#for reference i was in first grade in 2015

[kerosene-saint]

I remember everything and also nothing from 2015 and that's crazy

[andhumanslovedstories]

I am not closely following the election results tonight, but I am occasionally seeing flashes of them out of the corner of my eye. The most obvious sign that things aren’t going well right now is the complete lack of celebrating on my dash. I know what tumblr looks like when it’s happy. Maybe I’ll go to bed tonight and see something different in the morning. I hope to god that is the case. But I’m thinking about the way I’m thinking right now, and I want to get some stuff down before the future kicks in.

In 2016 I was in a period of my life I affectionately refer to as as my fuckup era. I wasn’t even fucking up really. More just chilling out and falling short of the vague expectations I’d had about what I was supposed to be doing after I graduated college. While my friends from college rented apartments in the city and got jobs that didn’t supply you with a uniform shirt, I lived at home and worked as a barista at a fancy movie theater. That’s a real job you can do for almost five years. I didn’t have a clue what the back half of my twenties should look like. The only long term plan I had in my life was moving out west with my best friend, and my plan for finding a job once I was out there was basically to cross my fingers and hope.

Those days weren’t bad on the whole, but it felt like I was not actually living a life so much as I was goofing off in the waiting room. Sometimes that felt embarrassing, sometimes it felt fun, and sometimes it felt like I was completely pointless to the world.

On 2016’s Election Day, I went to bed early. After watching the votes come in, I needed the night to be over. I woke in a world that felt different than it had been the night before—not just in the actuality of who would be president but down to its foundations. I realized for the first time how much hope I’d had in human nature because now I didn’t feel it anymore. It’s almost silly when I think about it—so many horrible things had already happened that year, people had done horrible things as long as there have been people, and I didn’t think I was naive to that—but something clicked into place that morning.

It felt the same way my world had changed a year earlier, in 2015 during my last semester of college. My college victory lap felt like a prolonged downward spiral. Very early in the morning on a Monday, after pulling an all-nighter and overwhelmed by self-loathing that I could not just motivate myself to work on a paper that had been my only thought all weekend, I self-harmed for the first time in a way that was impossible to pretend it was anything else. Earlier that weekend, I’d tried staving off the urges drawing or writing on my arm, something that did (and does) usually work. I’d written this quote in silver sharpie on my forearm: “Good is not a thing you are. It's a thing you do.”

I picked that quote from the Ms. Marvel comics and liked the words so much, I thought that I wouldn’t be willing to purposefully mess it up by hurting myself there. Didn’t work. They just made me feel more ashamed of myself as I did it.

That was the worst I had ever felt. Then, on the Friday of that week, a friend of mine was senselessly, brutally murdered.

It doesn’t feel now like there was ever a time before her death. My memoir class is now where I wrote about her. My favorite professor is now the one who held me as I cried. My final thesis, the culmination of my history degree, never got finished and certainly never got polished. I turned it what I had and got an A minus. Sometimes I think of rereading that paper to see if that’s the grade it actually deserved. We hadn’t been the closest friends, but my name was still on the email admin sent to professors, listing students who might be emotionally affected by this tragic event. Grace’s murder hangs over every memory I have with her and everything she ever touched. It feels like its own type of obliteration to leave her reduced to her death.

Grace wanted to be a lawyer because she believed in justice and also liked arguing. She could be rude when she wasn’t interested in what you were saying. When you caught her attention, you felt like the most fascinating person in the room. She was so proud of being Jewish. I watched her become proud of being gay. She was so universally friendly that it took me a year to realize that she actually liked specifically me. She had a somewhat silly laugh and an astonishingly luminous smile.

I thought less of the world and the people in it because of how she died. Trump’s election in 2016 felt like that.

After he won, I left stasis. From November through December, I thought harder about my future than I ever had before. Who did I want to be? What did I most value? What did I think was worth protecting? What work wouldn’t kill me to do? At one point, in presumably a fit of madness, I thought, “what if I got into politics.” Epiphany eventually hit me. By the time of Trump’s inauguration, I was already enrolled at community college, getting my pre-reqs for nursing school.

Now it’s election night again, eight years later. I live on the west coast with my best friend, in a house that we bought together. I work as a nurse in a hospital in a city where there are homeless encampments off every highway and someone begging for change on every corner. Meanwhile, there’s Palestine. Meanwhile there’s Sudan. Meanwhile refugees drown in the sea and border patrol shoots jugs of water. Even hurricanes have human cruelty now.

I don’t think people are inherently good or the universe inherently kind. But I am very good at tricking myself into thinking it for a little while, and when I do, I can remember the a specific feeling from Friday of my senior year, from that morning in November— how fucking hard the disappointment hit me because I had expected people to be better than this. It makes me want to be better than that.

I believe, and hope that I always will, that we can make a better world. I don’t know what it looks like, but I think I will see it in my lifetime. Those of us who can believe such things owe a bit of that naïveté to the world—not to excuse atrocities or think them impossible but to believe that we can stop them at all. You have to have a couple people sprinkled around who are genuinely shocked when people do bad things. It’s not that the pessimists are wrong, but you need the occasional counterbalance. I want to be a reasonable cynic’s pleasant surprise.

Every shift, I interact with people at their lowest and worst. I see the direct pipeline from pain to anger to violence, and how fragile that pipeline can be. So many situations can be changed by things as small as a warm blanket or a kind word. Violence can be quite easy to avert. Crises can be quite simply to resolve. Even when I know that whatever I do that shift will not change the circumstances of a person’s life, I think that what I do that shift still matters.

I’m lying in bed, writing this post instead of looking at the news. I wonder how tonight will change me. Been thinking about what I’ll do if Trump wins. Been thinking about how whatever I think I need to do under Trump will still need to be done if Harris clutches out a victory. I guess this is a pessimist’s optimism: to a degree the election doesn’t matter. Good is not a thing you are. It is a thing you do. Our better world will always take a lot of work.

But please god please, why can’t it be just a little easier to do it?

[notnights]

Little ninja fans of present day and past, I began watching RC9GN in December of 2012, and it changed my life forever, now it's 2024 and I'm nearing 30, time sure flies! Anyways I've been working on cleaning out my computer files and found a bunch and I mean A BUNCH of Randy Cunningham 9th Grade Ninja promotional material and side content. I pretty much have most things that came out from 2012 - 2015 pertaining to the show.

I imagine a lot of these things have been lost to time as some of it was originally posted was from the DisneyXD website, and variations of the DisneyXD website (meaning from other countries). I have interviews, bumpers, dubs of episodes, even footage of some of the old RC9GN games, and Randy cameos (I saved footage of someone playing the RC9GN Poptropica promo!)

I also have a clip from WSFA where they reported on the fan that wrote Rachel's song. I had thought it was posted to youtube but I can't find it again so maybe they removed it, it's not on the article that's still up either! Guess it's good I saved it. (The article isn't entirely accurate, I believe she said she got the internship because of her song)

I also have a few clips of other dubs, including an Italian dub of the song and music video "GO NINJA GO," that's pretty cool! I also found audio files of the raw music from the show! I can't even remember how I got that. (they are unfortunately not named)

I have some less quality stuff like literally me just recording promos and bumpers off of the TV screen lol. Some of these also include snips of other Disney XD bumpers and promos though.

Anyways, I don't want this stuff kept all to my self as I see a lot of it is lost to time, if not hard to find. And oh look at that looks like I have a handy little sideblog I never used that's perfect for this! @theninjanomicon (I'll pretty it up later), so over time I'll probably share some of it on there.

Younger me was unfortunately not very thorough in the archiving, so some titles, dates, names, and exactly where I got them from, are missing, but I can give a rough time frame and where I got these from that I can remember. (another reason why I'm doing it! to mark down what I can remember before I forget anymore of it)

I wouldn't be uploading any full episodes for obvious reasons but might upload clips of some of the alternate dubs I have. And yes I have the pilot, which I can't share either but I do have STORYBOARDS from the pilot (which up until this year was our only reference for this "kim possible style" it used to have) which maybe I can share as I got it from the storyboarder's portfolio which was public back when I got it.

I might add some commentaries under a readmore for certain posts to give extra contexts/what I remember being relevant to the piece I post.

Now the hard part is figuring out where to start! What would y'all like to see first?

[chibrary]

The Chrimer: 2015, F3.

Everyone loves a good rivalry.

Charles and Max's karting history could-- and probably will-- be their own primer, but for Charles' 2015 season only one part really matters: Max jumps from F3 to F1. This casts a long shadow on Charles as his childhood karting rival.

Charles spends most of the year getting asked about seeing Max compete at the highest level of motorsport, like in this segment from a South China Morning Post article about the 2015 Macau Grand Prix:

For his part, however, Leclerc is keeping the focus on what’s right in front of him, rather than on what the horizon might offer as he sets out to tackle the tricky Guia circuit for the first time, knowing, of course, the greats of racing who have gone out there before him and still with comparisons to former VAR – and current Formula One – star Max Verstappen ringing in his ears. “I am taking things step by step,” says Leclerc. “I want to arrive in Formula One when I am more than ready and Formula 3 is a good choice in that I can learn and develop. And I raced Max all through my karting years and we fought each other at the finish, so I have always had the comparisons with him and I am okay with them.”

The jump to F3 is a last minute surprise: Charles had originally been tipped for a full-time Eurocup spot. Eurocup would have been more of the Formula Renault 2.0 level of competition Charles had experienced the previous year; F3 was considered a promotion.

In an interview, Charles was asked why he decided on F3 instead of Eurocup:

"After the season of last year, my manager and I thought that it would be better to jump to F3! Firstly, there are 3 races per weekend and 11 weekends so we drive a lot and so we gain a lot of experience! Then loads of drivers were planning to do it! And I felt really good in the car and the tests went well."

Surprisingly, Charles picks to race for Dutch team Van Amersfoort in the FIA Formula 3 European Championship like Max did the previous year. He essentially steps into his former rival's spot, replacing Max as team leader and taking his former engineer. This was allegedly on Jos Verstappen's suggestion, but there isn't much reference to that connection out there that I could find.

This doesn't help the comparisons.

Formula Scout-- in their 2015 Driver Profile of Charles-- would write:

Leclerc marked himself out as a real prospect in karting – so much so he topped our 2012 ‘karters to watch‘ feature, ahead of Verstappen. But it’s never a foregone conclusion that a successful karter will make a successful car racer. [...] Those performances suggested he would be capable of stepping up to F3, particularly as his old rival Verstappen had made it look easy and didn’t have the benefit of a year of car racing experience. And so he has proven to be. It’s still early days, but Leclerc has so far been the class of a large crop of rookies and taken the fight to proven F3 winners with multiple years of experience already under their belt. His early performances are on a par with what last year’s star rookies Esteban Ocon and Verstappen were doing – in fact, his record of two wins and five podiums from the first six races replicates the 2014 champion’s start. If he keeps it up, he will deserve to be held in the same high esteem as them a few months down the line.

They would ultimately summarize Charles' future as so:

While he’s got plenty in common with his old karting rival and Van Amersfoort F3 predecessor Verstappen, a lesser reputation and sensible management mean he’s unlikely to be making the jump straight up to F1 next year. He will therefore need to sustain this impressive form into an intermediate category like GP2 in order to make the grade.

Even with the comparisons to Esteban and Max, Charles still appears to be able to joke with both at the beginning of the season.

This lightheartedness would be needed, especially when Max was the special F1 driver guest for one of Charles' podiums:

Charles would start the season strong. As a rookie, Charles would top the morning running at the pre-event test of the opening round weekend by nearly half a second.

In true Charles fashion, he's unable to take the W:

"A good day," said Leclerc at the end of the test, after reviewing the results and drawing conclusions. “We have learned a lot, both about the set-up for qualifying and for the race. However, this does not mean that I am automatically one of the leading drivers this weekend as well, testing and racing are two different things. But needless to say, it's my goal to do it."

He would bring this momentum into winning in Silverstone, Hockenheim, Spa-Francorchamps and Nuremberg. I find the races themselves a little dull to break down race-by-race, but if you're interested.. an anon has provided video of every race here.

Charles would explain that:

“We arrived at the first race quite confident but obviously there were still had doubts from some people who didn’t know me when I arrived for testing. We were really fast from the first race which was a bit of a surprise because I was a rookie among all these experienced drivers so they didn’t really expect me. But from another point of view we were prepared, we worked hard and after testing it wasn’t that much of a surprise for us, how we went. We were quite confident.”

However... Charles' season would become inconsistent after a crash in Zandvoort with Lance Stroll would damage his chassis in a way that could never be correctly repaired.

Jules would pass the next week.

Charles would only podium once more during the remaining season, five months later in Macau.

He is quoted as saying:

“It is a good result, but I am never happy when I'm not first. Since I was a child I was never happy when I wasn't first. So, it is the still the same.”

Charles would end up finishing the season in fourth place behind Felix Rosenquist, Antonio Giovinazzi, and Jake Dennis. He'd still have 4 wins, 13 podiums, 3 pole positions and 6 fastest laps, making him the rookie champion over future F1 competitors George Russell, Lance Stroll and Alexander Albon.

Formula Scout would summarize his season:

VAR, like most, couldn’t keep up with Prema in the later part of the season but Leclerc seemed to lose some individual sparkle too. That’s forgivable for a teenage rookie though, particularly with the early-season highs becoming impossible to match. And no young racer should have to say goodbye to a life-long friend and mentor mid-season. Leclerc might not have been champion but he was F3’s standout talent in 2015.

Even with the issues in the later half of the season, he was still tapped to go into GP3 with Todt's team, ART Grand Prix. And he had some lighthearted moments:

(Behind the scenes footage here.)

One of the most lasting legacies of this season, though, is how it would set up the rest of Charles' career.

Charles did go into 2015 with very few sponsors outside of Todt. In a pre-season assessment, Formula Scout summarizes his off-track relationships:

No doubt assisted by the Bianchis’ tutelage, Leclerc signed with Todt Jr’s All Road Management firm in 2011. At present, Leclerc has no ties to F1 teams, but through his work with Felipe Massa, Pastor Maldonado and Bianchi, Todt has dealt with most of them and will be very well-placed to get his protege a role when the time comes. A potential stumbling point is that most F1 teams are already overflowing with some serious sub-F1 prospects, but if he continues to impress as he’s doing at the moment, they could begin falling over each other to find a space for him. Funding-wise, Leclerc benefits from partners usually tied to Todt’s projects, and watch maker Richard Mille (currently a sponsor of the Lotus F1 team) is his loyal main backer. And you’d imagine that being billed as a future F1 star from Monaco could well tempt some further future investment.

Lance Stroll would spend most of his single-seaters career against Charles as the Ferrari-backed driver until 2015, when he left to take a development driver role with Williams.

By this point, the Ferrari Driver Academy was heavily scrutinized to the point where it was speculated that they would do away with the initiative entirely. While Red Bull's junior program had brought Sebastian Vettel, Daniel Ricciardo and Daniil Kyvat to its senior team, no driver from the FDA had successfully made the jump. At the end of 2015, Ferrari team principal Maurizio Arrivabene decided to appoint a new head and restructure the program entirely.

Charles was rumored to be the next addition to the Ferrari Driver Academy in November 2015 as part of these changes; by December, articles were already talking as if the signing was inevitable.

In 2020, Charles would talk about visiting Maranello for the first time-- not as a friend of Jules'-- that year with his father:

I went with my father to Maranello (the home of Ferrari). I was 17 years young and extremely shy. I was scared because I didn't know if I was good enough to be included in the programme.

He was. He would end up impressing Ferrari in his two days of testing.

They would announce Charles as a member of the Ferrari Driver Academy in 2016, setting up both his next year and the rest of his career.

[its-rat-time-babey]

Because I’m insane I decided to watch Fanboy and Chum Chum for the lore. Just watch the entire series and see what I can find.

Especially since Fanboy and Chum Chum are connected to Glitch Techs, with both shows being a part of the same multiverse. Just in Glitch Techs, smaller elements like the Freezy Mart exist in the show AND Fanboy and Chum Chum themselves are confirmed to exist as their names appear on the scoreboard in the Hinobi Smash competition, which means that Fanboy and Chum Chum do exist, but they probably go by their real names in the Glitch Techs universe and “Fanboy and Chum Chum” are just gamertags.

Things I have learned so far (just finished season 1):

This is a completely very different timeline and universe compared to Glitch Techs or our universe as comparison. Many things are different.

For example, the USA in this universe only has 8 states. For reference, the US was originally settled with 9 states, so at some point in time they lost one.

Fanboy and Chum Chum takes place in 2004. Glitch techs takes place in 1998.

Fanboy and Chum Chum’s real names are Tobias and Edmund.

Fanboy is anywhere from 17-18 years old. Chum Chum is (seemingly) two years younger at 15-16 years old. This is because they’re in 5th Grade (5th Graders are usually 10-11 years old) and Fanboy mentions that they’re been held back for 5 years, including the current year. Fanboy specifically also mentions being held back twice in kindergarten, but that’s exclusive to him.

All of the weird stuff Fanboy and Chum Chum can do comes from Chum Chum. Chum Chum has the power and Fanboy can also use it because he’s Chum Chum’s best friend. Oz is also friends with Chum Chum and can do similar things, but to a lesser degree because he’s not as close to Chum Chum as Fanboy. Yo gains Chum Chum-like abilities basically as soon as Fanboy temporarily gives Chum Chum to her, and on top of that Fanboy seemingly loses his abilities until he’s reunited with Chum Chum. Chum Chum is the source of like 90% of the show’s weirdness.

Fanboy is a Lance Corporal, aka the highest non-enlisted rank of the us military.

The Norse gods are real in this universe. I’m not kidding.

With the previous information, Chum Chum is very likely a Norse giant. I’m also not kidding.

Fanboy and Chum Chum both have glass eyes. Fanboy’s left and Chum Chum’s right eyes are fake. My personal conspiracy theory is that Chum Chum pulled an Odin some time in the past (as Odin is a real person who actually exists in this universe) and sacrificed one of his eyes for forbidden knowledge and that’s why he’s so powerful. Fanboy may have done the same as a sort of blood oath to his and Chum Chum’s friendship, hence why he has access to so much of Chum Chum’s power.

The creators of Fanboy and Chum Chum must have already had the idea for Glitch Techs even when this show was first being made. You can find all sorts of stuff in here that connects to the 2015 Pitch Bible for Glitch Techs. Yo’s Tamagotchi has a character identical to Chomp Kitty on it, characters that look extremely similar to Five and Miko’s Pitch Bible designs show up in an in-universe commercial, hell a character that looks extremely similar to Agent 68, a character who is only found in the Glitch Techs Pitch Bible (Either getting remade into Inspector 7 or even the Tech Inspector in “I’m Mitch Williams” later during development or being someone who would have appeared in season 3) shows up physically. They had the ideas all there to begin with.

Hinobi as we know it in Glitch Techs doesn’t exist in the way that we know it, but it does exist under a different name and purpose. Instead of Hinobi the video game company, it’s a (so far unnamed) Toy Company (that also owns the Frosty Mart in some way). My logic here is that:

Chomp Kitty on a tamagotchi. Obviously.

That character that looks like Agent 68 is an “Agent” of the unnamed toy company, in this case an inspector sent to reclaim some recalled toys. He’s also the head of security for the Frosty Mart’s company, so the Frosty Mart is probably owned by this alternate reality Hinobi in some way.

The few arcade machines and video games seen so far work perfectly fine, but many toys, especially any toy with mechanical parts have a tendency to break and act somewhat similarly to glitches.

There’s an episode where that Chomp Kitty Tamagotchi breaks and Fanboy and Chum Chum attempt to repair it by throwing it into a grave that’s been said to fix stuff that’s been left there. This results in the toy basically Glitch Techs style glitching and repeatedly trying to kill Fanboy and Chum Chum. Hell once they destroy the Tamagotchi completely a ghostly version of it almost identical to a Glitch from Glitch Techs forces itself through their TV. It’s even easily distracted by stuff from its original tamagotchi game like a glitch would be.

So my theory is that Hinobi in this universe is a toy company. Their toys can be extremely dangerous under the right conditions, especially if something goes wrong and they glitch in some way, Fanboy breaks the arm off of a robot toy by accident and every other robot in the area tries to kill him for example, and that Tamagotchi specifically is so much closer to a glitch techs glitch because it’s the closest this alternative universe Hinobi has to a video game.

Again, I am completely insane.

[mapoyaj]

fear is a good thing (nine years after)

Hello everyone, I want to share a story from nine years ago, on my #RoadtoRPm. It’s been nine years since the board exam results were released (though I remember finding out on July 31).

Everything that happened with the boards was so unexpected. I remember clearly in March 2015, right before graduation, I told myself I’d take the boards in 2016 because I was so scared. At that time, I knew I would graduate as a Magna Cum Laude, which I was proud of, but with that came immense pressure. Being a Latin honor meant I had to pass the board exam.

I was terrified of disappointing my school's faculty and myself. I had often failed to meet my own expectations, and the fear of failing again weighed heavily on me. It’s so hard to expect so much of yourself, but the expectations were sky-high, and the pressure was unbearable. Yet, I decided to take the board exam because my professor told me, "Fear is a good thing." It makes you more careful and increases your chances of passing compared to being complacent.

After graduation, I began my review, but for the first few months, it was utterly useless. I was enrolled in a distance learning program, which meant I controlled my schedule. Unfortunately, this led to me reviewing only about 3 hours a day, sometimes even less. I was distracted by computer games (Need for Speed, GTA, etc.) and other requirements, adding nothing to my knowledge.

A month before the exam, the pressure hit hard. I cried from sheer fear because so many people expected me to pass, including my family, who believed I could be in the top 10. The stress was overwhelming. I felt so unprepared, having barely touched my review modules. I cried for days, feeling worthless, stupid, and lazy. I doubted I could ever pass.

After my "existential crisis," I rushed to Recto to buy reference books, spending nearly 3k. From that day on, my 3-hour review sessions turned into 8 hours, with breaks only for lunch and sleep. I didn’t want to overwork myself, so I read the books like John Green novels, absorbing as much as I could.

A week before the boards, I realized I hadn’t finished my modules and had only gotten halfway through my books. I felt doomed, especially after hearing from a review center professor that those who pass usually read entire books for each subject. I had barely reached chapter 5 in four books. During the final coaching session, I sat in front with my friends, trying to appear confident, but I was terrified every time the professor mentioned something I didn’t know. My grades in mock exams were decent but never outstanding. Despite my friends' belief that I might top the exam, I had lost hope.

On the exam day, the first subject went well (I was thrilled, thinking I might top), but after the second subject (psych assessment), I prayed desperately to St. Jude at La Consolacion, asking just to pass, not even to top. By the last subject on the second day (I/O Psych), I was almost in tears, having left four questions blank. I feared that this meant I would fail. I texted my mentor, who reassured me that it wouldn’t affect my score, but I remained unconvinced.

The ten-day wait for the results was agonizing. Every single day felt like an eternity. Then, around 7:00 am one morning, while I was showering, I received a text saying I was a topnotcher. I thought it was a cruel joke until I checked the PRC website and saw my name in the Top 10. I nearly collapsed with joy, realizing all my sacrifices were worth it. All my self-doubt vanished in an instant. It was the most unexpected and beautiful moment of my life.

It’s incredible how the person who doubted their abilities ended up in the Top 10. Life is unpredictable, and sometimes, just when you’re about to give up, God shows you why you shouldn’t. It taught me to take risks. As my mentor said, "Always remember that you are greater than the 450 questions." Whether you top, pass, or fail, it’s not the ultimate measure of your worth. The journey itself is what truly matters, at least to me.

[crumbedtuna]

Meet the Admin/Artist!

Hello! I am Isabella but you guys can call me Tuna, Sushi, Onion, Well anything actually I am a 14 year old Australian artist and SynthV producer

some personal stuff

I was born in Cairns but moved to Brisbane after moving from Western Australia in 2021, this year I am almost half way through highschool in 8 grade! I draw as a hobby but sometimes will make headcanons or post synthv songs or covers! I am genderfluid but often like to be referred by It/Its. I am also bisexual! I also want to try and animate but can't really find any free animating software's (Pls recommend some that can work on windows laptop :'))

My main interests!

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GANGSTA

I've watched this anime early March or April this year and it is really good! The storyline is very interesting for an anime that was released in 2015 with only 1 season with 12 episodes. It also has diversity! Showing rather accurate looking dark skinned characters! And also showing mixed races!

My most favorite character from the anime is Nicolas Brown. He's a very interesting character and the representation of him being deaf is really realistic, it also surprised me when Worick mentioned he was half asian in episode 5 but it was also so cool to me, his and Worick's backstories were really sad but also interesting to watch, I also loved how the JP va of Tristan from 7DS: Grudge of Edinburgh voiced the young version of Worick. I was also very surprised when I found out Nicolas was also voiced by the JP VA of Nanami (Kenjiro Tsuda) from Jujustu Kaisen!

Another character I like is Cody Balfour, he's so cute and shy I wanna place him into my pocket, he doesn't show up much in the show nor manga but he is very cute I love him, Cody my son :')

Another Character I like is Emilio, he is a rather interesting character since he has black and Chinese heritage, but I feel bad for him since he just wants to have the destroyers help him find Alex who is his older sister but is watching twilights get killed left and right. And its sad how in chapter 38-39 he thinks his sister is dead since the bastard was attacked, my poor child needs a therapist :(

Nanatsu no taizai

I loved this show from when I was about 10 years old which was 3 years ago! My twin brother got me into the anime and I'm very grateful he got me into it. It is such an interesting show and I always and I mean always would talk positively about the show.

I love Estarossa and Mael, their both interesting characters and thats what I love about them! The way Estarossa was first shown in the anime and manga was just a big game changer for me, I just fell in love with him, I also got spoiled from manga images on google when I searched them up to look at Estarossa panels on my tablet which sounds weird but ay, you gotta do what you gotta do, I also already knew that Estarossa was Mael from manga panels but I found it so cool and always admired both of them, my little brain filled with stuff about them and I wouldn't stop thinking about them. I love them both equally!

I also like Dubs and Daliah from Cursed By Light, when they got introduced I thought it was very interesting as we never got to see another giant that was human sized like Diane and never got to see a fairy with an athletic build, but they both were such interesting and I always rewatched the movie, also for some reason I thought they died because I would randomly stop watching the movie and when I realised they were alive in Meliodas and Elizabeth's wedding scene, I just was like "I'm a dumbass lol"

VOCALOID

this was one of the big parts of my childhood and what got me into making SynthV covers and songs, I remember playing Project Diva Future Tone on my PS4 always playing Weekender Girl and Out of the Gravity, but their not gonna count as the first songs I listened to, the first vocaloid song I listened to was either Rolling Girl from Wowaka(Rest in peace, you will be missed Wowaka) or Common World Domination by Pinocchio-p who is currently my favourite Vocaloid producer, fun fact I always pronounced Pinocchio-p's name wrong and pronounced it as Pino-cho-p :')

My fav VOCALOID songs

Apple Dot Com by Pinocchio-p

Reincarnation Apple by Pinocchio-p

Godish by Pinocchio-p

Be my Guest by Azari

Nightmare by Azari

Sweet lies by Azari

Ghost Rule by Deco*27

Salamander by Deco*27

MKDR(DSCF) by Deco*27

Bitter choco decoration by Syudou

Cute Girlfriend(Cute na kanojo) by Syudou

Her boyfriend Jude(Kareshi no Jude) by Syudou

Corpse Attack!!(Mukuro Attack!!) by Utsu-p

Easy Peasy Euthanasia by Pepoyo

Melty Land Nightmare by Harumaki Gohan

Patchwork Staccato by Toa

ID Smile by Toa

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DNI list

Proshippers

DON'T interact, its VERY gross to ship adults with minors

Zoo's

WTF, same thing. DON'T interact...why would you want to fuck an animal???

Fushoji/ Himedanshi

just don't.

Homophobes and Transphobes

If you have a problem with people liking the same gender or people wanting to live happily as a gender they feel happier as, FUCK OFF

Racists

just no. Go OUT THAT FUCKING DOOR

M@P's

Just leave...JUST FUCKING LEAVE

Estarossa X Mael Shippers

...Ok why tf do you exist, just go. GO, GO AND DON'T EVEN VIEW THIS ACC, JUST GO AND TAKE YOUR DISGUSTING SELF CEST SHIP OUT THAT FUCKING DOOR!

Anyway, thats all for now! hope all of you enjoyed reading this and also hope you liked learning about me :)

Bye bye!!

[evilwickedme]

Have you ever felt motivated to write something out of spite? I’ve been getting irritated with some fandom stuff and boy is it motivating for me lol

Lmao yeah a whole bunch of my PUBLISHED fic was written out of spite let alone the half finished projects sitting in my drafts

Okay so firstly my first even long fic Of Three Times Lily Evans Changed Her Mind About James Potter (yeah it's a long name usually I just refer to it as OTT). That fic was written out of frustration with my favorite fic at time (The Life and Times) remaining incomplete - it updated once before I started tenth grade and then literally never finished (she posted what she had written but essentially went from being in the middle of an arc to the end of the whole fic and we didn't even get to see jily getting together I will never not be upset about this @thelordofthecats can confirm this). I also included some personal frustrations in there, notably at the omnipresence of wolfstar in the marauders fandom which I did not and do not ship.

Then there's my first ever spideypool fic, Changes. This was all the way back in 2015, when I had just started reading marvel comics. I really enjoyed the spideypool ship but this was before they even had a team up comic - and while Deadpool clearly had a crush on Spidey, peter couldn't STAND wade and actually quit the uncanny avengers over him. So I was like... Okay here's these two extremely different people. Most of the spideypool fic I've read has peter "fix" wade. What if it was the other way around? What if being in a relationship made Peter worse? So that's what that fic is about. (I think was also partially inspired by @ask-spiderpool 's earlier arcs, I believe, but I don't remember exactly when I stumbled across that comic and I do know I was directly inspired by Uncanny Avengers #1)

A bunch of my Witcher fic was written in response to common geraskier tropes, but I'd have to list like four fics here so just trust me on this one, I did a lot of exploration of their power dynamics here. Also, putting it on the record, I think Geralt's more interesting if he's written as a sub.

Then there's the huge fic I haven't shut up about since September, you know, before and after fic? hang on 'til the chaos is through? So yeah that was written because I kept reading fics where just the act of Tim joining the family early made it so Jason didn't die, and to me that seemed just... Wrong. Jason didn't die because he didn't have a Tim to care about, he loved both Bruce and Alfred. He died because he felt angry and betrayed and more specifically because once he found out that there was somebody else he could love, he wanted so desperately to find her and eventually to save her. It's not that I don't like the fics where that did happen - it's just that I wanted to write one where it specifically didn't. I also don't like when fics about Jason rejoining the batfamily have him learn a lesson about how killing is wrong, nor do I like fics where the Pit makes him insane or whatever. UTRH!Jason is reasonable and calculated and has a very comprehensive and logical life philosophy which I enjoy reading and writing about, even if it's not my personal philosophy. So yeah, that's one of the reasons I wrote that fic (also because I am unhinged about Jason Todd but we knew that).

And FINALLY, we have Under the Pink Hood. I am fully aware that this is maybe my most self indulgent fic ever, but by God am I upset this fic flopped. I am so frustrated with both the source material and honestly the fandom's treatment of Gwen Stacy (the original one). It was when @stackthedeck said that if they bring her back again she should at least pull a Jason Todd that I ended up writing Under the Pink Hood, combining both my blorbos into a fic I'm genuinely so proud of.

Honestly I think some of my best writing has come out of spite and frustration. Fanfic as a whole often is just a production of frustration with the source material, and then if you also have frustration with the fandom or even just one creator then that's double the frustration and a great motivator to write. If you haven't tried your hand at it yet - definitely do it, it's a great outlet and I bet you'll produce some great works!

[kylesvariouslistsandstuff]

Release Dates Are Never Concrete

I'm sure we all know the story at this point regarding ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE, and BEYOND THE SPIDER-VERSE... Which ostensibly is coming out on March 29, 2024...

It's become clear that it's likely not making that date... And if that entire Vulture article is true, an allegedly very strenuous and unethical production of ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE... It makes one wonder why BEYOND is dated for this coming March, and why it *still* is...

Over the years, I've learned that release dates are really not for us or even audiences...

The release date, more often than not, is to whet the appetites of investors. To tell them what to expect, and to get them all excited about what's coming in a certain fiscal quarter. Businessy business stuff, ya know?

As tempting as it is - exing away all the context of ACROSS' production - to be bummed about the inevitable release date change (I see the movie feasibly opening some time in 2025, given how Herculean both of these movies are from an animation standpoint), at the same I'm like "it wasn't ever guaranteed for 3/29/2024 anyways." Just like how ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE wasn't guaranteed for its original April 2022 bow, or its October 2022 bow... And when it was still slated to be an October release, that's when its teaser debuted. December 2021 was when that teaser came out... Complete with the "Part One" subtitle that was later dropped...

I'm used to it, too. I remember, at age 12, seeing the CARS teaser trailer before THE INCREDIBLES. November 2004... A movie I waited a year and a half for: FINDING NEMO came out May 2003, and had the first ever teaser for THE INCREDIBLES before it... I was in fifth grade when NEMO was released, seventh grade when INCREDIBLES landed... So, that was already a long wait for kid-me for the new Pixar movie. With CARS? Only a year... Then, a month later, Pixar delayed the movie from its original November 2005 slot to June 2006. I remember being a little miffed about that, like "Ahhhh, I have wait longer for that?" That date change also pushed RATATOUILLE out of 2006, and into 2007. Domino stuff. The usual in animated movie slate changes. So INCREDIBLES came out when I was in seventh grade, CARS when I was leaving middle school altogether. Just wanted to share that old story for a giggle.

Speaking of Pixar, I'll also always remember when THE GOOD DINOSAUR... Very close to its projected May 2014 release, got delayed all the way back to November 2015 following the director shakeup and subsequent near-complete restart of the project. No trailer had been released for the movie, but footage was previewed to attendees of the 2013 D23 Expo.

And of course, there are scores of DreamWorks movies that got delayed, plenty of Disney Animation films, ditto other studios.

Heck, remember when INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE - back when it was being referred to as "Animated Spider-Man" - was once set to come out in July of 2018? Before moving back a few steps to December of 2018? With fellow Sony Animation production HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA 3 taking its original July slot?

Happens quite frequently...

[wheezel]

transness & suicidality

obvious tw for. the above

hello. my name is max.

i’ve been going by max on the internet since like 2014 or 2015, when i’d join roleplay plots on creativefun, or maybe even before that, or parallel to that, i had some blatantly obvious self-insert OC with the same name. in every pokémon game i’ve ever owned, i’ve had an eevee named max. i don’t know why i was so attached to this name, but i don’t think i ever really foresaw it becoming Mine.

i started using tumblr “full time” in 2017. mostly for fandom stuff, especially harry potter. i’ve been max on here since the beginning of that— co-ran some hufflepuff blog under that name, and i thought it was the coolest thing.

i’ve always struggled in the mental health department. i wasn’t diagnosed with anything, but i’ve probably been contemplating suicide since the fifth grade. it didn’t start out serious, i don’t think, but throughout middle school it was a thought that never really left my head.

i’d known that i was queer since maybe the sixth grade? luckily i grew up in a general area where that wasn’t shamed or anything, so tbh it wasn’t super hard to come to terms with.

i don’t think i knew what being trans was until like 8th grade, but you wouldn’t believe that— i don’t wanna do the whole “i’ve been acting like a little boy since birth Ah Ah” thing bc i know that’s not a universal trans experience & i don’t want to make it out to be, but also.. i literally basically grew up as a little boy 😭 i was very outspoken about not liking anything “girly,” was friends with mostly guys, i’d always make my character a boy in any game i played, probably announced multiple times that i wished i was a boy or said that i “basically was.” i believe in tomboy/weird little girl rights and obv there is no “acting like a boy/girl” but. the point‘s that it was a thought in my mind.

wtv wtv quarantine hits, my friends become more homophobic/transphobic for some reason, i start looking more towards online queer communities. this makes me more active here, obviously, but also to a handful of discord servers. at this point i’m very well acquainted with transness, but still very sure in the fact that i’m just a very tomboyish lesbian— like i’d genuinely thought about it, a lot, and just didn’t ever “feel trans.” i wasn’t dysphoric, i liked my hair long, i had a lot of pride in being a lesbian, and i just. ‘didn’t mind’ being a girl.

time passes again and i start realizing that i’m not, in fact, cis. this pill was a little bit harder to swallow, but mostly because i didn’t know what i was. i played around with my identity for a while— i was pretty comfortably genderfluid for like a year or two— but i was still only out online. when i did eventually come out to my friend group at the time (shout out HS backstage crew), they were really accepting n stuff, but they’d almost exclusively refer to me with masculine terms. and like.. at first i was like ‘nooo they’re misunderstanding woe is me,’ but after a while, i got less & less comfortable being referred to with feminine terms, she/her pronouns, et cetera. some time in january, i started hanging out with a handful of people who i kinda knew but wasn’t all that close with, and i got to introduce myself as max. i danced around the topic of my gender for a while (“you can call me whatever i don’t really care”), but maybe two months ago, i resigned to the fact that i was just. a guy.

you’d think this would be about as easy as the rest of my little realizations, but. you’ve seen the news.

realizing that i now exist in a world that would blatantly rather i be dead than happy was not something that i was ready to grapple with.

i had made so much progress mentally since the beginning of this year— i *liked* who i was four months ago. i think i genuinely started loving myself.

now? i feel like i’m 12 again. i‘m so self conscious & i feel like everyone’s always looking at me funny and i can’t order food without embarrassing myself and i can’t. talk to anyone without feeling guilty that they have to know me. i’ve had this awful, heavy, guilty feeling in my chest for two months straight, and i don’t think i can get rid of it. i keep spiraling and hurting people and every time i think about talking to them about it i almost start throwing up because i feel so disgusting about myself. i shut myself out from a lot of people because of the shame. i couldn’t face them. i can’t convince myself that i belong here, or anywhere, or that i’m not actively making everything worse for everyone i know.

and you know. i almost did it.

to be honest, i don’t know why i didn’t. i still think about it all the time, if i’d actually gone through with it.

i think about the numbers all the time. i’m constantly turning them around in my head— 82, 40, 86, 56. it felt like what i was supposed to do.

though, clearly! i’m still here. i don’t have some big Ha Ha Fuck You to the world reason or whatever, in all honesty i just kinda felt more guilty when i thought about what’d happen if i did it. which stopped me, sure, but also led to me stewing in this miserable, suicidal limbo for like two weeks straight. i’ve been slowly getting better, but it doesn’t really get easier.

i wish i could make some grand statement about transphobia and society and the state of the world, but honestly? i’m just tired. i have nothing to say.

except maybe that my name is max, i’m transmasc, my pronouns are he/him, and i’m still here whether i or the world want me to be or not. because i gotta be.

[infinitelytheheartexpands]

since i am at home and have access to my yearbooks, it is now time for the roundup of “some of my favorite quotes from people’s yearbook signatures”, a non-exhaustive list:

2010-11 (3rd grade):

-“have a great summer savvanah”—kid in my class who spelled my name wrong lmao

2011-12 (4th grade):

-“your the most legendary person i have ever met”—one of my besties to this day

2012-13 (5th grade):

-“when the world looks down on you, give them 5 and a half reasons to look up at you. you are brilliant. you are a good person. never lose that. never stop dominating.” —one of the then-high school juniors for some reason (i got signatures and messages from SEVERAL juniors and seniors that year for some reason lmao)

-“too bad”—a kid in my class

*could not find 2013-14 :(*

2014-15 (7th grade):

-“stay cool and rock on with those dance moves and work on skating”—another kid who was in our production of xanadu, where i successfully campaigned with the director to not make everyone rollerskate because some of us (myself included) could not rollerskate

-“the cat whiskers come from within”—a girl in the grade below me with whom i am still buddies

-“you are the smartest person i know and don’t let anyone take that away from you”—my now IRL best friend, the first year after he moved to our school, and this was even though at the time we were in the middle of an INTENSE academic rivalry that put a damper on our friendship for a while

2015-16 (8th grade):

-every single kid who wrote HAGS!!! (have a great summer) because it’s funny <3

-“you have been happy when i have been sad so uh…thanks for always cheering me up with just a smile”—a kid in the grade below me

-“savannah, it is really fun having you in the class and i hope we got the party started for you every english class!”—the same kid who spelled my name wrong in 3rd grade; every day at the start of english class i’d say “let’s get this party started!”

2016-17 (9th grade):

-“…you’ll have to come check in and draw me more memes!”—my 9th grade history teacher, context being that she pitted all the kids in my grade against each other in a year-long history meme war and i, being a dumbass, did not know how to make memes online using generators and shit, so i HAND DREW all of my memes on her board and she would take pictures for my entries (for the record: i did not win)

-“this is a good yearbook. you are a good person. have a good summer.”—one of my guy friends in my class

-“we’re gonna need you in quiz bowl. also how is this handwriting.”—another guy in my class; the reference to the handwriting was because we had to proofread each other’s handwritten essay drafts in english class and i straight up could not read like half of his and he got PISSED as a result

2017-18 (10th grade):

-“dear savannah, have a great summer! read lots of books and eat lots of food because those things make you happy and happiness is great.”—one of my friends in my class, also that is sound advice

-“*sine graph* there, i sined it.”—my precalculus teacher

-“i am ‘cosining’ it.”—the same kid who wrote the handwriting comment the previous year; written directly under the previous signature

-“savannah, mashed potatoes…”—the bestie who wrote the “legendary” comment in 4th grade; the whole message was much longer but we had an inside joke going about how i’m super-picky about my mashed potatoes lol

2018-19 (11th grade):

-“you are just the sweetest little ol’ thang”—one of my friends in my class

-“thanks for making this a great year. you’ve always been so nice to me. never forget that no matter what, you have a good heart, don’t forget that!”—one of the seniors that year; we were in all the musicals and choir together for a few years

-“stay frosty! your joy for life is special, don’t ever let anyone diminish it. change the world.”—a beloved history teacher who moved away after that school year

*no signatures for 2019-20 because COVID :(*

[youngreaderreviews]

Book Review: This One Summer by Mariko Tamaki

This One Summer

Written by Mariko Tamaki. Illustrated byJillian Tamaki.

Genre or Category

Printz Winner or Printz Honor Book

Target Age Group

7th-12th grade

Recommended for ages 12-18 years, grades 7-12th.

Format

Physical, print

Summary

Awago Beach is a refuge for the young Rose and Windy, who are friends and enjoy the festivities of summer there every year. This summer isn’t like every past year though, because tensions between Rose’s parents have grown. In the midst of family issues, Rose and Windy find themselves tied up in the drama with some local teens that are also at Awago Beach.

Justification

This book was chosen because it fulfills the category “Printz Winner or Printz Honor Book.” In 2015 it received the honor of being listed as a Michael L. Printz Honor Book, which is an award that recognizes the best books written for teens, which is based entirely on literary merit. Additionally, it was also a Caldecott Honor Book in 2015, received an Eisner Award for Best New Graphic Novel in 2015, and an Ignatz Award for Outstanding Graphic Novel in 2014. Both Mariko and Jillian Tamaki have received highly esteemed awards for both their works in writing and illustration. Although this book has received many brilliant reviews, it has also been on the end of scrutiny with many attempts at censorship because of the mature themes included in the story. 

Evaluation

For this review, I will be evaluating illustrations, mood, and tension.

Illustrations

This One Summer is a graphic novel for young adults that features gorgeous illustrations that depict both lighthearted and emotionally heavy scenes. Although the character designs are fairly simple themselves, they have more detail in the linework used to create unique features, facial expressions and clothing, including the various textures used to emphasize those aspects. This is the same in regards to the scenery and settings used throughout the graphic novel - what appears simple is rather quite intricate. One key element that ties these illustrations together is the use of color, which is dominated by dark purple and purple blue in the linework. The remaining space is white. This use of a monochromatic design creates a sense of nostalgia, especially when characters are going through a sequence of memories. Additionally, these dark colors help to set different moods throughout the narrative. 

Mood

Graphic novels and other media intended for young adults often explore the complexities that come with growing up, and This One Summer is no exception. Mood in this graphic novel is established in one sentence of the synopsis of the story: “Rose’s mom and dad won’t stop fighting, and Rose and Windy have gotten tangled up in the tragedy-in-the-making in the small town of Awago Beach.” In this sentence, it has told the reader that this particular story is moody and that it will most likely be angsty and full of conflict. This is also highlighted in the dialogue between the characters and the illustrations, which feature soured facial expressions and intense weather.

Tension

Tension is present throughout This One Summer in many different interpersonal relationships. It’s seen between friends, lovers, and characters we wouldn’t think of having tension between them. Similar to the mood, tension is supported by the writing and illustrations present in the graphic novel. However, the more mature or sensitive themes in this story tend to create the most tension. For example, Rose’s mother, Alice, experiences a miscarriage which impacts her ability to connect with other people and enjoy the lake. As a result, this creates tension between her, her husband, and her daughter. The use of onomatopoeia is also helpful in creating tense scenes, such as doors slamming or heavy rain on the roof.

References

Tamaki, Mariko. (2014). This one summer (J. Tamaki, Illus.). First Second.

Tamaki, Mariko. (2014). This one summer [Cover illustration] (J. Tamaki, Illus.). First Second. https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781596437746/thisonesummer

[nevebennett-viscom]

Talking to suzi in order to gain reseources and niches within the concept. 15/2/24

Within this, reflection, direction, secondary research,

ruins as a concept

I had thought about what i wanted to say, i want it to be a concept that interests people but also is a concept that makes people think ideally.

Adolf loos 1908- ornament and crime

Ornament is wasted labour power and hence wasted health. It has always been so. Since ornament is no longer organically linked with our culture, it is also. no longer the expression of our culture.

barbican brutalism

while concieved after the war to surround the rebuilt church it wasnt built until the 60's, usually thre isnt that kind of space within the city but becuase the district was destroyed there was a need for this.

saltire

london pub demonlished

"The Carlton Tavern in Maida Vale, west London, was demolished by developers illegally in 2015 just two days before it was due to be recommended for Grade-II listed status. Pictured: The pub before it was torn down"

"After a campaign from locals, the developer was ordered by a judge to rebuild the pub 'brick by brick' and it is now due to open its doors tomorrow for the first time in six years. Pictured: The rebuilt Carlton Tavern"

poundbury

we discussed how poundbury feels perserved and old dispite being founded a mere few years ago. and how its a weird concept for a self contained town which got me thinking about the construction of communitites. This would be intwreesting since you can zoom in on and have lots to talk about and many different perspectives.

on ugliness /on beuty/ eco umberto

making things beutiful can make things ugly, and making things ugly can have beuty and its about who is observing which is an interesting concept and that is something that can be applied to other things, eg brutalist architecture you could argue many people think its ugly, but within that you have beuty such as a community, ecosystems, plants in contrast etc.

"Book overview. In the mold of his acclaimed History of Beauty, renowned cultural critic Umberto Eco's On Ugliness is an exploration of the monstrous and the repellant in visual culture and the arts. What is the voyeuristic impulse behind our attraction to the gruesome and the horrible?"

they may be opposites/oxymoronic however, one doesnt always equal that its the binary opposite to the other.

quarry hill leeds

now a uni building

but the flats

abandoned buildings

tyneham ghost town

Tyneham Village, a historic site located in Dorset, England - the village's history, including its evacuation during World War II to make way for military training grounds. the village is described as frozen in time, with well-preserved buildings offering a glimpse into rural life in the early 20th century. It mentions specific points of interest within the village, such as the church, schoolhouse, and cottages. Overall, the article serves as a guide for visitors interested in exploring Tyneham Village and learning about its fascinating history. people obviously see interest in going since it is open to the public, this means that doing historical tours / historical information and facts might appeal to someone to go there, since people travel to the 'secret gem' that is tynham since it may feel exclusive becuase you can only go sometimes as well as it usually doesnt come up etc etc, proves validity in people wanting to go to more unique places and they just cant find the oppurtunities to find out about them so cant go.

ruins brian pillon whitechapel

this book looks at ruins, and how there is a line between ruins and landmarks, and how to keep something in one or the other/ defining it. its an interesting concept which i researched in order to maybe have it as a topic of my project but found it was very broad, i did try to narrow this down but i found it is hard for someone to define in the finite amount of time i have.

flaneur

refereced in a different post

maguffin

referenced in a different post

beutification can ruin things

lenticular lenses

shark house

the balance between there being somehting that is art, for example, this house the owner believed it was cool to be able to have a shark and tried to open an airbnb howrever, the council said they didnt have planning permission and this meant that there was an arguement between being allowed to do what you want to your own house and not being able to bc the council say, and how far that can go when modifying your own home.

edinburgh

[website-plan-b]

The Democratization of Media

by Cheryl

When I was in grade 11, my team won a regional academic competition and was invited to attend the global round in Barcelona. Unfortunately, our school couldn’t pay for us to go and neither could our parents, so the responsibility of raising money for the trip fell to us. After a few discussions about our fundraising options, I woke up one morning to this Instagram message from one of my teammates:

Figure 1

Screenshot of message

Note. Personal screenshot.

I hadn’t been involved in the decision to use the photo, but having it up didn’t bother me at all; I saw no reason to ask her to take it down until I casually mentioned it to my mom at breakfast and she spent the next ten minutes yelling at me for letting someone post a photo of me online. I was shocked. I never posted photos of myself online, but plenty of my classmates did, so I didn’t understand why my mom was so upset that someone had shared a photo with me in it.

As an adult, I can better understand how changes in the way information is shared shaped my mom’s response. When she was a teenager, she and her peers had no way to publicize photos to a wide audience other than perhaps stapling them to a telephone pole. By 2018, when the GoFundMe was posted, my teammate was able to share a photo with the entire world using only her smartphone. She didn’t even  need to run it past anyone first, not even the other people in the photo. This is what Tunick (2015) refers to as the “democratization of media” (p. 3): in the age of social media and the internet, the ability to share information is no longer limited to traditional media outlets such as newspapers and TV stations, but is instead in the hands of the general public.

So, what does all this have to do with social media and privacy? To put it simply, social media is a major force behind the democratization of media. Social media websites can be used to share a wide range of information, from the identities of white supremacists to the addresses of people who are being targeted for harassment (Pringle, 2017). This kind of free sharing of personal information is something that wasn’t possible before the internet, and it brings with it a lot of potential risks to privacy.

What if, instead of a group photo for a GoFundMe, my teammate had shared an embarrassing or potentially compromising photo on Instagram? It would have been just as easy, and she would have just as little obligation to tell me about it before posting. The democratization of media means that anyone can easily share information about someone else, regardless of the impact it might have. If she had chosen to post something more personal than a photo that happened to have me in it, what could I have done? What impact would that have on my life? When I reflect on these questions, my mom’s angry reaction to the photo begins to make more sense.

[gingerlanier]

Book Review: Ugly by Robert Hoge

Ugly by Robert Hoge 

Genre (or “category” from the requirements list):

            This book is from the informational or biography category.    

Target Age Group:

Ages 8-12, Grades 4-6 (LVCCLD library catalog). 

Summary:

            Robert Hoge tells the story of growing up with what some consider an “ugly” appearance and how he overcame his many obstacles to embrace himself and live a full happy life. 

Justification:

            We need more memoirs from people living with challenges like Hoge does, if we hear their story in their own words it’s much more powerful and gives them a voice.      

Evaluation: 

For this review, I will be evaluating language, content, and illustrations. 

Robert Hoge begins his memoir with an imaginary scenario, and guides the reader through it until he ties it back to his own birth. It creates a wonderfully smooth entrance into his world, and this is perfect for kids who are hesitant to read a memoir or think it’s going to be difficult to read. His casual writing style and sense of humor make his book infinitely readable and enjoyable for all ages. He uses simple language and metaphors to tell his story, and he gives just enough detail about his experiences so readers never feel that they need to take a break. 

The title of the book “Ugly” and the first chapter “The Art of Being Ugly” tip off the reader that this author isn’t going to tiptoe around difficult content, and that puts readers at ease. Hoge writes with a disarming charm that he presumably developed by growing up with a visible difference that set him apart. He had to work to get people to like him- and that charm infuses his writing. He tells a relevant story in his authentic voice, and gives readers a chance to get to know someone different from them. His welcoming story is upfront and honest, and his candor makes it a memoir that should be on the to-read list of any librarian or teacher, along with such popular titles as “Wonder”. 

Keith Robinson’s illustrations are few, but they have maximum impact. Drawn with a sense of compassion and grace, they turn Hoge’s “Ugly” memoir into a beautiful story. While reading it I often forgot there were illustrations, then I would turn a page and be delighted that Robinson’s illustration was there to lighten the text and provide a visual treat. In particular, his simple line drawings scattered amongst Hoge’s school nickname list diffuses some of the tragic element and gives it a poignant twist. 

References:

Hoge, R. (2015). Ugly (K. Robinson, Illus.). Penguin Random House, LLC. 

Palacio, R.J. (2012). Wonder. Knopf Books for Young Readers. 

[childrenslitbookreviews]

Trombone Shorty

Title 6: Trombone Shorty

Genre: Corretta Scott King winner, Memoir

Target Age Group: 3-8

Summary:

Trombone Shorty grows up in a poor neighborhood of New Orleans. He learns a love of brass music from his older brother, finds an old trombone, and the rest is history.

Justification: 

I had seen that this title won the Coretta Scott King award, been featured in several African American history library displays, and I had heard the name before so I decided to give it a read.

Evaluation:

First, the illustrations are beautiful and unique. They are not the typical simple ink outlines with simple saturated colors like in many other children’s picture books. These illustrations are made with collage and watercolor. The illustrator makes music influence the world around it - spiraling out of the trombone, shining through the air like rays of sunshine, wafting through crowds, and exploding out of Shorty’s lips. The unique imagery gives this book a feel all its own as it should. This depiction of New Orleans as bright and beautiful, full of music and culture, is exactly the positive story that should be told by one of its very own success stories. 

Second, the writing is fairly straightforward and on grade level for elementary school children. There are approximately five to twenty words per page so that the young listener won’t be bored or distracted while listening. I especially enjoyed the repetition of “Where y’at? Where y’at?” throughout the book, giving us a glimpse into the local vernacular and the fun catch phrases that give the book an air of levity. 

Third, I enjoyed the depictions of culture throughout the book. Trombone Shorty shows us all of the beautiful simple pleasures that New Orleans has to offer whether it is parades at Mardis Gras, brass music wafting through crowds, or big pots of delicious gumbo. The book doesn’t shy away from humble beginnings; Shorty finds a beat up old trombone, and no one in his neighborhood is well off, but they create this rich culture despite that, and craft beautiful music that inspires and uplifts us all. 

References:

Andrews, T., & Collier, B. (2015). Trombone Shorty. Abrams Books for Young Readers.