#also i know some gen z are adults because my little brother is gen z

[leftmysoulbythesideoftheroad]

okay, i admit it. i’m too old for new internet slang. but i have a burning question: why don’t tone tags go at the beginning of the sentence?

example:

“i am so mad. i hate you /j”

vs

“j/ i am so mad. i hate you.”

i don’t really use tone tags anyway (except for /j (joke) or sometimes /s (sarcasm)), but if we’re concerned about people misunderstanding tone, it feels like it would be most appropriate to use the tag first followed by the statement, right? or am i just too old for this?

side note: i really like /s and /j. i have always hated using sarcasm in text because i struggle so much with understanding when other people are using it. it’s cool that the kids came up with a way to make it clearer. none of this is a complaint about kids or their slang, and i will bite anyone who does whine about that. gen z are my children. i love you.

[aropride]

i saw a post the other day that said that gen z/gen alpha say "unalive" and "seggs" and stuff bc they're afraid of being "punished by an invisible force" and while i do think that the self-censoring sometimes unnecessary and worrying, i also don't think they're self-censoring for no reason.

i think there are a lot of situations where talking about suicide/death in general and sex outright would be punished by very real visible forces like parents and teachers and instagram community guidelines. like these kids (i say kids but i know people my age (20) do this, i feel like it's mostly younger genz and genalpha though at least in my experience) aren't just self-policing and self-censoring for no reason. some creators learned to adapt their language to unclear nebulous guidelines to try and avoid their accounts being taken down or their videos being shown to fewer people, then people started assuming any mentions of death or sex would be punished and started doing the same thing, and now younger kids have picked up on it bc they're online a lot and don't know any different.

but that's not the only part of this that matters bc while that is strange and a little dystopian. there are also offline real-life reasons kids would be scared to talk about this shit with actual words. like i was raised very christian, evangelical, not quite fundamentalist, "we don't use labels but we have stage lights for the worship songs but don't wear skirts above the knee" type of thing. my parents didn't teach me about sex until they found out i would have a sex ed class bc they had to sign a permission slip. and then they gave me a book for kids about sex that was heavily christian, abstinence-only, deeply homophobic etc. it didn't teach about birth control, about what things are not normal, any of that. and i was not raised in a way where i was even the slightest bit comfortable asking my parents or talking about it at all. my twin brother got the same book and would talk about sex or make jokes about it and our parents would get upset because it was "inappropriate" and he shouldn't be thinking about that or whatever. and if i had tried to talk about like, menstrual health or signs of abuse or even just made a joke about sex at all my parents would have been upset.

you can probably guess this from what i just said but unsurprisingly my parents weren't big on being upfront about mental health issues either. i have been depressed since before i can remember and was suicidal by the time i was eleven and i had no idea that the way i was feeling wasn't normal or that there was a word for it. i don't remember when i learned about suicide but i know my dad was at least willing to say the word in conversation when i was 12, which my mother wasn't happy about because it was "too dark" a conversation to be having (he had been telling me about a friend he had in college, specifically about how he had recovered from substance abuse issues and suicidal ideation).

and my parents were definitely not normal but there are objectively situations where parents are way worse about this type of thing. there are absolutely kids who aren't allowed to say words like suicide and death and sex. and they're not afraid of algorithms, there are real-life offline consequences if they slip up. so they self-censor, they talk quietly in the lunchroom with codewords and euphemisms with their friends. and that's not even to mention school, and how kids will get in trouble for anything an adult doesn't want them to talk about, how they can get in, again, real-life offline trouble for speaking frankly about this type of thing. because it's "inappropriate," because it's "upsetting," because their teacher is having a bad day, because god said not to, because they don't want their dm to a friend on tiktok to be flagged.

and i would much rather kids talk about these things with sometimes-insensitive code words than to not talk about them at all. if it's a choice between someone coming out as "tr4ns" to their friend and not having someone to support them at all, if it's between saying they want to "unalive" themself and never seeking help, i want them to go the sometimes-silly code word route. because i think they should be allowed to talk about these things and if they're not i think they have the right to try to do it anyway. the unnecessary self-censorship has been criticized to hell and back and i'm not saying it shouldn't be, especially when it's adults saying these things in real life situations. i'm just saying i think kids have a lot more pressure to censor themselves than people think, even offline.

[djpachipikachu]

omgomg i’m so interesting in you usagi/tmnt iteration!!!

okok first what’s like.. the starting point/inciting incident of the story if there is one?

second what are the characters personalities/inerests like?

HAIIII excitedly kicking my legs

the start of the main plot is when usagi goes back in time and is forced into the tmnt’s era of time ,,, he accidentally comes across an ancient relic in the woods with spot (these woods are made of massive ancient trees with equally expansive entangled roots , like if the ocean itself had been a forest instead of filled with water it is kinda horrifying) and it takes him and spot back to the tmnt era , before the relic itself was even created

i do plan on making a comic for this so it wont start out immediately like that but itll have some like . oneshots/episodic comics of usagi’s adventures before that happens, similar to usagi yojimbo’s way of storytelling

PERSONALITIES!!!! WEEHEEE!!!!!

usagi:

most similar to usagi yojimbo, a mature but still like . silly kinda guy ! in the usagi era he takes joy in chatting with people he meets on his travels, incredibly polite, loves to tell stories of myths and gods to children

although most of his days are spent alone with spot , his steed (spot is like horse sized)

he tends not to attach to people or things very much because he knows how easy it is to lose everything, so as much as he enjoys talking to people, he keeps his distance.

he doesnt dedicate himself to being a hero or anything … he will help if he feels people need the help but all hes really trying to do is survive on his own

hes basically like a formless side character . forced bystander in this story

its for the character development i promise

leo:

cold

hes the leader/general of an army, a bit harsh in his personality, doesnt want to be approachable or get close with anyone

hes stern and quiet and kind of a workaholic, his brothers think he needs a life outside of being a leader and Only a leader

tired ! so very tired !

a lot of shit that he internalizes

however a very strong leader and strategist, he is well trusted by those who follow him and they know that his main priority is to get everyone out Alive, more than fight for their cause

he protects fiercely , just insanely bad at showing it . the worst at social things out of all his brothers easily

forced to be an adult at a young age so he never rly got the chance to form a personality outside of his responsibilities

she likes reading in her lonesome though

raph:

PASSIONATE ! ABOUT MANY THINGS !

theyre the sibling that goes out the most and interacts with people on personal levels the most out of everyone ! they have a good rep in the general yokai public !

they do have problems with anger but a lot of the time they channel it into training newbie recruits , the main motivational speaker , they know how to encourage and pump ppl up

a bit recklessly bouncy in how they fight, imagine rottmnt mikey’s energy with mutant mayhem raph’s enjoyment of fighting

the most down to earth out of all their siblings . arguably the most mentally stable out of necessity

they love feeding pigeons and they teach lion dancing to a children’s dance group in the city !

donnie:

obnoxiously gen z . good god . insanely chronically online . most similar to mutant mayhem donnie

he doesnt go out like whatsoever Partially bc he has chronic fatigue syndrome and its easier for him to just stay home, partially bc his brothers are over protective of him and dont want him fighting in the war

so he helps from afar, piloting drones, targeting firearms into battle, building gear for everyone

he likes engaging in arguments online . most exciting thing to him . little fuckass teenager this guy

kendra is his worst online enemy and rival but also like . his only friend . rly sad . joking is his coping mechanism

he loves researching and learning things, it takes up most of his time when he finds a topic to extensivelt research and take notes on

his main interests are the usual coding, engineering, etc As well as the inner workings of mystic power

mikey:

most sociable next to raph !! a very altruistic spirit

he’s most similar to idw mikey i think , most upbeat and relaxed kinda nature !

However . he’s not at all as emotionally aware as any other iteration mikey

he’s very strong in his opinions, stubborn about being right, can very easily fall into a black and white point of view about things, its hard to get thru to him

he loves to dance the most, its how he uses his mystic power

whew okay yeah they might not be the Most accurate bc im still ironing out the main traits but here they areee

[isaaujulii]

This is just coming off the dome fr, but I saw some tiktok’s talking about why the vote went how it went and how gen z and gen z men especially(although i think that’s an adjacent topic, im hesitant to blame gen z men only on this shit) are not as progressive as we thought we were. And a lot of it is sort of coming from older generations but i also saw some from people around my age ( 19 btw) that were saying something similar. Basically saying we’re as bad as boomers and we might be more “open minded”, but we’re puritanical and reject anything that’s not a perfect monolith of innocence and morality. And that word really bothered me “Puritanical”, cause it brings to mind witch hunts and red scares, ya know, prosecuting of innocent people and ideas just because we don’t like them. And i’m not saying it’s not true (to a certain degree, because people are not all the same), but i resent the idea that these reactions are for no reason. I know it has been brought up many times that the internet truly ruined a generation of people i.e. gen z. But those conversations are usually are about attention spans, and bed rotting, and things like mental and physical health. I think, no I know, the internet gave us (as in the children of internet) a sort of assassination of the spirit. Now I use the word spirit not in a religious context, but to describe the sort of metaphysical connection we as humans have with each other, kinda like a trauma bond in this instance because i’m describing an experience many gen z, also gen alpha (tho i think theirs is somehow worse) have had when coming in contact with the internet. This assassination happens for example when 7 year you wants look up a picture of your favorite cartoon, and you are suddenly met with wall to wall pornographic images of some of the most vile things you’ve ever seen. It also happens when 11 year old you decided to download an app that your friends have, and you are accosted by literal pedophiles. It happens when you are 15 years old, and you decide to put a video of you doing something like idk drawing, and somebody in your comments, that you were so excited to read, tells you to kill yourself and that they hate your entire existence. And this again is just me rambling and writing down what comes to my head, but I think when people (gen z) grow up in a time when their innocence is quite literally ripped out of their hands as children, it makes a little bit of sense when they push back on radical ideas, “offensive” media, and anything that is not pure innocence and morally unambiguous. In other words, I think they’re rejecting the perversion of culture. Things like clothing being baggier, makeup being lighter, shows and tv having less sexual content. And people talk all the time about still feeling like a kid even as an adult, even beyond the usual imposter syndrome thing. It reminds me when those pre-teen girls were obsessing over some skin thing in sephora or whatnot (idk anything about the beauty space) and a lot of older teenagers and women in their twenties were saying how they use to shop at forever 21 and clare’s use to be the spot. And how young kids wear like “revealing” (i put it in quotes because obviously purity culture is at play here also) clothes and there was commentary on the appropriateness, and why young girls can’t wear regular t-shirts and jeans without it being “tight” or cropped. And i don’t have huge insight into male spaces and their experiences so im not gonna pretend i do, but i have two younger brothers, and one of them is already starting to hide his body all the time, downing protein shakes, and is becoming more and more sensitive to jokes at his expense that we use to do all the time (we use to roast each other in good fun because we know we didn’t mean it) but now it’s like a brick wall, and i don’t know how to connect anymore, i’ve resolved to sit on the sidelines till he’s ready to talk. But i can’t help but think those gym bros with the steroid muscles made him feel insecure, on top of him going through puberty. So yah loss of innocence.

[jalshristovski]

what's your opinion about the Nordics?

Omg a real life ask!!! In real life!!!

I would like to preface by saying the Nordics are some of my favourite characters in the whole series, I love them dearly

But let’s start with my favourite two characters in the entire show

~~~~

Sweden:

He is my favourite and my all time comfort character. He’s so dad-coded, and I love him for it. I love how awkward he is, and the gentle giant vibes fit him so well

Also the fact he is our canon gay rep, it fits him so well but mayhaps Himaruya looked at some Finnish memes about Sweden lol

I love how soft he is, and how he’s such a real character. For someone who doesn’t show up as much as some other characters do, he has so much depth to his personality. He’s deeply caring about his neighbours, especially Finland and Iceland, but he’s also considerate of everyone else (even if he’s not entirely sure HOW to do it). His communication issues sometimes hold him back from working at his full potential but I think that makes him more human. Even with those issues he still has close friends and companions, which I think he more than deserves

As scary as he is, he is so kind and considerate of everyone, even if it doesn’t come across as such, and I think he is just so wonderful for that. Ok, maybe not to Denmark but I think that is justified

He is in no way perfect, but he does his best for everyone and is constantly willing to inconvenience himself for others (especially Finland)

Iceland:

Also my favourite character and comfort character, I always interpret him a little more chaos gen z than is maybe canon but I still think it fits with his actual personality

As emo as he is, you can tell he really cares what other people think of him and I think his need to feel like an equal tracks pretty well with how teens are. Especially I think the inferiority complex fits not only with his physical age but his actual age too, because he ISN’T a young country. He’s older than much of modern Europe, but with how disconnected, physically younger, and perhaps more culturally/political irrelevant he is, he feels like he maybe will never be seen as an equal unless he argues for it

Tying him back to Sweden as well though, I like the bond they share with Sweden treating him as an equal but also trying to teach him it’s ok to not be so serious all the time (like with the ‘what’s wrong with big brother?’ bit) (also ironic coming from Sve who is perceived as super super serious. Though we know he’s just a silly goofy guy)

I also like seeing his soft side, like when he told Romano “deep down you don’t mind it so much” in regards to being teased by others, showing maybe it does bother him a bit to be teased but he knows it’s just good fun, not serious

I think Iceland really just gets teased too much by the other Nordics (mostly Norway tbh). Enough that it’s bothersome and maybe it’s starting to not FEEL like a joke, but he knows it is. Deep inside he knows they see him as an equal, and I think that really gives him personality when it shows in moments like with Romano, but also like the Nordic meeting where they joked about the drinking age

I think he’s a good interpretation of a teen/young adult just doing his best, but also someone who is very accomplished but doesn’t get much credit for what he’s done

Denmark:

Another very deep character, I think a lot deeper than most people give him credit for

He’s of course somewhat of a comic relief, the sunshine character, golden retriever-type character but he also has his moments where he shines and truly shows his character. He jokes a lot but he’s a very worried older brother of the Nordics who seems to almost worry over them like a parent would. But also I think he doesn’t realise how much the other Nordics appreciate him

Like the scene he found out Norway was living in deep poverty without complaint because he saw how hard Denmark was working, and Denmark started sobbing because of how much it meant to him, presumably the emotions behind getting noticed for what he does

Also having been to Denmark I think he’s pretty in-character. Danes are super super friendly and I think a lot more open than they give themselves credit for. Genuinely the nicest people I have ever met, probably. So I see where he gets it. Denmark and the Danish people aren’t perfect but they’re certainly welcoming, hardworking, and overall very friendly, which definitely reflects in him

Norway:

I think the levels of ‘I’m so done’ this man radiates all the time is very great and tbh maybe a reflection of how Norwegians feel about the other Nordic countries (more specifically the other Scandinavian countries)

Though on the same note, he’s definitely a lot nicer than he too is given credit for. When it really counts he speaks his mind, and I think he is very considerate of the other Nordic countries regardless of maybe some grievances

I the a lot of the time he just follows along with what the other Nordics do without much input (aside from a few maybe mean jokes) which maybe is a reflection of him basically getting pushed around between Sweden and Denmark for a very long time. I think he’s not much afraid to share his opinion or make comments but habitually he follows the others anyway

Regardless though I like how sometimes goofy he is. His mean sense of humour I think is relatable to a lot of people, including myself. It really does give the dynamic with Iceland of older/younger sibling, with bully older sibling and perpetually annoyed younger sibling. I think their personalities mesh perfectly into those roles

Finland:

As a Sweden stan I absolutely love Finland too. I love how he interacts differently yet so same to everyone, yet he is always kind. Even if he’s feeling awkward or annoyed he never gives the impression of being mean or rude. I think he fits so well in a group of characters who genuinely might usually just bully the fuck out of each other

I love that he isn’t super out of place regardless of his differences especially with his language, and while he might make some comments about it, ultimately he is one of the Nordic 5. It’s never the Nordics and Finland, they are the Nordic 5

Also it’s a little goofy but good goofy that he’s this sweet guy, he’s an angel, always sunshine and flowers in regards to his energy but when he gets to choose names and designs it’s always so dark and dreadful as an homage to perpetual Finnish misery with aura and demeanour (and being the largest producers of heavy metal in the world). He found a way to combine them being the happiest country in the world, but also (affectionately) hardasses

I also like how he interacts with the non-Nordics, and how they interact with him. Like him and Germany being on friendly terms, even if it’s not a whole lot of interaction, it’s enough you can see he’s friendly with everyone (except Russia), not just his neighbours. Conversation about Germany’s lunch, friendly (or maybe not so friendly) banter about America with England and France (although they kinda clowned him, he was very nice to them). Justice for Finland and the butter churn ✊😔

I think it’s also a great that he’s not afraid to be a little silly goofy, he’s kinda like a Gen X midwestern mom in that aspect and genuinely I am obsessed

EXTRAS!!!!

Sealand:

I LOVE!! THIS BOY!!

It is genuinely so random that he is atp one of the Nordics, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. It makes my soul happy to know that while most people find Sweden scary, Sealand just sees him as his goofy pappa that he is NOT afraid of 🫵

I think his relationship with the other Nordics isn’t touched on as much as it is with Sweden and Finland (mostly Sweden) but I still think it’s sweet he’s shown as part of the family regardless. Also knowing Sweden made the little curl when he was cosplaying as Canada is so silly, Sweden going along with his child’s shenanigans is what I thrive on

I love how friendly and open Sealand is, but how like a light switch he can go to calling someone a jerk and bragging about himself. Even to people who are mean to him though, he is kind. Yet sometimes to people who aren’t England he just flips the brat switch and I think that’s so good for a kid his age

I think the thing most compelling about his character is that he IS a kid. He acts like a child. People sometimes have said he’s annoying but he’s ??? 12??? We were all weird as 12 year olds. If he was totally mature it would be strange

Ladonia:

Random fun fact, I have Ladonian citizenship lol. It has no legal binding but I technically qualify as a citizen of the internet country and have been since 2020 🤌 anyway

Onto his character. I think he’s a very interesting take on Ladonia as a place. I don’t know what personality I’d give to Ladonia personally but I think the choice for him was super creative and silly, and I love him

As far as I remember he doesn’t have a canon age but I’m pretty sure he is younger than Sealand, so he’s still very much a young child and acts as such. A kid who loves Pokémon and practices how he introduces himself to people, still believes in Santa, and also reminiscent of a kid who tries (and fails) to grow up too fast

I think in the recent chapters he’s been shown to be a lot more mature and kind (ofc he was a little mean previously) to the others which could either just be a change in personality, or just character development from him. And I like it, because if it is character development for him, I think it just goes to show that he’s grown fond of the other micronations over time

One last thing I will mention is the scripts. I think it’s so silly, and I love how obvious the scripts are yet Ladonia doesn’t seem to notice or mind them because Sweden pays attention to him and those scripts usually give power to Ladonia, like genuinely just the monotone screams and the ‘I lost my meatballs’ line showing Ladonia may have bested him (when we know he genuinely would not have) but Sweden still tries to give him that power in a silly way

~~~~

Anyway that’s all I have, thank you for listening and if you read this far, THANK YOU!!! I apologise for the length, I really love the Nordics so much, they’re my favourite characters and I am so fond of them and their characters

I’ve given them much fanon personality as well but I tried to keep this mostly relevant to canon so anyway, thank you 💪

[hollywoodbabylondean]

@spnwomenweek DAY 5 - NEW SCHOOL

The sign that heralded "Singer Auto and Body" has been knocked down for a while. So have the remains of the old house that burned down something like ten or so years ago. Jody said the owner had no next of kin, he was an old friend of hers named Bobby. Claire thought it's funny, when she first moved here a lifetime ago, barely an adult, she was called "Bobby 2.0". Maybe it was the same guy. She wondered what he must've been like, living among all these cars and... A massive cache of weapons in a cellar that hadn't been destroyed. With a devil's trap and walls of iron coated in salt. A hunter.

Gran didn't have much of an estate, and with Amelia being missing for ten or so years without financial activity, Dad being missing, because Cas finally made his own fake ID instead of using Jimmy's, and whatever odd jobs Claire and Kaia worked between hunts (and a small loan from Jody)... She'd managed to scrounge up enough to get a house built.

It was Kaia's idea, really. For obvious reasons, she never had the stomach for hunting. She had to do enough to survive while she was gone. She deserved her own place. The Mills' place. Novaks? Winchesters? Hanscums? They were still workshopping their last name. Yes, they've been married for almost five years. Whatever. If you're a hunter, what's on paper is a lie. That's something she'd come to know for a long time. Reality is what's in the dark, what's on the centuries old rare books or weird chat rooms with no credibility, and most importantly, what's in your heart.

Claire Novak is 28 and she has a wife and a house. An accomplishment, for a gen z kid. They have a table full of phones, neatly labeled, FBI, CIA, USFWS, BLM, Texas Rangers, and, when she's feeling fancy and has to work up north, RCMP.

Kaia's the one who answers them. Not just for her, but in the manner of both sets of Claire's adoptive parents, they ran into some hunters along the way, too. A lot are older than her, but Claire's been hunting since she was 18 and running from demons since she was 12. There's a grudging respect for seniority among hunters. Especially when you're the ones with a laminator in the office where the blade of one of the most elite of Heaven's warriors hangs over their head. Along with a smug reminder that she was 18 when she earned it.

There's a kid a couple years younger than her. Ben Braeden. Total rookie, but good heart. Stupidest aliases ever, though. And, of course, she hears from the old crew every so often.

Claire and Kaia are still close with Jody and Donna. Of course they are. Claire even attempts to make dinner for them once in a while. Kaia is definitely the cook in the relationship after she confused the cayenne pepper for the paprika, though. And, well, they're old enough that the mantle of "protector of Sioux Falls" has definitely been passed to the Mills-Hanscum-Winchester-Novaks. Cas and Dean have also decided that since Jack is ten now (God, Claire's getting old), he's allowed to just run around the house when they need a weekend off and Sam and Eileen are off traveling to Europe to find more lore or whatever." Kaia once again asks if they can go to Europe. Claire once again asks if she's okay spending weeks at sea with her because there's no way in hell she's flying. And there's that look between Dean and Cas. Ugh, she really is turning into her parents. Jesse and Cesar are retired. In Mexico. Plus, she only really knows them via the even smaller network in the hunter network of young gay hunters. So, it's really a shock when they show up at their door with presents.

"Uh, I think you're a few months early for Christmas," Kaia laughs as she brings them inside.

"It's five years, isn't it?" Jesse asks his husband.

"Yeah, Claire. Your blog post says it's five years."

Claire raises an eyebrow. "Okay, now you have me curious. I haven't touched that thing in months."

Kaia swears under her breath and laughs. "Ugh, trust the guy with the obsession with cicada monsters to remember dates." Kaia leans up a little and pecks Claire's lips. "Since I got out."

"Oh." Claire and Kaia both try to forget about it, about losing two years of their relationship to Kaia's other self and her spear.

"Plus, we have about eight years of presents from nice old ladies in town to regift."

"Ugh, I hate you," Claire says lightly. "My baby brother is God, you know. He can and will turn you into chickens."

[allisonreader]

I’m in a rambling type of mood. So we’ll see if anything below will actually make sense or not in the end.

This is one of those things that I’ve thought about a lot and every so often something makes me think about it again. Mainly right now about how common knowledge is kind of a misnomer saying. There’s no real thing as common knowledge, at least not in the way we necessarily always think of it. True common knowledge would be things like the sky is blue, rain comes from clouds, grass is green and such. But other things that we THINK should be common knowledge, often aren’t. A song that you think that everyone should surely know, is likely not to be known by everyone. Those types of things depend very much on how you grow up and what kind of culture you grow up in and what time you grow up in. Like my brothers don’t know some of the kid’s shows that I grew up watching, just because they’re just that much younger than me. Though I know many of the shows they watched. Same goes for music. There’s just some stuff they don’t know in relation to me. There’s honestly songs they have no clue about/don’t recognize, but I love. So I just always think it’s so funny when someone thinks something is common knowledge and it might be for their group, but isn’t for the world at large.

I also think that it’s funny that my brothers and I are actually in different generation groups, though our age gap is less than 10 years. And I’m in that weird millennial end period where I’m technically a millennial, but just right close to the cut off of a millennial. Just right at that cusp where as my brothers are a couple years into gen z. But my age gap between my brothers and I is definitely a noticeable enough one. I had a distinct before brothers era and the continual after brothers era. I did act as a bit of a built in babysitter because there is enough of an age difference for that. I held what height I had over them as long as possible, because now they both tower over me. I had read or heard somewhere that if you are an only child for the first five years of your life before you have a sibling, that you actually tend to keep a bit of only child syndrome/tendencies with you. Which I definitely get. I still love the one moment that I had with my baby brother (baby brother=youngest brother, little brother=middle child of us three siblings). It was in the last five or so years and I don’t remember exactly what we were doing or talking about, other than being up at the lake, but whatever it was my brother ended up asking me how I had known whatever it was and I told him something like, "you may be taller than me, but I’m still 7 years older than you and have that much more experience than you. That is something that will never change. Even though you know different things than me." Or at least something along that line.

On a similar type of note, I’ve often been considered mature for my age. Considering that for the first 5 years of my life I was surrounded by more adults than kids. All my cousins were in that 7-10 years older than me range and I never spent much time with them, though they would play with me. Then my brothers a a bit younger than me (5 and 7 years and closer to 5 and a half and 7and a half), which puts you into a responsible role at a young age. Plus I’ve always been a bit introverted and independent. So my one coworker a few years ago, thought I was 25 when I was 20. But I had also heard a few times that I was mature for my age. It goes the other way too though. I haven’t noticed it lately, but at that similar time, clothing shopping with my mom the one time I was asked if I was under 18, which meant one of the taxes for clothes would be taken off, but I wasn’t. Though I did notice it the one time when my parents and I went to a casino for a concert (I was already 21, the legal age here is 19) the guards were looking at me like I was way too young to be there. If I wasn’t there with my parents, I would have been carded.

Going from there, I’ve definitely been discriminated at work because of my age and how young I look. Not so much for age anymore, as I’ve been in my job long enough and for the most part have enough knowledge for what people are looking for. But still on occasion because I am a girl and not A TECHNICIAN. As a fairly recent example there was a man who came in with a machine and I TOLD him, what was going to have to be done and the labour required was going to be the cost of a full service, but for the life of me, he would not listen, so the tech had to phone him when he had the machine on the desk and tell him that the cost was going to have to be exactly what I told him in the first place. So it’s not like I don’t know what I’m talking about, but some people need a man or the official tech to tell them.

Other interesting work stories include the lady who tried to scam us into getting a more expensive machine because we "gave her the wrong one." We did not. I brought the machine in for service, I gave her the same machine back when it was done the service. The next day the machine she brought back to us with the claim that I gave her the wrong machine, was NOT the machine I gave her, nor had it been to see our techs before or at least recently. It was a much cheaper and lighter machine than the one I gave her. AND she wasted an hour and FOURTY-FIVE minutes making my boss phone people to see if they got the wrong machine. All while acting flaming mad. (Which I don’t do good with, so I hid while my boss and coworker dealt with her, while thinking that this had to be a scam, trying to get a new machine for nothing.) She wouldn’t even leave that machine, claiming she was keeping it for collateral. So after she finally left, the three of us, all decided that yes, she was trying to scam us and that no, we weren’t going to try and contact her again. She never contacted us afterwards, so it probably was just a scam, but it really got my goat and I could go into much deeper details than I did.

Now onto a really funny work story, instead of stressful, frustrating ones that still get me riled. This one still makes me laugh, though with it having been quite a few years ago I no longer remember it as well as I did. For context, I live in Canada, over 5 hours from the U.S.A. border, in Saskatchewan (Last Saskatchewan Pirate, anyone?), which is one of the only two landlocked provinces, closer west than to the east, just keep that in mind, it’s important. It starts off with me answering a phone call with a little old lady (you could tell by her voice) asking where we were located. Normal enough question, we get it all the time. So I started off with my normal little shpeal. "We’re just off so and so, by such and such land mark…" it was clear she hadn’t a clue where that was. I think she might’ve asked where that was, so I answered with my city, and there was this silence of her not clueing in to where we were yet, so cautiously I said Saskatchewan. It still wasn’t clicking, so I think I tacked on Canada there but maybe not quite yet. Anyway, she asked if that was upstate. "No, we’re in Canada." "Are you sure you’re in Canada." "Yes, I’m sure I’m in Canada." Desperately trying to hold in my laughter and urge to say that I’m pretty sure that I know where I live and work. I barely got off the phone with her and starting to explain and laugh about the other side of the conversation, when she phoned back. Having to cut the spreading laughter, and getting asked again if we were in Canada and if there wasn’t an American location. Which we don’t have. Before finally getting off the phone and laughing our guts out over this unexpected call from where I can only assume was New York. Have I told this story to absolutely everyone that I can, yes, because it’s funny.

[uncloseted]

I'm 99% sure I don't want to have kids, the role of mother doesn't appeal to me and I think my mental illness/childhood trauma wouldn't be good for raising a kid, but anyway I'm really nervous I'll regret it. like people tell me Ill have no one to care for me when I'm old or it's hard to make friends when everyone else has kids and you don't. So I'm like should I have kids just because I might regret it or it might make life harder? But then again kids are so expensive and it's a little human, how am I supposed to deal with that you know?? I can barely raise myself lol.

I think having kids is something people should enthusiastically opt into instead of defaulting to. There are enough children out there who grow up without feeling wanted or loved or cared for, who have parents that aren't ready or aren't willing to be parents, or who grow up without a family at all. I personally think that people should only have kids if they know they really want them and know that they can afford them, take care of them, and provide them with the emotional support they need. This is especially true right now, when raising a child is very expensive but wages are stagnated, when there's no parental leave or legally mandated time off work (in the US, at least), and when we're facing a global climate catastrophe.

I also don't think having children has to be as black and white of a situation as we sometimes make it out to be. Maybe you don't have biological children, but you tutor or teach, or you're a healthcare professional who works in pediatrics. Maybe you're a mentor to children, or you're a CASA advocate, or you're a Big Brother/Big Sister, or you run a Girl Scout troop. Maybe you babysit/nanny/provide child care for someone in your life who wouldn't have access to it otherwise, or are a godparent to a child. Maybe you decide that having kids isn't for you, but later in life you change your mind and foster or adopt. Maybe you decide that having kids isn't for you, but you freeze your eggs in case you do want to carry a pregnancy later on. Not having biological children of your own doesn't mean that you can't be an important part of a child's life, or that you can't have the experience of parenting.

In terms of more practical things, like it being hard to make friends or not having someone to take care of you when you're old, I think it is true that the world (and Western cultures in particular) is designed with parenthood in mind. However, I do think that's changing. To take the two examples you brought up:

While it is true that historically, it has been difficult for people (and women in particular) to make friends when they don't have children, that's changing. Millennials (and likely also Gen Z) are having fewer children than their predecessors. Some studies have found that over half of Millennials do not intend to have children at all. To me, that suggests it will become easier to make friends even if you don't have children, since so many other people will be in the same boat.

Sort of similarly, due to the fact that most developed countries have an ageing population, it's likely that we'll see more resources invested in caregiving for the elderly, particularly resources that allow people to "age in place" instead of moving into a care home or moving in with their children. We're seeing that even now- although we have this idea that children take care of their ageing parents, that's not really the case. As of 2016, only 3.4 million adults over the age of 65 live in the homes of their children (about 7%), and that number is expected to continue declining.

If you're not sure where you stand on having kids of your own, perhaps try taking care of a kid and see how it goes. For example, I worked in a pre-school for a while, and it helped me to solidify that even though I really like children, having children of my own probably isn't for me. Getting some exposure to what it's like to have a kid, whether through teaching, babysitting, or something else entirely, can help you figure out where you stand.

[neapolitanadonna]

Omg can we have the high school headcanons with the Nordics please!!! I loved your original post!!!1

Of course!!! 

Also, sorry for the general inactivity this week. I’ve been super busy with graduation things, college things, work, and everything else in between. I’ve also been having a total existential crisis cause I’m gonna be an adult and leaving to go to college soon like WHAT

Writing this gave me a crush on all of them though I wish I went to this school :/ also I use a lot of American terminologies for things which is MY BAD and I’m not trying to erase their cultures! Let’s all just assume a world wide made up fictional academy would have traditions and terminologies from all over the world, in this case varsity sports and prom-

Anyway! Here’s the original post!  

Mathias Kohler 

Everyone knows Mathias. Everyone loves Mathias. Mathias is the varsity volleyball captain, but doesn’t use his status as a way to look higher than everyone else. He’s the kid who dances with everyone at prom, high fives kids in the hall, stands up for kids who are being bullied, makes eye contact with teachers to let them know somebody’s paying attention, says thank you to the lunch ladies, makes sure everyone feels included, and sometimes refers to teachers by their first name just for the laughs. If you haven’t had a crush on Mathias Kohler at some point in your high school career, you would be lying. He isn’t particularly all that bright, he relies on Lukas and Berwald to get his grades up A LOT (and may or may not cheat on an algebra test here or there) but his character gets him far in school. He’s a complete goofball, but in a sweet and harmless way. However, teachers are warned ahead of time if him, Gilbert, and Alfred are put in the same class. 

Lukas Bondevik

Lukas is the guy who everyone knows for one thing, but other than that, he stays on the down low. He’s the kid in your AP Chemistry class who is silent the entire year, but on the last day of school, he says something in response to Mathias being stupid, and the whole class goes wild because a) he talked, and b) he’s funny. He’s also known for being the schools witchy kid, which gains him some popularity with tiktok cottagecore lesbians, kids who watched American Horror story one too many times, and teenage girls who follow their horoscopes way too closely. In between classes or in study halls, he’ll do tarot readings for other students, which freaks out the teachers sometimes, but its all in good fun. He’s had several instances where a jock has outwardly criticized him for it, then asked him for a reading, and he would purposefully pull ten of swords or five of pentacles, just to freak them out. He’s terrible, he knows.

Emil Steilsson

For his first two years of high school, Emil is known for being Lukas’ brother, and it pisses him off. Teachers will accidentally call him “Lukas” instead of Emil, and teachers will tell him stories of how great of a student Lukas was, and how intelligent and motivated he was in school. It drives Emil half near insane. Emil is the kid you’ll find sitting in the corner of a band practice room (he’s first trumpet in his schools band, and it’s his biggest flex.) He’s snarky, funny, and a little bit disliked by teachers just because he will never kiss anyone's ass as long as he’s alive. He runs a big Instagram meme page that only a couple people know about, he doesn’t live for the clout. You can win his heart by buying him an iced coffee before first period, and hitting on him instead of his very popular hype beast best friend Leon (he gets flustered by compliments but seriously loves them.) 

Berwald Oxenstierna

Unproblematic king. Everybody likes Berwald because he’s proven himself to be unproblematic, and a total sweetheart. He’s the kid who takes all the technology/home improvement/workshop electives, so most of his day is spent in that particular section of the school. However, since he’s fast to finish projects, if you ask him if he’ll make you something, he always will. He’s known for 3D printing or carving small figurines of Hello Kitty, dogs, frogs, hearts, or other cute things for girls who ask him to. Him making little things for people when they ask has become a school wide wholesome meme. Though he doesn’t really talk all that much, he’s the best seatmate to have in class. He’ll share his answers if you’re confused, and is a really good listener when you talk to him. 

(I know he’s supposed to be scary in the show okay shut up he isn’t scary he’s a big softie and gen z understands that.) 

Tino Väinämöinen 

Tino has played high school like a video game. He is a school renowned teachers pet and a straight A student, and he does it with no shame. He’s never a jerk about it, oh no, he could never, he’s just very, very, very sweet to everyone he’s ever met. He does theater and can be very passionate about it, but hates theater kids more than anyone else. He’s the kid who will gain a cult of underclassmen who were shunned by other upperclassmen, and spill all the tea to them. All around though, he’s a very wholesome person. Everyone in the cast knows that he has a not so subliminal crush on Berwald the set designer, and they aren’t so hush hush about it. Berwald made him a small Moomintroll figure once and Tino half near went into cardiac arrest backstage. His friends will never let him live it down. 

[quillfeather21]

Psych Ward Story

Recently, I stayed for a week at a mental hospital due to depression and anxiety. Here’s some of the stuff (names and personal information ommited)

. A 11 year old claimed me as her ‘emotional support human’ and wanted to be my roommate despite her STRESSING ME TF OUT. (No hate on her she was just creepy and my longest conversation with her went like; “oh, what’s your favorite anime?” “My Hero Academia” “oh same. Bakugou is my favorite!” “I like Deku” ) and that was IT.

. The day before I got discharged a boy came in. He seemed normal, so my group (all girls) wanted to know more. So we asked him why he was there.

His answer?: “I called the cops on myself because I tried strangling my baby brother”

Not the craziest thing we’d heard so we let it slide at the time.

. A boy threw a paper crane through a crack in the door to me. He whispered “keep it”. So I did. I still have that pink origami crane.

. My group did Just Dance by finding routines on YouTube for 2 hours. I did word searches.

. Girls in my group ate crayons because they were bored. The only reason they stopped is because I told them I needed the crayons to color my picture.

. So many word searches. I did 30 in a span of 3 days. That’s 10 every fucking day.

. They kept deadnaming the trans guys that were stuck with us girls and it pissed us all off. (One was amazing and I miss him. We bonded over Doc Marten’s and our love of teas)

. Speaking of which, the nurse didn’t give another girl her bra because “she didn’t have boobs”

. Gathering around the hygiene cart to see what names were new and then going to find the new people to introduce ourselves. Hygiene cart was where we got our news.

. Watched TikToks because we are depressed Gen Z.

. Played Heads Up Sevens Up like a group of kindergarten students.

. One girl kept hoarding the orange juice that they gave us with breakfast. She would have like... six juice boxes surrounding her section of the table. And not even the good kind of orange juice. Just the crappy sour one

. How a conversation with the tech about condiments for rice went

“Hey, do you have soy sauce?”

“Nope”

“Teriyaki sauce?”

“Nope”

“SALT?”

“Nope”

But they had BBQ SAUCE of all fucking things, so me in a desperate attempt to make the damned rice edible, mixed the BBQ sauce with the rice to create a rice similar in color to a pink and with the taste of well... BBQ sauce. I was so excited that it didn’t turn into a complete disaster that I actually ate my BBQ’ed rice monstrosity.

. The heat for the room I was in broke, and they left the door open when it would work so my room was always like the NORTH POLE.

. The graffiti on the window wire could be summed up to “fuck this place”

. Would watch the adult rehab patients smoke in the morning because I had nothing better to do.

. All of us were nosy little shits and would go look at the road as any vehicle with a siren would pass.

. In art therapy my new best friend (a trans guy named Kai) just painted pride flags and basically wrote “fuck normal it doesn’t exist” and honestly he is such a mood and I miss him. He is also the one I bonded with over Doc Marten’s and tea.

. One of the techs told us stories about the people they had in the past as patients- they were wild and I’m so glad we didn’t have any ‘crazy’ people. We were a pretty chill group.

. A lot of us were cat people and if people try and tell you depressed teens don’t love animals then they are WRONG. We got mad that COVID made them stop doing animal therapy because we all missed our pets at home.

. Day Crew were a lot nicer than night crew. Night Crew had a jackass lead who wouldn’t get off his lazy ass. No one liked the night crew lead. Night crew lead didn’t like us either. Mutual scorn that sucked.

. I was the only person with a two parent, loving home. Kai straight up asked me “what’s it like having a dad?” And I just... didn’t know how to react because I’ve never not had a dad? Like, my dad is my whole world.

. Parents were pissed because they weren’t telling them anything. My mom straight up called my case worker and was like “I’m not sure how used your establishment is to parents who don’t give a damn, but that is NOT US. Tell us shit so we don’t find out from our daughter”

[fizzingwizard]

Yay it’s my favorite time of the week! Digimon Adventure:! Can’t believe we’re already at episode 16! This week somewhat recapped the mission we’ve been on for... 14 episdoes now x’D and I realized I forgot all kinds of shit. It’s so funny, when I was ten and watching Digimon Adventure I could remember everything, but now that I’m sadly an adult I can’t keep track of these high paced children’s shows!

(Supposedly they spoon feed kids stories so they can understand it more easily... but I gotta say I think I’m the one that needs the help, bahahaha)

ALSO... apparently there was an earthquake this morning! It was too north of me so I didn’t feel it (I was... also sleeping >-> so...) But it was right when the show started airing so the info came scrolling across the screen. At first it said

“Just in case, be careful of tsunami”

and like just three min or so later

“There is no need to worry about a tsunami due to this earthquake”

Phew! Also, Digimon causes earthquakes! Hide yo wife hide yo kids! Is that meme still current?? Does it matter???? I’m a millennial, boomers hate me, gen Z hates me, at least let me have my memes! XD

OK enough goofing off, on to what really matters, freaking Digimon man! This episode gave me tons of Taichi spam. Mmm my favorite kind of spam! But it also gave me avocado cheeseburger spam too!

So although I completely forgot about it, I was pretty excited for this ep when they allegedly return to the real world! Last week’s preview made it pretty obvious it was going to be either a fake reality or the evil Digimon had taken over the real world much more deeply than we realized. Fake reality made the most sense. But they tried to trip us up anyway! The opening shots are clear references to the famous episode 21 of 99 Adventure, although given that was the best animated episode of the entire show, this one just doesn’t do it justice.

He’s not sweating, the sun isn’t as intense... it just makes Fizz nostalgic

Finding them suddenly home, the kids are all pretty bewildered at first. Predictably, Mimi is the first to recover. What motivates her?

AVOCADO CHEESEBURGER! AVOCADO CHEESEBURGER!

From Burger Jack’s bahahahaha

Mimi starts excitedly listing all the things she wants to do now that they’re home. Aside from eat delicious burgers, she wants to take a shower, change clothes...

I’m like “Oh, so these kids HAVE been feeling the effects of how much traveling they’ve been doing!”

Seriously though why didn’t anyone comment on it before now?? In 99 Adventure most of the kids couldn’t shut up about the lack of basic necessities and creature comforts. It was really easy to feel how much they were struggling! Everyone in this series is so darn serious all the time. Sora even brought that big bag of emergency supplies but we only rarely see it get used.

Taichi and Koushirou are a little more wary, though they come across as mainly confused.

Mimi wants to go eat burgers right off, but Taichi convinces her they should go home first. “Oh yeah, I have parents” - Mimi, probably.

They get on a train. The Digimon are very cute. They finally notice that no one’s paying attention to them. It took 0.3 seconds for Tokyoites in ep 21 of 99 Adventure to start freaking out over Koromon, so this was a big clue if you somehow missed that there’s something not right.

On the other hand, for a world that is presumably an illusion created by some Digimon, it sure is, er...

... accurate in surprising ways, bahahaha

(no seriously did we NEED bikini girls?? did we NEED them? I know it’s everywhere on every train for all kinds of proucts but did we NEED them here)

(the TEEN 17 in particular is killing me)

Some gratuitous Taichi spam

Mimi lives in the affluent Shibuya area now so the kids split up to continue on home. I love Taichi called her ‘ojousama.’

Taichi wonders if Yamato and the others got home okay too. Koushirou wonders if whatever was causing the blackout has really been defeated. (Mimi’s theory is “Sora-san and the others must have done something about it!” Which I just liked because by naming her she identifies Sora as the one she feels closest to awww)

They won’t say it, but the truth is these two are kinda disappointed... lol

However they won’t be disappointed for long... because this midnight train really isn’t going anywhere. *wink* see what i did there

Mimi’s walk home has also turned into a labyrinth. Which is totally normal for Toyko subways really. Mimi gets so tired from walking that she starts hallucinating that Palmon’s head is in fact an avocado.

Girl you got a problem but no judging. I got the same problem.

AVOCADO BURGER!! Think of it in your heart and it will appear!

Now that’s not creepy at all.

Several episodes ago we learned that Mimi has never seen The Mummy. Apparently she’s never seen any horror movies at all, because she still approaches the counter to order her freaking burger even after seeing the cashier’s shadowy clearly evil visage.

YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR LITTLE GIRL

On finally realizing that this train can’t go anywhere but Shibuya, Taichi and Koushirou get off and reunite with Mimi, who has learned nothing and continues talking to people. The only possible result of this is...

... creepy eyes appearing and trying to EAT her

Mimi: “Taichi-san!!”

she could ask her partner for protection but Taichi’s around and he’s everyone’s big brother so

The cause of all this mischief turns out to be this creepy dude! He’s kind of cute!

Also rather larger and more solid than I anticipated!

Of course this nightmare won’t end so easily.

You know you’re in for it when the walls are covered in glowing red eyes. That uh, shoot laser beams at you.

Cyclops: Not lasers! Concussive optic rays!

It turns out there wasn’t just one creepy dude, there were many. I’ve found my Halloween costume!

Our heroes finally figure out that this world is not their real world when they come across these tetris people.

For someone who’s never watched a single scary movie, Mimi does an impressive white-girl-in-a-horror-flick face.

I know she’s not white I’m saying she’s good at impressions she should become a comedienne

Now that we know the blackout in Japan is still ongoing and causing all sorts of issues, we get our usual peek into what’s going on for the people of Tokyo. We get to see Hikari! She’s cool as a cucumber. Her mom’s freaking out and packing a suitcase. Her mom says “Hikari go get ready!” Hikari just says “Oh I’m ready anytime!”

Hikari: I’m not worried about anything, big brother’s taking care of it!

Awww we get to see Miko! And that looks like a cat carrier <3 Mom’s not leaving their furry friend behind in the dark while they evacuate to grandpa’s place in Ibaraki...

... She is apparently cool with leaving behind her only son though! X’D

The letter reads “Taichi, we’re going to Grandpa’s place in Ibaraki. Call me when you get home.” The arrow says “Address.”

Ibaraki is a bit over an hour from Tokyo (I used to live there!) so not too far and very easy to get to by train. Still... there’s a huge power outage, I can only assume Mom’s reason here really is evacuation and not just “seems like a great time to go on a visit!” but she doesn’t know where one of her kids is and she’s just like “eh no worries he’ll figure out his way home!” Does she KNOW her son is 11? Japanese kids use trains very independently but again, POWER OUTAGE. ONE HOUR+ AWAY.

I’m remembering episode 1 when Taichi was acting like such a Dad and his mom was totally on board. Apparently that is going to be a Thing in their family. Taichi is the kid in Home Alone. Scratch that, he’s like the pets in Homeward Bound X’D

Mimi is understandably disappointed that she doesn’t get to shower... I mean see her parents... I mean, eat a freaking avocado cheeseburger

But Palmon knows how to make her feel better. “We’ll come back here someday and eat avocado cheeseburgers together.”

Mimi: “Heck YEAH I’m psyched!! AVOCADO CHEESEBURGER!”

this show understands the only true way to a woman’s heart is through food.

Our heroes are surrounded by Homunculus from FMA.

They merge together forming the aptly named EYESMON!!! lmao

Look at freaking long Greymon’s cyborg arm is. Whut.

AtlurKabuterimon gets hit by a train buhaahaha. Somehow this was way funnier to me than Lilymon getting hit by a plane or buildings falling on MetalGreymon.

The kids are outnumbered when look who appears!

The three of them sitting on Zudomon is the cutest thing ever also I JUST NOTICED ZUDOMON’S DOLPHIN PATCH WHAT THE HECK HAS THAT ALWAYS BEEN THERE!??!?!?!!?

So this was the reunion ep after all! I’m a little disappointed just because I wanted something more dramatic.

What Fizz, illusion magic and homunculi plus exploding Shibuya isn’t dramatic enough for you?

I mean EMOTIONALLY dramatic. Like, someone should hug.

Oh well. This is the face Taichi makes when he sees Yamato. D’aww. I guess i’ll be satisfied with this.

Yamato gets them started on a plan and they all fight as a group!! But Koushirou’s realized that this Digimon, whatever it is, is what’s causing the blackout. They can’t properly defeat it...

... and it’s already the night of the third day. Soon their 72 hour window will be up. Then Ariel will turn back into a Mermaid and the Sea Witch wins :’<

We end with an ominous digivolution! Next week....

Orochimon!!! I love multi headed monsters.

More Taiyama action!!! Lookin a bit beat up but still cool!

OK so in sum this episode was pretty fun. I still feel like the writers for this season just don’t dig in deep enough to really make things come alive. They’re so concerned with battles that they miss moments for fun character interactions etc. And in the end, the whole of this episode can be recapped simply as “They discover the world they’re in is an illusion and they fight the bad guy.” However, we got a lot of fun with Mimi in particular, and though we didn’t get the kind of Taishiro teamwork my heart yearns for, at least we saw them sticking together and hashing things out.

I really do hope this show dials up the character relationships a bit soon though. We keep getting tidbits so it’s not like they don’t have things planned. It’s just a matter of execution. Anyway I’m happy to have the whole group (well as many as we’ve got so far) together again!

[nickgerlich]

Clothes Calls

I remember when I was growing up. I was fortunate to always have new clothes for each school year. They may not have been fancy, but they kept me covered. And given that I, like every other child, was going through growth spurts and so forth, it meant that in a year or so, I had outgrown those threads--that’s what we called them in the 60s--which meant that my younger brother became the recipient of a new wardrobe.

Little did we know it back then, but were were participating in a rather rudimentary version of thrifting, even if it was inter-family. I have no idea what happened to those clothes after my brother outgrew them, because they were no longer my concern. I suspect, though, that they went to the landfill with holes in the knees and elbows, and if they had any life remaining, they were donated to a charity.

Today, though, thrifting has become a major enterprise, primarily because of the cost of clothes in general, and the preoccupation with fast fashion. For those who buy new, stores like F21 and H&M have become Meccas of whatever is cool. While the prices appear to be cheap, the quality is often low, and given our whims and fashion sensibilities, the price-per-wearing can actually be quite high.

The result is young people, namely Gen-Z and Millennials, which thus includes everyone under 41, are flocking to Goodwill  and other thrift stores in search of bargains. Franchise chains like Plato’s Closet each have unique inventories based on who brings in clothes to unload, and it is always open season to see what you can find. Even older folks--ahem--can shop at places like Clothes Mentor, which primarily targets people like my wife.

And then there is Depop, the online reseller that Etsy just bought for $1.63 billion. If you needed proof that thrifting is a big deal, this is it. Analysts project this market to hit $64 billion in 2024.

The bulk of Depop’s customers is under 26 years of age, which is nearly exclusively the domain of Gen-Z (those born 1997 or after), and it is a demographic that has no problem with the idea of reselling or buying previously-used clothes. It has more than 26 million users in 147 countries. Whereas I grew up with a no-way-in-hell are we buying used clothes, it’s perfectly OK today.

Etsy, that bastion of craft items, limits how and where clothing is resold on its site, but with Depop, they have jumped into the deep end of the pool. Given the new consciousness of younger generations, it is the environmentally friendly way to do things.

Remember the mantra: Recycle. Reuse. Repurpose. Resell. Or something like that. And I like it, even if it is an idea new to me.

Just one look at my closet and you will quickly surmise that I should be doing this. I’ll go one step farther and say that pretty much every adult American should be doing this. How many of you have garments in your closet still bearing the manufacturer’s tags? How many of you have items you have worn not more than once? And how many of you have complete wardrobes for “different size you” depending on whether you’ve been pounding too many beers?

Time for me to step in front of the mirror. Be right back.

By now you might be thinking, why don’t you just post this stuff on eBay? After all, a lot of people have been doing that for years. Just ask my wife. She’s the Queen of eBay. But eBay isn’t as cool as Depop. It’s the Trendyville of used clothing, where streetwear and vintage share equal billing and the founders turned a garage sale into a social network.

Naturally, if a bunch of old people like me started using it, the coolness factor would go way down. Can you imagine someone posting button-down Oxford dress shirts and neck ties? Ummm...not so much. Then again, maybe there’s a market for a boomer Depop.

While we ponder those prospects, consider also the fact that when Simon Beckerman started Depop a decade ago, he probably didn’t have an exit strategy in mind. Even if he did, it would be hard to imagine a better ending, because now he can buy that island we all dream about retiring on.

Maybe he’d like to buy some of my “different size me” beachwear.

Dr “Time To Sell Some Clothes“ Gerlich

Audio Blog

[skies-diary]

The more I think about it, the more I think we should stop sending our children to school past grade 5.

More under the cut. TW for suicide mention, mental illness, gun violence mention, and assault mention.

Of course education is important, but schools dont really educate; not anymore. At least, "higher learning" like middle / high school and college don't. I can think of only two classes in grades 6-12 that I've ever used in my day to day life, and those were sex ed (which was comprehensive for me, but which many schools in the US arent even allowed to have on the syllabus) and home economics. The rest were really just full of meaningless facts that I was forced to memorize and that I likely won't remember by ten years after graduation.

It's not that I think people should be uneducated. It's that as early as 100 years ago, people wouldn't send children to school before they were six years old, and now preschools start enrollment at six weeks old. Its that I learned very little in my teenage years that I would ever use in my adult life. Its that school contributed to my depression and anxiety that started at age 11 when I was in sixth grade, and that I'm still struggling with today.

More than anything else, though, while elementary school taught to read and write and made learning a part of life, sixth grade and up made me hate learning. It taught me that learning is a chore to finish and be done with so you can do "fun things". It taught me that if you can't get something right on the first try, you're bad at it and theres no point trying. More than trying to get me ready to choose my own path in life, school was focused on three things; fidelity to country, unconditional respect and obedience to authority, and capitalism training.

Fidelity to country: Every single day started with the pledge of allegiance. Some kids didnt stand for it, and I wish I'd been one of them. On veterans day my senior year, our first hour teacher told the class that any students that didnt stand for the pledge that day would be sent to the office for "disciplinary action". After the pledge, the whole class was escorted down the hall to the room of a teacher who was also a veteran, and we all had to stand in a line to shake his hand and thank him for his service. At age 17, I didn't think that was too strange. At age 23, having lived through Trump's presidency and seen what nationalism and extremism looks like more clearly, I find it much more off-putting than before.

Unconditional respect for authority: For me, this really started in second grade. After first grade, I was transferred to a new school which was poorly managed. The school was understaffed and overcrowded, classrooms were wildly out of ratio and teachers were overwhelmed. My brother, in kindergarten, hardly knew how to spell his name by the end of the year, and that's only because he had extra-curricular support.

The school avoided any and all accountability by having a policy of "the teacher is always right", therefore placing all responsibility on the students for any learning difficulties they encountered. The school board thankfully let my siblings and I transfer to a more competent and less crowded school after I was physically assulted by another student (a boy from another class who tried to suffocate me), and my parents threatened a lawsuit against the district.

The expectation for unfailing respect was amplified in high and middle school, from the constant police presence in schools to the draconian dress code regulations to teachers who treated their profession like a power trip. I did have a lot of good teachers, but others acted like being a teacher gave them license to act like a drill sergeant.

Capitalism training: this is very different than career training. Career training would have taught us marketable, useful skills. Rather, my school district got us ready for the workforce by having us sit at a desk for eight hours a day, delegating us tasks to be completed in a set amount of time, or we'd have life-altering repercussions. We were young adults who had little to no say in how we spent our day to day lives. I feel like these things contributed a lot to spending my teenaged years feeling like I had no direction in life; a feeling that persists in adulthood and has caused me untold distress, from difficulty in career choice to suicidal ideation.

As a teen, I didn't really understand the point of it all. However, it seems fairly obvious as an adult. School was training for corporate life. Modern American schools are turning out kids who have very few life skills, who are primed to sit at a desk for 8 hours, completing largely meaningless tasks and putting up with bullshit from authority figures whom they know better than to question.

In my personal experience, everything past grade 5 had nothing to do with education; rather, it was a nearly decade-long indoctrination ritual to prepare children to take their place as an employee and "contribute to society" under Late Stage Capitalism. It's framed as a necessary part of life, but the truth is that historically, parents, extended family and community were the forces that educated children. They taught them the life skills useful to their time and culture. Today, for example, technological literacy is needed, but a Native American child in 1500 would have learned how to hunt, how to mend, and how to build shelter. A child in 4000 BC Egypt would have likely learned to grown plants in the Nile Delta and care for farm animals.

Learning is a part of life. Human brains are supercomputers that can recognize patterns like nothing else in the world. No teacher has to sit down a typically developing child and teach them to speak; they learn through daily life. Humans didn't learn to make fire in lecture hall. We're naturally curious and eager to learn as children, but after going through school, very few adults retain this enthusiasm.

I used to be able to read three novels in an afternoon. Now I struggle to finish a chapter. This shift did not come about until age 11, the same year I entered middle school.

Children go to school now because there is rarely any other choice. In most American families, both parents work, and if a child is in a single-parent household, it's even less likely they have a stay-at-home parent. This symptom of Late Stage Capitalism (parental absense) causes children to grow into adults indoctrinated into the system, which is causatious of Late Stage Capitalism. It's a cycle that can be hard to break.

But we have to do something. Education reform, finding a way to homeschool / educate through community, or even just stop having kids. I haven't had any children yet because I dont want to raise my babies to be corporate slaves for the Jeff Bezos or Elon Musk of their generation.

Because as it stands right now, America's schoolchildren that aren't gunned down by angry white men are coming out the other side of graduation depressed, directionless, and with one of the highest suicide rates (second leading cause of death for Gen Z) in human history.

What American schools are doing isn't just not working, it's purposefully malicious. We need to change.

[local-femme-gentleman]

10 things I’ve watched in the quarantine (so far)

1. Dazed and Confused 1993 ‧ Comedy/Indie film ‧ 1h 43m

So, I kicked off the apocalypse lockdown with Dazed and Confused - and yes, even though the movie made me realise I was going to have to survive literal months without my usual amount of marijuana consumption, it also filed me with that warped sense of nostalgia and longing for a bygone era that Dazed and Confused always leaves me with - especially a deep yearning for seventies music because the soundtrack of this movie may be one of its best aspects. It is equal parts kinda stupid, ridiculously fun, and wholly introspective, and at the end of the day I love this movie for helping me see what my boomer parents - and their whole generation - were like as teenagers more than anything else.

2. 2001: A Space Odyssey 1968 ‧ Sci-fi/Adventure ‧ 2h 44m

2001: A Space Odyssey has since its release become an absolute classic, and I for one adore it to absolute death. This was one of the first ‘adult’ movies I watched, I was 11 years old at the time - and although I didn’t understand it then, and frankly got a little bored, revisiting it now (after having rewatched it many many many times, and as a slightly older, well, kid) I’ve come to absolutely love it. I personally was looking for some slightly longer movies for the lockdown - considering I have more than enough time, and if you are too then this one may be just what you’re looking for - even if you’ve seen it already. There’s always more to discover in a movie like this one.

3. Okja 2017 ‧ Adventure/Drama ‧ 2 hours

Of all the movies on this list this may be the one I recommend the least. Not because it’s a bad movie, because it honestly and truly isn’t ( Bong Joon Ho still definitely came through for this one), however, this movie is, in my opinion, far too heartbreaking for this exact moment in time. If it was any other period in history I would be overwhelmingly promoting this movie, because I honestly and truly loved it - but it made me want to give up meat in a period of time where I simply do not have the resources for that to be an option. So if you’re down with your day just getting a little bit sadder, albeit in a not entirely bad way, I’d say watch Okja - if not, then I’d say, just for now, maybe stay away.

4. Spirited Away 2001 ‧ Animation/Fantasy ‧ 2h 5m

Okay, I love this movie, my parents love this movie, your parents love this movie, your sister loves this movie, your best friend loves this movie, you’re-cousin’s-nephew’s-dog’s-best-friend’s-owner loves this movie - and, if you don’t love this movie, well, each to their own but you’re kind of a monster. Spirited Away is one of those universally agreed upon masterpieces, everything about this movie just makes you feel good, from the colours, to the world, to the characters, to the animation. Spirited Away wraps you up in a blanket of all things warm and comforting in this world - if you’re looking to just feel better, which given current situations you probably are, this is the one for you.

5. Before Sunrise 1995 ‧ Romance/Drama ‧ 1h 45m

I’ve always loved this trilogy, yes, it may be one of the most teenage girl things to ever exist, the ultimate teenage girl fantasy, but what’s wrong with that? Before Sunrise, at every watch and rewatch, makes me want to meet a stranger on a train and just wander somewhere in europe for a single night. I’m fairly sure this will never happen, but this is the perfect time for daydreaming and so I will. Honestly, this movie truly is good, the amount of angles explored in Jesse and Celine’s still forming relationship over a single night is fascinating and it’s a very pretty film. If you’re just looking for something light and easy to watch - that gets you just the right amount of emotional, this is the one for you.

6. The Royal Tenenbaums 2001 ‧ Drama/Comedy-drama ‧ 1h 50m

Oh so you thought I’d go one recommendations video without mentioning Wes? Ha. Okay look, The Royal Tenenbaums is probably my fifth favorite Wes movie, but considering I love basically every Wes Anderson movie that isn’t not saying much. The Tenenbaum siblings stand as some of my favorite Wes Anderson characters and I love Angelica Houston no matter who she plays. The Royal Tenenbaums is just a good Wes Anderson film, and you get exactly what you’d want and expect from it - whip pans, impeccable wardrobes, symmetrical shots, a Wilson Brother, a sugary colour pallette, the futura font, and rich white people, well, being rich white people

7. American Vandal 2017 ‧ Satire ‧ 2 seasons

Ok I’ll say it, this is the perfect quarantine show. It’s completely stupid in the smartest way possible, absurdly funny, and overall one of the best shows netflix has ever produced. If you’re looking for a laugh, and I know I was when I clicked on this, then this is the one for you. American Vandal is satire at its peak - and I can officially say that both seasons hold up at a third rewatch, because yes, I’ve watched this entire show three times over. If you like true-crime series, or The Office and Parks and Rec (and yes I see the disparity in genre) then you will absolutely adore American vandal - and the fact that this show didn’t get a third season is a whole tragedy. Shame on you Netflix, shame on you.

8. Marriage Story 2019 ‧ Comedy-drama/Drama ‧ 2h 17m

Again, considering current times Marriage Story may have not been the best choice, but hey, I love this movie, and as sad as it makes me, it also makes me incredibly happy in a bittersweet sort of way. The good thing about marriage story is that it’s one of those films you truly get lost in, when I watched it just a few days ago, I truly and honestly, for just those few moments, forgot about everything going on right now, and - i say this at a risk of sounding selfish, I know - it felt good. Marriage Story is by far one of my favorite movies of last year, the writing is gorgeous, the editing is genius, and although the movie isn’t intrinsically happy in nature, it may just be what you need right now.

9. Every John Mulaney Special New in Town ‧ The Comeback Kid ‧ Kid Gorgeous ‧ etc.

So I, in true Gen-Z fashion, have watched every John Mulaney Comedy Special  many many times. I love these specials, they truly mean quite a bit to me. I like playing these in the back while I do other things like cleaning my room or cooking. I think I watched him so much  that his voice has become almost comforting - I may have formed a bit of an attachment. Chances are you’ve probably seen at least one John Mulaney Special, if you’ve only seen one watch the rest! And if you’ve seen the all then rewatch like I did! For me, this is the perfect time to just watch some good standup, so even if it isn’t John, just watch a comedian who makes you happy - trust me, it’ll help.

10. Tangled 2010 ‧ Animation/Musical ‧ 1h 40m

Ok so honestly my friends put this on together on Netflix Party to watch that first song and get some self-quarantine ideas - but then we just watched the whole movie so, yeah. I do love Tangled though, it was one of my favourite Disney movies as a kid, granted I’ve always been more of a Pixar girl (speaking of which this is the best time to binge on Pixar movies!!!!). Honestly, this is just a solid disney movie, it’s cute, it’s adorably animated, I properly adore Pascal and Maximus because no matter how old I get I will always adore a fun animal sidekick. Honestly, now is just a good time to watch a good disney movie, I had fun with this movie okay, no lie it was great.

[trisanachandlers]

I read Wild Magic really fast and here are all my thoughts on THAT:

the only thing this book is missing for which there is NO excuse is Raoul. 5/5 stars. needs more Raoul. that is my entire review

I had forgotten how deeply I love these books and these characters, including and perhaps especially Numair? and by “these books”, to be clear, I mean Wild Magic, Wolf Speaker, and Emperor Mage, you know, the Immortals trilogy

Ok that’s my whole review I’m actually done now

just kidding

Honestly make Daine like 5 years older so she’s 17-18 at the beginning and 20-21 at the end and like... it’s fine. I wouldn’t mind. It’s still not great but it’s okay. That’s my take, that in fact if/when Immortals gets adapted I will be fine with Daine/Numair as long as she is a young adult at the beginning when they meet instead of a literal 13-year-old. Just do what g*me of thr*nes did with Daenerys in the beginning! it’s fine!

haha daine and daenerys. dainerys. haha

mother of dragons haha wait a minute -

HOLD ON JUST ONE SECOND HERE

these books predate a s*ng of *ce and f*re I’m just saying

I forgot Onua was like at least in her 40s (based on she’s been working with horses for 28 years) and like she’s a cool early-middle-aged lady with a no-nonsense attitude who wanders the wilderness with her dog? oh boy is 23-year-old lesbian me into THAT, conceptually, in a way kid me was not so much yet

of course everyone is gay but YOU KNOW WHO’S GAY? MIRI. THIS IS MIRI’S INTRODUCTORY PARAGRAPH:

“She had dark hair cut boyishly short and a pair of dancing green eyes. With a tip-tilted nose, a cleft chin, and a dusting of freckles, she looked like pure mischief.”

GAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I know things were not exactly the same in the 1990s as they are now but this is just every single late millennial/gen z queer I have ever met in my entire life

anyway

Just generally it is very cool how many more women are in this book, because as much as I love Jon (usually) and Raoul and George and Myles and Thom and Coram and and and, up until Thayet and Buri showed up in Lioness Rampant there were like... not a lot of women who were around very much in SotL and it’s just very nice that in this book the cast is much closer to even

“Let’s only name our plot-relevant children after our dead relatives whom readers will remember from the last book,” the friends all agreed collectively

Can you imagine Maude’s face when Alanna was presumably like “Maude, I have a favor to ask of you. I’ve just had a son, and I hope you’ll come help me take care of him as you raised my brother and me. I’ve named him after Thom and he has the Gift” Maude: oh gods FUCKING help us all

anyway I love Roald, Kally, and Thom so much and I wish there was more of all of them in the books but especially Kally? like we do get plenty of Roald development in Protector and there’s a little of grownup Thom in Trickster but Kally agrees to not go for her shield and be a princess and a healer instead and then goes to Carthak to marry Kaddar when she grows up and where is that quartet, dammit

Speaking of Thoms, I assume Alanna meeting Arram went something like this:

Arram: hello

Alanna: oh fuck. ok everyone out of the way, let me handle this, I’m the expert on dealing with vain and overconfident magical prodigies around here as I have trained literally since the moment of my birth and you guys sure royally fucked it up when I was gone last time so I’m adopting this overgrown puppy of a mage. he is mine now. I will not be hearing objections good day

Arram: ... okay cool!

I have so many questions about the timeline of Numair’s backstory that make me think I need to reread Tempests & Slaughter before I go any further because if he’s 25 in this book (for some reason I always thought he was 14 years older than Daine, not 12, turns out I was wrong about that) and he’s been in Tortall doing his thing for 5 years that means everything with Ozorne and the multiple years of being homeless and on the run (as well as becoming a Black Robe!) all happened before he was 20, and I do not remember how old he was at the end of Tempests & Slaughter and the wiki is deeply unhelpful on that cause apparently no one has updated it since that book was published???? I guess I could fix that but my first day of my second semester of law school is tomorrow so I’m not going to

I want Cate Blanchett to voice the mom dragon and that is my one (1) strong opinion on tv show casting that I have developed from rereading these books so far

I also think whoever plays Roger should voice the kraken, just to make viewers go “wait... no. wait. what? no. what?”, because it would be fun

Actually the 10-year time skip makes me really question how they’d even include Song of the Lioness in a tv show (since Immortals + Protector pretty much run straight through), except that a) it’s kind of necessary to get that backstory in order for people watching to have the degree of attachment to all the adult characters in this book that readers do, and b) I guess the Numair books should fill in the gap basically right? but also because the Lioness and Protector books are so inconsistently paced (4:4:1:1 years for SotL, 1:3:4:1 years roughly for PotS) I don’t know how they’d pace out seasons and obviously if they tried to adapt it all and keep about 1 season for every 2 years or so they’d end up with like. 20 seasons total which, aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

anyway I really really love Numair and I’m very angry about how thoroughly that love is going to get destroyed a few books from now

[thesoundofnat]

Still fixing all the cracks

ENDGAME SPOILERS AHEAD

Summary: When May reappears after the snap, it’s in front of a moving car. She survives, but needs to stay at the hospital for a while. Where else is Peter supposed to go but to stay with Pepper, Tony and Morgan?

A/N: I turned an angsty prompt from @insane-sociopath slightly less angsty by having May (and Tony!) survive. I hope you like it!

Warnings: Endgame spoilers, nightmares, hints at trauma and PTSD.

Words: 2 100

Tony had known May Parker had vanished after the first snap, and as awful as it sounded he’d been grateful for it. The pain he’d been feeling after Peter had turned to dust, disappeared right in front of him, had almost broken him. He couldn’t imagine how May would’ve felt, losing someone who was her own flesh and blood. If he was to lose Morgan now he was certain he’d go insane.

Not that his love for Peter was any less because of their lack of a blood relation. He would still kill and die for that kid.

Point was, he was grateful May hadn’t had to go through it. It hadn’t been fun.

“Mr Stark?”

Waking up at the hospital, a model of a prosthetic arm on a table across from him courtesy of Bruce, had been jarring. Partly due to the pain and the drugs, but he’d been so sure he was hallucinating Peter being back for the first couple of days that he’d hated his brain for doing that to him.

“How am I alive?” had been his first sentence. The second a demand to see Pepper and Morgan, even though Pepper had been sitting next to him, her trembling hand holding his own. Only something like this could’ve turned Tony Stark into a confused mess, Rhodey had joked, his eyes wet.

“Mr Stark?”

Tony’s body had barely been in any shape to keep his heart going. They all called him a miracle. A once in an existence type of survival.

“I did it for you, you know,” Tony had said to no one in particular, because truly it didn’t matter. It hadn’t mattered and it would never matter.

“I’m so mad at you,” Pepper had said one evening or morning or midafternoon (Tony hadn’t been keeping track). “You could’ve died.”

Tony had smiled, or at least had tried to smile. “I know. I’m sorry.”

“The worst part is that, if you hadn’t done it, you would’ve lived with that regret for the rest of your life.”

“I can’t seem to calm down, can I?”

Pepper had stroked his face. “I’m sure you’ll be calm now.”

“Mr Stark?”

“Hmm?”

Peter - the actual real life alive Peter - must’ve said his name at least three times before he’d realized. Tony focused his gaze on him; took in the tears streaming down his face. “Shit, Pete-”

“It’s nothing bad!” Peter said, sniffling, panicked, voice too loud in the quiet hospital room. “It’s just… well, Aunt May reappeared and-”

Shit, shit, shit.

“An accident and-”

How the hell could life take away the last blood relative that precious kid had?

“She’ll be out in a couple of weeks and-”

“Wait, hold on, back up.”

Apparently May had vanished into dust in the car and reappeared in front of another one, breaking several bones as Earth had welcomed her back. Typical. She’d be fine, but she was going into surgery and wouldn’t be able to leave the hospital for a while.

“I don’t know why I’m such a mess,” Peter said, still his rambly self, after everything.

Tony, only days into his new life post snap, blinked at him. It was, unfortunately, all he managed before the drugs knocked him out again.

When he woke Pepper had made a decision for all of them.

“He’s staying with us until his aunt is back on her feet,” she said. Tony didn’t protest. Why would he?

“I could just crash at Ned’s,” Peter said for the hundredth time, but Pepper shushed him. Tony could tell she’d handle teenage Morgan with no trouble.

By the time Tony got to go home, Peter had been staying there for two weeks already. May’s condition, though not entirely life threatening, had been worse than they’d thought. Peter tried to not let it show how worried he was, for some reason, but it was all but written on his face. Tony, weak and constantly exhausted, felt so helpless he nearly cried.

“I like him,” Morgan said, the two of them alone in Tony’s bedroom, just about avoiding spilling the juice of their melting popsicles onto the bed sheets.

“He’s nice, eh?”

“Very. He makes me laugh.”

“Ah, a comedian. Maybe I just never appreciated his weird gen Z humor.”

Morgan didn’t provide his to her strange remark with any response. Tony had to resist the urge to wrap her in his arms every other minute. As close as they were, he was sure she’d start getting annoyed at him eventually.

He had no idea how much she knew. How close he and the world had been to being entirely ruined. He prayed to god she had no clue, but she was smarter than any kid he’d met (and to be fair, than some adults as well).

If she knew, she hadn’t told him.

“What do you think about him staying with us?” Tony asked her, attempting to sound casual.

“I think it’s fun.”

“But do you miss it just being us?”

“A little,” she said, swallowing the last of her ice cream. “But it’s okay. I like him and he needs us. That’s what mommy said.”

“Mommy’s right, you know.”

“She says he’s like your son.”

Tony doubted Pepper had worded it like that, but he tilted his head anyway. “I care about him.”

“Why did he never come visit before?”

Crap.

“He was away, for a bit.” Tony smiled, ignoring the sudden rush of emotions. “I’m happy you finally got to meet him.”

*

“Mr Stark, you have a daughter.”

“Yes, Pete, we’ve established that.”

Morgan’s feeling toward Peter were nothing compared to Peter’s delight and utter surprise at Tony having put a child into the world (or well - Pepper). Every so often, usually after Tony and Morgan had interacted in any way, Peter would repeat these words. Tony wasn’t sure if he should be offended at the awed tone or not.

“How was it?”

“How was what?”

“When she was being born?”

“Uh, I’m pretty sure you’re asking the wrong parent here.”

Peter rolled his eyes. “I mean, how were you feeling?”

Tony shrugged. “I was a complete mess, to be honest. Crying and laughing and pacing all over the place. When I first got to see her-” He broke off, clearing his throat. “It was the best moment of my life.”

Peter’s smile could light up the whole goddamn world. “I wish I had been there.”

Tony reached for him, pulling him into a half-hug. “Me too, kid. Me too.”

“But I’m here now, and I’m gonna be the best- uh.”

“What?”

“Nothing.”

“What were you about to say?”

Peter had turned red. “I was gonna say big brother, but I felt like- well, I didn’t want to-”

“Of course you’re her big brother, you nerd.”

“Oh.”

Tony snorted. “Well, she did call you my son.”

“Did you correct her?”

“Nah.”

This time Peter’s beaming face was turned downward, bashful.

Tony ruffled his hair. “Come on. Let’s go make the queens of the house some dinner, shall we?”

*

The weeks of Peter’s stay had some dark moments, mostly consisting of Tony’s body not cooperating or Pepper’s heart breaking all over again if she remembered almost losing him or Tony thinking of the moment Peter turned to dust, over and over. It was sleepless nights and trips to the hospital for check ups and visits and all the while Peter feeling guilty for enjoying his stay when his aunt was alone in an empty room.

“You’re there about 90% of your days,” Tony told him. “She doesn’t expect you to do more. In fact, I think she’d kick both your ass and mine if I allowed you to sleep in those torture devices to chairs.”

Tony went to visit her without Peter at times, when he was in school. They didn’t say much because it wasn’t needed.

“I’m sorry you had to spend five years without him,” May said one day, her hand gripping Tony’s perpetually trembling one. The prosthetic one was steady.

“We fixed it,” he said, voice hoarse and slightly too quiet.

“I’m so glad you did.”

“We lost some along the way,” he added, his mind on Natasha, as it often was.

May gave his hand a squeeze. They didn’t speak again for a while.

*

Having a teenage superhero in the house meant helping them with - and forcing them to do -  homework and making them promise to not be out to late and “no, Pete, Spider-Man isn’t needed tonight.” Maybe he was being hypocritical, but at least he could laugh at each look Pepper shot him whenever he reprimanded Peter for things he’d probably done himself.

It also meant running into him when they were both wandering the house in their sleepless states, both confused, both feeling too much with no relief in sight. Tony had been surprised seeing Peter the first night, but, despite his saying he had nothing to make him feel like this really because the snap hadn’t lasted five years for him, Tony couldn’t blame him.

“I’m sure it was traumatic in ways you can’t explain,” Tony said, remembering the hysteria just before he vanished. “And to be fair, the whole goddamn battle was a mess. I’d be worried if you weren’t having trouble sleeping, as much as I wish you didn’t.”

“Does it hurt a lot?” Peter asked then, eyes on Tony’s trembling arm.

“This? Nah. It’s just my body not being as strong anymore. It’s getting better.” Tony hadn’t told any of them of the times he’d entered his lab trying to create something only for him to scream in frustration and not go back in days. His prosthetic arm was working just fine, but the rest of him, parts he’d gotten so used to using whenever he built or tinkered around, were still recovering. That was what Tony said, at least. No one had promised him his old body back. He reckoned he couldn’t really expect them to lie so awfully to him.

“I’ve never been as scared as I was when I saw you sitting there, arm practically crumbling-” Peter cut himself off. “Sorry. Jesus. You probably don’t wanna hear about that.”

“No, no, it’s okay. Talk.”

“I can’t.”

Tony understood.

Some nights, Morgan found them, blinking up at them in the light of the kitchen, confused. “Daddy?”

“Hey, pumpkin, why aren’t you in bed?”

“Why aren’t you?”

And Peter would grin, whenever the tiny little four year old would be smart with her genius father. Tony’s heart was never as full as it was in those moments.

And then, it was over. May, recovered, got to go home and bring Peter with her. They all knew it had been coming.

“You’re sad, aren’t you?” Pepper said the first night without him.

Tony nodded. “A bit. It’s silly.”

“It’s not.”

“Maybe not.”

“You can visit him this time, you know.”

Tony laughed, so loudly he must’ve startled Morgan, wherever she was in the house. “I know.”

“I’m gonna miss having him in the house,” Pepper said. “It wasn’t the same being in the Tower or the Compound. People feel so much closer here.”

“It’s because this is a normal house, which apparently is what normal people live in.”

Pepper laughed. “Domesticity suits you.”

“I try.”

“I know.”

She always did.

“How are you?” Peter asked a couple of weeks later. They hadn’t seen each other since he’d gone back home.

“Me? Doing better. How’s May?”

“She’s doing much better.”

“And how are you?”

Peter didn’t reply immediately, eyes finding the street they were walking next to. “I’m doing all right, mostly.”

“Ah.”

“No new nightmares.”

“But old ones?”

“Always the same ones.”

“I know the feeling.”

If Tony could take all of Peter’s pain and trauma, he would, but he knew that wasn’t possible, so he did the next best thing.

“Let’s grab some ice cream. I think that daughter of mine has made me addicted to that stuff.”

Peter laughed. “I miss her.”

“Well, then I think it’s about time you come visit her, hm?”

“Just say when and I’ll be there.”

“No need. You can show up whenever you want, as long as it isn’t in the middle of the night. Unless it’s an emergency, of course.”

“You say that now, but I bet you’ll raise an eyebrow at me when I walk in on your date with Pepper.”

“As if we won’t have enlisted you to babysit Morgan to begin with.”

“Happy won’t be happy. Hah, that was unintentional.”

“Happy will have to learn to share his duties.”

They were gonna be okay.