#eugene on the waaaay

[b0nkedmehead]

Grandma appreciation post (*^ー^)ノ♪

[typhra]

fleur de lis emoji i dont wanna find it on ny keyboard

You got it champ!

So that's Fléau. Old as hell OC with a family of weapon based names. He's from a world my pals called The Game which is like Sword Art Online I guess. ANYWAYS.

He was raised to be the next in line for his family's conglomerate of businesses and shit. Coming in at 4'10, 18 years old, and genetically crafted in a tube to look like as close to a porcelain doll as a human to get, he sure is... Something! He has a sister that he constantly tries to distance himself from. Oh also he's an asshole. Think of that Byakuya guy from d*nganronpa.

He ended up cultivating a more laid back and and fun loving persona online, which eventually he struggles to seperate from his real self. That Online persona is named The Inverser. Very original yes. His best friends and him that he met online dismantle his companies, which leaves him with nothing by the end, but he has friends and is a better person. His family does disown him for it of course. Well his sister still loves him Eventually he gets taller after a time skip to 5'2" also.

[anemoiawithatouchofobsession]

Giving 1st gen groups and artists their own signature emojis

So we know that if you are on Twitter and have a little 7 in your username you are a BTS fan, if you have a diamond you are a Carat (SVT fan), if you have a black and pink heart then you're a fan of Blackpink etc.

Now, I have an urge to do this for 1st gen groups and artists because why not?

So :

S.E.S. : 🔮 (purple magic ball)

Reason : fandom colour being pearl purple + their mystical fairy concept suits the magic ball. Also they'd have a "3" in their usernames because I can't see any Friend being anything but OT3, another alternative one is 🌊(wave) 👰(bride) 🐿 (chipmunk) - the wave is for Bada - Sea -, the bride for Eugene because she is everyone's dream bride lol and chipmunk is Shoo because she just looks like one.

Fin.K.L. : 🎈 (red balloon)

Reason : Fandom colour is red and balloons were the lightsticks of the 90s era! Also would come in handy during the great balloon war of 2004. Pre debut fans would use 🏹 (Bow and arrow) because they thought that a girl group from Sechskies' company named "Fin Killing Liberty" would have a strong, warrior concept... Another alternative is ⚪⚫🔴🔵 (white ball, Black ball, red ball, blue ball) which stands for the members individual colours, White : Yuri, Black : Joohyun, Red : Hyori, Blue : Jin.

Baby V.O.X. : 😇 or 👼 (girl angel)

Reason : Fandom name is Baby Angels and their name is Baby VOX Lol.

Diva : 💋 (red lipstick kiss)

Reason : because of their "cool and hot noona" image, their emoji needs to reflect that.

H.O.T. : 🤘👌🏼👇 (finger pose cool, finger pose "ok", finger pose showing down)

Reason : the hands make the letters H O T. Cool, right?

But wait! There's drama. A popular acc with more than 700k followers starts that Baby V.O.X. are plagiarizing H.O.T. because H.O.T.'s fandom name is White Angels, and now Baby V.O.X. is using 😇 (Angel)

There would be a lot of Twitter drama, and because Baby V.O.X. have the junior fandom, their fans would start using 💗 (pink heart) instead as a reference to their balloon colour.

(It was actually my original idea for them to take an angel, but I decided that the finger poses are waaaay cooler for a boy group than an angel. You're a boy group that does hip hop! At least be cool!)

Sechskies : 💛 (yellow heart) or 💛💎 (yellow heart + crystal). I can't decide. PLUS a little 6.

Reason : Fandom/balloon colour yellow. The crystal also refers to the fandom name Yellowkies, it's for the "-kies" that DSP thought meant "crystals" in German - but no one told them it means "pebbles". Ouch.

But they're crystals in Yellowkies' hearts!!1!!

Shinhwa : 🍊 (Orange the fruit)

Reason : their fandom colour is orange. Plus Shinhwa Changjos are the Ahgases of 90s Kpop so expect them to have funny stuff lmaoo

g.o.d.: 🟦 (blue square)

Reason : Fandom colour sky blue

NRG : ⚡(lightning bolt)

Reason : N R G = En-er-gy. Another option could be 🤓👋. Their fandom name is Cheonjae Ilwoo and Cheonjae means "genius". The hand shake is from their "I Can Do It" dance actually I stole it from u/Margo160's flair lmaoo sorry

1TYM : ☝️👇❓Ⓜ️ (finger showing index finger, finger showing down, question mark, blue M)

Aaand another rookie group copying H.O.T.! (Lol I'm just setting them up for drama lol). How dare the fans copy the same finger emojis? The fans then just change it to ☝️... and since then, in this AU, the YG - SM rivalry starts.

Soloists :

Kim Hyunjung : 🔃 (arrow turning around)

Reason : reference to "Bruise" and the point dance of turning your arms around singing "둘려놔~" ("throw/put me back~"), which pretty much went viral before going viral was a thing. Alternatively used are 👠 (high heels) because she was known for her pretty long legs or 💃(dancing girl) because she pretty much IS the emoji.

Uhm Junghwa : 👑 (crown)

Reason : because she's the undisputed solo queen nope nope no arguments~

But I could actually see 🎉 because of "Festival" or 🥀 (Rose) for "Rose of Betrayal".

Lee Junghyun : 🏮(festival paper balloon with Chinese character on it) or 🀄 (card with Chinese character on it).

Reason : she would have a lot of Chinese fans and she would be known for her traditional concept at debut.

Yangpa : I can't find the emoji on my Samsung keyboard, but an onion. Why? Because that's her name, onion. Literally.

BoA : 📡 (satellite bowl)

Reason : because she's an alien. Why? Because this girl is not even out of middle school yet and already such a pro at dancing. She ain't real~ /j 🤣

@babyvoxi can we make this a thing?? hahaha

(source : MY OWN POST ON KPOP REDDIT

)

[twotangledsisters]

Love all the fics you've got pending!

Can you tell us more about A Hostage Situation and Mirror, Mirror, What You Took From Me?

I'm most excited for these!

Can I tell you more?? That shouldn't be a question, why you are asking me to talk about my ongoing projects, a favorite activity second only to sharing the finished stories once they're done!!

And both are those are ones I'm very excited about too! I'll start with the shorted of the two:

The Hostage Situation

Honestly, there's not much more to add than in the original post, it's one of my rare AUs that hasn't shown any signs of spiralling out of control yet!

This AU has a more... pacifist version of Hector, as rather than fight these strangers off he just snatches Cass and orders them to leave for her safety. Cass is never in any real danger and that becomes apparent pretty fast despite Hector's threats.

While most of them leave the way they came, Eugene is the one to sneak back inside with the intent of rescuing Cassandra. The main goal is to allow Cassandra to open up a bit more about her emotions, it's to allow Eugene who just stood by during the argument a chance to speak his mind, and it offers up some extra bonding with Hector.

I won't spoil the ending but I will say Cassandra manages to keep both hands in mint condition!

I'll add a few snippets to the end after the read more!

Mirror, Mirror, What You Took From Me

This one is waaaay longer! Although the summary focuses on Cassandra smashing the mirror and Eugene becoming trapped, this fic actually is a re-imagining of the show after that point.

The Mirror Realm in this AU is a portion of Zhan Tiri's realm, with Eugene captured Tromus has a different approach to getting the Sundrop and Zhan Tiri took takes a different approach.

If you want to go into the fic fully blind, stop reading now as I'm gonna ramble and spoil parts of it :D

With Eugene trapped, Tromus wishes to strike a deal with Rapunzel, and Rapunzel is willing to give anything to ensure she gets Eugene back. Cassandra doesn't trust Tromus though, and goes behind Rapunzel's back taking down Tromus and causing the shell house to collapse. Staring at the ruins of the home, with Eugene still missing, Rapunzel and Cassandra have a huge fight.

Rapunzel decides she's going to complete the journal, travel to the Dark Kingdom and acquire the moonstone because perhaps that amount of power will be enough to get Eugene back.

Cassandra argues the moonstone is dangerous! But Rapunzel is past reasoning with.

“Oh, so your feelings are valid? You have a bad feeling about the moonstone and that’s valid? But me feeling like trusting that man to get Eugene back isn’t?” “May I remind you had a bad feeling about the shell shaped building from the start? You thought it was swell and look, what happened? I didn’t put Eugene in danger. You did!” Rapunzel glared, then her face straightened and she turned. “Your journey ends here.” “What?” “I’m done with you interfering Cassandra, I want you out of my way.” “I’m not leaving.” “You don’t have a choice. I’m not making a request Cassandra, as your princess, I command you go back to Corona and stay out of my way. I’m going to do what I have to do to get my partner back, and you aren’t coming.”

After Rapunzel orders Cassandra to stay behind, Cassandra does start to walk towards Corona, but ultimately decides against it. Rapunzel is emotional and doesn't know what she's doing! If there is one thing that'll blind Rapunzel's judgement, it's Eugene. So Cassandra makers her way to the Dark Kingdom to take the moonstone before Rapunzel.

In this AU Cassandra takes the moonstone to protect Rapunzel and it's after taking it that Zhan Tiri appears, not to guide Cassandra, but to guide Rapunzel down a path of anger and a path of doing 'anything' to get Eugene back.

Eugene fights for his life in the mirror realm, he is questioned and his knowledge used by Zhan Tirir against Rapunzel.

Cassandra tried to go to the Spire to find something that'll help Eugene but she's already been reported a thief and is ambushed there.

She then goes to Varian who listens to Cassandra and understands how Rapunzel feels, blinded by grief. He agrees to start work on a portal to save Eugene and Cassandra goes into hiding.

Rapunzel eventually does locate Cassandra, and they clash. A portal opens, Zhan Tirir exits and Rapunzel sees Eugene, but he is unable to reach her, held back by the mirror-version of Cassandra. But having seen him Rapunzel is ready to listen to anything Zhan Tirir says.

AND... I am going to stop! I could keep going and spoil the entire fic... I WANT TO. But I won't.

I think you get the feel of the fic :D

I am super excited for it! I love switching roles up, letting Rapunzel be the one manipulated and missguided for a change! This fic is going to be a lot of fun, if you like fics of mine like Plus Forts Ensemble I'd say it's pretty similar to that in the way it both follows and doesn't follow the show's outline!

Also, some snippets from The Hostage Situation:

Cassandra struggled against the rope tying her to one of the many trees which had grown within The Great Tree, the binturongs circled her and growled but she didn’t cease her frantic movements. “Let me go!” Hector ignored her shouts as he tended to his garden. “Once your friends are far enough away, I’ll consider.” “You have no right!” “I have every right,” Hector snapped back. “I have a duty to my kingdom and to the entire world, a duty to the moonstone. I warned your group more than enough times, yet you kept going. Be thankful I chose this route. I could have just as easily cut you all down where you stood and eliminated the problem at its route.” Cassandra glared. For a moment the only noise was the binturongs’ growls. “Why am I explaining myself?” Hector turned back to the garden. “It’s not like you’d understand the weight of duty.” And the tiredness in his voice got Cassandra’s expression to soften as she did understand that weight. She thought back to her last conversation with the king prior to starting this journey. It had been in the throne room, while the others packed, Cassandra had been practically shaking as the last time he had summoned her to the throne room it had only been the king and her father and she’d been banished to a convent. She expected to be scolded for disobeying a direct order, but instead the king just looked tired. “Cassandra, you are my daughter’s lady-in-waiting and, more importantly you are someone she trusts.” Cassandra nodded. “I must ask you to protect her on this journey. It’s her first time beyond the walls of Corona and I fear she may not be prepared.” Cassandra felt like such a favour should come after an apology for her near banishment, but he was a king and she but a commoner, so she bowed and promised she’d do all in her power to protect Rapunzel. If only Rapunzel had allowed Cassandra to carry out this promise. “I understand,” Cassandra told Hector, to her own surprise. “I even understand what it’s like for your own to not help with that duty…” she added. Hector looked at Cassandra over his plants. “I heard your woes, the ones you shared with the statues.” Cassandra blushed in embarrassment. “You can kill me now.” Hector laughed. “For coming from such a peaceful kingdom, you show promise. I’m sorry those close to you don’t see that.” Cassandra smiled. “Thank.” “You should consider going to another kingdom to pursue your dreams.” “And leave Rapunzel behind?” “She the princess to whom you have a duty?” “I mean… No, not exactly. She’s my boss and my princess, sure, but… I could leave, I’m just a servant. It’s not about duty, she’s my friend.” “Ah.” Hector turned so Cassandra couldn’t see his expression. “What?” “Nothing.” “Tell me.” “It’s just… My experience with royals is that they’ll be your friend, family, brother, what have you, when it’s convenient, but the day you need them to listen, they’re above you.” Hector’s mind wandered to the moonstone and the mistake that had cost him his home. “Rapunzel… It was just the one time.” “It was just the first time,” Hector corrected. Cassandra didn’t answer. She wanted to argue, but did Rapunzel deserve her defence right now?

Later:

Cassandra could see the stars through a gap in the bark, the moonlight’s glow her only light source. She heard footsteps coming from behind. “Finally! Surely my friends are far enough away for you to release me now?” There was a shuffle of footsteps, followed by a loud thump as Eugene’s bound body was tossed in front of Cassandra. She blinked. He grinned. “Hey, Cass! You were exactly who I was looking for.” Cassandra’s expression darkened. There went her hope of stretching her arms and reuniting with her friends. “I thought I’d rescue you.” “Guessing you thought wrong?” Eugene chuckled as Hector lifted him and tied him to the same tree as Cassandra. “Well… it’s the thought that counts.” “I don’t think that expression favours you, Eugene.” “I am regretting not leaving you for dead.” “I am regretting you not leaving me for dead.” “Leave the bonding exercises for another time, won’t you?” Hector rolled his eyes as he finished tying the knot. “Anybody else I should be worried about in my tree?” “Everybody else voted to leave Cass behind,” Eugene answered. “Good. Then next time I see something move and shoot on sight there won’t be any injuries.” Eugene frowned but said nothing as Hector left. “The others did leave, right?” Cassandra checked. “Yeah. We kind assumed I’d be enough… sorry.” “It’s fine,” Cassandra sighed. “I will never let you live this down though.”

[exosentient]

Hahahaha imagine✨ being so unimaginative and mired in your cultural blinkers that you actually think this is an Objective slam dunk against trans women. Not even grasping that lesbian is a culturally & historically specific term and lmaoooooo its meaning has been argued over and gatekept for its whole (short) history. And old Sappho would think you were very strange!

Imagine✨ getting asked decades ago what one thought the term meant and saying “sexually and romantically loving women” and being told WRRRRONG sexual attraction is just shallow, you’re not a Real Lesbian, because it is about the Political Commitment To Womyn regardless of desire, plus that’s Really Racist (somehow), said by a bunch of white women lmaooo.

Imagine✨ the pointless shitfights over The Appropriate Term, (again amongst almost exclusively middle class white women). Lesbian was controversial or distasteful or just irrelevant and clinical to many in our many disjointed loosely intersecting communities in the West! Many found it waaaay too white or genteel and didn’t feel the urge to tearing down others to insist there was Only One True Way!

Imagine✨ thinking there IS only one way of doing things, and the sheer cultural privilege and insulation being raised in the increasingly pluralistic West that this must entail to see this as natural and “reality”.

Imagine✨ thinking that the master’s tools will dismantle the master’s house, that failing to heed the warnings of George Orwell and merely switcherooing “good” and “bad” words and identities and not the actual authoritarian impulse to rigidly define and police and purge these, will actually create the “good” you believe yourself to be embodying. Imagine✨ thinking it’s cool and normal to align yourself politically with conservative Christians who lobby politicans, with literal Nazis who deny the Holocaust but have a history of pro-homosexuality as long as it’s gender correct, with the now taken offline “worst place on the internet”, and thinking you’re somehow dismantling your master’s house.

Imagine✨ travelling the world, to other countries and finding they have their own terms and own understandings of what we would probably translate as “lesbian” here. Imagine✨ realising that our Western ideas about gender are quite specific, and imagine taking history and philosophy at University and learning about how European medieval ideas of gender were totally different to now, seeing it as a continuum, eg the so called manly men “authentic” Norse/Vikings saw it as a spiritual/magic thing that could be transversed and that homo sex was situationally about social position and sexual position and gender position. Imagine✨ working with AIDS activists from across the world and learning of all the far-flung sex and gender traditions that completely disrupt your own limited colonialist linear understanding of “enlightenment” and “truth”. Imagine✨ proudly declaring yourself an atheist and getting met with confusion because only with whites is “authentic belief” a concept, an internal individualist identity marker rather than a cultural category.

Imagine✨ realising that “homosexuality” was invented in the 19thC and “heterosexuality” was invented after that, because our culture post-“Enlightenment” is obsessed with its dualistic essentialist binaries and imperialist & epistemic needs to slot people into rigid identity boxes – just as “races” of people were invented whole cloth and those who didn’t fit neatly into those boxes / characteristics became the Problem, leading to eugenic policies and genocide in my country and many others, affecting a diversity of categories (!) of people who are deemed not valid for existing, for being an existential threat to those invented rigid categories.

Imagine✨ learning that most societies have an understanding of what we have decided to call “transgender” and many (pre/non European imperialism) have specific social / spiritual roles.

Imagine✨ that most societies have an understanding of what we call “homosexual” and many have specific life stages or spiritual spaces for this and define it more as behavioural.

Imagine✨ the idea that there is something fixed and unchanging and simple rooted in the “authentic self”, which is SO Western and individualistic it’s hilarious. Other cultures see the self as relational, and even emotions and desires and personality as relational and situational, to the point where many do not even have a word for “I”. Imagine learning that specific language shapes our reality and without specific words those concepts are nebulous or absent, with different words they are completely different! Imagine✨ having the intellectual humility to realise this!

Imagine✨ coming of age in the West in a time when gender and sexuality were not sharply separated like now, only a few decades ago, and thinking of oneself as an “invert”. Imagine✨ seeing this separation increasingly performed by affluent whites who we would term “cis homosexuals” now, in order to gain social acceptance by distancing themselves from the other forms of gender deviancy and positioning themselves as model gender citizens, so very very “cis”, the default norm against the deviant Other. Imagine✨ being valleyg0th participating in this norm farming while blissfully totally unaware of any of the context in which she is playing. Imagine✨ being so insecure as to have the energetic need to convince oneself by courting conflict with other lesbians to scold them that they Aren’t Real or Actually Homophobic(tm).

But she won’t ✨imagine💫, because she is too invested in a particular form of dominance, as expressed in cowardly DMs to these other less than satisfactory lesbians. Thank you for the laugh and a flashback to some sad sacks from my separatist days. I hope you grow up soon.

[orphancookie69]

Now Watching: HBO's War TV Mini Series

So, I am going to start by saying the book of Band of Brothers is waaaay better than the movie. My grandpa, a war veteran, let me borrow the book. As a kid, I have always been fascinated by war and history.

Let's jump into this...

Band of Brothers (2001) - Season 1

Band of Brothers is a dramatized account of "Easy Company", part of the 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, assigned to the United States Army's 101st Airborne Division during World War II. Over ten episodes the series details the company's exploits during the war.

The Pacific (2010) - Season 2

Based on the accounts of Marines in World War II, this 10-part miniseries follows the intertwined journeys of three U.S. Marines in the Pacific Theater -- Pfcs. Robert Leckie and Eugene B. Sledge and Sgt. John Basilone -- from their first battle against Japan on Guadalcanal, across the sands of Iwo Jima and the horror of Okinawa, to their ultimately triumphant return after V-J Day. The producing team behind "The Pacific," including Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg, also was behind HBO's award-winning miniseries "Band of Brothers."

Masters of Air (2024) - Season 3

Coming Soon!

My personal thoughts on the shows? I love Band of Brothers. Besides the fact that Band of Brothers is made better, or maybe a better story for characterization-every story has value. To see what was happening in Europe compared to The Pacific, crazy. The Pacifiic was a sequel season, made by the same people-and yet not as good. No disrespect to the actual people and their deeds. Also, if you think the "dramatized hollywood version" of history is bad-how much worse do you think reality was?

War. It is ugly, and yet how does one know the pretty about life and humanity without knowing the ugly? So many young people refused to be drafted, and would never fight to defend america in this day and age. While I am not advocating violence as a means to an answer, we have lessons to learn from War. To avoid it in the future, we must learn from it in the past. Have you seen any of these? Who is looking forward to 2024 season 3?

[bluebeetle]

Waaaay too many liberals are actually chill with eugenics and fascism if you file the serial numbers off, huh

[johnhardinsawyer]

More or Less

John Sawyer

Bedford Presbyterian Church

7 / 7 / 24 – Seventh Sunday after Pentecost[1]

Mark 6:1-13

Psalm 123

“More or Less”

(When Less is More)

Years ago, some friends of mine and I went on a weekend backpacking trip.  We were hiking on the part of the Appalachian Trail that goes through Northern New Jersey (yes, the AT does go through New Jersey but, no, it does not pass any chemical plants, or Bruce Springsteen denim and bandana boutiques, or Jon Bon Jovi’s Singing School and Hair Salon).  Anyway, out in the wilds of New Jersey, we met several through-hikers – those intrepid people who commit to hiking the Appalachian Trail all the way from Georgia to Maine.  

On the last morning of our hiking weekend, we realized that we had packed waaaay too much food and we offered it to one of these through-hikers.  “No, thank you,” he said, politely, shaking his head.  “That stuff just weighs too much for me.”  I remember looking at this guy’s backpack and observing that it wasn’t anywhere close to full.  In fact, it looked only half-full of stuff.  Somewhere between Georgia and New Jersey, he had gotten rid of everything that he didn’t truly need.   

Whenever I read the story of Jesus’ first disciples and how Jesus instructs them to carry basically nothing with them, I think about that guy – and how swiftly he moved along the trail – hiking north – unencumbered by the weight of things. How could he go so far with so little? 

When it comes to certain things, if given a choice, I imagine that most people would tend to choose more over less – more money, more stuff, more activity, more power, more influence, more time. . . you get the idea.  But in today’s passage, we see Jesus telling his disciples that they can do – and will do – more with less.  

Now, before we get to that part of the story, we should probably look at a “more-or-less” incident that takes place in Jesus’ hometown of Nazareth.  You might remember that last week – in the verses leading up to today’s passage – Jesus has been teaching and healing on both sides of the Sea of Galilee – spending time with both Jews and Gentiles.  He has been attracting crowds of people and word about him has spread. . . all the way to his hometown, Nazareth.

Nazareth is about a full-day’s hike up from the Sea of Galilee.  It’s an interesting place – kind of an out-of-the-way place that, according to one scholar, “did not participate in the major rhythms of Galilean commerce.”[2]  Needless to say, it wasn’t a popular destination.  And, I don’t want to speak for the Nazoreans, but I get the sense that they might have had a little chip on their shoulders back in Jesus’ day.  

If you read the Gospel of John, there is a person named Nathanael, who – upon hearing that Jesus is from Nazareth – asks, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” (John 1:46)  It’s kind of like how people who have never been north of Boston might wonder, “Can anything good come out of New Hampshire?”  Or, as one Southerner, who didn’t know better once said to me:  “New Hampshire?  Isn’t that the Alabama of New England?”

Now, with all due respect to Alabama, which is a little warm this time of year but is still a lovely place to be from, imagine being from a place that is often cast in a negative or “less-than” light.  And then, imagine taking some of the less-than attitudes and feelings that have been put on you and then putting them on someone else.  Sometimes it just feels good to do this – even though it’s not the right thing to do.

So, you have a town with a reputation of being thought of as less-than.  And then, when Jesus comes back home, they give him grief.  As Eugene Peterson translates, in one breath they are saying, 

“We had no idea he was this good! . . . How did he get so wise all of a sudden, get such ability?”  But in the next breath they [are] cutting him down:  “He’s just a carpenter – Mary’s boy.  We’ve known him since he was a kid.  We know his brothers, James, Justus, Jude, and Simon, and his sisters.  Who does he think he is?”[3]

I mean, the nerve of this uppity hometown boy – drawing crowds like that, teaching with wisdom and insight as if he wasn’t raised a mere carpenter’s son.  Has he forgotten who he is and where he’s from?  As the text tells us, “they took offense at him.” (Mark 6:3)  In the original language, the Greek verb is literally skandalitzo – scandalous! –  which can be translated, “to be caused to sin or be repelled by someone.”[4]  Can you imagine Jesus’ presence being repellent?  Causing someone else to sin?  

For me, the most curious line in today’s passage comes next.  Because of the bad attitude of the Nazoreans, Jesus “. . . [can] do no deed of power there.” (6:5)  Now, Jesus is not Superman, but it almost reads like the negative feelings of his hometown people are miracle-working kryptonite.  

When John Calvin writes about this, he implies that it is no so much that Jesus is unable to do any deeds of power – just that the people “do not permit him to display his power.”[5]  It’s almost like they say, “No, no, no!” and point to a sign that reads, “No deeds of power here,” like it’s some town ordinance.  Jesus goes away, amazed at their unbelief.  It’s important to note, though, that as he goes, he does lay his hands on a few sick people and he cures them.  As we said last week, God’s grace and healing power are so great that they cannot be contained.  Or, as Calvin puts it,   

“What an amazing contest, that while we are endeavoring by every possible method to hinder the grace of God coming to us, [God’s grace] rises victorious, and displays its efficacy in spite of all our exertions.”[6]  

It would seem that God’s grace shows up whether we want it to or not.  And, this grace can change the lives of those who are open to receiving it.

In the stories of Jesus and his disciples, there are plenty of examples of God’s grace at work by the power of the Holy Spirit.  But there are also plenty of examples of the disciples having some doubts and some questions along the way.  I find it interesting that in today’s story from Mark there are no questions from the disciples.  Granted, they have just witnessed Jesus calming storms and healing people.  And now, Jesus gives the disciples authority over the unclean spirits, and sends them out among all the surrounding villages, and orders them “to take nothing for their journey except a staff; no bread, no bag, no money in their belts” (6:8) –not even an extra pair of shoes or a clean outfit.  

This is reminiscent of the Israelite ancestors of the disciples, who were instructed to leave Egypt with little more than the clothes on their backs.[7]  God would end up providing everything the Israelites needed.  It is the same for the disciples.  When John Calvin writes about Jesus’ instructions, he says that they carry very little with them so that they can travel with great speed – traversing all of the countryside within a few days.  “[H]e orders them to leave every thing that would be burdensome.”[8]

When it comes to what we carry through the world, I imagine that you and I have plenty of things that weigh us down – from the literal things we hold onto and the stuff we think we’ll need along the way to the attitudes and opinions and feelings and fears that we just can’t let go of.  

I wonder – if Jesus were to send us out, to share a word of grace, to work a deed of power – what you and I would need to leave behind that is burdensome – burdensome either to us or to those who would receive us.  Religion can have plenty of baggage – especially in this day and age.  Lord knows the interesting faces that people make when they hear that I’m a pastor, as if I might suddenly sprout horns on my head.  I don’t know what baggage they’re bringing with them to the conversation, but if Jesus is about anything, he is about unburdening people from that which they do not need – be it the baggage of sin, or guilt, or judgment – and giving them the grace that they do need.  

Now, as Jesus says in today’s passage, if we seek to share God’s grace, there are some who will receive it from us and others who will not.  In today’s story, we have a prime example of those folks in Nazareth who do not, by their own choosing, receive God’s grace.  

But, Jesus says, there will be those who do receive the disciples – and receive us – as humble vessels of grace.  As Mark’s Gospel tells us, the twelve disciples go out – with little more than the clothes on their backs, armed only with a walking stick and the good news of God’s grace – and they proclaim that all should turn toward the God who has turned toward them in Jesus Christ.  And, apparently, this gospel-spreading mission is a success.  As the text tells us, miraculously, “. . . they cast out many unclean spirits, and anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them.” (6:13)

Might you and I – little old us – be capable of doing such great things?  God can do so much more with us and through us than we, or the world around us, could ever suspect.  Very often, even small acts of love and peace, justice and healing make a big impact.  God takes what we humbly offer and does more than we can imagine with it.  We might feel so ill-equipped for the world in which we live.  There are wars and rumors of wars, there are neighbors turned against neighbors – even turned against us.  There are big events beyond our control, there is so much that causes us to feel helpless and hopeless – empty-handed to offer the world anything for God.  And yet, even if our hands are empty and we have little more than a prayer on our lips, “Lord Jesus, use me in this moment to be your hands and feet, your voice and your heart,” God has a way of hearing this prayer and using us.  God’s grace shows up – surprising even us, at times.  

God has a way of working through the humble things of this earth and of our lives and breathes new life, and forgiveness, and strength, and unity, and peace, and a new way of being into us.  At this Table, we taste and see God doing as much with something as simple and small as a piece of bread and a cup of juice.  God strengthens us here and sends us out, giving us just what we need when we need it.

When today’s story from Mark is told in Luke’s Gospel,[9] it is followed up, about a chapter later, by another story in which Jesus sends out seventy disciples who go out into the world and see God’s power at work in their own lives.  The text tells us that the seventy return with joy and share this good news with Jesus and among themselves.[10]  

When you leave worship today, I wonder where – and to whom – God is leading you this week.  God can – and will – lead us so far on what we might feel is so little.  And yet, God can – and will – give us just what we need and use us for good. . . for healing, for peace, for justice, for hope, for love.  May we be open to what God will do to us and through us.  And may we, too, return, full of joy.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.  

--------

[1] Year B. Proper 9.

[2] Watson E. Mills, ed. Mercer Dictionary of the Bible (Macon: Mercer University Press, 1990) 605. “Nazareth,” by Jerry Wallace Lee.

[3] Eugene Peterson, The Message: Numbered Edition (Colorado Springs: NAV Press, 2002) 1384. Mark 6:2-3.

[4] Walter Bauer, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1979) 752

[5] John Calvin, Calvin’s Commentaries – Vol. XVI: Harmony of Matthew, Mark, Luke (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2009) ii. 216.

[6] Calvin, ii. 216.

[7] See Exodus 12 – the story of the first Passover Meal.

[8] John Calvin, i. 444.

[9] See Luke 9:1-6.

[10] See Luke 10:1-20.

[unlettered-heathen]

People calling Biden the "blue Hitler" or "less bad Hitler" etc have it all wrong, Biden would be whomever the US President was during the 30s-40s (Roosevelt mostly? I'm Canadian I don't have that shit memorized sorry) because the US policy was:

1. We WoNt GeT iNvOlVeD wItH FoReIgN pOLiCy (nearly as much a lie then as it is now) that lasted all up until their interests were expressedly threatened,

and

2. Racism™️- antisemitism was extremely prevalent (just ask Mr. Henry Ford, receiver of a Nazi award in the '30s,) black segregation wouldn't be ended until the 60s. The Indian New Deal was during this time which was actually pretty cool but it took a long time to see much positive change after the debacle that was the '20s. Also definitely don't forget the Japanese Internment camps that are pretty damned comparable to today's ICE bullshit.

Meanwhile the Nazis did all that plus actively state-sponsored harrassing, discriminating heavily against, and then murdering Jews, Romani, disabled people, queer people, non-white immigrants and pretty much anyone who didn't conform to the Nazi party's ideals. Literally the Nazi party saw what the US was able to get away with (Eugenics, Indian reservations, Black segregation, propoganda, antisemitism etc etc) and took it waaaay further.

Sound familiar yet?

Anyways as a non-American who's country follows behind Amierican policy 5-15 years after you, and who is directly impacted by American global policy just like the rest of the world:

Biden/Democrats sucks like 1930s US government.

Trump/Republicans are literally your Nazi party.

Please for the love of pickles, vote Democrat in all your current elections to cancel out a Republican vote even though the Dems are pretty shit too. It's still an order of magnitude better and there will be less fuckup to try and clean up at the end of it.

[decadent-hag]

undefined

Onegin and Lensky….first and last meeting 🤪🤪 from the 1999 film

[mineonmain]

NOT ME the Series - A Retrospective

Hate to be a Debbie downer bc I know so many people are attached to Not Me (me included), but there’s some loose threads in the show that I think desperately needed tying up, that I feel the need to address. (SPOILERS OBVIOUSLY) Buckle up y’all, this is gonna be MAD long:

Gramblack. Ok what the actual fuck was that. So they didn’t have to make everyone gay, and yes there are signs to Gram being queer if not explicit, but this wasnt queerbaiting, this was just straight up relationship baiting!! A good chunk of the first half of the show was White considering Gram, whether he was friend or foe, taking into account their relationship at uni and in the gang. Everyone was like ‘black and gram so close!!’ Forget the Eugene plot point (which I happily will, Film I’m so sorry honey they dragged you thru this), even without a romantic subtext they were friends?? After Black comes back the only interaction they have is when fighting over Eugene?? Everything they’ve established about Gram, and frankly everyone in the gang is that above all they are ride or die for their friends. Would Gram really value a girl, and not just a girl but a girl who is his best friend’s ex, someone still hung over her ex, and who frankly isn’t really interested in him, over his best friend??? They didn’t get the reunion they (or we) deserved, and honestly somewhere in the show Gram’s entire personality became ‘Eugene-chaser’, like he was purely incidental to the gang, the activism, the friendships, just a pawn in Sean/Todd/Tawi’s games. Maybe it came down to the fact that there were too many storylines to keep track of. It’s impossible to have almost 12 characters with their backstories and developments, and try to develop not only their individual stories and relationships but also progress the plot and conflict. Rough stuff, you get some at the risk of giving up the other, but at the end of the day everything feels incomplete.

The Twins' parents. We got them in the flashbacks, we got White's dad in a couple of eps in the beginning of his double life, and we got that epic scene with Black's mom. We know that they're both estranged with their mom, so it's understandable why we never see her again, altho it might have been cool to maybe see her motivations? Maybe she was tied up with Tawi, or the crazy top cop who threatened Dan in EP13? It just felt so random and disconnected. Especially since she knows her kids, it would've added an extra element of personal danger for the gang if she worked for Tawi. Also, what happens to White and his dad once White is fully integrated in the gang as Black, waaaay before his reveal?? At that point he's not living a double life, it's just a single life? Doesn't his dad wonder where he's staying?? His son has just come back from Russia and he's fucked off to god knows where and he just doesn't care? He's clearly not doing the diplomacy thing, what's happened to that? None of us are toddlers, we all have object permanence, it's not like the moment we stop seeing White's original lifestyle that it doesn't exist anymore?? And now that Black is back, who goes to uni and studies what? Like, just what?????

Tawi. He was supposed to be the big baddie of the show, symbolic of the corrupt Big Corporation, Big Industry, Big Monopoly/Oligopoly, but other than him being bad and us being told that constantly, we know nothing about Tawi. He had no agency, and was pretty 2D as a character. For some reason, Namo seemed to have weight to her character in a way that Eugene just didn't, like Eugene's every move orbited around some guy (Bechdel who), so honestly after the whole Black/Eugene break up, if they just left her alone and maybe focused on developing Tawi's story and relationship to the gang a bit more, I think that could have been cool. Everything about Tawi as a character, not as a symbolic archetype, just seemed so ambiguous. What were his intentions, did he do the things he denied doing or not, how much did he know about the gang and cop Dan, how personally involved was he with the dealings of his company, who was the person higher up he was talking to in the last episode? While he's one of the top men, he's also clearly not the one right at the top. Was it the cop threatening Dan? Todd had a better backstory and development than Tawi, and Tawi was the actual villain; Todd and Black were just equal and opposite antiheros.

Black. Honestly I think the show did my boy Black the dirtiest, especially at the end. He deserved, if not a happy ending, a hopeful one. I don't understand this idea of White having usurped Black's spot in the gang, because the fact of the matter is that they have different skills and could have different roles to play in the group. White talks about Black having sacrificed his role in the group for White, but White sacrificed his whole life for Black!! White has his boyfriend and all his friends around him, what does Black have? His methods weren't the greatest, i'll admit, (altho him putting Todd into a coma was one of the funniest things he could've done, my rage-filled gremlin child), but his intentions were some of the strongest in the group. Just because he isn't as burdened down by feelings as the others, doesn't mean he doesn't have them?? Justice for my boy Black!!

The Ending. Now, don't get me wrong, some parts of the finale were so cathartic and honestly beautiful. The scene where they are rescued from the van, and they realise that in a way they've won, because they don't have to fight from the shadows and alone anymore, something something poetic cinema. The combined relief, joy, shock, bursting out of chest feelings, it was everything. But it felt like too ambiguous of an end. In a way it makes sense, because they didn't actually achieve the tangible thing except for rallying the people to be vocal about their cause and about protesting for social justice, implying that the fight still lives on. However, I think we needed to see some kind of consequence. Todd got his consequence, and we got to see Gumpa (dedicating himself to the future fights for justice) and DanYok (establishing their new status quo) in the new order. I guess I needed to see what happens to Tawi, and also a different closure for SeanWhite. They've both been fighting for so long, especially Sean, that after all the momentum of the first 13 eps, the last one for them (esp 4/4) just falls a bit flat. Ofc they needed to take a moment for themselves, away from the cloud of vigilante activism hanging over their heads constantly, but for me SeanWhite aren't 'still' people. They need movement, they need activity, they need action. It would've suited them better to maybe end the series by showing them back in the garage, planning the next activity, or even outside the garage with other protesters fully in the open public. So much of SeanWhite was centered around them revolving around each other, that once they found each other and effectively stopped moving, it almost felt a bit static.

White's characterisation. This is only for the last few episodes of White, once Black wakes up and White is allowed to be White again. While White has changed his mentality on his priorities after joining the gang, it's like the moment he stops pretending to be Black he loses all of his strength. And I don't only mean physical strength, although that is partially it - he just turns into Sean's personal limpet. And that's all great and fine for Sean, Sean who has had no one truly on his side until White, but I had really felt like White had shaken off some of his 'damsel-in-distress' behavior from his childhood, except he reverts right back to that the moment everyone knows he's White. It's in even greater contrast to Black when we see them together, but after pretending to be Black for so long, I would have expected him to have imbibed some of those behaviors (Sean shouldn't have had to 'take care of him', because frankly White should've been able to take care of himself by that point).

The jumps. 👀

Conclusion: too much. I think a lot of what bothered me is the same thing that bothered me in WHY R U? - there was too much going on. When I saw WHY R U?, I (and I would hazard a guess a good majority of the watchers) could only focus on the two main pairings (Fighter/Tutor, Saifah/Zon). There were probably at least 3 other side pairings that I can't barely remember because frankly it was too much to keep up with. WRU was too much unnecessary romance, and Not Me was almost too much plot. In just 14 episodes, we had to cover the following: The gang's main activities and training, Sean's backstory with Tawi, White's subterfuge and hiding that, White's investigation for Black and his relationship with Todd, Gram's backstory with Black and Eugene, Dan and Yok's romance, White's relationship with his father, the general debates on politics and lawfulness and justice and queer rights in contemporary Thailand, Black's relationship with a variety of people, Dan and his battle between law and his heart, Sean and White's romance. Anyone else think it's a lot? Yeah, it's a lot. Even just by cutting down on one or two of these plot points, it would've been easier to properly focus on and flesh out the rest of the issues, satisfactorily investigating and concluding them.

P.S. None of this is against P'Nuchy, or Off, Gun, First, Fluke, Papang, Mond, Film, or any of the team in the show. A lot of these decisions may have been entirely out of their hands, or were simply a result of how things turned out, without more time or a larger budget to fix things. The only reason I criticise the show this deeply is because I cared about it that much - I think it had so much potential, and lived up to almost all of it, but missed a mark on just a couple things. I am proud of the message that the show put forth, proud of the actors for their physical and emotional commitment to their characters and the story (hello?? oscar for Gun ATP now thank you very much), and proud of the work that the entire cast and crew put in to create this groundbreaking raw political drama, that had romance but was also heartbreakingly real, and important and relevant. A step in the right direction for raising awareness and fighting for social justice and equality, justice for the common man and for queer rights.

And before anyone says that the romance aspect of the show was 'unrealistic' - far from it!! Romance and love is hope, and hope isn't just something that exists, it's something that we have to actively critically manifest and cultivate. Because without hope (for a better future), what are we all fighting for?

[arcadianmoonshadowjedi]

Cass Season 3 Analysis (And Criticism)

I’ve previously done an analysis post on what I thought about Cass’s S1 arc and ideally would’ve done a season 2 analysis post (my personal favorite Cass arc in the whole show) but since my thoughts on S3 are on my mind atm, thought I’d dump them here.

Note: If you would prefer not to see any criticism on season’s 3′s writing, I’d suggest you don’t further read.

DISCLAIMER: This is NOT a hate post as Cass is one of my favorite characters (Discussion is welcome but would really appreciate that my criticism isn’t used as a fuel for hatred against the character). Thanks!

I’ll start with the Gothel reveal. Personally my feelings towards it initially were very mixed, perhaps because I was never to interested in it when it was still a theory and thought it was a coincidence that Cass physically resembled Gothel. A part of me felt that the Gothel twist was too cliche, generic and it failed to wow me. I was basically like “Oh! So... this is the direction they’re going with? Ok... lemme see where this is going...” Then another part of me was like Cass dealt with a lot of issues of feeling like she’s not good enough, not taken seriously, or that she was outshined by Rapunzel since S1, so maybe the Gothel reveal was just the last straw that pushed her into villainy but not necessarily her primary motive (Or at least I wanted to believe that).

Basically we didn’t see too much of Cass in the first half of S3 aka the fillers, except her being pushed more and more into villainy by Zhan Tiri in the last few minutes of the episodes. I personally thought that the manipulative aspect was really cool! (Reminded me a lot of Anakin and Palpatine vibes from Star Wars, which is also a franchise I dearly love).

Then of course we approach the Cassandra’s Revenge, also my personal favorite episode of the season, where now Cass is full-on villain, no question, no doubts. Honestly Eden nailed the VA and Cass was totally owning and rocking her villainy! I loved that continued to rock her villainy into Race to the Spire too!

And now the negativity starts. A Tale of Two Sisters.... In all honesty I was enjoying the episode until I got to the ending, and then I finished off the episode feeling so disgusted. I personally wasn’t fond of the whole Gothel loving Cass or not “mystery” because the answer was pretty obvious. It just felt so weird that Cass knew of Gothel’s abuse towards her and Rapunzel and saw with her own eyes that Gothel deliberately abandoned her as a child, but was still convinced that Gothel “loved” her, like seriously?! And I’m not even gonna go into how much I hated the ending because it’s way too obvious.

Once A Handmaiden, very unfortunately, is my very least episode of the season. Like it had some good moments in it but all in all I hate so many aspects of it. First we start with Cass walking out and smiling and then she finds the missing mirror shard. Mystery solved. Cass now realizes Gothel never loved her and then finds out that her “friend” is Zhan Tiri and she runs off. Now she’s good and needs to “make amends” Rapunzel. My biggest problem with this episode treated the problem as if Cass and Raps got into a small fight and need to make up. But this is waaaaay bigger than that. Cassandra had done awful things including murder attempts, kidnapping, and threatening war against Corona. She needed to do more than seek Rapunzel’s forgiveness, she needed to clean up the mess she’s made, especially ZT getting released and all. She needed to accept accountability for her actions, regardless of what the consequences were. She gets incased in the amber, boom! Now she’s full on villain again because she’s angry about a weapon made for self-defense purposes that she had led to. Of course the number one scene I hated in this episode was the Gothel quote (my least favorite movie reference of all time and my least favorite Cass scene in the entire series). She destroys all of Corona and forces everyone to flee.

Last but not least, her “redemption” in Plus Est En Vous. As someone who completely adores Cass, I wanted to see her being given the best possible redemption that she deserved to have written for her. But unfortunately, in this episode, we see her being full villain and was gladly stripping Rapunzel of the sundrop only for Zhan Tiri to overpower her. As @zhantiri mentioned (And completely read my mind lol), she didn’t redeem herself because she saw the wrong in her actions, but rather because she was overpowered by a bigger villain. Questions I’ve always had since the finale were “What if she got the power of the sundrop too and survived? Would she have been redeemable then? What would she have done with that power?” See the problem is that to me, her redemption didn’t feel sincere or as impactful as it should have been. Like sure I cried when she cried but primarily because Eden nailed the VA, but idk.

So my here are my overall criticisms of her villainy:

1) A lot of things in her villain arc felt so OOC, like the fact that she instantly trusted a random ghost child she met in the House of Yesterday’s and follows her around for months not questioning who she is, even after the midseason when she was in her corporeal form. Like since when was Cass so quick to trust anyone? In the past 2 seasons, we all saw how Cass took time to trust Eugene, Lance, and Adira, and how she was so skeptical of new places. I will just never understand how she instantly trusted a ghost child over her closest friends whom she’s known for about 2 years...

2) Building off of her being OOC, I absolutely despised how she was being turned into Gothel 2.0 rather than being her own character! She was so well set up the last two seasons and now is being forcefully turned into Gothel, because ya know “Like mother like daughter right”? My biggest problem with this is that Cass in the past 2 seasons is hardly anything like Gothel in character. Like sure she does have flaws and certain toxic traits, but she was way too hotheaded and insecure compared to Gothel. And the cloak in To2S, sure it looked cool but was so stupid and unnecessary. And I’m not gonna go into the other details to avoid being further infuriated. I know there’s controversies over the movie reference in Plus Est En Vous but here are my honest thoughts. The problem with Cass’s death scene was not only do we have absolutely no idea why she died but it was for the sake of tossing in a movie reference. It basically took Eugene’s iconic sacrifice scene from the movie and handed it to Cass, which I felt was incredibly unfair to both characters. It was Eugene’s special scene which should’ve been his and his alone. Cass deserved to be given her own special scenes instead of being given Gothel and Eugene’s scenes. I personally felt that she was being robbed and it was as if she couldn’t be great as her own character and needs to be handed other characters’ special scene in order to be so.

3) The motive, regardless of whether the Gothel twist was used or not, there needed to be strong and clear motive as to why she would make the complete change to villainy. And getting revenge against Rapunzel because she victim-blamed her for being left by Gothel is not a motive! There were several other aspects of her character that could’ve been focused on that would’ve worked waaay better and could’ve been more been more legitimate reasons for her to become a villain, otherwise it was just entirely forced.

4) Last but not least... the lack of consistency with her villain arc in the last few episodes was so irritating to watch! I personally think she needed a proper redemption arc during the last few episodes were she was seeing the wrong in her actions and worked to correct her mess rather than waffling back and forth between redemption and villainy only to become more evil than before! Her villain arc became waaaay too sloppy and it overstayed it welcome till the finale to the point where it was no longer enjoyable to watch.

All in all, Cass’s villain arc is not my only problem with season 3 nor is it my biggest one. But still, I really wanted to like it. Sure there were some great aspects about it but unfortunately it was mostly badly written and sloppily handled, showing that there was no solid or proper planning for it. As for the Gothel twist, my feelings about it became more negative because of how it was handled and I really wished they could’ve come up with something else to push her into villainy. For me, this was actually quite painful and sad because Cass grew to be my favorite series exclusive character and my favorite along with Rapunzel and Eugene because I loved how she was written in the first two seasons, but I feel like season 3 did her pretty dirty.

Update!: I added the link to my Cass S1 analysis at the top but didnt't know why it's not showing so Imma attach it here!

[surveys-at-your-service]

Survey #446

“so you can throw me to the wolves  /  tomorrow i will come back, leader of the whole pack”

Favourite cheese? American. Superman or Batman? I know literally nothing of Superman, but I like Batman. Who are your best friends? The only person I consider a best friend is Sara. Name the 3 most important people in your life: My mom, Sara, and... I suppose myself since I cherish my mental health VERY deeply. Are you currently learning from anyone how to play any instruments? No. Do you know anyone who is overly flirty with people? Girl or a boy? In my personal opinion, yes. I do believe it's possible to be "overly" flirty, considering you can really lead people on. It's a she. Do you believe vampires are real? Not the stereotypical Twilight kind. No. Have you ever been to a porn website? Were you addicted to it afterword? No. I'm really not into that. What is the most disgusting thing you think the opposite sex can do? I think the most disgusting thing anyone can do is commit rape. Would you rather be able to teleport or freeze time? Which one seems best? I feel teleportation is obviously more convenient and useful in dangerous situations. Have you seen the movie Twister? Did the tornadoes look real to you? LKJFL;AKSDJFKLASJDLFKA;WE NOOOOOOOOOO. I am WAY too terrified of tornadoes to watch that. Have you actually been through a devastating natural disaster before? Hurricane Floyd was pretty devastating. I was too young to really remember it, though. Did your mom ever fix your eggs and bacon into a smiley face as a kid? She probably did. What fast food place, in your opinion, has the best french fries? BOJANGLE'S, AHHHHHHHHHHHH. Do you believe one day aliens might take over the planet Earth? I mean, it's possible, but I don't know. Do you remember when they used to actually throw candy out at parades? I didn't know they stopped. Does it bother you when people burp around you or do you do it too? I couldn't possibly care less, it's a natural bodily function. Just because of societal standards though, I don't burp in public, though, but only around family and close friends. What is one kind of music you’d do anything to not listen to in the car? Anything like rap that has a STUPIDLY loud bass that just annoys everyone within a ten mile radius. When was the last time you babysat, if ever? Did anything bad happen? A year or two ago, for my nephew. No one else was free to watch him, so I had no choice. Nothing bad happened, besides nearly having a panic attack. Do you ever talk to people you met online through webcam? Or is that weird? No. Even Sara and I don't do it, because I'm too self-conscious of how I look. Even though she's seen me plenty before irl. Would you ever consider becoming a scientist? Why would you or why not? Well, I majored in biology briefly... I wanted to be a wildlife biologist. I just adore animals and thought I could do it. I just couldn't handle school. When is the next time you’ll talk to the cousin you’re closest to? I'm not especially close to any of my cousins. Are you really into vintage things? Have you ever been into that stuff? Yessss! is writing something that you enjoy doing? Definitely. Would you rather read or write? Write. Would you rather draw or take photographs? If I wind up being very proud of the product, I prefer drawing, but I take pictures far more. When was the last time you cheated at something? I have no clue. Has anyone ever copied off of your homework assignments? I think so? Do you have any pictures of celebs saved to your computer? ... *stares at my folder labelled "Mark"* What would you consider your favorite holiday? Why is this? Christmas. I love the whole vibe of it. The weather, the smells, the treats, my niece's and nephew's excitement... I adore all the lights and decorations, the gratefulness for family and your loved ones in general... I just love Christmas. If you’re a girl, do you have big hips? Too big? I'd say my hips are normal. Girls, do you think you look good in dresses or not? God no. Not anymore. Have you ever taken a pottery class before? Nope. How many times have you seen Star Wars? Be honest. Once. I didn't like it. Has your best friend ever made you cry? Yes. But in her defense, we've both made the other cry. Have you ever entered a talent competition? God no, I ain't got shit to flaunt. Are you smiling in your Facebook profile picture? Yes. If you wear eye shadow, do you put on a dark colour or a light? And if you wear mascara, what colour is it? I only ever wear black for both of those. What is your favourite Christmas movie? Jim Carrey's How the Grinch Stole Christmas. What do you get complimented on the most? My Markiplier tattoo, actually. What do you think of your best friend’s ex? One I REALLY don't like, the other I'm neutral about. Are you biracial? No. Do you have Pop-Tarts in your house right now? No. We try to not buy them, given they're just TOTALLY empty calories. They don't fill me at all. Is anyone’s birthday coming up? No. Does/did either of your parents serve in the military? No. Do you like sour candy? I LOVE sour candy. Where would you like to go on your honeymoon? Alaska, to see the Northern Lights. Do you usually wear sunglasses when you’re driving? I haven't driven in well over a year. Hell, maybe two. But no, because I'd need prescription sunglasses. Ignoring nutrition, could you live off veggies for the rest of your life? God no. Has anyone taken their shirt off in front of you? Yeah. What time do you usually have dinner? 5:30-6:30, usually. What’s your favourite meat? Chicken, I think. What is your favourite meal of the day and why? Breakfast. I just enjoy breakfast foods. What colour is your shampoo? White. Tell me a silly little old wive’s tale you believed when you were a child: My older sister got me to believe that if you said a word a ridiculous amount of times, it'd be the only word you knew how to say anymore, lmao. Shut up, I was little. What was the last magazine you bought? Do you subscribe to any? I don't buy magazines. Whose Facebook profile did you last look at? Was there anything that caught your attention? Uh, that's a good question. Do you regret your last relationship? Not at all. What’s better, mashed potatoes or sweet potatoes? Mashed potatoes, though I'm picky with them and the texture. Did you ever used to make cookies, cakes, or pie with your grandma? No. Do you like kids? Not especially. They ask too many questions and can be really rude, even though I know they usually don't mean to be. What are you listening to? I'm watching Gab Smolders play Dino Crisis 2. I finished her playthrough of Final Fantasy X, so now I feel a void in my soul that I am trying to fill with a new series lmao. Do you burn incense? Not really anymore. I'm not against it, I just... haven't. What is your favorite kind of cracker? Cheese-Itz. Can you name a single song by Billy Joel without looking it up? Yeah; I can name a few, actually. My dad loves Billy Joel, so I heard him a lot growing up. "Piano Man" is a classic. Do you like regular peppermint candy canes, or do you prefer different flavored ones [fruits, bubble gum, cinnamon, etc.]? I actually really like the Jolly Rancher ones. Have you ever been kissed while sitting atop the hood of a car? That's actually possible... but I'm not sure. I think I have a faint memory of lying on a car hood with Jason before. What do you think is the dumbest/tackiest piercing? I don't like calling a piercing either of those, like if they make someone feel more confident and attractive, good for them. I can say I'm personally not a fan of the smiley piercing, though. Have you ever requested a song on the radio? No. When I was a kid at a birthday party, though, one of the girls did. Does your mother still take care of you if you get ill? She helps a lot, yeah. What is one song that always brings back memories every time you hear it? Honestly, too many. I attach way too aggressively to songs. Do you currently have any pimples? Not currently, no. Did anything disturb your sleep at all last night? Ugh, yes. I couldn't sleep for shit. How does it make you feel looking at pics with your ex and someone else? I have only seen one picture of Jason with the girl he dated after me and it. Set. Me. On. Fucking. Fire. It's pathetic. If you’re not in college, why? All it did was give me emotional breakdowns. What do you think about MTV? I am way too out of the loop on what goes on on any TV channel to answer this. What was your very first day of your very first job like? What’d you do? How long did it take you to get the hang of it, and feel comfortable with working? This was waaaay too long ago... All I remember is actually being hopeful, though nervous. I never got to the point of feeling comfortable there. Or at any job. If you have a dog, are they friendly to strangers or other dogs? We don't have a dog, but we do have a cat that is EXTREMELY skittish around strangers. Someone he doesn't know comes through the door? He's bolting to hide. Do people ever comment on or joke about your driving? Well, I got flipped off once by a driver, so... I'd consider that a silent comment. I, to this day, don't know why they (it was a group of guys) did it, but it's stuck with me. What was the last thing to move you? Are you easily moved or inspired? The ending of FFX alsdkfjkaljlkwjer. And yes. If you`ve ever seen your very favorite band, did you cry when you saw them? Was it like a dream come true? If you`ve never seen them, do you think you would? I haven't, but I probably would a little bit. Of all the reality competitions you’ve watched, who are some of your all-time favorite contestants and what shows were they from? From America's Got Talent, I adore(d) Landau Eugene Murphy Jr., as well as Prince Poppycock. I keep up with them both on Facebook. Ever had a friend named Alex or John? One of my closest online friends was Alex. A couple years ago she just... got a boyfriend and fell off the face of the earth. Are you happy with your relationship status? I mean... no, I'm ridiculously lonely, but being single is for the best right now. What kind of stuff do you like on your hot dogs? Just ketchup and mustard. Have you ever been in a spelling bee? No. What is the most annoying thing that your parents do? Mom absolutely always assumes she's right. Dad repeats himself like CRAZY. Would you say you’re someone who has good manners? Yes. Did you parents know what gender you were before you were born? Actually, the doctors couldn't determine mine (or any of Mom's kids') because my legs were ALWAYS crossed when they did ultrasounds. Mom says she "knew" I was a girl, though. Have you ever been addicted to something unhealthy? I'm addicted to caffeine, yes. Who makes the best desserts in your entire family? Hm, I dunno. Do you have good dreams or nightmares more? I have very severe sleep apnea that results in very violent nightmares almost any time I sleep without my APAP mask. Even WITH the damn mask, I have them a lot. When was the last time someone insulted you? What was the insult? *shrug* Do you have trouble reading small fonts? Yes. I used to find it aesthetically pleasing, but my vision is just too bad now, even with my (shitty) glasses. Do you know anybody that believes that magic/witchery truly exists? I think so. Do you find watching animals in their natural habitat to be exciting & fascinating? Absolutely!! The last time you had sex: did you want it, or did the other person want it? ... You know it's supposed to be a mutual desire, right?? What does your sibling(s) call you? "Britt." Has anyone you’ve known claimed to be psychic? Maybe? I'm unsure. Did/do you believe them? Hell no. I don't believe in psychics and believe people who claim to be so are manipulative pieces of shit. Is anything annoying you right now? I am bored to an inexplicable level askldjfla;wejlr. Have you ever worn a pair of scrubs? Yeah. Anything in your room that you’re hiding from your parents or someone else? No. Have you ever felt abandoned? Well yes. By definition, my dad abandoned our family. Where are you? I’m in my bed. What’s been the worst part of this day? I've just been so, so bored. I'm sick and fucking tired of dealing with anhedonia. Who last encouraged you to better yourself? My therapist.

[twotangledsisters]

How do you think everyone in the gang spends Christmas?

Oooh, I love this sorta questions!

Arianna, Frederic, Rapunzel and Eugene have a very family focused Christmas. Arianna and Frederic have missed out on a lot of family christmases and... oh, look at that, so have Rapunzel and Eugene! I think for Ari and Fred it's all about the family time, Rapunzel and Eugene it's mostly about the family time but Eugene is sure to take Rapunzel on at least one Christmas themed date and they do explore Corona and all the decorations!

Rapunzel makes amazing handmade Christmas cards for a ridiculous amount of people. Like, Stalyan would be getting homemade Christmas cards on her doorstep and she wouldn't even know how the princess got her address, type of ridiculous amount.

Lance would get waaaay too many gifts for Keira and Catalina. He'd remember what Christmas was like in the orphanage and want to give them the Christmas he always dreamed of. Of course, it's Lance, so he'd also take advantage of the girls by making a bunch of cards, having the girls sign them so it looks like they made them, and giving that out as Christmas presents to all his friends to save money.

Eugene would 100% know the card is made by Lance, but he'd still keep it.

Cassandra I think would come home to see Captain most years, but not every year. She'd want to see what small difference there were between the Christmas' of other cultures. Oh, here they have Santa, where as here they have the Three Kings. Here they wear red for New Year, here they dress in Sparkles.

I think Cass collects little gifts for her friends during her journey, each time the bag gets full it's a sign she needs to head home and visit, but during Christmas she'd always end up buying more than usual.

Varian is probably one of the world's best christmas-light-techs with his alchemy based no fire risk christmas lights, every year he tried to improve the recipe, discover new colours, or just, not blow anything up.

They'd all have fun in their own way!

These are of the top of my head but if there's any characters I missed (cause tts has so many) you'd like to know, don't hesitate to ask!

Thanks a lot for the ask, these are so much fun :D

[whitecatindisguise]

A random Tangled idea I had: After Eugene asks Rapunzel how can she trust Varian after everything he did, he breaks down crying and others comfort him.

Okay, let's try it. Wasn't easy to come up with something good, tbh. Thank you, @thecinnamonroll-varian for helping me figure it out.

-------

What I've Done

Varian observed how Rapunzel ran up to Eugene and hugged him. Reluctantly, he tried to follow, only to be stopped by a large tanned man he faintly recognised as Lance, Eugene's friend from their thieving times.

The man reached out and unceremoniously wiped off the fake goatee he drew on his chin. He frowned angrily, before his shoulders slumped in defeat. Yet another attempt at being taken seriously was futile. Why did he even bother anymore...?

He slowly moved to exit the cell, when Eugene stepped up, blocking the entrance.

"And where do you think you're going?" The man asked, brows furrowed angrily.

"Eugene, he's fine." Rapunzel said from behind. The former thief huffed, unconvinced.

"Blondie, you want to tell me that after everything he's done, you want to trust him?" He circled around the alchemist and the boy flinched.

That's right. How can she just jump into trusting him like that, when just moments ago they were enemies?

His breath hitched, his mind reminding him exactly why Rapunzel shouldn't trust him.

The Sundrop flower. Kidnapping the Queen. Threatening go kill Cass and the Queen. Threatening to kill HER...

No, don't go that way, Varian. You don't have time for that.

He faintly heard Rapunzel saying they need him because he was the one to figure out the compound, before she grabbed his wrists and pulled him along. He followed her, his mind spinning.

It was impossible. She couldn't trust him. Not after what he's done. His breathing quickened again and he closed his eyes, trying to calm himself.

He suddenly bumped into her, not noticing when she stopped. He stumbled and almost fell, if it wasn't for Eugene grabbing his shoulders and stabilizing him.

"What are you doing, kid?" The question was probably supposed to be out of concern, but Varian's mind decided otherwise.

What was he doing, exactly. He shouldn't be here. He shouldn't be helping them. He shouldn't be trusted. He shouldn't...

"Varian?" Rapunzel's voice shook him out of his own thoughts. She looked over to him, puzzled and... concerned?

"What?" He asked almost automatically, his own emotions turning it into a snarl. He stopped mid-track, realising how he sounded. "Sorry." He mumbled, head dropping, gripping his arm.

"Varian... are you okay?" She asked, sounding truly concerned. He didn't look up to meet her eyes., too afraid of his own emotions.

"Y-yeah. Everything is fine." He lied, mentally scolding himself for stuttering. Stupid voice.

"You are suspiciously quiet, kid." Eugene spoke up, eyeing the boy. "Usually you're quite a chatter box."

"Maybe I have nothing to say." Okay... that came out more aggressive than he wanted it to.

"Blondie... are you SURE we can trust him?" The man turned to his girlfriend, unconvinced.

"Eugene, he's changed. We talked it out. He's fine and I PROMISE we can trust him." She replied, a hint of annoyance in her voice.

The boy flinched at the wording. Promise...

"Maybe you shouldn't promise things you have no control over..." He mumbled.

A silence that followed was making him uncomfortable. He shuffled his legs, eyes looking away from the group.

"What do you mean by that?" Rapunzel questioned, her green eyes staring at him in confusion.

"I mean... how?" He asked, gripping his arm tighter. It almost hurt but he didn't pay it any attention.

"I... don't understand." Rapunzel was puzzled. What's got into him. He was fine just moments ago...

"How can you trust me like that?" He mumbled, still looking away, the grip on his arm tightening, lips pursed. "For all you know, I can be still working with Saporians and..."

"Are you?"

The question caught him off guard.

"No!" He cried, head snapping up. Realising what he's done, he quickly looked away, ashamed. "I...I mean... I COULD... this could all be a trap and... and I could be just deceiving you all and..."

"Varian... what are you talking about?" Rapunzel was truly confused now. What was he going about?

"I... I don't understand, Princess." His hands clenched to fists by his sides. "I... I lied to you, I used you, I kidnapped the Queen... I tired to KILL YOU, Rapunzel!"

He was shaking visibly now, eyes clenched, trying hard to stop the tears from falling.

"Varian-"

"So how?! How can you trust me like that?!" He cried out. He crunched, head hidden in his hands, shoulders shaking with spasms of tears.

They stared at him, startled by the outburst. Rapunzel's heart fell, as she listened to his crying, looked at his hunched body. He looked so small and broken, so unlike the angry vicious boy they remembered from one year ago.

Eugene sighed heavily and crunched next to him, hand reluctantly touching the boy's shoulder. His breath hitched, startled by the sudden feeling, his wide eyes staring at the man.

"Look, kid." He started and sighed again. "You've done some bad things. REALLY bad things. I am not going to sugarcoat this. What you've done is waaaay worse than the worst thing I've ever done."

Varian's head dropped in shame, still crying softly.

"But..." Eugene continued, sparing a look at Rapunzel. "It seems like you finally get it. And you regret your actions. So she decided to forgive and trust you again. Because that's the kind of person she is."

"I still..." Varian's voice broke, unable to finish the sentence. He shook his head.

"Yeah, I don't understand it either, to be honest." The man shrugged and smiled. "But I don't have to understand everything. Because I trust HER. And if she trusts you, then I'll go along with it. Because, hell, maybe she's right. And maybe you did change. But let me ask you something." He put his hands on the boy's shoulders, making him look up to him, eyes red and puffy from crying. "You lost her trust once. Do you want to do it again?"

"No..." Varian whispered after a moment of silence. "No, I don't."

"There you have it." Eugene smiled proudly and patted the boy's head. "Now get up, because we have an air balloon to catch."

The alchemist nodded slightly and slowly stood up, accepting the hand offered by the man. He silently followed the group again, mind still mulling over what he heard.

"Did I ever tell you you're handsome when you act like a big brother?" Rapunzel playfully hit the man's shoulder and grinned.

"Big brother? Me?" Eugene smiled in response and spared a look at the alchemist, silently walking few steps behind them. "Well... maybe a little bit..." He agreed with a fond smile on his face.

------

So that's what I came up with. Tell me, what do you think. ;)

[blackcoffeeandblankpagess]

In case it was not yet clear- I’m visiting the university of oregon !!

Things I want to remember from today

-(well I already knew this but you prob don’t) but just reiterating that they have a fantastic environmental law program

-and a fantastic legal writing program, one of the top 3 in the country consistently

-a lot of the law school leadership is women which I think is great

-overhearing a tour guide saying she went to UNC and then finding her and comparing chapel hill to eugene and just feeling reminded of my NC *home*

-being...an extrovert? Honestly I think I’m an extrovert now, or at least when I am in a social situation I am waaaay more outgoing and willing to start conversations than ever before (but when given the choice I do love me some alone time)

-talking to a guy about asheville because he lived there for a bit!

-they put out an INTENSE spread of food for the reception and I was like damn I’m impressed (complete with local beer and wine of course)

-the env student org goes on a rafting trip in the beginning of the fall semester 😍 and just hearing about all the outdoor recreation UO has to offer

-the law school literally backs up to hayward field ICONIC

-meeting lots of locals and taking it as a good sign they want to stay here

-hearing from professors and feeling like they are super cool and approachable

-when someone asked about the cost of a one bedroom apt and the other person said “yeah it’s pretty expensive it can be like $700-$900” guys...jared and I pay (total) almost THREE THOUSAND dollars per month for ONE BEDROOM in the bay area this is NOTHIN (honestly f the bay area but housing will seem inexpensive by comparison everywhere for the rest of my liiiiiife)

Honestly I just fking love school. I am someone who THRIVES on routine (and external validation apparently) and I’m honestly so so excited to go back to school and take exams and write papers and research this whole new FIELD and do stuff I cARE ABOUT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Ugh

(Can’t wait to read this post back in the middle of my 1L year and be like b*tch this shit is stressful what are you talking about!!)

Anyway- still not fully decided but feeling good about this one :)