#abcs 1 saturday morning

[completeandrandomshit]

Doug All Grown Up

[sturniolo-rat]

Tattoos and Massages Part 1

Christopher Sturniolo X Reader

Part 2

A/N: My first work “A Very Matt Morning” is doing really well and so is my Nick NSFW ABC post so I thought I would treat the Chris girlies today😌

Contains: sugar daddy!chris🤑, fluff💕

TW: mentions of having absolutely $0

In which Chris lotions up y/n’s back tattoo and it turns into a happy ending massage.

It’s Friday night, and Y/N is on her way to the house her boyfriend Chris shares with his two brothers. As a nanny for a lower-middle-class family with a two-year-old girl, Y/N makes just enough money to survive. She absolutely loves her job and little Juno, but Jesus Christ, she’s doing a lot of work. Y/N desperately needs a fun, childless weekend with her boyfriend. 

She knocks on the front door three times because people who ring doorbells are weird, and she is greeted by no one other than Matt Sturniolo. “What’s up, Y/N”

“Nothing much, man. Just looking to spend the weekend with my boyfriend.”

“Come on in, then. You know the way.” He gestures inside the house and then towards Chris’s room. 

Y/N doesn’t bother knocking and enters the room in a hurry to find and hug Chris. Their eyes meet, and she crashes into him with a strong embrace. “Oof, that’s a big hug, Mamas,” he says with a groan.

“Mhmm, missed you.” is all she says with her face buried in his chest. They hug for a long time, and Chris realizes they’re not really hugging; it’s more like he’s holding her as she lets go of the past week's stress. 

“I know you had a hard week. Was Juno a terror today, too?” he asks.

“No, I’m just worried about money, is all. They’re taking Juno on a trip, so I’ll be out of work for the next two weeks.” She hugs him harder, and he rubs her back softly.

“You’re alright, Baby, I’ve got ya.” 

They spend the rest of the night cuddling and bingeing “The Bear” on Hulu. She notices he has Hulu Plus the one without the commercials and she feels a twinge of sadness that she’s never had money to spend on luxuries like that. The show however is very good, and they watch until they fall asleep. 

Saturday morning, Chris makes sure to wake up before Y/N. Slowly rolling her head off of his chest he sneaks out of bed and heads to the kitchen to cook her breakfast. He knows she works hard for everything she has and he wants to show her that his love is something she doesn’t have to work for. He will always give it willingly; for her, it is the easiest thing to attain. She will never have to worry about money for as long as his heart beats. It perplexes him that she doesn’t know that. He will show her, but first, he has to start a perfect day of relaxation with breakfast in bed. She wakes to the sound of the smoke alarm and the smell of burnt bacon. “Fuck! Fuck! Guys, I’m sorry!” Chris shouts across the house. Y/N tosses the blanket to the side, but she hears the boys before her foot even touches the ground. 

“What the fuck!” Nick yells in the way he does. 

Matt comes out with a “Jesus fucking Christ! Turn it off!” 

Y/N wants absolutely no part in whatever’s going on. She reaches over to her airpods on the bedside table, puts them in, and turns on noise-canceling mode. Then she pulls her blankie back over herself. She really can’t be bothered with that mess.

The alarm turns off a few minutes later, and Chris enters the room cringing holding a plate of bacon, eggs, and pancakes… all burnt. She removes her airpods. “I made this for you.” he gives a sheepish smile. 

She tries to hold back a giggle “Oh, Babyboy, you shouldn’t have.” He sets the plate beside the bed and curls onto her lap. Y/N strokes his hair. “No, Boobie, don’t be sad I love love love the gesture!” She cups his face in her hands and brings his head up for a kiss on the nose. Chris takes pleasure in how delicate she is with him. Moments like this remind him why she works in childcare. She’s a nanny now but was born to be a mother. He wants so badly to one day help her become one. 

“You know what? It’s fine.” He pops up as hyper as ever. That’s Chris for you…actually, that’s ADHD for you, but it is what it is. “Because…” he says in a sing-song voice, “I have a very big day planned.” He proceeds to walk around the room gathering clothes for Y/N to put on, throws them at her, and says, “We’re taking a trip!” with the biggest smile she’s ever seen.

About 20 minutes later everybody is dressed, and an Uber is outside because he’s a silly ass who can't drive. “Where exactly are we going?” Y/N asks as they step into the car.

“That, my dear, would be a secret.” 

“Oh god. I hate surprises!”

“Well, technically, we’re not going to surprise you right now. I got excited and forgot that they were not open this early,” he admits, a bit embarrassed. 

“My question still stands. Where. Are. We. Going.”

He holds her hand to his mouth and kisses her knuckles “You and I are going shopping.” he pauses “Also you literally love surprises. So, shut up.”

She pulls her hand away upset. “You know I don’t have any…” he puts his hand over her mouth to silence her.

“And I don’t care because I am buying you everything.” 

She tries to refuse and talk him out of it the whole car ride, but he insists. They arrive at this Rodeo Drive-esque place, and Y/N is amazed at all of the fancy stores. Chris drags her into everyone he sees and physically has to force her to pick one thing for him to buy. After about the ninth store, she starts to have fun with it. By 2 pm she has a billion bags filled with everything she could possibly want and wants to head home. 

“Nope! Surprise is just down there.” He points to a tattoo shop across the street.

Y/N’s eyes widen, and she lets out a little shriek: “We’re getting tattoos!” She starts clapping and jumping up and down. “I have always wanted to get a tattoo!”

“I know, Baby, I know.”

She decides to get a large rose tattooed down her spine. It hurt like a bitch, and it still does when they arrive home. It’s very pretty, but it’s also very much an open wound. An hour later they’re in Chris’s room, and she’s ready to take the wrap they used to cover the tattoo off her back and wash it with antibacterial soap. She takes her shirt off, and Chris can’t help but stare at her soft breasts her nipples pebbling in the cool air. “Come help! I can’t reach my back!”

“I’m on it.” He gets up to stand behind her and gently peels off the plastic wrap. Her back is covered in dried blood dyed black with ink. He runs his hands down her sides landing at her hips. “You need a shower, Darlin.” He smiles to himself and whispers in Y/N’s ear “Let me clean you up.”

Oof, sorry, lads, smutty part 2 tomorrow, just like last time.

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@emeraldgreenbeautiesstu

[nenelonomh]

hello, loves

good morning! happy saturday! i've got a coffee by my side as i write this post and boy, do i have a lot to do today.

now that the school week has ended, i'm going to focus on spending today smashing out all of my leftover work (there's a lot).

{ REFLECTION AND ANALYTICAL PARAGRAPH OF 'THE PEDESTRIAN' BY RAY BRADBURY ☆ learner portfolio (ct2b) ☆ spanish chapter 3 homework book ☆ sehs glossary and learning doc (1A musculoskeletal system) ☆ buis research for pest analysis of a country ☆ buis hrm presentation (research, creation of pp, additional resources) ☆ buis true or false quiz ☆ ABC training ☆ phys practice q's ☆ phys glossary and knowledge ☆ maths chapter 18 hw book ☆ maths work on understanding of trig and true bearings }

my goal with all of my work is to get at least 1 pomodoro complete of each task, and if i finish that in good time, i can circle back around. i need to remember that this is the life i chose for myself, i had to apply to and do testing to get into my current school. i'm grateful for the opportunities it gives me.

other than school work, this morning i stretched for a bit (it's really becoming a habit, which i'm proud of) and read a chapter. i'm currently working on learning to mindfully read--not reading for the sake of reading.

magazine issue #1 was released today! i'm so proud of it. i'm going to be posting a new issue monthly, with all content related to what i currently post.

i hope you all have a wonderful day!

❤️ nene

(images are from pinterest)

[skzhocomments]

In the Dark - Choi Minho SHINee Fanfic - Chapter 2 - Take my breath away

General masterlist

Story masterlist - please consult it for the summary of the story, trigger warnings etc.

Wattpad | AO3

Chapter 1 | Chapter 3

---

Chapter 2 - Take my breath away

chapter word count: ~6.6k words

~Jieun’s POV~

Mondays are always the worst day of the week, as the weekend barely provides enough time to actually recharge and get my energy back after dealing with screaming children for 5 days straight.

I love my job, but teaching elementary school kids their 2+2s and ABCs is not exactly the dream, is it?

It was mine, though. I’ve always loved kids and found a lot of fascination in the idea of bringing up someone, in being able to shape a small person’s thoughts and ideas, in being able to perhaps influence them so that they would remember you 20 years later when they’re all grown up and successful. I wanted them to look back at this time spent with me in our small classroom fondly, to create a safe space for them so that they can grow up into the best version of themselves.

It's still my dream, but the problem is the money, that is hardly enough for my current expenses. Ever since my grandmother got sick, I knew I had to uproot our lives, and I brought her here, in the biggest city of our country, after managing to secure a job as a teacher at a small school in a quiet neighbourhood, so that she can have access to the best healthcare. Her hospital bills and meds, though, combined with my rent and food, are a fatal combination for my paycheck.

But you know the saying: desperate times call for desperate measures.

I was no different, and I knew that if my grandmother were to ever find out what I was doing in order to keep her hospitalized with 24/7 care available, she would at best disown me, at worst kill me with her bare hands.

inthedark.com

A website where you would essentially apply to become a high-end prostitute. A site that’s supposed to keep your identity completely private, and your clients’, too.

I joined this website one week ago and had my first client last Saturday, and for just two hours with him, I got almost half of my school paycheck. He also tipped me 200$, which was crazy. Who tips a prostitute that much?

I shouldn’t be doing this, I know, but what was I supposed to do? Let the person who raised me pass away in pain, when I knew she could get treatment to help her live a decent life for a few more years?

~

I lazily got out of bed and headed to school. It was 7:30 AM, and the school was just a few minutes’ walk away.

I liked to get there earlier so that I could rearrange the kid’s seats and make sure my classroom is perfect. We had an art contest last week, and I wanted to put all the paintings on display on the wall for the kids to see. I wanted to set up my cookie jar as well, because the best way to start the day for anyone would be with a nice little treat.

“Miss Park, good morning!” The director of the school, a lady well in her late 50s was inside of my classroom and welcomed me with a big smile on her face. Next to her, a tall, slim good-looking man holding a little girl’s hand smiled as welcoming as the director.

“Good morning, Mrs. Wang. What brings you here so early in the morning?” I returned their smiles and nodded briefly at the man, then turned my attention to the little girl hiding behind her dad’s leg. I waved at her, but she only hid her face more.

“Well, we have a new transfer student. Dear, won’t you introduce yourself?” Mrs. Wang tried to get the little girl to talk and looked at her expectedly. “Come on, we don’t have the whole morning!” She continued, making the little girl turn her head away, and a frown appear on her father’s face. Forcing a shy kid to say anything would prove pointless, so I tried to diffuse the situation.

“Actually,” I started, “we do have the whole morning. What a beautiful day to get to know each other, don’t you think?” I smiled brightly and took a few careful steps towards the dad-daughter pair, letting myself fall on my knees to be on the same height as the girl.

“Well, I’ll let you handle this. It was nice meeting you, Mr. Choi.” The director smiled and left the room.

After the director left, the girl seemed a bit less tense. Her father caressed the back of her beautiful, long, brown, curly hair, and spoke kind words.

“It’s okay, baby. You can tell the nice teacher your name.”

The girl still shook her head, and her dad started apologising. “I’m really sorry, she’s not normally like this. Her name is-”

“That’s fine.” I cut him off. “We can learn each other’s names later, isn’t that right, beautiful?” I smiled at her lovingly, and she finally looked at me for a few seconds. “I have something really tasty for you and your future classmates.”

I rummaged through my bag and pulled out the large bag of chocolate cookies that I baked yesterday. “But I have to put them in that big jar on the desk. I’m not sure I can do it alone. Would you like to help me put the cookies in the jar? You can have two cookies if you help me, but it has to be our secret.” I whispered and placed my index finger against my lips, then winked.

The girl seemed excited, as she nodded eagerly with a bright smile on her face and ran to the desk. I followed her, and gave her the bag of cookies, letting her put each cookie into the jar; a simple activity that helped calm her down and warm up to me.

“Wow, you’re so good at this!” I praised her, and she chuckled like the innocent kid she was, reminding me of why I loved children so much. If I would ever have a daughter, I wanted her to be just as cute as this little girl who’s happily putting cookies in the jar one by one with her little hands.

“Done.” She smiled, showing me and her dad her work proudly.

“Well done, baby!” Her dad praised her as well.

“Now it’s time to eat a cookie!” I clapped my hands once, and the girl took some cookies out and came to me and her dad, handing them to us. Of course, we accepted and started eating them, as the girl grabbed a cookie for her as well and munched on it joyfully.

“How is it?” I asked the girl, watching her devour the treat.

“Tasty!” She exclaimed, making me and her dad look at each other and chuckle. “I love chocolate!”

“I’m glad you like it. I made them myself!” I boasted, then chuckled again. “My name is Park Jieun. I’m really happy to have you join my class, and I hope we’ll be best friends.” I told the girl, who nodded and replied.

“My name is Choi Nari. It’s nice to meet you, Miss Park. Can I hug you?”

“Of course, come here!” I positioned myself back on my knees and opened my arms to her, squeezing her tight. She was the sweetest little girl.

“Where will I sit?”

“Hmm, how about this seat here?” I went next to the first desk next to the window and pointed to the seat on the left, which hasn’t been occupied. “Your deskmate is a sweet girl just like you, and I think you’ll get along great.”

The girl happily ran towards her seat and her dad followed her, placing her small backpack on the table.

“Okay, Nari, daddy has to go to work.” The man spoke kindly. “I will come pick you up at 4, okay?”

“Okay daddy! I love you!” She waved.

“I love you the most!” He smiled and waved back, and I saw him out of the classroom.

We walked for a bit, and I closed the door behind us, giving Nari privacy to take out her stuff in peace and arrange them on her desk.

“Thank you so much, Miss. Park. Nari already seems better.”

“Nothing to thank me for, Mr… Choi?” I tilted my head and smiled, unsure.

“Oh, yes! I apologise, I completely forgot to properly introduce myself earlier. My name’s Choi Minho.” He nervously scratched his nape and handed me his hand, which I shook.

“No worries.” I chuckled. “May I ask why you transferred Nari in 2nd grade?”

“She… has been bullied at her old school, and…”

“Oh no.” I frowned. “I’m so sorry.”

“I hope she’ll be better here. She really seems to like you. Please take care of her and let me know if anything happens.” He bowed slightly.

“Of course. Please don’t worry about anything. She’s in good hands.” I assured him, and he raised his head.

Opening up his coat, he took out a small business card and handed it to me. “This is my number, please call me anytime if Nari needs anything, or if something’s wrong. Sometimes I’m a few minutes late to pick her up, but I’m going to try to be here on time. Still, could I also have your number in case I’m running late?”

“Of course.” I smiled and typed in his number from the business card in my phone, shooting him a quick text with my name.

“Thank you so much, Miss Park. I see kids are already starting to come, so I’m gonna leave you to your job. Have a nice day!”

“You too, Mr. Choi.” I smiled and stepped back into my classroom, where Nari already finished arranging her notebooks and was now excitedly looking at all the paintings on the walls.

Damn, the paintings! I cursed in my head, remembering I wanted to stick the ones from last week’s art contest on the walls, but it was already too late to do so.

Children started buzzing into the classroom, their parents holding their hands tightly and kissing their chubby cheeks goodbye, as the next time they would come pick them up would be in some many hours from now: 6, 7 or even 8, to be more precise. Even if the classes ended at 12, the school I secured a job at gave the working parents the possibility of coming late for pick up.

When the parents were gone and the whole class was seated, I asked Nari to come in front and I helped her introduce herself, making sure that she felt as comfortable as one shy child could in a new environment.

~

2 AM found me drinking tea on the small sofa in my rented apartment. Normal people would sleep this late on a Thursday night, but here I was browsing through people’s forms in Requests on the In the Dark app.

Meeting Charisma last week got me a lot of money, and ever since then, I’ve received a few requests from others, but I’ve been pretty reluctant to meet up with anyone else. Charisma set the bar quite high. Not only was he fit as fuck, which I could tell just by roaming my hands on his chest and perfectly sculpted abs and muscles, but he was genuinely good in bed too, not selfish, made sure I felt good and even made me cum, which was a first for a random hook-up, and certainly not what I expected when I signed up on inthedark.com as a prostitute.

His special requirements were also normal, compared to the others I’ve seen which were at best degenerate. I kept rejecting other ‘applicants’, but I wasn’t sure if I should keep my expectations high or just go with whoever was willing to pay the price I gave myself.

It felt horrible, objectifying myself like that, having to decide what my body sells for and actively selling it away. I have become just a trash toy for someone to use as they please. I have become damaged goods, an object purely crafted for sexual function. I have become dirt, and I was now a dirty woman.

inthedark.com was, after all, a dirty place stinking putrid. Even if the font was a fancy Centeria Script, the name shining in golden letters on a black screen, even if it looked presentable, drawing you in with every click, promising all and any fantasy, wild, rough sex under the pretense of a poor woman’s factual desire, it was just a filthy site, gaudy and cheap, like any other brothels out there. The more it seems to shine, the more it’s actually teeming with decay.

The only good things this site offered were how private everything was and letting me at least make the choice myself of who to sell my body to. There were extensive documents everyone who wanted to become a member – be it customer or whore – had to provide, from medical records to personal information that was stored to be used against you in case you would violate the terms and conditions. They would sue you to oblivion if you so much as brought a source of light in the room.

At least that.

It was private and it was safe from a medical point of view.

The first (and only) customer I had was this Charisma dude, who, as I said, set the bar in the fucking sky. He was respectful and treated me more like a partner than like a mere prostitute, even if he didn’t want to kiss me.

I understood that, for I probably was, in his eyes, a dirty whore who fucked men for money.

Still, I was really grateful that my first customer was Charisma. He didn’t know how many demons I was battling while letting him touch me and while touching him. He didn’t know how much I hated myself for disposing of my principles in exchange for my grandmother’s hospital bills. He didn’t know any of it. Still, he treated me with care. He didn’t degrade me more than I was already degrading myself, and I was thankful for that, because otherwise I didn’t know how I would’ve been able to live with my regrets and with this guilty feeling pressing down on my chest every time I breathed.

7 requests to go through. I sighed, still unsure if what I was doing was the right thing. I didn’t want to fuck strangers for money, in fact, I was always against women flaunting their tits and asses and pussies to earn some, but then again, I think there aren’t too many people that geuinely want to do this kind of work anyway, and how else was I supposed to get more money without it affecting my day-to-day life and job? It’s not like I could go get hired somewhere else and work another 6 hours per day for the whole month, just to get the same pay check I made after a few hours of sex.

Still, I really didn’t want to accept other forms. Charisma’s money was going to pay for my grandma’s care this month, so I could technically not get any clients until next month without any issues.

Yes, maybe I should just reject them all and whatever comes next month, I will take.

Another sigh left my lips as I looked at my now cold cup of tea, just as a ping forcefully pulled me out of my thoughts.

1 new notification – inthedark

I pressed on it and a new request popped up.

It was Charisma.

---

CHARISMA – personal form

THINGS I ENJOY: Hello Flame, I was hoping I would see you again this Saturday. Just like I mentioned in my last form, I love everything intimacy-related.

THINGS I DON’T WANT TO DO: No kissing on the lips, please.

CONDOM / NO CONDOM (if you pick the NO CONDOM option, you have to attach a report of a recent medical check-up that ensures you don’t have an STD): no condom

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS: Feels weird to communicate this way, but not knowing who you are and you not knowing who I am is probably better for both. I’m really sorry for the dirty question, but… how’s your gag reflex? I would love to fuck your throat if you’d let me :) Of course, that doesn’t mean I will forget about you.

---

Charisma wanted to see me again on Saturday night. He booked 4 hours this time.

I really didn’t want to accept other forms. But if it’s him…

I think… I might just accept it.

Why not?

He was great in bed. He paid attention to every part of my body.

He held me afterwards.

Why not?

I started reading through his form and found it very funny how he used each column to have a ‘conversation’ of sorts. All the other clients would simply write what they wanted or didn’t want, forgetting there was a human being on the other side of the form.

He even wrote please, for fuck’s sake. Did he forget I’m just a whore?

Of course, that doesn’t mean I will forget about you. He wrote that. Why? Does he want me to enjoy the sex that badly? He could just use my throat to get off and not even touch me at all, and it wouldn’t have mattered, because he doesn’t pay me to enjoy having sex with him. He pays me so he can cum inside or on me. So… why did he feel the need to mention my pleasure like that?

Is he also having second thoughts about this whole prostitution-thing?

Maybe I’m also the first harlot he’s seeing. What a funny thought. Maybe we’re just the same. It wouldn’t be so implausible, since his touches were so unsure at first, I almost felt like laughing. Shy in a whore house. Pfft.

I liked Charisma. He was a good customer to have.

I could just think of him as my fuck buddy to ease my guilty conscience, and if I would only see him, and he would hire me at least once a month, I wouldn’t have to fuck any sleazy guys. I could keep my dignity – in some way, anyway. This felt like cognitive dissonance, but it helped me not beat myself up over having a different guy pay me every week to endure him fucking me.

At least I enjoyed it with Charisma.

Yes. Okay.

---

FLAME – personal form

THINGS I ENJOY: Charisma, I really appreciate you booking me again. :) I’m quite happy, actually, to know you’ve enjoyed our last time together. Of course, I’m going to take care of you and hold onto you for the whole night. ;)

THINGS I DON’T WANT TO DO: I don’t enjoy pain, but you can slap my ass (please?), and even my face – not too hard! – if you’re into that, if you make sure you won’t leave any marks.

CONDOM / NO CONDOM: no condom

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS: My gag reflex is not so bad, but it might take some time to get used to you. Please take it slowly at first. If I can’t take it or need a break, I will tap on you three times.

---

Saturday came by quickly, and I was pacing back and forth around the dark room while waiting for Charisma. It was funny, really, not ever seeing how this room looks like in the light, but they’ve informed me when I first came here that the lights in the ‘bedroom’ stay off all the time to prevent any accidents from happening. Only the hallway is illuminated, and that light turns off automatically as well as soon as you press on the bedroom’s handle.

When I arrive here, the bedroom door is already open, so I have to walk into the room and shut the door behind me, which is when the mechanism starts working. The client then comes in the hallway, opens the bedroom door, and all lights in the whole place turn off. When the time is up, we hear a small bell sound, and I have to exit the room back into the hallway and close the door behind me.

The door locks automatically and the light turns on, and there is a clean white bathrobe waiting for me on the small shelf in the hallway. I must dress myself in it, then leave to another room on another floor, so that my client has the same privacy as I do. In that other room I can shower and chill out while a staff member brings me my clothes, previously discarded on the floor.

Now back on what happens to the client after I leave. The bedroom door would get unlocked, and he would have to go into the bathroom and clean up as well. While he does that, the staff member quickly collects all our clothes, and they leave the client’s on the small shelf in the hallway, and they bring mine, as I said.

Neither of us meets the staff members face to face. We sometimes hear them rummaging around, but we’ve already been instructed on the app prior to the meeting that we have to pretend they’re not there, and not try to meet them at all. Their identities are private. They have the same right to privacy as we do.

My clothes are brought to me in the hallway of my new room while I sit on the bed and watch TV or eat and drink stuff from the mini bar, but only after my client has left the building for a long time. Last time it took about 1 hour for my clothes to be brought to me, and I spent that time glancing around the room at the ugly yellow wallpaper with gaudy flowers on it, and the boring brown furniture. I wondered if the room Charisma and I used looked as disappointing as this one.

At least everything was clean.

-

I don’t know how long I waited for Charisma. Probably 20-something minutes, as I got here way earlier than I should’ve. I sat on the bed for the first many minutes, but I got bored and sleepy, being surrounded by complete darkness, so I decided to get up and just walk around the room, see if my hands recognise any décor from the room I did see.

My heels were getting uncomfortable, and I don’t know why I decided to wear them. I could’ve worn sneakers. My stupid brain just thought in a leap of judgment that this slutty short skirt I was wearing, that left virtually nothing to the imagination, fit way better with a pair of high heels. Both were black, but of course, I was the only one who had that information. The staff member that would have to pick them and my soaked wet panties from the floor and bring them to me would have it as well, in about four hours from now.

When the door finally opened, Charisma’s scent invaded my nostrils, just like last time. The perfume he used must’ve been expensive, but I didn’t recognise it.

Instead of waiting patiently for him to figure out where I am, like I did last time, I decided to be bolder and headed towards him directly. My eyes were already adjusted to the darkness in the room enough to be able to see shapes. Of course, there was no visible source of light, but it wasn’t pitch black either, otherwise I wouldn’t have been able to notice where Charisma was.

He was a tall man with a nice build, and he frankly turned me on, thankfully.

When I got in front of him, he stopped moving, aware of my presence, and I pressed my hands on his face. If he were my date, or at least my hook-up or one night stand, I would’ve kissed him, but I knew better.

I knew he didn’t want it. Why did I want it? It made no sense.

I would’ve done it, though.

I would’ve raised on my tiptoes, even on these uncomfortable high heels, and I would’ve smiled at him and told him a small ‘hi’, and then I would’ve pressed my lips against his, and I would’ve let him stick his tongue down my throat and kiss me over and over while our hands would erratically grab each other’s bodies, for both of us were full of desire and wanted to feel a little bit closer.

But my contract doesn’t allow me to talk, and he doesn’t allow me to kiss him, and I don’t know why these thoughts even went through my head, because what genuine desire could there possibly be between a customer and his whore, besides purely sexual tension for a release?

He held my hands with his, that were still on his face, and he grabbed my right palm, letting my fingers brush over his lips so lightly, a feather must’ve felt heavier. Then, he pressed a gentle kiss on my fingertips, and my heart started beating faster, irregularly, uncontrolled.

He pulled my body into a hug and caressed the back of my hair as if he would’ve said ‘I missed you’, as if I were his lover, and I embraced him back, as confused as I was, feeling my head get lighter as I felt deprived of oxygen. He took all of it out of my lungs with such simple gestures.

When we separated, I started roaming his body with my hands, taking off his coat and unbuttoning his shirt slowly. We let all those useless garments fall down and I started kissing his neck and chest, biting his skin slightly, his small moans every time my lips touched his body turning me on way too much for him to just be a client that pays me to have sex with him. Who knew this could be so enjoyable to me?

Since I was meeting him for the second time, I already knew my way around his body, his firm muscles, where I needed to touch to make him squirm under my fingers. He was burning hot and he smelled good, and all my senses were intoxicated and full of him, so it was too easy to fall on my knees and unbuckle his belt, to take his already hard dick in my mouth.

Did I excite him that much for him to already be hard after just a few love bites on his chest and stomach?

As soon as my mouth made contact with his member, he let out a small groan. I wondered if his head was rolled back, if his eyes were closed, if he wanted to watch me suck his dick. If we would’ve seen each other and he would’ve looked at me, would’ve I looked right in his eyes to watch him become fucked up with the pleasure I’m causing?

What colour were his eyes? Brown? Green? Black?

I worked his dick down my throat to the best of my abilities, painfully aware of his written request of fucking it tonight. I wasn’t necessarily good at deep throats, but with enough ‘training’ and patience, I think I would be able to take a good fucking, even if it would leave my throat sore the next day.

Charisma was thankfully patient, for now at least. He let me suck him off the way I wanted to, his small moans would compliment me and encourage me to keep going, and his large hand on the top of my head was there just to caress me, not to push me or hasten me in any way.

He showered beforehand; much to my delight, he tasted good, and he was well groomed. This, combined with the fact that his body was sculped by some Greek God, made me wonder why he came to see a prostitute in the first place. It shouldn’t have been difficult to get any dates.

Maybe he’s ugly.

The thought sounded wrong in my head. Somehow, I didn’t even want to imagine this a possibility, for it was simply impossible for Charisma, who treated me so gently, who smelled so good and was so tidy, who certainly spent years in the gym to train this perfect body under my fingertips, to not be good looking.

Maybe he looks like that dad of the new girl in my class. He is handsome enough, and they seem to be of similar heights anyway.

A dangerous thought came through my head, but I tried to get rid of it as soon as it came.

Use Choi Minho as a visual representation of Charisma. He’s hot and handsome, and they’re the same height.

Of course, doing this to my mental health wasn’t a good idea. Charisma was Charisma, a faceless man I enjoyed fucking whenever he wanted to meet me.

I should never navigate on that territory of imagining him to be someone I know in real life that I see every day while he drops off and picks up his daughter from school. He’s probably married anyway, and I’m not a homewrecker. Not intentionally, at least. Charisma might be married too, but I didn’t feel any rings on his fingers last time we met. Of course, men are men, and he could’ve just taken it off, but even if he didn’t, it wouldn’t have mattered, because he was paying me for the few hours spent together, and I couldn’t get out of the agreement anyway.

I continued sucking Charisma off, and I started getting used to the pressure down my throat. Even if I was choking a bit on my saliva that was now uncontrollably smearing my face and falling on my clothes and probably on the floor, the feeling in my neck wasn’t that unpleasant, and I was glad that I didn’t feel like throwing up.

Charisma must’ve felt it too, because he grabbed my face and pulled away, then helped me stand up. He used his hands to clean up my chin, then helped me towards the bed. I laid down, my head on the edge of the mattress, as he aligned his dick with my mouth.

I opened wide, but he hesitated for a bit.

Is this okay? Is what his hesitation made me think he wanted to ask, if he were allowed to talk. Of course, he signed the same forms as me, so we weren’t allowed to utter any more than desperate sobs, moans, grunts and whines, but that’s what it felt like he was asking, so I placed my hands on the back of his now naked thighs and pulled him towards me.

He pushed his dick in my mouth, and I took it in fully, and he stayed there, balls deep, for a few seconds, taking my breath away. Then, he pulled out and I caught my breath. He didn’t leave me too many seconds to do so, as he entered my mouth again and started keeping a steady pace of fucking my throat deep and quick while holding my neck with his right hand. He squeezed and I felt myself become a bit too deprived of oxygen, and while it made my head dizzy, it also gave me euphoria, so I found myself moving my own hand towards my pussy and starting to rub it slowly through my underwear, while Charisma was using my throat as his personal fleshlight.

I was becoming sensitive and felt myself wanting to cum, but my head got so dizzy, I was focusing hard to keep myself present in the moment and not faint from the lack of air in my lungs. I stopped rubbing myself and raised my hand to cover Charisma’s on my neck, as I was almost at my limit and didn’t think I could take it anymore.

I held onto his hand for a while, and he stopped squeezing my neck and held me back as his pace started becoming sloppy, and I knew he was close. He moved his other hand on my left breast, groping it and squeezing it through my blouse and bra.

I shut my eyes tight and fought the urge to tap his hand three times to make him stop, decided to only do so if I really couldn’t take it anymore.

However, there was no need for me to do so, because he came down my throat soon after I held his hand, with a loud grunt that sounded heavenly to my ears, and he removed his dick from my mouth, proceeding to probably kneel down and pressing a kiss on my forehead.

If I were his date, and not a mere whore, would’ve he kissed my lips instead?

I took the next few minutes to recover from the intense face-fucking I’ve experienced and let the air slowly make its way back in my lungs, while Charisma grabbed a bed sheet or some other fabric and wiped my face clean with one hand and touching my hair soothingly with his other.

You did a good job. That’s what his touches felt like, and I felt cared for.

After a couple minutes of breathing in and out, I grabbed Charisma’s arm and pulled him towards me, letting him know that I’m ready for whatever he wants us to do next.

He started by pulling me up to sit on my ass so he can take off my blouse and bra with ease, then he palmed my breasts and kissed spots on my neck and collarbones while pinching my nipples softly.

I let a soft whine escape, and he made his way down, riling my skirt up and only removing my panties. He pushed my legs open, and I became aware of how wet I was. He ate me out last time we met as well, and I tried to focus on how good his tongue felt on my clit, and not on the fact that he must’ve considered my lips to be dirtier than my pussy; otherwise, why wouldn’t he want to kiss me?

His tongue moved carefully between my folds. He was experimenting each spot that made me moan, he teased my entrance before moving back to my clit and sucking on it ever so gently, and he seemed to relish on all the sounds I was making, for he let out some small moans as well every time I would clench around nothing.

Two of his fingers brushed my lips and I opened up my mouth again for him to stick them down my throat, covering them in saliva, just so that he could move them against my entrance and explore my insides with them, as if they wouldn’t have slid easily enough with how wet he made me, anyway.

He continued licking up my clit while his fingers curved mercilessly inside of me, grazing the sweet spot inside, driving me over the edge and bringing me to what was probably the most powerful orgasm I’ve ever experienced in my life.

He continued licking me and fucking me with his fingers, and the pleasure started becoming overwhelming, even painful, so I put my hands in his hair and grabbed it as hard as I could, making him move away from me.

He kissed my thighs while I moaned and moaned, trying to get back from my high, then he kissed my lower stomach and made his way up on my body, as if he wanted to kiss me everywhere, to not leave any patch of skin untouched.

Once he was completely on top of me, his dick brushed against my pussy, and I felt how hard he became once again. He kissed the crook of my neck as he pressed his dick inside, and I let out a loud whine, as he didn’t leave me any chance to get used to him inside of me. He started thrusting strongly, earning a loud moan each time he would bottom out inside of me, and I let my head roll down, falling out of the mattress while he was buried in my neck, biting it and sucking on it while fucking me hard.

I felt my second orgasm creep in, and I came loudly, unable to control any sounds coming out of my mouth. Hearing me, Charisma grunted and soon enough I felt his warm release inside of me as well.

He collapsed on top of me, and we just breathed for a little while, together, synchronised, letting our chests rise and fall and touch, our faced hovering mere centimetres away, his lips so closed to mine, his breath against mine so warm. It would’ve been so easy to cross a line, but he specifically asked to not be kissed, and I really wanted to see him again, to have him fill me up and take care of my body’s needs.

Eventually, Charisma moved away from on top of me and guided me in a normal position on the bed, head on his shoulder similar to last time, and started caressing my hair slowly, kissing my forehead, slowly dragging his fingers on my arm, making my skin get goosebumps.

I enjoyed staying like this with him so much, even more than the sex. It felt like we were close, and I let my right hand feel his heartbeat against his chest, and I closed my eyes and drifted off to sleep.

The bell sound painfully woke me up from my slumber, indicating that our four hours were over. Reluctantly, I got up from Charisma’s shoulder and sighed, but he grabbed my hand and pulled me back down, hugging me tightly, before releasing me.

I didn’t want to overthink it too much. He must’ve just been grateful I let him cum down my throat and in my pussy. That’s all.

I made my way out of the room and closed the door behind me, which obviously locked, and the light turned on.

I grabbed the white bathrobe hanging on the shelf in the hallway and went out, heading towards my new room I had to use until Charisma completely left the building.

Once inside the new room, I went straight to the bathroom and glanced in the mirror while taking off the robe. My whole skin was stained with purple marks going from my neck to my breasts and my abdomen, and I traced each of them with my fingers, until I reached the hem of my skirt.

I was still wearing it. Charisma didn’t take it off this time, for some reason.

Seeing myself like that, naked, in only that damn short slutty skirt, covered in love bites, my hair and make-up a mess, and knowing I’ve just been covered in saliva and snot hours prior by some strange man I was meeting for money for the second time already, I really felt like a dirty whore.

Looking in the bathroom mirror was a rude awakening to this fact, and no matter how much I wanted to trick myself into thinking that Charisma’s nice gestures were genuine attraction towards me, my dishevel hair and this short skirt brought me back to Earth.

I was nothing special. I was just a whore.

A nobody.

Dirt.

---

MEETING REVIEW FORM by Charisma

Rate Flame from 1 to 5 (lowest to highest): ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Were all your special requirements fulfilled? (Leave empty if not applicable): Thank you for everything, Flame. I felt amazing. Tonight has fulfilled so many of my fantasies. Let’s do it again sometime.

What did you enjoy? -

What should be improved? -

Would you like to tip Flame? (Any amount you write will automatically be deducted from your Card after submitting this form. Leave empty if you don’t wish to tip your host): 300$

Thank you for using our service!

---

MEETING REVIEW FORM by Flame

Rate the interaction with the customer from 1 to 5 (lowest to highest): ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Did the customer fulfil your special requirements? -

Tip received – 300$: Thank you once again for the tip, Charisma, and I’m glad to learn that you felt good tonight. I loved sucking you off, and you can fuck my throat anytime. We definitely have to do it again and let me know if there’s any other fantasies you want fulfilled. I’d be glad to be the one to fulfil them for you xx❤️

---

Chapter 1 | Chapter 3

[newgabeorder]

It's official. Laid-Back Camp is now an E/I program!

Here are the new lineup updates for T3 Express and Toon Time Theater for the weekend of October 18 & 19, but you don't have to take my word for it.

181024 (All Times PDT)

E/I: Educational & Informational

2:00P - SAILOR MOON ("A Crystal Clear Destiny", E/I)

2:30P - SAILOR MOON ("A Reluctant Princess", E/I)

Uzumaki Hour

3:00P - NARUTO (2002 series, Season 2, Episode 33)

3:30P - UZUMAKI (Episode 3)

Crime Time

4:00P - Moriarty the Patriot (Season 1, Episode 10)

4:30P - TIGER & BUNNY (2011 series, Season 1, Episode 9: "Spare the Rod and Spoil the Child.")

COMIC PARTY

5:00P - X-MEN (Season 2, Episode 25)

5:30P - attack on titan: junior high (Episode 11, rerun)

5:45P - DRAGON BALL Z ABRIDGED (Episodes 20 & 21)

2024.10.19 / 191024

E/I: Educational and Informational

6.0A - Bartender (2006 series, Episode 2, rerun. E/I)

6.5A - Laid-Back Camp (Season 1, Episode 3, E/I)

"Journey To Your Heart"

7.0A - Pokémon Master Journeys

7.5A - Rick And Morty: The Anime (2024 series, Episode 10)

Series Finale

Isekai Hour

8.0A - SONIC X (Season 2, Episode 29)

8.5A - TSUBASA: Reservoir Chronicle (Season 2, Episode 52)

Series Finale

The Haunting Hour

9.0A – PUELLA MAGI MADOKA MAGICA (Episode 12)

Series Finale

9.5A - CASTLEVANIA (Season 1, Episode 4)

Season Finale

SHONEN JUMP

10.0A - ONE PIECE

10.5A - BORUTO: NARUTO NEXT GENERATIONS (Episode 5)

HAIKYU!! Double Dose

11.0A - HAIKYU!! (Season 2, Episode 41, E/I)

11.5A - HAIKYU!! (Season 2, Episode 42, E/I)

8 episode(s) more before season finale

KQED Plus Spotlight Show

Peepshow: Sat 8.5 PM PDT / Sat 11.5 PM EDT / Sun 0.5 PM JST

Spotlight Show: Sat 9.0 PM PDT / Sun 12.0 AM EDT / Sun 1.0 PM JST

9.0P - ROBOTECH: THE MACROSS SAGA (Season 1, Episode 1)

9.5P - Generator Gawl (Episode 1)

10.0P - SAKURA WARS: The Animated Series (2000 series, Episode 1)

10.5P - All Purpose Cultural Cat Girl Nuku Nuku: The Series (Episode 1)

11.0P - CITY HUNTER (Episode 1, subtitled)

11.5P - KEY THE METAL IDOL (Episode 1, edited)

201024

12.0A - Neon Genesis EVANGELION (Episode 1)

I figured I'd have to re-organize the lineups last minute because I read online regarding educational and informational anime, and I can confirm Laid-Back Camp is one of them. From the broadcast of Episode 3 onwards, it will be given the "Illuminating Television"* makeover complete with the curriculum board bumper and the "Now & Then" menu bumpers set at the Otonokizaka High School campus.

Illuminating Television is the brand name for educational and informational (E/I) programming. Originally, ABC's One Saturday Morning used such branding, and I am carrying it on for my tribute SatAM cartoon block, Toon Time Theater.

Also, I had to add back ONE PIECE considering the anime's 25th anniversary. Sorry DRAGON BALL Z KAI fans, but I plan to add the latter to T3 Express later down the road.

[s10127470]

Freeform Disney Block Ideas

So for the past few months, I've been thinking about the concept of the channel Freeform having programming blocks for the animated programming from Disney’s expansive library, similar to what TeenNick and Adult Swim did with The Splat and Checkered Past.

I feel like it would help garner more interest in the channel, and would serve as a throwback to those programming blocks like Disney’s One Saturday Morning and ABC Kids.

So far, I’ve taught of about two programming blocks, both of which would air on the weekends.

Funky Fridays:

This would be a Friday night block, drawing heavy inspiration from Cartoon Network’s Cartoon Cartoon Fridays.

The block's format would be set in the iconic House of Mouse, where Mickey, his famous pals, and various Disney Channel characters serve as the hosts.

As for the programming.

The block would feature new episodes of Big City Greens, Hamster & Gretel, Kiff, Zombies: The Re-Animated Series and Primos.

In fact, that would be the biggest draw of the block.

You would be able to see new episodes of these shows before they would properly premiere on their home network.

The block would also feature reruns of Phineas & Ferb, Hailey's On It!, Recess, The Proud Family, Lilo & Stitch: The Series, Pepper Ann, and yes, even House of Mouse.

And staying true to it's name, Funky Fridays would feature music videos that would air during commercial breaks, structured in a countdown format ala TeenNick's Top 10.

Finally for the schedule....

-6:00: Recess

-6:30: Pepper Ann

-7:00: Big City Greens (New)

-7:30: The Proud Family

-8:00: Zombies: The Re-Animated Series (New)

-8:30: Lilo & Stitch: The Series

-9:00: Hamster & Gretel (New)

-9:30: Phineas & Ferb

-10:00: Primos (New)

-10:30: Hailey's On It!

-11:00: Kiff (New)

-11:30: House of Mouse

Jetix:

Now this is a name that I'm sure will take you all back!

This will serve as a Saturday night block, focusing on the more action-oriented/mature programming of the library, ala Toonami.

Similar to Funky Fridays, it would feature various characters serving as the hosts of the block.

However, the setting would be in a high-tech hero base.

As for the programming, it would primarily feature reruns.

Those being of Hercules: The Series, Aladdin: The Series, Gargoyles, The Legend of Tarzan, Buzz Lightyear of Star Command, Kim Possible, American Dragon: Jake Long, Gravity Falls, Amphibia, The Owl House, The Spectacular Spider-Man, and Star Wars: The Clone Wars.

There would be new episodes of Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur, X-Men: The Next Mutation, Maximum Marvel, and Time Patrol Bon.

In the case of the middle two, they would be Freeform original series since....

They're a little too mature for Disney Channel

They're not gonna thrive at all over at Disney XD! Also, same issue as Disney Channel

I actually want the seasons for these shows to be longer than 10 episodes. So no to Disney Plus

As for Time Patrol Bon, I know it seems strange it's an original series on Netflix.

But #1, this wouldn't be the first time a Netflix original series would go on to air on television.

And #2, this would sort of a nod to the fact that Disney famously aired the official English dub of Doraemon, another work done by the Fujiko Fujio.

As for the schedule.

-6:00: Star Wars: The Clone Wars

-6:30: Buzz Lightyear of Star Command

-7:00: Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur (New)

-7:30: Hercules: The Series

-8:00: Time Patrol Bon (New)

-8:30: Aladdin: The Series

-9:00: X-Men: The Next Mutation (New)

-9:30: Gargoyles

-10:00: Maximum Marvel (New)

-10:30: The Legend of Tarzan

-11:00: Gravity Falls

-11:30: The Spectacular Spider-Man

-12:00: Amphibia

-12:30: Kim Possible

-1:00: The Owl House

-1:30: American Dragon: Jake Long

Well that's all I have for now.

A short post I know, but a fun one.

Let me know what you guys think about this block ideas and the schedules for them.

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

John Deering, The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

* * * *

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

March 24, 2024 (Sunday)

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

MAR 25, 2024

The Senate passed the appropriations bill shortly after midnight on Saturday morning, and President Joe Biden signed it Saturday afternoon. In his statement after he signed the bill, Biden was clear: “Congress’s work isn’t finished,” he said. “The House must pass the bipartisan national security supplemental to advance our national security interests. And Congress must pass the bipartisan border security agreement—the toughest and fairest reforms in decades—to ensure we have the policies and funding needed to secure the border. It’s time to get this done.”

House speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) has refused to bring forward the national security supplemental bill to fund Ukraine, Israel, the Indo-Pacific, and humanitarian aid to Gaza. He has also refused to bring forward the border security measure hammered out in the Senate after House Republicans demanded it and passed there on February 13. Johnson is doing the bidding of former president Trump, who opposes aid to Ukraine and border security measures. 

Congress is on break and will not return to Washington, D.C., until the second week in April. 

By then, political calculations may well have changed. 

MAGA Republicans appear to be in trouble.  

The House recessed on Friday for two weeks in utter disarray. On ABC News’s This Week, former representative Ken Buck (R-CO), who left Congress Friday, complained that House Republicans were focusing “on messaging bills that get us nowhere” rather than addressing the country’s problems. He called Congress “dysfunctional.” 

On Friday, NBC announced it was hiring former Republican National Committee (RNC) chair Ronna McDaniel as a political analyst. Today the main political story in the U.S. was the ferocious backlash to that decision. McDaniel not only defended Trump, attacked the press, and gaslit reporters, she also participated in the effort to overturn the 2020 presidential election. 

In an interview with Kristen Welker this morning on NBC’s Meet the Press—Welker was quick to point out that the interview had been arranged long before she learned of the hiring— McDaniel explained away her support for Trump’s promise to pardon those convicted for their participation in the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol by saying, “When you’re the RNC Chair, you kind of take one for the whole team.”

That statement encapsulated Trump Republicans. In a democracy, the “team” is supposed to be the whole country. But Trump Republicans like McDaniel were willing to overthrow American democracy so long as it kept them in power.  

That position is increasingly unpopular. Former representative Liz Cheney (R-WY) wrote on social media: “Ronna facilitated Trump’s corrupt fake elector plot & his effort to pressure [Michigan] officials not to certify the legitimate election outcome. She spread his lies & called 1/6 ‘legitimate political discourse.’ That’s not ‘taking one for the team.’ It’s enabling criminality & depravity.”

McDaniel wants to be welcomed back into mainstream political discourse, but it appears that the window for such a makeover might have closed. 

In the wake of Trump’s takeover of the RNC, mainstream Republicans are backing away from the party. Today, Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) said she could not “get behind Donald Trump” and expressed “regret that our party is seemingly becoming a party of Donald Trump.” She did not rule out leaving the Republican Party.

In Politico today, a piece on Trump’s vice president, Mike Pence, by Adam Wren also isolated Trump from the pre-2016 Republican Party. Pence appears to be trying to reclaim the mantle of that earlier incarnation of the party, backed as he is by right-wing billionaire Harlan Crow (who has funded Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas over the years) and the Koch network. Wren’s piece says Pence is focusing these days on “a nonprofit policy shop aimed at advancing conservative ideals.” Wren suggested that Pence’s public split from Trump is “the latest sign that Trumpism is now permanently and irrevocably divorced from its initial marriage of convenience with…Reaganism.” 

Trump appears to believe his power over his base means he doesn’t need the established Republicans. But that power came from Trump’s aura of invincibility, which is now in very real crisis thanks to Trump’s growing money troubles. Tomorrow is the deadline for him to produce either the cash or a bond to cover the $454 million he owes to the people of the state of New York in fines and disgorgement of ill-gotten gains for fraud. 

Trump does not appear to have the necessary cash and has been unable to get a bond. He claims a bond of such size is “unprecedented, and practically impossible for ANY Company, including one as successful as mine," and that "[t]he Bonding Companies have never heard of such a bond, of this size, before, nor do they have the ability to post such a bond, even if they wanted to.” But Louis Jacobson of PolitiFact corrected the record: it is not uncommon for companies in civil litigation cases to post bonds of more than $1 billion.

Trump made his political career on his image as a successful and fabulously wealthy businessman. Today, “Don Poorleone” trended on X (formerly Twitter). 

The backlash to McDaniel’s hiring at NBC also suggests a media shift against news designed to grab eyeballs, the sort of media that has fed the MAGA movement. According to Mike Allen of Axios, NBC executives unanimously supported hiring McDaniel. A memo from Carrie Budoff Brown, who is in charge of the political coverage at NBC News, said McDaniel would help the outlet examine “the diverse perspectives of American voters.” This appears to mean she would appeal to Trump voters, bringing more viewers to the platform.  

But former Meet the Press anchor Chuck Todd took a strong stand against adding McDaniel to a news organization, noting her “credibility issues” and that “many of our professional dealings with the RNC over the last six years have been met with gaslighting [and] character assassination.” 

This pushback against news media as entertainment recalls the 1890s, when American newspapers were highly partisan and gravitated toward more and more sensational headlines and exaggerated stories to increase sales. That publication model led to a circulation war between Joseph Pulitzer’s New York World and William Randolph Hearst’s New York Journal that is widely—and almost certainly inaccurately—blamed for pushing the United States into war with Spain in 1898. 

More accurate, though, is that the sensationalism of what was known as “yellow journalism” created a backlash that gave rise to new investigative journalism designed to move away from partisanship and explain clearly to readers what was happening in American politics and economics. In 1893, McClure’s Magazine appeared, offering in-depth examinations of the workings of corporations and city governments and launching a new era of reform. 

Three years later, publisher Adolph Ochs bought the New York Times and put up New York City’s first electric sign to advertise, in nearly 2,700 individual lights of red, white, blue, and green, that it would push back against yellow journalism by publishing “ALL THE NEWS THAT’S FIT TO PRINT.” Ochs added that motto to the masthead. With his determination to provide nonpartisan news without sensationalism, in just under 40 years, Ochs took over the paper from just over 20,000 readers to more than 465,000, and turned the New York Times into a newspaper of record.

In that era that looks so much like our own, the national mood had changed.

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

[magicalgirllove92]

My favorite TV shows of 1997

1. South Park (1997-present) One of the best Comedy Central original shows and one of the longest running adult animated shows ever. The show takes places in the fictional town of South Park, Colorado where 4 young foul-mouthed boys got involved in the series of hilariously mature adventures. This cartoon is for adults only. Starring: Trey Parker, Matt Stone, April Stewart, Mona Marshall and Mary Kay Bergen. Distributed by Comedy Partners and Paramount Global

2. King of the Hill (1997-2010/2024-present) Fox Television Network folks is needed another adult animated show besides The Simpsons and Mike Judge arrives and creates one of the best-loved Fox shows ever King of the Hill. The show takes places in the fictional town of Arlen, Texas, chronicling the lives of Propane salesman Hank Hill, his family, and his 3 comical best friends. Starring Mike Judge, Kathy Najimy, Pamela Aldon, Johnny Hardwick and Stephen Root. Distributed by 20th Television Animation and Disney

3. Cow and Chicken (1997-1999) With an success of Cartoon Network's second original show Dexter's Laboratory and 3rd series Johnny Bravo, the all-cartoon TV network has come up with an plan... an new summer TV show that involves 2 funny young kid animals, an devilishly funny villain, an dashing brave weasel and an buffoon baboon. Thus, Cow and Chicken was born on July 15, 1997. This grossly laugh out loud animated comedy about an scrawny 11 year old Chicken, his beefy 7 year old sister Cow and their unconventional weirdest human parents. Cow and Chicken navigating their lives throughout suburbia, encountered hilarious problems not just at school but an evil funny guy with devilishly schemes named Red Guy whose singular intent to make the siblings' lives miserable. Along with Cow and Chicken, the 2nd segment that spun-off an very short-lived show called I Am Weasel. The spin-off that focus on a smart, dashing, intelligent, noble and successful weasel named I.M Weasel and an unintelligent, rude, dumb and stinky baboon named I.R Baboon who is unaware of Weasel's good deeds and acts as his rival and friend, and the mischievous funny devil Red Guy, he often antagonize the two. Starring Charlie Andler, Candi Milo, Dee Bradley Baker and Michael Dorn. Distributed by Cartoon Network Studios, Hanna-Barbera Productions and Warner Bros Television Distribution

3. Stargate SG-1 (1997-2010) An television sequel to an 1994 blockbuster hit movie that started it all. Showtime ordered 6 seasons before Sci-Fi Channel (Syfy) took over from the remainder of the series after successful reruns. An young team of explorers made up of soldiers and scientists travels through a Stargate, an ancient portal to other planets. They use the Stargate to explore new worlds, forge ties with friendly civilizations and protect earth from evil and hostile forces. Starring Richard Dean Anderson, Michael Shanks, Amanda Tapping, Christopher Judge and Ben Browder. Distributed by Metro Goldwyn Mayer Domestic Television, Showtime Networks and Syfy Originals.

4. Disney's Recess (1997-2001) Recess is might be ABC's first original hit show/original Saturday Morning Cartoon show since acquired by Walt Disney Company in 1996. 6 brave 4th graders at the fictional school of Third Street School make it their mission to protect the kids on the playground despite King Bob and his minions who enforce his harshly unwritten law, TJ, Gretchen, Spinelli, Vince, Gus and Mikey seeks a rational balance between conformity an individually. The hit cartoon that spun 4 movies, the underrated 2001 movie Recess: School's Out, an Christmas compilation sequel Recess Christmas: Miracle on Third Street, 2 direct-to-video movies that debuts in 2003, an prequel Recess: All Growed Down and the series finale movie Recess: Taking a 5th Grade. Starring Andrew Lawrence, Ricky D'Shon Collins, Ashley Johnson, Pamela Aldon and Jason Davis. Distributed by Walt Disney Television Animation

5. Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction (1997-2002) Sci-fi/fantasy/mystery fans are need a relief after Unsolved Mysteries suffered from disastrous failure after the show was moving from NBC to CBS, 4 more months before the first ever Murder, She Wrote TV movie and the 1996-1997 season of The X-Files ended with gigantic cliffhanger, so Fox and Dick Clark Production conjure up an summertime experiment to turn the tide until September and that's when Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction? Debuts on May 25th, 1997. Each episodes that has 5 tales, all of them which appear defy logic or some of them are loosely based on actual events. The viewer is up to challenge of determined 5 stories that are true or false, at the end of each episodes, it is revealed to the viewer whether 5 tales were true or fiction. The show was massive popular in Germany, RTL II revives the show with Star Trek actor Jonathan Franks reprise his hosting duties in October 2021. Starring James Brolin and Jonathan Frakes. Distributed by Fox and Dick Clark Productions

[ariel-seagull-wings]

TOP NINE FOES OF THE REAL GHOSTBUSTERS (Q5 ERA)

@bixiebeet @spengnitzed @professorlehnsherr-almashy @slimerspengler @inevitablemoment @themousefromfantasyland @amalthea9 @janeb984 @thealmightyemprex @makingboneboy

So after the original run of successfull 78 episodes of The Real Ghostbusters (13 produced for Saturday Morning, 65 produced for syndication) the ABC Network hired executives of a company named Q5 as creative consultants, thinking that their counselling would make an already successfull show even more successfull.

That choice ended up being very controversial, as the ideas proposed by Q5 leaned more on toning down the show for children, giving more emphasis on lighthearted comedy with characters in more conservative social roles, rather than the combination of satire with somber horror that made the series so popular at the time.

Some writers agreed without questioning, while others entered in conflict with the executives. J. Michael Straczinsky left the role of story supervisor, leaving in his place the writers Len Janson and Chuck Menville.

The ratings started to drop, so the executives of ABC and Q5 reluctantly agreeded to let the writers get more creative liberty with some scripts, in the struggle to avoid the show's cancellation.

While the later seasons had mostly lukewarm episodes compared to the original two seasons of The Real Ghostbusters, there were some episodes that still showed great cleverness and creativity, being listed among the best of the series.

The interesting conflicts provided by the antagonists of these episodes was what specially made these episodes of the later half of the series, which we shall call the Q5 Era, become exceptional highlights, and today we are going to rank the top nine villains who were the saving grace of The Real Ghostbusters later years.

09º The Copycat (The Copycat)

The Copycat was a shape shifting entity, also called a "metamorph," that has the ability to change into any form it wanted.

The Copycat first appeared in the home of Miss Campbell and displayed a mischievous streak. It broke her fine china, rearranged the furniture, scared her dog and left the living room in shambles. After the GHOSTBUSTERS failed to find him, the ghost hitched a ride on Ecto-1 in the form of the No-Ghost sign. After the GHOSTBUSTERS returned to the Firehouse, it assumed many forms and pulled several cruel pranks on the GHOSTBUSTERS, framing each other in the process. Eventually, they realized what was going on and (after activating a security system to keep it from getting out of the Firehouse) started searching for it. But even then, the Copycat still had the upper hand, escaping every time they found it, and even managing to beat them by taking on the forms of Captain Steel and a Proton Stream.

The only way it could be trapped was if it was in a ghost form, and since it wasn't known what the Copycat's true form was (if it even had one), Slimer tricked the Copycat into assuming his form. The Ghostbusters hesitated at first because they were not sure which one was the real Slimer and which one was the Copycat. Egon was sure that Slimer was the one on the right, but Peter made sure by showing Slimer his favorite candy bar. After Slimer flew out of the line of fire to eat the candy bar, the GHOSTBUSTERS zapped the Copycat and caught him in a Trap before he could morph.

This entity could be small in size, but their ability to make the team distressed, not knowing if they could trust each other or not, could not be undersetimated, which makes the Copycat deserving of the number nine spot.

08º Boogaloo (The Halloween Door)

A long time ago, Earth was infested by demons. These demons were led by one named Boogaloo. Eventually, the druids struck a deal with them: Boogaloo and the worst of his demons would go off to the Netherworld on the condition that they were remembered, which led to the celebration of Halloween. This became known as the Halloween Deal.

However, 2000 years later, the paranoid Dr. Crowley (with the aid of Boogaloo's disguised servant Fairweather), who hates Halloween, in effect broke the deal when all traces of Halloween were erased by his Electronic Positronic Anti-Halloween Machine. As a result, Boogaloo and his creatures were released.They terrorized New York City and partied like crazy as they waited for midnight when the deal to honor Halloween would be forever broken and they'd be free forever. The GHOSTBUSTERS decided to split up to save the world. While Peter and Ray distracted Boogaloo, Egon and Winston  traced the portal's origin to Dr. Crowley's Mansion in the Times Square district. However, the Anti-Halloween Machine was destroyed beyond repair by Boogaloo's minions to prevent anyone from reversing its effects.

Fortunately, with the help of a little girl named Irma, the GHOSTBUSTERS made Boogaloo realize that even though all the decorations, pumpkins, and costumes were erased, the true spirit of Halloween lives on in children who dared to confront the monsters who scared them. With proof that Halloween was still alive, Boogaloo and his demons were forced to return to the void they came from, for good.

An agent of chaos, Boogaloo knew how to take advantage of people's paranoia and stuborness to come take over the world, and did all of that with a great sense of fun, shown in the performance of his voice actor, the singer of the Bus Boys band Brian O' Nea, and that made him a memorable character worthy to be remember on this ranking.

07º Paul Smart (Robo-Buster)

Paul Smart was the President of a technology firm named Grossjuck Industries (GI). Just after company headquarters moved into a new high rise off 40th called Grossjuck Plaza, Paul pretended to romance Janine  in order to infiltrate the Firehouse and conduct corporate espionage.

During one winter season, Smart was able to when the Ghostbusters were busy with cases and were called away at the last minute. Escorting Janine inside the Firehouse, he pretended to have a dry throat and asked for water. While Janine was occupied, Smart placed a loaded Ghost Trap into his briefcase then took photographs of blueprints for the Proton Pack, Ghost Trap, and P.K.E. Meter to create Robo-Buster X-1, a robot designed to destroy ghosts rather than contain them. Three weeks later, Smart unveiled the Robo-Buster at a press conference. Riding success, Smart was an instant celebrity. When Janine and Slimer confronted him, Smart activated the Robo-Buster and destroyed Slimer. Robo-Buster was proven to be very ineffective when it turned out that all the ghosts it "destroyed" were actually being reincarnated into a giant mass of ghosts. The Giant Mass attacked Smart's high rise office but the slippery businessman fled the building. He was last seen trying to drive off in his wrecked limousine and being taunted by the GHOSTBUSTERS.

Greedy, selfish and arrogant, Paul Smart was the kind of sleezy villain you loved to hate, and is with great satisfaction that I put him on the number seven spot.

06º Peoplebusters (Flip Side)

The Peoplebusters were flip versions of the Ghostbusters in an alternate universe, with corresponding versions of Egon Spengler, Ray Stantz, and Peter Venkman. The weapons they use are not unlike the Slime Blower, utilising slime to catch humans. There are also alternate versions of Janine Melnitz. They reside in a city called Boo York, nicknamed "The Big Pumpkin."

Flip-Egon was a skeleton with a tentacle replacing the rat-tail portion of his hair. There was even a mouth at the end of it.

Flip-Peter was a zombie who occasionally had trouble standing up.

Flip-Ray was a patchwork construct, styled after Frankenstein's monster. He even had a hand in place of one foot.

Flip-Janine was a zombie, but more skeletal-looking than Flip-Peter.

The Peoplebusters, during their dealing with living Ray, living Peter, and living Egon, chased the GHOSTBUSTERS around Boo York looking to bust them, in much the same way GHOSTBUSTERS do to ghosts in their own universe. After all three GHOSTBUSTERS were put in the Flip Side version of the Containment Unit they found the same type of weather-like twister that brought them there. The Peoplebusters then came in to deal with them, but were stopped because the GHOSTBUSTERS' equipment worked in the Containment Unit's Earth-style environment, coating the Peoplebusters in their own slime weapon. The Ghostbusters then safely returned to their home dimension, along with all of the humans captured by the Peoplebusters.

The three Peoplebusters seemed to be similar to the GHOSTBUSTERS except they were very boastful and decidedly nastier in disposition. For instance Flip-Egon in particular displayed more emotion than Egon, including a cruel sense of humor whereas Egon's wit was more dry. And Flip-Ray seemed more hard-nosed and uncompromising than Ray.

However, some scenes hinted that the Peoplebusters were not really evil and that they only capture humans to so that they don't bother the ghosts. Judging how the crowds in Boo York were cheering them, the Peoplebusters' attitudes and morality appear to be their realm's version of what is considered virtuous and heroic, the way the GHOSTBUSTERS are viewed and loved in the world of the living. This would make sense considering the physical laws of our realm do not apply there, so why would morality there match ours?

This interesting nuance is what makes the Peoplebusters winners of the sixth place on this list.

05º The Collector (The Brooklyn Triangle)

10,000 years ago, the being who would become the Collector was a mage and abjurer of spirits, until he was defeated by a powerful demon. He was imprisoned within and bound to a fortress as the Keeper of Lost Objects in an extra-dimensional realm called the Land of Lost Objects. The Collector sought The Key, the one object that could grant him freedom.

100 centuries later, the Collector induced a dangerously high P.K.E. surge to allow his agents to break through from the spirit world.

The interference of the GHOSTBUSTERS prompted the Collector to kidnap Edward Zeddemore and Winston as a bargaining tool. Following Egon's lead, the rest of the GHOSTBUSTERS immediately surrendered in order to be brought before the Collector in the most expedient manner. During a scuttle, Winston's family heirloom was revealed and it turned out to be one half of The Key. It was in the family for centuries. Edward had the second half and willingly gave it up, feeling the Collector could be trusted. The Collector then combined the halves then placed him on a vault seal. The seal rose out and revealed his exit. The Collector made it so everything lost was returned to its original place then left the Land of Lost Objects with the Key. Everything, including Slimer, Edward, and the GHOSTBUSTERS, were teleported back to the physical plane.

An interesting precursor of the work made by the GHOSTBUSTERS, he Collector was a great example of how to execute a tragic villain's redemption ark in a well done way, and this great character writing wins him the spot number five on the ranking.

04º Gorgar (You Can't Teach an Old Demon New Tricks)

Gorgar was a demon who enjoys magic tricks. He had spent years searching for a magician because he was frustrated over never getting the card trick done right. After untold years of acquiring only magicians' assistants and doves from a magic cabinet, Ray Stantz and the GHOSTBUSTERS arrived in his dimension. They encountered Gorgar, disguised as a human magician named "Gorgani." Ray was elected to help him understand how the card trick is done in exchange for helping them get back to the physical plane. However, upon mastering a trick, Gorgar revealed it was not within his power to teleport them back home.

 Instead, he showed them to a mysterious gateway to the physical plane that could only be opened by a human being. After being sucked through, the Nether Energy leaked through and began to transform the physical plane into Gorgar's dimension. The gateway was a cross-dimensional conduit and drew the energy through it. Ray decided to take Gorgar back through the magic cabinet. However, only Gorgar was taken back. According to the Selbert Theory, Nether Energy could flow in only one direction at a time. When he went into the cabinet, an inward flow was created that reversed the effects of the outward flow. Gorgar was transported back to his own dimension,

While at first Gorgar seemed to be nothing more than an evil demon, he was actually a reasonable demonwho kept his word, and was willing to go to the physical plane to learn more magic tricks. He was not as malevolent as other demons, though he had an extremely dangerous temper.

His volatile personality gave him an interesting dynamic with the GHOSTBUSTERS that was both threatening, and friendly, and this is why he won the place number four on the ranking.

03º Karro Zans (Ghostworld)

Karro Zans (also known as Carl Sands) was a demonic gatekeeper that takes great pride in his cleverness. In the early 1990s, Karro Zans formulated a plan to gather thousands of ghosts and allow them to posses New Yorkers. He created an amusement park called Ghost World and plotted to lure the GHOSTBUSTERS. Once possessed, they would act as his park's good will ambassadors and lure the Mayor, City Council, and other power brokers. Zans sent a singing telegram to the Firehouse and invited the GHOSTBUSTERS to a private tour the next day. Egon  was sick and both Peter and Winston  declined after a busy run of busts. Ray, Slimer, and Janine went to Ghostworld and met Zans, who disguised himself as a human named Carl Sands, owner of Ghostworld. Soon after, they were possessed and tasked with getting the other three GHOSTBUSTERS to come. Peter was easily swayed with the promise of hosting a TV special.

After Egon saw a Ghostworld commercial on TV, he decided to investigate, and his mother went along with him. After exorcising Janine, Egon looked up Zans and proceeded to taunt the entity. While Janine and Mrs. Spengler saved the others, Egon planted walkie talkies all over the park and continued to infuriate Karro Zans. Once Zans' concentration was broken, Mrs. Spengler shot him with Ecto-1's headlights and the team confined him with 3 Proton Streams and the Proton Cannon, atop the roof of Ecto-1, activated by Winston. Zans was then trapped and his mental construct, the park, disappeared.

The reveal of Karro Zans's true identity and intentions was one of the most scary moments in The Real Ghostbusters. He was one the villains that came the most close to winning by tricking and posessing most of the series' main heros, and that made him worthy to be named for the third spot.

02º The Grundel (The Grundel)

The Grundel was a malicious ghost who was always looking for a willing child to manipulate into doing bad things. However, in order for his power to work, the child had to willingly let him in to their house or accept a handshake from him in person. Should the child continue to do bad things under his influence, then he or she wouldturn into a Grundel after awhile. Once the child had made a full transformation, the Grundel would then leave that child to find another.

This character was viewed by many alarmist parents as a possible child molester. While an over reaction, the Grundel's dialogue had lines that could be easily misinterpreted, such as "Come out and play child", "So fresh, so pure, but not for long", and "Open the window, we'll go away. Far from all the adults."

This famous controversial paralell with a real life type of evil makes the Grundel one of the most creepy villains ever created for animation, and the winner of the number two spot.

And the number one villain from Q5 Era of The Real Ghostbusters is...

01º Makeoveris Lotsabucks (Janine, You've Changed)

The Makoveris Lotsabucks was a creature pretending to be a Fairy Godmother. It fed on a person's insecurities about their appearance, eventually making them so perfect, they were no longer human.

For several years, the entity disguised herself as a fairy godmother to feed on Janine's longing to be seen as beautiful by Egon. It used ectoplasmic energy to alter Janine's bone and cellular structure and give her a makeover. After being summoned three times in one week, the Makoveris was almost ready to being the final phase of her parasitic relationship with Janine, to "be one with her."

While looking through Janine's photograph album, Slimer realized the drastic changes in Janine's appearance. He alerted Peter  who then gathered everyone for a meeting. Makoveris' powers had also been preventing the GHOSTBUSTERS from noticing the differences in the past. When they were convinced a supernatural force was responsible, they sent Slimer to spy on Janine. The Makoveris changed Janine for the third time that week. Then, the entity noticed Slimer and summoned a trio of Spectral Dogs to destroy him.

At 11:44 p.m., Slimer returned to the Firehouse where the Ghostbusters trapped the three ghosts. After reading Slimer's report, Egon found the Makoveris' entry in the home computer database. Secretly watching from the skylight, the Makoveris realized her time was running out. She appeared to Janine and tricked her into thinking the GHOSTBUSTERS were gonna turn against her out of petty jealousy.

The Makoveris Lotsabucks led Janine back to the harbor and coached her into attacking the GHOSTBUSTERS. Egon modified the P.K.E. Meters to only detect the Makoveris. At a little after 4:37 a.m., Egon arrived in the harbor and managed to snap Janine out of the entities control, then Ray , Peter, and Winston showed up and trapped the Makoveris Lotsabucks.

Janine You've Changed is considered by many viewers the best episode to come out in the later seasons of The Real Ghostbusters.

Acording to its writer, J. Michael Straczinsky:

Several months after finishing work on The Twilight Zone I was still looking for another gig when a call came from Michael Gross, producer of the rebooted Slimer! and the Real Ghostbusters. He explained that the show's ratings had continued to plummet and they needed my help.

Sure but I have some conditions. First, I want the authority to argue with the network censors. Second, the Junior Ghostbusters don't exist. Third, I don't write Slimer as a kid surrogate-he's a ghost, he's a dead thing, and I like kicking the crap out of him."

This episode explained all the changes Janine went through over the seasons, revealing that it was something that happened in-universe and was not a case of audience filter. Egon even noted her Brooklyn accent disappeared.

"Finally, I want to restore Janine to what she was: an independent, smart assertive woman, not the submissive, passive mommy character they networked turned her into.

The censors and consultants who had pushed for a softer Janine hated the story, but there was nothing they could do to stop it. They were particularly furious that the story equated them with a hell-born demon."

An almost subversive, edgy call out satire of network and censors sexism, that helped giving logic to a seemingly arbitrary change of a beloved character, the fact that the Makeoveris Lotsabucks got to so quietly prey on Janine's insecurities about herself, for years, before the GHOSTBUSTERS could notice, is no less than astounding. Most villains took a few hours or days to be discovered and defeated in the series, but she kept herself hidden for a long time, and thankfully didn't managed to destroy Janine in the proccess!

And that is why she my favorite villain of the Q5 Era of The Real Ghostbusters.

[aniketsanimationblog]

The Fallen TV Animation Empire

Chapter 1: The Rise of Television Animation with Saturday Morning Block

On August 18th, 2023 - I made a Post titled "The Summary of this whole current Debacles of Animation Industry" on this very Tumblr Page, @aniketsanimationblog, and you, animation fans, have expressed the concerns about What is Going on in The Global Animation Industry as a Whole, I am glad by that!! I am so thankful to those who expressed this concerns and realised that Animation is in Danger. Because, what happened in the Last Year, When Nickelodeon and Paramount+ Canceled and Removed Star Trek: Prodigy from their platforms at that time, until Netflix saved it to stream the entire Season 2 in one-go, just paint a big picture in the Animation Community. Last Year, Star Trek: Prodigy's Cancelation and Removal was not just the omission or abandonment of a Star Trek Show set in their universe or the best Star Trek Show in the Alex Kurtzman's Era of New Star Trek Shows, but also a big Massive Shocker of a Serialised Animated Kids' Show, that had a chance to become Nickelodeon's Next Avatar: The Last Airbender, betrayed by their own original Network, is like committing a Seppuku.

And it happened at the same time or before that incident, when most of the great Animated Series at the same time were Canceled/Canceled + Removed/Sabotaged by their respective Broadcasters, showing the Dismays of Fandoms of their respective shows. Now either only a handful of Good shows are left or there is nothing to watch at all, because of Kids TV Broadcasters' Greed and most notably Animation Community's Biasness towards Shows that, nowadays, have become a Money Generator, and no longer serving any good quality things to the fans, whatsoever, once they had in their prime, in the first place.

Now depending on who you may ask, "How did this Happen? What Happened to the Kids Television, once we used to love since our Childhoods, have gone in their Worst Phases now?"

Well, to understand why this happened, we need to go to the history of how this Kids TV Animation had started to build its Large Empire.

To understand the history of Kids TV Animation, we need to go back to where it all started. Since, it's a long history, and for context, The Kids TV Animation first started in the United States of America, as Hollywood were the only film industry to create Animation Renaissance from the big screens, they are also responsible for creating Majority of their Animations in the Small screens, we have to go back all the way to 1928. This is the year, when Walter Elias Disney, as we all know him as the legendary Pioneer and The Father of Animation, released his iconic Cartoon Character, Mickey Mouse's First Short film, "Steamboat Willie". At that time, "Steamboat Willie" was released over on Hollywood Theatres. But at the same time, there was an experiment happened at the small screens, aka The Television, with some limited animation cartoons appeared on TV with one of the images of "Felix The Cat". And remember, at that time, TV was available to some people who could afford TV, when majority of people weren't ready to switch from Traditional Radio. So, a handful of People watched that experiment going on.

Then some Animated TV movies happened like, "Willie The Worm" by Chad Grothkopf. It was an Eight-minute experimental TV Movie in Animated form.

But all changed in 1950s when, TV Animation started to broadcast like, "Crusader Rabbit" and "Colonel Bleep" etc.

But the First TV Animated Series came along, consisting of Animated Shorts, "Captain Kangaroo", by the Terrytoons, which is often referred to as, "One of the Finest Cartoons to ever produce on TV".

But the Cartoons, at that time, was seen primarily as "Children's Entertainment" by some Movie Exhibitors.

In 1954, Walt Disney capitalized on the Medium of Animation to Showcase on TV, with his weekly show, "Disneyland", which was broadcasted by US Terrestrial Channel, ABC, which expanded later to "Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color".

But as soon as Television popularized in the US, the people were slowly moving away from their traditional Radios and Movie Theatres, to the Compact form of Entertainment, Television. And thus, a new format was started to develop for TV Animation for Children, "The Saturday Morning Blocks", as the name suggests, the TV Animation would only be broadcasted on Saturday Mornings, because on Weekdays, The Kids are at their Schools, and on Sunday, With the American Football games clogging up the Sunday Schedules. At that time, there were no Cable systems, people were relying on Terrestrial Channels like ABC, CBS and NBC. And thus, American Children of that era were having a Ritual of watching Cartoons on Saturday Mornings.

And thus, some Television Animation Production Studios came afloat at the time. Such as, Filmation, Depatie-Freleng Enterprises, UPA Studios, Warner Brothers with their Merry Melodies, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios (MGM) with their first classic iteration of Tom & Jerry until it's collapse in 1957, Disney Studios, and the leader of all Studios, Hanna-Barbera Studios, by the Creators of Tom & Jerry, William Hanna and Joseph Barbera.

For the Starters, 1960s era was the era, when TV Animation boomed with mostly H-B Studios, "The Ruff & Reddy Show", then "The Huckleberry Hound Show", "The Yogi Bear Show" and most notably, "The Flinstones", which was like an Half-an-hour Animated Sitcom series, aired on ABC, which was their biggest successful show on Studio History, running for 6 years, alongside The Jetsons and Top Cat.

Hanna-Barbera had the common Trope used in most of their series, featuring atleast an Anthropomorphic Animal and a Child Character, up until they created "Scooby-Doo! Where are you?" in 1969 for CBS. Many incarnations of Scooby-Doo spawned for 17 seasons on CBS and then ABC, uninterruptedly with their new formula of A Group of Teens solving Supernatural mysteries or Fighting Crime. And they are the ones, who started with their Limited Animation Technologies at that time for Artistic Reasons.

Disney Studios had their fair share of Animated Shows, showcased on TV, most notably The Mickey Mouse shorts including characters from the Mickey Mouse Universe, as we all know today, and also "Winnie The Pooh".

The Studio still had a decent amount of TV Animated Series, even after Walt Disney's Demise on 15th December 1966.

At the time of 1960s, there were several Animation Artists, mostly Animators, that are still called Legendary/Veteran Artists, like Walt Disney, William Hanna and Joseph Barbera, Tex Avery, Chuck Jones, Gene Deitch, David H. Depatie, Friz Freleng, Don Bluth, to name a few.

But as Time went on, the Kids TV Animation was changed for a new era, that is beyond just only for "Saturday Mornings".

To be continued...

Next Post, Chapter 2: The Fall of Saturday Morning Cartoons and Rise of American Cable Television for Kids TV Animation.

[rafaelsilvasource]

911: LONE STAR RECEIVES 3RD GLAAD MEDIA AWARD NOMINATION FOR “OUTSTANDING DRAMA SERIES”

The series, which features LGBTQ cast members Rafael Silva, Brian Michael Smith, and Ronen Rubinstein in series regular roles, was nominated for its third season.

The GLAAD Media Awards recognize and honor media for their fair, accurate and inclusive representations of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) community and the issues that affect their lives.

Outstanding Drama Series 9-1-1: Lone Star (Fox) Chucky (Syfy) Good Trouble (Freeform) Gossip Girl (HBO Max) Grey’s Anatomy (ABC) The L Word: Generation Q (Showtime) P-Valley (STARZ) September Mornings (Prime Video) Star Trek: Discovery (Paramount Plus) The Umbrella Academy (Netflix)

The GLAAD Media Awards ceremonies, which fund GLAAD’s work to accelerate LGBTQ acceptance, will be held in Los Angeles at the Beverly Hilton on Thursday, March 30, 2023 and in New York at the Hilton Midtown on Saturday, May 13, 2023.

[ohsopathetic]

Free Cartoons

If you are anything like me, you enjoy watching old cartoons from time to time. Here are some cartoon compilations, on YouTube, to watch if you are bored!

Channel: Total Drama

Total Drama: Season 1 - Season 2 - Season 3 - Season 4 - Season 5 - Season 6

Total DramaRama: Season 1

Channel: Victor's Nelvana Shows

The Magic School Bus: Season 1 - Season 2 - Season 3 - Season 4

Channel : Totally Spies!

Totally Spies!: Season 1 - Season 2 - Season 3 - Season 4 - Season 5 - Season 6

Totally Spies! The Movie

Channel: Childhood Network

Cartoon Network: 2007 Saturday Morning Cartoons - 2009 Saturday Morning Cartoons

ABC: 1987 Saturday Morning Cartoons - 1994 Saturday Morning Cartoons

Toon Disney: 2002 Saturday Morning Cartoons - 2004 Saturday Morning Cartoons

Disney: 2001 Saturday Morning Cartoons 

Nickelodeon: 2001 Saturday Morning Cartoons

Channel: Official Pink Panther

Pink Panther

Channel: Retro Rerun

6Teen

Channel: Gx Maroof

Bob’s Burgers

Channel: vlryann

Fairly Odd Parents

Mr. Bean

Horrid Henry

Channel: 8thManDVD.com™ Cartoon Channel

Looney Tunes

Popeye

Felix The Cat

Casper The Friendly Ghost

[vicshush]

[ID 1: A Bluesky Social post, dated October 29, 2024, by user "southpaw" (@nycsouthpaw.bsky.social) that reads "Two ballot box arsons are under investigation in Washington State this morning, one in Portland and one in Vancouver. katu.com/amp/news/loc..." with a truncated link to an ABC news affiliate article with the following blurb: "Burning ballots pulled from inside smoking Vancouver ballot box; hundreds of ballots lost".

ID 2: Another Bluesky Social post, also dated October 29, 2024, by user "Ellen B" (@ellenb.bsky.social) that reads "Voters who dropped off ballots at that location after 11 a.m. Saturday need to contact the Election Auditor's Office IMMEDIATELY for a new ballot.

A link to the Clark County Elections page, with contact information for the Auditor's Office, can be found HERE.”

Link: clark.wa.gov/elections"

/end ID]

they're burning ballots in the US now btw. in case you wanted to know where things are at.

Edit: to clarify, locations mentioned are Vancouver, Washington and Portland, Oregon. This news story does not involve Canada.

Important info: Context: Dropbox location was Fisher's Landing Transit Center near Southeast 162nd Avenue Hundreds of ballots lost, voters should contact the Clark Auditor ASAP Clark Auditor contact info: clark.wa.gov/auditor Can confirm your ballot was received on: vote.wa.gov

[laresearchette]

Friday, August 09, 2024 Canadian TV Listings (Times Eastern)

WHERE CAN I FIND THOSE PREMIERES?: THE INSTIGATORS (Apple TV+) YO GABBA GABBALAND (Apple TV+) THE END WE START FROM (Paramount+ Canada) THE ROOKIE (Seasons 1-5) (Paramount+ Canada) TALES OF THE TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES (Paramount+ Canada)

WHAT IS NOT PREMIERING IN CANADA TONIGHT? 13 DAYS IN FERGUSON (CBS Feed) MAUI RISING: THE FIGHT FOR HAWAI'I'S FUTURE (ABC Feed)

NEW TO AMAZON PRIME CANADA/CBC GEM/CRAVE TV/DISNEY + STAR/NETFLIX CANADA:

AMAZON PRIME CANADA OUTSIDE LANDS 2024 LIVE – DAY 1

CRAVE TV ACTION COMING 2 AMERICA THE CREATOR FEAR THY NEIGHBOUR (Season 9B) FIXER UPPER MYSTERIES: CONCRETE EVIDENCE FIXER UPPER MYSTERIES: DEADLY DEED FIXER UPPER MYSTERIES: FRAMED FOR MURDER GEOSTORM THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO HEY, VIKTOR! KINA & YUK SMOKE SIGNALS SUPERMAN III

DISNEY + STAR ATTACK OF THE RED SEA SHARKS BABY SHARKS IN THE CITY SHARK ATTACK 360 (all episodes) SHARK BEACH WITH ANTHONY MACKIE: GULF COAST SHARK VS. ROSS EDGLEY SHARKS GONE VIRAL SUPERSIZED SHARKS

NETFLIX CANADA BLUE RIBBON BAKING CHAMPIONSHIP INSIDE THE MIND OF A DOG LOVE, ROSIE MISSION: CROSS (KR) PHIR AAYI HASSEEN DILLRUBA (IN)

2024 SUMMER OLYMPICS (CBC) 4:00pm: Athletics (SN) 4:50am: Olympic Morning (TSN/TSN4) 5:00pm: Morning (CBC) 7:00am: Canoe Sprint (CBC) 8:00pm: Morning (CBC) 9:00pm: Women’s Diving (CBC) 10:15am: Breaking, B-Girls (CBC) 12:00pm: Track Cycling (SN) 12:00pm: Olympic Daytime (CBC) 1:00pm: Athletics (CBC) 4:00pm: Prime (CBC/SN/TSN4) 7:00pm: Olympic Primetime (CBC) 12:00am: Late Primetime (CBC) 2:00am: Men’s Marathon (Saturday)

NATIONAL BANK OPEN (SN Now) 11:00am: Women's Grandstand Coverage (SN Now) 11:00am: Men's Court Rogers Coverage (SN1) 11:00am: Men's Day Session (SN360) 12:30pm: Women's Day Session (SN360) 7:00pm: Women's Evening Session (SN1) 7:00pm: Men's Evening Session

2024 HLINKA GRETZKY CUP (TSN5) 2:00pm: 5th Place - Slovakia vs. Germany (TSN5) 5:30pm: Semifinal - Czechia vs. Sweden (TSN5) 9:30pm: Semifinal - Canada vs. U.S.

CEBL BASKETBALL (TSN3) 5:30pm: Western Conference Final - Calgary vs. Vancouver (TSN3) 8:00pm: Eastern Conference Final - Montreal vs. Niagara

MLB BASEBALL (SN) 6:30pm: A’s vs. Jays (SN Now) 10:00pm: Pirates vs. Dodgers

CFL FOOTBALL (TSN) 7:30pm: Stamps vs. Argos

DESCENDANTS: THE RISE OF RED (Disney Channel Canada) 8:00pm: Daughters of the Queen of Hearts and Cinderella travel back in time to prevent a coup in Auradon.

HEY, VIKTOR! (Crave) 9:00pm: Twenty-five long years after his time in the limelight, former child actor Cody Lightning tries to revive his fame with a self-produced sequel to "Smoke Signals."

CANADA'S DRAG RACE: CANADA VS. THE WORLD (Crave 2) 9:00pm

CRIME BEAT: MOST WANTED (Global) 10:00pm: Mohamed Shire is part of an attempted murder case that questioned public safety and security in a quiet Ottawa neighbourhood; Kiarash Parzham is wanted for first degree murder in the killing of a 28-year-old man in a busy Toronto area.

COMING 2 AMERICA (Crave) 10:45pm: Needing a male heir to the throne, Prince Akeem returns to Queens, N.Y., to find his long-lost son and bring him back to Zamunda.

[hellostoralwhit]

From Refresh to Stale | The Rise and Fall of ABC Kids

With 1 Saturday Morning floundering, ABC's Saturday morning line-up needed a refresh, and ABC Kids was just that... until it wasn't.

[itwas50yearsagotoday]

1/15/24: It was 50 years ago today, January 15th, 1974, Happy Days would premiere on the ABC television network. This intro has the original theme song which was a re-recorded 'Rock Around the Clock' by Bill Haley & the Comets... this would be supplanted by the more familiar 'Happy Days Theme' in the show's 3rd season (reaching Billboard #5 in '76!). The ultimate in Boooooomer nostalgia this show was, and the early seasons were pretty loyal to the '50s theme, although throughout the 11 seasons it got harder and harder to mask that this was somehow a throwback. The show was immensely popular, fueling several successful spin-offs including Laverne & Shirley and Mork & Mindy (and less successful like Joanie Loves Chachi... p.u.!!). Now famous director Ron Howard was the center of the show's story as Richie Cunningham, along with his family and his friend Potsie (Anson Williams); however, he would be largely supplanted by Henry Winkler's iconic character the Fonz, or Fonzie, who would eventually be the top billed star after Howard left the show after season seven (1980). Another by-product of the show for the internet age was the 'Jump the Shark' moment when Fonzie literally jumps over a shark in water skis in season five-- this phrase later came to represent when a television show (or really, I guess anything) hit its peak and then began falling. I watched a shitload of this show in both new shows and reruns when I was a kid... eleven fucking seasons worth. It even had a horrible Saturday morning cartoon churned out by Hanna-Barbera in the early 1980s. Definitely a cultural touchstone for Boomer (and some Gen X) nostalgia.