#i think in a lot of places outside of north america it IS better?

[griffsursparker]

i don't understand how i'm supposed to be a functional human in society when i am so so mad at society all the time

[zhnnveuxpasdrmir]

I wonder if a lot of tumblrs are having a deep think about the effects of power on the human animal, and what's left when you eliminate all the Bad People from your diet lately

fortunately for me I've grown quite accustomed to famous people whose work I liked revealing their horrible sides, intentionally or otherwise

Rosemary's Baby, Cyndi Lauper being mean backstage one time, every rock front man in the history of, Nina Hagen - ow that one hurt! I guess I wasn't even 20 yet by the time I'd grown worldly about celebrity. By the time 2000 rolled around I'd long sworn off ambitions of performance outside the truly creative, studio-free version.

In any case what I'm trying to get down is that these people were never personal friends of their audience, to begin with. That's not how it works.

You have to work out for yourself what you can tolerate, artwise, in your life. We're blessed not to know what kind of asshole Aeschylus might have been. Many of you won't ever know what a blow it was to North America when Bill Cosby turned out to be so horrible. The long term effects of his fall from grace just can't be overstated by this point.

It's always always unwise to make a hero or a saint of anyone. Don't make the mistake of thinking there's a kind of person who was never bad, who can't disappoint you.

It's a rare person for whom wealth and power, in any amount, isn't deeply "corrupting" with regard to how others are treated, sexuality, expressions of control, satisfaction of desire. There's a great deal about humanity that is hard to face, disappointing to learn. That's one of the loudest lessons: those we elevate are changed forever by the attention. It might do well to have some better cultural rules and customs in place than complaint & argument. It might be really smart to organize our real life communities around that understanding.

It might give us a better quality of life to decentralize celebrity.

[mightyflamethrower]

Who says Kamala Harris isn't a messaging genius?

If you want to win over swing voters, there can't be a better message than to recruit Lizzo, of all people, to warn us all that if Kamala Harris wins America will look like Detroit.

I have news for Lizzo: Detroit's population is 1/3rd of what it was in 1950 because Detroit became a Third-World city under the leadership of Democrats. 

Detroit's suburbs are actually thriving, so it isn't because the REGION has declined. It's because the leadership is corrupt and incompetent. And, not coincidentally, all Democrats. 

Lizzo, whom I have no particular problem with as she is just a standard-issue liberal celebrity with the politics of the privileged, is a perfect avatar of the modern Democratic Party. She visits places like Detroit to tell the proles what the establishment wants them to hear and then gets on her private jet to go someplace more pleasant. 

It says a lot about how out of touch Kamala Harris' campaign was that she thought that Tim Walz would appeal to the normies and that Lizzo promising that Kamala would make America Detroit would help her campaign. 

America is afraid to become Detroit. Democrats have turned a once-thriving city into a rotting hulk, and we are to believe it is a paradise, just like Cuba. 

At the same rally Harris trotted out Randi Weingarten, who famously told the CDC to keep schools closed during COVID. The results are what you would expect: unions got richer, and children were harmed. 

Kamala Harris isn't running a campaign of JOY! It's nonstop anger, nonstop threats, and promises to remake America into a hellscape where Lizzo and Randi Weingarten are free to run our lives while they live in luxury. 

Is it any wonder that Harris' campaign is imploding? A San Francisco liberal understands Middle America as well as you would expect. 

Unfortunately, a vast swathe of America finds this vision of America attractive. Perhaps enough to carry Kamala Harris across the finish line. 

That could happen if ordinary Americans don't swamp the polls. Democrats run most institutions, are engaged in a propaganda campaign unseen outside China or North Korea, and are spending billions to put Harris in office. 

We have Trump. 

I think Trump might be enough, all things considered. But we should give him a hand unless an American future that looks like Detroit seems attractive to you. 

[what-even-is-thiss]

If you’re debating whether or not to get an MFA in writing here’s some points of interest from my experience.

If your only goal is to get published you don’t need the degree if you don’t want it. There’s ways to meet people and contact agents and self publish outside of the types of connections and knowledge you’ll get from a masters degree

If you want to teach creative writing in North America it’s technically possible to get a job without a masters but it’s extremely difficult. There’s also usually an opportunity to get practical teaching experience in the MFA program.

It’s difficult to get in these programs because the classes are usually really tiny. My program only admits 6 people a year. It’s also expensive to apply but once you get in they usually have funding available to you through work.

Making connections with other writers is a huge reason to get in a writing program. You often get the opportunity to meet visiting writers in addition to your classmates and professors. Socializing with people is actually a really important part of most arts educations. It gives you a support system of people in the industry and some people to hopefully write blurbs for your books

A lot of the work done in academia is literary writing. There’s still a potential place for you if you write genre fiction and people will likely support you in that but it’s an important thing to keep in mind.

Some schools might try to push you towards adapting a particular sort of style or mostly pick people or have faculty with a certain style. Other schools will generally have a more diverse array of types of writers and not have a distinctive style. Neither of these things is inherently better but it is something to think about when asking questions and investigating. I purposefully applied to schools with diverse and different types of work coming out of them.

If you just want a degree or don’t want to move a low residency MFA is probably the choice for you. Those are mostly online and you generally visit campus in person once or twice a year. High residency MFAs are the ones where you live and work there and are a full time student. These are generally either one or two year programs. The length of program you want depends on you and what you want out of the program. I chose a three year program because I wanted to take more classes.

You get a lot of unstructured time to write even when you’re working. If that’s important to you it might be a good place to figure out your process. It’s a lot of work but you usually decide how much you get out of it and how much work you get done.

You may be expected to teach or TA classes, give public readings of your work, or give presentations to your classes. It’s not a degree free of public speaking.

If you want to get experience in publishing a lot of masters programs run literary magazines or have relationships with local magazines and publishers you can get involved with. If you’re interested in this that’s something to look into when deciding what schools to apply to

[fff777]

watched jungwoo and johnny going to a korean folk village

omg this is 40 min

you know, we needed this. we need something chill to wind us down for the year. and who better than these two chill dudes.

johnny is the kind of guy to encourage other people to talk more, and he's encouraging jungwoo to speak in english. and it works because jungwoo is not shy about practising english so he tries to keep up.

they are both so tall so they look good together, sigh

folk ✅ pork ❌

you can ride horses here???? i would want to go

lol jungwoo picking up on lingo from videos like stay tuned and swipe up

grammar ✅ grandma ❌

yeah honestly people get better at languages by not being embarrassed about making mistakes

i guess a lot of the signs are in english because it's a tourist attraction

i'm gonna be real, i do think johnny loses a bit of his english due to lack of use. i've watched videos in the past like this one where he gets tripped up by vocab. but again, it's because he spends more time around korean speakers than english speakers.

johnny being so amused and amused when jungwoo drops some idioms

lmao (he is saying this in english)

yeah hot packs aren't really a thing in north america, we just wear gloves ig. or go in our cars 🙄

SANTANIM

his majesty sanjong will be guiding them around the place :3

johnny looks so tall 😔

handcrafts street!!!!!!!! i am a handcrafts enthusiast so this seems like a fun place

johnny: did people live here?

santa: no

santa: this is a theme park

jungwoo: santa?! do you watch netflix?!?!?!??!!

santa: shhhh

santa: i watch everything my boy

lol this santa is fun, he's joking with johnny and jungwoo. i'm guessing they are an entertainer of some sort to be so good in front of the camera.

blacksmith: y'all are handsome

jungwoo: lol thanks

lol santa likes johnny

hehe hanging socks as stockings

OMG MRS CLAUS

CRAFT TIME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! my favourite 🥰

why do you think that is, mister

jungwoo will make a mobile and johnny will make a music box

singing christmas carols :3

johnny being like ewwwww when pulling out the floam

johnny @ jungwoo: don't you think that's a bit too old for believing in santa

johnny did the whole leaving milk and cookies thing out for santa when he was a kid

johnny said he saw reindeer shedding their antlers once :P

:3

jungwoo's mobile didn't dry yet so it's getting everywhere 😅

😏😏😏

they're just saying shit 😂 jungwoo is just saying idioms and words he knows in english and we know johnny always matches the other person's energy so that's how they get carried away

they found an artist who will draw caricatures :3

hehe she's drawing on a tablet

jungwoo saying hi to a random kid walking with their family lmfao

asking the artist about nct hehe

they're cute!!!

i feel bad for the artist who has to sit outside in the cold though lol

artist thinks johnny is cool and jungwoo is cute :P

time for santa's event

lol personal shout out from santanim

is santa going to tell them if they've been naughty or nice

lol performing walk

they get candies for being nice :3

kitty

jungwoo randomly asking johnny about pet peeves

they have cows???

lol cafe darakbang but in the most anglo accent

johnny notices every time jungwoo uses a new word, johnny is such a good hype man :P

there's a musician at the cafe

they are so

johnny lets jungwoo feed him but when johnny feeds jungwoo, jungwoo has to take the spoon from him huhu so he does get shy

low key this felt like a tourism promotion video but i guess that's soft culture in general lol

anyway this was a nice chill video :3 thank you johnny and jungwoo

[dandelionsandderivatives]

Blankets, Candy Corn, Crow, Fresh Air, Frost, Sweaters, and Trains, please?

Blankets - sweaters or fuzzy blankets?

See the previous ask I answered – sweaters win due to ease of use, but I would hate to give up my blankets!

Candy Corn - what's your favorite candy?

I actually love candy corn. I get tired of it fairly quickly, but the first few pieces of it in the autumn are magnificent.

Crow - what's an unpopular opinion you have on autumn?

Pumpkin is overrated. Or at the very least, a lot of pumpkin-flavored baked goods don't taste like anything other than "generic cinnamon." I think it can be done well, but not everything benefits from the addition of pumpkin. (Pumpkin pie, of course, is incredible and I love it.)

Fresh Air - what's something you're thankful right now?

I always sleep better when it's colder!

Frost- anything you're looking forward to?

First snow! It's always so beautiful.

Sweaters - what's your go to fall outfit?

I wear a lot of cardigans. Probably jeans, sweater/cardigan, and an assortment of wool knitwear. Or dress, boots, sweater/cardigan, and an assortment of wool knitwear.

Trains - if you could spend the fall anywhere, where would you go?

Hmmmm, I'm not sure! Definitely somewhere chilly. I think I'd like to see what fall is like outside the US, because I'm pretty sure many of the things I associate with colder weather are very North American. Maybe somewhere rural in Europe? Or some of the chillier places in South America, and see what it's like to have fall in the first half of the year?

[dionysus-complex]

Fellow queer in classics with an interest in Roman poetry - hello!!! came across your blog by chance and just wanted to say hi to a fellow student :> do you have any advice for someone who's just finished their first year of a classics degree?

thank you! have a nice day :)

Hello there!! The field looks quite different from where I'm at (writing my PhD dissertation) than how it looked when I was just starting out, so here's a few things I'd have told myself as an undergraduate. Keep in mind that most of this stuff is tailored to the assumption that you're thinking of graduate work/a career in the field!

Ok, here goes:

-start both Greek and Latin early, even if you're fairly certain that you're more interested in one than the other. I didn't start Greek until my last year of my undergraduate degree and have often felt like I was playing catch-up. The field is changing fast re: entry requirements for knowledge of Greek and Latin, but it's still a general rule that the more Greek + Latin you have in undergrad, the better. (also, if you're in the Anglophone world, you'll probably want to get started on German, French, or Italian fairly early as well!)

-don't be afraid to reach out to your professors/instructors for help and advice! Especially in classics departments, we often have very few undergraduate students and are dedicated to helping the ones we do have succeed however we can.

-depending on where you are, look into conferences happening near you -- many smaller regional conferences are open to undergraduate students, and it's a great way to meet people and to get a sense of what the field looks like professionally.

-when/if you get to the stage that you're looking at graduate programs, give serious thought to where you think you'd thrive and be happy - at the end of the day, a grad program is a job, and I've seen lots of people leave programs because they were unhappy/didn't want to live in the place they'd decided to go to grad school and realized that too late. Also, don't pay to go to grad school - if you're in North America there are lots of great funded MA programs, which IMO are a better value than a post-baccalaureate or an unfunded master's. And if you don't get into the program(s) of your choice in your first application cycle, there's no harm in taking a year to do something else and reapplying next cycle! There can be massive changes in admissions from one year to the next, and it's always helpful to have a little life experience outside academia before you plunge into something like a PhD.

-for resources on queer studies/queer theory and the field, check out Queer and the Classical (https://queerandtheclassical.org/) if you haven't already! I don't work as much on gender and queer theory as I used to, but queer readings of Roman poetry especially are a thriving area of the field right now and there are tons of resources for folks interested in that kind of work.

[peridot-tears]

Vagueblogging again!

I think a lot about the argument fandom racists make. It's always "fandom isn't activism," "go do some real activism," etc. etc.

Like, one -- I think quite a few of us have done "real" activism. Organizing, protesting, fundraising, information-sharing, all that good stuff. Especially in these past few years. You can't be Asian American without having at least brushed with activism lately.

Two -- telling someone that what they said hurts or disrespects your culture is not activism. That's literally just an everyday interaction. You could have learned something and accepted it, but the moment you dismissed it and dug your heels in, then yeah, you're making it a way bigger deal than it has to be.

Three -- Asian Americans have always organized, protested, and advocated for better rights on all fronts. The bill in Florida recently passed is part of a years-long effort to make Asian American history part of school curricula (its effects are for another post entirely), Asian Americans in various organizations have been tirelessly doing research, petitioning and lobbying for better healthcare and economic aid access. The burst of Asian American shows like "Beef" and "Everything Everywhere All At Once" are part of a DECADES-long push to have our stories told in ways that aren't stereotypical and degrading. Not to mention to make sure we get equal pay in the workplace.

People have always committed hate crimes against us, but because of COVID, it jumped to a point where there was actual media coverage outside of the community. It got so big, no one could ignore us anymore. It was good to get aid from outside the community, but even now, the people organizing self-defense classes, patrolling Asian dominant neighborhoods and walking with elders so they can go places without being attacked, the people organizing food drives for those of us who are lower-income, raising money for the victims of hate crimes, fighting for us in our court cases against attackers, pushing for our voices to be heard, are us Asian Americans.

It's a lot of work. It's also a lot of work to rally people to our cause, because so many people outside the community, especially white people, will not listen, let alone help in any meaningful way, unless you convince them why they personally should care. To be BIPOC at all in North America is to do the emotional labor that white people think you owe them.

So tell me. If true activism is so important to you, why aren't you doing it?

And you know how I know you aren't doing it? Because if you can't be bothered to listen to an Asian person in small, casual, everyday interactions, what makes you think you're equipped to help us advocate for large social change?

[whatyadrawin]

Crystal Lake Shadows 18+ Only!  

Masterlist

Approximately 1,483 words

Pairing: Jason Voorhees x AMAB character

Warnings: Violence, strong language, strong sexual themes

A/n: I now have chapter 2 out which is very exciting, I have the next chapter already in my head so when I am not doing homework I will be catching up on the chapters. This one will take a while to put out but I want to give it at least 5 chapters.... we will see maybe more.

Chapter 2

   The morning was nice and cool, Sergio had started the day early and was cleaning up after his breakfast while thinking to himself Well today feels a bit better, what a beautiful day to start fresh… maybe I will check out the bar tonight. When he stepped outside, Sergio notice the glitter of morning dew on all the vegetation that surrounded the town and smiled. A voice woke him from his moment “It’s beautiful out here huh?” a hand was on his shoulder now rubbing gently, Sergio turned around to see Marina in regular clothes smiling up at him, Sergio nods in agreement; Marina speaks again softly “There is a reason most of us never left you know? It’s where we grew up and there is nowhere else in the state like it, truly a beautiful little haven… or at least it will be again once we get the lodges going”. Sergio Looked at her and asked “There are a lot of places even prettier than this, the mur-“ he stopped and cleared his throat “The events that happened here for years will likely never go away and by now, with the internet, most people in North America will know about them and that is going to be a near impossible fix” Marina sighed and said “Well, you may be right but there has to be a way to save this town. Most of the townsfolk can’t afford to leave and others can’t even physically move due to their age and all”. Sergio faced Marina and put his hand on his hip and rubbed his thick beard with the other “Well what if you all just play into it” Marina looked confused and asked “Play into the deaths? What does that mean?” Sergio smirked, pleased with his own idea and said “What if you advertised this town as a spooky place where you could see ghosts and possibly the infamous killers shadows, like is he alive? That’s for the tourists to find out. So many people these days are obsessed with crime podcasts and true-crime documentaries and stories so why not just go all in and make this place an attraction or something?”. Marina furrowed her brow in thought, she scratched her head and replied “That seems kind of insensitive and… well, gross to the real victims of the killer, doesn’t it?” Sergio started walking towards the truck and said “Yeah, it’s pretty gross to monetize people’s death but it might be the towns only hope for getting some life-saving revenue into its economy. Just give it a consideration in case the lodges don’t get the towns income up” he got inside the truck and started it, she just nodded and slowly walked towards the café, deep in thought.

The drive to the lake was gorgeous, the dirt road was a little overgrown and rough but you could still see through the ruffage and the sun was starting to really shine, making everything look peaceful and welcoming. The road to the lodge was a few turns away from the main road and the drive became a lot bumpier and more overgrown but still very pretty and bright; Soon the bush cleared a bit and the road opened up to reveal the dirt was no longer there and instead became long grass with many tall trees spaced through the expanse. Nestled right before the shimmering lake was a run-down lodge which was a good size but needed a lot of work, Sergio parked his truck right up to the front door stairs and got out to take a look and make estimates and take notes on what tools he would need. The lodge had very faded and flaky yellow paint with white trim, the door was still in beautiful shape and had old faded red paint on it wow this place is so rustic and beautiful I can’t wait to start work on it! He made his way up the stairs and got the key out to unlock the door, the key got stuck a few times but after a bit of wiggling it opened with a loud creak and revealed a furnished interior that was extremely dusty and in need of repair everywhere. Sergio immediately started making notes and taking photos of areas he wanted to remodel, the mysterious Mrs. P had informed him in the letter that he could have free reign on design choices, just had to make sure it was enticing to new buyers. The lodge was a 2 level space, the ground floor was where the kitchen, laundry, and living room was, with one half bathroom; Sergio went upstairs and saw another full bathroom with a shower and a tub, the bedroom door was jammed and wouldn’t open no matter how hard he tried Christ this is really stuck! I may not be able to get in there today without my tools. Sergio bent down and tried to look through the crack on the bottom of the door to make sure something wasn’t in front of the door blocking it, he squished his face to the dusty floor and peered inside, he couldn’t see much but noticed the bottom half of large men’s shoes near the bed, it startled him and he froze in place not breathing in case the shoes were filled; After 2 minutes of staring and strained breathing he decided to get up, the shoes didn’t move and looked old so they must have been left behind by the previous owner, he got up the courage to yell out “Is anyone in there!?” but there was no response, just the distant sound of birds chirping and wind rustling the tree leaves. He continued to wander around and take more notes and make more estimates based on the damages, the work would take time but he knew he could finish before winter.

As Sergio was writing in his book he suddenly heard what sounded like the front door being opened slowly, his whole body shivered and he grabbed for the pistol he brought in his pocket; He stayed as silent as possible and listened in case he could hear footsteps omg what if Rob was right and the killer is still alive? What the fuck do I do? Another sound was heard from the kitchen, the sound of someone shuffling around with whatever was on the countertops, Sergio couldn’t move he was so afraid; He decided to slowly peer down from the banister to see if he could get a glimpse of the person making the noises, as soon as he got a slight view of the kitchen he saw the glimpse of a dark shape whisk away. His heart was thumping so fast it felt like it was about to explode what the fuck was that? Fuck I am going to die in this dusty lodge, aren’t I? Sergio was unable to move out of fear and just watched to see if anything would appear again until he felt some courage well-up inside him what the hell am I doing? I have a gun for fucks sake this bastard should be scared of ME! His thought was enough of a boost that he yelled out again “If anyone is down there you better leave right now because I have a gun and I WILL SHOOT ON-SIGHT!” some quick shuffling noises were heard and then a creak of the front door being left open.

Sergio ran down the stairs and looked around frantically, no one was around so he went outside in case he could catch the intruder running off but when he got outside he started laughing “Oh fuck! Hahahaha a goddamn raccoon!” cowering under a log pile on the porch was a big chubby raccoon who seemed very terrified of Sergio. He stopped laughing and started calling out to it “pspsps c’mere little guy it’s ok, I’m sorry for scaring you but to be fair you gave me a near heart attack” the raccoon came out from behind the logs and slowly slinked near Sergio who was now getting some crackers out of his pocket; he threw over the crackers and the raccoon scarfed them down and got closer to sniff at his hand, Sergio smiled and said “I don’t have anymore crackers buddy but I will bring more food for you when I come back ok?” the raccoon just made a purring chirp at him and ran off. Sergio decided he had enough for one day and got in his truck and made his way back home to get a later afternoon snack, he laughed to himself about how silly he felt about being so scared of a raccoon but Sergio missed something when he came down the stairs to try and catch the intruder

…a very large handprint was left in the settled dust on the kitchen counter

…and it wasn’t his own.

[rollypoliesonarock]

I don't think i ever told this story here, but even if i did, it's hilarious enough and deserves a retelling.

So last summer I left north America for the first time and went to Rome during that horrible heat wave. While there, we visited Vatican city. I was with my mom, and both of us were waiting for the start of our tour of the place. Note that neither of us are particularly religious, and we were really just there because architecture is cool, and we can say we were in another country.

So we get outside the place, and it's horribly hot outside because it's a heatwave, in Rome, in an area that isn't exactly shaded. There's a gift shop just south of Vatican city that is air conditioned, so we decide to kill some time by seeing what's in there.

Since this is a gift shop outside the Vatican, there's a lot of religious stuff in there. Again, neither of us are religious, and while looking at the stuff we might have made some comments that weren't exactly the most kind things to say. Examples including my mother saying teenage her liked rosaries because she thought they were sexy since Madonna wore them, and me laughing at these things

Despite the events about to take place, i stand my my statement in the gift shop that these are such silly statues. I would also like to note that i was not wearing the most appropriate shirt i could have. I was wearing a shirt of a little cartoon cat going through it's 9 lives, dying in horrible and ridiculous ways (like pretending to be a superhero, or trying to get a fish out of of a fishbowl) and the 9th picture shows the cat running free (stole this shirt from my dad years ago)

Anyway, we leave the gift shop a bit later. I decide we should probably find where to meet for the tour to start since i can figure out directions better than my mom (who got lost in our tiny hotel only days earlier).

Here is a map of the area, as you can see, there is not a lot of shade. Red circle is the gift shops rough location, and the green circle north of it is where an empty bench in the shade was. So we decide to sit there.

After figuring out where to meet, the two of us start talking and laughing and all that. My mom takes a picture of me, 5 seconds before disaster strikes, and i mean that in the most literal way possible

I feel something hit my shoulder, my mom looks at me and says "oh shit, literally". I look to my left shoulder in horror as I see bird poop all over my shirt.

I end up getting a new shirt in the gift shop and changing into that before the tour, so it all worked out in the end. Now as someone who doesn't believe in God, i seriously believe this was a coincidence. BUT the thought that God heard me make my comments towards the little statues in the gift shop, or was offended by my potentially inappropriate shirt i planned to wear into the capital city of the Catholic church, is infinitely more hilarious.

[wevelocityteampresents-blog]

The End Of A Franchise...

Yo-Kai Watch!

Yeah. It's one of my personal favorite franchises. And I still managed to remember it exists. ...Is what I would say if it weren't for the fact that it's seriously on its last legs.

New games (regardless if they're a main entry or a spin-off) have started to slow down, news has been quiet on the reboot, and the less I talk about Yo-Kai Watch Y: Gakuen Y, the better. (I think it's a terrible game that isn't half as good as any other Yo-Kai Watch game. But that's something for a different article.) It's no better in English-speaking territories where Yo-Kai Watch media has become incredibly sparse. The only piece of media that's been keeping Yo-Kai Watch alive in places like North America is this one Yo-Kai Watch manga.

Even after LEVEL-5's English branch shut down YEARS ago, this manga has continued to put Nate, Whisper, Jibanyan, and the rest of the Yo-Kai Watch cast in exciting, new scenarios. It was bizarre seeing a copy of volume 17 or 19 in my nearest bookstore in 2021 that contained Yo-Kai Watch 4 Yo-Kai. But it was a great sight nonetheless. The zany humor the franchise is known for is still there, and the touching moments present in certain stories give the manga some real heart. Even if we aren't getting new games or anime episodes, this manga being translated into English could get more people interested in Yo-Kai Watch and pave the way for the localization of new media.

But then again, good things can't last forever...

On May 26th of last year, it was announced that this manga would come to a close with its 23rd volume. While that might not mean all that much to Japanese fans, the news is a huge blow to English fans like me who are only able to get new official material for this franchise in the form of this manga. I would have saved the date. But it's already too late. Now that this manga has been completed, Yo-Kai Watch's presence in the English-speaking parts of the world has officially come to an end.

I still remember wanting to see the Yo-Kai Watch movie in theaters, but I couldn't since it was too late for me to get tickets. Getting Yo-Kai Watch Fleshy Souls proved to be a better memory, though, since I enjoyed collecting new Yo-Kai and taking on different missions for rewards I felt were necessary for a certain purpose. (Which is pretty much the reason I never ended up beating it...) Yo-Kai Watch was the first time I felt invested in a franchise outside of Pokémon, Sonic, or even Star Fox. I always watched each recap animation on YouTube to see the skits Nate and the Yo-Kai would put on due to how hilarious they are.

The anime might be one of the only cartoons I could find myself going nuts over. It was akin to Sgt. Frog as it was THAT kind of show. The show you watch before and after school. The program you can effortlessly quote the most memorable lines from verbatim while humming the opening and ending themes on repeat in your head. To put it lightly, it was THAT good of a show.

This franchise means a lot to me, and growing up while watching it slowly fade away was one of the saddest things I've ever experienced. What was once a highly successful franchise that managed to steal the spotlight from Pokémon became a shallow form of its former self that's trying way too hard to get its fanbase back with anime that are only Yo-Kai Watch in name and Persona-inspired high school action RPGs that can't top what came before it in terms of story and presentation. The day the final volume of this Yo-Kai Watch manga made its way to North American stores was the day Yo-Kai Watch's time in North America truly died.

For the final volume of the manga, I can't say much about it since it's still new. But I was surprised by all the Yo-Kai that were packed into this thing. It's truly the send-off a franchise like Yo-Kai Watch deserves.

It might be a bit juvenile for most people, but Yo-Kai Watch helped me during some tough times in my youth. (Especially since I was finally starting to get some real help with both my autism and my life.) I honestly don't know how far I would have gotten without it. Especially since it inspired me to draw more often during high school and was my entry point in online conversations with the Miiverse communities surrounding the games. Yo-Kai Watch is one of my most cherished childhood memories, and it'll always have a place in my heart. Even if new stuff manages to get released in Japan.

Thanks for the memories, Yo-Kai.

[the-firebird69]

Baylan Skoll Vs Ahsoka Tano

There's a huge number of people watching this and they feel bad for the groundhog and they should have the guy needs his people but out there they just get hurt and they don't know it but they do here's the one of stance people now it stand fighting this girl who is the social security lady and several of hers get killed and several of trumps get killed and other flicks but in Star wars a lot of people die and they're fighting over ground bases and some of them are Mac ground bases and Mac ships and they do find them and that is what Jason finds and that movie is coming up shortly they've been coming out of the place places all the time and even in Florida they are getting chased out and they escape. It's very much needed it's been going on in his people know things as to Megan merkle's people

Thor Freya

We're afraid that Chris's grandma has been long since missing and she's been captured for a long time and she might be in suspended animation but the girl you're seeing is not her. And it's not Becca it is another girl that you see all the time it's the Kelly girl and that is who she's known as no she's known as a friend of Allison Hazel is true but she's bigger and I used to like her son but she didn't look really good and she usually doesn't and she is not around tons but she was from the neighborhood off and on it was from across town and usually she's about 5'4 and looks kind of mediocre but she is getting in shape she says and she's not huge and she can see that he's a big boy he's not massive but he's pretty big and surround the shoulders is almost as big as Schwarzenegger was and he's not muscular so they know he's going to be pretty good size but they dream about it and they don't know what to do right now they have other things to think about and they still are marching North here in the Western hemisphere they've lost a huge number of people it is gigantic and it is half a percent of the populace and they are going to continue and the bugs are going up from the house the whole route New England was empty it's full again and it goes all the way to South America the tip of South America is almost empty and the bugs are leaving now and that that is going to be about 500 Miles empty and we will occupy that space and make sure they don't move back in we're sick of it and the empire is sitting around us and below us no they're far below in these areas with big huge holes it's actually very far at least a couple hundred miles and they haven't planned to get out and we don't like it we have a problem with it so it's going to be changed. Hera is doing better she said several visits today and we do have it handled and she's helping us and she does get it she's stressing him but he wants to help but he's fine he says and I get it done and she sees what he's saying and he's dedicated to the cause and she's right there you don't see her yeah you do she's pretty big he's just a little bigger than her. But he's got some things coming up that will help and it helps Hera and the pseudo empire is crushing them completely and they continue to go out there and they're going to attack tonight again he said 40 out again and they're at 120 households they lost only 10 but they are going out there again and earnest and they have a huge for sale in the outside perimeter and they are checking other stuff no and BGA is curious what's down there. A huge force is a mess over at Miami but inland and West Palm is encapsulated almost it's right at the border 2 miles away and they've been going in and just taking stuff if tons of evidence a lot of people are in prison some of them from the neighborhood out of the 120 households there are 10 houses that are cut in half half of them are in prison and there are about 30 other households with one or two people in prison and those households are losing information yep so that's 40 compromised households it makes a big difference. We expect this bottle up north and all over the world to end within just a couple days Tommy f has to launch he has to gather about as much as you can and armament and ammo and he's trying to load up with bombs and he's getting beat by teams that can get up there people are curious who and we'll say Max so they're grabbing bombs and you can put the mask together the math

Thor Freya

Olympus

Zues Hera

[papirouge]

The witch hunts was not a Catholic European thing though, and the Inquisition was the first one to stop any sort of witchhunts because they didn't even believe that witchcraft existed. They had an Inquisitor spend months in Navarre after the Zugarraburfi trials (which was in itself an isolated event in a lot of ways) to stop the collective hysteria because the Spanish Inquisition realized that people's claims of witchcraft had been passed over the border with France where witch hunts were a serious issue. The Inquisition stopped one of the trials involving CHILDREN in Switzerland who were going to be executed. It is noted historically hoy the Catholic Church andespecially the Inquisition were rather merciful in regards of their attitude to witches and sorcery (and please, understand merciful in comparison to the actions of others,)

Witch hunts happened in areas where there was religious conflicts especially, like France, Germany and England which is why Italy and Psian saw very few of these and the ones that happened took place in areas very close to the borders with these sort of countries.

Luther was especially very aggressive towards those who were believed to practice dark magic and pressed for the hunts to continue.

Not everything is the fault of Catholics lmo. Have they done their fair share of things? Yeah. But this is not one of them.

Also just to note something, the Church didn't like the Inquisition lmao, because it was outside of their power. The Spanish, that is, not the others established in different countries before that.

No offense anon, but your entire post sounds like a major cope😭

Here's what I said

Maybe my sentence wasn't clear, but I said that the INQUISITION was an "Catholic European thing" - not witch trials. Witch trials were also committed by Protestants (WASP settlers in North America) so it wouldn't make sense to put witch trials on Catholicism alone. The Inquisition was mostly entertained by Europeans but also European colonies in South America.

It's also interesting how you're hyper fixating on witch trials and how the Inquisition dindu nuffing when I actually stated that the Inquisition targetted demographics beyond those suspected of witchcraft.

It's also funny how you say " the Inquisition stopped the witch trials".... without saying WHO started them 💀 sorry but the Inquisition starting to wind down on an oppression IT CREATED doesn't remotely negate the fucked up shit it did.

It's like those thinking they're doing something saying shit like "White people ended slavery🥺" ......yeah after profiting off of it for CENTURIES and realizing owning slaves (that have to be fed, accommodated, could get tired, get sick, etc.) was more expensive than investing in vapor machines. One have to be an absolute idiot to think the abolition of slavery came from benevolence. Interestingly enough, the same brand of folks spouting that nonsense totally understand it when it comes to female liberation (voting, better access to the workplace, etc.) to conveniently send shots to feminism, but will act oblivious when it comes to destroy to Slavery ending Benevolent White Man™ myth 💀

Also I don't understand why you have to drag Luther into this. Luther was a psychotic piece of shit, too - but he was right dragging the papacy for the disgusting farce that it is. The Inquisition was still demonic and full of shit ¯⁠\⁠_⁠(⁠ツ⁠)⁠_⁠/⁠¯. I still think God used Luther to rightfully call out the abuse of the Catholic church It wouldn't be a new thing for God to use extremely flawed people to make His point *Nebuchadnezzar says hi!* and it's lowkey funny how Catholics are still seething about it. Reeeee!!! peasants are now allowed to actually READ the Bible and don't have to PAY their ticket to heaven??!! 😱😱

And let's not even forget how the Catholic church reinforced worshipping in latin (because Catholicism is a European White washed pun intended version of Christianism - it's pretty reminiscent of the Arab supremacism of Islam that compels Muslim to read the Quran in Arabic 💀) which is hysterical because if it was about sticking to tradition they'd rather chose to worship in Aramaic, Hebrew, or even Greek...but noooo, these European scrotes had to center the Bible around themselves instead💀💀

No one is saying everything is the fault of Catholics. But it would be nice of Catholic to gaslight people into thinking how aKtcHualLy they did nothing wrong. The Inquisition oppressing intellectuals and Protestants is a well documented historical fact, anon. Even here in France, one of the most significant event in our History is the Saint Barthelemy when it's estimated 15-30 000 Protestants (Huguenots) were killed in one night. I have many things to say about Protestants who also have their fair share of shittiness and bloodsheding antics but it would be nice for Catholics to take accountability in basic historical facts instead of playing oblivious.

And I know for a fact that the Church (capital C aka the body of Christ) doesn't like the Inquisition because no discerning Christian who has the holy spirit/actually read the Bible does follow the Catholic Church of Rome. And I say this as a former Catholic who got her wake up call by simply reading the Bible and praying to God to show me the truth.

[aplacefordreaming24]

Okay time to ramble a full thousand years later :3

There's the surface-level cultural differences, ofc: Sara and Ted grew up in regular old America, but she was from the Bay Area while he grew up in the south (North Carolina or Virginia if I remember correctly? Smth of that nature. Does that count as the south?). She grew up in the city, he didn't. He's not used to just. Constant noise that isn't bugs. She's not used to bugs... Period!!! /silly

There's also the fact that while they both grew up poor, Ted did eventually get riches by his adult life while Sara didn't. She's very not used to Ted always trying to buy things for her, even if it's just paying for dinner. She doesn't like the feeling of losing control, and feels guilty when he does so. And while he's always surrounded by people (Fancy parties, multiple women and men (before her), etc etc), she's very used to the quiet and the isolation. She doesn't really talk to anyone outside of work. He's very worried when she starts to dissociate and just kinda,, hang out inside her head. Because when he does it, it's bad (And it's bad for her too but different).

I think the biggest cultural difference though is just... The way their trauma worked.

Ted grew up with multiple siblings and abusive parents. He was pushed into being the parental, the patriarchal, the adult male figure. Anything he wanted to do (ie: Painting, Writing, Ballet, Theatre, very creative careers and hobbies) were shoved out of him and he was taught to respond to things with anger.

Sara... Also grew up with siblings, and an abusive parent. But she was pushed into being meek and quiet about it. Shamed for trying to stand up to them, always expected to be perfect, the star child, the "normal" one. She had to do a lot of masking in order to survive, so she was taught to respond to things with... denial! Or even worse, smile and do damage control :)

The whole point of their relationship is how "Two sides of the same coin" they are. They lived the same life, but ended up in completely different places. They respond to the same things very differently due to the path they were shoved on, and despite how much it hinders them, it benefits the other. Ted can speak out for Sara and defend her since she's too nervous to do it on her own. He can spot the danger when she's trying to look away from it. Sara can calm Ted down and comfort him, offer support and care when he needs to stop being the adultTM. She can find the silver linings and kinda... gentle parentTM him into thinking rationally.

Does that last part sound bad? Maybe. But like, he kinda needs it. He needs someone who's not gonna flinch away when he's having panic attacks and can be a comfort. The same way he comforts her during her panic attacks (Though she's better at doing it (Even if she disagrees)).

Idk. I like them :3

What are some social/cultural differences between you and your F/O(s)? Are they from the same content? Same country? Even if they're from the same country, do yall have some regional differences? Perhaps yall simply just grew up in very different enviroments(whether one in a city and the other not, or simply just home life) that has yall giving each other some culture shock occasionally? Do you have different slang of vocabulary? Has it rubbed off on each other at all?

[marissawilliams]

Fieldwork Ch. 6: Ethnicity and Nationalism

In my opinion, you can not talk about Ethnicity without Nationalism because they conjointly describe a person's cultural background. I will touch on my own family history and how their actions regarding where to migrate affected me. 

How long has your family lived in this country? My family has been in this country steadily for about 25-30 years. This started with my great-uncle on my mother's side who wanted to create a new life after the birth of his second child. He knew his current way of living would not benefit his children long term so he ventured out to the U.S. I don't have much information on my fathers but the majority of his family resided in our homeland. 

Where did they come from? My entire family is fully Jamaican dating back to the 1900s, I have no knowledge of any other ethnicities past that time. My mother's side is from the capital, Kingston. Occupying neighborhoods such as West Cumberland, Cherry Hill, Half Way Tree, Tivoli, and Duhaney. My father's side grew up in the countryside by Ochi (Bob Marley's birth town) then later moved to West Cumberland. 

Has your family embraced American Nationalism?

I do think my family embraced American Nationalism. While we still visit and connect with our relatives back home, by looking at us or our home I don't think you can tell what we are unless you take a look in the pantry. America also has also grown on my mother in a way that makes her want to fit into the rest of the public. Examples of this are her not speaking in her accent outside the home, or showing any representation of her true home. I think this is because of the negative connotation foreigners have, and she has explained this to me before saying “people won't take you seriously or think you deserve better if they know you come from less” (noble). I can't speak much for my fathers' experiences but I do know they are similar. 

If some of your family have migrated from other parts of the world, how do they integrate their American identity with their ethnic identity?

I went through that experience a little in question 2 but to add on. The American identity is evident In their day-to-day lives with the rest of society while the ethnic identity is hidden or cast to the side In a way. They feel as though they have to change their way of speaking for others which they do not. We also took on a lot of American things such as food. I love our cultural food but at times I think we get embarrassed to consume it around others so we just succumb to American foods such as; burgers, fries, pizza, etc.

I was born in North Carolina but never lived there, the first 5 years of my life were in Jamaica. My mother wanted it this way so I could automatically be a legal citizen and she could work her way up there while I lived at home. This would categorize me as a black American/ black Caribbean while I have the right to be a citizen in both places, I won't fully be accepted at both. Jamaicans see me as a “Yankee” which is just an American because I've been here for so long and don't relate to the struggles of kids living there now. In America, I'm just black because nobody really thinks about what kind of black you are they just assume it's African. I feel like this puts me behind a two-way mirror because Jamaicans only see the surface and don't understand that I'm just as much a part of their heritage too and it is frustrating. While in America I'll just always be a black girl able to be a subject of racism, discrimination, and prejudice. 

[college-girl199328]

B.C. government projections that show housing starts declining fly in the face of Premier David Eby’s promise to build more housing for middle-class families, critics said Wednesday. But the province’s housing minister insists the projections contained in this week’s budget don’t reflect reality and that actual numbers are expected to be higher.

The province’s economic outlook projects 39,033 housing starts in 2023, a 16-per-cent dip from the 46,721 units completed last year. Housing starts are expected to drop even further in 2024 to 37,037.

B.C. Housing will also build fewer affordable homes — 3,000 in the next three years, compared to 3,900 last year.

“I think it shows a fundamental disconnect the government seems to have with housing in general (and) how the bulk of housing is actually created in terms of developers and private-sector involvement,” said B.C. Liberal finance critic Peter Milobar.

The budget earmarked $1 billion this year for housing, including $744 million in operating costs and $337 million in capital expenditures. The full housing plan, including B.C. Builds, won’t be released until later this spring.

Milobar said it is a clear example of the government spending more money to address a problem but without better results, and homebuyers, Milobar said, are facing some of the highest real estate prices in North America.

Housing Minister Ravi Kahlon told Postmedia the housing projections are just an estimate, and he is confident housing starts will be well above those figures.

The Ministry of Finance provided figures to show that in the last six years, completed housing units consistently outpaced projections. For 2022, the projections were for 38,000 units, but the actual units completed were 8,000 higher than that figure.

“We also know that interest rates are having some effects on projects,” Kahlon said. “I don’t think it will be a challenge. We will meet that projection and we’ll be above it.”

Kahlon said the government’s housing plan is “making up for lost time” after “decades of underinvestment.”

Andy Yan, the director of the City Program at Simon Fraser University, said lower housing projections underscore the fact that there are many factors in the private market — such as building costs, labour, and high-interest rates — that are outside the control of local or provincial governments.

Yan said the last 10 years have been a hot development climate with record housing starts, the peak being in 2021 with 47,607.

With just over three months since Eby became premier, Yan said it is too soon to judge whether his housing plan will add units where they are needed most. Yan compared it to taking a Polaroid picture and having to wait until the photo develops.

“There’s a lot of noise, but what’s the signal asked signal is many British Columbians are still facing ongoing challenges toward housing insecurity whether it’s the renter who is not sure whether they will have a place tomorrow to rent or the homeowner who’s struggling to meet their mortgage challenge in the (2024) election is which party is going to produce the signal to say that they can create a housing system that can help all British Columbians?”

The NDP government released its 30-point housing plan which included an ambitious promise to build 114,000 units over 10 years. Halfway through that plan, just over 10 percent of the units are actually built and occupied.

Before the budget, Eby promised a “refreshed” housing strategy, which is being worked on by Kahlon and former Victoria mayor Lisa Helps.

In a year-end interview with Postmedia in December, Eby admitted there is a backlog in government funding for affordable housing, and promised to get more money out the door to start construction of desperately needed subsidized units.

Eby was responding to criticism from some B.C. mayors who are frustrated the province is laying the blame on municipalities for being slow to build housing when shovel-ready projects are languishing because of a lack of funding from B.C. Housing.

The province’s Housing Supply Act will require municipalities to meet housing targets set by the province. Those that do not meet the target risk being overruled by the province, which will have the power to rezone neighbourhoods or approve density in certain areas.