#is things like 'what technology you had as a kid' 'what tv shows did you watch'

[elftwink]

i know ive said this exact same thing ten thousand times before but it actually boggles my mind that we have just sort of accepted "generational divides" and the resulting discourse. generations are not real on the population scale. there is no dividing year where one generation starts and the next begins. the closest you can get to this is specifically BABY BOOMERS. who were born during the BABY BOOM. because a huge large amount of people had children immediately following the second world war. thats it. since then there has not been another clear generational divide and the things you think are clear divides are probably divides between specifically your age demographic and specifically your parents age demographic. because that's what a generation actually is when we stop trying to form stupid little clubs. im no longer participating in the legitimization of these terms & if i see the word zoomer one more time i'll detonate the explosives

[simp4fictionalmenandjesus]

Yandere platonic batfamily with a ‘definition of average reader.’

You’ve always been a low-key background character type person. Your grades were normal, every report card since you started getting report cards are all filled with B’s. At school, you’re not popular or unpopular. You have a close group of friends, and know a few people from outside of school. You play a sport, but don’t exceed at it.

The only thing that wasn’t average about you was your family.

Gotham’s sweetheart, Bruce Wayne, adopted you when you were 12 for IDK WHAT REASON HE JUST DID OKAY?????? Anyways. You were the normal amount of awkward that a 12 year old is in the face of their new family.

At your first official family dinner you sat between your older brother Dick and older sister Cass. (Yes, Alfred did strategically plan the seating so the most amicable people would be next to you.) Dick Ames you about school, your friends, your hobbies and all that jazz.

Now, you’d think a table full of vigilantes who have faced off against Gods, traveled the universe, made leaps of technology, and regularly interact with aliens and creatures of myth would be a bit bored when hearing about your math class and a new tv show you were watching. However, the fact that you’re biggest life problems was learning algebra made you seem somewhat precious in their eyes.

So they listen, and they watch, and they become more invested in your life, then, in you.

When Dick’s in town he picks you up from school and brings you to get a sweet treat while asking you about your school day. Unfortunately for the vigilante, he’s not stationed in Gotham so he’ll have to settle for face time calls. Sometimes it’s surprising how much he remembers from your past rambles. You swear he lost have a recording device in his brain, when you bring thay up to him, he laughs, ruffles your hair and glances at the tiny scar behind your ear.

Jason, on the other hand, insists on taking you out for outings, thought he always insists that you plan them. He asks you to bring him to your favourite places and you always comply, taking him to the street food stand where you go with your friends to buy snacks after school, or the manor’s own gardens where Jason will carry you on his shoulders to get a closer look at whatever caught your eyes in a tree. And sure, it’s kind of weird that he already knows the most efficient way to drive to those places before asking you, but he told you he just knew Gotham well.

The brother you see least is Tim seeing as he spends a lot of his time at the office or his own apartment and doesn’t particularly like going on outings much. However, you do text Tim the most. Updating him on random things as he does the same. It is a bit surprising when he texts you to stop picking your fingers in class, but when you ask him how he knows, he’ll claim it’s his sixth sense.

The brother you see most is Damian. Though he’s the one you talk to least. It’s kind of like he’s a shadow following you around. When you start attending Gotham Academy, he’ll sit with you every lunch time just listening to you talk. At the Manor, he’ll let you study in his room while he does art. All the conversations you have with him are mostly one sided with only slight nods to indicate he’s listening. When you ask why he doesn’t talk much he says that he isn’t use to saying nice things to siblings. You (correctly) assume that he doesn’t have friends and treat him extra kindly, sure, you haven’t been able to hangout with your friends at the academy lately but Damian’s family, so he gets priority, right?

Bruce isn’t too sure on how to raise you. When he suggested to his sons that they should tell you about them being vigilantes, all four refused. So, for once, the Batman didn’t really know what to do. Sure, the hundreds of parenting books he read placed emphasise on boundaries and not invading his kids privacy, but in a place like Gotham, Bruce had to be much more hands on. He has a tracker on ALL his kids, so what’s the harm of having one on you? He’s just a worried father.

The family’s yandere-ness boils over after Gotham Academy gets invaded by a group of thugs. Damian stays by you the whole time while the rest of your family, in costume, easily dispose of the thugs. You really didn’t get harmed at all, so when Bruce pulls you out of school you’re a bit shocked. Even if you can understand his worries, you explain to Bruce that you were okay and school was important to you. The conversation ends with an argument.

See, the thing with the bats is that they’re not normal at all. So the arguments that the family is used to ends with bloodshed or leaving the country. They don’t want you to hurt you but they also really don’t want you to try leaving.

The manor has a lot of stairs. Even thought Alfred can clean every corner of the manor perfectly, he won’t always know when there’s a mess. It’s rainy season as well, Titus likes rolling around in the puddles outside. So a wet trail on the stairs isn’t too absurd. Plus, it’s early in the morning, you’re a bit groggy. So when you tumbled down the stairs and break your leg, it’s not too crazy of a situation.

————————-

Posting for now but might rewrite i was tweaking when I wrote this late at night, i confused myself and I def lost the plot a lil oops

[ruufie]

So there's something we really need to talk about, generally as a collective, but especially in nerd/fandom spaces. And that's the collateral damage that comes with hyper-policing of "objectionable" content that will inexorably roll into fascism. Strap in, this is that kind of Tumblr post.

If you look at the of ideology of generations throughout the twentieth century, there's a pattern: each new gen is going to swing opposite of their parents. 50's patriotism, 60's and 70's hippies, 80's Reagan era America, 90's 3rd wave feminism, 00's ultra patriotism, you get the idea. So to some extent, it's not that surprising that Gen Z is starting to lean conservative. But as someone who's been in fandom spaces for well over two decades now, believe me when I tell you that the pendulum has swung so far right that--given the current political climate in America (and to some extent globally)--this is a microcosm of a much bigger issue.

Back in the 2010's, the internet was starting to grow its roots. The truly experimental days of random websites, chat sites, strange niche forums, etc, had started to congeal into a handful of massive platforms. Facebook was taking off. YouTube was past its baby stage and into its adolescence. There was a fragile stability that allowed for growth and expression in art. Particularly in fandom culture. We as a generation were growing with this new, amazing technology. And humans, when curious, like to stretch their limits. Fandom and geek spaces stretched wide, from insanely ambitious fancomics to the dredges of FF.net. And a not insignificant part of this new community was diving into the dark and the taboo.

Artists and writers wanted to explore all elements of humanity. Because, plainly, we weren't allowed to experiment with mass media. And so we made our own. Queer kids explored identity and sexuality, trauma survivors craved catharsis. Growing brains tapped into the dark and depraved if only to see where it led them. It was a playground. It wasn't always safe, and it wasn't always productive. Sometimes it was just porn for porn's sake. But that in and of itself was not a moral judgment. Sure, you'd absolutely get side-eyes if you proudly boasted that your favorite anime OVA was Boku no Pico, but most people would laugh it off at a convention and then head out to their next panel.

What I'm saying is, ten, fifteen years ago, there was a sense of understanding that the dark, sexual things in fandom spaces were just another facet of the culture. This is not to say that truly disturbing media and criticism of it did not exist. Hell, when Twilight debuted, I was one of the first of my high school to criticize the abusive relationships for what they were. The ability to criticize, to analyze and reflect on what makes something "good" or "bad" is a healthy mechanism to have. And those who did not want to engage with material that they found disturbing or uncomfortable simply didn't have to engage with it. It's why AO3 has tags. It's why Tumblr has a block or mute tag function.

But what we're seeing now is so far beyond the healthy critiquing of distasteful art. More and more now I've been seeing well meaning, liberal presenting voices equate real harm to distasteful material found in books, movies, TV shows, you name it. That is not to say that things like racial stereotypes or romanticised abuse does not have real world implications. But it is one thing to point out that "hey, 50 Shades of Gray is an unrealistic depiction of a BDSM lifestyle and if you try these things you'll likely get hurt" and "seeing characters on screen have sex violates my consent as a viewer." (that is a real argument I have seen online)

There is a hyper moral slant to this kind of thinking. The same line of thought that immediately equates "a character does a bad thing" to "the author must condone this bad thing." I have always said that we do not have a lack of media literacy, but an uptick in a reaction based economy. That reacting to a controversial thing without first digesting the thing you're reacting to gets good views and feeds the algo, so the conversation then becomes a shouting match between people that haven't even seen the damn thing. This is how you get people coming away with "Steven Universe is a show that supports genocide" with their full chest.

The push to have blatant censorship in fandom is upsetting for a good number of reasons. It's discouraging to younger creatives who want to play in those spaces for their own reasons, and it feeds into a frenzy of paranoia. Because at a certain point, it no longer becomes about the art, but whether or not you, with your Right Opinion, is the first on the dogpile.

So what does this have to do with fascism? A whole hell of a lot.

One of the first targets in a fascist regime is art. It's expression, it's creativity. Why? Because creativity is often the best vehicle (sometimes the only vehicle) to criticize the people in power. Why do you think gigantic corporations are trying to push AI art on us so bad? Because art makes us human, and humans like to point out when Shit Is Going Bad. So if you take the human out of the art, you can trick people who aren't looking too closely into being compliant.

The recent hyper-policing of fandom spaces is a tool of fascism. This is not hyperbole, nor hypothetical. It is the reality of how fascism lives and breathes. If you can convince a population to weed out the "bad" art on their own volition, weeding out the rest on your own is a piece of cake.

Before anyone puts words in my mouth, I am not talking about child abuse content, content surrounding victims of trafficking, revenge porn, or anything that brings actual physical or psychological harm to another person. With that being said, policing sexual content in fandom leads to policing any kind of intimate content at all. And as so often is the case, queer content is often lumped in with the former, despite the fact that identity and gender has nothing to do with sexuality. And that sexuality itself is a part of the human experience, and its rejection of its imitation in art is a rejection of that humanity. It's the dominos that lead into history being flat out erased. Once all the nasty sexual content is dead and gone, they'll push further. What conflict, what subject matters, are obscene? Coming of age stories? Slice of life stories? Epic fantasies, scifi, non fiction? Perhaps all of them. You can't be too careful. The heart and soul of stories, art, poetry, expression, all of it is subject to the whims of an oligarchy that frankly doesn't care if you have food in your fridge. If you speak up, speak out, put your foot down, you too are subject to those same whims. And it is so much easier to make sure you shut up forever than to be diplomatic.

We are facing a dictatorship here in America. We are going to be looked in the eye and told that we do not matter. That the best thing for us to do is to stay in line and be thankful for the stale bread on our plate. The last thing you should be doing right now is trying to speed up the process.

[voxtechofficial]

What was your life like before you died?

Cw, discussion of child abu$e, neglect, and mentions of alcohol below the cut! Be advised!

Well. I mean, I was the 4th kid out of seven. Heh, yeah. Catholic families and shit.

Anyway, I was sort of on my own most of my life. Mom would rather scream at me or lock me out of the house and Dad barely even acknowledged my existence.

My siblings were alright for the most part. My oldest brother, Mark, was always a bit stuck up, but mostly tried to take care of the younger kids. Oldest sister, Vanessa, always tried her best to pick up where Mom failed. Her and Mark were always making sure we had food, water, sunlight, all the shit a kid needs.

Then there's my baby sister... Violet. She found me when I died. But... I'm getting ahead of myself.

By the time I was in Middle School I was a troublemaker by design. Usually it involved destruction of school property. Graffiti, throwing rocks at windows, all that shit. Usually landed me in detention.

This carried over into High School. But one day, while I was in detention, they were talking about career paths and shit like that and they mentioned some brand new technology. Television. And people would get up on the TV and present the news, weather, you name it! Some people even had their own shows where they did whatever they wanted for the audience! I was hooked.

I went home that day and told my parents I wanted to be a TV star. Yeah, I slept outside that night, heh.

Anyway, years go by and I manage to get this internship for some program at my Church. Everyone starts somewhere, so I figured I'd take it. The show lasted for a few years before they just couldn't afford all the actors and editing costs. The show was shut down. I lost it, threw a fit and broke a whole bunch of shit. Beat the shit out of my costar too.

I went back home and basically started drowning my problems in alcohol. It was during the holidays, so I was staying at my folks' place. I lost track of how many by the time the next morning rolled around.

Next thing I knew, I was dead. But before I went to Hell, I got to stick around my body for a bit. And I see Violet... Walking over to wake me up to tell me that breakfast is ready.

I never woke up. And she had to see me like that. I don't think I'll ever forget that terrified look in her eyes. I really ruined Christmas with that whole stunt, heh...

[immeasurablesaladagere]

can u write about lil house and cg Wilson playing video games? :3

- @tummy-rubs-for-wilson-pup

Here you are! This also includes little!chase playdate hours, hope you don't mind!

-----

Word Count: 965

Summery: Wilson is looking after a regressed Chase and House while they play video games, and House learns how to lose.

-----

“Yes!” Chase cheered, doing a little victory dance from his spot on the floor. House rolled his eyes and huffed. His cheeks were puffed out like a grumpy squirrel, and if Wilson didn’t know any better he might have thought he was exaggerating. But to a regressed House, it was a completely warranted reaction to tying with Chase in Mario Kart.

“Oh ho-ho! Looks like Robbie is making a comeback!” He declared in a dramatic announcer-voice. House shot him a death-glare over the shoulder, but it always lost its bite when he was little. Instead it just made him want to pat House on the head and say ‘Aw, it’s okay little buddy’.

Chase was already past his victory and was eagerly asking House about the next circuit they should choose for the final race. He was glad that Chase finally seemed to have relaxed and settled into the playdate. It had taken him a while to regress in the first place, and after that he looked so hesitant to take up any space that he and House couldn’t really play together. But once the N64 was put in front of them they were off to the races, rotting their brains away with video games as all kids should. Thank God for technology. 

“Are you boys hungry?” He asked, already standing because he knew House’s answer would be yes, “I can grab us some snacks from the kitchen. What do you want?”

“Chocolate bar.” House replied without looking up, too distracted with picking the best possible track. Chase didn’t say anything and stared him owlishly, like he wasn’t sure if it was okay to ask for anything.

“Robbie? Do you want something? We have apples, chocolate bars, apple sauce, and cheese and crackers.” He figured giving Chase a list of options would make the choice easier. That way, it was a direct offer instead of an open-ended question.

“Um… cheese n’ crackers, please and thank you.” He said shyly, and Wilson smiled.

“I can do that. I’ll just be in the kitchen if you need anything, okay?”

And that should have been it. One simple trip to the kitchen, Wilson would only be gone for maybe five minutes, probably less, and Chase and House would be very responsible five and six year-olds while he was gone.

But of course, nothing could ever be that simple. He was just re-wrapping the block of cheese and putting it back in the fridge when he heard a clatter from the living room and Chase yelp.

“Hey! Why’d you do that!?”

Wilson let out a long breath, abandoned the snacks on the counter, and walked at a something-is-probably-mildly-to-moderatly-wrong pace back to the living room. House was still in front of the TV, looking uncomfortable and staring holes into the screen that showed his character cheering in victory and Chase’s sitting still on the track, race unfinished. The second controller was across the room near his feet, disconnected from the system, and Chase was sitting by the couch scrunched up on himself and visibly upset.

It didn’t take a genius to piece together what had happened, but he had to ask anyway. “What happened?”

House shrugged and stubbornly kept his eyes on the TV, and Wilson watched as Chase observed  House’s reaction for the right thing to do and then copied it exactly. 

“Uh huh.” He walked over and slowly sat down in front of Chase, blocking his view of House. He wasn’t crying, but he did look teary. “Robbie, do you want to tell me what happened? You’re not in trouble, I promise.”

The internal battle in Chase’s head was visible on his face as he went between telling on his friend and being upset with what House had done. “I… I was winning an’ then, um, House unplugged my controller a-an’ threw it away…” He mumbled. 

That’s what he thought. “Thank you for telling me.” He said gently, then he turned to House, who had finally turned around but was averting his eyes shamefully.

“House?”

“I didn’t wanna lose…” House grumbled, obviously embarrassed. Wilson didn’t think he would ever get used to just how open House’s face became when he was regressed, how every emotion was broadcasted loudly in his expression. Big-House wouldn’t be caught dead with his face that shade of red.

“I think you know what you did was wrong, don’t you?”

He didn’t get an answer.

“Alright. Well, I think we should spend a few minutes in timeout, and then when you’re ready, we can—“ Wilson was cut off by Chase’s hand grabbing his shirt. 

“Wait! I thought you said we weren’t in trouble?” He asked, looking confused and almost betrayed.

Wilson raised an eyebrow. Was he really defending House? He was certainly more sympathetic than Wilson would’ve been at this age. “You’re not in trouble, but House did something mean to you, and he needs to apologize.”

“Then he can just say sorry, right? He doesn’t need’a go to timeout, that’s not any fun!”

“Well…” He turned to House, who was obviously just as surprised as he was that Chase wasn’t happy to banish him to timeout for his crimes. “I guess so. House? Do you want to apologize?”

“I… I guess. I’m sorry, Robbie.”

“For?” Wilson prompted when House seemed to decide that was enough.

House huffed. “For knocking away your controller when you were winning.”

Chase smiled, all wrongdoings apparently forgiven. “Thank you!” He turned to Wilson, “Can we go back to playing now?”

He chuckled and stood up, ruffling Chase’s hair. “Sure. I’m proud of you boys, that was very good problem-solving. Now, is it over? Have we solved the world’s problems for the day?”

“Don’t forget our snacks!” House piped up, before freezing and smiling up at him sheepishly. “…Please.”

[sweethoneyrose83]

Nostalgiacore Ask Game:

What was your favorite childhood cartoon?

Which snack from your childhood do you miss the most?

What song instantly transports you back to your early school days?

Do you remember a toy you always wanted but never got?

What’s your earliest memory of the internet?

What was your favorite video game as a kid?

Did you have a favorite book series or author when you were younger?

What was your go-to school lunch?

What’s a movie that makes you feel nostalgic every time you watch it?

Do you remember the first movie you saw in theaters?

Which trend from your childhood do you secretly miss?

What was your favorite childhood playground game?

Is there a specific smell that reminds you of your childhood?

Which TV commercial from your childhood do you still remember?

Did you have a favorite stuffed animal or toy you brought everywhere?

What show did you always watch after school?

What’s the first CD or album you remember owning?

What was your favorite place to go for fun as a kid?

Do you remember your first sleepover? What happened?

What was the coolest gadget or device you owned back in the day?

Which room in your childhood home did you spend the most time in?

Which fashion trend from your childhood would you bring back if you could?

Do you remember the first time you ever got online or used a computer?

Did you have a favorite family tradition or holiday memory?

What was your favorite thing to do during summer vacations as a kid?

Is there a nostalgic piece of clothing you wish you still had?

Which Saturday morning cartoon was a must-watch for you?

What was your favorite childhood board game?

Do you remember what your first cellphone looked like?

What’s a discontinued product or food that you miss?

What’s a TV show from your childhood that always made you feel cozy?

What’s your favorite toy or game you used to play with?

Which old commercial jingle still randomly pops into your head?

What’s a snack from your childhood you wish they still made?

Which movie from your childhood could you watch over and over again?

What was your favorite playground game?

Do you remember a song or album that reminds you of a specific time in your childhood?

Which video game from your childhood do you wish you could play right now?

What kind of backpack or lunchbox did you have in elementary school?

What’s a cartoon character you remember loving as a kid?

What was your favorite candy to get during Halloween?

Which family tradition or holiday always filled you with nostalgia?

What’s a toy from the 90s or 2000s that you still have or would love to have again?

What’s the most nostalgic place (like an old playground or store) that you miss visiting?

What’s an old website or online game that made you feel happy as a kid?

What scent instantly takes you back to childhood?

What’s the first phone or piece of technology you remember being obsessed with?

Did you ever have a favorite VHS or DVD that you watched until it wore out?

What’s a board game or card game you used to play with family or friends?

Which theme park or family vacation destination brings back the best memories?

[lustnluv]

angel and john b - devil’s night

present

angel

the anthropology of youth culture.

it was only a class offered every two years so i signed up for immediately.

i had too many experiences with youth culture. take your pick from my town.

the biggest example is devil’s night.

a whole night of mindless fun and kids trying to do their best to keep up with the horsemen.

I think i have a good idea of what i was going to declare my major is. between all the psychology classes i take and along with all of the studying of human behavior i forced myself to do when i was younger.

it’s a good fit for me.

walking into the class, I see the most empty rows are in the back. they weren’t kidding when they said the spots filled up fast.

climbing to the the third from the top, I see the only other person is the one that john b had with him from the other night. her curly hair were down her back and she was wearing a brown cardigan with a black tank top nd jeans giving her a much laid back and less sexier look then what she originally had.

but still sexy.

meanwhile here I was in my dad’s old letterman jacket and leggings with a knitted hat on my head.

who cares? it’s not like I was coming for a fashion show.

I sat a seat away from her and turned to her. “hey, didn’t we see each other the other night?”

she gave me a look, a hint of panic in her eyes as she looked me up and down. “i don’t think so.”

“you were with john b. the elevator. at diose. i had a lot less clothes on then I do now.” i joked and she finally smile. ��oh yeah. the little’s brother girlfriend right?”

“not his girlfriend. we just grew up together.” I started holding my hand out to her. “i’m angel.”

“kiara. but you can call kie.”

“nice to meet you.” i said trying to keep calm even though i was squealing in my head. making my first friend.

it doesn’t matter that she’s john b’a girlfriend. it counts.

“get lost.” a voice from behind me said, directed towards kie. her eyes widened and she quickly moved two seats down.

rafe filled the spot next to me, blocking my view of kie and pope on my other side.

what the hell?

“hey angel. long time no see.” pope greeting smiling over at me. the smile didn’t meet his eyes.

so they were all here.

why? i assumed after prison they would leave but obviously not. this must be funner for them or something.

“did you miss us cause we certainly missed you?” rafe teased, leaning back in his seat.

“what are you guys doing here?”

this was supposed to be my place. my place to be free.

of course they had to ruin it.

“to get our education.” pope answered and i would’ve believed him if he had books. he was the most excited to go to college. he was the smartest out of all of them.

“didn’t get that in prison. we’re trying to catch up after all those years lost.” he finsihed explaining and it hit my heart a little.

they did miss out on so much when they were locked up.

as the teacher came in, i tried not to focus on them so much. they didn’t ruin it. they will only if i let them.

mr. horace began his lecture about teenagers abs technology. how we’re so ungrateful. how everything is so easy for us. how-.

“did you learn how to suck dick yet, angel?” rafe whispered, his voice heavy and rough in my ear.

i started to put my things discretely. they weren’t going to mess with me. I was starting a new life and they could study here but they can’t ruin it.

Mr Horace droned on. “what’s the pleasure to wait six years for the conclusion of a tv show then you can binge it on netflix in a week?”

“cause when I stuff my cock in your mouth I expect you to like it and take it.” rafe continued and I reached out to grab him.

“what’s going on up there?” mr horace asked and u quickly out my hand back down as the entire class looked back at us. I can feel my face starting to glow,

“sorry. gave it to her good and hard this morning. do you expect her to keep her hands off of me?” rafe asked, deadpanned and a couple of guys chuckled. pope being one of them.

“keep it down back there.” mr horace said and continued talking, giving us a disgusted look.

just got on my professor’s bad side. great.

i grabbed my stuff and walked away from them but rafe pulled me back and scooted my chair close to him.

“do it again and I’ll kill your mother.” he threatened, his hot breath on my face as she spoke.

the guy in front of us heard his threat and turned to look at us with a confused expression before rafe sneered at him. “what the hell do you think you looking at?”

the guy turned around quickly, face turning red.

the hell?

if I didn’t know my mom was with mrs routledge i would be a little worried. she was far away from him. he wouldn’t be able to get close enough to her to even look at her.

i’ll make sure of that.

the professor kept talking and I tried my hardest to pay attention as he talked but it was hard.

they were bored and wanted to pick on me. have fun with me again.

I never wanted to be close to them again.

“this so satisfaction for this generation anymore. everything you want or need is at the tip of your fingers.” the professor continued and I gritted my teeth together.

unfair. can’t judge a generation because of what the previous generation prov-.

“you’re gonna love all the things I do to you, angel. remember my last night of freedom? want to try that last part again? i’ll make you happy this time.”

rubbing my temples, i tried to keep his voice out of my head. only zoning in on the professor.

if i could only remember what he was saying in the first place.

“you got something to say?” professor horace asked and i looked up at him. he was looking straight at me.

“huh?”

“well do you? or are you gonna keep the class distracted with you and your boyfriends?” he asked and everyone laughed including pope. rafe stayed silent.

i do. if i only can remember what he was talking about before i was rudely interrupted.

“yo-you talk about us being spoiled but it’s not our fault.” I started and he smirked, leaning on his desk.

“oh? who’s fault is it?”

“i-it’s. uh.” I started and the smirk on his face got bigger as i took a deep breath.

a voice whispered in my head. one that kept me up all night sometimes. john b’s.

own it.

“your generations. you made several of our norm accessible. cellphones for an example. only a few had them and even if that was limited to only a couple of minutes. the more it was demanded the more it became normalized. social media too. it was only one platform but the desire to share every aspect of your life was becoming more and more demanded as it got bigger and bigger. you created the standards of these things and were just following them just like what we’re setting up as the standards for our kids. where’s the accountability?”

the class went silent as they turned to face the professor. “she asked you a question.” rafe said and a smile broke out on my face.

i covered it with my hand do he won’t see it.

Horace looked around and smiled flatly. “well then. keep that in mind for class next wednesday. the reading will be chapter one through three.”

i packed my stuff up, humming happily to myself before two bodies gather around me. “no one gets to mess with you but us.” rafe threatened and i turned to face him.

“you know it’s cute the way you think you can still push me around. i’m not that little girl anymore.” i shrugged a smile plastered on my face.

damn if he sees it. what can he do to me anyway?

they got closer to me. i can feel their body through their clothes now. “you think you’re so cute huh? to me you’ll always be that scared little girl who couldn’t hang out with the big boys. still pathetic that’s for sure.” he flexed his muscles at me and I fought the urge to laugh.

“don’t threaten me or my mother again. that was for sure cute. what else you got?” i teased and pushed past pope to get to my class.

after classes, i walked the three blocks home weighed down my all the assignments i had to do when someone called out. “hold it for me.”

i put my foot in the door as kie slid her way in. “thanks. i hate waiting for the elevator down here sometimes especially after a long day of school you know.” she said standing next to me.

“I thought you took the other elevator.” I responded before she pressed the sixteen button.

so she lived here then.

“why would I use the other elevator?” she turned to face me all confused.

“thought you was going up to see john b. must be nice living in the same building as your boyfriend.” she can see him whenever she wants and he can come visit her.

“oh he’s not my boyfriend. he just needed a pretty little thing on his arm.” she shrugged. “like a lot of the men around here.”

“what’s that supposed to mean?”

“means I see lots of men. not only john b.” she said, smirking to herself. “and we didn’t have sex if that’s what you’re wondering. he wasn’t interested in that.”

“I don’t care about that.” I lied even though my heart hurt a little less after that confession.

“sure.” she said, patting my shoulder before walking out. “just so you know, I like seeing a lot of women too.” she smiled and winked before the elevators closed.

what the hell?

was she hitting on me?

no.

well..

does it matter?

after doing my homework, i tried calling my mother again. even though i know she was safe on the boat with mrs routledge, rafe words still stuck with me.

it would make me feel better if i can hear her voice.

especially since when I went to college last year, she called me everyday. text me. always communicated with me.

i could use something else to call her.

she’s on the routledge’s boat, the bird and it should have a phone if I’m not mistaken. expect i don’t have the number for it.

I don’t want to call big john. he terrified me and it’s late. he wouldn’t be at his office right now.

I couldn’t call andrew and if I could I don’t think I would want to. we still haven’t talked since that phone call a week ago.

I wasn’t talking to him until he apologized.

which is gonna take awhile cause he’s stubborn as hell. but he would want to get back in my good graces.

that only left me with john b.

I didn’t want to call him. he can just simply ignore me.

i could definitely ambush him though.

in the lobby, no one was there which I figured since it was so late. visitors were discouraged after seven when the doorman was gone.

I could wait around for security but how long will that take.

should’ve thought about this earlier.

I could try early tomorrow and wait for him in his living room before we go out separate ways for the day is probably my best bet.

making my way into the elevator, the one he uses was open and two giant men walked out. laughing and talking. there must be from his basketball team beau city thunder.

before thinking twice, I slipped into the elevator and pressed the button up. smiling, I hummed as the elevator made it to his floor.

two victories against the horseman in a row.

my luck was changing.

walking into his apartment, I went straight to his window. if my view was amazing, his was breathtaking.

it was around the whole apartment and if I looked down, I could see into my apartment. you could probably see the other penthouse’s next door to mine too.

“john b?” I asked, pulling myself away from the beautiful view and walked around the apartment. “john b?”

walking deeper, i realized he could have his whole team stay here if he wanted to. there was several rooms i passed and probably even more if I didn’t hear the basketball bouncing.

of course.

why wouldn’t he have a basketball court in his apartment that was most likely customized for him.

growing up he had a basketball in his hand when he wasn’t playing. and when he was playing it was the only time that he was ever really smiling. at least when he was home.

I glanced in and there he was.

shirtless, muscular, sweaty. breathtaking.

running a couple drills by himself, music playing not as loudly as he used to play it back home. but he only did that to piss off his father.

i couldn’t bother him. my mom could call me when they’re docked and have better service.

she deserves a vacation doesn’t she? I should be happy that she’s going on this vacation.

I quietly and quickly made my way back to the elevator but as soon i press the button it opens up to rafe, jj, and pope.

they all smirked as they looked at me. “angel. we kept missing each other.” jj said, stepping out the elevator coming closer to me.

“busy.” i shrugged as they all surrounded me. their heights making it impossible to see over them.

“what are you doing up here anyway?” pope asked from my right.

“just needed to ask john b something.”

“oh yeah? why you going back to the elevator then?” rafe asked as they circled me. “caught cold feet or something?” jj asked, leaning closer to me.

“we can help you ask if you want.” pope reassured putting his arm around me.

“it’s fine. I can ask him tomorrow it isn’t a big deal.” I said pulling away from him but they ignored me and basically escorted me to the kitchen.

“john b!” rafe shouted, smirking as we walked.

“yeah?” john b answered, coming from the hallway still shirtless and sweaty, a water bottle in my hand now.

“little angel was looking for you. found her here creeping around.” rafe joked as they pushed me towards john b. his eyes zeroed in on me as the boys presented me to him.

“what do you want?”

“needed a number.” I mumbled and he held his hand to his ear. “what was that?”

“i need the number to the bird. my mom is on there and she hasn’t called me back. i’m worried. it’s been the longest since we haven’t spoke.” i said and he smirked.

“give her a break angel. she’s in the middle of the ocean. probably doesn’t have cell service.”

“i want to talk to her. she’s my mother. i got to check up on her.”

john b sighed and shook his head. “I’ll give it to you.” he said and I smiled. “tha-.”

“only after you come with us to this party.”

my jaw dropped. I can’t believe he was trying.

“no way. i want the number so just give it to me.”

“come on, angel. play with us. you liked it a lot last time.” he leaned in and the four of them surrounded me. just like that night four years ago.

“i’m not interested. i’m older now and I can’t be pushed around that easily anymore. now if you excuse me.” I stated, pushing the four of them away and they went back.

quickly making my way into the elevator, I tried my best to not look back. just trying to keep moving forward.

if I looked back I would give in. or at least that’s why I keep telling myself.

I made it into the elevator and even pressed the button before someone grabbed me and pulled me all the way back into the living room before pushing me down.

“I don’t know guys. she still looks like she’s easy to push around to me.” john b said and the guys chuckled.

“fuck you.” I spit out, getting on my knees.

“you want to don’t you?” john b teased, tilting my chin up to look at me. “you miss me so much don’t you?”

“no I don’t. not that much anyway.” I said and he chuckled.

“you sure about that?” then he pressed his lips against mine.

it wasn’t like anything with trevor.

where andrew was soft and treated me like a doll, john b was hard and rough.

everything that I wished andrew would do.

teeth clashing and sucking on my tounge. his hands were all over and got me to lay back.

grinding against me and I instinctively wrapped around him, moving my hips up to his to get as much as friction as I can.

when he pulled away, I tried to catch his lips again.

“you got an hour to get ready. put on your swimsuit. we’ll help if you take too long. there’s more then enough of us. can’t take all of us.” john b said before going upstairs.

left me alone with his friends.

“damn. you were really going to fuck him right here in front of us.” rafe said leaning down to my height, smirking. “it was a good fight you put up though. what else you got?” he teased, throwing the same words I said to him earlier back in my face.

i’m an idiot if I think I can do this alone.

[vironarro]

Mutuals I'd Like to Get to Know Better!

Tagged by the lovely @yamcat muah muah muah love u always babe </3333

Last song: Oxygen by Lacuna Coil

Last book: I'm on a non-fiction binge lately; Radical Technologies by Adam Greenfield. The topic of how algorithmic data can be used to surveil the state and its citizens has been piquing my interest as of late (i.e. surveillance capitalism & networked digital information technology).

It tries to answer the broad question of how the radical technologies we're familiar with, but we know little of, actually works. Where did they come from? How do they accomplish their work? Why do they appear to us in the way we do?

Understanding their framework allows us to critically evaluate if said technologies are truly 'disruptive' as they are advertised to be, and to pick apart their false claims.

This is truly important to understand because I feel like we have a responsibility to think about the ethical consequences of this new tech and take back control of our agency.

Last movie: I watched Mulholland Drive & American Psycho back to back with my film bro friends, it was great. I was on a Signalis itch during that time, so this movie was perfect hahaha.

(Hey yamcat we watched Nice Guys & The Count of Monte Christo when I visited you!! haha)

Last TV show: Beyond Evil... duh. I've been dragging multiple of my friends to watch that masterpiece of a show. So I've watched this show 3 times over with 2 different friends? Shin Ha Kyun's performance as Lee Dong Sik and Yeo Jin Goo's as Han Joo Won are forever iconic in my brain. I swear to you I've never had favourite actors before, until now.

Next TV show, though... Severance!

Last thing I searched: "michael schumacher life bio" I forgot what led to this 😂 I think I was watching a couple of youtubers interviewing Carlos Sainz and they mentioned Schumacher I guess??

Favorite color: Depends for what. For clothes & interior design, I love earthy and neutral colours. In graphic & packaging design, I fucking love the Ferrari Red

Sweet/Savory/Spicy: Savoury Spicy! I'm not a sweet tooth.

Relationship status: married to a ferrari car (soon) (joking I'm going through heartbreak bcs of someone actually lol)

Looking forward to: Reading the rest of Radical Technologies! Finishing my to do list for this week! I'm organising meet-ups and parties for different friend groups this month because I'll be saying goodbye to them for now! Truly taking care of myself because I've been Han Joo Won-ing through life right now.

Current obsessions:

My fucking miniature Mercedes F1 car figurine I have on my desk. That little car brings me so much dopamine whenever I look at it, my god. It's like I'm 10 with my hotwheels collection again. I think the mercedes f1 car has the coolest & sleekest design on the grid.

F1 F1 F1 I LOVE F1................ Look man yesterday I watched a youtube video of Carlos testing his new Williams and the inner kid in me was like 'FUCK THAT'S SO COOL FUUUCKKKK' ........... anyways I love Ferrari and I love motorsports and I love cars

Beyond Evil

Shin Ha Kyun. He is my favourite middle aged man

---

Tagging: @saltedpin @jingooism @luckynoon @l-tyrell !! Anyone who sees this is welcome to continue this train too! </3

[listening-to-thunder]

City Hunter 2024

Don't mind me I just watched a live action adaptation of the show I absolutely imprinted on as a little fan sprout in the late 80s/early 90s and I have feelings?! (Tl;dr - the adaptation is so faithful I am so happy.)

So yeah. I watched the (censored) French version of the City Hunter anime during summer vacations and then languished as Sweden did not have City Hunter (or anyone who had heard of City Hunter, other than my little brother). So I did stuff like...record it on VCR, pause the VCR, and trace character portraits off the prickly cathode-ray tube TV. (Screenshot technology has come a long way!)

Later on I read the entire un-censored manga (with the original names restored!) in French, and downloaded the Japanese songs from some pages I found on AltaVista (which took forever on modem), and brough the full set back in Japanese after I lived there for a while. And then I found out there is an official "megafan gets transmigrated into the story"-manga about City Hunter, and I read that, too.

Basically: I have had this story in my life forever, and watching the live action movie now gives me echoes of all those feelings I had as a lonely fannish kid. Which is a weird feeling, but not in a bad way, because the live action adaption (not the first, but the first Japanese one!) is...good? It's fun! And it's as faithful to the original story as it could possibly be while also being updated for the 21st century in the best ways?

Okay, I'm just gonna dive in!

I love how prominent Shinjuku is in the live action. It's gorgeously shot, and you can really feel a sense of place. The characters always talk about "this city", and Shinjuku is that city.

And right off the bat Suzuki Ryohei gets to shine in a fun, fast fight scene with a manga flair to it!

Everyone in Shinjuku knows Ryo-chan! And here's where I will admit to my own ignorance, because reading in translation at a young age I honestly don't know if the manga touched on how Shinjuku as a place where the queer community meets? But here the owner of the bar Ryo rushes through is a glorious okama!

Saeba Ryo and Makimura Hidekyuki and HI MY FEELS. (I will probably get back to how much I adore that Ryo is played by an actor who's hit 40 - but Andou Masanobu is nearly 50?! HOW.)

YES GOOD the iconic coat from the manga (that I like a lot more than the silly little anime jacket) running down the streets of Shinjuku as the equally iconic red car (an old Mini Cooper?) races past the neon lights.

Oh man I have cried about this scene so many times. And here I just love how they got the dramatic rain in, despite the circumstances and setting of Makimura's death being different. That's what a good adaptation does: keeps things recognizable to the existing fans, while transforming it to something new and exciting. (I almost didn't see it coming because I kept thinking "It's not raining"...!)

Not to be shallow or anything but...HOT DAMN. Suzuki Ryohei!!!!

This was so delightful! Everyone was having such fun with the Mokkori Dance, and I am thrilled that they found a way of showing this side of Saeba Ryo without making him a sex pest. The mood whiplash from drama to the most frivolous silliness is extremely City Hunter, and the movie wouldn't have felt right if they hadn't nailed this. (With Ryo nudity. I am. Not complaining at all.)

Kaori's stare. Ryo's confidence. Perfect. No notes.

And then we get some T&A... and it's QUEER AS FUCK?! Instead of a strip club, in 2024 the Shinjuku nightlife scene is beautiful people voguing with a fabulous drag queen MC!

Showing off Ryo's impossibly good aim by following the bullet through a crowded nightclub was fun but again: look at this Shinjuku!! It's queer and diverse and I love it.

I could not believe how Suzuki Ryohei somehow manages to move like a manga character? He is so fast and so believable as a supernaturally good shot! I also liked how Ryo hid his gun as soon as he'd fired it - the enemy had already spotted him, so it wasn't that he was afraid of giving himself away? But he doesn't want to have a gun out at a queer nightclub, where it could start a very understandable panic.

Again with the Shinjukuness of it all...! Ryo's car is parked outside the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building (it was my favorite place to go hang out if I had time to kill in Shinjuku) - I think they're up in the observation deck, too?? The layers of nostalgia for me... it hits hard...

SPEAKING OF HITTING HARD I love that they gave Kaori her mallet!!! YES. (And they made up a cosplay event for it, where there was a tiny bit of T&A - but where the cosplayers themselves were making sure they looked as good as possible, showing off their assets!)

This is art to me.

Saeba Ryo. Stallion of Shinjuku. Blocking creepy otaku and audience alike from getting panty shots while not peeking under her skirt and also the horse head is his penis and...

This will take some processing. (While I giggle.)

THE most City Hunter shot of the entire movie. The crosshairs! Ryo shoving someone (Kaori) out of the way of a bullet! The bullet grazing his arm!! SHOOTING BACK AT THE SNIPER. Everything. Everything is perfect.

I am looking...respectfully...?

Their poses, the city... this whole scene felt like watching the manga come to life. Kaori needs a hug and Ryo hasn't gotten to the point where he can do "emotional support" in any other way than "revenge". Ahhhh the angst.

The movie's fights are so much fun to watch, because they have Ryo being a superhero with a gun (or: several guns), and then Kaori running around terrified but also so determined to actually fight. She shoves things on people! She hits that one guy with a pipe!! I love her so much.

IT'S THEM

FEELS ARE HAPPENING

(Ryo still doesn't do "hugging", but at least he's letting Kaori sob on him this time?)

Yes shooting a guy with an upside down revolver pointing behind you is exactly what I want from City Hunter, thank you! (Also the intensity Suzuki Ryohei brings out for Ryo's protective streak... It's so good...)

I just know that I am missing a ton of Easter eggs...! (I would be surprised if the framed drawing of a revolver isn't Hojo Tsukasa's art, though.)

And here we go! Now they're roommates! Kaori has her mallet! And her 80s manga outfit...! Aaah!!!!

Though they both wear shoes indoors which... I suppose even though they live there, the building isn't..."home"-coded? (I mean having that much real estate in the center of Shinjuku actually requires more suspension of disbelief than the gun magic...).

Anyway: it's THEM!

Sequel when? I really, really want one. They did such a fabulous job with this story, I want to see them do more!!

[knightotoc]

The Fall of the House of Usher spoilers:

I was wondering if there were any way for any member of Roderick's family to escape from their curse. The deal is that "your bloodline dies with you;" "bloodline" seems like a precise word, but there are a couple interesting qualifiers in this (unreliable Google) definition:

The first thing that stands out here is that "bloodline" is a modern word, increasing in use, not the kind of ancient language you'd expect in a demonic contract with an immortal being. If this timeline is correct, Verna wouldn't have been making deals using this exact phrasing in the past; the one with Roderick might be the first one.

The second thing to consider is the example phrase: "the survival of a legitimate royal bloodline." "Legitimate" and "royal" often contradict "bloodline;" all three concepts are social constructs that depend upon a culture's definition of fatherhood, motherhood, law, and power.

A king might have illegitimate kids but invent a new religion to make them legitimate, like with Henry VIII and Elizabeth I. Or a queen might have illegitimate kids and keep their true father a secret, like the James Hewitt rumor. Medieval upper classes in Europe and Japan commonly adopted/raised each other's kids to maintain a peaceful balance of power.

Modern ideas about genetics are based in science, but deals with the devil certainly are not. The Ushers made the deal in 1979, and the technology for and social trust in paternity testing did not become common until the late 80s.

What makes this curse so particularly twisted is the same thing that makes the TV show so fantastic: Roderick did have many illegitimate kids, but he claimed them all and made them his heirs. If he had been ignorant of or rejected his illegitimate kids, would they have been safe from the curse? In my opinion, yes.

The question reminds me of the phrase, "Blood is thicker than water," which is a misinterpretation of the Biblical quote, "The blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb." The former means genetic family is stronger than social bonds, while the latter means the opposite. Both phrases and Verna's deal invoke "blood" as the source of their power, but they all mean it in a different way.

The "covenant" of the Ushers, Roderick's promise of wealth and power in exchange for obedience, is signed in blood -- the misery and deaths of all the innocent victims of Ligodone. This tragedy has a far greater social, physical, and spiritual impact on the world than the fact that a handful of people have similar genetics.

I think if a character truly wanted to escape this "bloodline," they could. It would be difficult, but people have been rejecting their families for as long as families have been worth rejection. It makes me think of Ruth in the Old Testament ("where you go, I will go"), or Elon Musk's daughter, who changed not only her first name but her last.

The most tragic aspect of this possibility of escape is that it would still be impossible for many people, especially children. In the show, the only character who I think would escape this way is Lenore, but the curse comes too quickly. If she only had five more years, she might have been able to create a new identity for herself.

I love stories of inescapable tragedy, and it breaks my heart that Lenore's fate reflects the reality of so many kids trapped in bad families, so I appreciate what her death means. I wouldn't want to change anything in the show, and I don't think my interpretation cheapens the curse, just adds to it.

A final story that I want to consider is the recent Bob Marley biopic "One Love," which has a motif of a childhood vision of a pith-helmeted horseman in a burning field of sugarcane. At first, this horseman is his white father who rejected him, but eventually he transforms into Haile Selassie, the Messiah of Rastafarianism. While Marley is able to escape the mental hold his father had over him, the movie also implies that Marley inherited a rare form of cancer from him, which led to his early death. It's not demonic, but it is still unfair.

[bitchkay]

Does MC ever get home sick?

Like actually homesick

Even when you move to a different houses, change schools or get a new job to something that serves you better you'll still end up missing it a little bit or at least the memories you made

Does she ever miss watching the morning news before going to work? Or even just tv in general

Does she miss her phone, even if you dont have a borderline phone addiction or chronically online modern technology has become a staple/necessity if not a prominent part of many people livesn

Does she miss her neighbors? She said she was pretty much alone before she was fucking isekai 'd into the magical realm and in her words, theres no one there waiting for her but she did live in an appartment, probably had a landlord, neighbors or neighborhood

Maybe there was a park she frequented when she wanted to go outside for some fresh air

MC is Japanese and we dont know what part of japan she live but she lived in a city so assuming its Tokyo(because it usually is in voltage games??????? Like why cant shawty be from Osaka or the goddamn country side) maybe she saw the lights of Tokyo tower at night? Maybe she didn't

Maybe she had a restuarant she went to frequently when she didn't feel like cooking

What was Robin favorite cat food? In the magical realm, she cat now a magical cat can eat pretty much the same foods as she but does she ever miss the time when she had to go get him more cat food? Was he on a specific diet? Was he picky about it?

I wish MC would talk more about her life on earth in a less reminiscent and nostalgic way like when ever she talks about it shes talking as if it was such a long time a ago like almost like how you talk about memories when you were a kid

Can't she be sad about it? Is she even sad about it?

Like even at the beginning of consort paths where shes freshly fallen out sky and confused, she seems to accept it quite quickly even after she gotten used to it

Even when she trying to improve her magic to potentially go back where she came from she very calm about the whole thing

Does she ever wish she could lay in her own bed?

No not the dorm bed, but the bed she bought with her own money

Does she ever miss wearing normal clothes?

Well I guess normal isn't the word

But does she ever miss wearing sweatpants? Perhaps a crop top? Jeans? Leggings? Sneakers?

DOES SHE EVER MISS WEARING A NORMAL BATHING SUIT CUS THE BATHING SUITS IN SALIGIA ARE FUCKEN KNEE LENGTH DRESSES????????????????????????

does she miss condoms--

like I'm sure magic takes care of that need for protection aswell as pregnancy prevention plus STD's/STI's but sometimes it's the reassurance you know, like just knowing it's there

I wish they showed MC being homesick ever once in a while

Like you can be happy and satisfied with your new life and still miss your old one, it's okay, it doesn't mean shes gonna run away from you

If anything her consort wants to see her happy and will likely put the effort to recreate the experience or find something similar because they know she misses it

[shadowmyhusbando]

As a child growing up in the 2000s, I gott to witness the changes in technology and in entertainment. From small analog TVs to a big smart TV, PS1 to PS5, there are touch-screen laptops and internet to has upgraded to 5G and technology just kept on upgrading…never-ending and fast. I used to play a outside a lot when I was young, until I learned to switch channels and learned the existence of cartoons. Channels like Disney(RIP), Disney Junior(RIP), Boomerang, Cartoon Network(RIP), Nickelodeon, Animax and BabyTV(RIP) was still a TV channel back then which made me stay indoors. And I learned to play games in the computer, and use search engines like Google just to search up YouTube and watch videos there. And to be honest… I love my childhood, going home early just to watch my favourite shows after school made my day exciting and being able to talk to people with the same interests as you through those TV shows made it worth it.

The Internet during the 2010s was really something else, it raised a generation of kids who has unlimited internet access to get deep into a certain fandom which either traumatized them because the internet had no filter back then or get a hyperfixation of a ship or character. Basically becoming hardcore fans and lots of artists contributed to a certain fandom whether its expressed in digital art posted in online platforms like DeviantArt and Twitter (‘X’ is now the name though) or literature in Wattpad or Ao3 and that influences many fans to did the same thing, and I was one of them. I love art and I’ve been the artist in my class ever since I could even remember so becoming someone who works in the animation field has always been a dream to me. I want to give people the impact that animated shows gave me so when I was introduced to digital art apps like IbisPaint way back 2019 my life basically changed. Ever since then I honed my skills in digital art and decided to share them online during the pandemic. The role of media during that time really was a big one, without it how can we be entertained? Other than traditional games and learning new hobbies but it gave people a chance to go back to their favorite shows and relive that same feeling they had when they first watched it and have a new game or show to be a fan of.

Multimedia have such a huge influence on me growing up and all the shows and gameplays I’ve watched really inspired me to be part of the people who works behind the scenes of it so right now…in order for me to make that dream become a reality I decided to study animation for college. I’ve heard from a lot of experienced artists online how low paying the job is and how art school is just gonna rob your love for art. As an art student of 2 and a half years…my art has improved a lot more and i don’t care if it low paying as long as I get to do what I love right?(yes, reality hasn’t come to me yet so don’t come at me)

[wheelin-after-midnight]

55.

[One] Who is your last text from?

My mother.

[Two] What is your tumblr icon?

A picture of me.

[Three] What's your middle name?

I hate it, so I'm not sharing. Pretty sure I did on my old survey blog once or twice, but I doubt anyone remembers.

[Four] Your current relationship status?

Taken.

[Five] Does your crush like you back? No shit. I wouldn't be taken if she didn't.

[Six] What is your current mood?

Defeated. I'm just getting over several days of cluster migraines where I couldn't even keep down water and there's too much going on in my life that's absolutely breaking me right now. I'm so fucking exhausted and tired of dealing with it.

[Seven] What's your mom's name?

It doesn't matter.

[Eight] What color shirt are you wearing?

My off white gap hoodie with grey lettering.

[Ten] If you could go back in time and change something, would you?

I would go back and make it so my mother never had kids. If I couldn't do that then I'd make it so I was at least completely able bodied and healthy and had a normal, well adjusted and happy life.

[Eleven] Do you like drinking tea?

Not as much as I used to in my teens, but I don't hate tea.

[Twelve] Ever had a near death experience?

Yes.

[Thirteen] Something you do a lot?

Lately, throw up and cry. :/

[Fifteen] Who can you tell anything to?

Brittany or babe.

[Sixteen] Name someone with the same birthday as you?

My twin and one of my aunts.

[Seventeen] When was the last time you cried?

Before I started this.

[Eighteen] How many people have you kissed?

Four.

[Nineteen] If you could be one super hero, who would it be? Catwoman, maybe, if she even counts.

[Twenty] What's the first thing you notice about the opposite/same sex? When I first look at them and haven't had any other interactions, I notice hair, captivating eyes, good teeth, a nice smile, if their makeup application is nice or has anything special that stands out about it. Sometimes I notice someone's laugh. Otherwise, once we've talked and how we connect is what determines whether any of that other stuff is even still attractive to me or matters or not.

[Twenty-one] What do you usually order from Starbucks? Sometimes I change it up, I don't go often because I'm not super close to one and it's expensive as shit. Usually it's a venti iced white mocha with no whip, two sugars, three pumps of the syrup they use instead of the regular .. I believe it's six. And three hazelnut shots. When I was a vegetarian, I got it made with oat milk instead of dairy, but I don't always do that anymore.

[Twenty-two] What's your biggest secret?

Why would I tell my biggest secret to the whole tumblr community? Lmfao. If I did, it wouldn't be my biggest secret anymore.

[Twenty-three] Favorite color? Blue. Most shades.

[Twenty-five] Do you still watch kiddy movies or tv shows? On occasion.

[Twenty-six] What are you eating or drinking at the moment?

Nothing. I don't eat or drink near this tablet or bluetooth keyboard/mouse. I don't trust myself to drink around technology at all since the one time I accidentally spilled on and ruined my laptop when I was 20.

[Twenty-seven] Do you speak any other language?

Several.

[Twenty-eight] What's your favorite smell? Coffee percolating, book pages, gasoline, freshly cut grass, lilacs, my cat's fur.

[Twenty-nine] Describe your life in one word what would it be?

Turbulent. Traumatic.

[Thirty] Have you ever kissed in the rain?

Yes.

[Thirty-two] What are you thinking about right now?

Nothing I want to open up about here.

[Thirty-three] What should you be doing? Making something to eat, I guess, but I'm going to after this.

[Thirty-four] Who was the last person that made you upset/angry?

I don't wanna talk about it.

[Thirty-five] Who was the last person you kissed?

Nippy. Yes, she counts, I don't care.

[Thirty-six] Do you like working in the yard?

I physically can't, usually, depending what the task is. But if I could help and someone asked me to, I would. I don't see why they would bother, though.

[Thirty-seven] If you could have any last name in the world, what would it be?

My girlfriend's.

[Thirty-eight] Do you act differently around the person you like? Not in a bad or duplicitous way, but I'm definitely more of an open version of myself with her than others. She has more of me than basically anyone ever will. I don't have so many walls up with her.

[Thirty-nine] What is your natural hair color?

Grey if I don't dye it, now. I greyed early.

[Forty] Who was the last person to make you cry?

It wasn't a person. It was the weight of my life and situations that are happening that I can't control.

[younganonymus]

Random questions:

1: What was your dream job when you were a kid?

2: What was one wish you would have asked for from a Djinn? (as a child or happy teenager)

3: Is there a person you are glad you met and can you give a vague description? (Like uncle, friend from elementary school, same way of thinking, …)

4: If the whole world ends tomorrow, for example due to a comet striking earth, what would you do within the next 20 hours?

5: If you had the chance to get a big-a**poster from whatever you could think of, what would it be?

6: What is your all-time favourite joke?

7: Do you have a favourite brand, in anything? (Like a certain clothing brand, technology company, film studio, food production, …)

8: Were would you rather stay at a high-class hotel: in outer space or in deep-down water?

9: Which colour is most of your furniture? (Living room when own apartment, your room when living with others.)

10: Ever had a crush on any star and dare to say/write the name? (If so, did you also had posters from given person?)

11: Do you reckon my grammar and spelling is pretty messy and falsey? (In this questionnaire.)

12: No matter what it would be, fictional or long-forgotten: What language would you like to be fluent in? (Like medieval English, dog-language, Elvish, Japanese, …)

13: A musician/band you would love to see live, if you have not yet?

14: Your childhood favourite movie/tv show or book?

15: Do you remember your favourite/any toy from your (earliest) childhood? (Like the first toy you can remember. Or at least one your parents told you about.)

16: Your favourite game when you were a kid? (Like Monopoly, catch, hiding, donkey in the middle, Super Mario, …)

17: Were you rather a smart kid at school, the class clown or the shy one? (Or anything other in particular?)

18: Something that should not be scary but still scares or even frightens you? (Like weird fears or unreasonable/very unlikely things, like getting struck by lightning, meeting your crush from school, leaving the house naked just like in dreams, …)

19: A fictional character you could see as your real-life relationship partner?

20: A pet-peeve you have you are annoyed of? (Like a bad habit of yours or something you rather get rid of.)

21: Do you have a favourite poem?

23: When it comes to candles, do you prefer tall ones, thick ones, scented ones or those basic tea-candle lights?

24: A dish/meal you came up with yourself?

25: Does it bother you there is no question number 22?

26: Who is your most-favourite movie star/author/artist? (Artist as in painting art.)

27: IF it is true we get reborn as an animal, do you think we will keep our human consciousness, memories and way of thinking or will it all be erased?

28: Before I mentioned it, did you even notice question 22 is missing?

29: Would it bother you if there were no question 30?

[gretchensinister]

Book Recommendations 2024!

Hello from someone who read 142 books this year! Time for favorites and recommendations!

First, however, you may say “How did you read 142 books this year?” Reading is my main form of entertainment. I’m not keeping up with movies, video games, TV shows, comics, etc. I have no qualifications with these recommendations except that I am a person who reads a lot.

Also, this year I completed my re-read of the Animorphs series, and those books are short, which will account for the higher-than usual number. I’m really glad I did this re-read, which I actually started in 2020 when the libraries were closed, and then paused for a couple of years. I find this series impressive for the way that it is very clearly written for a 9-12 year old audience (vocab choices, book length, story structure) but also obviously respects that audience and understands that kids at these ages are capable of thinking about difficult choices and issues. And I think this book series gives space for the intended audience to think about difficult things and come up with their own thoughts, even if their decisions are different from the ones the characters make. The ensemble cast and the extreme situations they face mean that different perspectives and questioning plans and decisions happen all the time. Of course I still have worldbuilding questions (secrecy would have been tanked at the start if any of the kids had had braces), but I know that’s hardly the most important thing to focus on.

I read Animorphs as they were being published, and something I didn’t think about then but I learned this year was that the last book was published in May 2001. And then I had The Summer I Was Twelve Before Everything Changed and then everything really DID change in September 2001 and not just because of turning 13.

Now, I know this is not connected, but I finished this re-read just a few months before another bad, major national event is due. So. Despite what my rational brain knows. I feel like I probably will not re-read Animorphs completely again.

Favorites, in no particular order:

Prophet by Helen MacDonald and Sin Blaché: This is a science-fiction story set close to the present day about a man with the unique power to see the truth about statements or objects and his government handler investigating a substance that makes it possible for nostalgia to produce physical manifestations. The reason it’s on my favorites list is that in addition to the main plot it also has a slow burn romance dynamic between the two characters I mentioned above. It’s the kind of thing that I rarely find in a form I like and this book did it very well.

Saint Death’s Daughter by C.S.E. Cooney: An alternate-world fantasy where the main character is a young necromancer with an allergy to violence (literally) who must navigate the loss of her ancestral home, political machinations, and protecting her niece from powerful magical assassins. I just had a really good time, it felt fresh, and I really hope there will be a sequel soon.

Textiles: The Whole Story by Beverly Gordon: Textiles are everywhere in the human world and in my opinion they really, really deserve more notice. This book is a great starting point for that, discussing textiles not only in terms of technology but also in terms of meaning and significance. It’s one of those books that shifts your perspective about the material world.

Work Won’t Love You Back by Sarah Jaffe: This book takes a close look at labor in professions that are supposed to be done for the “love” of it, such as teaching, non-profit work, art, and sports, among others. I think everyone who earns money on any level from work that is supposed to be “fun” or is something that is considered a gift/privilege to do (like art/sports) needs to read this to get more perspective on what/why capitalistic culture says what it does about certain jobs and how to like, see where it’s bullshit and not give work more than it deserves.

Feel It All by Casey Tanner: This book is excellent for unpacking negative cultural messages about sex and pleasure and giving a guide to finding ways to move forward positively without a focus on some singular endpoint where one is “healed.” I can’t explain it adequately in a few sentences, but I HIGHLY recommend this book. I found it very compassionately written, and written from a perspective that I felt was inclusive of many different forms of relationships without prioritizing any one kind. That is, being very chill with the idea that friend relationships may be the most important in a person’s life, for example. Also, I’m pretty sure this book was the one I read that talks about how it’s strange that “pleasure” so often means a particular kind of sexual pleasure and that opening up the idea of pleasure will help it be found in more forms and more places.

Come As You Are by Emily Nagoski: I’ve seen people recommend this book a lot, and they’re RIGHT. If you’ve ever had a vagina, ever interact intimately, or might ever interact intimately with someone with a vagina, read this book. Yes, the caveat is that the book is primarily written for cis women. The author acknowledges this, I acknowledge this, it is what it is (and part of the issue is that at this point in time, most scientific studies that consider vaginas/vulvas/clitorises only discuss cis women). This is a book with a lot of scientific data to basically say: there’s nothing wrong with you. It discusses how arousal works (several competing factors!) and gives practical ideas for being able to figure out what you want and feel more pleasure. However, I did think this book was somewhat more prioritizing of one primary sexual relationship as compared to Feel It All.

About Feel It All and Come As You Are: If you can read only one chapter, read the chapter on nonconcordant desire in Come As You Are. Whatever genitals you have, you need to understand this. If you can read only one of these books, read Come As You Are, which I say because there’s just so much foundational information in this book. But I really, really recommend reading both of these books because I think Feel It All goes beyond the scope of Come As You Are when it comes to how expansive the emotional landscape can be.

Other recommendations:

I Feel Love by Rachel Nuwer: This is a book about the history, present, and possible future of MDMA, also known as ecstasy, with hopes for its therapeutic and recreational use. The book doesn’t shy away from past issues with production and club culture, though.

The Golden Enclaves by Naomi Novik: This is the last book of the Scholomance Trilogy; I liked the whole series and this final book did a great job at tying together everything that was set up in the previous books. It’s only not in favorites because I don’t like including later series books there.

Solaris by Stanislaw Lem: This is a science fiction classic that I recommend to people who want to have a greater understanding of science fiction as a genre. But it is one of those stories where the main character’s perspective on women makes me doubt his ability to make accurate observations of other(s) who aren’t human at all.

The Just City by Jo Walton: What if Athena and Apollo caused humans to try to actually create the city as described in Plato’s Republic? People are plucked from throughout history to find out if the philosopher-king society can actually work. I found the book thoughtful it its perspective and recommend it to everyone who has had to read the Republic and was annoyed at any point.

The Fabric of Civilization by Virginia Postrel: There’s too much about fabric to fit in one book. So here’s another to blow your mind even MORE about cloth.

The Odyssey translated by Emily Wilson: I agree with a lot of the philosophy of translation as described in the introduction to this book, as well as the discussion of the balance that needs to be found between evoking a world very foreign to our own but also conveying a story that the original listeners would have heard as vibrant and exciting. I recommend this to anyone who is interested in The Odyssey but hasn’t ever read the original—it’s very different from every adaptation I’ve encountered.

Mirrored Heavens by Rebecca Roanhorse: This is the third and final book in the Between Earth and Sky series, which is epic fantasy set in a world that draws from non-Columbian Central America (and North America by this point, there’s more traveling in this last book). I recommend this whole series, especially if you like people having to deal with finding themselves named characters in apocalypse-level events unexpectedly (except for one guy, he knew about it, but it’s not really great for him either).

Dungeon Meshi by Ryoko Kui: You don’t need me to recommend Dungeon Meshi. It’s all over the place. It’s still really good, and now that I’ve finished reading the series I can’t wait to see it all animated.

And again, I’m deeply aware I’m not typical when it comes to book numbers. Just don’t worry about it.

[gyubby99]

@disneyanddisneyships I JUST THOUGHT IT WAS CUTE

Emma opened up the door, revealing her father's office. With multiple cameras, every technology that has existed since he came in hell. The screens showing the surveillance of every part of the house, and a big screen in the middle. It was safe to say her father had fully embraced modern technology, and is evolving it with every year, every decade, every generation..

It was one of the things she admired about him.

"In here.." Emma said, whispering to her friend who was walking beside her. The doors slid themselves shut once both of them were completely inside.

"Whoa.." Theodore gawked at the sight. He'd never seen so much technology in his life!

"This is my dad's office. This is where he does his work, obviously. But.. this is the place where he keeps all the information he puts out to the public. Everything. He can corrupt, manipulate and control what everyone sees. He also has his own products that shows up on tv whenever they can." Emma stated, before turning to smile at Theodore.

"He never let me in here as a kid, until one day I accidentally got the door password right and I went in to touch his stuff. I broadcasted frog pictures all throughout hell because I love them.. and dad instantly found out I did it. For one, he wouldn't broadcast random stuff, and two, he knows I liked frogs. He and Mom scolded me for it. I thought it was funny!" She laughed.

Theodore laughed as well. "Yeah, I remember that. Your dad was so angry! Even dad was confused about it."

Emma grinned. "All of them were confused."

Theodore chuckled, smiling fondly at his friend. He just liked her enthusiasm when she talks. She made everything exciting.

Emma looked around the office. "You've gotta admit. It's beautiful, isn't it?"

Theodore stared not at the office, but at her. "Yeah.. it's very beautiful." He found himself saying, his eyes fixated on her face.

Emma looked up at him, making him snap his head at one of the screens. "I mean.. I've been to my dad's radio studio.. it isn't anything like this."

"Classic radio demon. Sticking to old time technology." Emma chuckles.

"You tell me." Theodore agrees.

Emma's mirth died down and she got her eyes off of him, her cheeks having a shade of pink. "Although.. old time radio's not that bad.."

Theodore smiles at her statement, his eyes still remaining on her. "So is new technology! I don't know what our dads are fighting about."

Emma giggles. "Hey, atleast our mothers get along swell!"

Theodore laughs as well. "Our moms' friendship led us to being friends, so.. I'm glad they do."

Emma stopped in her tracks, taking in Theo'd words. "I.. I guess I'm glad too."

Theodore's smile turned into a soft, warm one. He cast aside a bit of her hair, tucking it behind her ear. "Uh.. I hope you don't mind."

Emma blushes. "No, um.. I don't."

They stayed like that for a while, and the feeling of his hand brushing through her cheek made her stomach turn.

Emma looks away from him, upon feeling that. "I.. I promised myself that one day.. one day I'm going to be the one to sit and work at this place. I'm going to be just like him. An overlord. I want to be able to lead the next generation's technology."

"That's ambitious!" Theodore says, putting his hand in his pocket. "I don't even know what I wanna be yet.."

"I'm sure you'll figure it out!" Emma put a hand on his shoulder, smiling reassuringly, a warm.. friendly gesture.

Theodore couldn't stop looking at her. Her red eye.. her voice.. her hair.. her smile..

He didn't know why, but it was probably just because he cared for her as a friend. They did grow up together despite the feud between their fathers.

Theodore smiles. "Thanks, Emma."