. except that now we’re all slaves to bezos and zuckerberg, which btw funnily enough means “sugar hill:”

anyways, remember our bro timmy? think he was explaining a neat little business plan to make us all successful cyber-enterpreneurs? no, karen, i am very sorry. he was just starting to plan world cyber-slavery. so screw him, say barbrook and cameron: the state – that is the people – should get back control over what they produced. and this is the exciting part of the article, because my new heroes barbrook and cameron subtly suggest that we should start nationalizing (yes!!!!! nationalizing!!!!!!) parts and infrastructures of the internet. and at this point i am getting so much excited because imagine give back to the people platform like facebook google and amazon, and use this operation of creating a united european public digital economy to start building...

if you’re starting to feel spicy down there in your panties, well, you’re not the only one. but now on to culture time.

first, we should appreciate of Raphael prophetized the slaughter of cyber-capitalism by a socialist EU in his 1503-05 painting “Saint George Fighting the Dragon.”

then, you may want to imagine all of this to be enforced while this song from Megadeth plays in the background.

it’s your choice you can have also Ariana Grande in the background i don’t really care.

talk to you later!

Image Sources: Reddit, DeviantArt, Web Gallery of Art

[please note that this post deliberately ignores certain conventions in punctuation because i am still experimenting on the aesthetic aspect of the blog]

[therappundit]

*Pundit Ponderings*

Ah yes, it is time once again for more thoughtless…Pundit Ponderings:

- FUTURE, PLEASE TAKE A BREAK. This guy sounds like a friend that went through a bad break-up, insisted that he was ready to date again, but in reality is a complete mess that just needs to stay in for a few weekends, eat ice cream and cry over a few rom-coms until everything blows over. Lock dude out of the studio, Future needs to be alone with his thoughts for a while.

- Blake Griffin is lying bleeding on the court while I’m typing this. I don’t know what happened, but for the sake of the Clippers, let this be the excuse they need for why they can’t excel in the playoffs for yet another year.

- Falafel has become the new hot dogs for me. When I eat falafel, I really enjoy it...but then I’m set for another 3 months, please don’t make me eat more yet.

- Quelle Chris is now at the point of his career where you really can’t come up with a good excuse to not listen to him. He’s a dope artist across the board, go cop Being You Is Great, I Wish I Could Be You More Often.

- Big Sean may have just dropped the most forgettable decent album that I have ever heard.

- I have no desire to see La La Land. I am routing for Moonlight at the Oscars this weekend even though I haven’t seen it, because it looks sad and amazing, and I have a soft spot for all sad and amazing films.

- I’m still not entirely sure how “All The Way Up” became such a big hit for Fat Joe & Remy Ma last year. It has all of the traits that make for a strong rap radio record...in 2002. That’s not to say that it was a weak record, but nothing about it - the beat, the presence of the MCs, the rhyme schemes, the lyrics - felt interesting or fresh to me. That being said, Joe & Remy’s Plata O Plomo album has some fun moments, thanks to mostly decent production, and some strong moments from Remy (Fat Joe on the other hand, hasn’t delivered any interesting music in almost a decade, so he should stick with collaborative records moving forward).

- I don’t know if Young Thug is gradually getting easier to understand, or if I have just learned to speak his gibberish. Maybe it’s like living in a foreign country, where you just absorb the local language over time, and you don’t even notice until one day you just start speaking in that language without trying. Whatever the reason, imagine my reaction when I shockingly understood over 70% of Thugga’s lyrics on “Safe”. Mind = blown.

- Psssst, just wanted to let you know that Jay Z somehow dropped one of the most slept-on rap songs of 2016 with “Spiritual”. You should go listen to it again.

- Four words on the DeMarcus Cousins trade: necessary, sad, optimistic...desperate. I think Cousins will prove how powerful of a presence he can be on a winning team, but ultimately, I do think he will be exposed in New Orleans as a selfish player. Will N.O. improve? Definitely. But will they eventually contend? No.

- The new Roc Marciano album is already a hit amongst cult fans, but I suspect its’ true success will come down the line once people realize that Rosebudd’s Revenge is every bit as good as Marcberg and Reloaded (if not better). Roc’s pen game has never been finer, as he rattles off deceptively clever rhymes that spring to life more and more after repeated listens. While the production doesn’t jump out and grab you like some of the singles off of Roc’s previous projects, most of the samples feel really fresh, funky, souflul, and rough in all the right ways. Fans of classic Raekwon, Ghostface, Ka, and MF Doom should already know that this is a must-add to their underground collection...but in case you happened to fall asleep at the wheel, make sure to cop RR right here: 

https://www.rocmarci.com/

- Upon further reflection, Meek Mill’s Dreamchaser’s 4 really was one of the best mixtapes of 2016. Hey the tape is pure Meek...he’s never going to be THE MAN, but he has a lane and with DC4 he stuck to it and made some dope cuts along the way.

- Dear old DVR that has since been replaced: you made me lose both RAW and Smackdown this week, and potentially anything awesome that Samoa Joe or A.J. Styles did. If I had my way, your punishment would have been far more severe than simple banishment.

- My desire to shout “Yeah, yeah, yeah” along with Lil Uzi Vert’s verse on “Bad And Boujee” > my desire to forget about the existence of Lil Uzi Vert

- Am I alone in just discovering that Jidenna is a rapper!?

- It is becoming increasingly difficult to avoid daily commentary on the political landscape in this country. I don’t feel like it is an obligation of all writers to take a stance, but bare minimum, awareness is more important now than ever. Artistic expression and the free voice of journalism are being threatened more than any other point in our lifetime. So what’s my point? Just try to ask questions. When you read something online, don’t assume it’s all true until you have at least done some additional research. Keep an open mind, and put a vested effort into how someone else might feel about public comments. Without empathy, we’re just a society of narcissists and sociopaths...living in a country that just elected a narcissistic sociopath President (I’m actually not sure if Donald fits the definition of a sociopath, but narcissist? Textbook.)

- So Nas, that whole thing about “Nas Album Done”...that wasn’t anywhere near the truth, right? Thanks, didn’t think so.

- Consequence has sounded better in 2016-2017 than he ever has in his career, right?

- I feel that all girls should aim to have a playful relationship with their father similar to Cyndi Lauper’s relationship with Captian Lou Albano in music videos.

- Keep an eye on Mach-Hommy this year. By 2018 he will be exalted by all underground hip-hop elitists. 

- I really dig this era of television, where every few months there’s a new cult smash streaming on Netflix or Amazon Prime.

- Rick Ross needs a hit in a bad away. His rhyme skills are probably better now than they were when he was sitting at the top with joints like “B.M.F.”, but aesthetically his sound feels more cookie-cutter right now than ever before. I hope this new album takes some production risks.

- What future albums am I looking forward to the most in 2017? King Push and G.O.A.T.

- Cauliflower has really been killing it. Just roast ‘em in olive oil, and BOOM: instant healthy snack - just as satisfying as popcorn, maybe BETTER (fight me)!

- Go ahead and file this under better late than never...but my picks for the Best Rap Verses of 2016 are, in order: Benny for “Shower Shoe Lords”, Lil Wayne for “Fat Albert”, Chance The Rapper for “Ultra Light Beam”, Conway for “Dunks”, Chance The Rapper for “Blessings (Reprise)”, Pusha T for “DDA”, Kanye West for “No More Parties In L.A.”, Andre 3000 for “Solo (Reprise)”, Kendrick Lamar for “Wat’s Wrong”, Rapsody for “2AM”, Benny on “Pissy Work”, and Conway once again for “The Cow”.

- R.I.P., Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka. He was my favorite wrestler when I first started watching WWF as a toddler, and I’m sorry to say that the murder allegations levied against him late in his life will forever taint the way I think of Snuka.

- R.I.P. George “The Animal” Steele, too! Of all of the offensive wrestling gimmicks that were so insensitive to mental health issues, George Steele was the G.O.A.T.

- And because I would prefer to not close out this post with a R.I.P., here’s an adorable little GOAT:

That is all. Excelsior, world.

[eggutamaplz]

Hey guys, ユーリ!!! On REEDS is finally out with the first chapter!

I’m really proud of my first work, though it’s actually pretty mediocre compared to the better known writers in the YOI fandom like @boxwineconfession but hey, it’s my work, and I’m going to be proud no matter what!

Feel free to click on the link to start reading it! I’ll reblog my inital yuri on reeds post with the link again in a bit so you can get the premise.

IDK how to put cuts in mobile so enjoy~

The band built up to a rallying crescendo, then the sound faded out, the trombones, tubas, and baritones the last one to release the last note.

Silence reigned for a brief spell, then the audience burst into applause. Many gave standing ovations.

“And that concludes our last program for the year! Thank you for supporting our high schoolers in their journey throughout the school year,” BD Feltsman proclaimed. “And a special thank you to our graduating seniors, Katsuki Yuuri and Victor Nikiforov for helping compose the band arrangement of our last song, History Maker!”

A Japanese baritone saxophone with glasses and slicked back hair stood up, followed by a french horn of Russian descent with sea-blue eyes and silvery locks. They both exchanged looks, then took a bow, receiving more applause.

Feltsman continued on with his post-performance speech. “Now remember, parents of incoming freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and seniors, marching band camp is coming up so you will want to ready your children for that. Please check the bulletin board, the website, or ask me for more details on band camp.”

The band director turned to his students, an approving look on his face. “Your children have exceeded my standards this year, and I am so grateful for their talent in the band. I cannot wait for the incoming freshmen to display their talent with us soon.

And with that, the performers were released to meet their families, stack their stands and chairs, and of course migrate into their home away from home.

Of course, that home away from home is the band room.

(Although many claim the trash can next to the door to the stage is their real home.)

°.·.°.·.°.·.°.·.°.·.°.·.°.·.°.·.°.·.°.·.°.·.°.·.°

As a devoted band student, the band classroom is your shelter from the storm that is your needs for college; 5 other periods to meet your A-G requirements, most of the time never really finding the topics that interesting.

But when the period for band rolls around? You’re sucked right into the music, the effort everyone takes to get a section right, the satisfaction on your band director’s face when the timbre of a section is perfect and everyone hits their notes and articulation correctly.

(Phichit claims Mr. Feltsman looked like he was about to have an orgasm when a crescendo was executed in the right way.)

To many students, band is just another elective that seems unimportant. But to the kids who have fully experienced playing an instrument, being part of a section, being part of the band, many of them have found the two L’s because of this one elective.

Life. Love. And everything in between.

Kids have devoted their life to band, most never feeling unsatisfied. And sometimes because of band, they might have found their significant others inside of this one elective.

Of course, for many of these talented students, these rules have applied since they’ve picked up their instrument of choice…

“Alright guys, everyone in for the group photo!” Phichit called out, waving towards every student in the band room. “You too Yurio, you’re not escaping my camera lens this year too.”

A blond flute player in the corner just snorted in response. “Sure, Mr. ‘I Watched "The King And The Skater” Once And I Thought I Could Land a Quadruple Toe Loop.’ Your form was terrible when you attempted it, by the way.“

The Thai alto and everyone in the room just stared at Yuri at that remark. "Now go peg yourself in the asshole with your mouthpiece cover.”

Phichit let out a breath of frustration, then turned to Mila Babicheva, a euphonium player. “Mila, Plan B?”

The redhead nodded. “Already on it buddy.”

She marched over to Yuri (her rolling was top notch), picked him up by the legs, and slung the fellow Russian over her shoulders.

“OI BABA, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! PUT ME DOWN THIS INSTANT!” Yuri screeched, punching Mila on her back.

“Geez Yuri, you’re pretty light,” Mila replied. She was smiling, but her eye twitched ever so slightly. “Now can you please surrender and stop trying to break my back? I want to go through marching band season without any injuries.”

“YOU DON’T KNOW ABOUT MY KNIFE SHOES!”

“Ice skates, Yuri-”

“KNIFE. SHOES.”

“Sure Yuri, knife shoes,” Mila said in exasperation, finally succeeding in dragging the flute player into the mosh pit of band students.

Yuri finally gave up on trying to escape, instead putting on an aggravated face in front of the camera.

“All right everyone, move closer in together,” Phichit directed, moving his hands in a squishing motion. “Aaaaalllmoooost- Mickey you need to move to the other side for the frame to be PERFECT.”

The Italian burst out. “B-but Sara and Mila are together and if I leave them alone they’ll-” Michele Crispino sputtered.

Phichit cut him off. “It’s just one picture Crispino, and I want it to look better than last year, damn it. It won’t kill you.”

“Says you who wants to move me to the other side for aesthetic purposes!”

“… You got me there,” Chulanont admitted. “Still though, pleeeaaaasee? I’ll buy you new reeds.”

Michele, being a clarinet, immediately agreed. “Just make sure they’re size 2.5 Vandorens!” And he quickly scurried over to the other side next to Emil, who waved to him, but ignored.

“HEY, WHY DOES HE GET NEW REEDS?! I DEMAND PIROZHKI OR TENOR REEDS!” Yuri yelled at that deal. Besides, he was dragged into the picture like a sack of potatoes.

“I’ll deal with this later, now can we please just take the picture already? We’ve been arguing here for almost 3 minutes already,” Phichit said, again exasperated, and got himself into position.

He got the timer ready, then hit the button. “Everybody say band fam!”

“BAND FAM!” Everyone screamed, some of the band kids changing their positions. Some were holding up victory signs, some were dabbing, some were making the weirdest face they could conjure up.

When Phichit went over to his phone to check how the picture came out, he noticed Yuuri was redder than a tomato. Victor was looking all smug, giving the smaller Japanese man a shoulder hug, while other kids surrounding them were just smiling, and cooing in their direction.

One of the girls were just straight up screeching and having a fangirl attack. One of her friends had to clasp a hand over her mouth to shut her up.

Wait, what has everyone riled up? Hmm, let me guess… Phichit thought, as he went to check his phone for the picture.

When the picture came up, the Thai screamed aloud, “I KNEW IT!”

Right there, documented for everyone’s viewing pleasure, was the picture, but there was something that stook out like a sore thumb.

When the picture just got taken, Victor had seemingly planted a kiss on Yuuri’s cheek, the spectacled young man blushing heavily and doe-eyed, surprised at the sudden contact.

Classmates surrounding them looked at them in happy surprise, especially Victor’s best friend, a baritone named Christophe, who had a smug smile on his face.

Yep, this was definitely going on Phichit’s Instagram page.

“Dang Victor, smooth move. You really know how to make Yuuri flustered! I’ve never seen him THIS red!” The alto sent a knowing wink to the brass player and a mischievous smile towards his best friend.

“P-Phichit-kun, s-sore o yame, sora wa hazukashī!” Yuuri ended up slipping into Japanese like he tended to when he was flustered.

“Nope, Mr. Katsuki, you have been accused of having Victor Nikiforov fall in love with you,” Phichit teased. “Now, claim yourself guilty and serve out your sentence as Vitya’s lover.”

And with that, you could swear there was steam coming out of Yuuri’s ears. “Oyasumi” was all he said before collapsing onto Victor.

“Bozhe moy, Phichit, you killed him-” Victor started. But however, he was cut off by the Thai playing Careless Whisper on his alto.

“Chert voz'mi…”

°.·.°.·.°.·.°.·.°.·.°.·.°.··.°.·.°.·.°.·.°.·.°

It was an hour after the concert ended. All the remaining band students were hanging out in the band room, except for Victor and Yuuri, who had woken up from apparently fainting into Victor’s arms, sitting on the stage.

Yuuri leaned on Victor’s shoulder, their fingertips laced together. “Our final performance as high schoolers, huh…”

“Hm?” Victor tilted his head to lean on Yuuri’s, his thumb rubbing his boyfriend’s hand. “Something on your mind moya lyubov?”

“Mmm,” Yuuri replied, scrolling down his Instagram feed. He came across Phichit’s picture he took earlier and giggled.

❤74 likes phichit-chu Blessed to be part of another successful year of band! Love you guys! (@v-nikiforov @katsudon-yuuri #victuuri AM I RIGHT BAND FAM) · #band #bandfam #historymakers

yuri-plisetsky hEY YOU STILL OWE ME FOOD OR REEDS PHICHEETO Jjleroy!15 Nice pic of me and Isabella! It’s JJ style! +guanghongji+ Another amazing picture of the class Phichit! Here’s to the next year!

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“Y'know, 7th grade me would have never imagined he’d be dating the french horn that Mari said to look for on the first day of school,” Yuuri thought aloud, lifting his head to look at his lover’s face.

Victor smiled at that remark. “Is that so?” And he leaned in to kiss Yuuri once again.

[panicatthecatcafe]

Pride Month Reflections in 2021

I used to tell myself I would come out to my extended family and friends when it became relevant. When there was something to tell. A person I was seeing that I would need to explain to the family. In my family, you’re never just telling one person. It’s a network of gossip-one I’ve gleefully taken part in when, for instance, my cousin got his first girlfriend, and my grandma and I gossiped for a half hour about everything we knew. 

It also just seemed unnecessary to go through the effort of making a “coming out” post on facebook or instagram. I knew some family members would be offended, not by my sexuality, but by the fact that they were not told personally. My decision to go to grad school, for instance, when announced on facebook, was met with congratulatory, but underhanded remarks about “how am I just hearing about this.”

I came out to my sisters and mother freshman year of college. I had fallen hard for a friend, to the point of no longer being able to deny that my attraction to women was not simply an aesthetic one. I’d come out to my roommate (actually at the same time she came out to me) and my high school best friend several weeks earlier. While those experiences were nerve wracking to some degree, mostly because I was afraid, luckily completely unfounded, that my attraction to women would make my roommate uncomfortable sharing a room with me, it was nothing compared to the heart-pounding, sweating, all encompassing shaking when I came out to my mom. I’ve still never talked about it with my dad. When I asked my mom once if he knew, she said “I must’ve told him at some point? Yeah, I’m sure I must’ve.” While this was not a completely confident response, my dad can hardly be confused at this point, none the least because he kindly told me I had been tagged in a “Queers on Stage” post just in case there was anyone I wasn’t ready to know I was, indeed, part of the queer of Queers on Stage. 

In college, I was delighted that 90% of my friends also experienced queer attraction and romance, and truly every single one of my high school close friends has since come out, at least to our friend group. I’ve kissed two of my best friends onstage in multiple shows, sent hundreds of gay memes in group chats, and generally found myself in such queer friendly spaces that I was able to forget that non-queer spaces exist, particularly because I graduated during the early days of the pandemic and ended up only seeing my 4 vegetarian, radical leftist, majority queer housemates for 12 months. 

So I found myself unexpectedly shaken when I received a text from my grandmother out of the blue. The only part of which I could preview said “Hello my Gay Catholic [my name]. Yes, it was brought to my attention.” +1 for her subtle dig at the impersonal method of discovery about my own affairs. I knew what this must have been in response to. My sister had posted a message for pride month affirming the place of the queer community in religious spaces, and her own personal commitment to allyship. An absolute asshole commented something stating that accepting queer people as they are was leading them away from the church and was harming their ability to get into heaven. After vocalizing several cuss filled responses, which included a wrathful yell that catholics like him are the reason that queer people don’t and never have felt welcome in catholic spaces, I replied with “Please delete your comment-sincerely, a queer catholic” and reported him. I’m not sure if my report deleted his comment or my sister did (I highly doubt he deleted his own comment and for that he can f*ck off!), but it must have been up long enough for my grandma to see it. 

I have a lot of complex feelings for my grandma. Some of my favorite memories from childhood involved making crafts with her, decorating cookies, unwrapping ornate Christmas presents at her house, and eating her incredible cooking. On the other hand, in recent years she’s gotten swept up in far right ideologies, to the point of publicly announcing that Biden stole the election through voter fraud, among other ridiculous conspiracy theories. But, she also pulled me aside during my sister’s wedding to genuinely ask how she should address one of my sister’s friends who was trans and using new pronouns. I have trouble reconciling the grandma who makes far right posts on facebook with the one who I wrote an essay about in 2nd grade for the prompt “who is your hero”, talking about her beating cancer and her upbeat look on life. 

Looking at the preview of the text on my phone, I found it hard to imagine she’d sent a condemnation, but I couldn’t help but worry. When I’m nervous or feel like I’m about to get bad news, I feel as if ice has travelled through my entire body, my hands start shaking, and I lose all strength in my limbs. I have a theory that the overwhelming majority of queer people will still experience anxiety coming out to someone, even when they know that the response will be a positive one. Even when things go well, they don’t go like you planned. When I came out to my mom, my sister and I were sitting in the backseat of the car, driving back from a rehearsal together. I couldn’t pay attention to any part of the conversation because I just kept telling myself “I’ll say it to her at 9:45pm. 9:45. 10 more minutes. 5. 1. 0. Mom I’m bi” The statement was entirely at odds with whatever they had been talking about before, coming out of nowhere, which may have explained how slow my mom was on the uptake. She said ok and something else affirmative, but didn’t mention anything about how she loved me to my recollection. Or if she did it felt somewhat rote. I remember feeling disappointment. We stopped by the store, however, and she picked up a “bai” drink and said “look it’s you!” and I knew things would be ok. Later, my sister would tell me that mom was just sad I hadn’t told her earlier. 

I don’t think straight people understand that it is harder to come out to someone you’ve known for a long time (or indeed forever) than to someone you’ve known for a few months, such as my roommate. Coming out to someone who has known you for years feels like you’re telling them “I’ve been lying to you all this time” particularly when thinking about statements you may have made to assert your straightness to yourself and others. I remember being relieved when I found a photo of Draco Malfoy attractive in middle school because I thought it meant I had to be straight. The time in 9th grade that a girl flipped her hair and I was captivated? I was just envious because she was prettier than me. My disappointment in my mom’s response was furthered when I took her and the family to see Love, Simon, in the hopes that the movie could explain what I couldn’t about how hard it is to come out to the people you love and who love you. After the movie, I was crushed when she said “I don’t know why he was so nervous to come out to them.”

All this to say, it took me an hour to gear myself up to open the text. Inside was this message: 

“Hello my Gay Catholic [my name]. Yes, it was brought to my attention. I love you for who you are not what you choose (unless it’s evil destructive murderous) . And you are from that. You are the most  vivacious, loving, happy, energetic, intelligent, sassy with heart 💜 ❤️💜 kinda person who sparkles in everything you do. 

Remember,  you cannot force people to change their minds.  Reciprocate & allow them to be them, allow the space, and time. And if they don’t, don’t take it personally. It doesn’t mean they dislike you. Love unconditionally and tell them you still love/like them. 

 I L🌺VE YOU”

The first time I read it I focused on the positive. She loved me (even if she made assumptions about my queer identity with the label she chose when I don’t even fully know how to label myself other than queer). Reading it the second and third time, I got frustrated. I was frustrated because I hate the idea that we have to come out at all. I didn’t mean my comment to be taken as a “hello world please accept me!” It was awkward and I shouldn’t have to ask for people’s acceptance, especially from my loved ones. Then I got mad, because the second paragraph told me I had to accept others when they wouldn’t accept me. This is probably where I experience the most cognitive dissonance with my catholic faith. I’m supposed to turn the other cheek, but at the same time, when other people are hurting me for something I cannot change and does no harm to others, how can I not respond to that in a negative way or take it personally? Maybe that’s why I don’t feel like coming out, because it gives people the chance, however unlikely, that they can reject me. However, if I live my life, post as I like, share content, and hopefully someday share moments with a person I love, I am simply living an unremarkable life in the truest sense of the word. I don’t accept unconditional love when that love is toxic or harmful. I’ll say it again, if someone tells me I’m going to hell for being queer, they are choosing to target a part of me I cannot change and that doesn’t actively cause harm to others. They are causing harm to me in targeting my identity. And I count myself lucky because I am a white woman of unremarkable face and body that doesn’t give off strong queer vibes. Others in the community face far worse physical and mental violence because of people who refuse to “change their minds”. 

I started this essay intending to write about the fact that I am turning 23 and have only ever kissed someone as part of a character I played onstage. I’ve been on a few first dates, but have never been in a relationship or even felt close to one. I experience true attraction so rarely that I can count it on one hand. I don’t know who I am and I often feel like there must be something wrong with me because I’ve never found myself romantically involved. I expected this essay to be an in-depth analysis of my feelings of inferiority and imposter syndrome in the queer community, but unexpectedly this feels like something else. You don’t need to be sexually or romantically active to be a part of the queer community. This community is about acceptance. It’s about love. It’s about calling out harm and rooting out exclusivity. At least, that’s the kind of community it should be. I’m not gonna lie, we have a long way to go, but at the root of what makes us different is our ability to be expansively, intentionally, and incandescently ourselves. Whether or not I end up with a romantic partner anytime soon (and yes I am taking offers), I know myself better than anyone and I know I belong. And, as I once wrote defiantly on my arm during a tough day for middle school me, I know I should “do no harm and take no shit”.