#but lockdown has been so bizarre

[inkybinkyboink]

oh fellas it's essay writing time you know what that means

[absent-o-minded]

The emotional whiplash I am experiencing over YR S3 being wrapped is so nauseating and so joyous and so heartbreaking and so exciting

[bunnidid-reviews]

Mini DID book review: One Of Us Knows: a thriller

Author: Alyssa Cole

Publication date: 2024

Diagnosis of DID? Yes, the system has known for a while

Fiction of nonfiction: fiction

Is the person with DID portrayed as evil? Complicated but ultimately no; its one of the major plot points

Major trigger warnings:

death (fighting, blood, some gore but its not described much)

implied sexual assault (nothing described)

Self harm

Misogyny(major plot point)

Abelism

Racism (major plot point also)

Stalking

Kidnapping/mishandled foster care

Dormancy of parts (major plot point)

Parts being kidnapped/speculated to be killed off (major plot point)

Rituals taking place (not religious but has to do with everything on this list)

Covid being a thing(major plot point in the first part, lots of anxiety about covid)

Ratings to how I feel personally

Triggering(0 is nothing at all, 10 is could not handle reading this): 4-5 (not a gentle book but not gratuitous

System dynamics(0 is this is bizarrely off, 10 is holy shit this is a book about me): 7-8 (the conflict between parts is very well written, and so is the understanding of how deep the relationships go)

Switching(0 is doesnt work like this, 10 is this is a book about me): 4? (Nearly all of the switches are blackouts)

System communication(0 is never experienced this, 10 is this is a book about me): 8-9 (we talk to eachother like this a lot)

Inner world dynamics(0 is never experienced this, 10 is this is a book about me): 7 (theres a lot of the inner world, like half the chapters happen inside! However the physics of it were a little too realistic at times to what could happen with me, like i dont have to walk or run to get places personally)

Comorbidity with other disorders(mental or physical)(0 is there are none, 10 is i experience all of this): 5 (there is no physical ailments that come with having DID in this book, which isnt a necessity but many people who do have it also have disabilities so it feels bizzare when there are none. Theres anxiety, depression and faint mentions of disordered eating in this book)

Brief thoughts on this book:

The BadDay system(first book ive read where the system has a system name) has been well-established for many years by now, knowing about their DID, communicating with their others for some time.

The host turned persecutor has been dormant for 6 years now, missing out on covid, while the rest of the system had been active online and functioning in lockdown. Now Ken(the persecutor) is back, with the mysterious disapearence of the previous host and caretaker, Della. All eyes are on Ken wondering what the fuck happened and nobody knows how they landed a job as a caretaker of a mysterious castle on an island, that just happens to be the exact same castle from their inner world.

Mystery and thrilling things ensue as Ken goes through the motions of coming out of dormancy and no parts wanting them there, a blossoming romance with an outsider and a complicated romance on the inside too, all tied together neatly with the strange happenings on the island and the trust that owns it.

I don’t really know how to review for a thriller book, because I don’t tend to read thrillers. But the mysteries were mysterious to even me, who can see where plots are going with DID books typically. And the thrills were thrilling. I couldn’t put the book down, I kept wanting to sink in more and more

I was exceptionally pleased that the author didn’t play safe with the DID as some authors tend to when they’re writing something with modern understanding. There wasnt so much shameful secrecy around the disorder, and the questions and impacts were hard-hitting as she delved into things that I’d be worried about posting about myself. Like the dormancies impacting other parts, parts not wanting the host around. Romance and sexuality between parts. The unsavory and the honest, but also the depth of how much each of them mattered in the system and how much they cared for eachother. It was really satisfying to read! The inclusion of how social media effects people with DID nowadays was really nice to include too, and again, I haven’t yet seen any other media to employ the use of system names like how many do in social media now.

I also really really love that the story was just as much the inner world as it was the outer, as most books have the happenings between parts more hidden.. Having the two stories run side by side makes it feel like this characters life is their DID, as it often is for many of us. Idk I’m jazzed about this, this is what I wanted with DID in media. The DID actually mattering as more than a plot device

The only thing I can really fault it on is the constant blackout with switches. But to be fair, this is implied not to be their normal, and ethe events of this book are extremely high-stress situations, so I appreciate that the weight of that is stressed rather than it being another case of an author just not having personal experience enough to know. (She doesnt have the experience to know, but this was a neat way to bridge the gap)

Overall a great book. Not a fluffy one, and since the main plot revolves around the potential of the main character being the DID Killer, inside and out. So please tread carefully if the questioning of such things is hard for you. And also a thriller, so there are thriller things like violence and tension and things outside of a normal slice of life

Would I recommend someone with DID read this? YES! I do feel like this was written with a lot of care for people with DID

[wisteriagoesvroom]

hello hello! Are you still doing fluffy prompts? If so may I please ask for cuddling in a bathtub or something?

I'm not annoning I have no shame or dignity left

so your idea spurred another idea. it is tangential, but i hope it still delivers on the Soft Vibes. thank u for prompting 🫂

don't take too much (off of me)

📝 1.3k words 💟 lestappen 🟢 rated G 🔗 also on ao3

“Stop moving.”

“I’m not.”

Charles twirls the scissors between two fingers, hoping that his posture is authoritative enough that Max will quit squirming in his chair. They are in the middle of lockdown and neither is sure when their tentative friendship turned into this – at first it was innocuous knocks on the door to play FIFA, then it was to borrow a jar of pesto here and there. Then, trampling into each other’s apartments. Max knowing to wipe his shoes on the carpet, Charles helping pick up cat food on his regular run to the grocery store (in line with lockdown mandates, they’re only allowed to go to the store twice a week.)

And now they are here. Max sitting on a dining room chair, leaning back, a makeshift cowl around his shoulders that Charles had stolen from his maman’s salon. Max tries not to twitch or move, knowing that the process of hair cutting is a delicate process. Sure, he has sat for a haircut many times before, but never under the hands of this erratic ball of energy that is Charles Leclerc, who is currently brandishing a blade like a child would a spork.

“Do you trust me, or not?” Charles says. Indignant.

“I’m here, am I not?”

“Unhappily, it seems.”

“Kerel. You have wavy hair. You look like a Disney prince. Me? One wrong move of the scissors and there will be memes in my name.”

“But it’s kind of fun when they are making the memes about you. No?”

Max glowers. “It is when they’re nice ones.”

Charles makes a noise between a snort and a guffaw. Charles perched on a stool behind him, so he can’t see the other man’s expression. But when Max looks to the corner of his living room, Max can see Charles’s face in the reflection there. Just a sliver of his face, in profile. Max expects to find Charles’s eyes crinkled, maybe teasing. Max is used to it, after all. Being the an easy target, a convenient villain. Because a lion never roars back. Not outside of the track, anyway. Even if he sometimes hides in his apartment with his cats and licks his wounds instead.

Max’s shoulders tense, hackles up. But Charles’s eyes are very soft. The punchline never comes.

“Well. I think you very handsome, Maximilian.” Charles says.

Oh. Max’s throat bobs. He doesn’t really know what to say. He’s been called many things in the past. Handsome isn’t necessarily one of them. And somehow it has a greater weight, a different bearing, when it comes from Charles. Because Charles is someone he’s begun to acknowledge that he cares about, perhaps a great deal.

“And now! We are doing the short at the sides and long at the top, oui?” Charles says. Snapping straighter in his makeshift hairdresser’s stool, energy whipping through him like lightning. Changing the topic as if he hadn’t just confessed to Max the very same thing that Max has been thinking about Charles for weeks – or if he’s honest – years, now.

“Whatever you do, make sure it’s tidy, yeah?”

“Come on mate. I am always careful.”

“Like you were when you drove into the Copse wall.”

“That was an isolated incident. Due to a combination of unexpected mechanical factors.”

“Pfft. Okay. Save that response for Sky.”

“You’re nearly as annoying as them, sometimes.” Charles says, frown gentle before he lifts the scissors again. 

Comfortably back in their banter-y element, the chatter continues. Charles is careful about his work, the blades moving slowly and carefully. And what Charles lacks in finesse he makes up for in social skills, clearly inheriting this from his parents. Talking and filling the silence comfortably, wandering from topics as diverse as sailing on the Monaco coastline, to David Guetta’s recent bizarre fundraiser video, to the latest model of automatic cat feeder that has become available on the market. Charles’s fingers brush his jaw occasionally to adjust the angle, scissors glinting in the afternoon sun. Max deliberately avoids eye contact, only glimpsing at him occasionally to share a laugh. 

At the end, Charles uses a towel to brush the loose hair off Max’s neck. They both get up to stand at Max’s living room mirror, surveying Charles’s handiwork. Their reflections loom large, shoulder to shoulder at the same height. Besides, Max isn’t really looking at himself, and neither is Charles, either.

“It’s good, yes?” Charles says. Low, conspiratorial.

Max’s grip tightens on the towel that he’s holding. His pulse etches up. The whole afternoon has been gentle touch, contact that aches because the pandemic has made him even more pathetically wanting than usual. Contact that he’s been trying very hard not to think about or keep for more nefarious purposes later. 

The other man's gaze is warm in the mirror. Max thinks of fresh cut grass at Imola, his favourite corner in Silverstone.

“Yes.” Max says. It’s good. The haircut, him, them. This strange rhythm they’ve found together. The quiet space of each other’s apartment, each other’s company, temporarily safe from the world. The trust offered to one another: enough to let them run you into gravel and trust that it was worth the fight. Enough to hold a blade in your hand and only let one other person in the world come near you with it. Risk, and promise.

Then he’s turning towards Charles. Charles mirroring him. The light is bright and the sky blue in the window, but all Max can see for a moment is Charles’s face, his half open mouth ripe like a plum. The scent, this close, of Charles’s carrefour laundry softener and woody aftershave.

And they’re leaning towards each other, a boundary they might finally cross, let the cards fall where they fucking may, when—

A yowl. A screech. A mighty crash. 

“Sassy!” Max says, practically jumping out of his skin.

Both men whip around at the source of the noise. Sassy’s frozen on a shelf, a beige mass with yellow eyes. Paw half up, looking guilty – if a cat could look guilty– at a trophy that he has just knocked off a counter. Jimmy, on the other hand, is absolutely nowhere to be seen, already having escaped the scene of the crime.

Max groans into his hands. But then Charles is laughing, an asthmatic penguin noise that Max has really come to like. It melts the fire in Max a little, amusement tempering his frustration. (The trophy is not the source of Max’s current frustration, but Charles does not need to know that.) 

“I shall get the broom.” Charles says.

“Thanks.”

So the moment passes. They clean up. On their hands and knees, near, but not touching. The broken trophy is the one he got for his overtake on Nasr in his first year in F1, and offers a chance for them to reminisce about their races. For Max to joke a little about whether Charles will get his first WDC when the pandemic is over, both of them excited about the future, a future with both of them in it, still trying, still racing each other to the brink. It’s much easier to do this, than to talk about the almost-kiss, or break the seal on this moment that they know won’t last forever.

Debris cleared, and the cats shooed into the study, Charles mentions that he should go return his equipment to his mother. They stand at the doorway for a moment that stretches too long.

Max doesn’t know how long they have. Of this, of each other. Of being left alone, of the world not encroaching with cameras or demands for explanations or labels for what they are. Of getting to know each other not as competitors, but on their own terms, in their own time.

But for a long time, Max will always remember this moment. The two of them, a dining chair. His crazy cats, Charles’s toothy smile. Their partial reflections in the mirror, an afternoon unfolding with potential.

A warm hand on his back to let him know he’s cared for, and looked after.

[selfaware-bungou-stray-dogs]

Shopping trip (What is cosplay?)

Self-Aware! Nikolai Gogol x GN! Reader x Self-Aware! Doppo Kunikida

Description: Set after BSD gang got into your world.

Your new friends/roommates love exploring your world. You keep them company. One day, you and Kunikida decide to go to the mall. Gogol wants to accompany you two. The problem is... He doesn't want to disguise himself. He wants to go in his normal attire.

...

Maybe, everything will be alright, right?

Fluff (for the most part). Everyone thinks that Gogol is a cosplayer. He is ready to throw hands. But he is holding for your sake. People can't mind their own business, they have to discuss, how terrible anime fans are. Karen. Kunikida, as a former teacher, has something to say about looking after the kids.

Prequel to Surprise

Warning: OOC. Rude people. Annoying people. Karen. Rowdy unsupervised kids. One person try to touch Gogol's thighs. But not on your watch. Unintentional lockdown joke. English is my second language.

BSD cast love exploring your world. They love going for a walks. They love visiting cafés. They love going to the festivals. They love to be in places, where they can see other people.

You understand, why they doing it. If one day you woke up and find out, that streets are empty, and then lived in this environment for a few month (even, if you life with few other people), when streets became bisy again, you also would spend all your free time outside. With other people.

You accompany your new friends as much as you can. So many new good memories.

The mall became one of the most visited places. All this shops, cafés, people... For BSD cast, this place seems perfect.

Each time you and someone from BSD cast visit the mall, it became an interesting experience.

You visit the mall not only to have fun, but also to buy necessary things.

Today was 'necessary shopping trip day'.

________________________

Doppo was sitting on the sofa and rechecking the shopping list for a third time. He wanted to make sure, that everything is going to be according to plan. You lazily stretched out and sit near Doppo.

"Hey, Kunikida," greeted you. Man smiles at you and nodded.

"Good morning, [Y/N], Hope, you are ready. We will go to the mall in thirty minutes. The shopping list is complete and has been re-checked a few times."

You hum, showing, that you have heard him. You take a quick glance at the list.

"I see, Thank you, K..." You saw Kunikida's expression. He was waiting for something. You take a breath and spoke again. "Thank you, Doppo"

It was a little bit hard, calling BSD gang by their first names. It feels strange, to call Dazai 'Osamu', Goncharov 'Ivan', Poe 'Edgar' and so on. But, cast want you to call them by their first names. Slowly but surely you were getting used to it.

Doppo nodded, he seems pleased.

"Don't mention it. Be ready in half an hour. We three are going to..."

"Wait!" Interrupted you. "Three? Who is going with us?"

Kunikida's gaze became irritated.

"Nikolai Gogol."

Kolya, of course. He was one of the weirdest of your friends.

And by weird, you mean, your friendship with him start weird.

_______________________

It's been a week, since BSD gang got into your world. That day all of you held the meeting. You wanted to discuss, what they are going to do now, when they got into your world.

Meeting was normal, for the most part. But, Gogol decided to start talking about his freedom and that he will do anything to reach it.

"What I mean, Little Bird, if I want to break the law, I will break the law," Gogol leaned towards you. He looked smug. Like he was challenging you to say something.

You didn't look amused. You noticed Fyodor's expression during Gogol's speech. Dostoevsky looked annoyed by Gogol... Actually, everyone looked annoyed at Gogol. Well, you won't let him win.

Your idea was... weird. But, to be fair, the whole situation with characters from your favorite anime/manga been self-aware and in your home already was bizarre.

"So, you really value freedom, right?"

Asked you, looking Gogol right in the eyes. He grinned and nodded.

"Well, in that case," you booped his nose. "I also value my freedom. And right now, for me, freedom means booping your nose."

Gogol blinked. He opens his mouth. You booped him again. Gogol tried to say something again. You booped him again. This time, you left your finger pressed against Gogol's nose. He squinted his eyes. "[Y/N], what are you doing?"

You tried your best to mimic Gogol's voice.

"What I mean, Big Bird, if I want to boop you, I will boop you"

The room was silent. Everyone was looking at you and Gogol. Suddenly, you saw a golden glow near your stomach. Before you can react, Gogol used "The Overcoat" and trapped you in his embrace. Gogol was laughing. Gogol jumped towards Fyodor, still holding you in his arms.

"Fedya, Fedya, their reaction was priceless!"

Fyodor took a breath.

"I still don't understand, why did you decide to test them. You never planned to cause trouble here."

Gogol only grins. He looked at you. He looked much friendlier, than before.

"You are my new friend now, we will eat something tasty later"

For the rest of the meeting, you were in Gogol's embrace. It took combine efforts of Fyodor, Sigma and Fukichi to pry him off you.

____________________

You smile at the memory.

"Well, with his help we could buy more things. Don't you agree?"

Kunikida grumbles something, but nodded at agreement.

"I guess so. Anyway, we should start preparations."

______________________

In thirty minutes, both of you were ready to go to the mall and were standing near the front door, waiting for Nikolai.

You changed into suitable clothes for today's hot weather.

Instead of his normal clothes, Kunikida was wearing a green t-shirt, dark-brown shorts and flip-flops. He decides to keep his hair as it normally was.

Kunikida started to become impatient. Gogol was late.

"This clown... He himself wanted to go, and now he is late" grumble Kunikida. You put your hand on his shoulder and squeeze it.

"Easy, Doppo, it's not that bad. Maybe, he is trying to disguise himself better. His looks are quite recognizable.

It was one of the first things you taught to BSD gang. They were recognizable. That's why they should wear different clothes, when they are going somewhere. If they don't want to deal with people staring at them.

Kunikida grimaced. He doesn't like unplanned events. And Gogol was an embodiment of chaos. Kunikida turn towards you.

"I know, but still, he should be ready"

You pet Kunikida's shoulder.

You heard the sound of steps coming towards two of you. Gogol, with a few empty shopping bags in his hands, walked towards you two.

You were glad, that Kunikida didn't see Gogol right now.

Nikolai Gogol was standing there, in his normal attire and hairstyle.

You are a patient person. But, right now, you wanted to attack Kolya.

To lose some steam, you decide to indirectly quote O. Henry.

"Doppo, there isn't any heart disease in your family, is there?"(1)

Doppo looked at you, puzzled.

"I don't think so... Why?"

You looked at him. Your gaze was a mix of pity and anger.

"Then you might turn around, and have a look behind you."(1)

Kunikida looked around and saw Gogol.

Kunikida closes and opens his mouth. He looked like he was ready to combust.

To help him, you asked Gogol.

"Gogol, why aren't you ready? It's time to go."

Gogol smirked.

"Birdy, I am already ready. You know why? Right, I want the rest of the free world to accept free me! My clothes also part of my freedom."

Kunikida hissed.

"Do you forget, what Our Guiding Light told us? We are recognizable in our normal clothes! Everyone will stare at you!"

You nodded

"Doppo is right, we would attract unwanted attention."

Gogol waves his hand.

"Oh, don't worry, it can't be that bad. Everything will be fine."

You signed and try again.

"Gogol, please, you need to listen to me. Please, wear a disguise."

Gogol grimaced.

"[Y/N], please, stop it. I tell you I want to go in my normal clothes."

You facepalmed. Before Kunikida can start shouting at Gogol, you raised your hand.

"Fine. You can go in that. But don't blame me, for what's going to happen."

Kunikida wanted to protect, but, after noticing your gaze, changed his mind. Gogol looked triumphant.

You open the door.

"Be ready to be called cosplayer, Gogol."

You heard Gogol's quiet "What is 'cosplay'?", but you ignored him.

Hopefully, people at the streets won't be that annoying.

__________________

You jinxed it.

You haven't reached the mall yet, but twenty people has already annoyed Gogol into taking pictures with him.

The five-minute walk from home to the mall became a fifteen-minute walk.

You had a feeling, that everyone wants to have a photo with"cool cosplayer".

At first, Gogol was fine with having his photos taken.

But then you run into a group of rowdy fans.

They crowded around Gogol, pushing you and Doppo from their way.

"You looked like a real one!"

"Cool costume, dude!"

"The scar looks so real!"

"How much have you paid for the costume?"

"Do you want to read my smut fanfic about Fyolai?"

"Can I grab your things?"

Doppo's eyebrow twitched.

"[Y/N]... Is this normal behavior of 'BSD fans'?" Spited Doppo. You shake your head.

"No, of course not. This people are just jerks."

Gogol looked annoyed. He agreed to take some pictures, so the group will leave him alone.

Unfortunately, the group wasn't satisfied with simple pictures.

They started to demand him to make poses. Dubious poses... They clearly made Gogol uncomfortable. You noticed, that Gogol was holding himself back from attacking the annoying people. You decide, that it's time to intervene.

"Okay, everyone, move away from our friend, stop making him uncomfortable! No poses, no pictures."

You and Doppo squeezed through the crowd and stood near Gogol, like two bodyguards. The crowd try to protect, but one heavy look from Kunikida make them shut up.

You and Kunikida tried to take Gogol from the crowd. With the conner of your eye, you noticed, that the same person, who asked if they can grab Gogol's thighs, were trying to touch Gogol's thighs. Immideatly, you turn towards the jerk and hit him in the face with all of your might.

"Hands off, parasite!" Growl you.

The Creep fell down, sobbing. His friends tried to attack you in return. But, before any of them they can take a step towards you, Doppo dealed with them.

Never underestimate Fukuzawa's trainee.

All group members were lying on the ground, groaning in pain.

You three left the Creep and their friends behind.

___________________

When you finally reached the mall, you signed.

"Okay... It was something. Is everyone alright?"

Kunikida adjusted his glasses.

"I am fine"

Nikolai stay quiet. The look in his eyes was dangerous. You feel chills running down your spine. He was angry. Then he spoke.

"I am not. I want to hurt them. But," Gogol looked at you. His gaze soften. "But, for your sake, I won't do it. I don't want you to get into trouble."

You squeeze his shoulder.

"We can find a quiet place for you to stay, while Doppo and I are going shopping."

Gogol shake his head.

"No, don't worry, I will be fine."

Kunikida huffs and take the shopping list from his pocket.

"We have lost quite some time. We need to split up, so we can buy everything faster. I will go find cleaning supplies. [Y/N], can you and Gogol buy meat, fish and fruits?"

You nodded.

______________________

Good news, you haven't run into anime fans anymore.

Bad news, you run into people who hate anime.

You and Gogol were choosing fresh fish, when you heard their conversation.

"Look at this weirdo. Does the Freak thinks he can wear this clown costume in public like this?"

"Yea. He must be a screw loose."

"All the anime fans are perverts. I have heard, all of them likes little girls. Really likes"

"Bro, you will make me puke!"

Gogol's eye twitched. You quickly grabbed his hand. You whisper.

"Nikolai, please, stay calm."

Gogol squeezed your hand.

You have noticed a golden glow in one of the fish tanks. In this tank there were alive crabs. Five of them.

You blinked. All crabs disappeared.

The sound of something falling. Shocked cries of "Where did crabs come from?" The pained whines of the company that was talking about Gogol.

Crabs didn't like their new company.

____________________

After you finally buy everything you need, all of you decide to have some coffee, before you go home. The day was hard, all of you need some rest.

All of you were sitting at the same table, drinking coffee.

But, it seems, that today trouble didn't want to let you go.

At first, you heard a loud scream.

Then something ran near your table.

Two six-year-old kids. Boy and girl.

They were running around the café, screaming and grabbing everything they can see.

Their mother wasn't paying attention to them. She was talking to someone on her phone.

You three tried to ignore all this noise. Kunikida finished his coffee and put the empty cup back on the saucer with a loud clatter.

"This kids... Why parents didn't do their job? At first, parents forget about parenting, then this 'parents' have the audacity to blame teachers for their kid's terrible behavior."

You looked at Doppo with a soft look.

"Have you remembered your teaching days?"

Doppo nodded.

Gogol let out a loud yelp. Then the kids noticed Nikolai's braid and start pulling it. He turned around and growl at kids.

"Back off, you brats!"

And mother finally decided to do the parenting. By starting yelling at Gogol.

"You creep, don't you dare yell at my children!"

To be fair, Gogol tried to stay civil.

"Mam, your kids were pulling my hair! I shouted at them to make them stop."

Women glares at Gogol.

"You could let them do it! They are just kids! They are allowed to do anything they want! Wait... You... What are you wearing... Is that... one of this anime characters?"

Without letting Gogol answer, she hit him with her shopping bad.

"SATANIST! You are a satanist who is watching Chinese porn cartoons. Useless member of society!"

You had enough for today.

"Miss, watch your..." You didn't finish your phrase, when mom hit you with a shopping bag.

"Shut up! Don't interfere!"

Kunikida snapped.

"If you watched your kids..."

And Kunikida was also hit with a shopping bag.

And security finally escorted the woman and her kids from the café.

You feel, that the day was ruined.

_______________

You finally were home. After putting your bags in the kitchen, three of you sit on the couch in the living room. You're in the middle, Doppo on the right and Kolya on the left.

All three of you were silent. Gogol was the first who spoke.

"It's all my fault. You warned me. I didn't listen. I am sorry."

You stay silent. Then you whisper.

"I am also sorry. I should have tried harder to make you change your mind."

Gogol chuckled.

"[Y/N], don't blame yourself. I am also an adult, I should understand the consequences of my actions."

You take a look around the room. There must be something that can make them feel better.

You had a plan.... Maybe, it will work.

You called.

"Hey, Kolya, Doppo"

Gogol's eyes light up. It was the first time you called him by the short version of his name. He looked at you.

Doppo turn his head towards you.

"Want to have a movie night? Choose anything you want to watch, I will make snacks. How does is sounds?"

Both guys agree.

____________________

Three of you were covered in blankets. Doppo was carefully petting your head, while Nikolai was tracing lines along your hand. The movie was on. The snacks were on the table. You were snuggled between Doppo Kunikida and Nikolai Gogol.

At least this time, everything was right. Everything was better.

__________

A/N: (1) Changed quote from "The Ransom of Red Chief" by O. Henry.

[liesmyth]

what's your ranking of the stormlight books?

ooooh. thank u for asking

1. Words of Radiance. THEE platonic ideal of a contemporary epic fantasy book. when Kaladin jumps into the arena. when Kaladin shows up at the battle at the end. the Helaran death reveal. Shallan in the chasms. the Adolin & Kal friendship arc. Elohkar. Shallan's backstory. I remember reading this book in March 2014 while backpacking through Ireland and using shitty hostel wifi to connect to discussion boards in the evening. I love it to bits

2. Rhythm of War. epic in every sense of the word. the stakes are huge, the pacing is great, the tension is through the roof. everything is happening at once!! Navani my beloved. Shadesmar is weird and crazy. Kal is Going Through It. it's just so huge in scope in so many different ways and the way everything is tied together is truly beautifully done. my personal experience of reading this book was that it took me months to start in the middle of lockdown depression + OB had lowkey disappointed me, and I liked it SO much that it singlehandedly got me back into reading after a couple of years of a big slump.

3. Way of Kings. I love how it's clearly the first step on a much grander journey, even on first read, but it really strikes the balance of being The Beginning Of A Series and self-contained. the way Kaladin's backstory is introduced still makes my jaw drop. with every reread I love Shallan more. I still remember reading it the first time (summer 2011 on vacation) and being struck by how bizarre and unique the world was. plants that moved! storms that stormed! one of the first books of all time.

4. Oathbringer. I didn't love this one at the time but I think RoW made it better in hindsight. back when I first read it, I remember being disappointed with how quickly certain emotional beats that had been fundamental in the first two books were resolved or glossed over (Amaram first and foremost) even if I understood the series needed to jump to the next level pacing-wise, but it still grated. I still don't love how the book handles Dalinar and Moash both, and I think we should ban Branderson from writing about love triangles for so many reasons, but it has some really really great emotional beats and imagery and I enjoyed it much more on reread

[I'm on chapter 22 of WaT — will report back :D]

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Does it even matter that the Haitian immigrants who have flocked to Springfield, Ohio, are in the country legally? Does it matter that Springfield, once a depressed post-industrial Rust belt town like so many others, has been economically revitalized by their arrival? Does it matter that the immigrants from Haiti fled violence and economic deprivation in their own country that are the outcome of American policy? Does it matter that none of the bizarre lies that have been peddled about them by Donald Trump, JD Vance and others on the right, telling lurid tales of the migrants capturing and killing local pets, are true? But even though the stories are made up, the threats now facing Springfield’s population of roughly 80,000 souls are very real. After last week’s presidential debate, when Trump railed about how Haitians in Springfield were “eating the dogs, eating the cats … they’re eating the pets of the people that live there”, life has been transformed in Springfield. Ordinary life has yielded to a barrage of media attention, nationally broadcast lies and threats. Two elementary schools in Springfield had to be evacuated because of threats of violence. Think about that: someone contacted Springfield authorities and made threats against grade-school children that were credible enough that the buildings had to be evacuated for the sake of safety. Classes at Wittenberg University in Springfield had to be held online because multiple threats of violence targeting Haitian students and staff there – including a bomb threat and a mass shooting threat – were deemed credible. Two hospitals in the town, Kettering Health Springfield and Mercy Health, had to go into lockdown after receiving threats. Government buildings in the city also had to be closed. Haitian immigrants in Springfield told news outlets that they were afraid to leave their homes. There were reports of broken windows and acid thrown on cars. There is a word for this kind of large-scale, organized violence against a local ethnic enclave. That word is pogrom. [...] The episode is typical of Trump’s cynical cycle, one which the rightwing media and his many Republican imitators have almost perfected over the course of the past decade: an outrageous lie is told that provides cover for a racist resentment among Trump’s supporters – and, more importantly, gins up attention for Trump himself. Because the lie is fabricated and because it has no basis in reality, it can exist entirely at the level of fantasy and projection: lurid tales of pet-eating are not true, but because they can’t be proven or disproven, they can propel days’ worth of imaginings, condemnations, hoaxes and frantic factchecking by the media class. That this particular lie evokes longstanding racist imaginations of Black people as brutal and bestial – something more akin to coyotes than to hardworking small-town families – it reaffirms Trump’s particular appeal to the white Republican id.

Moira Donegan at The Guardian on the right-wing's racist anti-Haitian pogrom as a result of waging a hoax about "eating cats" in Springfield, Ohio (09.18.2024).

The Guardian's Moira Donegan wrote a column worth reading on the right-wing's racist anti-Haitian pogrom led by JD Vance, Donald Trump, and various conservative media talking heads who fueled the Springfield cat-eating hoax.

[twiixr4kidz]

intro!! :3

hihiiiiii :3 welcome to my blogs you little freaks (affectionate). here where you can find all the important information that you need to know about me and my blog!!!!!

✮ about me ✮

my name is twiix (like the candy), my pronouns are they/it and im 18 years old. woohoo!!!!! i've been writing on this blog for almost 5 years now, which is kinda crazy. i started it back during the lockdown and i used to be just a jojo's bizarre adventure blog (shoutout to the people who remember the naranchuu era). my writing has definitely improved over the years so please disregard EVERYTHING i've written from 2022 and back <3 also, be aware that i do take frequent kinda long hiatuses. whoopsies. do not be afraid if i disappear; i'll be back eventually.

✮ writing and requests ✮

the fandoms i write for are as follows:

jojo's bizarre adventure

the band ghost

creepypasta

danganronpa

scott pilgrim vs the world / scott pilgrim takes off

i'll write pretty much whatever so long as you ask!! i usually write character x reader, but feel free to request character x character or character x reader x character!! i do want to keep this blog safe for work, but if you wanna get filthy (and you're an adult), my nsfw sideblog is @twiixarent4kidz (are i so funny...). i write for all the same fandoms over there!!

also, when i say safe for work, i mean nothing steamier than making out. i also don't like writing anything pregnancy and childbirth related. yandere is a huge no, too.

✮ the nitty gritty ✮

i don't have a very big dni, but obviously dni if you meet the basic criteria (homophobic, transphobic, etc). i also kindly ask that hazbin hotel and/or helluva boss blogs don't interact either. i totally respect you, it's just a personal thing!!

and of course, if you don't respect my rules and dni, i will block you. that's about all for that. yay!!

✮ my tags!! ✮

my personal tag is #twiix rambles. this is where i post stuff about my personal life, blog-related stuff, etc. basically everything that isn't my writing. all of the different fandom stuff is tagged accordingly. im also in the process of tagging all of my writing with #twiix's writing!! that'll be done, uhm... eventually... probably.

[apenitentialprayer]

transcript of the video below

And this was kind of channeled for me during the Pandemic, when (and whether it's the same in America, I don't know) in Britain, a lot of the churches basically focused on giving public health messages, kinda telling us to wear masks, to wash our hands and stuff. They were excellent messages, no doubt, but, you know, everyone else was saying that as well. I think that churches should celebrate what sets them apart. The problem for churches, basically, is that they won; so all the things that seemed radical and strange and bizarre to the Romans are now accepted. And a lot of what the Church has traditionally provided —education, healthcare, or so on, you know, charity relief— have been nationalized, the state provides that. So what is left for the churches to do? And I think what the churches should do is to celebrate all the mad-weird stuff that, you know, you're not getting from the Department of Health. So... angels, and God thundering from Mount Sinai, and all that kind of thing. Book of Job; all that stuff. I thought the weirdest thing, in the sense of "it sent shivers down my spine" and opened up vistas of possibility was the one exception that proves the rule in terms of churches not…. not making sense of the horrors that the world was going through during the Pandemic, which is quite early in the lockdown in Rome. The Pope — I can't remember what he was doing, he was… it can't have been a Mass, he was… it was some observance, in St. Peter's Square; and it was completely empty. Just him, in St. Peter's Square; and he, he made prayers and did whatever he was doing, and as he was doing it, bells were clanging out over Rome and the wailing of ambulances taking the sick to hospitals. And he went and prayed before an icon that tradition says had been sent from Constantinople in the reign of Gregory the Great; an icon of Christ, the infant Christ and the Virgin. And Gregory the Great, who was pope in the sixth century, had become pope during a period of plague. and his papacy existed in the context of the kind of suffering that we were going through. And he wrote a great commentary on Job, the Book of Job, which is, perhaps, the profoundest, most troubling, most (and for that reason I think) most satisfying attempt in the Bible to explain how a good God can permit evil to happen. I mean, it doesn't give an answer, but it kind of transcends, perhaps, the need to have an answer for that. And watching that gave me a sense of… the unbelievable wealth of the Christian attempt to explain why we, why we're here. Christianity is the most… successful explanation that humanity has ever come up with to explain why we're here, and why bad things happen, and why good things happen, and the whole nexus of it. And that is an unbelievable reservoir for us to draw on. And I felt that very, very strongly writing Dominion. Kind of… my eyes were opened up to the, the incredible richness in this tradition, and I think that is part of the weirdness; moments that enable you to feel that, to feel that you're not just you in 2023. That you're part of the totality of the human experience that is (perhaps) embraced within the mind of God. I mean, it's a very, very profound feeling, I think.

[mrdrhenwardhykle]

POM POM: KILLER OF MASCOT GAMES VOL.2 #1

Pom Pom vs Phoenix Wright

Previous Next

Previous Volume

"Ms. Pom, you are now admitting to the claims against you about taking down 12 different mascots, is that correct?" "Incorrect..." "HOLD IT!-Ms.Pom, didn't you just-" "Make that 13. Not 12." "….! 13?… By my records there's no documentation of similar scenes comparable to your work. This is vital information to the trial so your punishment is justified. Who is #13, Ms.Pom?" "…" "Ms. Pom. Who is #13?!?!?!…" "…" "… M-Ms. Pom! Who… Who is it!?…"

":)"

"… ……. -Who is it?…."

---

Stone's documentation of the case: 6:00, end of session: Ms.Pom entered the court with a seemingly genuine remorseful front. She began alongside her attorney, Mr.Edgeworth, pleading not guilty. The suspect began her case with the same remorseful attitude-reminding most of a scared child. By past personal experiences and multiple attempts to interrogate the suspect, she seems to genuinely believe this. With Mr.Phoenix's questioning, however, the two have seemed to trade confidence levels, as Ms.Pom has seemed to take notice that the questioning attorney was a game protagonist, himself. However, this trade of confidence has caused her to admit the murders of Mario Mario, Conker T. Squirrel, Bubsy Bobcat, Kirby, Taizo Hori, Tyrone Tasmanian Tiger, Olgilvie Maurice Hedgehog, Banjo Bear, Kazooie, Bug-exclamation point... Link-...Link? And Crash Bandicoot... *ahem* Bunch of circus freaks *cough* Ms.Pom has been sentenced to death row for her transactions. Her defendant, Mr.Edgeworth, only seems to be distracted by a missing pen. 7:30, update 2: The building is currently on lockdown. No one is permitted to leave the premise until the whereabouts of Ms.Pom and Mr.Wright are verified.

Character descriptions:

Pom Pom:

Pom Pom is a virus/glitch formed by the scrapped side-scrolling arcade game from the early 90's “Pom-Pom Panic”. Pom Pom (the main character of Pom Pom Panic) for whatever reason gained sentience halfway during the game’s development. The game was cancelled halfway because the publishing company thought it was too bizarre of a concept and mascot character to gain interest. Pom Pom heard of the news and took it way too personally, as she literally cannot fathom why someone would think she’s ‘bizarre’-even to the point of getting ‘axed’. Prompted by the ‘poor judgement’ Pom Pom went rouge-breaking from her game to ‘axe’ any ‘approved’ game mascots/characters she thought could count as ‘bizarre’ like her.

Power Officer Stone:

Stone is the amalgamation of a couple things, exactly what people aren't sure of, but it's safely assumed that he's a mix between scrapped virtual PSA mascots, an antivirus/piracy program, and the anti drug campaigns they used to put in arcade games. Stone is the embodiment of anti piracy screens and uses all of his time to prevent virtual crimes and viruses. He also can duplicate himself and multitask. However, because of his frustrations against the fact that he can't really punish pirates in real life, he often bounces the punishment to the closest playable character. For that, he's infamous amongst most virtual realms.

[darkmaga-returns]

I’ve said one thing here over and over again, suggesting a technique to use the generally useless Google search function in a revealing way: search within a date range. Find the moment when the “mainstream” media started insisting that an idea was a bizarre and dangerous outlier — the fringe — and see what people said before that.

So. Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, an extensively cited Stanford University health policy professor with both an MD and a PhD, has been appointed by President-elect Donald Trump to lead the National Institutes of Health. This is controversial, the New York Times explains, because Bhattacharya was a fringe-dwelling critic of mass lockdowns during the pandemic, and an author of the extremely weird and scary Great Barrington Declaration:

Dr. Bhattacharya is one of three lead authors of the Great Barrington Declaration, a manifesto issued in 2020 that contended that the virus should be allowed to spread among young healthy people who were “at minimal risk of death” and could thus develop natural immunity, while prevention efforts were targeted to older people and the vulnerable. Through a connection with a Stanford colleague, Dr. Scott Atlas, who was advising Mr. Trump during his first term, Dr. Bhattacharya presented his views to Alex M. Azar II, Mr. Trump’s health secretary. The condemnation from the public health establishment was swift. Dr. Bhattacharya and his fellow authors were promptly dismissed as cranks whose “fringe” policy prescriptions would lead to millions of unnecessary deaths.

Bhattacharya was widely condemned by the establishment and dismissed as a crank. Trump is appointing weird outsiders who hold strange ideas!

So. Do this search, or try variations on your own using similar search terms:

[bookoflibrary]

Famitsu Dec 28th Issue Summary

Coverage for the Dec 28th Famitsu, which has a special feature on SINoALICE JP's ending. It includes an interview with Shogo Maeda, Fujimoto, and Yoko Taro. YOU ARE AT THE POINT OF NO RETURN. THIS INCLUDES SPOILERS FOR THE FINALE. Summary only since I am too busy for a word-by-word translation. And yes, I got a jump scare by my little sister in the user collage spread. Highlights only.

'How has your life changed in the last six years?' Yoko Taro says SINo came out around the time of Automata and both were widely well received and became a hit. Before them, he didn't have a lot of production lined up for awhile, and he wasn't confident in selling titles using his name as a brand so he just kept grinding through it. After these two titles, he found some success and felt like a celebrity, and he has been growing since.

Maeda says his life hasn't changed much since, saying he hasn't gotten married yet but at least he got a salary raise. He's working on his happiness.

Fujimoto: What? You got an increase in money, and you're still not happy?

Yoko: You saying that money is happiness shows your true human nature. But true happiness cannot be bought with money. Fujimoto: "True, but money is important" They all laugh.

Yoko Taro has mentioned several times before that Pokelabo and it's writing staff is in charge event scenarios, weapon stories, and job stories, but that he oversees main story with a second writer. The ending to the game was actually the first thing he wrote when creating SINoALICE's story.

He was especially excited, creating the final boss which is the result of the player's desire and gacha pulling all of these years. Taro has said in several interviews before that the dolls and a 'creature we have not yet seen' as of 5th anniversary were his favorite characters, and he confirms the Desire Mass is it.

Maeda, on the other hand, does things on a whim sometimes. They bring up the covid lockdown, and how Maeda decided to do a live in a bathrobe with wine spur of the moment. He spilled some of the wine on himself. Taro: "You decided, 'let's do a live that will make Maeda-san's mother sad.' Maeda insists she enjoyed it.

Maeda said planning events has always been a bit of a hassle because he wants to do something no one has ever seen before, and reminiscences about the mini van from 5th anniv. He says he doesn't wanna do the same things more than once which Taro agrees with. Fujimoto was just genuinely impressed Maeda pulled off the van stunt. When it was time for 6th anniv to come, they knew EoS was coming and they were pushed to their limit, so they wanted to go all out. It was also one of the most expensive anniversary to date, with only Fourth ANniv/Death Metal coming in first. They talk about how strained and out of ideas they were, while trying to oversee the writing to the final edition of Reality, the final batch to Act of SINoALICE and working full time on Desire.

They said due to Gishin & Anki's bizarre behavior, it was fun and also easy to blame all the crazy things they came up with to fit the game's uniqueness on them.

Interviewer: 'This is a farfetched question I know, but what are the odds to a sequel to SINoALICE?' Yoko Taro says that usually he'd answer these questions with, 'Give me money and I will do anything', but says it's been a long time, and so much work has been put in 'til now and couldn't accept money as he feels SINoALICE is complete. Fujimoto agrees.

Maeda on the other hand says that in regards to a SINoALICE sequel, he cannot discuss this due to his company's policy.

Yoko Taro goes on a bit saying he didn't want to make a social game that had no value after it died, and hopes SINoALICE and it's contents and memories are carried in the users' hearts forever. Then complains that the service was a hit from what they were expected and he had to keep coming up with new arc ideas. 'SINoALICE was created with a definite end written, though.' He still brings up his 'Shut it down after one year, collect the money, then start a sequel up and repeat' idea Pokelabo laughed off. Maeda wanted to keep the game going as long as possible. They came to the conclusion that if sales were going down into red, and they properly conclude the story, SINoALICE can be shut down. Maeda says JP was not quite in that red zone, but it's better to end the game on it's own terms now that the story has been completed. A lot of budget also had to go into the Desire arc for all the gimmicks it does as well as post clearing it with your guild.

'… In addition to clearing that finale with your guildmates, we used a lot of our budget to store the data of players who cleared the ending. Along with this, we have to figure out how much data can be stored offline.' [Blood note: An offline version of the game has been announced. Clearing the Desire arc changes the game dramatically, and you can still login to the app after Jan 15th to view weapon, job and main story. Collab stuff had to be removed. Data transfer is not possible after the servers go down, and if you clear your cache after clearing the finale make sure to login again before the EoS date. If you do not clear the finale in Desire, your data will NOT be stored. Please note your tombstone and your profile will be publicly available on this version of the game]

'What was your favorite arc?' Maeda says the reality arc was the most memorable for him. Yoko Taro made the pitch first, and Maeda was confused. When it came to releasing it, Maeda was at a loss, saying the game was meant to be about fairytales but suddenly he is being asked to do a modern one. He felt a sense of awkwardness explaining this arc to the company, considering 'a lot of dangerous bridges were crossed in it.' They were also relieved they were able to get Matchie and Hameln out, despite Maeno's time-crunched schedule. To them, despite the story progressing without them until now, it was part of 'seeing the full story through.' Pokelabo staff at first were horrified by the Reality arc.

Taro interjects here, going on a long explanation about UI and how he wanted the story to be shorter since it was a social/mobile game, and designed it where you can skip over it with a tap or two, so players could easily choose to skip over everything.

User polls for players who did the Famitsu survery suggested Act of Reality by an overwhelming amount. Many comments were made about Piggy, Hameln, and Pinocchio and Snow's reality. Gretel's Act of Reality job stayed a player favorite start to end, but then the three laugh at how overwhelmingly popular Gretel's Story of Authors job became. 'It won the wallpaper poll, y'know?'

Act of SINoALICE came in behind it as favorites by the user. The comments for it showed that players liked the feeling of the characters coming together to stop an ominous force. Of all the chapters, Aladdin & Hameln's was the best recieved. Yoko says good. He was also pretty ecstatic about showing up in the main story and how he was potrayed. [Blood note: Yoko is in the first chapter of Dorothy and Piggies]

Statistics: 60% of players who did the Famitsu survery were female. Only 1% of players logged in the game for 2,000+ days. A majority have only been playing a yearish. [61.37%]

Famitsu did their own popularity poll; results look pretty similar give or take to our usual ones. Interestingly, Hameln went up by several slots. Maybe the extra story and events showing better sides to him helped? Here are the results. I'm happy to see Gretel continuing to get love.

Gretel

Alice & Snow were too close to call, so both got second place.

Ibarahime/Sleeping Beauty

Akazukin/Red Riding Hood

Alice

Cinderella

Pinocchio

Little Mermaid

Aladdin

Hameln

Dorothy

Kaguya Hime 13. Match Gir 14. Rapunzel 15. Three Little Pig 16. Nutcracker In addition to clearing the finale, your loading screen will now turn into a tombstone with the number of player you were to clear the finale. You can see the tombstone of other players who also have in the game. Yoko Taro hopes players enjoy the finale.

And that concludes the takeaways! This is the last Famitsu I am buying. It feels incredibly bittersweet.

[greensparty]

Stuff I'm Looking Forward To in March

Wow, somehow it's already month 3 of 2024. In addition to Daylight Savings Time (March 10 - Spring ahead), Ramadan (March 10-April 9), St. Patrick's Day (March 17), first day of Spring (March 19), Palm Sunday (March 24), Holi (March 25), Good Friday (March 29), and Easter (March 31) here is what's on my radar this month:

Movies:

Dune: Part Two

Denis Villeneuve has become one of the great visual stylists of recent years thanks to films like Arrival and Blade Runner 2049. I named his film Dune Part One, one of my Best Movies of 2021. How good Part One really was depends on Part Two, which drops 3/1.

Knox Goes Away

Michael Keaton has always been a tremendous actor and now he's back in the director's chair for the second time with a starring role about a contract killer who has a form of dementia and he attempts to connect with his estranged son. Oh and Al Pacino co-stars! Opens 3/15.

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire 

A Ghostbusters sequel is a tall order. Jason Reitman's 2021 sequel Ghostbusters Afterlife actually had its moments and it had a lot to say about living up to a legacy, in the film it's the grandchildren of Egon, but it could also be Jason Reitman about the fear and honor of continuing a film series that his dad Ivan began. The new sequel is directed by Gil Kenan, who co-wrote this with Jason. The fact that original Ghostbuster cast members are back gives me hope. Sequel drops 3/22.

Music:

Sheer Mag Playing Favorites

I was lucky enough to see Philly rockers Sheer Mag at House of Blues in May 2022. After two solid albums, they are finally back with their third, dropping on 3/1. (Review to come)

Liam Gallagher & John Squire Liam Gallagher John Squire

Former Oasis singer Liam Gallagher's solo career has been a mixed back, but his album As You Were was one of my Best Albums of the 2010s. As shown in the 2019 documentary Liam Gallagher: As It Was, he doesn't need to play music for money or fame, he has plenty. He plays because he loves music. Now he's doing a new album with John Squire, former guitarist for The Stone Roses. Sounds like a serious meeting of musical minds! Album drops 3/1.

The Black Crowes Happiness Bastards

The first new studio album from The Black Crowes since 2009 is cause for celebration. After a bitter break-up in 2015, the brothers Chris and Rich Robinson announced they were reuniting in 2019. In early 2020, I caught an acoustic live show from Brothers of a Feather (my last concert before the pandemic lockdowns) and since that show, The Black Crowes have had some reunion tours (NOTE: by reunion - I mean Chris and Rich, not the original lineup). They've released some anniversary albums, but this marks the group's first studio album in 15 years. Looking forward to it when it drops on 3/15.

The Dandy Warhols Rockmaker

I've always loved Portlandia's The Dandy Warhols. Through this blog, I've had the pleasure of interviewing lead Dandy Courtney Taylor-Taylor and keyboardist / bassist Zia McCabe, the band's 2019 Boston concert, and their excellent 2019 album Why You So Crazy. Now the band is back with a new album dropping on 3/15! (Review to come)

Film Festivals:

Boston Underground Film Festival

Boston's fun genre film festival for horror, fantasy and bizarre is back. I've had the pleasure of covering this fest from 2016 to 2019 and returning last year. The fest returns to The Brattle Theatre (Cambridge, MA) from 3/20 to 3/24!

Conventions:

Northeast Comic Con

I've had a blast covering the Northeast Comic Con for years now (read my coverage here) and the Spring 2024 edition returns with guests like Kevin Chapman (who I worked with on Monument Ave), a Growing Pains reunion of Tracey Gold, Jeremy Miller and Julie McCullough, The Go-Go's drummer Gina Schock and more! Convention is at the Boxborough Regency (Boxborough, MA) from 3/8-3/10. (Coverage to come).

Awards Season:

The awards season for the best of 2023 continues on with the Razzie Awards, actually the Worst of 2023 (3/9) and the Academy Awards (3/10).

In a Category all its own...

Shamrock shakes!!!

[witchgreen6]

Saw the Bishagate video for the 1st time & I think he knew exactly what he was saying...

I am a late comer to Supernatural & all the behind the scene 'drama'. Having read about 'Bishagate' on Tumblr, I was curious to see the actual video where Misha makes his infamous 'I am all 3 statement'. I was expecting it to show him stumbling over his words & blurting out 'bisexual' by mistake (when in fact he meant to use a word such as 'ambivert'). But the video shows that this was no 'misspeaking'! he purposely uses the word 'bisexual' then pauses for effect to give the audience time to catch up with what he has just said, he looks a bit nervous and seems to be breathing heavily the smiles then says 'I am all 3''. He then uses the term bisexual AGAIN shortly after and says that it would have been weird of him to ask the audience about how many of them were bisexual from the start so he (bizarrely) chose to start with asking them about being introvert/extrovert... I mean WTF? how did so many people in the fandom/media actually believe & accept for a second his explanation that this was 'accidental' slip of the tongue, that things were 'out of context' and that he never meant to use the term 'bisexual'. He absolutely used bisexual on purpose and knew exactly what he was saying... So the only explanations I can think of for this mess is that he ever thought it was ''funny'' to pretend to be/joke about being bisexual to get some attention/publicity which is rather crappy (I am queer & I really don't appreciate that type of 'jokes') or he really meant what he said and for whatever reason decided to get back in the closet. Neither options are actually showing him in a great light & I find all this rather disappointing. I will continue to love the Castiel character but being asked to swallow this nonsense by the actor who plays him is not happening because it defies all logic when you watch the actual footage. The statement that Misha then put out on social media is also problematic because it starts with a claim that is simply not true: ''My clumsy intention was to wave off actually discussing my sexuality''. Again the video footage contradicts this. A fan asked a question about the Covid lockdowns and what Misha had learned about himself during that period which leads him to saying he discovered he was more of an extrovert than he thought. The fan's question made no reference to sexuality. Misha brings up bisexuality out of the blue, you can even hear someone in the audience say 'where did that come from?'. So if a statement starts with a lie, it is hard to then read anything else that it contains as truthful. Celebrities, like anyone else, don't owe others details about their sexuality but they do have a responsibility not to appropriate queerness as a marketing tool if they are not queer or to treat it as a joke. SPN has a long history of queer baiting and Misha should know better than to continue that sorry tradition. On the other hand if the reason for this mess was that he felt uncomfortable with the attention he received and decided to backtrack then that's incredibly sad. I also think that him claiming the network asked him to continue to pretend to be bi is misleading: instead it is very likely that their PR people pointed out that he had dug a rather large hole for himself and that the best way was to keep quiet, let the media interest die down & decline to comment further on his sexuality from then on. Because there was no way PR-wise that Misha could avoid a negative backlash if he had to admit that this was yet another queer-baiting stunt from him/he thought that joking about being bisexual was appropriate. This would also have brought the SPN existing queer baiting/homophobia issues under the spotlight and bring in more bad publicity for the network. To conclude I wish I had just continued to enjoy Supernatural, flawed, geeky but still funny & often moving, rather than look into the behind the scene (the conventions drama, the questionable behaviour/statements made by some of the actors) because it coloured the show negatively for me after that.

[religion-is-a-mental-illness]

A perfect succinct summation of current university expectations of minorities in America:

The soft bigotry of low expectations.

And the hard fragility of high entitlement.

The way this plays out often goes via proxy, however. Many students become represented against their will by activists with a particular ideological mindset. And often, they're "allies" demonstrating their virtuous bona fides, not members of those groups.

Note that the request that set off this shit-show was from "a non-black" student.

This (white) commentator rattles off some bogus pseudoscience to insist he "should have" complied; the same author has also decided that "divorce isn't fair" because her ex-husband isn't poor, so that tells you the mentality.

"I really wish his parents would give me that money"

As a timely reminder, Mike Nayna is releasing his Grievance Studies Affair documentary, "The Reformers," on his Substack over the next couple of weeks. Part 1 (free) and Part 2 (subscribers only) are already up, and Part 3 is coming next week.

Just today he's also released an accompaniment called, oddly enough, "The Reformers: An Accompaniment." This is essentially a re-cut of his previous three-part Evergreen State College documentary into a single film. I believe it's free to view.

Part of the way through the film, a former president of the college - who is black, by the way - is receiving an award and a building being named after him. During his speech, some entitled student barges up, takes the microphone and starts ranting like a nutcase.

Nobody does anything. Nobody cuts the mic. Nobody tells her to sit the fuck down and shut the fuck up because everything is not about her and her tantrums all the time. When she's done, the former president tries to address some of the points, and she and her pals start talking and chanting over the top, rambling about their "oppression."

Keep in mind, this is a liberal arts college in one of the most blue states in the entire US. These are extremely privileged people acting out a perverted, ideological Live Action Roleplay. They have few, if any, real issues; they're out there fighting postmodern dragons. At the time, this was shocking, and the language and mental processes were bizarre and alien. But nowadays, that language and mindset are everywhere.

The film proceeds along to the notorious takeover and hostage situation where students invade and lockdown the admin building, and the then-president tells everyone to go along with it. The students even yell at him over the placement of his hands, and laugh at him about bathroom breaks for the hostages. Nobody pushes back on this. The president even tells security to stand down.

To this day, nobody can tell you coherently what any of this complete meltdown was actually all about, and to my knowledge, little if any disciplinary action was taken against the perpetrators. If there's one person you'll see time and again through the footage, it's a guy called Jamil Bee. He was essentially the ringleader of the whole thing, but he was never expelled, he was never disciplined, and he was held up as a hero and invited to talks and lectures, Kendi-style.

So what he and his activist friends learned is that they could do whatever they wanted. He's even quoted as saying:

"Nothing is the limit to reparations." "There is no limit that can be set over us in being able to squash oppressive behavior."

The definitions of which he and similar activist types get to decide themselves: "you don't get to decide what's racism - only we do." This type of narcissistic authoritarianism has been celebrated and rewarded, rather than ridiculed and mocked as it should be, or held to the fires of the institutions policies and rules on appropriate conduct. They just let him slide.

And part of that was, as you mentioned, bigotry of low expectations. Nobody will tell these students "no." But also the fear of being called a mean name by intellectual infants: "racist," "white supremacist," "transphobic" or something similar. These words are only useful because they're not a pervasive problem any more; they're aberrational. Calling someone "racist" during Jim Crow wouldn't solicit any meaningful moral panic or defensiveness. But now the accused let them get away with this because it's easier than having to defend themselves from some baseless pro forma accusation of bigotry.

And that screws everything up for the majority of students who aren't mentally ill sociopaths.

This is something that plays out again and again and again. Colleges submit to the emotional outbursts and tantrums of students instead of doing the right thing and putting them in a time-out until they can come back and apologize - Yale and Stanford have had this sort of thing play out again and again.

What's not spoken about is that behind the scenes, it's often college administrators themselves - and particularly the apparatchiks in the DIE bureaucracies - facilitating this, teaching students this "harm" and "unsafe" and "danger" and "words are violence" mentality in the first place.

[katelfiredemon]

So yesterday my little sister’s junior high had a shooter false alarm. Nobody got hurt. There wasn’t even an actual gun in the building, just a stupid kid pretending he had a gun in his sleeve and having his phone make shooting sounds.

And I just can’t get over the trauma that even an incident like this can cause everyone and how horrible of a thing it is that this and worse and now fairly common place incidents around the US.

Kids go to school every day being terrified that they or their friends might be killed.

My little sister was gone for a volleyball game at a different school and they cancelled the game and I was on the phone with my crying and hyperventilating 13 yr old sister trying to keep her calm while she waited for news of whether or not her friends had been killed. Having to try to comfort her and keep her calm while I was struggling to keep myself calm.

Families were waiting terrified at home for news of what was happening while only being told the school was in lockdown. Getting texts from their kids that were having to hide quietly in their classrooms unsure if a shooter was going to be coming for them next.

Teachers were having to stay calm and shove kids into closets and when asked by the kids if this was a drill, having to tell them no. Having to prepare themselves to possibly die defending their students.

I just can’t get over that this is our reality now. That this isn’t some bizarre horrible incident that never happens. I hate that my sister has to go to school the next day, still trying to get over the terror of thinking her friends might be dead and finding a half empty school because these kids are so traumatized from just a fake incident that they understandably are too terrified to go to school the next day.