#amoeba culture

[moontaeddybear]

210604 Amoeba Culture Save MV

[officialmiso]

「a music video a week」 —party (shut down) by sik-k ft. crush

[k-star-holic]

⁇ Marriage ⁇ Choiza, smile can not hide Thumbs up... beautiful bride also revealed

Source: k-star-holic.blogspot.com

[solplparty]

성덕이 된 CB Mass 팬클럽 회장 박홍재 l Under The Seed EP.04 이안캐시(Ian Ka$h) https://youtu.be/3GQnLPQS6mc Amoeba Culture (아메바컬쳐)

[ericpoptone]

The Legend of the Clandestine Order of Illuminated Gentlepersons

Proof, if needed, that the internet isn’t all bad. Two months ago, on the LosAngeles subreddit, user suprunkn0wn asked, “What’s that one spot in L.A. that you missed where it used to be? The new Amoeba is cool, but the most typical L.A. shit is the fact it’s under apartments and that will always piss me off. I will always miss the OG location, miss seeing it on the corner.“ I’m not sure what’s…

[kosmical]

alr i'll bite what's isat

Omg thanks for opening pandoras box! You will regret this

In stars and time is the recent food source of my brain eating amoeba and it Will Not Leave. before i get into why im rabid about it though ill give a brief synopsis . putting a read more here because i suspect this post will get LONG.

its a game about a classic rpg party on the last two days of their quest to save the country from The King who is freezing everything, including people, in time. the main character, Siffrin, is the party's rogue who, upon going into the House of Change (the game's dungeon so to speak) and promptly dying, finds out that they're trapped in a time loop. they're the only one who remembers repeating the last two days- aside from a star named loop who helps him try and figure out whats going on, why, and how to break out.

Now personally ive never been invested in a time loop story?? Im not sure if thats because i havent consumed much media thats implemented it before as its main premise or if i just havent been interested but i think in stars and time meshes the two different genres a time loop story can fall into really well (the mystery and the emotional conflict).

The mystery is what drives you through the game (and there are other questions unrelated to the timeloop about siffrin's origin and the world itself that i think handle a variety of themes like loss of culture and personal transformation really well but thats a different tangent) but the emotional parts are what really got me. You have to watch almost in the backseat as Siffrin is like. Slowly depersonalized from the people they care about. All while refusing to tell them anything about their misery because they don't want to burden them or drag them into his suffering. Even happy moments that Siffrin doesnt mind repeating become tainted because it becomes a matter of acting so that the "scene" doesnt stray from its path and his party doesnt become suspicious.

and yet they still DO, both in regards to Siffrin's World Alteringly Terrible Case of the Mondays and the actual time loop. they notice how tired and fake he seems. one of my absolute favorite scenes is one where you interact with a closet and it provokes a conversation about where Siffrin got their cloak from and how long they've had it, because its really one of a kind. it has temperature regulatory magic imbued in the stitches and is made to grow with him. And siffrin just cant fucking remember. not only because hes been looping so long that its created a haze over his mind but because he has no true "identity." and as he's scrambling to fill in an answer for this hole in his head, a gust of wind hits his face because one of their friends, isabeau, flapped his cloak while inspecting it to ground him. and he disguises it by commenting on the thickness of the cloak.

Getting this scene by accident on my playthrough made me feel so many feelings dude like . Siffrin isn't the only one trying to hide things. Their friends care about him so much and they try to disguise how concerned thwy are and its just. Im . Im Normal.

its not just about that though . Like if you start finding shit a little too fast they'll start catching on to whats happening. a little sound effect will play whenever you know something you shouldn't know and the others notice and whenever it happened i was like. Twisting in my seat waiting for them to call me out.

it all builds up into this really fucking painful emotional climax that i will not talk about because i don't want to spoil more than i already have but omg. I was writhing. It was. Hhhggnngh.hfg. Glass shards in ym mouth yummy

On the topic of shit i cant talk about: My favorite character is this fucking thing

I have held off from talking about loop's role in the story because i cant describe to you why they make me so ill. Not because i dont know Why but because it is something you should experience yourself. They're really charming and funny and their dialogue is fantastic. Of course that's part of the reason i lauve them but theres also the underlying secondary mystery of why they're here/who and or what they are/etc. And when u know. Its. I Cant Tell You. BUT ITS REALLY GOOD. ITS REALLY REALLY GOOD. Just know that if you get to the end and are still confused about them. That theres more than the main ending . AND IT IS PROBABLY WHY I AM SO INSANE ABOUT THIS GAME HONESTLY. I LOVE YOU FOREVER LOOP . im ok

In short: In stars and time is a game that is good and you should play it :) Im pretty sure its on sale right now on steam so yeah go get that.

if you made it through this fucking dissertation length post on isat CONGRATULATIONS ! heres some miscellaneous doodles ive done of it in the past month since ive played it love love

[d-criss-news]

Darren Criss' San Francisco Spots

Darren Criss loves sharing music and places with a sentimental meaning. The award-winning actor and singer takes a trip down memory lane and shares all of his favorite places in his hometown, plus he curated some spots he's loving right now.

Amoeba Music I’m probably the last generation of people growing up going to record stores and buying albums. Amoeba was such a fun place to go to. It was like an exclamation point on my hang-out day in the Haight. I loved going there, checking out albums, and listening to as many as possible. You could scan the bar codes and check out the music. There were always a lot of great artists coming through. It was a cool place to hang out, being around music and record people."

Wasteland "Haight-Ashbury has all these great vintage stores. I really got into vintage clothing when I was a teenager. I remember I bought some bell bottoms here that I thought were really cool. I used to wear those at school, and I was like, 'Man, I'm so hip.' I love Wasteland."

The Alembic "This spot opened after I left San Francisco, but when I go back to the Haight, I love to stop by here. As a cocktail bar owner, I’m pretty choosy about cocktail menus, but they have a great one. I pay a visit every time I’m in town."

Golden Gate Park "Golden Gate Park is very dear to me. I’ve enjoyed going there recently as Outside Lands is now a fixture of the city. I loved going to the park for runs. I had soccer games and practice there, too. I’ve just had a lot of fun here walking around all times of the year. I love when it’s foggy and cold, and you have to dress up warm for a walk. I have a Pavlovian reaction when I smell the eucalyptus trees in the park. I have a very strong connection to the place."

Japanese Tea Garden "One place in particular that I’ve always loved in Golden Gate Park is the Japanese Tea Garden. My wife and I are big Japanese culture fans. We taught ourselves to read, write, and speak Japanese during the pandemic, so it’s a big part of our life. I’m a fan of Japanese gardens, and I’m a big tea drinker, so it checks all the boxes for me. It’s a beautifully curated, traditional Japanese garden. It’s a peaceful place to have a contemplative moment in the park."

Marina Green "When I was younger, we lived in the Marina, and I spent a lot of time with my parents at Marina Green—going for runs and doing stuff with my dad. My dad was a big runner. He always loved it there."

Crissy Field Center "Crissy Field is a special place to me. I used to ride my bike here. In fact, it’s where I learned how to ride a bike. This park was fun for us because, obviously, our last name is Criss. So it became ‘Hey, this is our field,’ where we could ride our bikes. It’s an old abandoned landing strip for planes. They’ve transformed it into this really beautiful nature reserve in the past twenty years. A lot of the natural wildlife is coming back to the area, and it has completely been revitalized."

Bourbon & Branch "I recently did the Hedwig and The Angry Inch musical on Broadway, and then I did its tour. I first got into the musical when I was growing up in San Francisco, so I would be remiss not to do it in my hometown. We were stationed at the Golden Gate Theatre in the Tenderloin, and there’s a cocktail bar close by that I’m particularly fond of. You can have a quiet drink there. It’s especially nice after a show when I don’t want to use my voice too much. It’s my idea of the perfect cocktail club."

CreoLa "CREOLA is another newer spot I’m very fond of. It’s a great cajun, New Orleans–style seafood restaurant. My wife and I got married in New Orleans, and we love that city. I just stumbled onto this place when I went here for Sunday brunch. They had a lovely dixie jazz combo playing, which was such a nice treat. I had a delicious crab benedict here—one of the best I’ve ever had."

The Music Store "My brother and I grew up getting a lot of music from The Music Store. We were really into bluegrass. My brother is a banjo player, and we’d go see a lot of local folk and bluegrass bands there. Shelby was the guy that ran the store, and I was always fond of him. You know, even at that point, I realized that having a mom-and-pop record store was special. I hope it can live on forever."

Great American Music Hall "Every Sunday, I’d check the datebook in the SF Chronicle and look for great shows to go to when I was growing up. I saw one of my first concerts at the Great American Music Hall. I saw Phantom Planet open for American Hi-Fi there. I must have been 14 or 15 years old. Phantom Planet is a band that I've continued to love throughout my life. I even ended up playing with them, so the Great American Music Hall has a special place in my heart."

Stonestown Galleria "I spent a lot of time here, particularly during the holidays because that's where I did all my last-minute Christmas shopping. I went to Good Guys for electronics, cool walkmans, portable CD players, and Tower Records to look at records and buy cool stuff there. The mall was a one-stop-shop for my brother and me during the holidays. And, we'd go to the food court, get a hot dog on a stick, and go see a movie."

Seniore's Pizza "San Francisco is not a party city. It can be hard to find late-night eats. The only place that you can get a pizza after a night out somewhere is Seniore’s Pizza. It’s a place where you can find a bunch of young kids trying to squeeze in a pizza right before the whole city closes. It’s definitely a fixture for local San Francisco kids."

Submarine Center "Submarine Center is hallowed, sacred ground. It’s in the ‘last meal’ kind of category for me. The sheer ecstasy that I have going into that little room and having one of the best sandwiches in the world is something that I do wish upon everybody in the world. Whatever sandwich you pick from the menu, it's going to be delicious. Submarine Center is a big leading player in the show of my life."

Philosophers Club "If you want to live like a West Portal or Sunset kid, you hit up this dive bar next to Submarine Center. But if you’re one of the homies, you’d call it the Philly Club. So if you ever want to get a sandwich and hit the Philly club, tell 'em Darren sent you!"

[tomwambsgans]

succession + plane motif

paralleling with the show's ship/ocean motif, which mostly encompasses tom&greg and how the company is held together via interpersonal relationships, it's the more technical inner workings of waystar - including the ultimately pragmatic relationship that is tom and shiv - that get the plane metaphor. the most surface-level allusion to draw, of course, is the notion of technical advancement, wealth, and power. ocean travel has been a thing since early hominids and holds a spot in basically every culture out there, meanwhile traversing the skies is brand new in the scheme of things. there's little precedent for what we can do now. it's faster, it's sleeker, it's... more dangerous. it's a whole goddamn house all the way up in the sky. it's innately elite, being physically as up there as it gets. therefore when it fails, you fall all the way down. which is also why, whereas the "ship sinking" results only being useless in the water or devolving into amoeba, in fact surviving at the bottom of the ocean... the plane's failure leads to certain, unambiguous death. (UNLESS you are supremely well-equipped - though "golden parachute" is irl corporate lingo.) we get repeated connections between air travel and death from the very first episode, for not just logan's literal death but ewan's fear of it, for tom and shiv's marriage, and for everyone's potential corporate failure. ironically, the one way that logan and his company do stake themselves in the 21st century... is the one way that they shouldn't. it's not the future, it's just unnatural.

[thejewitches]

Learn about Crystals & Precious Stones in Judaism

[trekbait]

Cosmozoans you wish you could pet

As you venture out into the galaxy, it's not all humanoids you know. Our universe is full of space-born life known as Cosmozoans. These creatures fly around the depths of space living their best lives and occasionally getting into crazy scrapes when a starship flies by. And you know what? A bunch are SO CUTE! We did a poll of our team to find out which ones we want to take home and snuggle with (not accounting for size). 

So get out your EV suit, we’re here to pet space’s cutest lifeforms!

Gekli

These snuggly babies might get a bit close to your ship’s fusion reactors but there’s no denying how touchy-feely they can get. One, nicknamed ‘Junior’, was suckling off the Enterprise D until its kindred were found in a nearby asteroid belt. In our books, it can’t be blamed for thinking the Enterprise was mommy.

Farpoint creature

Maybe we’re pushing cuddly by including a jellyfish, but our local Benzite here, Mandiks, insisted. But what is undeniable is how beautiful and glorious these creatures are in their natural forms. When we say natural forms; well they also double as space vessels. So I guess you can cuddle them from the inside?

Gormagander

Sometimes given the misnomer, “space whale”, this majestic creature is endangered due to them being so obsessed with eating that they forget to reproduce. A feeling some of our readers may sympathise with. The bonus is adopting it in an official refuge will help protect them from hunters; so adopt a whale to save the whales!

Crystalline Entity

This handsome snowflake of awesome proportions might consume whole planets or all organic matter on a regular basis, but it has also consumed our affections. Just be sure to get your graviton pulses at the right rate or it may get confused as to where it’s dinner is.

Verugament

These gorgeous bioluminescent organisms migrate through space looking for new breeding grounds (they seem a lot better at that than the Gormagander; take notes, readers. We know you've been without, for seven years about). While easily small enough to get your arms around, they can deliver painful electric shocks and are considered by Bal here to be “icky” given their goopy texture. That's not for everyone, but they're definitely cute.

Gomtuu

Much like the aforementioned Farpoint creature, Gomtuu are sentiment organic space vessels who can communicate telepathically. These creatures share something with cats; the ability and will to defend their boundaries. Get too close without permission and you may find yourself caught up in an energy wave capable of destroying a Warbird. My cat is still more fierce about being petted without warning, however (incidentally, from our last pet poll it seems you lot are all about your cats too! Congratulations, we have readers of culture).

Rytonian

These little squid babies, again on the list thanks to Mandiks’ love of marine-looking life (we are told they have quite an aquarium at home), are formed from the gravity well inside nebulae. Large swarms may be formed during intense energy waves. Don’t you just want to boop their… their… I don’t see a nose but that won’t stop me booping them.

Tardigrade

These little creatures are a bit more of a huggable size. They’re interdimensional creatures who can incorporate other forms of DNA within their own and warp across the galaxy: your chief engineer can eat their heart out! (that's a human expression I'm told, we do not advise they actually do that). They’re friendly but fearsome in self-defence so absolutely do not be late with their dinner! 

Disclaimer

We could include a great number of other entities such as the telepathic pitcher plant, Zetarians, Beta Renner cloud, Calamarain, Species 8472, Cosmic cloud, Nucleogenic cloud, space amoeba, and so on but we figure we have to draw the line at petting somewhere and have gone with the most common humanoid feelings on the matter. Do correct us though if you want to hug the space amoeba!

Follow us for more guides to your galaxy!

[woowonjaeaomg]

GRAY, Woo Won Jae, Lee Hi and GooseBumps Leave AOMG

Update: Simon Dominic Left AOMG in Feb.2024

Update 2: Code Kunst Leaves AOMG

[Note: Details on all the artists that have left or currently staying are noted in the timeline below this announcement message. And all AOMG announcements regarding the artists are more or less the same as the one stated below.]

“Hello, this is AOMG.

We would like to inform you that the exclusive contracts with our artists Gray, Woo Won Jae, Lee Hi, and GooseBumps have expired.

Thank you for the interest and love you have shown so far, and we ask for your continued love in the future.

AOMG will support Gray, Woo Won Jae, Lee Hi, and GooseBumps on their new challenges.

Thank you.”

Translation cr.

_____

Original text:

“안녕하세요, AOMG입니다.

소속 아티스트 그레이, 우원재, 이하이, 구스범스의 전속계약이 종료되었음을 알려드립니다.

그동안 여러분의 많은 관심과 사랑에 감사드리며, 앞으로도 변함없는 큰 사랑 부탁드립니다. AOMG는 그레이, 우원재, 이하이, 구스범스의 새로운 도전을 응원합니다.

감사합니다.”

_____

- Late September, 2013: Jay Park founded AOMG. Signed artists - singer and producer GRAY, composer Jun Goon, and producer Cha Cha Malone

- October 10, 2013: AOMG launch party

- Artists Elo, Loco, Ugly Duck, DJ Wegun, DJ Pumkin, and Hoody joined AOMG over the next two years

- March 9, 2014: Months after leaving Amoeba Culture, Simon Dominic joins AOMG as Co-CEO

- January 6, 2016: CJ E&M media company announced that it had formed a partnership with AOMG. This news comes a few months after CJ E&Ms acquisition of Paloalto's Hi-Lite Records label. Jay Park also took the news to Twitter to reassure fans that it would not affect AOMG and its artists in any way, referring to it as a strategic partnership through investment in shares

- June 5, 2017: H1GHR Music label is founded by Jay Park alongside producer Cha Cha Malone. Signed artists - Yultron, Sik-K, pH-1, Woodie GoChild. Producers Woogie, GroovyRoom, DJ SMMT. The following Seattle artists were also signed - Avatar Darko, Raz Simone, Phe Reds, Jarv Dee

- June 8, 2017: Golden (formerly known as G.Soul) signed with H1GHR Music following his contract expiration with JYP Entertainment

- October 30, 2017: Woo Won Jae joins AOMG

- 2018: Ted Park joins H1GHR Music

- April 2018: HAON joins H1GHR Music, soon after winning the show “High School Rapper 2”

- May 10, 2018: AOMG signs management contract with UFC fighter "Korean Zombie" Jung Chan Sung

- June 11, 2018: Producer Code Kunst joins AOMG

- July 25, 2018: Simon Dominic resigns as co-CEO of AOMG with his song "Me No Jay Park". Soon after, DJ Pumkin becomes co-CEO of AOMG alongside Jay Park

- 2019: BIG Naughty joins H1GHR Music

- March 3, 2019: Mokyo joins H1GHR Music

- August 2019: AOMG's first hip-hop audition show “Signhere” began airing on MBN

- November 1, 2019: After winning in the audition show “Signhere” Sogumm joins AOMG

- November 6, 2019: Punchnello joins AOMG

- Late 2019: Jarv Dee leaves H1HGR Music

- April 8, 2020: DeVita joins AOMG

- June, 2020: Mokyo leaves H1GHR Music after contract expired

- July 20, 2020: Trade L joins H1GHR Music

- July 24, 2020: Lee Hi joins AOMG after her departure from YG Entertainment

- September 4, 2020: Producer GooseBumps joins AOMG

- January 9, 2021: Golden (G.Soul) leaves H1GHR Music following his contract expiration

- February 18, 2021: Yugyeom, a member of South Korean boy group Got7, joins AOMG following his departure from JYP Entertainment in January 2021. Fellow member JAY B joins H1GHR Music in May of the same year

- March 2021: GroovyRoom launches new label called AREA, in partnership with the H1GHR Music label

- December 31, 2021: Jay Park announced his resignation as the Co-CEO of AOMG

- January 25, 2022: Coogie joins AOMG

- March 3, 2022: Jay Park established a new label called “More Vision”. Currently signed artists are Honey J, Jessi and Chung Ha

- July 25, 2022: JAY B and Sik-K leave H1GHR Music after their contracts had expired

- October 24, 2022: Jvcki Wai joins AOMG

- February 14, 2023: As her contract expired, Sogumm departs from the label

- April 1, 2023: Cartoonist Kian84 joins AOMG. Unclear if this is a management or artist contract but all sources confirm that he has joined AOMG

- April 24, 2023: AOMG established sublabel Solabeam Records that consists of DJs and producers

- May 8, 2023: HAON leaves H1GHR Music and joins Sik-K’s agency “KC”

- November 9, 2023: Meenoi joins AOMG

- February 27, 2024: GooseBumps announces that he’s leaving AOMG

- February 2024: Simon Dominic and the music label came to a mutual agreement to terminate his contract. The contract is still effective and both sides will continue with activities while sorting contract termination matters out. Details here

- March 6, 2024: The controversy surrounding Meenoi, AOMG, and her advertising contract with a cosmetic brand company escalates. Dispatch gets involved. Details here

- March 13, 2024: DJ Pumkin resigns as CEO of AOMG. He has reportedly thought of resigning for some time. Yoo Deok Geon is the new CEO of AOMG. Yoo Deok Geon is an old manager of Jay Park and the current CEO of H1GHR Music

- March 28, 2024: After their contracts had expired, GRAY, Woo Won Jae, and Lee Hi all announce that they are leaving AOMG. [Official Announcement]

- April 10, 2024: AOMG makes an apology statement regarding the Meenoi controversy. [Official Announcement]

- April 22, 2024: An AOMG official confirms that Simon Dominic terminated his contract back in February 2024

- April 25, 2024: The contract between Code Kunst and AOMG has ended. AOMG announced that they have parted ways with the artist. [Official Announcement]

[k-star-holic]

Seo Taiji ⁇ Snowboard Look ⁇ , H.O.T Kandy Look left Hip hop big sister, Sangju Sangmu FC Dynamic Duo memorialized with the most wonderful stage

Source: k-star-holic.blogspot.com

[solplparty]

성덕이 된 CB Mass 팬클럽 회장 박홍재 l Under The Seed EP.04 이안캐시(Ian Ka$h) https://youtu.be/YzD9dZLjA4s 힙합/R&B씬에서 아직 땅속에 심어진 씨앗들이 열매를 맺을 수 있도록 지원하는 아메바컬쳐 'The Seed' Project Under The Seed EP.04 이안캐시(Ian Ka$h) - Apple Music & iTunes : https://apple.co/3JKIH2U - Spotify : https://spoti.fi/3lfHHuv @Amoeba Culture Official https://amoeba-culture.lnk.to/Official @Ian Ka$h Instagram https://www.instagram.com/iankash_/ #Dynamicduo #다이나믹듀오 #IanKash #이안캐시 #ICEBOX #UnderTheSeed #AmoebaCulture #아메바컬쳐 #theseedproject Copyrights 2023 ⓒAmoeba Culture. All Rights Reserved. Amoeba Culture (아메바컬쳐)

[sasheneskywalker]

batfamily fic recs where the main character is asexual or aromantic

Unsteady by withthekeyisking

Dick grew up watching Bruce take countless women to bed for the sake of the mission, and to get what he needed from different people. He watched, and he learned.

And maybe he doesn't feel the same things the people around him feel, maybe he doesn't really like sex, but it doesn't really matter. Because if sex makes people happy, then why does his opinion on everything matter? It's not their fault he's broken.

M | Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings | Dick Grayson/Various, Dick Grayson & Jason Todd

10 Things I Hate About Sex by blueyeti

Damian felt like this obsession with sex and romance was some long con being played on him by the entire school, and he was reaching an untenable level of frustration with the irrational behaviour of his supposed 'peers'.

On a Bat Family movie night, Damian finally figured out the right question to ask, to finally get answers to why all the other teenage boys at Gotham Academy were obsessed with sex.

T | No Archive Warnings Apply | Stephanie Brown/Cassandra Cain, Tim Drake/Jason Todd, Dick Grayson & Damian Wayne, Jason Todd & Damian Wayne

Nothing Personal by firefright, Skalidra

Jason's never been that interested in sex, except as a tool to help him get what he wants and a way to please the people around him. What he does enjoy, however, is the part that comes before it (especially being treated with a firm hand). Finding someone willing to understand and respect both those aspects of himself has always seemed impossible, though. That is, until Slade comes along.

M | Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings | Jason Todd/Slade Wilson

Kerosene and Flame by Sohotthateveryonedied

Jason chews his cheek. How is he supposed to explain his sexuality to an alien whose first language is touch? Part of Kori’s culture revolves around physical intimacy, sharing oneself with another as a means of connection.

“I don’t exactly…feel things the way you do, Kori,” he starts. “You’re a very tactile person. You like skin contact and connection and…you know, sex.” He blushes just saying the word. He pushes through. “But it’s not like that for me. I don’t feel sexual attraction the way you do.” He takes a breath. “I’m asexual.”

T | No Archive Warnings Apply | Koriand'r & Jason Todd

enough by sparkycap

After trying to make his son relive his violent death in Ethiopia in hopes of bringing his other son back to life, it occurs to Bruce that he might, possibly, have made a questionable decision in his grief. Again. For once, he'd like to try to fix it before it's too late. Jason may have run away again, but he's still alive, so Bruce has to believe it's not too late. He goes to find him.

Finding him in bed with Roy Harper and Princess Koriand'r of Tamaran is an unexpected distraction

M | No Archive Warnings Apply | Jason Todd & Bruce Wayne, Roy Harper/Koriand'r/Jason Todd

Reciprocation (or: Sex as Violence) by Honorable_mention

Sex was a lot like violence. It was all about who held the power.

---

Or: Jason's always had a complicated relationship with sex. Despite his best efforts, it might finally be time to explore it.

M | Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings | Dick Grayson & Jason Todd, Tim Drake & Jason Todd, Jason Todd & Damian Wayne, Roy Harper/Jason Todd, Roy Harper & Jason Todd

Hot Chocolate and Fruitcake by HermesDay

"Tim," Barbara said. "Do you know what asexual means?"

"Immaculate conception," Tim replied. "Fact: the Virgin Mary was an amoeba."

G | No Archive Warnings Apply | Barbara Gordon/Dick Grayson

A Thin Line to Thaw by Terminallydepraved

The sound of a chamber sliding into place shouldn’t have been a soothing sound, but in the quiet stillness of the shitty motel room, Jason found it just that.

E | Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings | Jason Todd/Slade Wilson

Your Name Carved in Stone by Cirth

“Think clean thoughts, Robin.”

It was an outrageously old-fashioned choice of words, and it took Damian a few moments to realise, with creeping embarrassment, what his father meant.

T | Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings | Jonathan Kent/Damian Wayne, Dick Grayson & Damian Wayne

Think of Me by Luvo

“Any…life updates?” Bruce asks hopefully.

“Like what?”

“I don’t know. Do you maybe…is there a girl?”

Jason feels his face heat. He does his best to ignore Tim, Steph, and Cass snickering as he asks, “Seriously?”

Bruce looks down. He looks back up.

“A boy?” he tries.

Jason’s fork clatters to his plate. “Dad!” he hisses.

T | No Archive Warnings Apply | Connor Hawke & Jason Todd, Cassandra Cain & Jason Todd, Tim Drake & Jason Todd

our love was built outside these walls by Shenanigans Connor Hawke loves Kyle in a clean simple way, but he can't help but think it's not enough. He can see Kyle look, can feel Kyle need more than he knows how to give. He can't find the touch, the words, to make the mess Kyle needs to be.

He asks the people he trusts for help.

E | No Archive Warnings Apply | Connor Hawke/Kyle Rayner, Roy Harper/Jason Todd, Roy Harper/Kyle Rayner/Jason Todd

we show off our different scarlet letters (trust me mine is better) by lostandlonelybirds (RUNNFROMTHEAK)

He gets called things, sometimes. Slut when Mirage tricks him. Cheater when Barbara tells others about her suspicions, her doubts and feelings. Whore when it’s a villain pissed he took out their goons and they’re aiming below the belt. Playboy by magazines, and bicycle by the younger generation because “everyone gets a ride”. They hurt the way most things do, and they each hurt in a different way because he’s broken and he’s tattered and he loves but not the way you’re meant to, because it’s not nature or an inferno or something out of a Greek myth. It’s not possession or jealousy or the need to lock it down.

It’s different. It’s not supposed to be.

M | Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings | Dick Grayson/Jason Todd, Dick Grayson/Other(s)

break your throne, cut your hair by dukeaubergine

Ra’s thought he could force Tim into marriage with an ancient magical artifact. He didn’t account for the magic recognizing his daughter’s protégé as a potential alternate groom.

Tim and Jason just have to survive the one-month engagement period without getting kidnapped, killed, or outed as fakers to the press. Then survive any assassins gate-crashing the wedding. Piece of cake, right?

…This might be easier if they’d actually tell the rest of the Bats what’s really going on.

E | Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings | Tim Drake/Jason Todd, Batfamily Members & Tim Drake, Batfamily Members & Jason Todd

[archeolatry]

Sparkstember Day 30: Whatever

51 weeks ago I became a Sparks fan very literally overnight, and it has been the best-slash-worst exercise in grief.

This is difficult to write about without both trauma dumping and giving away too much IRL info and/or some autobiographical details; but I also wanted to put it here because I know there are other people who’ll read it and “get it” better than others.

(Felt emotional, might delete later.)

1. A friend of mine died about five years ago. Put simply, he was one of the best, kindest humans on the planet. He was the tireless champion of people and things he felt had gone unrecognized or underappreciated. And he was the kind of stalwart believer that would keep gently nudging you until you Got It. He was also an enormous Sparks fan, and had been since the 70s. He saw them play in rooms of 500 to theaters of 7000 and everything in between. He was there for every night of 21x21. When they were in town, he’d buy extra tickets for friends on the promise that they’d attend the show. More than just being stubborn, he had the patience of a ninja.

He died 12 days after I returned home to LA for good, while I was still readjusting to driving and air conditioning and Pacific Standard Time.

He was spared the horrors of the pandemic, and January 6th, and the three days of collective sphincter-clenching before Joe Biden was announced as the winner of the election. He never got to see The Sparks Brothers or Annette, or see his favorite band headline at the Hollywood Bowl- all after a comeback that even he couldn’t have anticipated.

2. I had resisted the charms of Sparks for a long time, in what I can only describe as an Austenesque series of missed steps and false starts. Being enticed by hearing Lil’ Beethoven over the speakers while working at Famous Arthouse Theater but being told I couldn’t borrow it and being given Balls to borrow instead (which probably set me back a decade). The fact that around 2004 the clearance bin at Amoeba was full of copies of both Plagarism and Gratuitous Sax… at between $1 and $5 apiece. The music industry environment that I “grew up in” leading me to mistake their thumbing their noses at genre for dilettantism. Their daunting discography. The fact that I could almost never take him up on one of those free tickets because I was working two jobs to stay afloat and couldn’t afford too many nights off.

Similarly, there was a lot about my grief that I couldn’t process. I had culture shock upon re-entry. Then there was the pandemic. There was processing my ADHD diagnosis at 38 and mourning all the potential lost in those unfocused years. There were family issues and found family struggles. Outlets of joy and creativity either being postponed or canceled altogether. All of it just sort of coalesced into a sort of flavorless blancmange of inertia and ennui.

I would think about him at certain times of the year and feel the most crushing sadness. Not only for his loss, but that of the community he’d built and welcomed so many into. One full of people as passionate and nerdy and pop-culturally omnivorous as he was.

In both cases, there was always something in the way.

3. It took over a decade of his friendship, a two and a half hour documentary that made me say “Huh, so Sparks aren’t just one slammin’ electropop album and then a bunch of new wave dork music?”, and a microdose of a mind-altering substance, but I finally got it. Overnight, even. One could argue it was the drugs, but those wore off a year ago and I still love this damn band. I love that they were able to give me the excitement of discovery again; of finding a new album or artist that wasn’t spat out by an algorithm but by certified word of mouth (even if it had to come via Edgar Wright). I thought I’d lost that somewhere around age 30.

Patient as stone, he’d managed to keep nudging me until I Got It from beyond the grave.

I can’t say how many times in this past year I’ve cried, or how often I wished I could call or email him after listening to an album. I don’t think I’ll ever know his favorite Sparks song. We’ll never get to argue about our top 5 albums and why we ranked them the way we did. (I think if he were still around he might even be able to convince me that Balls is Decent, Actually.)

I held onto that grief for so long without confronting it. And for better or worse, I’ve kinda been forced to. There’s never going to be anything Sparks for me without the echo of him around it. But little by little —album by album or even song by song— I’ve managed to process it. And if I’m lucky, I can transform it.

4. I joke that Sparks are my emotional support septuagenarian art-pop duo, and they are. They’re my bridge to the friend I never got to say Hello to before he was gone. But more than that, they’re also a bridge back to when I was 25 and downloading obscure 60s albums off of newsgroups because the bands were Sunset Strip scenesters. Of educating myself on film through Famous Arthouse and the video store next to it that gave our staff free rentals. Russell mentioning Sky Saxon and reminding me that I haven’t listened to The Seeds’ self-titled album in at least a decade; finding it on the external hard drive I’d downloaded it to and listening to it with new ears. Hearing Ron talk about film and remembering that, for as much Kurosawa as I’ve seen, I’ve never actually sat down to watch all three-plus hours of Seven Samurai. That I actually have a list of movies to see to that I’ve been neglecting for Who Knows How Long that I should probably get to crossing off. Reminding myself to take in more art and less content; consuming more slow media but not being a hifalutin jerk who can’t enjoy something silly or bingeable. Or, put simply: patience.

It is, perhaps, a little bit like joy.

Thanks fellas.