#if there is any credit to be given i will humbly accept it. if there is any blame

[darkficsyouneveraskedfor]

No Time This Time 9

Warnings: this fic will include dark content such as noncon and other elements. My warnings are not exhaustive, enter at your own risk.

This is a dark!fic and explicit. 18+ only. Your media consumption is your own responsibility. Warnings have been given. DO NOT PROCEED if these matters upset you.

Summary: You prize order and practicality but your past, and newest client, throw your life into chaos. (older [~50s] reader)

Character: Tony Stark

Notes: Alright. Tony is growing on me but only because he’s a shit stirrer.

As per usual, I humbly request your thoughts! Reblogs are always appreciated and welcomed, not only do I see them easier but it lets other people see my work. I will do my best to answer all I can. I’m trying to get better at keeping up so thanks everyone for staying with me <3

Your feedback will help in this and future works (and WiPs, I haven’t forgotten those!)

Love you like Tony loves his own voice. Take care. 💖

"Please clear the week. Reschedule my meetings," you toss a pair of unworn sandals into your suitcase, your phone on the bed next to it.

"Yes, ma'am," Halton answers from the speaker.

"I did a quick sweep, there shouldn't be anything urgent. As it were, we will not be accepting any new clients until the end of the month."

He acquiesces again as you open a drawer and sift through, searching for a swimsuit. You can barely recall the last time you needed one.

"You can file it as paid vacation," you inform him.

"Thank you," he says, the smile obvious in his tone.

"Well, off you go. I don't want to hear from you again unless it's an emergency," you find a black bikini with the tags still on.

"Got it."

"Great, have a good day," you drop the suit in the bag and tap the screen, ending the call.

Almost as soon as the line is dead, another incoming call pops up. Your morning has been effectively avoiding the series of attempts from both Samia and your mother. You've set your voicemail and your automatic replies, you are out of office and soon to be out of the country.

It's as spontaneous as you've ever been. You're a planner. You don't just hop on the next plane out but that's exactly what you're doing. 

Your father was the same way. When he was practicing, he never took a vacation. And what did that get him? A heart attack. Several, actually. There will never be a better time to get away or a better reason.

No, you won't give Stark that much credit. It's not just him, it's you. You're old enough, you need to start doing things just for you.

Another call. Your mother has never been known as subtle. Or to take a hint. Sometimes even when you spell it out, she refuses to understand.

So be it. You need a moment to breathe before you relent. You need a second wind before you face the task that is your family and your past. More so, you need to be far from New York.

👜

You cannot claim to be unfamiliar with decadence. It is a privilege you treasure but never one you place as requisite. You can still admire luxury and you would define the resort as nothing less than.

Your room has a broad balcony that overlooks the Italian coast, the sun beats down on the sparkling sea, and illuminates the space, shadowing intricate patterns carved in wood. The decor speaks of an old world drawn into the present. Refined and elegant.

You wear a caftan down to the shore and claim your reserved seat among the row of vacationers. You strip off the sheer layer and rub in suncreen before reclining beneath the shade of a broad umbrella. You open your book and dive into the plot, forgetting the hot sands and the stolid air.

You're still not used to it. It's as if you're on a whole new planet. The first day saw you fighting not to check your phone or delve into your work email. You fought the urge to cling to routine and won. Your determination has ever been a talent.

After twelve, you have your first cocktail. A simple gin drink with lime. You let it seep in and ease you back into your fictional escape. An attendant brings you a fruit cocktail and some pastries not long after.

It's paradise and you value it dearly. You hadn't realised how sorely you need this. 

As you pack up, balmy and slightly sleepy from the sun, a speck flits across the sky. You look up but cannot place the phenomenon before it disappears. Your imagination must've been sparked by the mixture of heat and alcohol.

You return to your room and enjoy a dinner of handmade gnocchi and wine sauce. The more you indulge, the harder you know it will be to go back to the city. Your peace is underlined by a strand of wistfulness.

Several days trickle by in the same vein of lethargy. You have no appointments, no calls, no obligations besides the beach, a cocktail, and a book. It’s as if you are an entirely different person, as if you’ve taken on someone else’s life entirely. The stuffy overworked lawyer is still trapped in New York with her leeching family and arrogant clients.

A few too many mojitos have you sprawled on the sofa. The open balcony lets in the warm dusk breeze and lulls you deeper into drowsiness. The weight of the alcohol shrouds your body, sweeping you up in a swirling slumber that makes you dizzy.

The soft whisk of metal doors shut and you look over as a button clicks beneath the push of a finger. You follow the arm, the dark fabric of a tailored jacket, to the familiar face. You sneer and take a step back, the elevator tipping with your movement. You stumble and fall against the wall.

He laughs. A menacing laugh that echoes all around you and adds to the disorienting skew of your subconscious. You brace the metal rail against the wall and suddenly, you’re falling back, plummeting through open air.

Bright flashes of white appear above you as you flail helplessly. The laughter is muffled but deep. You’re scooped up in a hard metal embrace, the red and gold mask taunting you as you’re carried through the open sky.

The metal retracts and reveals your saviour. Not who you expect. It isn’t Tony but Carlisle, mocking you with that slanted grin you once thought was charming. He winks and lets you go, letting you fall like a stone through water.

You spin and face the looming ground, hurtling faster and faster towards you. You let out a shrill scream and jolt awake as it cuts through to reality. You’re out of breath as you sit up, nearly rolling off the couch as the sharp noise continues. It isn’t you, but your phone, shrieking at you.

You stagger to get to your feet. You shiver, still in only your bikini, and the phone goes silent. You search around the dim room, the sounds of the ocean crashing through the open doors.

Your cell lights up again and you snatch it from the wooden tabletop. You drag your finger across the screen, only vaguely reading the name on the display; Samia. You answer with a croak, holding back a hiccup.

“About time!” She sounds like your mother with her abrupt greeting, “I’ve been calling you all day. Don’t you understand it’s a fucking emergency?”

“Samia,” you say dully, bracing your forehead, “shhhhh,” you amble around and sit on the sofa, “why are you yelling?”

“Are you drunk?” She accuses.

“I’m on vacation–”

“Yes, we know, but not all of us just run away from our problems–”

You snort. Loud. You devolve into sardonic laughter and click your tongue loudly.

“Don’t lecture me on running away from responsibility, Sam, don’t,” you warn, “tell me what it is. Let’s cut out the rest.”

She gives a dramatic heave, “mom’s in the hospital.”

“What?” You sit forward.

“She fell. This morning. I… I was looking at venues, I couldn’t be there.”

“Fuck!” You exclaim without filter, “Samia… have you seen her?”

“Mmm, I really wanted to but Carlisle–”

“Oh,” you snarl, “Carlisle!” You growl as you ball your hand to a tight fist, “I’ll get a flight.”

“I’m going in the morning, I prom–”

You hang up and throw your phone onto the narrow table before you. You hang your head, cradling it as you fear it might split in two. Were you really stupid enough to think you could ever catch a break?

👜

The redeye has you back in the city by noon. You fall into the rush of the city naturally, hailing a cab and collecting yourself in the back seat. You tip the driver as he idles outside the hospital and you hop out, rolling suitcase in tow as you march through the front doors.

It takes another hour to be admitted to your mother’s room. You don’t expect a warm welcome. You’re not entirely sure what to expect as you enter her private room. The nurse informs you before she lets you in that your mother is awake. That must be good.

The entire space is decorated in bouquets of flowers. You didn’t know your mother would have that many wellwishers. You leave your bag by the door as you give a long consideration to the red roses nearest you.

“Finally, you decide to show up,” she yaps at you.

“Flights from Italy are not quick,” you reproach, “I came as quickly as I could.”

“You wouldn’t pick up the phone.”

You repress your frustration, “I left it in my room. I’m sorry, mother.”

“Selfish, as always.”

You swallow tightly. Selfish. You cut short your first vacation since your honeymoon to come make sure she was alright. Even after calling and being assured by the staff that it was luckily only a fall. She hadn’t even broken her hip.

“Lovely flowers,” you remark as you walk along the row of vases.

“Oh, isn’t it so pretty? Mr. Stark is so generous–”

“Stark?” You spin on your heel, “what do you mean?”

“Well, of course, he heard that my daughters were both absent and he had to be here. Samia is so busy so she called him just to be sure that I wasn’t alone.”

“She called him. Why would she do that?”

“Oh, he’s been most helpful with the wedding. He’s let her have his Tower for her party and he’s been helping with all sorts of details. He referred her to a wonderful designer for her dress, too. Ah, and he’s invited Carlisle to some tournament? I think, golf or the like–”

“That makes no sense,” you sniff, “why is Tony Stark… doing all that?”

“Perhaps he sees a lonely old woman who’s been neglected by her only children,” she bemoans.

You know you won’t get the answer from her. She’s drunk the fresh-ade. She is entirely swindled by the overpaid crook.

“So, where’s Samia, then? She told me she was coming this morning.”

“She’s on her way, I’m sure. The city, traffic.”

You could scream. You could break her hip yourself. She would excuse Samia for not making it across the city but would remand you for not magically teleporting from across the globe.

“Well, I’m not waiting on her. I think we have something to discuss.”

“Is it lunch? I am rather hungry and this hospital food, it does not agree with me,” she touches her stomach, “Mr. Stark was kind enough to come for dinner last night but I hate to trouble him further.”

“That can wait. Mother, we are hiring you a caregiver.”

“A caregiver? I am not helpless.”

“That isn’t what I’m saying. But it would bring peace of mind if you had someone around when me and Samia are not. It wouldn’t be forever but given your fall, you will need supervision.”

“Oh, so you can take time to go traipsing across the world but you can’t take any for me?”

You cross your arms and sigh. You stare at her blankly.

“It’s not an argument, it’s not a negotiation. It is how it will be. You are getting a nurse, at least until the physiotherapist clears you. That’s that.”

She scoffs, “ugh, you always did have the makings of a lawyer, you know that?”

“Thank you,” you retort harshly, “that’s the kindest thing you’ve ever said to me.”

“Oh, lord, what is up your behind? You’ve always been trite but you’ve never like this.”

“Mother, realise that you are not the only one with hardships, yes? I have to make sure you are well, which is what I am doing. I have attend the wedding of the husband who cheated on me, and I have to deal with the that is—” You stop yourself before you can say his name, “I have work. I have responsibilities and I hold to them. And it will never be enough.”

You wave her off and go back to the door, “I will order you lunch, we will eat it together, and we will hope that Samia for once comes through and shows up.”

You leave the room before you can combust. You stand in the hall, searching through your phone for somewhere nearby, or somewhere to order from. You fight to keep from shaking as you read the screen; get yourself together.

👜

Your vacation is a quickly fading memory as you fall back into the city life. You make several calls around in search of an appropriate homecare worker for your mother. Amid that, you return to office and work on your own to catch up. Halton is away but you’ll let him enjoy the last of his days off.

Between all that, you are faced with the daunting sight of an unexpected delivery. The clear glass box with the bouquet of pure white roses. It’s all very elaborate and exhausting. You flick back the silver clasp and lift the lid. Inside is a crystal rose on a golden stem, a date etched into the metal.

It’s an invite to your sister’s wedding and you are unsurprised by the tackiness of the overdone gesture. Beneath the ornament you would rather smash to bits, is a triarch that folds out to reveal the details and how to RSVP. You roll your eyes and blow out a breath.

A vineyard. Suiting. You replace the pieces in the box and leave the bouquet where it is. You type in the venue to Google. You nearly choke. Brick and Blossom Vino recently acquired by Stark Industries. How convenient.

It’s no coincidence. Stark has no business in wine or vineyard or event planning. It is not an advantageous deal, it is a direct statement. He may not be there in your face but he is haunting you nonetheless. Taunting you.

Let him waste his efforts. You will not be affected.

A knock comes at your office door. Another delivery. You sign and accepted the second bouquet. This one small and admittedly aesthetically pleasing. The small wooden box holds a cluster of pink tulips and baby’s breath. There’s a ribbon around it, attached to a simple card. It doesn’t really suggest Stark handiwork.

You take the envelope and unfold it. You smile as you see only the embossed bumps of braille within. Oh.

You take the card to your desk and grab your phone. You pull up Matt’s number and put him on speaker as you wait for an answer.

“Hey,” his voice comes amidst the honking of traffic and shuffle of the street.

“So, uh, how exactly am I supposed to read this card?”

“Ha, well, I could show you,” he offers, “if you’re free for dinner.”

“Hmm, well, I suppose I could clear my schedule,” you hum.

“Wow, really?”

“Sure,” you chew your lip and catch the unusual pinch, unclenching your teeth and clearing your throat, “I could use a drink.”

“Hopefully, this one doesn’t end up in some jerk’s face,” he chortles, “I’ll pick you up.”

[beautifulpersonpeach]

namjoon only reworked on face-off and like crazy. the subs for both the commentary and the live show were pretty atrocious and korean is extremely nuanced. plus jimin is probably one of the most humble members who has historically played off his own merit of work before. no one denies that namjoon helped or reworked lyrics, he's there in the credits for a reason. it's just astounding that ppl think he wrote everything when jimin released at least 4 different contents showing his own lyrics.

*

Ask 2: NAMJOON DID NOT WRITE LIKE CRAZY. What is so hard for you to get??? Fuck you armys acting like he wrote the whole album are you so desperate for clout because your fav is flopping???? Did he even write any lines? Jimin is too humble. He probably just credited Namjoon to be generous. Maybe he wrote one word or two but Jimin showed us his writing process FOUR TIMES you stupid bitch!!! You hagmys keep trying to discredit Jimin. You steal every credit from him and give it to that flopmonster who has to BEG armys to stream his flop music! Jimin did that ogre a favor and instead of you to be grateful you discredit him and give it to RfloppingM like he has any influence on Jimin’s work. You’re worse than shit. With fans like you Jimin doesn’t need enemies. Leave Jimin ALONE.

***

I’ll be getting back to fun asks soon but the volume of asks like this (and worse) that I’ve received since Jimin’s documentary is astounding lmao. It’s as though there’s an epidemic of lack of critical thought that just begs me to clear up. Especially because in this case, the source of confusion: Jimin’s live and the takeaway, is very clear cut and the fact people are struggling with what should be basic, is a damning indication of where too many are headed in this fandom.

Hi Anon in ask 1,

Lol it’s clear you can’t be someone who reads my blog, because if you were you’d know how ironic it is to tell me “Korean is extremely nuanced” given who I am and where I am this very minute lmao. Also, the second posted ask is here for your benefit, given your comment of “no one denies Namjoon helped…”

That said, your ask is a very good mild example of how some people struggle with processing information that contradicts their own views, and care more about signals/actions/words of other akgaes than the reality right in front of them. It’s like that ask I got right after the contract renewals were announced when someone claimed that ‘BTS only renewed group contracts, solo contracts renewals will come later’ despite all of us being privy to the same press release where HYBE announced the renewals… just because that person could not accept that BTS (specifically Jimin) had renewed both group and solo contracts with BigHit.

For some people, unless every single thing is spelled out for them, and even when the piece of referenced media is extremely clear cut, they fill in the gaps with their insecurities to arrive at a conclusion that’s more palatable to their own views. And that’s what you’re showing in this case. I’ll explain what I mean.

The context for your ask is Jimin’s Wlive commentary mentioning how Namjoon stopped by, how Jimin and the pd-nims played the tracklist for him expecting a clap on the back, and instead what they got is Namjoon telling them to go back to the drawing board. Yes the subtitles on Wlive can sometimes be overly simplified, but what both Jimin and Namjoon said, in the Wlive and documentary itself respectively, was itself pretty simple too. Like, what you’ve read is what they actually said. Various ARMYs pointed out Jimin’s reaction to that scene, how he laughed at the shocked and flustered reaction from the production team to Namjoon’s advice to revise it all. That’s the context.

Here’s how akgaes responded:

Pre-emptively claiming it was a mistranslation (it’s not).

Then when faced with the reality that they’d overreacted, claimed ARMYs were saying Namjoon wrote the whole album. Which of course is bonkers and saying this simply because ARMYs mention Jimin and Joon’s words is more an expression of their own insecurity. The only people who could (even in theory) reach that conclusion, are akgaes. Either akgaes for Jimin and Namjoon.

Played up tropes many PJMs are already insecure about which include Jimin being “too humble”, so that Jimin’s comments about Namjoon’s contribution to the album (which we now all know is not a mistranslation), is in part due to Jimin underselling himself.

All three things is what you’ve shown in your ask, despite it being divorced from the reality we all saw.

What Joon actually talked about is how the basis for writing lyrics is the narrative you want to build, which is something that should flow through the whole song and album, and that they’d need to rework it to show this.

Like, again, there is literally no reason this very simple, accessible piece of media should be causing so much grief lmao.

The only reason there’s so much uproar over it is because some very insecure people have hinged their egos on the idea that their chosen idol is infallible and cannot possibly need significant support from members they consider to be below him and his competition. So naturally, they absolutely cannot accept when the members they’ve pitted against Jimin as competition, offer him critical and helpful advise that revamped and improved on the work he did; it pisses them off when ARMYs note it and draw attention to it; and now, given Jimin’s added insight of Namjoon’s critical assessment of the first draft, now they know that when they praise Like Crazy, they are also essentially praising Namjoon’s work, and so they actively look to diminish it.

When the sane response to all this is that it can both be true that Jimin primarily wrote his album, Namjoon contributed not just in writing (based on the credits he has for Like Crazy and Face-off), but also in refining the lyrical message for the project (which he’s not credited for but is now clear after watching the documentary), and that nothing about these facts removed from the quality of work either member put into Jimin’s debut album. FACE is ultimately a culmination of Jimin’s vision, Jimin’s efforts, and Jimin’s talent.

My god, all of this would be obvious if the toxic, mind-rotting disease of intra-fandom competition hadn’t fully infected so many people in Chapter 2. Like, see all I wrote, way too many words, to state yet again something that should be painfully, almost tragically, obvious. All akgae rhetoric has succeeded in doing is dumbing down the quality of conversations we have in fandom spaces, and given how that already was something of a problem within some ARMY pockets, the state of affairs now since the akgae disease caught on presents a pretty grim prognosis.

Anon in ask 1, you might not think you’re an akgae and perhaps you’d struggle to identify yourself with the anon in ask 2, but the underlying assumptions in your ask are identical. And my unsolicited comment is that really should give you pause more than anything else.

Stream Like Crazy for healthy cuticles.

[deliriumsdelight7]

12. How does receiving or not receiving feedback/support impact you?

18. Do you title your fics before, during, or after the writing process? How do you come up with titles?

26. Which of your fics would you call your wildest ride?

54. What’s your favorite part about the fanfiction writing process?

Thank you for the asks, my friend!

12.) Receiving feedback/support is everything. There’s nothing more humbling and gratifying than knowing when I’ve touched someone’s heart using the itch in the back of my brain that I scratch by putting it to words. I’ve had comments that changed the entire course of the story because someone picked up on something I didn’t. I hate that I’m not the best at responding to comments, because I read and appreciate each and every one. But alas, I am a gremlin with low self-esteem, and my reflex to getting a compliment is to explain why it’s wrong. I’m trying to do better, to accept them when they’re given, but sometimes that means waiting a month or two and responding briefly.

Not receiving feedback… okay. I know that there’s this whole discourse between “writers are not entitled to engagement” versus “readers are not entitled to the free labor of writers.” I can see both sides. Needless to say, I am biased towards the side of the writers. But all this talk about “not entitled to” is just going to result in everyone stubbornly refusing to do a thing for another. I have to believe fandom is better than that.

I tend to think of writing fic as having guests over for dinner. The host spends hours of time and effort organizing the event, getting the house ready, cooking a meal and serving it. It is, in my opinion, rude to willingly partake in that without offering so much as a thank you in return. That thank you can come in the form of a like, a kudo, a single emoji, a reblog. Just something to say “I appreciate the time and effort you put into this.”

Ultimately, fandom is an ecosystem. Take any part of it out - the writers, the artists, the event organizers, the people who send out prompts and headcanons, and yes, the audience - and the whole thing falls apart.

18.) Nine times out of ten, I’m frantically trying to come up with a title as I’m posting the fic. All of my fic titles are song lyrics or titles that kinda sorta vaguely maybe vibe with my story.

26.) Wildest ride? I guess that would be Jupiter’s Waters, which is just a retelling of Heavy Rain using different characters. So I can’t really take credit for that. But if watching a father torture himself to save his son from a serial killer isn’t wild, I don’t know what is.

54.) The moment of inspiration on a fic I’ve been stuck on for weeks/months. It’s like feeling your tires finally snag some traction after spinning in the mud for ages. Usually it comes after I put a story down and work on something else. It never really feels like a new idea, per se. More like a puzzle piece I’d been looking for, that finally turned up between the couch cushions. It’s less a “eureka” moment than a “there you are! Where have you been?” moment.

[bakingtherapy]

 Briella’s Winterfest Baking 24: Gingerbread People

Sul Sul, Gerbits. We are going to be making yet another Rosanna Pansinno recipe. It kinda is a given that I am using a lot of her recipes because in my humble opinion were my two major Winterfest gifts. Also, everyone in my family knows that if I like a particular cookbook, I am going to use it A LOT. 

So today we are going to be making her Gingerbread Men or people because for whatever reason I could not find my Gingerbread man cookie cutter. I found two other sims like cookie cutters, which were a ginger lady and a dough-boy. Even though I knew that we did, in fact, own a Gingerman cutter.

For this recipe, you are going to need:

flour

baking soda

ground cinnamon

ginger

cloves

nutmeg

salt

Butter or margarine

Brown sugar (light or dark) the only difference is going to be in the color, there is no taste difference

1 egg

molasses

red hot candies or chocolate-covered candies. 

This is the best icing that I have ever made using this recipe. You will need egg whites, Powdered sugar, cream of tartar, honey (omit if you don’t have it on hand, just use vanilla) salt, and vanilla extract. 

In a medium-sized bowl, you are going to whisk together your dry ingredients. Which consists of flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, and salt.

In a larger bowl, you are going to beat the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy with an electric mixer, for about 3 to 5 minutes.

You are going to mix in the egg and molasses.

On low speed with your mixer, you are going to mix in half of the flour mixture. Then you are going to repeat this until it is all combined.

Gerbits, the next thing you are going to do is shape the dough into a disk and wrap it in plastic wrap. Refrigerate it for 3 hours. For this, it helps if you shape the dough into sections. It is easier to work with, this way.

With the power of Simstube magic, we have some dough already chilled. You are going to preheat the oven now, to 350 degrees. Line 2 of your cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Lightly flour your countertop or kitchen table, or wherever you are going to be working with the dough. Roll out the dough to about ¼ inch thickness. Cut out the gingerbread men with the cookie cutters, placing them 1 inch apart.

The recipe says to freeze the cookies until they are firm. However, I did not do this step because I left them to sit overnight. And they were still kind of cold when I put them in the oven. But according to the recipe, you are going to freeze them for about 15 minutes.

Again, the recipe says to bake them for 10 minutes, or until they are firm to the touch. However, I started baking them at 8 minutes. Adding time is always acceptable because you can not take away time. 

While the cookies are still warm, you can press the candies in the center of cookies for buttons.

Let the cookies cool for about 2 minutes on the baking sheets. Then you are going to transfer them to a cooling rack so that they can cool completely. 

As the cookies are cooling you can make the icing. In a medium bowl, you are going to beat the whites, powdered sugar, and cream of tartar with an electric mixer for 5 to 6 minutes.

Next, you are going to beat in the honey, salt, and vanilla until it is smooth, which will take about 1 minute. 

Now is the fun part. Consuela came into the kitchen and helped me make some beautiful and unique gingerbread people. Some could say that these gingerbread people are out of this world and no I am not talking about Sixam. I am talking about another outer world, that no sim has explored…yet.

I don’t want to take any credit for this recipe. This recipe is from the Baking all-year-round cookbook by Rosanna Pansinno. She is an amazing baker, and if it wasn’t for her then I wouldn’t have started baking. I hope you gerbits liked this recipe. See you next time! Vadish, Dag Dag!

Show the original author some 💖💖💖Rosanna Pansino's Baking All Year Round

Printable version of this recipe: on the blog

Feel free to support me on:

Patreon / Kofi / Facebook / Pinterest

[joaniscruzing]

tombs and trolls : scene 1

HEYYYY YOU GUYS!!!! quick disclaimer before you start reading. this is a LONGGGG project, so please don't expect quick updates. I have like three scenes done, and it usually takes a few weeks to grind these out. I'll be happy to take requests for these (although, smut will not be accepted) and see any fan content on this. I can also post picrews/backstories to all the characters if you'd like.

comment to be added to the taglist! all support is appreciated.

also, credit to @beep-boop-01, my best friend, to working on this with me. this wouldn't have been possible without him so like thanks pookie <3

NARRATOR: (walks on stage) Ladies, Gentlemen, and the random bee that will torment the audience for the majority of this show, welcome to my universe. (the lights will focus on each character as they’re mentioned) Today, we follow the literal face of chaos (JAMES looks up and waves, not a single thought behind his eyes), a troubled princess (MARION does a small but humble curtsy), the “heartthrob” (QUINN winks and points finger guns at the audience)(beat) Okay, don’t ask me, I was given ten dollars to say that. Next we have your average cottagecore girlie (MYLAH twirls around, smiling), a chaotic fighter (CARRAN starts to walk forward but trips and stays where they are) , and a clueless victorian child.

OLLIE: (offended, putting her hands on her hips) Huh?

NARRATOR: Did I stutter? Now don't interrupt me, I’m in the middle of the best monologue you’ll ever hear. Anyway, before THIS one interrupted me, I was going to say… wait, what WAS I going to say?

QUINN: You were going to talk about how EVERYONE in this group thinks I’m the HOTTEST one here.

NARRATOR: I will NOT be falling for that again. Anyway, these few, uhm, very, INTERESTING individuals, are on a mission to find the coveted enchanted necklace of spotify.

MARION: I’m telling all of you peasants, THIS is the way to go!

OLLIE: (While the conversation continues, OLLIE exits the line of adventurers and starts picking flowers behind the group to make a bouquet)

CARRAN: (shaking their hands mockingly) OHHHH, of COURSE little miss princess always knows best!

MARION: YOU think you know better?

JAMES: (Raising his finder nerdily)  Um, actually 🤓

EVERYONE (excluding JAMES and NARRATOR): SHUT UP JAMES!

NARRATOR: Wow, it’s like I'm not even here. (they walk around the stage in between the people as they continue arguing [as the next lines are being said]. The narrator exits the stage after they walk around each person)

OLLIE: (completely clueless) You guys, look what I made! (she happily shows her creation)

QUINN: Oh, for me? Thanks, sugar 😉

MYLAH: (grabs the flowers) let me see those. (she examines the flowers and gasps) Ollie, this is a very rare spider lily! Not a lot of these grow! You can’t just pick them!

OLLIE: I'm sorry 👉🏼👈🏼

MYLAH: (sighs) I forgive you. I understand that not everyone has the same knowledge as me when it comes to flowers. (she gives the bouquet back to OLLIE)

NARRATOR: (off stage) What if that flower was poisonous?

OLLIE: (screams and drops the flowers)

NARRATOR: (chuckles) Wow, you guys will really fall for anything.

OLLIE: (comically furious) You’re actually so annoying. I hope you fall in a ditch somewhere in the middle of night and accidentally EAT a poisonous flower-

JAMES: Okay, okay, why don’t we calm down a wee bit? (he pulls Ollie in for a hug and pats her on the head)

MARION: (annoyed and disgusted) Okay, while you two... LOVEBIRDS do your thing, we have something much more important on our hands. We NEED to have a plan on how we’re going to look for the enchanted necklace of spotify.

CARRAN: Marion, you’re always SO desperate to get things done. Why can’t you sit back, and just… enjoy the environment around you?

MYLAH: I second that.

QUINN: (looking around) I do suppose it’s very pretty here. But not as pretty as you. (they turn around and wink at MYLAH)

MYLAH: (Trying to hide her flustration) Oh, won’t you stop. (She swats her hand playfully)

MARION: Can everybody stop flirting with each other for one minute!?

CARRAN: (Proudly) I wasn’t flirting.

MARION: We all know why, Carran. You’re not confident enough to flirt.

CARRAN: (registers the insult, but doesn’t respond verbally)

JAMES: (Now out of the hug with Ollie) Do any you have a map? Ollie and I want to know how close we are to a flower shop.

MARION: I do!

MYLAH: Can I see it?

(MARION unrolls the map and holds it out. CARRAN jumps in and cuts the map into two with their sword.)

MARION: What was that for?

CARRAN: Do we REALLY need a map? Why can’t the adventure guide us instead?

MARION: You are insufferable.

OLLIE: How are we going to navigate this without a map? What if we get lost? Or get eaten? Or poisoned? Or lost? Wait, I already said lost. (she puts her head in her hands, continuing to fret)

MAROIN: (rolling her eyes) See what you did? (she quickly pulls out her wand and the map is fixed immediately)

CARRAN: Well, you fixed it.

MYLAH: How about we try to be safer, Carran?

CARRAN: (after taking a bit to think about it) Perchance.

MARION: (rolls her eyes) Alright, here’s the map. What path are we thinking?

JAMES: (pointing to a spot on the map) We should take this one because there’s a flower shop along it.

OLLIE: YES! LET’S DO THAT ONE!

MARION: No, we can’t take that route! That’s the long way! We don’t have enough time to take it! We need to take THIS one!

CARRAN: And cross right through that troll patch? No thank you!

MARION: So what do you propose we do? Take the long way and find that someone has already taken the necklace? If people know that we’re out looking for it, they’ll start looking for it too.

CARRAN: We could just… not mention the necklace to anybody other than ourselves?

MARION: (facepalms) Carran, how STUPID can you be to think that we’re the only people that actually know about the necklace? Also, what kind of fighter are you that you’re afraid of trolls?

CARRAN: What kind of sorcerer are YOU that you don’t cast a spell on all of us to just do whatever you say?

MARION: My magic teachers didn’t exactly teach me how to do that.

MYLAH: Okay, may I interject this? Why don’t we break up into teams of two? We could cover more ground that way. I’ll go with Quinn.

OLLIE: And I’ll go with James!

JAMES: Yeah!

CARRAN: I am NOT pairing up with Marion!

MARION: And there’s NO WAY I’m pairing with Carran!

MYLAH: Well that’s just too bad. Everybody else is paired with. You’ll have to deal with it 😗

MARION: Ugh!

CARRAN: (mumbling) I can’t believe I’m teamed with Marion, out of all people 🙄

QUINN: Well, I’M just SO flattered that Mylah chose me. No offense to you guys. You guys just don’t get me the way Mylah does.

MYLAH: All I did was compliment your hair and you then haven’t left my side.

QUINN: Well, I’m not seeing you complaining. (They put their arm around MYLAH’S shoulder.)

MARION: So now that all of you guys are just GUSHING about how much you love your partners while I’m left with this one, (she points at CARRAN, who mouths “bite me” to MARION,) can we PLEASE figure out which way we’re all going to go?

OLLIE: (Raising her hand immediately and jumping) I want to go the flower way!

JAMES: (Looks at her and smiles, nodding along with her.)

QUINN: Mylah, what are your thoughts on going down the path with the river? 

MYLAH: (surprised) How did you know that rivers are my favorite type of nature to walk by?

QUINN: (looking at MYLAH straight in the eyes) Just a hunch.

MYLAH: Are you always like this?

QUINN: I can be HOWEVER you want me to be 😉

Mylah: (Squirms out of flustration)

MARION: Well, it looks like we’re left with the forest.

CARRAN: Can’t we just go to the tomb?

MARION: And how are we going to get to the tomb? Magic?

CARRAN: You’re a horrible sorceress.

MARION: Are you going to keep complaining or are you going to listen and follow my plan?

CARRAN: Well, will you shut up if I do what you say?

MARION: Fine!

CARRAN: Fine!

(Both exit the stage annoyedly)

QUINN: (Their arm still around MYLAH’s shoulder) Why don’t we go to the rivers now?

MYLAH: Sure!

(QUINN and MYLAH exit the stage)

JAMES: To the flower shop?

OLLIE: To the flower shop!

(They hold hands and skip, exiting the stage. The curtain closes)

hey! you're still reading!

did you like it?

and out of curiosity, who was your favorite character? favorite part so far?

[crossovershipstournament]

SIDE 1D: ROUND 1: Applejack (My Little Pony)/Hol Horse (Jojo's Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders) VS Jake Long (American Dragon: Jake Long)/Juniper Lee (The Life and Times of Juniper Lee)

Propaganda for Applejack/Hol Horse:

I humbly submit my crossover pairing: Hol Horse from Jojo's Bizarre Adventure and Applejack from My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic! I've been shipping it for years now as I immensely love both series, but it initially started as a light musing gag: "What if a cowboy fell in love with a cowpony?" Hol Horse stuck out in my mind because on the surface they're polar opposites: Applejack is brave, honest and hardworking while Hol Horse is cowardly, dishonest and lazy. But diggin further... If you're not aware, Stardust Crusaders (the Jojo part Hol Horse appears in) has most of the Stands/powers themed around Major Arcana tarot cards, his Stand being called the Emperor. Upright, it represents paternal leadership. Reversed, it represents instability and stubbornness; what he first appears to be, having a strong philosophy in being #2 and refusing to fight without a partner otherwise. He almost joins the heroes/ the Crusaders twice- but backs out due to his overwhelming fear of DIO. Though not without leaving the group with a bit of advice regarding their enemies. But it's around the fight where he partners up with Boingo (a child who wields the Stand call Thoth- named after the Egyptian god of writing; a manga that predicts the future) where we see more of the gentler side behind the jerk facade. He makes sure Boingo is near him at all times, gave him a coin purse in case got lost, and a cute little detail noticed upon re-readings/ rewatches: Hol Horse never says any swear word stronger than "damn" or "hell" around Boingo. (He used to be a smoker as well but cut the habit) In a spin-off manga, a flashback showed he ran away with Boingo without a second thought when the final battle happened. Halting Hol Horse's analysis let's move on to Applejack. Applejack values honesty, but above that it could be argued she values her family even more. Given she lost her folks at a young age, she's had the farm as her main objective. (When given the opportunity to attend a gala, she sees it more as a means to earn money for her family.) Holding responsibilities in the highest regard, near the point where it hurts her at times- it takes a lot of coaxing to get her to even accept the smallest bit of help, given her sense of pride in being independent for so long. In her little sister Applebloom's words: "Applejack keeps us all organized and does her part on top of that!" It's even noted by Pinkie Pie that she has a tendency to bottle negative emotions/ "crying on the inside." I feel like they would compliment each other nicely in terms of growth- Hol Horse softens up a bit on being a tryhard to compensate for his lack of self confidence and Applejack shoulders less responsibility without guilt. TL;DR Yeehaw Horse Romance

Also the art in the bracket image shown here~!

Propaganda for Jake Long/Juniper Lee:

No propaganda submitted :(

Art Credit:

Applejack/Hol Horse art by @/thetalkingwave Jake/Juniper art by @/kannra-orhara

[logdogblog]

On the topic of PRIDE.

Pride can be defined as a feeling of deep pleasure or satisfaction derived from one’s own achievements, the achievements of those with whom one is closely associated, or from qualities or possessions that are widely admired. (Oxford Languages)

This topic is a tricky one because feeling good about one’s accomplishments in itself isn’t inherently a bad thing, in my opinion. Yet when that feeling is inflated by ego, then that is something else to contend with.

We want to be satisfied with our achievements because we work hard. However, our achievements simply cannot be given us full credit to us because a lot goes into reaching a goal. That may include a team of others, including the presence of unseen God.

Everyone may not subscribe to this belief or experience but the idea still stands that no one purely accomplishes anything entirely on one's own.

Too much of anything, or anything not in moderation can spoil a good thing. And for instance too much or excessive pride can lead way to vanity or conceit.

Mental health implications of pride, on one hand, can sometimes boost self-esteem. However, too much pride can also lead to anxiety, depression, or stress when one feels the need to maintain an image of superiority.

Thankfully, there are many various ways to fight becoming too proud!

1. AWARENESS/SELF-AWARENESS

“What am I doing/saying? How is this affecting others?”

2. HUMILITY/BEING HUMBLE

“I am not better than the next person for any reason.”

3. APOLOGIZING/TAKING RESPONSIBILITY or ACCOUNTABILITY

“I accept that I am responsible for my actions. I did not accomplish everything by myself.”

4. PRAYER

“I recognize there is a Higher Power.”

5. LISTENING

“I am slow to speak, quick to listen, and slow to anger.”

6. BEING OPEN-MINDED

“I am open to learning others’ life experiences.”

7. NO SELF-COMPARISON

“My path in life is unique.”

8. EMBRACING CHALLENGES

“Facing difficulties helps me develop my character.”

9. BEING GRATEFUL

“I am thankful.”

10. LEARNING FROM CRITICISM

“I am not perfect; I make mistakes and I grow from them.”

In closing, having PRIDE in itself isn’t bad. Though when in excess or not in moderation, it can lead to a distorted self-image.

Think like a cook; we season our food. But when we use too much, the flavor may be too strong or spoil the dish!

1 JOHN 2:15-17

“Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life— is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.”

~logdogblog mental-health creative-content curator

[dex-starr]

Honestly even though I did meet you on here all of that feels like a life I lived a long time ago. Maybe it’s better that way, I don’t have to deal with losing a dear friend and can accept it better. My problem is that I cared far more than what was given to me, or that our values on that simply did not align. Our values on therapy did not align for sure. It’s not a comparison competition because what you dealt with was tough and honestly I don’t know how you could deal with that without putting faith in me. But I do say that I made the effort to be vulnerable and receptive during my journey. It’s tough to deal with and it’s tough to hear about things you’re potentially doing that aren’t so great. But it also opens your eyes to a lot of nuance in situations that do happen.

The best thing that came of this is I’m achieving some sort of piece with my AuDHD without stims. Once I get stims I’ll be able to function better. I know I’m desirable and I’m great and I just felt like I wasn’t for so long. It wasn’t because you changed any of that — even though you wanted to claim that credit. I always knew that. But I always sold myself short of it because I wanted to remain humble. I can remain humble without selling myself short. I’m just being me — the me that I’ve always been. If people can’t love and stay with that then I shouldn’t be around them and they are welcome to go. But I will always be kind and considerate of their needs and wants regardless. I just also want to be true to myself and my values too.

[journeytome44]

This was me.

I would barely eat. If I didn’t run or tan everyday I would go through intense self loathing and shame. I would act like I was better than everyone because to be honest, it was the ONLY thing that kept me going. I was running on fumes.

I would obsess over my ex and why I wasn’t good enough (in my mind) for him to want to be with me, blocking out any good men from having any real access to me.

If I’m really thin, then I’ll be good enough.

If I’m pretty and feminine , then I’ll be good enough.

If I act like I’m better than everyone then I HAVE to be good enough right???

I can see the pain in my eyes. The longing I had to be loved and accepted when ironically, I was blocking out anything and anyone that wanted to give that to me.

I’d work SO hard to feel good enough that at night I’d sit in front of the mirror, hugging myself just asking why I’m not loveable.

That still makes me tear up to this day…

I always thought that this girl would be so disgusted with the woman that I am today but when I really think about it, maybe she’d be proud. I have so much more healing to do but the fact that I could stop the self punishment in order to look a certain way is really such a big step that I don’t give myself credit for enough.

I’m not naturally thin, I get reaaallllly pale, I have Bell’s palsy that’s healing, I’m getting so much work done on my teeth to fix the damage I’ve caused myself over the years… it’s a lot! But I’m here. And I’m here a little less bitter, a lot more humble and much more aware.

Take time to appreciate every moment of this life you were given. She deserves so much love that she didn’t allow herself to feel.

[somewhatjade]

#personal

i’ve been here before

feeling rejected by those who are supposed to love me most

falling into someone who likes what i do for them and not for who i am

i wanna let go of the idea of love all together and accept i’ve wasn’t built to endure it, nor do i deserve the rewards it holds

never enough - maybe for a moment i’ll fill the gap between you and respect you wish you had for yourself. in the end there won’t be any left for either of us.

queue the sad violin and credits, i’ve given all i have. every last idea, thought, request, act of service, reassurance and tear…none of them were enough to get you to understand that i tried.

i am humbled by the idiot you’ve made me out to be. in your eyes and mine, a true fool.

abuse abuse abuse! they love to abuse her. she is a victim of her own aloof desire. hit her, spit on her, lie to her, use her!! she is so nice and caring and holds many maternal traits that you craved as a child. you envy her because she is the vessel for life which is more than you’ll ever be..you’ll suck every last fantasy she had for a family of her own out of her heart until it is a vapor. you are a leach of your own desire. i’ll never know a love that doesn’t come at the cost of my heart crumbling into a million pieces.

fuck fuck fuck! my body is telling me no, my body is telling me to go. my body seems to just know - who i am supposed to be, and where i am supposed to be..when you push me into a space where i can not comfortably exist, i scream for my release into a world where i can laugh and cry and hold onto someone who holds me back.

when will love be easy? when will a love without pain exist in my reality.

[postie974]

#🟦

“For it is by grace [YAH’S remarkable compassion and favor drawing you to The Messiah] that you have been saved [actually delivered from judgment and given eternal life] through faith. And this [salvation] is not of yourselves [not through your own effort], but it is the [undeserved, gracious] gift of YAH; not as a result of [your] works [nor your attempts to keep the Law], so that no one will [be able to] boast or take credit in any way [for his salvation].”

‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭2‬:‭8‬-‭9‬

‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

HalleluYAH 🙌

REMAIN HUMBLE

YAH BARAK ATAH! 🙏

TRUST IN YAH ALWAYS!

BE READY AT ANY MOMENT

•

•

Accept Yahusha (The Word) as your MESSIAH & SAVIOUR, confess & repent from your sins believing in Him accepting His gift of Salvation. You WILL be saved through grace by faith in HIM!

•

I AM The Way👆

The Truth 🙏

And The Life 🙌

I AM... THE WORD 📖

•

SINNERS PRAYER

Yahweh,

I know that I have broken Your laws and my sins have separated me from You. I am truly sorry, I now want to turn away from my past sinful life and repent. Forgive me, and help me avoid sinning again. I believe that Your Son, Yahusha died for my sins, was resurrected from the dead, is alive, and hears my prayer. I invite Yahusha to become the RULER of my life, to rule and reign in my heart from this day forward. Send your Ruach haKodesh to help me obey You, doing Your will for the rest of my life. In Yahusha’s Name Amen.

The TRUE Hebrew names of our MESSIAH, ALAHIM and SAVIOUR

•

ALAHIM aka I AM aka YAH aka God

YHWH aka YAHWEH aka Heavenly Father

THE WORD aka YAHUSHA haMASHIACH aka THE MESSIAH aka Jesus

RUACH haKODESH aka HOLY SPIRIT

— Brother Mark —

•

#creation #love #fourteeners #natsarim #theearlychurch #faith #mercy #grace #christian #worshipyah #trustinyah #yahisgod #praiseyah #luni_solar_sabbath #metonic_cycle #creationcalendar #trinity #halleluyah #ruachhakodesh #ruachofyah #yhwh#yahweh #alahim #yah #theword #yahusha #saviour #savedbyyahusha #discipleofyahusha

[nightacquainted]

Vincent took a slice of pizza, watching how Tracey held it, since this was his first time encountering the food. It smelled good... savory and doughy. A much better scent than whatever herbs Tracey was smoking, most definitely. He took a small bite, which for him was a normal-sized bite for any given person. Liking it, he then went all it, and easily bit off half the slice in one mouthful without looking the least bit like he was distressed in any way.

As he chewed, he listened to Tracey talk about the Beauty and the beast fairytale, and why the ending perturbed her so much. He was quiet and attentive, even if his pupils were dilated and his he kept pausing in his chewing to sniff. When she'd finished, Vincent mulled over what she'd said for a minute or so before responding.

"I've never thought about that particular story in that way before," Vincent admitted, truly intrigued by what Tracey had said. "Perhaps it does seem to contradict the message of the tale... that beauty is superficial, and the heart what truly matters. Or... that love sees beyond skin deep vanities."

He thought a moment longer. "But perhaps the message does not stop at that sentiment alone. What if the true message was that the Beast had more to offer than anyone was willing to credit him for, because they were unwilling to look past his frightening visage, and only placing him in that situation, under the curse, could force him to realize those virtues he possessed? Maybe the only way those virtues would ever emerge was if the beauty he prided himself on was stripped away, and he was forced to rely on other, deeper parts of himself?"

His mind was still going, though. He took another bite, this time reaching up to the crust, his gaze losing even more of its focus as he lost himself in the analysis. "An from her point of view, perhaps the message is that it is commendable or admirable for her to be able to see past ugliness through to the soul underneath, and that those deeper qualities were more important to her than beauty. Maybe there is something to be said about the juxtaposition of someone so very beautiful herself not placing any real importance on beauty at all? She was willing to be with someone ugly, because she loved the Beast for who he was on the inside, but the message of the story could be that... her reward for that sincerity is that she does not have to."

Hmm... no... something still didn't seem to fit. It made little sense to "reward" Belle by fixing a problem that was never there to begin with. She didn't have a problem with the Beast's appearance and had accepted him for who he was, so what sense did it make to then change him back at all? Wouldn't a better moral of the story be that there was no grand fix or reset back to-

Ah, that was it! His eyes went wide. "No. Wait. I know why it does not fit." He grabbed Tracey's arm with all the urgency of a detective having finally figured out who the murderer was. "She was never the focus of this story, he was. The reward was not hers, but rather it was his. She was not rewarded with a prince, he was rewarded for changing, for letting those virtues once masked by vanity and arrogance come through, for being humbled, and for placing the life of another above his own. He was given back his beauty as a reward for coming to understand why it is not and should not be the most important thing in his life."

With that, Vincent looked to Tracey, wondering if she agreed with anything he just said... and if any of it actually made any sense. He began to gnaw on the pizza crust on the side of his mouth, as a cat might gnaw on a piece of raw meat, his feline-like cheeks scrunching and curling back as his sharp teeth went to work, ripping the dough.

(LOL, for the funny!) Tracey hesitated when she saw the jar Vincent was investigating. "You might not want that one," she said. "I... That's catnip. It's a sedative, but... you know, I have no idea if it's safe for you."

Maybe it was. Maybe the suspicions she had about his biology were completely unfounded, and it would just be a nice cuppa for the man.

Or maybe it wasn't, and bad things would happen.

Perhaps it was unwise for Vincent to be snooping around in Tracey's kitchen, but... she didn't seem to mind. She had various spices and things, and he had gotten curious, opening one jar and sniffing the contents. It smelled... curiously good.

"It does not smell like a sedative," Vincent said, taking another sniff. It tingled in his nose and made him feel... a little more aware than he was a second ago. A little more jittery. "Are you certain?" he asked, because it was not the effect he might have expected from something labeled as a sedative...

[lanaespot]

Success: An Introspective Look

Written on January 3, 2023

Success.

It’s a small, seven-lettered word that should seem insignificant amongst the vast catalog that is the dictionary. However, the word success holds a lot more importance for many people on this Earth than any other.

When we hear the word success, we all have different ideas—visions, even—on what it is. For some, it is the cozy feel of a humble American Dream home, a wonderful spouse, and three little bundles of joy wreaking havoc around the house. For others, it is a modest apartment life in a great location, working a job they love with their three cats. For an even bolder crew, it’s signing a 1 Million Dollar lease to the perfect Parisian Modern penthouse and partying on a big-ass yacht. And for me, it’s drinking cranberry juice because I can’t legally have wine yet and living my best life out of pure spite for humanity.

But there is the occasional day when we may ask ourselves this: why? Why has this word wrought this emotionally-driven phenomenon? Why do we have such an idea of success?

Because, as Mark Manson puts it in his famous book Everything Is F*cked: A Book About Hope, we humans are afraid of “The Uncomfortable Truth”—the idea that if we don’t have hope for said success, then we, in truth, have nothing to live for. It’s an idea implanted firmly in the back of our minds, and some choose to embrace it while others hardcore deny it.

So then, how does one be successful? Yes, I’m almost fresh out of high school and near entering college (out of the frying pan and into the fire), but with the number of times life has tried to bulldoze me, I surely have enough credit to be remotely successful.

It isn’t just a simple 1-2-3 recipe, or a nice morning stroll down the street to that local coffee shop. The truth is that life is hard. And it never gets easier. However, you can make it easier for yourself. And no, I don’t mean hop on Indeed or Glassdoor and find a couple more jobs.

No Sense In Crying Over Spilled Milk

You’ve probably heard that phrase a lot and had no idea who it was directed at. I mean, who, other than babies or toddlers, cries over spilled milk? But beyond that, you’ve probably heard the phrase “Perseverance is Key” a hell of a lot too.

And just like before, you’re hearing it again.

Perseverance isn’t just key. It’s a part of life itself. It’s the special line in the sand between being balanced and being a jackass. It’s the marriage counselor between your heart and existential crisis.

See, the timeframe between 2018 and 2020 was, in fact, the lowest point in life for me. In August 2018, my mother passed away. I was a little shocked at first, and then I began having very healthy mental breakdowns every 2-3 business days as any normal person would. I chronically skipped school and my grades dropped from their usual A’s and high B’s.

But death is an inevitable thing, and what would it make me if I had given up on life there?

So I continued—until my dad had a stroke in 2019. Luckily, he lived, but that meant I couldn’t visit my people up in the good ol’ NC.

Then Covid hit North America. Hard. We had to go virtual, and that was easily the worst year of my high school career. While other kids were chilling behind their Zoom cameras, I was stuck as the only participant in a majority of my classes, working for a hard-earned grade that other kids got easily because the school didn’t want to look bad with their horrendous failure rate.

And then my dad died on the Thanksgiving break of that year, so I couldn’t even enjoy that.

Immediately after, my mom’s mother passed away. Given, I wasn’t as close to her given we barely got along so I didn’t quite know how to react. Even so, I’d been through so many deaths at that point I’d gone numb.

The point is: life threw a lot of shit at me all at once. However, I didn’t give up dragging my way through its graveyard of inconveniences. Success pretty much depends on your ability to accept the no’s in life. Because if you don’t, you’ll be stuck whining at missed opportunities and bawling on TikTok at how people you’ve never met before have more followers than you.

I’m not saying suck it up; I’m saying suck it up and pick yourself back off the ground. Trust me when I say this: it’s the better option over becoming a complete pessimist.

Self-Awareness: Denying Your Person Is Like Murdering Your Psyche Ten Times Over

If you’re an overthinker like me, chances are you’ve had five minutes before to sit in one spot and think about who you are and why you may or may not have done some of the idiotic things you did (I am terribly sorry for leaving my thumb in the car door as you pulled off, Mom; it wasn’t a hospital trip but it wasn’t a fun time either).

These are what I’d like to call “Moments of Realization”. Moments where you can take a minute and realize that ‘wow, that was stupid’ or ‘holy crap, I really am a good writer’. Say I’m a narcissist all you’d like but I am currently doing the latter.

Where is this leading, you may ask? Well, I’ll tell you! Many people when giving their motivational speeches or scripting their Youtube self-help videos often tell you to be the best person you can be and to not let anyone hold you back. The problem with most of these optimistic outlooks, however, is that many tend to forget the most important step to achieving this self-assuredness: accepting who you are in that moment.

Accepting yourself isn’t just a step to success. Accepting your current personality and traits is also a great step to improving your mental health. It doesn’t matter who you are, good or bad. If you want to improve, you have to acknowledge where you are on that proverbial staircase, and whether or not you truly want to move upwards. The better your mental health, the more chance you have at becoming successful without dying inside.

So the next time you sit down and think about how much of an asshole you were that day, accept it. Because if you can’t accept who you are or what you may have done despite the circumstances, you’ll spend more time trying to deny a negative self-image than getting your life together.

Material-Gurling Your Way Out of Depression

Someone once said, “Money doesn’t buy happiness”. Yes, while that is generally true, money can still buy the path to happiness. Even briefly. There will be days that feel worse than others, where not even your beyond-the-job-market abilities can help you feel good about yourself. In times like these, it’s best to find something to help cheer you up, is it not?

But sometimes, hanging out with friends and subliminal therapy doesn’t help. That’s where material possessions come in. Books, crafts, clothes, food—you name it. Find the comfort item of your choice, and indulge in it.

It, admittedly, isn’t the best habit. In fact, I have had my fair share of unnecessary purchases during my period of severe depression after my mother passed. I’m pretty sure I spent 100+ dollars on Honkai Impact 3rd to gamble away on the character gacha. It wasn’t my proudest moment, avoiding owning up to why money was gone just like that out of her bank account, but it certainly was a learning opportunity.

That’s why, when you buy for the feel-good sensation, you have to be smart about it. Buy something that’ll help, not harm. Be productive in your purchase. Don’t buy something that’ll bring you short-term enjoyment. Rather, buy something that you can think back on or use again.

Buy things like a nice, cozy sweater, or even some crochet starter kits.

Or, if you’d like to be like me, a shit-ton of Udemy courses and graphic design books to give you tons of learning material when your usual schtick isn’t working out, and the ever-looming existential crisis is coming back full force.

Of course, this isn’t to say don’t go fine dining at a restaurant, buying an expensive wine to let loose, or purchasing a delicate watch from the local jeweler. Sometimes, it is good to indulge yourself with material items if not out of spite.

Just don’t end up broke, hungover, and butt-naked in an alleyway behind a motel. That’s when it gets out of hand.

It’s The Tiny Things In Life

When it comes to success, many people tend to think along the lines of being a millionaire or billionaire, or making the biggest change in the history of humanity. That you aren’t successful until you’re enjoying weekly travel vacays and having everyone scrambling for an interview with you.

This isn’t true. Success is, by definition, the accomplishment of an aim or purpose. Bigger goals, like the ones mentioned above, tend to be your ‘purposes’ in life. A ‘purpose’ is what I’d like to categorize as a long-term goal. Your ‘purpose’ is to be successful. Your ‘purpose’ is to be a well-renowned Chemical Engineer or the best UX Designer in your field.

However, your ‘aims’ are the smaller goals in life. Your ‘aims’ are the most important stepping stones to achieving that ‘purpose’ that defines you as successful. You may think you aren’t successful in that current moment, but you really are. Because if you’re completing your ‘aims’, you’re triumphant in your long-term goal.

The major thing about aims is that they aren’t always noticeable. In fact, a lot of people commonly take their abilities and actions for granted. You could be able to read faster, purchase a book of reference material, or perhaps even watch a five-minute Youtube tutorial. Either way, these are all part of the tiny things in life that can assist your ‘purpose’.

But let’s say you don’t exactly have a purpose yet. That’s completely fine! Still adopt the mindset of your little actions mattering in life, because they do. You never know what the tiniest things could do for you.

Success Is Conditional

Overall, Success is conditional. Its definition varies from person to person. So, despite all my ramblings, the concept is what you think it is. If that’s getting accepted into your dream college, yay! If it’s winning a hot dog eating contest, wahoo!

However, remember that success is tailored to an individual’s own mindset. The next time you think you’re not winning, think about the small things you’ve done. Continue improving how you think and do things not by purchasing self-help books (though those are pretty niche; looking at you Mark Manson), but by keeping yourself off the ground and accepting who you are and the ways you can change.

If you want to think of it without all the flowery words and context: unless you’re on the streets or a deadbeat, you’re pretty much successful.

[lisamarkus]

*November 22*

In this entry, I will examine the critical question(s): Find an artifact of a counterpublic: Why/how is it a counterpublic? What is its rhetorical message, and how does it use rhetoric to make arguments and/or create identity? How is it empowering and/or limiting?

To investigate these questions, I examined the music video for “Plan B” by Megan Thee Stallion as my rhetorical artifact. The music industry has a problematic past when it comes to the discourse surrounding women. It is common to hear lyrics that directly objectify and take the agency away from them. By mimicking the tropical flow of male rappers, choosing content that creates an active role for women, and delivering in a way that shows confidence and belonging, Megan Thee Stallion challenges the notion of women being the “other” in rap. By doing so, she is empowering other women to take back their agency while also sending the message that women belong and should be given the space by the public sphere. 

Plan B includes situations Megan Thee Stallion has found herself in during past relationships, taking the listener through her decisions to not let the men in her life take all the credit, publicity, or agency around her. While I will be going through individual lyrics and musical aspects within my analysis, it is important to note that the flow is similar to what a male 90s rapper would have. On top of this, Megan Thee Stallion is using a forward tone while having lyrics that include “poppin plan b’s cause I ain’t plannin to be stuck with ya”. The overall message of the song is that the “men” being talked to need to humble themselves and they didn’t have nearly as much agency as they thought. She goes on to speak to the women listening, encouraging them to love themselves and saying that “d*** don’t run me, I run d***”. This is very much the vibe of the rest of the song. These aspects all end up contributing to how she pushes for women to come out of the “other” category in the rap industry. 

Feliski explains that a counterpublic is a group who forms because an identity they share is oppressed by the public sphere (Feliski 166). Feliski explains that Habermas came up with the concept of a public sphere to describe the main group in society that works together to come up with the accepted rules for everyone (Feliski 165). All counterpublics are oppressed by the public sphere in some way and people can be members of multiple. Counterpublics rally behind the identity that is shared by all of its members and focus on it (Feliski 166). Feliski also explains that Feminists and women are a counterpublic because their needs are not met in the male-dominated society (Feliski 166). Because of this, they are viewed as an “other”. This means that all of society’s perks and assumptions don’t apply to them. It turns into an “us” and a “them” where members of Counterpublics are always the “them” (Oct 25th Lecture). Counterpublics push to be seen and heard within the general public with the ultimate goal of becoming part of the public. 

Megan Thee Stallion challenges the idea that women are an “other” in the industry by mimicking the typical flow of male rappers which ultimately discourages listeners from viewing the song any differently than a male rapper’s. “Plan B” uses a sample from Jodeci’s 1995 hit “Freek’n You (Mr. Dalvin’s Freek Mix)” featuring Raekwon and Ghostface Killah of Wu-Tang Clan (Aniftos). This is significant because that song is about a man begging a woman for her body because he wants sexual pleasure. It is problematic because it reduces women to their bodies and only discusses them in the realm of pleasing men. This is rather ironic considering “Plan B” is all about how women should take control of their bodies and use them for their own pleasure. This choice of sampling is also worth noting because it was written in the 1990s. During that time, some of the biggest and most influential male rappers were dominating the stage. This includes the Notorious B.I.G, Ice Cube, Snoop Dog, and 2Pac. The intro to “Plan B” has the iconic beat of many songs produced by those legends. By utilizing this score, Megan Thee Stallion was able to put listeners in a mindset that they were about to hear a song created by a male rapper. This encourages them to make comparisons to her male counterparts and therefore get rid of the idea that women belong in a different category, or their counterpublic. 

Now that the audience has been set up to make comparisons to male rappers instead of putting all female rappers in one box, Megan Thee Stallion delivers the lyrics in a way that shows confidence and belonging. This ultimately makes the audience share that opinion about the artist. In the music video, Megan Thee Stallion is shown by herself the entire time. This means all attention is on her. She also uses big, strong gestures with her arms and legs while opening her mouth widely. She also uses a bold tone while delivering lines. There is no part where she is dainty or making herself small. These go against what people assume a woman would act like. This was done with the intent to make space for women to adopt the public sphere’s norm as their own which, again, shows that women don’t belong in the category of the “other”. She is singing about how women deserve to be respected and should take the power back and effectively backs it up by her presence radiating confidence. 

Now for the most empowering part of the song: Megan Thee Stallion chooses lyrics that encourage her female listeners to take back the power and agency within discourse and society. The song is about Megan Thee Stallion’s past experiences in relationships. It is clear that her former partners have used rhetoric implying that they had all the choice in what happened between them. To combat this, we hear lines like “I’m the only reason your goofy ass got bitches” and then “b*tch most likely only f****n’ you just to spite me”. Both of these take all the power and choice from the man and give it to the women. She also talks directly to her female listeners when she says “Ladies- love yourself cause this shit could get ugly, that’s why it’s f*** n***** get money”. This is a play on a common phrase used by men to objectify women and imply that men are more successful and important than women. She also throws in a line that touches on men using lyrics that imply that women are reliant on men’s bodies with “and I don’t give a f*** if that n**** leave tonight, cause n**** that d*** don’t run me”. Shortly after, she compares her body parts to a baptism and says that it creates a real man, which gives all the power to the woman’s body. All of these lines further point out that the members of this counterpublic have power and control over the situations which differs from the objectifying lyrics found in other songs. This encourages women to use their control and men to acknowledge that women deserve recognition as well. 

This song is mostly empowering to the female counterpublic. This artifact works to point out how unnecessary putting women in the category of an “other” is by making the audience question how women get talked about in music and encouraging women to be proud of themselves while taking back the agency that is mostly given to men. The only part that is slightly disempowering is when she mentions that all the women going after her ex can’t compete with her and when she calls women b****** and h***. This language attacks some members within the counterpublic when it doesn't need to be done. 

Gordon explains that black females are often discussed with terms associated with foods (Gordon 429). This encourages people to view their bodies as something to be consumed and therefore a commodity (Gordon 430). This connects to “Plan B” because the song is trying to get listeners to stop looking at women as a commodity and start viewing them as equals in the public sphere. 

As shown, by mimicking the tropical flow of male rappers, choosing content that creates an active role for women, and delivering in a way that shows confidence and belonging, Megan Thee Stallion challenges the notion of women being the “other” in rap. By doing so, she is empowering other women to take back their agency while also sending the message that women belong and should be given the space by the public sphere.

Works cited

Aniftos, Rania, “Megan Thee Stallion Stuns in Mugler for ‘Plan B’ Music Video: Watch”, Billboard, 2 June. 2022, Megan Thee Stallion’s ‘Plan B’ Video: Watch – Billboard

Felski, R. (1989). Beyond feminist aesthetics: Feminist literature and social change. Boston: Harvard University Press. (Read section "The Feminist Counter-Public Sphere", pp. 164-172)

Gordon, Nickesia S. “Discourses of Consumption: The Rhetorical Construction of the Black Female Body as Food in Hip Hop and R&B Music.” Howard Journal of Communications, vol. 31, no. 5, Oct. 2020, pp. 429–48. EBSCOhost, https://doi.org/10.1080/10646175.2020.1819482

Kunde, Meg. 25 October Lecture, COMM380 Rhetorical Theory.

Megan Thee Stallion, “Plan B”. YouTube, uploaded by Megan Thee Stallion, 2 June. 2022, Megan Thee Stallion - Plan B [Official Video] - YouTube

[roseworth]

Hi it's the previous anon, thank you so much for your answer!!

Im trying to read Jason and Damian run first when it comes to Robin because i hear bad things about them and i want to see how they gain such a reputation. Reading your answer honestly pretty sad. Those two don't deserve that :( I'm reading Jason's Robin run atm and i honestly i don't see him being the "angry robin". He's a pretty sweet boy so seeing how he's treated right now is yeah...

People that can't accept Damian as Robin seems to forget that Robin supposed to be a legacy, a mantle that's passed down. Treating him shit for that is really stupid. The fact they don't put into account how he's raised and how it'll affect his personality or current action is also quite inconsiderate of them. Dc really need to hire a better writer for them.

Beside that, i came across an article a couple of days ago and it looks like Tim is Robin again? That's hmmm...

SO real i love them so much and the fact that both of them and steph are thought of as the bad robins is literally so sad

the thing about jason being the "angry robin" is that he wasnt really until starlin came along. like he had his moments for sure, like when he found out that two face killed his dad he was Not Happy and kinda beat his ass about it lol, but besides that!! he was just a friend. but starlin really didnt want to write robin SO he basically tried to make him a lot worse then killed him. honestly kind of funny but so sad because he is just a little guy :( then now all the comics that look back at jasons robin time theyre like "ohhhh he was so angry and loved to kill!!!" and. ugh. let him be a nice robin.

side tangent but i would actually have no problem with jason being angry sometimes as robin if people would actually add ANY nuance to it. like yeah he was mad and beat two face a little! and he was okay with rapists dying! but now people are like "that makes him the Angry Bad Robin!!!" like shut the fuck up

but yeah! damian is literally just a different take on robin than tim and everyone that doesnt like that is boring. he has an interesting backstory and it actually affects his personality and people do not like that :( plus the fact that hes still being written like hes gotten no character development is so annoying because we keep going in circles with his character and i. just want an interesting story please let this kid grow dc

and about tim being robin. lol. lmao. yeah. basically since people liked him as robin So Much they gave him robin again. he was red robin for a while, then he was red robin but in a robin suit, then they just took away the "red" and let him be robin again (he was also called "drake" for a little bit in there but im not even gonna get into that). so now he is robin again while damian is still being written as "bad robin" and is separated from batman and all :( and he has his own robin book right now. right after damians robin book ended. and in the description of the first issue of tims book it literally said "Step aside Damian 😜 The world's favorite Robin is back! 😍" which is just so embarrassing for dc and so annoying for everyone that likes damian :/ please just let tim move on from robin i dont want to hear about him anymore

[shebeafancyflapjack]

Yes.

British sitcoms have a lot more of what I call "bunkmate banter" scenes where you will just have two or more characters bickering with each other or sharing hilarious anecdotes. I call it that based on the show Red Dwarf where most of the best scenes, especially in the early episodes when the budget is tighter, are when the two leads are sharing bunkbeds and just talking to each other. Father Ted, Vicar of Dibley, Only Fools, Mighty Boosh etc - they all have their silly slapstick moments but most of the charm comes from the scenes where you just have the characters talking.

American comedies are more "situation" based, some unexpected scenario happens and the comedy comes more from watching the characters handle it and the slapstick that follows. Don't get me wrong, US sitcoms can have funny conversation scenes too - Friends, Seinfeld, Golden Girls and Frasier being the most obvious - but even then it tends to feel a bit more fast paced while British comedies feel a bit more laid back - though that might be my bias talking, I grew up with a lot more of the British shows and they feel more relaxed and nostalgic to me. But this does sum up the different vibes of the two Ghosts shows.

I love that more ideas are explored in the US version. Given the shared involvement from the producers, I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of the things we see happen in the US version where originally ideas for the British show but were never used because of lack of time. UK comedies tend to only be six episodes a series while obviously with a dozen or twenty that's a lot more time to focus on plot as well as funny banter. I wish we'd got to see Alison do some of the things Sam does like see if the ghosts of her parents are around, or the whole thing about some kids seeing ghosts as imaginary friends (they do this with a baby but I prefer how it's done with the revelation of Thor and Hetty's past), I wish we'd got to see Mike bond with the ghosts the same way Jay does. One thing I am glad about is that possession was never explored in the UK version but that's just a personal squick.

But on the other hand the UK version will always be my favorite because they do focus more on the history of the characters and their (platonic) relationships with each other. I would disagree about character development being undone. The characters have definitely developed more from where they started out due to opening up more to each other. Captain is not the same "prat" who was totally on board with murder in S1, not to mention his slow but sure Coming Out. Robin has gone from scaring people just to stop himself going mad with boredom to confronting his trauma to save Mike and being ready to accept moving on. Mary coming out of her shell lead beautifully into her moving on. Thomas learns to be humble by crediting the poem to Fanny and learning what it means to be appreciated by those around him, not just for his poems. Not to mention Alison coming to appreciate more what she really wants from a family rather than just a project to make money or a long lost blood relative. There are gut punching funny lines in the US version too but no interaction between the cast members gives me the same warm fuzzies as watching Captain and Kitty or Robin and Julian or just any of them when put together. Friendship moments in the US version are cute but then in S2 it feels like they shift more with pairing the ghosts off into romantic couples and I'm just not a fan of that.

Tldr, yeah, different styles but both have their strengths and weaknesses. I'm rewatching the US version at the moment and am glad the jokes still land on rewatch. It's a nice fluffy salve until the UK Christmas special rips my heart apart.

So one thing I’ve kinda noticed about both Ghosts series is the pacing. Like, both have good pacing, it just goes in such different directions.

The US Ghosts has fairly normal pacing from my (American) point of view, but the UK version seems so stagnant. Like, the ghosts have no real agency and are just at the mercy of the universe; moving on is random, who becomes a ghost is random, not everyone gets a ghost power, ect. The only ghost with a real goal that is worked towards is the Captain and that’s never really externalized.

The UK series focuses more on the ghosts’ pasts and how they got there, and there is no future, meanwhile with the US series it’s the opposite. Most of the ghosts have specific goals and externalized character arcs. While all progress done in the UK series is typically undone by the end of each season, the US version very clearly moves forward and is more future oriented, which is typical for American shows.

Don’t get me wrong, I love both, and neither pacing is wrong or bad writing, but I just find this curious. Is UK Ghosts pacing typical for British sitcoms? Are they usually so reflective and past-oriented?