#just curious coming from a Filipino/non-American

[kcdodger]

Ásatrú, Gender, Polyamory, and more.

A friend in Port Callahan asked about these things, prompted by the following image, and well. I suppose I can catalogue my journey with heathenry up to this point here, you know?

So, as you probably know, I am a practicing - and learning - Ásatraur. What is an Ásatraur, though? Well, colloquially we're known as Norse Pagans. We worship the Gods known as Odin, Thor, Tyr, Freyja, lots of Gods. Like there are a lot. Also, Loki! Loki gets a bad rep, but he's... Kinda' just a force of change? Like you can't really say "Odin bad Loki good" it does not work that way, that's a Christian-influence simplification. Loki does make for a great antagonist in narratives based on the Eddas though, haha. Anyway, let's get back to it. We mostly just vibe! We don't really actively recruit, we just let people pick up the phone, so to speak. That's what I did. I felt a pull to the Norse Gods as early as 11 years old. That was a... Jam packed time in my life, let me tell you. The first real piece of it was this funny little emblem from Halo 2.

"Valkyrie" This has been my go-to emblem for a looooong long time. The emblem isn't significant in its own way to my religion I don't think, but it stuck with me. What was another piece? Well, any number of things - growing up a curious young boy, curious about the world. The idea of pagans was interesting - and even as a young non-denominational christian, I didn't want to discount folks' religions. I didn't see any reason they couldn't coexist. My dad called me a Pagan for believing that, but, well he would be right eventually.

This is Van. Vanessa Thrace. She was my first attempt at a Truesona, back when I was dating a friend - wanted someone that was closer to me. Both of those things changed at some point, but keyword - changed! They didn't end! Because when I moved here to my dear wife @opashoo, I suddenly was in a Filipino household - a proudly Filipino household. These were second generation immigrants born here from a first generation immigrant. They'd brought back quite a bit from the homeland, culturally. The kids were raised American but the mother is anything but. And I... sort of felt out of place. Over the last few years I'd become immensely disenfranchised with how I was raised - simply American. No heritage. No traditions. Just American. What was my heritage? War, apartheid, glorification of war, consumerism, food, whiteness and an overbearing reliance on Christianity. Fuck that. Fuck all of that dude.

So I asked myself, what do I have? Can't just take any old culture, that's appropriation. But, then I remembered... "Hey, wait. My dad did a genealogy test. He came up mostly Scandinavian. We already knew this but we thought it was scottish ancestry - no, turns out it was Vikings. Huh."

And theeen a loooot of things clicked.

Now in this moment I need to detail something I skipped over.

Oh Kara Thrace, you crazy cunt. You crazy crazy bitch. Definitely one of my biggest fictional crushes ever - Kara Thrace was the baddest bitch on TV when I was a young boy. I'd had a handful of pilot idols, sometimes they were women and all that mattered to me was, "Were they good pilots?" - and Hel the fuck yeah they were. Especially her. Kara's the best pilot. The best fucking pilot ever. Luke Skywalker? Please. Wedge Antilles? As if. Darth Vader? IDK they're pretty supernaturally gifted both of them. Fox McCloud, Han Solo, Spike Spiegel, Hoban Washburn?

All great, but none of 'em are Kara Frakking "Starbuck" Thrace. After all, who could be? Well, that was a worthwhile question to answer. So... I took the name, Kara. I decided it would be my promise to myself. "Live up to the name. Be the best pilot you can be." Even if my Deuteranopia had other plans. For a little while there I was, actually, extremely good and known to be, extremely fucking good.

Oh boy was I ever. Firaxa-1 "Dodger". A name that's gonna' live in a lot of heads for a loooooooong time to come. But that's a story for another day. Well you see, choosing Kara was accidentally... prescient. You see, Kara, really Kára, is a name of Scandinavian origin. It is the name of one of the Valkyries - a particularly tempestuous one. I can relate. They say that it's Italian but... Nah, it's not solely Italian. Well, this was the name I picked. It pretty accidentally lined up with my faith-to-be, so that was really fucking cool. I think I sort of knew though, having played God of War 4 recently and beating every Valkyrie that wasn't named Sigrun. Anyway. With my love's permission - because... Well, we have a lot of loud racists in the Asatru community - I had to make sure sure trusted her new girlfriend with this exploration, and not to get weird and crazy with it. And she did - I got her permission and abandoned Christianity after many years of disillusionment, feeling unwelcome, unwanted, and uncared for by the faith. There's still so much I'm learning. I still haven't read the Eddas. I REALLY need to. But I've celebrated Midsommar, Yule, a couple of times, a couple of Blots, and I personally got my mother in law into Mead - she LOVES the stuff and she doesn't even drink. Anyway. That's how I ended up an outspoken queer heathen. So... What about the subject? Well, here's where Van comes back in.

Van was the one I targeted for heathening up - as, at the time, Sal was in a different kind of slot. So I used Van - who had been a somewhat cynical truesona (Unemployed, played gigs at bars, lived out of a Van, etc.), into something a lot more aspirational. Van stopped being just a Shark, and ended up a Ru, which are the shark folk of my own setting, Beacon.

It was certainly a choice to prominently feature Heathen imagery in Beacon as I continued to develop it, but it was, I think, the right choice. Through Van I explored Ru identity - and now they're Shark Orc Vikings who are kinda' fuzzy, in space. They're also huge. Like, 7 feet tall. (Hilariously, not huge by furry shark standards, but I'm not talking about my gripes with Furry Shark Twitter HERE... Not yet... Not today!) And out comes the chief representative of the people to the audience thus far, as a character. Van had become something more solid in my setting and was a... "Fully realized" me. She's loud, she's boisterous, she's hot as fuck, she's heavy but tough, she's a badass and she's a Valkyrie! She's just cool. And yeah, that's Van. But my relationship to heathenry does not stop there. Because, for you see, I am transgender. I am very very transgender.

And I make no effort to hide that I am a Heathen. I tell people, when relevant, that I'm transgender. At least when it feels safe to. I do not hide that I am MADLY in love with my beautiful wife who is very much not white. I do all these things in opposition to the bastards who try to steal my ancestors' symbols and use them for eugenics, bigotry, hatred, segregation - evil shit. Evil shit that they should NOT be safe for advocating.

There will come a day where someone gets the wrong idea. Maybe they'll think I'm a horrid bigot for wearing these symbols - I wouldn't blame them. I'm over six feet tall, pale as shit, blonde and blue eyed- I'm like, the PICTURE of what weirdos think Viking women should be. lol, too bad for those types, I'm transgender. But, also, like... There'll come a day where some other heathen who wants to stir shit up will figure out I'm not like them, and want to get into a scuffle. I'm ready for both of those things. One can be handled by talking, the other needs some fists. But, yeah. It's part of why I'm so outwardly, loudly, a heathen. Why I wear every single thing proudly. Because if I don't all we collectively are gonna' be known for is hate. We can't have that. Not when we're gaining more members every day, not when we can set good examples, not when we can CHOOSE to oust fascists, bigots, and other bad faith actors. We have to. We cannot let them own what is ours and use it for hate, when our own ancestors didn't give a single shit about genes, about where you were from, what you did - just who you were. And - when I say ancestors, I don't mean blood, I do mean ideological ancestors. I may have blood roots but Ásatrú is for all races, sexuality, genders. But not all politics or beliefs. No sir. Be whatever gender you want, date whoever you want, have as many partners as you want and it's completely fine for beating the shit out of someone who calls you a slur. That's what I, what we, believe in. The original post refers to Ergi, by the way - and it is not a term used lightly. It was a pretty grave insult and saying it made you fair game for getting an axe to the face, so if you did you... pretty much had to be ready to bite the dust. Dunno' about the polyamory, but I'm pretty sure our Gods aren't pearl clutchy about several partners. The Aesir and Vanir got busy wildly in the Eddas. Anyway, hope this is clarity enough. Glory to the Allfather - and that's ALL father, not SOME father.

[softichill]

cricket would you like to talk about your ocs

HELLO HI HELLO YES

Me n my friend @pinkimark have been working on a little project called Hello Fareinn!! It's going to be a visual novel game where you make friends instead of it being a dating sim, tho rn we're just working on worldbuilding and making the characters

Info about each character and the world so far is under the cut :Dc

Fareinn is a small middle-of-nowhere town in Ohio, built right on top of a once-magical haven for all kinds of fantasy creatures. The build-up of magic energy is insanely strong there, and thus the remnants of fantasy/supernatural creatures in modern days are drawn to this town, and any magic traits are heightened significantly. The town itself has a high rate of cryptid sightings and strange events-- it even has a magic wishing well that supposedly curses whoever wishes there. Overall it's a strange place, but it's good for our main character.

Mayumi - Mayumi is the protagonist, a non-binary bi/ace Filipino-American teenager moving to the town of Fareinn from California. Mayumi has been hurt by friends in the past, and their parents don't really take the time to actually listen to them and their needs, including ignoring their diagnosed depression. Though, they do have things that make them happy; they have an obsession with the supernatural and cryptids, and their biggest hobby is photography. Luckily, Fareinn is a town with a fairly fantastical history.

Carmella - The last living Fawn in Fareinn, living in a hidden cottage deep in the forest and avoiding the town more often than not. She's distrusting of humans, and is terrified when she gets spotted (she's the source of a big chunk of Fareinn's cryptid sightings), but really she's curious and wants to learn more about them, hence why she keeps returning. She's also trans

Cadence - Cadence is the son of a rich business-owner family. He's often used as advertisement thanks to his young face, and has learned to dedicate himself fully to his family's business and the duties that come with it. However, as he gets sent out on his own to find places to build on their company for, he struggles more and more with having his own interests and being his own person. He gets sent to Fareinn, and there he meets Mayumi, someone who wholeheartedly loves what they love and seemingly does whatever they want, and as they bond Cadence learns how to let himself be him.

Momo - One of a pair, Momo is a Japanese American demigirl who "died" in the local wishing well over a decade ago. I put "died" in quotes because, really, she's only got some ghost traits that flicker on and off at random, but they haven't aged once since the transformation happened. See, a while back they had been searching for the wishing well with her long-time friend Kiriya, more as a fun legend-hunting trip rather than actually wanting to wish in it. So they both were surprised to see that the well was Real and that the one who grants the wishes in the first place is some edgy dead kid. Long story short, the two ended up making a half-assed wish to be cryptids, and since the wishing well kid is actually an asshole he cursed them to be half-ghosts and separated them. So now, Momo and Kiriya wander the chambers around the well looking for each other. Momo, when stressed, tends to actively try to ignore her stressed feelings and they end up welling up until they explode. This resulted in us giving them fire powers!

I gtg right now, this would take forever to finish sadly and I need to head out. I'll continue explaining the characters later tho, me n Pinki are proud of them :D

[magicalgirlagency]

hmmm i wonder, just how many other characters are in your magical girl story? it sounds cool!

The main team, the Red Star Agency, is a team of 16 (17, including Thor) Magis. I know it’s too much, but I went along with that number of members because I wanted to spite Magical Girl Raising Project for saying that 10+ Magical Girls in the world was a valid excuse to murder them all in battle royales.

Like fuck you, Asari Endo. Observe as my team is as big as a K-Pop group and no one dies and everyone lives happily ever after.

Honey Witch Vivi: The leader of the team, a B-Rank Magi. 22 years old, pansexual/genderfluid, brazilian, autistic. Passionate, smart, idealistic, and occasionally the Mom Friend™. Despite being a leader, she sees her teammates as equals and wants to see them succeed. Basically, my self-insert. Is in a polyamorous relationship with other two Magis. Transformation trinket is a heart-shaped locket, her powers are light-based, and her assigned gemstone is Citrine. Weapon of choice is a strawberry quartz wand that can transform into a parasol. Her mascot is a Squirtle named Bubbles (she’s the only one who can understand what her mascot says).

Cupid Harpy Sally: Was once Vivi’s first mascot and dearly beloved childhood toy but later graduates into a Magi herself, a A-Rank Magi. 20 years old (in human years), asexual, wondarian. She’s also Vivi’s adoptive sister. Spunky, sassy, energetic, and sometimes naughty. True to her Magi Title, she can shapeshift her arms into wings. Transformation trinket is a heart-shaped hairclip, her powers are fire-based, and her assigned gemstone is Cherry Quartz. Weapon of choice is a lance (which she calls “Lovely Lance”), and a infinite set of Cherry Bombs.

Star Navigator Amelia: Vivi’s girlfriend (and her childhood friend, as well), a B-Rank Magi. 22 years old, bisexual, brazilian. Loyal, adventurous, mature, and calm. Her design is basically Sayaka Miki (from PMMM) if she didn’t snapped. Was once as Magi dropout due her depression, but got back to magic business thanks to Vivi’s help. Transformation trinket is a golden star medallion, her powers are water-based, and her assigned gemstone is Larimar. Weapon of choice is a rapier/espada ropera.

Pink Soldier Kiki: Vivi’s other girlfriend, a S-Rank Magi. 20 years old, pansexual/gender-neutral, japanese/brazilian, autistic. Creative, brave, charismatic, and bright. Heavily inspired on Kirby (specially on Star Allies), and is able to transform into many disguises and personas. Transformation trinket is a pair of pink bead bracelets, her powers are love-based, and her assigned gemstone is Tourmaline. Weapon of choice is a twirling baton (which it also acts as a stimming toy for her). Her “mascot” is a broomstick named Glinda, that once belonged to Vivi.

Wisp Rider Winona: A Kamen Rider afficionado, a A-Rank Magi. 21 years old, lesbian/non-binary, australian. Athletic, optimistic, clever and a bit of a joker. She has a strong connection with the Wisps (from Sonic Colors), and can emulate their hyper-go-on energy by shapeshifting into them. Transformation trinket is a star-shaped belt buckle, her powers are alien-based, and her assigned gemstone is Emerald. Weapon of choice is a golden hoop (which she calls “Power Ring”).

Cheerful Doll Delilah: A revolutionary doll, a B-Rank Magi. 19 years old, lesbian, wondarian. Elegant, sweet, sensitive, and a bit dramatic. Was a circus ballerina before she became a Magi, and rebelled against her manipulative boss. Has a crush on Winona, and looks up to her. Transformation trinket is a pair of poofy scrunchies (that she uses as bracelets), her powers are music-based, and her assigned gemstone is Rose Quartz.. Weapon of choice is a pair of cheerleader pompoms.

Tech Witch Donovan: A young techie and a ninja, a B-Rank Magi. 21 years old, asexual/biromantic, asian-american. Brainy, dexterous, wise, and introverted. Has a passion for everything that combines magic with technology and can tame demons. Is actually the reincarnation of 2k12!Donatello, after April killed him in the 100th episode. Transformation trinket is a turtle-shaped brooch, his powers are ninja/tech-based, and his assigned gemstone is Spirit Quartz. Weapon of choice is a metal bo staff. His mascots are the spirits of his brothers from another timeline (basically, they are Leo, Mike and Raph that all fell into a spiral of insanity and commited seppuku after Don and Splinter were murdered).

Frost Rabbot Nia: A magical android, a S-Rank Magi. 20 years old (in human years), asexual, wondarian. Logical, curious, intelligent, and a tactical genius. She’s a wondarian project designed to be the perfect Magi. Looks up to Donovan, and thinks of him as a older brother. She consumes Earth’s sci-fi media in order to study their mistakes, and fix them. Transformation trinket is a star-shaped core in her chest, her powers are ice-based, and her assigned gemstone is Sapphire. She has no weapon of choice, because her body is a weapon (not in a creepy and de-humanizing way, I promise!)

Quirky Rebel Nova: A energetic outsider, a A-Rank Magi (later to be promoted to S-Rank due to her awesome violent ways to exterminate Incubators). 21 years old, asexual/panromantic, currently wondarian. Impulsive, persistent, captivating, and a go-getter. She is in reality Star Butterfly, but she ran away from Mewni without leaving a trace, after learning her life was a lie (in the third season episode, The Butterfly Effect); she changes her name to Nova (as in Supernova), and has traveled throughout the Multiverse, training herself to learn magic without a wand. Can transform herself without a transformation trinket, her powers are chaos/wildcard-based, and her assigned gemstone is Fluorite. Weapon of choice is a pair of magic gloves/gauntlets (after giving up her wand). Her mascot is a Sableye named Glitter.

Devilish Clover Perci: A skillful archer, a S-Rank Magi. 22 years old, pansexual/trans, british. Stylish, outspoken, dauntless, and very friendly. One of the most popular Magis, specially due to her control over dark magic. She adopts Nova as her sister, and their personalities clash quite nicely. Transformation trinket is a peridot brooch, her powers are darkness-based, and her assigned gemstone is Sugilite. Weapon of choice is a magic bow (that was previously Nova’s wand).

Milky Angel Holly: A wild angel, a B-Rank Magi. 23 years old, pansexual, american. Unruly, rebellious, lively, and brutally honest at times. Was once one of the best Magis, but a certain happening in her life made her develop trust issues, and she became a delinquent. To get her attitude adjusted, she is assigned to the RSA. She’s designed after Panty Anarchy (from P&SwG), because I shamelessly liked her and I got salty about her sudden and out-of-the-blue “death”. Transformation trinket is a pair of golden hoop earrings, her powers are angel-based, and her assigned gemstone is Angel Aura Quartz. Weapon of choice is a light-molded musket and a halo that acts like a boomerang.

Pretty Punisher Aya: A recovering survivor, a C-Rank Magi. 19 years old, lesbian, japanese. Shy, gentle, soft-spoken, and always doing her best. She’s an alternative version of Asagiri Aya (from Mahou Shoujo Site) if she ever snapped at her bullies, abusive brother and neglective parents and actually have used her magic to kill them all. She becomes part of Wondaria’s rescuing and therapy program, that helps abused earthlings and offers them a chance in becoming Magis themselves. She is later assigned to the RSA to develop her powers better in a non-violent and zero percent toxic environment. She sees Holly as her upperclassman, and wishes to be as brave as her. Transformation trinket is not actually a trinket, but rather her heart tattoo on her left wrist, her powers are healing-based, and her assigned gemstone is Ruby. Weapon of choice is a heart-shaped pistol.

Demonic Witch Ace: A ruthless hero, a S-Rank Magi. 24 years old, pansexual, japanese. Strong, ill-tempered, fiery, but becomes a total dork once you know him better. Real name is Akira, Ace is just a nickname. He’s a half-Oni, cursed to be the successor of the Devilman name, and he has trust issues thanks to that. To everyone’s surprise, Vivi actually manages to break his shell and befriend him. Transformation trinket is a spiky bracelet, his powers are demon-based, and his assigned gemstone is Obsidian. Weapon of choice is a kanabo/iron mace. His mascot is a sizeshifting kitsune named Miki (while not a pokémon, he can understands what the little fox says).

Artsy Chameleon Enzo: A quirky street artist, a B-Rank Magi. 23 years old, pansexual/trans, italian. An artistic soul, always on the move, tricky, and unable to give fucks to anyone who dares to discriminate him. He was kicked out of his house after coming out to his parents, but later became a Magi so he could leave earth to live in Wondaria. He’s best friends with Perci, who’s also pan/trans. Transformation trinket is a leaf-shaped belt buckle, his powers are art/chameleon-based, and his assigned gemstone is Opal. Weapon of choice is a pink baseball bat.

Cursed Maestro Arthur: An anxious fortune-teller, a B-Rank Magi. 23 years old, asexual/polyromantic, filipino. Jittery, cautious, but hardworking and doing his best to become brave. He is the reincarnation of Arthur Kingsmen (from Mystery Skulls Animated), after Lewis killed him. He has the Hellbent Curse, where he becomes aware of how his past life came to an end. He has a crush on Ace, and wants to be as brave as him. Transfromation trinket is a orange bead bracelet, his powers are ghost/music-based, and his assigned gemstone is Japser. Weapon of choice is a conductor baton. His mascot is a Dedenne named Peanut and a scarf named Tempo.

Soul Genie Inka: A rebellious alien, a C-Rank Magi. Older than any human, asexual/non-binary, wondarian. Curious, smart, cheeky, and always eager to learn more about Earth culture. was previously a defective Incubator, who grew tired of stealing souls and spreading despair. Kiki was the only one who believed in them, and later became a Magi when things got tough for her. Transformation trinket is a drop-shaped garnet stone on their chest, their magic is genie/chaos-based, and their assigned gemstone is Pearl. Weapon of choice is their long ponytail.

Mighty Berserker Thor: A broken god, a S-Rank Magi. 24 years old (in human years), bisexual, wondarian (previously asgardian, but Asgard is no more). Approachable, a friend to all, awkward at times, and a tad bit salty (it comes with the trauma). Has yeeted himself of his world with the power of the Infinity Stones because he grew tired of being ridiculed and dealing with a constant streak of despair and death in his life. He was taken in by the RSA, and is treated with such care (which it scared him at first after spending five years in depression), but he eventually warms up to the team and finds once again a motivation to fight and protect. Transformation trinket is his prosthetic arm, his powers are lightning/weather-based, and his assigned gemstone is Sunstone. He has no weapon of choice (as originally intended!); he’s basically a giant living taser. His mascot is a pocket-sized imp that’s actually his brother Loki (he was punished due his past transgressions, and he HATES it).

…phew…! Here it is, the entire team assembled! It was hard, but I’ve had loads of fun with it honestly! It flatters me that you were interested in my dream plot, Anon!

[southeastasianists]

There’s an interest in reading the Philippines. Some of us are just unsure where to start.

As a teacher of Sociology with an active social media presence, I often get asked for suggestions on what to read about Philippine society, culture, and politics. When I made a Twitter thread of my reading list, I did not expect it to go viral. There seems to be a demand to understand the Philippines beyond the world of fake news and hot takes.

This list is a response to the challenge of doing slow reads in a fast-paced world. Discussion points may continue to change but the idiosyncrasies of the Philippines, a Southeast Asian archipelagic nation-state of over 7,600 islands, still remain as they were in the past.

Organised chronologically based on the historical contexts of the readings, this list includes: what the reading is all about, who might find it useful, and the debates and further lines of inquiry it opens.

1. Scott, William Henry. 1994. Barangay: Sixteenth-Century Philippine Culture and Society. Quezon City: Ateneo de Manila University Press.

Few academic text focuses solely on pre-colonial Philippines. This book still answers the call. It offers ethnographic material showing the habits of the people before their colonisation and before the influence of some contemporary major religions such as Islam and Catholicism.

Scott’s main agenda, however, is to present how the Spaniards saw the Philippine islanders and what the Spaniards said about the inhabitants of their new-found colony. Traditions that come across as barbaric in today���s standards are situated in their historical context, such as skull moulding of infants to give way to a flat forehead and a flat nose. This book is useful to scholars who want a glimpse of the uncolonised ancestors’ identity construction and community life, and see how they were changed by the colonizing process.

2. Ileto, Reynaldo Clemeña. 1979. Pasyon and Revolution: Popular Movements in the Philippines, 1840-1910. Quezon City: Ateneo de Manila University Press. In this book, Ileto offered a fresh take on the revolution against the Spaniards, centering on the revolution from below—those by peasant brotherhoods. Earlier historical analyses have focused on the role of the elite and middle classes in the revolution, but this book examines not only movements orchestrated by the peasants, but also the peasants’ ideas on, and the meanings they attribute to, the revolution.

Ileto finds that their recognition is grounded on their view and lived experience of the Pasyon, a lengthy poem about the birth, life, and death of the savior Jesus Christ. This poem is sung and chanted in many provinces in the Philippines during Holy Week. A mixture of religious dogmas and indigenous traditions have allowed the peasants to see the Pasyon in a revolutionary lens, one of which is the belief on the efficacy of anting–anting, an amulet that gives extraordinary abilities to its wearer.

This book cites some parallelisms of the Bible to the situations in colonial Philippines under the Spaniards. Examples of this are the struggles of Jesus Christ in comparison to the struggles of separatist movement leaders, and the estrangement of the Anointed Son and the Holy Mother in comparison to the separation of the Philippines from Spain. This book is useful especially to those interested in the religious character of the Philippines.

3. Constantino, Renato. 1970. “The Mis-Education of the Filipino.” Journal of Contemporary Asia1(1):20-36. This journal article problematises the Philippine educational system, particularly the dominance of the English language and the propagation of American standards and ideals in schools. Constantino asserted that when the Americans introduced public education in the Philippines, they assumed that the making of an educated Filipino was equal to the making of an educated American—an assumption that can be accepted if and only if the Philippines and America had the same economic and political goals and were at the same economic and political level.

As a result, Filipinos were forced to understand themselves and their society through the eyes of an outsider, a phenomenon that has crucial implications for today’s foreign policies and national consciousness. The article highlights that the goal of education should be the making of an individual so that s/he may contribute well to the society. This implies that the Philippines should have a system of education that is of the Filipino, for the Filipino. This is a sure treat to readers keen on scrutinising Filipino education and modes of thinking.

4. Ileto, Reynaldo Clemeña. 2005. “Philippine Wars and the Politics of Memory.” Positions: East Asia Cultures Critique13(1):215–35. In this brief examination of Philippine history, Ileto outlined what he termed as the five wars namely: war of independence from Spain, Filipino-American war (also known as Philippine insurrection), war with Japan, war against the Huks and other movements led by the radical left, and Moro wars.

Ileto argues that these seemingly disparate wars are united by a single theme—resistance against a foreign dominator. However, due to the kind of education made available by the Americans that is still practiced up to this point, Filipinos are led to forget about the Filipino-American war and to misrecognise the Moro wars. This forgetting and misrecognition are the reasons Filipinos today have an incomplete view of their history, which has problematic consequences on how they interpret contemporary events sweeping the country. The enthusiast of historical framing will find this article helpful.

5. Mulder, Niels. 1997. “Filipino Images of the Nation.” Philippine Studies45(1):50–74. This article is a primer on how Filipinos view themselves. Mulder examined the self-flagellating tendencies of Filipinos and argued that what keeps the country’s low self-esteem are: colonial mentality, dependence on the United States, selfish interest of politicians, non-institutional approach to problems, and excessive emphasis on individual morality. He also presented the curious phenomenon of Filipinos having rootless assumptions of their superiority in Asia but have optimistic inferiority complex towards America.

Mulder flagged that the Philippines needs a complete overhaul of cultural systems and must start from scratch because of the distortions of people’s collective memory, absence of positive imagination of the public sphere, cultural destruction of the Marcos regime, disinterest of the central state in nation-building, and even clumsiness of the social science curriculum.

6. McCoy, Alfred W., ed. 1994. Anarchy of Families: State and Family in the Philippines. Madison City: University of Wisconsin-Madison Center for Southeast Asian Studies. This book is for those who are curious about corruption and power grabbing of politicians in the Philippines. It provides a glimpse of the different strategies used by political dynasties in the Philippines to stay in power, and the different mechanisms by which they mobilise their resources to gain votes.

McCoy showed the violent and fraudulent nature of the Philippine political arena where elite families continue to dominate. He also stressed that one should not forget to look at the oligarchy endemic in the Philippines if one wishes to understand Philippine history.

Elite families have always been a constant in the Philippines, from being the pre-colonial Maharlika, to the Spanish colonisation’s Gobernadorcillos and Ilustrados, and to the political dynasties brought forth by American electoralism. These families have always been present and have betrayed the Filipino people many times before. In the contemporary Philippine society, McCoy cited warlordism and rent-seeking as the most prevailing strategies for power maintenance.

This book also includes case studies, written by book contributors, of different provinces in the Philippines with various political families exercising different approaches to consolidating their reign.

7. Fallows, James. 1987. “A Damaged Culture: A New Philippines?” The Atlantic. Are the Marcoses always at fault? This article thinks not.

Fallows explored how Filipino culture, above all, broke the promise of the EDSA People Power 1 Revolution that ended the dictator Ferdinand Marcos’s rule. After the revolution, Filipinos were positive that all that was wrong with the Philippines will change, only to be kept waiting more than three decades on. Fallows asserted that although a lot of Filipinos see Marcos as the be-all and end-all of all that is rotten in the country, Marcos merely intensified them. It is true that the Marcos era is marked with wealth inequality, corruption, monopolies, and land-ownership disputes but  these problems have already existed long before the strongman took power.

Culture, Fallows said, is the culprit. This damaged culture started from the inferiority inculcated by the Spaniards to the mainstream consciousness and continued when the Americans did not allow Filipinos to finish their revolution against Spain. Fallows zeroed in on some of the problematic Filipino cultural phenomena such as love for religious icons, lack of nationalism, and electing the least evil politician instead of the most competent one.

There are lots of Filipinos who thrive outside of their culture, making it no wonder that in the Philippines, the national ambition is to change one’s nationality. This reading is appropriate to those who are wondering what keeps the country poor.

8. Constable, Nicole. 1997. Maid to Order in Hong Kong: Stories of Migrant Workers in Hong Kong. New York: Cornell University Press. This book presents tales of female overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in relation to the capitalist world system that has put pressure on developing regions of South and Southeast Asia to answer to the demands of the international care chain.

Over 120,000 Filipinas aged 20 to 40, some with college degrees and others with high school diplomas, have entered into two-year contracts in Hong Kong. In her analysis, Constable investigated factors such as the interest of both Philippine and Chinese governments that benefit from the foreign capital generated by the flow of human resources; recruitment and placement agencies in the Philippines that have made responding to the need for unskilled workers abroad their mission and business venture; and employers who provide not only salary but also housing arrangements to OFWs in Hong Kong.

These factors all actively contribute to disciplinary measures aimed at perfecting the docility of OFWs, extending to their private lives—their emotions, ambitions, voice, and body. But women are not powerless. The book demonstrates how women assert their power in different ways, from legal avenues and public demonstrations to seemingly trivial and everyday jokes.

9. Mojares, Resil B. 2008. Brains of the Nation: Pedro Paterno, T.H. Pardo De Tavera, Isabelo De Los Reyes and the Production of Modern Knowledge. Quezon City: Ateneo de Manila University Press. This book traces the evolution of the Filipino thought by looking at the changes in ideologies and aspirations of some of the Ilustrados. It as well presents how Philippine history was understood and written about by Filipinos as early as the 19th Century. Mojares, newly-named National Artist for Literature, deviated from the penchant of other historical writings to focus on Rizal and mention other Ilustrados only when they come incidental to the life and writings of Rizal. Mojares identified three Ilustrados who he claimed had been glossed over in the construction of national historical viewpoints. Pedro Paterno is disparaged as the original balimbing, the political butterfly who changed allegiance based on convenience; T.H. Pardo de Tavera has been downplayed since his cooperation with the Americans; and Isabelo de los Reyes had been devalued following his involvement in the Philippine Independent Church.

These three Ilustrados, dubbed by the author as the “three figures of Filipino enlightenment”, are part of the generation that started the consciousness of the Filipino in terms of their identity. Mijares also effectively shows the agreements and disagreements among these Ilustrados themselves, making this book worthwhile for those who want to look at the beginnings of Filipino intellectualism.

10. Medina, Belen T. G. 2015. The Filipino Family. Third ed. Quezon City: University of the Philippines Press. A striking feature of the Filipino culture is the primacy of the family as a unit of analysis. This book examines the constitution of the Filipino family and discusses its definition, selection of romantic partners, courtship, love and sex, role of members, and decision-making, among others. Medina employed the sociological perspectives of structural functionalism, symbolic interactionism, feminism, and postmodernism in her inquiry into the Filipino family.

The latest edition of the book includes new takes on some emerging phenomena brought about by a fast-changing world. These additions cover relationships engendered online, courtship via social media, and deconstruction of the traditional view of family as composed of the father, the mother, big sister, big brother, and bunso (youngest), and the roles ascribed to each family member. While the analysis of the book is limited only to the middle-class families in lowland urban Christian communities, this book still provides a preview of what can be considered the most important social institution of the nation.

11. Lara, Francisco J. 2014. Insurgents, Clans, and States: Political Legitimacy and Resurgent in Muslim Mindanao, Philippines. Quezon City: Ateneo de Manila University Press. This book discusses the conflict espoused by the neglect and marginalisation of the Mindanao economy. This neglect was appropriated by local politicians, which ultimately enabled them to subvert the legitimacy of Muslim separatist movements such as the Moro National Liberation Front and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front at the very time that parts of Muslim Mindanao gained autonomy from the state. Although Mindanao still contribute to the Manila-centric Philippine economy, it cannot be denied that business ventures in the region are under the shadow economy. This type of economy lays the groundwork for local elites and powerful clans to navigate the weak Philippine state and negotiate with national politicians for rents. Consequently, this book also examines how local politicians may regard peace as a threat to their power and interest since their claim to legitimacy is based on their ability to monopolise the repository of security. This reading is helpful for those concerned with sub-national state building and its auxiliary violence.

12. Curato, Nicole, ed. 2017. A Duterte Reader: Critical Essays On Rodrigo Duterte’s Early Presidency. Quezon City: Ateneo de Manila University Press. Perhaps a lot of intellectuals out there are developing interest on the Philippines as a result of the controversies surrounding the country’s president and his main political agenda. This book is composed of critical essays from Philippine scholars of various specialisations encompassing topics from Duterte’s rise to power, to the issues that arose in his early presidency.

This is an essential reading for those who want to have a comprehensive view on Duterte’s rise to power. This anthology, simply put, places Duterte in context. It explores Dutertismo and asserts that when one talks about Duterte, one does not only talk about his eccentric manners and personality as a President, but also the different institutions and cultural traditions that made his rise possible and that continue to cradle his presidency.

The need to talk about Rodrigo Duterte, the first president to ever come from Philippine’s geographical South, is emphasized as his election entailed the deconstruction of the historically imperial Manila. This book also brings into light the different misconceptions about the Duterte administration, from internet trolls associated with the DDS (Duterte Die-hard Supporters), to Duterte’s misogyny, to his politics of memory, among others.

There are lots of other books that are also useful in understanding Philippines. This list is focused on concise and comprehensive journal articles and books with the goal of providing a bird’s eye view of the Philippines and the contemporary issues facing the country.

These twelve readings may not be enough to capture the colorful breadth of issues surrounding the Philippines, but they undoubtedly give a start to the individual enthusiastic over the Philippine society, culture, and politics. Until then, one can always go further into more specific materials.

[skiptomy]

[Seeker] I have no idea if this photo will even really be visible cause it's a Long Boi™. But here we go, everyone designed so far.

About the comic and these characters under the Cut:

Across the multiverse there are people who for whatever reason, only exist in one reality. Root is an agency that collects these singularities, granting them the power and immortality needed to stop inter-dimensional 'leaks'. These leaks, beings of untethered and unexplainable energy that take the form of gruesome monsters, are causing all of reality to split and fold in on itself. When something makes its way into a place it doesn't belong, Root is there to quiet, contain, and resolve the problem before the world it inhabits is destroyed.

Root has teams of four singularities, each granted a specific set of powers. A Seeker, a Warp, a Stitch, and a Guardian.

Seekers can see through all of the multiverse, finding pathways between worlds. They can find anything, so long as they have a good enough description of what they are looking for. Once given an alert from the main hub, Seekers can pinpoint the leaks, and lead their team to them efficiently. In the field they provide a form of clairvoyance to support the team.

Warps open up those paths, and take people and things through them. In the field they use a shorter form of teleportation as needed.

Stitches use probability and potential energy to create necessary objects and heal teammates.

Guardians are physically stronger and capable of manipulating light into force, shaping it in to weapons that can connect with leaks more effectively than common forms of attack. Most have a very strong protective drive, preferring defense to offense.

Once a Guardian subdues a leak, Stitches create a pocket dimension to hold them in with the help of the Seeker, who in turn leads the Warp to the path that will get them back home.

Now lets learn a little bit about everyone, Left to Right, down the line:

Name: Antonio Bellini Pronouns: He/Him Ethnicity: Italian Type: Stitch Personality: Kind of snooty, very prideful. Extreeeeemeeely competitive, thinks team 3 is better than any other team. Will never admit being wrong.

Name: Ysabel Ramos Pronouns: She/Her Ethnicity: Mexican Type: Seeker Personality: Bold but calculating. Tactical genius. Pretty much just an all around genius. Enabler to Antonio’s competitiveness, but knows when to reign him in.

Name: Newton (Newt) Labelle Pronouns: He/Him Ethnicity: European/Latinx mix, non-specific Type: Guardian Personality: Extremely shy, and a bit standoffish. Pretty much only talks to his team. Likes to play with puzzles. Is an amazing sharpshooter.

Name: Mi-Jin Song Pronouns: She/Her Ethnicity: Korean Type: Warp Personality: At first she seems sort of aloof and stubborn, but she genuinely has a heart of gold. She’s surprisingly good at giving inspiring speeches for someone who doesn’t talk much otherwise. Mostly she just opens her mouth when she has something important to say. Or someone to roast. She’s also very very well versed in sarcasm.

Name: Sariya Anandi Pronouns: She/Her Ethnicity: Indian Type: Seeker Personality: A very typical romantic goth. She loves creepy things, dead things, and the idea of everlasting dark love. She loves to read and find places to sit and enjoy nature. Especially if it’s dark out.

Name: Tess Lajani Pronouns: She/Her/They/Them Ethnicity: Persian Type: Guardian Personality: Bright, loud, excitable. Those don’t come close to explaining this firecracker. Tess has endless energy and endless optimism.

Name: Kayde Hadji Pronouns: He/Him Ethnicity: Arabic Type: Stitch Personality: Is as much a protector of the team as Tess. He is the first to wrap anyone and everyone in a bear hug. Kayde can be a bit vain, but also loves to spoil his teammates and anyone else he likes. He’s basically a prince. He's also a big ol flirt and poly as hell. 

Name: Raja Taer Pronouns: They/Them/He/Him Ethnicity: Filipino/English Type: Warp Personality: Inquisitive and precise. They are quick with wit and decision making. But everything has to be just-so. They love collecting art from around the multiverse, and often bring things to trade just to get some.

Name: Leo Imani Pronouns: He/Him Ethnicity: Swahilli/American Type: Stitch Personality: Bright and cheerful prankster. Leo suffers from chronic pain, but he’s never without a grin and a quip. He is fierce to protect his companions, and has more than once ran into a situation that their Guardian should have been the one to handle. He also loves to cook for the team, and makes sure to make a big meal after any hard mission.

Name: Sabrina (Sabre) Caro Pronouns: She/Her Ethnicity: Latinx Type: Warp Personality: Confident in herself and her team. She loves them all to bits and tries to help them all see the best in themselves. Curious by nature, she tends to get in trouble by acting before thinking.

Name: Theodora (Teddy) Goldhirsch Pronouns: They/Them/Any Ethnicity: Jewish/Pacific Islander Type: Guardian Personality: Sweet as sugar. They are as strong with diplomacy as they are physically. Which is to say, extremely. They also love animals, and will make a point of checking out the local fauna of any new world they stop on.

Name: Casper Isley Pronouns: He/Him Ethnicity: Scottish Type: Warp Personality: The replacement for Sabre after she goes missing. He is slow to really catch on with the team as they’ve had such a long time together and he’s the new guy. He’s incredibly eager to please, and just wants to do a good job.

Name: Katya Volkov Pronouns: She/Her Ethnicity: Russian Type: Seeker Personality: A very shy girl who really only opens up around those she sees as her own. Kat tends to live in her head more than she interacts with the world around her. This is partly because of her powers as a Seeker, and partly because of how introverted she is. She is very much in love with Sabre, who showed her how to tune out the whole of the universe, and just be herself.

[fountainpenguin]

The most problematic faves are HERE! They’re doing amazing and I love them. I know I’ve said this a million times, but reading their deleted scenes always has me dying. Let them ditch their man-eating ball pit and run away to Mexico with Imaginary Gary. It’s what they want. Curse you, unmoistened squids!

GARRETT JUANDISSIMO TUCKFIELD CABRERA

Heritage

All of the above; let’s just say he comes from a mixed background, and leave it at that. If pressed, he’ll default to human. I mean, Spanish-Italian-Indian-Filipino... Native American... Uh... Something or other. Does it matter?

Overview

A child of divorced parents, and always bounced back and forth between them. Spending years on a miniature golf course didn’t help him make lasting friends, either. Has some abandonment issues, but mostly doesn’t think about it and just tries to stuff the holes in his heart with as many close relationships as possible. Aggressively friendly. Be nice to him.

Taken under Pixie wings as a child, Gary grew up with one foot in the magical world. Even during his time on Earth, he grew used to being monitored, to the point where he’ll still accidentally do things without thinking about them, like drop glass objects and expect them to float... or throw babies who don’t bounce.

Clueless, innocent, and bumbling, Gary likes to be a part of things and always tries to lend a helping hand wherever possible. While he does have a curious nature, he’s well-trained and won’t go wandering off to poke his nose where it doesn’t belong... mostly. 

Pixies and working at the Learn-A-Torium is all Gary really knows, and he has no intention of getting a higher education. His heart is always in the right place, even if he did grow up with less than stellar role models.

Notes

> His Deadly Sin is Greed and his Heavenly Virtue is Charity. It’s complicated.

> He’ll spellcheck your speech balloons. HE KNOWS.

> The “cold anger” type.

> Small spaces make him uncomfortable and locks give him serious anxiety. If he knows he’s locked in a room, he will freak immediately.

> So no, he did not like Flappy’s briefcase.

> As loyal as a starry-eyed puppy to the point that it’s kind of... pathetic.

> Has no sense of delayed gratification and gets frustrated with long tasks.

> Tends to use magical aphorisms even in non-magical company.

> His genetics are their own ecosystem. Ask him about his chromosomes. He’ll love that.

> An all around good boy whose flaws tend to be virtues pushed to a fault.

> Help him.

Strengths: Loyalty, enthusiasm, sensitivity, creativity, altruistic, productive, basic homemaking and childcare skills, singing and coordination abilities... That’s about it. Except, he’s also fluent in four languages (H.P. insisted).

Weaknesses: Claustrophobia, can’t swim, limited education, struggles to keep his mouth shut, extremely poor liar, socially awkward, big pushover, reluctant to stand up for himself, stubbornly resistant to self-improvement, holds grudges, skewed sense of ethics, jealous, obsessively grammar-happy... List goes on.

ELIZABETH ARICA LOVELL

Heritage

Half-mermaid isn’t an answer? Darn.

Born and raised in Kansas on an apple orchard and horse farm. Her ancestry can be traced back to Sweden. Her parents were self-taught examiners of the supernatural before her father lost his memories after an encounter with Jorgen.

Overview

Betty’s relationship with the Pixies has always been rough, to put it mildly. Whereas Gary came from an unstable home and found security in his new life, Betty was uprooted from a happy childhood, and never quite connected with H.P. and Sanderson, seeing them instead as her boss and her boss’s boss instead of surrogate parental figures like Gary. But, it’s not like she could go anywhere, so... all aboard!

Betty’s sense of judgement and her awareness of the world are more refined than Gary’s, so while he tends to get very concerned about anything that could be problematic, she better understands what she’s doing and then does it anyway. “I do what I want to get what I need”, so to speak. Pretty much the only one of her colleagues keeping things under control, and often has to be the bad guy by putting an end to playtime.

She’s doggedly persistent in any task she’s given, as she doesn’t trust H.P. too much and tends to believe that her immediate survival depends on doing a good job at whatever she’s been assigned to. She definitely doesn’t like taking risks, and this is compared to Gary. While normally she would draw the line way before killing, if it really came down to her life or her target’s, there wouldn’t be much hesitation.

Despite that, Betty has a kind demeanor and a curious mind. She’s passionate about learning, and was always determined to be self-sufficient should the Pixies ever lose interest in her and toss her aside. She’s a little older than Gary and is currently attending community college.

Notes

> Not dating a polar bear.

> Clever and mathematical, but not good at selling herself to people.

> The “hot anger” type; her temper often gets the best of her.

> Actually a big goofy butterball when she lets her guard down.

> Basically a huge dork.

> More than a little gullible.

> Dealing with a lot of anxiety ‘cuz being raised by pixies was... not... great.

> HE’S NOT A POLAR BEAR HE’S A HUMAN PERSON GARY STOP 

> Easily exhausted by bouncing from task to task too quickly.

> Actually tired all the time probably.

> Singing is fun, but she’s more interested in instruments.

> Tends to keep her emotions bottled up until they blubber sadly out.

> Her little brother Kenny is the Burger World employee.

> GARY NO

Strengths: Good with numbers, energetic, can keep a secret, charismatic, decent homemaking and childcare skills, can manage money, plans ahead, great singer, avid reader, laser focused, observant, good memory, can play a variety of musical instruments, generally good at board and card games

Weaknesses: Her temper, her paranoia, her crippling anxiety, her pride, her addiction to gambling, not great with crafts, a little too obsessive on the safety factor, doesn’t communicate her thoughts and feelings well, pushes herself too hard, has limited social skills and struggles to make many friends beyond Gary

Tag on this blog: Gary and Betty

[davidfostercomedyblog]

The Things We Take for Granted

As a child I always wanted to be poor and black. As an adolescent I was criticized for this seemingly preposterous desire, but if anyone thought about it, it was quite logical. All of my heroes were poor and black: Rappers, many favorite actors (and the characters they portrayed), and most athletes (prior to signing their contracts) were poor and black. And what child doesn’t want to emulate their heroes?

Growing up my family was “comfortable” by white, American standards - filthy fucking rich by planetary standards. We didn’t attend private school, nor summer in the Hamptons, but my brother and I each had our own bedroom and Mom didn’t have to work. If you can claim the same and are under the impression that you’re not rich you’re probably a bad person.

 In 1994 the tides turned as Dad was let go by his company, who discovered a “loophole” in his contract that would transform his promised $100,000/year pension into a $0/year pension, and the house wasn’t close to paid for. Mom had to go to work, Dad had to go back, and if I ever wished to again be “comfortable” I’d have to earn it, which is hardly something to whine about, still a factor in my reality.

 I’ve lived in a million shit holes. In 1998 I was paying $440/month on West 15th St.

 Do you know what you get for $440 on W. 15th Street? A room, literally nine feet by six, that happened to offer a great view of the Empire State Building. It was an “SRO” – single room occupancy, which means no kitchen or living room, no nothing, but a miniature refrigerator if you’re lucky, and a dingy-AF bathroom in the hallway to be shared with whatever other college kids or miscreants caught in some life transition (or perpetual non-transition) happened to live on the floor. At the time I was the former, in love with alcohol and psychedelic drugs, and it was the best time of my life. One night my friend, Tre got locked out of his car and had to sleep over, which we executed brilliantly, each of us curled into fetal position at opposite ends of my futon single and I’m confident no spooning took place. Tre decided to take some magic mushrooms from my stash, leaving crumbs of them on the sheets as if they were late night cookies, but the next day he claimed they “didn’t really work.” Incidentally, I got a better night’s sleep than I probably would now by myself on a king-sized pillow top. Ah, youth.

 Eventually I upgraded to another SRO on 13th and 3rd Ave. for $600/month, which boasted over twice the square footage, and Tre ironically coined, “The Palace.” The Palace was (barely) able to fit a full-sized futon, parallel to a “coffee table” and perpendicular to a single bed, which made Tre’s sleepovers twice as comfortable and ten times as frequent. Infestation was worse than at the previous domicile, if for no other reason than the aforementioned law of probability as it pertains to literal space. What are the chances of mice and cockroaches as much finding their way into a box as specific as 54 square feet in a New York City building? We’d mostly hear the mice shuffling at night in the dark, but ironically saw roaches in the light, fearlessly perusing the sink or climbing the walls, and I don’t think I’ll ever again laugh as hard as I did when Tre pointed one out and muttered in a weed-smoked stupor: “Room service is here, nigga. You wanna place an order?”

 Summers in SRO’s were tough, as air conditioners were forbidden, because capitalism works and life is fair. I’ll never forget one morning the heat was so intense that it woke me up early, so I got up, grabbed my things and bought one ticket to an early morning showing of Star Wars: The Phantom Menace. I’d already suffered through one showing of the cinematic vomit, but figured the air conditioned theater with an awfully uninteresting dialogue and plot as backdrop was the perfect setting to finish my night’s rest. I was right.

 No doubt the most interesting part about my time in The Palace was the ongoing mystery of who on my floor was responsible for the intermittent appearances of explosive diarrhea sprayed across the shared bathroom’s walls. One day they would be perfectly clean (relative to SRO’s), and the next day, Wham (literally)! It was everywhere, on the wall behind the toilet and beside it, on the floor as well as the trashcan, and at the still unshakeable age of 22 I was often as impressed by this poor soul’s range and diameter as I was grossed out by it being all over my home. The one thankful, but equally disturbing part of it was there was almost never any shit on the actual bowl. Who was this fascinating beast, first of all with some great gastrointestinal power, that insisted on ruthlessly shitting all over his own home and the home of others, but simultaneously considerate enough to never filthy the seat that his neighbors had to share? We had our suspects, but never got a conclusive verdict.

 I graduated from SRO’s to futons in friends’ living rooms, one of which was directly above the loudest and most volatile gay bar in Chelsea, The Rawhide. Instead of unbearable August humidity, it was techno music and the sounds of masculine rejoice that disrupted my sleep, sometimes from below, other times from my best friend’s room. He was more successful than I with drunk girls at parties, thus serving as an in-house reminder of my failures and frustrations in the middle of many nights. The majority of our time at The Rawhide was okay, though it ended poorly, with a break-up from my two best friends (Tre included), typical when cramming three besties into a two bedroom for four years.

 I’ve lived everywhere, dawg.

 For a few years I had my own studio apartment on one of Washington Heights’ most drug-infested blocks, which is kind of like saying the “most volatile gay bar in Chelsea.” One time a girl I was dating asked me to go outside and find her a bag of weed and I didn’t even make it to the bottom of the staircase before scoring. Location, location… I then moved cross country into a studio in the heart of Hollywood, Los Angeles, then to a dark and dirty converted two-bedroom with two Filipino women in Koreatown for two years, and to this day I have no idea whether or not they were a gay couple. It didn’t matter if they were; I just thought it curious that after all that time and interaction I remained curious. The worst part about that spot was just having to regularly concoct white lies about why I couldn’t join them at weekly Bible study, and each morning waking up to the sounds of urination through the thinly constructed bedroom wall.

 “Why don’t you just borrow money from your parents and get a better place?” a friend asked in one of the classic erroneous assumptions made by privileged people:

1.     Everyone may not have money, but their parents do at least. False.

2.     Hard work = financial success. I’ve never taken a vacation and I have nothing, which is half the reason why I’ve never taken a vacation.

3.     Intelligence = financial success. Donald Trump is President.

 I moved back to New York with the same complete void of resources that I’d gone to L.A. with, but got hooked up with a room in a real 2Br in Harlem for $678/month! No contract and right in my price range! What was the catch?  

 Never in my life had I seen such infestation.

 I’ll repeat that for the cheap seats and ears deafened by our over-stimulated society of idiots exploiting non-literal superlatives in order to garner attention: Never in my life had I seen such infestation. This includes homes I’ve lived in, as well as every one I’ve ever visited or even passed through just to get a quarter pound of weed in 1995. In my first week there I would come home at night, turn on the kitchen lights and see anywhere from 3-10 of the filthy insects fleeing for safety across the sink and countertop, in much greater numbers and more cowardly fashion than the apathy with which room service used to creep up The Palace walls. Roaches were so much tougher in the 90’s.

 Thankfully I barely ever saw them in the bedroom, but they absolutely owned the kitchen and bathroom. We were just renting, mere visitors in their home where they ruled, they roamed, and I didn’t bother to inquire as to whether the roommate would mind if I doused the place in bleach, taped and calked up all cracks in the floors and walls, and bought a new kitchen garbage… With. A. Cover.

 Within a month I was victorious in defending the wall, and the wildling little creatures were gone. I’ve been on HBO and Showtime, won comedy festival competitions and earned a Master’s degree in Chinese Medicine, and this was truly one of my greatest achievements in life. Unfortunately my new abode’s other obstacle would prove an impossible hurdle, and one I’d have to stand down to for the 15 months to come: El Bano.  

In order to successfully flush I had to hold the toilet handle down for anywhere from 5-12 seconds, making for the longest I’ve ever had to hold a toilet handle down for. Some toilets are stubborn, requiring a hold of 2-3 seconds, max. The next time you flush a toilet hold the handle down for 12 seconds. It’s an eternity.

 The seat was disgusting and I immediately decided that no square inch of my skin would ever come into contact with it. To be honest I didn’t even like the idea of my anus hanging above it. I thought about purchasing and attempting to install a new seat, though my brother brought up a good point.

 “Considering the apparent hygienic standards of your roommate, will you freely sit on the bare seat if you buy a new one?”

 “No.”

 “Okay then.”

 To cover up the impenetrable stains of funk and musk I instead resigned to spray paint the seat white, and continued to cover it with paper each time I sat down.

 Supposedly we couldn’t call the super for repairs, as part of the reason our rent was so cheap was because the apartment was rent controlled from a time before even my roommate lived there. Neither of our names were on the lease. The bathroom would remain as is, which could only be described as fucking disgusting.  

 I don’t know that I’d ever before smelled the smell, “putrid,” or even “rancid,” and if I had it was only in passing, only in that split second of sensual recognition before we clench our orifices in sheer panic and flee the scene for cleaner air, greener pastures. The smell emitted from my new, old bathroom’s pipes was putridly rancid, and if it wasn’t the worst thing I’d ever smelled it was at least the worst I’d ever smelled regularly. Many times while going to the bathroom I would try covering my nose with my shirt, but the thin layer of cotton was no match for this entity that surely required some kind of exorcism to defeat its demonic potency. Googled gimmicks such as baking soda and vinegar offered only brief reprieve, and for the first time in my life I was brushing my teeth everyday in the (newly exterminated) kitchen.

 Unfortunately, neither the odor nor the Zen toilet flusher was my biggest gripe with the room. I would have easily tolerated either of these were it not for the worst Goddamn shower I’ve ever taken in my life. I took 500 of them if I took one.

 The water dribbled out in pathetic pressure and took forever to get warm, and these were the unit’s only two familiar flaws from prior shit holes. Additionally delayed was its response to temperature adjustment, so if I came back after waiting the allotted 5-10 minutes and found the water to be scalding hot I couldn’t just adjust the knobs and expect it to adjust. There was a consistently inconsistent wait time between turning the cold water knob and when the water actually got cooler, or if it got cooler at all. Often times I’d get impatient and make it too cold before the defunct pipes were able to catch up and the water suddenly turned to the opposite extreme. Every shower was a non-stop guessing game, concurrent with a waiting game and usually a physical dance, as I’d err mostly hotter instead of colder, and had to dance in and out of the stream to rinse off suds but also avoid getting burned. The worst instances that brought me to exclaiming expletives while naked, wet and alone were surely at the end of long workdays in the winter. I’d bend over to wash my legs and feet and suddenly the erratic unit would turn from a tolerable temp to either ice cold or boiling, spraying my lower back, transforming what all my life had been a relaxing, therapeutic experience into a frustrating battle; a daily reminder of the impoverished outcome of all my hard work. Who’d ever think showering would become something I’d dread?  

 The good news is that next week I’m moving out, moving on up, not to the east side, thank God, but into my girlfriend’s apartment, who besides being lovely and beautiful, brilliant and hilarious, has a functional shower in an odorless bathroom with a toilet that flushes when you flush it. Amazing! I’ve never seen a cockroach in her place, and if she’s ever had explosive diarrhea it’s remained a secret, surely aimed and disposed of appropriately. I promise never to take such luxuries (nor my girlfriend) for granted again. For the first time in 21 years I’m comfortable. I may just miss being able to leave the toilet seat up.

[samanthasroberts]

The Fat Jew’s ‘Money Pizza Respect’ is the worst book I’ve ever read

I wish I liked the Fat Jews new book. It would make a far more interesting piece if he exceeded our expectations. No one I talked to expected it to be good. I bet he didnt even write it, said one friend. I bet he had his interns write it.

To contextualize this for people who arent on the Internet all the time, Josh The Fat Jew Ostrovsky became the center of controversy when he was accused of stealing memes and jokes from comedians this summer. Ostrovsky had been doing this for years, and amassed millions of Instagram followers with his admittedly excellent meme aggregating skills. But comedians took a stand when he signed with the talent agency CAA in August.

Upon reading Money Pizza Respect, there is no doubt in my mind that the unfortunately titled book is penned by the Fat Jew himself; I confidently assert that MoneyPizza Respect is singlehandedly the worst book I have ever read.

His actual sense of humorand Im talking about humor, not the memes he aggregatesis painfully abject. He relies on a Tucker Max-esque style of storytelling, glorifying cocaine and alcohol abuse and fucking his groupies, who all embody a different type of crazy girl stereotype.

In a chapter ironically titled The Eleven Commandments of Not Being the Worst Person Ever, he warns readers that if you aggressively and frequently talk about your sex life, people will think youre gay. When you tell me that you tackled a slam pig and stuffed her axe wound, he writes, I assume that your actual goal is having anal sex with men. Ostrovsky makes sure to note that the only exception to this rule is Dan Bilzerian, who has literally thrown a woman off his roof, breaking her foot, and been accused of kicking another woman in the face.

Money Pizza Respect is laced with homophobic comments. He writes a note to P. Diddy: Sorry for outing you as a homosexual. Im pretty sure you are, but Im sorry. Theres also a healthy dose of sexism, describing his female groupies as a bunch of fours and fives who have giant lady hands hate their dads. To complete the trifecta, he also manages to be transphobic, referring to transgender women as trannies in a chapter chronicling his brothers bachelor party. (When his brother and friends found out the strippers who were giving them lap dances were trans, they left the club immediately.)

Before I met Ostrovsky, I was confused about how he was so successful, especially after reading his book, where he brags about his selfish and generally gross behavior at every possible moment, proudly displays pictures of him wearing a thong made out of beef jerky, and writes things like, Cocaine is the greatest gift the world has ever seen.

When I sat down with him at a press junket, located at an arcade in Chinatown, I immediately understood why hes garnered so much success. He is unfortunately charming and is actually a naturally funny person. Hes like the cool, mean boy in 8th grade, the type who introduced pot to all your friends and made fun of girls for being ugly or not having boobs yet. The type who definitely bullied me, and yet I tirelessly tried to gain his affection.

During our interview, Ostrovsky remained on the defensive, masterful at answering my questions with non-answers. He is somebody who has never taken life seriously, which is perhaps not too difficult for a straight, white, affluent male. He is fundamentally interested in his conception of fun, and hopes youll join him for the ride. If not, fuck off.

Its not that I began to like Ostrovsky or his book any more after meeting him, but I went from hating him to feeling an iota of pity for him. His flamboyant and unapologetic immaturity, his bratty affect: This is what has brought him success, and what I imagine will be his inevitable downfall.

So my approach for this interview, because I know a lot of people have been shitting on you, is to not shit on you.

No ones been shitting on me.

I was curious about how that affected you emotionally, and how you felt about getting blasted by the media.

It was definitely a shitty situation. Im of the Internet, so its like a lot of people screaming about things. I respect trolling. I respect people screaming at one another, which is why the Internet is so fucking great. I definitely didnt take it personally. It was also something that needed to get talked about. People were not on the same page. Like a 38-year-old comedy writer and a 16-year-old Filipino millennial were not seeing the issue the same way.

I try to look at it like I was the face of the whole thing. I mean the Internet is a giant, lawless fuckin thing. Sometimes we need some rules But not too many. Because that would be weird. No parents. But you know, sometimes people get pissed. I obviously see it from the 16-year-old Filipino millennial side. I dont look for credit on my stuff and I dont ever watermark or anything like that, but I also get the other side too. Im old enough to understand both sides. I just want everyone to be happy so were fuckin partying.

Instagram for fucking photos of dogs playing volleyball in sunglasses and iguanas surfing. I just want to have everyone get heard, fix the problem, and then get back to surfing iguanas. It didnt rock me emotionally because I just saw it as something that needed to be discussed. It definitely got dangerous and exciting at some points. People just get so crazy, theres a portion of people who dont even know what theyre screaming about. I got chased by TMZ. Some guy followed me around a Duane Reade recording my phone call. That was tight.

You liked that?

I kinda felt like Leo , for like a second. It was also scary. No one wants that life. I was trying to look at it like this is a conversation that needed to be had. I didnt look at it as being shit on. The Internet is more important to me than my family or anything. I would love to be with the Internet, have sex with the Internet, I love the Internet. Now its a better place.

Why was it important for you to celebrate drugs, specifically cocaine, in your book?

Its a mixed bag. I refer to it as the best and worst thing ever. Part of the ethos of this book is that its a how-to guide in that its like I dont know what you should be doing but I know what you shouldnt be doing. Ive seen every horrible thing. I basically think you read this book and you dont do coke. Because youre like, its gonna make me unbearable. Like my breath is gonna smell like a diaper and get into a super intense conversation about stuff I dont even care about.

I think it depends on how old the reader is. For me, Ive done coke so I understood more where you were coming from in that it can be great and terrible at the same time. From a teenagers standpoint, it might just look really cool.

It depends. Im pretty explicit that its been responsible for the greatest things that ever happened, but also some of the most horrendous things, too. I think its more self-reflective than it is encouraging.

Your book is provocative is many ways. People are going to interpret some of the content as transphobic and homophobic. I was thinking of the chapter where you refer to trans women as trannies.

I dont know what youre specifically referring to.

You wrote about tranny strippers. Thats a contentious word. Many trans people have spoken out about how hurtful they find that term to be. I was curious about how you would respond to those critics.

is a factual account of what happened. Youre talking about an actual pejorative word?

Yeah. Its a slur. There were a bunch of moments in the book where I read something and immediately thought about how angry it would make social justice activists on the Internet.

Social justice people are angry at everything.

I was wondering if you included some things specifically to be provocative.

No, definitely not. First of all, any social justice person can come at me at any time. I literally have more transgender friends who will vouch for me than anyone. They self-identify as trannies. Ask a transgender who is not a nerd from the Internet how they identify, and I bet you will find hundreds who identify as trannies.

I know transgender folks who identify that way. Its like the N-word. If they call themselves that, its OK. But having a cis person is a different story.

Any person who would find offense in that kind of minutia is not someone who should be reading this book.

Its not your audience, thats probably true.

That shouldnt be anyones audience, as far Im concerned.

As I was reading your book, I was thinking about your crazy drug and sex stories as they relate to Tucker Maxs stories from I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell. Was he somebody who influenced you?

No, thats like bro culture stuff. This is completely different.

Tonally, there were similarities.

Ive never read it, but I also think that in terms of this book, like Ive been living performance art long enough to write a book full of debaucherous stories, but I wanted to go with more pathos, truth. From what I understand from Tucker Maxs stuff, he doesnt really go into too much stuff like that. Not all the stories here are particularly turnt up, as far as Im concerned. There are some that are honest family stories, not every story is about partying.

But a lot of them are.

We can go through it When I was writing it, putting in some emotion and truth, and some real feeling on it, like talking about my mom having sex with Shel Silverstein and being a 9-year-old child actor diva. Shit like that, to me, that is not the same as walking around a bar with a breathalyzer . I dont not relate to it, but Ive never read any of his stuff.

Ostrovsky as a child actor Josh Ostrovsky

Do you differentiate between the Fat Jew as your performative character and yourself as Josh?

No. I dont go home at night and unscrew the hairection , sit down, and listen to This American Life and be like, Oh, what a hard day at work! Being the Fat Jew! No, its all one in the same. To me, that would be disingenuous. I was doing this stuff long before there was anywhere to share it, long before anyone knew about it. Ten years ago, people in New York would be like, Oh thats the Fat Jew, the guy who does crazy stuff. It wasnt something I created and cultivated in order to share on social media for the masses.

But this is your career, this is your passion, but a lot of artists and actors differentiate between their performative self, which is still their self, and who they are when theyre not performing.

Im not an artist or an actor. Im neither.

How do you identify?

Im the only one whos really just going for it. Im genuinely making it up as I go along. I could start a ros company and that could become a real thing. Im about to do the worlds first EDM cologne.

What is that gonna smell like?

I dont know. Thats a good question. Like I dont even know what that means but Im gonna do it. Its 2015. Anything is possible. The world is so ridiculous at this point. I might open a yoga ashram in Toronto. Who knows? Im one of the only people who doesnt consider anything on or off limits. I dont think that it can be defined. We have this human need to compartmentalize, to be like, What are you? But I dont know.

I guess its my job to say, as a writer trying to make sense of what you do.

I dont think theres anything to make sense of. I dont know. What do you think I do?

I think youre a content creator and performer.

Thats vague. But yeah. Im not not. But thats what Im saying. I like to keep people guessing, keep people off kilter. If people think Im a comedian, I will move in a totally different direction and start making cologne. I wanna make people go, What the fuck? Keeping people guessing, keeping genuine conversation going about me, whether its, I dont want to say the word negative, but whatever its gonna be, thats what I am. A conversation starter? I dont know.

Tastemaker?

Conversation piece? Idiot? All of the above?

Whats your goal with your book? Why do you do what you do? Aside from the fact that you just want to do it.

The end goal with the book is that I think I can get some turnt-up 18-year-old to read. Thats the challenge, like, can you get fuckin some kids to read and think its really fuckin chill? Is that doable? Ill literally do it just for that.

Were doing reading raves to promote the book. IRL is what the programs called. Its just like huge DJs and books. Like, can you make them read? I think its doable. I dont think publishing knows how to do it. I dont think parents know how to do it.

So you want to make reading cool?

Kind of. What if Im somehow the guy to do it?

What are your favorite books?

I love Shel Silverstein, and not only because my mom fucked him. Mostly, Im the type to read 100 listicles. Like, what kind of bagel is Rihanna? You know what I mean? One-hundred times Rihanna ate fruit. Im not reading enough books.

No ones reading enough books.

Maybe now? That would fucking weird. To get a fucking 17-year-old whos over it to sit down and read an entire book? I mean I put in some stuff to break up the chapters, like you can color in a picture of Tyrese. I mean, I dont want you to have to read too much.

Illustration by Max Fleishman

Popular on The Daily Dot

I went to the Rentboy liquidation sale, and all I got was this amazing escort swag

After a massive federal raid, Rentboy had to sell its entire office on Craigslist to pay its lawyers.

By Mary Emily O'Hara — November 02, 2015

Source: http://allofbeer.com/2017/09/19/the-fat-jewaes-money-pizza-respect-is-the-worst-book-iaeve-ever-read/

from All of Beer https://allofbeer.wordpress.com/2017/09/19/the-fat-jewaes-money-pizza-respect-is-the-worst-book-iaeve-ever-read/

[adambstingus]

The Fat Jew’s ‘Money Pizza Respect’ is the worst book I’ve ever read

I wish I liked the Fat Jews new book. It would make a far more interesting piece if he exceeded our expectations. No one I talked to expected it to be good. I bet he didnt even write it, said one friend. I bet he had his interns write it.

To contextualize this for people who arent on the Internet all the time, Josh The Fat Jew Ostrovsky became the center of controversy when he was accused of stealing memes and jokes from comedians this summer. Ostrovsky had been doing this for years, and amassed millions of Instagram followers with his admittedly excellent meme aggregating skills. But comedians took a stand when he signed with the talent agency CAA in August.

Upon reading Money Pizza Respect, there is no doubt in my mind that the unfortunately titled book is penned by the Fat Jew himself; I confidently assert that MoneyPizza Respect is singlehandedly the worst book I have ever read.

His actual sense of humorand Im talking about humor, not the memes he aggregatesis painfully abject. He relies on a Tucker Max-esque style of storytelling, glorifying cocaine and alcohol abuse and fucking his groupies, who all embody a different type of crazy girl stereotype.

In a chapter ironically titled The Eleven Commandments of Not Being the Worst Person Ever, he warns readers that if you aggressively and frequently talk about your sex life, people will think youre gay. When you tell me that you tackled a slam pig and stuffed her axe wound, he writes, I assume that your actual goal is having anal sex with men. Ostrovsky makes sure to note that the only exception to this rule is Dan Bilzerian, who has literally thrown a woman off his roof, breaking her foot, and been accused of kicking another woman in the face.

Money Pizza Respect is laced with homophobic comments. He writes a note to P. Diddy: Sorry for outing you as a homosexual. Im pretty sure you are, but Im sorry. Theres also a healthy dose of sexism, describing his female groupies as a bunch of fours and fives who have giant lady hands hate their dads. To complete the trifecta, he also manages to be transphobic, referring to transgender women as trannies in a chapter chronicling his brothers bachelor party. (When his brother and friends found out the strippers who were giving them lap dances were trans, they left the club immediately.)

Before I met Ostrovsky, I was confused about how he was so successful, especially after reading his book, where he brags about his selfish and generally gross behavior at every possible moment, proudly displays pictures of him wearing a thong made out of beef jerky, and writes things like, Cocaine is the greatest gift the world has ever seen.

When I sat down with him at a press junket, located at an arcade in Chinatown, I immediately understood why hes garnered so much success. He is unfortunately charming and is actually a naturally funny person. Hes like the cool, mean boy in 8th grade, the type who introduced pot to all your friends and made fun of girls for being ugly or not having boobs yet. The type who definitely bullied me, and yet I tirelessly tried to gain his affection.

During our interview, Ostrovsky remained on the defensive, masterful at answering my questions with non-answers. He is somebody who has never taken life seriously, which is perhaps not too difficult for a straight, white, affluent male. He is fundamentally interested in his conception of fun, and hopes youll join him for the ride. If not, fuck off.

Its not that I began to like Ostrovsky or his book any more after meeting him, but I went from hating him to feeling an iota of pity for him. His flamboyant and unapologetic immaturity, his bratty affect: This is what has brought him success, and what I imagine will be his inevitable downfall.

So my approach for this interview, because I know a lot of people have been shitting on you, is to not shit on you.

No ones been shitting on me.

I was curious about how that affected you emotionally, and how you felt about getting blasted by the media.

It was definitely a shitty situation. Im of the Internet, so its like a lot of people screaming about things. I respect trolling. I respect people screaming at one another, which is why the Internet is so fucking great. I definitely didnt take it personally. It was also something that needed to get talked about. People were not on the same page. Like a 38-year-old comedy writer and a 16-year-old Filipino millennial were not seeing the issue the same way.

I try to look at it like I was the face of the whole thing. I mean the Internet is a giant, lawless fuckin thing. Sometimes we need some rules But not too many. Because that would be weird. No parents. But you know, sometimes people get pissed. I obviously see it from the 16-year-old Filipino millennial side. I dont look for credit on my stuff and I dont ever watermark or anything like that, but I also get the other side too. Im old enough to understand both sides. I just want everyone to be happy so were fuckin partying.

Instagram for fucking photos of dogs playing volleyball in sunglasses and iguanas surfing. I just want to have everyone get heard, fix the problem, and then get back to surfing iguanas. It didnt rock me emotionally because I just saw it as something that needed to be discussed. It definitely got dangerous and exciting at some points. People just get so crazy, theres a portion of people who dont even know what theyre screaming about. I got chased by TMZ. Some guy followed me around a Duane Reade recording my phone call. That was tight.

You liked that?

I kinda felt like Leo , for like a second. It was also scary. No one wants that life. I was trying to look at it like this is a conversation that needed to be had. I didnt look at it as being shit on. The Internet is more important to me than my family or anything. I would love to be with the Internet, have sex with the Internet, I love the Internet. Now its a better place.

Why was it important for you to celebrate drugs, specifically cocaine, in your book?

Its a mixed bag. I refer to it as the best and worst thing ever. Part of the ethos of this book is that its a how-to guide in that its like I dont know what you should be doing but I know what you shouldnt be doing. Ive seen every horrible thing. I basically think you read this book and you dont do coke. Because youre like, its gonna make me unbearable. Like my breath is gonna smell like a diaper and get into a super intense conversation about stuff I dont even care about.

I think it depends on how old the reader is. For me, Ive done coke so I understood more where you were coming from in that it can be great and terrible at the same time. From a teenagers standpoint, it might just look really cool.

It depends. Im pretty explicit that its been responsible for the greatest things that ever happened, but also some of the most horrendous things, too. I think its more self-reflective than it is encouraging.

Your book is provocative is many ways. People are going to interpret some of the content as transphobic and homophobic. I was thinking of the chapter where you refer to trans women as trannies.

I dont know what youre specifically referring to.

You wrote about tranny strippers. Thats a contentious word. Many trans people have spoken out about how hurtful they find that term to be. I was curious about how you would respond to those critics.

is a factual account of what happened. Youre talking about an actual pejorative word?

Yeah. Its a slur. There were a bunch of moments in the book where I read something and immediately thought about how angry it would make social justice activists on the Internet.

Social justice people are angry at everything.

I was wondering if you included some things specifically to be provocative.

No, definitely not. First of all, any social justice person can come at me at any time. I literally have more transgender friends who will vouch for me than anyone. They self-identify as trannies. Ask a transgender who is not a nerd from the Internet how they identify, and I bet you will find hundreds who identify as trannies.

I know transgender folks who identify that way. Its like the N-word. If they call themselves that, its OK. But having a cis person is a different story.

Any person who would find offense in that kind of minutia is not someone who should be reading this book.

Its not your audience, thats probably true.

That shouldnt be anyones audience, as far Im concerned.

As I was reading your book, I was thinking about your crazy drug and sex stories as they relate to Tucker Maxs stories from I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell. Was he somebody who influenced you?

No, thats like bro culture stuff. This is completely different.

Tonally, there were similarities.

Ive never read it, but I also think that in terms of this book, like Ive been living performance art long enough to write a book full of debaucherous stories, but I wanted to go with more pathos, truth. From what I understand from Tucker Maxs stuff, he doesnt really go into too much stuff like that. Not all the stories here are particularly turnt up, as far as Im concerned. There are some that are honest family stories, not every story is about partying.

But a lot of them are.

We can go through it When I was writing it, putting in some emotion and truth, and some real feeling on it, like talking about my mom having sex with Shel Silverstein and being a 9-year-old child actor diva. Shit like that, to me, that is not the same as walking around a bar with a breathalyzer . I dont not relate to it, but Ive never read any of his stuff.

Ostrovsky as a child actor Josh Ostrovsky

Do you differentiate between the Fat Jew as your performative character and yourself as Josh?

No. I dont go home at night and unscrew the hairection , sit down, and listen to This American Life and be like, Oh, what a hard day at work! Being the Fat Jew! No, its all one in the same. To me, that would be disingenuous. I was doing this stuff long before there was anywhere to share it, long before anyone knew about it. Ten years ago, people in New York would be like, Oh thats the Fat Jew, the guy who does crazy stuff. It wasnt something I created and cultivated in order to share on social media for the masses.

But this is your career, this is your passion, but a lot of artists and actors differentiate between their performative self, which is still their self, and who they are when theyre not performing.

Im not an artist or an actor. Im neither.

How do you identify?

Im the only one whos really just going for it. Im genuinely making it up as I go along. I could start a ros company and that could become a real thing. Im about to do the worlds first EDM cologne.

What is that gonna smell like?

I dont know. Thats a good question. Like I dont even know what that means but Im gonna do it. Its 2015. Anything is possible. The world is so ridiculous at this point. I might open a yoga ashram in Toronto. Who knows? Im one of the only people who doesnt consider anything on or off limits. I dont think that it can be defined. We have this human need to compartmentalize, to be like, What are you? But I dont know.

I guess its my job to say, as a writer trying to make sense of what you do.

I dont think theres anything to make sense of. I dont know. What do you think I do?

I think youre a content creator and performer.

Thats vague. But yeah. Im not not. But thats what Im saying. I like to keep people guessing, keep people off kilter. If people think Im a comedian, I will move in a totally different direction and start making cologne. I wanna make people go, What the fuck? Keeping people guessing, keeping genuine conversation going about me, whether its, I dont want to say the word negative, but whatever its gonna be, thats what I am. A conversation starter? I dont know.

Tastemaker?

Conversation piece? Idiot? All of the above?

Whats your goal with your book? Why do you do what you do? Aside from the fact that you just want to do it.

The end goal with the book is that I think I can get some turnt-up 18-year-old to read. Thats the challenge, like, can you get fuckin some kids to read and think its really fuckin chill? Is that doable? Ill literally do it just for that.

Were doing reading raves to promote the book. IRL is what the programs called. Its just like huge DJs and books. Like, can you make them read? I think its doable. I dont think publishing knows how to do it. I dont think parents know how to do it.

So you want to make reading cool?

Kind of. What if Im somehow the guy to do it?

What are your favorite books?

I love Shel Silverstein, and not only because my mom fucked him. Mostly, Im the type to read 100 listicles. Like, what kind of bagel is Rihanna? You know what I mean? One-hundred times Rihanna ate fruit. Im not reading enough books.

No ones reading enough books.

Maybe now? That would fucking weird. To get a fucking 17-year-old whos over it to sit down and read an entire book? I mean I put in some stuff to break up the chapters, like you can color in a picture of Tyrese. I mean, I dont want you to have to read too much.

Illustration by Max Fleishman

Popular on The Daily Dot

I went to the Rentboy liquidation sale, and all I got was this amazing escort swag

After a massive federal raid, Rentboy had to sell its entire office on Craigslist to pay its lawyers.

By Mary Emily O'Hara — November 02, 2015

from All Of Beer http://allofbeer.com/2017/09/19/the-fat-jewaes-money-pizza-respect-is-the-worst-book-iaeve-ever-read/ from All of Beer https://allofbeercom.tumblr.com/post/165493432272

[allofbeercom]

The Fat Jew’s ‘Money Pizza Respect’ is the worst book I’ve ever read

I wish I liked the Fat Jews new book. It would make a far more interesting piece if he exceeded our expectations. No one I talked to expected it to be good. I bet he didnt even write it, said one friend. I bet he had his interns write it.

To contextualize this for people who arent on the Internet all the time, Josh The Fat Jew Ostrovsky became the center of controversy when he was accused of stealing memes and jokes from comedians this summer. Ostrovsky had been doing this for years, and amassed millions of Instagram followers with his admittedly excellent meme aggregating skills. But comedians took a stand when he signed with the talent agency CAA in August.

Upon reading Money Pizza Respect, there is no doubt in my mind that the unfortunately titled book is penned by the Fat Jew himself; I confidently assert that MoneyPizza Respect is singlehandedly the worst book I have ever read.

His actual sense of humorand Im talking about humor, not the memes he aggregatesis painfully abject. He relies on a Tucker Max-esque style of storytelling, glorifying cocaine and alcohol abuse and fucking his groupies, who all embody a different type of crazy girl stereotype.

In a chapter ironically titled The Eleven Commandments of Not Being the Worst Person Ever, he warns readers that if you aggressively and frequently talk about your sex life, people will think youre gay. When you tell me that you tackled a slam pig and stuffed her axe wound, he writes, I assume that your actual goal is having anal sex with men. Ostrovsky makes sure to note that the only exception to this rule is Dan Bilzerian, who has literally thrown a woman off his roof, breaking her foot, and been accused of kicking another woman in the face.

Money Pizza Respect is laced with homophobic comments. He writes a note to P. Diddy: Sorry for outing you as a homosexual. Im pretty sure you are, but Im sorry. Theres also a healthy dose of sexism, describing his female groupies as a bunch of fours and fives who have giant lady hands hate their dads. To complete the trifecta, he also manages to be transphobic, referring to transgender women as trannies in a chapter chronicling his brothers bachelor party. (When his brother and friends found out the strippers who were giving them lap dances were trans, they left the club immediately.)

Before I met Ostrovsky, I was confused about how he was so successful, especially after reading his book, where he brags about his selfish and generally gross behavior at every possible moment, proudly displays pictures of him wearing a thong made out of beef jerky, and writes things like, Cocaine is the greatest gift the world has ever seen.

When I sat down with him at a press junket, located at an arcade in Chinatown, I immediately understood why hes garnered so much success. He is unfortunately charming and is actually a naturally funny person. Hes like the cool, mean boy in 8th grade, the type who introduced pot to all your friends and made fun of girls for being ugly or not having boobs yet. The type who definitely bullied me, and yet I tirelessly tried to gain his affection.

During our interview, Ostrovsky remained on the defensive, masterful at answering my questions with non-answers. He is somebody who has never taken life seriously, which is perhaps not too difficult for a straight, white, affluent male. He is fundamentally interested in his conception of fun, and hopes youll join him for the ride. If not, fuck off.

Its not that I began to like Ostrovsky or his book any more after meeting him, but I went from hating him to feeling an iota of pity for him. His flamboyant and unapologetic immaturity, his bratty affect: This is what has brought him success, and what I imagine will be his inevitable downfall.

So my approach for this interview, because I know a lot of people have been shitting on you, is to not shit on you.

No ones been shitting on me.

I was curious about how that affected you emotionally, and how you felt about getting blasted by the media.

It was definitely a shitty situation. Im of the Internet, so its like a lot of people screaming about things. I respect trolling. I respect people screaming at one another, which is why the Internet is so fucking great. I definitely didnt take it personally. It was also something that needed to get talked about. People were not on the same page. Like a 38-year-old comedy writer and a 16-year-old Filipino millennial were not seeing the issue the same way.

I try to look at it like I was the face of the whole thing. I mean the Internet is a giant, lawless fuckin thing. Sometimes we need some rules But not too many. Because that would be weird. No parents. But you know, sometimes people get pissed. I obviously see it from the 16-year-old Filipino millennial side. I dont look for credit on my stuff and I dont ever watermark or anything like that, but I also get the other side too. Im old enough to understand both sides. I just want everyone to be happy so were fuckin partying.

Instagram for fucking photos of dogs playing volleyball in sunglasses and iguanas surfing. I just want to have everyone get heard, fix the problem, and then get back to surfing iguanas. It didnt rock me emotionally because I just saw it as something that needed to be discussed. It definitely got dangerous and exciting at some points. People just get so crazy, theres a portion of people who dont even know what theyre screaming about. I got chased by TMZ. Some guy followed me around a Duane Reade recording my phone call. That was tight.

You liked that?

I kinda felt like Leo , for like a second. It was also scary. No one wants that life. I was trying to look at it like this is a conversation that needed to be had. I didnt look at it as being shit on. The Internet is more important to me than my family or anything. I would love to be with the Internet, have sex with the Internet, I love the Internet. Now its a better place.

Why was it important for you to celebrate drugs, specifically cocaine, in your book?

Its a mixed bag. I refer to it as the best and worst thing ever. Part of the ethos of this book is that its a how-to guide in that its like I dont know what you should be doing but I know what you shouldnt be doing. Ive seen every horrible thing. I basically think you read this book and you dont do coke. Because youre like, its gonna make me unbearable. Like my breath is gonna smell like a diaper and get into a super intense conversation about stuff I dont even care about.

I think it depends on how old the reader is. For me, Ive done coke so I understood more where you were coming from in that it can be great and terrible at the same time. From a teenagers standpoint, it might just look really cool.

It depends. Im pretty explicit that its been responsible for the greatest things that ever happened, but also some of the most horrendous things, too. I think its more self-reflective than it is encouraging.

Your book is provocative is many ways. People are going to interpret some of the content as transphobic and homophobic. I was thinking of the chapter where you refer to trans women as trannies.

I dont know what youre specifically referring to.

You wrote about tranny strippers. Thats a contentious word. Many trans people have spoken out about how hurtful they find that term to be. I was curious about how you would respond to those critics.

is a factual account of what happened. Youre talking about an actual pejorative word?

Yeah. Its a slur. There were a bunch of moments in the book where I read something and immediately thought about how angry it would make social justice activists on the Internet.

Social justice people are angry at everything.

I was wondering if you included some things specifically to be provocative.

No, definitely not. First of all, any social justice person can come at me at any time. I literally have more transgender friends who will vouch for me than anyone. They self-identify as trannies. Ask a transgender who is not a nerd from the Internet how they identify, and I bet you will find hundreds who identify as trannies.

I know transgender folks who identify that way. Its like the N-word. If they call themselves that, its OK. But having a cis person is a different story.

Any person who would find offense in that kind of minutia is not someone who should be reading this book.

Its not your audience, thats probably true.

That shouldnt be anyones audience, as far Im concerned.

As I was reading your book, I was thinking about your crazy drug and sex stories as they relate to Tucker Maxs stories from I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell. Was he somebody who influenced you?

No, thats like bro culture stuff. This is completely different.

Tonally, there were similarities.

Ive never read it, but I also think that in terms of this book, like Ive been living performance art long enough to write a book full of debaucherous stories, but I wanted to go with more pathos, truth. From what I understand from Tucker Maxs stuff, he doesnt really go into too much stuff like that. Not all the stories here are particularly turnt up, as far as Im concerned. There are some that are honest family stories, not every story is about partying.

But a lot of them are.

We can go through it When I was writing it, putting in some emotion and truth, and some real feeling on it, like talking about my mom having sex with Shel Silverstein and being a 9-year-old child actor diva. Shit like that, to me, that is not the same as walking around a bar with a breathalyzer . I dont not relate to it, but Ive never read any of his stuff.

Ostrovsky as a child actor Josh Ostrovsky

Do you differentiate between the Fat Jew as your performative character and yourself as Josh?

No. I dont go home at night and unscrew the hairection , sit down, and listen to This American Life and be like, Oh, what a hard day at work! Being the Fat Jew! No, its all one in the same. To me, that would be disingenuous. I was doing this stuff long before there was anywhere to share it, long before anyone knew about it. Ten years ago, people in New York would be like, Oh thats the Fat Jew, the guy who does crazy stuff. It wasnt something I created and cultivated in order to share on social media for the masses.

But this is your career, this is your passion, but a lot of artists and actors differentiate between their performative self, which is still their self, and who they are when theyre not performing.

Im not an artist or an actor. Im neither.

How do you identify?

Im the only one whos really just going for it. Im genuinely making it up as I go along. I could start a ros company and that could become a real thing. Im about to do the worlds first EDM cologne.

What is that gonna smell like?

I dont know. Thats a good question. Like I dont even know what that means but Im gonna do it. Its 2015. Anything is possible. The world is so ridiculous at this point. I might open a yoga ashram in Toronto. Who knows? Im one of the only people who doesnt consider anything on or off limits. I dont think that it can be defined. We have this human need to compartmentalize, to be like, What are you? But I dont know.

I guess its my job to say, as a writer trying to make sense of what you do.

I dont think theres anything to make sense of. I dont know. What do you think I do?

I think youre a content creator and performer.

Thats vague. But yeah. Im not not. But thats what Im saying. I like to keep people guessing, keep people off kilter. If people think Im a comedian, I will move in a totally different direction and start making cologne. I wanna make people go, What the fuck? Keeping people guessing, keeping genuine conversation going about me, whether its, I dont want to say the word negative, but whatever its gonna be, thats what I am. A conversation starter? I dont know.

Tastemaker?

Conversation piece? Idiot? All of the above?

Whats your goal with your book? Why do you do what you do? Aside from the fact that you just want to do it.

The end goal with the book is that I think I can get some turnt-up 18-year-old to read. Thats the challenge, like, can you get fuckin some kids to read and think its really fuckin chill? Is that doable? Ill literally do it just for that.

Were doing reading raves to promote the book. IRL is what the programs called. Its just like huge DJs and books. Like, can you make them read? I think its doable. I dont think publishing knows how to do it. I dont think parents know how to do it.

So you want to make reading cool?

Kind of. What if Im somehow the guy to do it?

What are your favorite books?

I love Shel Silverstein, and not only because my mom fucked him. Mostly, Im the type to read 100 listicles. Like, what kind of bagel is Rihanna? You know what I mean? One-hundred times Rihanna ate fruit. Im not reading enough books.

No ones reading enough books.

Maybe now? That would fucking weird. To get a fucking 17-year-old whos over it to sit down and read an entire book? I mean I put in some stuff to break up the chapters, like you can color in a picture of Tyrese. I mean, I dont want you to have to read too much.

Illustration by Max Fleishman

Popular on The Daily Dot

I went to the Rentboy liquidation sale, and all I got was this amazing escort swag

After a massive federal raid, Rentboy had to sell its entire office on Craigslist to pay its lawyers.

By Mary Emily O'Hara — November 02, 2015

from All Of Beer http://allofbeer.com/2017/09/19/the-fat-jewaes-money-pizza-respect-is-the-worst-book-iaeve-ever-read/

[jimdsmith34]

The Fat Jew’s ‘Money Pizza Respect’ is the worst book I’ve ever read

I wish I liked the Fat Jews new book. It would make a far more interesting piece if he exceeded our expectations. No one I talked to expected it to be good. I bet he didnt even write it, said one friend. I bet he had his interns write it.

To contextualize this for people who arent on the Internet all the time, Josh The Fat Jew Ostrovsky became the center of controversy when he was accused of stealing memes and jokes from comedians this summer. Ostrovsky had been doing this for years, and amassed millions of Instagram followers with his admittedly excellent meme aggregating skills. But comedians took a stand when he signed with the talent agency CAA in August.

Upon reading Money Pizza Respect, there is no doubt in my mind that the unfortunately titled book is penned by the Fat Jew himself; I confidently assert that MoneyPizza Respect is singlehandedly the worst book I have ever read.

His actual sense of humorand Im talking about humor, not the memes he aggregatesis painfully abject. He relies on a Tucker Max-esque style of storytelling, glorifying cocaine and alcohol abuse and fucking his groupies, who all embody a different type of crazy girl stereotype.

In a chapter ironically titled The Eleven Commandments of Not Being the Worst Person Ever, he warns readers that if you aggressively and frequently talk about your sex life, people will think youre gay. When you tell me that you tackled a slam pig and stuffed her axe wound, he writes, I assume that your actual goal is having anal sex with men. Ostrovsky makes sure to note that the only exception to this rule is Dan Bilzerian, who has literally thrown a woman off his roof, breaking her foot, and been accused of kicking another woman in the face.

Money Pizza Respect is laced with homophobic comments. He writes a note to P. Diddy: Sorry for outing you as a homosexual. Im pretty sure you are, but Im sorry. Theres also a healthy dose of sexism, describing his female groupies as a bunch of fours and fives who have giant lady hands hate their dads. To complete the trifecta, he also manages to be transphobic, referring to transgender women as trannies in a chapter chronicling his brothers bachelor party. (When his brother and friends found out the strippers who were giving them lap dances were trans, they left the club immediately.)

Before I met Ostrovsky, I was confused about how he was so successful, especially after reading his book, where he brags about his selfish and generally gross behavior at every possible moment, proudly displays pictures of him wearing a thong made out of beef jerky, and writes things like, Cocaine is the greatest gift the world has ever seen.

When I sat down with him at a press junket, located at an arcade in Chinatown, I immediately understood why hes garnered so much success. He is unfortunately charming and is actually a naturally funny person. Hes like the cool, mean boy in 8th grade, the type who introduced pot to all your friends and made fun of girls for being ugly or not having boobs yet. The type who definitely bullied me, and yet I tirelessly tried to gain his affection.

During our interview, Ostrovsky remained on the defensive, masterful at answering my questions with non-answers. He is somebody who has never taken life seriously, which is perhaps not too difficult for a straight, white, affluent male. He is fundamentally interested in his conception of fun, and hopes youll join him for the ride. If not, fuck off.

Its not that I began to like Ostrovsky or his book any more after meeting him, but I went from hating him to feeling an iota of pity for him. His flamboyant and unapologetic immaturity, his bratty affect: This is what has brought him success, and what I imagine will be his inevitable downfall.

So my approach for this interview, because I know a lot of people have been shitting on you, is to not shit on you.

No ones been shitting on me.

I was curious about how that affected you emotionally, and how you felt about getting blasted by the media.

It was definitely a shitty situation. Im of the Internet, so its like a lot of people screaming about things. I respect trolling. I respect people screaming at one another, which is why the Internet is so fucking great. I definitely didnt take it personally. It was also something that needed to get talked about. People were not on the same page. Like a 38-year-old comedy writer and a 16-year-old Filipino millennial were not seeing the issue the same way.

I try to look at it like I was the face of the whole thing. I mean the Internet is a giant, lawless fuckin thing. Sometimes we need some rules But not too many. Because that would be weird. No parents. But you know, sometimes people get pissed. I obviously see it from the 16-year-old Filipino millennial side. I dont look for credit on my stuff and I dont ever watermark or anything like that, but I also get the other side too. Im old enough to understand both sides. I just want everyone to be happy so were fuckin partying.

Instagram for fucking photos of dogs playing volleyball in sunglasses and iguanas surfing. I just want to have everyone get heard, fix the problem, and then get back to surfing iguanas. It didnt rock me emotionally because I just saw it as something that needed to be discussed. It definitely got dangerous and exciting at some points. People just get so crazy, theres a portion of people who dont even know what theyre screaming about. I got chased by TMZ. Some guy followed me around a Duane Reade recording my phone call. That was tight.

You liked that?

I kinda felt like Leo , for like a second. It was also scary. No one wants that life. I was trying to look at it like this is a conversation that needed to be had. I didnt look at it as being shit on. The Internet is more important to me than my family or anything. I would love to be with the Internet, have sex with the Internet, I love the Internet. Now its a better place.

Why was it important for you to celebrate drugs, specifically cocaine, in your book?

Its a mixed bag. I refer to it as the best and worst thing ever. Part of the ethos of this book is that its a how-to guide in that its like I dont know what you should be doing but I know what you shouldnt be doing. Ive seen every horrible thing. I basically think you read this book and you dont do coke. Because youre like, its gonna make me unbearable. Like my breath is gonna smell like a diaper and get into a super intense conversation about stuff I dont even care about.

I think it depends on how old the reader is. For me, Ive done coke so I understood more where you were coming from in that it can be great and terrible at the same time. From a teenagers standpoint, it might just look really cool.

It depends. Im pretty explicit that its been responsible for the greatest things that ever happened, but also some of the most horrendous things, too. I think its more self-reflective than it is encouraging.

Your book is provocative is many ways. People are going to interpret some of the content as transphobic and homophobic. I was thinking of the chapter where you refer to trans women as trannies.

I dont know what youre specifically referring to.

You wrote about tranny strippers. Thats a contentious word. Many trans people have spoken out about how hurtful they find that term to be. I was curious about how you would respond to those critics.

is a factual account of what happened. Youre talking about an actual pejorative word?

Yeah. Its a slur. There were a bunch of moments in the book where I read something and immediately thought about how angry it would make social justice activists on the Internet.

Social justice people are angry at everything.

I was wondering if you included some things specifically to be provocative.

No, definitely not. First of all, any social justice person can come at me at any time. I literally have more transgender friends who will vouch for me than anyone. They self-identify as trannies. Ask a transgender who is not a nerd from the Internet how they identify, and I bet you will find hundreds who identify as trannies.

I know transgender folks who identify that way. Its like the N-word. If they call themselves that, its OK. But having a cis person is a different story.

Any person who would find offense in that kind of minutia is not someone who should be reading this book.

Its not your audience, thats probably true.

That shouldnt be anyones audience, as far Im concerned.

As I was reading your book, I was thinking about your crazy drug and sex stories as they relate to Tucker Maxs stories from I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell. Was he somebody who influenced you?

No, thats like bro culture stuff. This is completely different.

Tonally, there were similarities.

Ive never read it, but I also think that in terms of this book, like Ive been living performance art long enough to write a book full of debaucherous stories, but I wanted to go with more pathos, truth. From what I understand from Tucker Maxs stuff, he doesnt really go into too much stuff like that. Not all the stories here are particularly turnt up, as far as Im concerned. There are some that are honest family stories, not every story is about partying.

But a lot of them are.

We can go through it When I was writing it, putting in some emotion and truth, and some real feeling on it, like talking about my mom having sex with Shel Silverstein and being a 9-year-old child actor diva. Shit like that, to me, that is not the same as walking around a bar with a breathalyzer . I dont not relate to it, but Ive never read any of his stuff.

Ostrovsky as a child actor Josh Ostrovsky

Do you differentiate between the Fat Jew as your performative character and yourself as Josh?

No. I dont go home at night and unscrew the hairection , sit down, and listen to This American Life and be like, Oh, what a hard day at work! Being the Fat Jew! No, its all one in the same. To me, that would be disingenuous. I was doing this stuff long before there was anywhere to share it, long before anyone knew about it. Ten years ago, people in New York would be like, Oh thats the Fat Jew, the guy who does crazy stuff. It wasnt something I created and cultivated in order to share on social media for the masses.

But this is your career, this is your passion, but a lot of artists and actors differentiate between their performative self, which is still their self, and who they are when theyre not performing.

Im not an artist or an actor. Im neither.

How do you identify?

Im the only one whos really just going for it. Im genuinely making it up as I go along. I could start a ros company and that could become a real thing. Im about to do the worlds first EDM cologne.

What is that gonna smell like?

I dont know. Thats a good question. Like I dont even know what that means but Im gonna do it. Its 2015. Anything is possible. The world is so ridiculous at this point. I might open a yoga ashram in Toronto. Who knows? Im one of the only people who doesnt consider anything on or off limits. I dont think that it can be defined. We have this human need to compartmentalize, to be like, What are you? But I dont know.

I guess its my job to say, as a writer trying to make sense of what you do.

I dont think theres anything to make sense of. I dont know. What do you think I do?

I think youre a content creator and performer.

Thats vague. But yeah. Im not not. But thats what Im saying. I like to keep people guessing, keep people off kilter. If people think Im a comedian, I will move in a totally different direction and start making cologne. I wanna make people go, What the fuck? Keeping people guessing, keeping genuine conversation going about me, whether its, I dont want to say the word negative, but whatever its gonna be, thats what I am. A conversation starter? I dont know.

Tastemaker?

Conversation piece? Idiot? All of the above?

Whats your goal with your book? Why do you do what you do? Aside from the fact that you just want to do it.

The end goal with the book is that I think I can get some turnt-up 18-year-old to read. Thats the challenge, like, can you get fuckin some kids to read and think its really fuckin chill? Is that doable? Ill literally do it just for that.

Were doing reading raves to promote the book. IRL is what the programs called. Its just like huge DJs and books. Like, can you make them read? I think its doable. I dont think publishing knows how to do it. I dont think parents know how to do it.

So you want to make reading cool?

Kind of. What if Im somehow the guy to do it?

What are your favorite books?

I love Shel Silverstein, and not only because my mom fucked him. Mostly, Im the type to read 100 listicles. Like, what kind of bagel is Rihanna? You know what I mean? One-hundred times Rihanna ate fruit. Im not reading enough books.

No ones reading enough books.

Maybe now? That would fucking weird. To get a fucking 17-year-old whos over it to sit down and read an entire book? I mean I put in some stuff to break up the chapters, like you can color in a picture of Tyrese. I mean, I dont want you to have to read too much.

Illustration by Max Fleishman

Popular on The Daily Dot

I went to the Rentboy liquidation sale, and all I got was this amazing escort swag

After a massive federal raid, Rentboy had to sell its entire office on Craigslist to pay its lawyers.

By Mary Emily O'Hara — November 02, 2015

source http://allofbeer.com/2017/09/19/the-fat-jewaes-money-pizza-respect-is-the-worst-book-iaeve-ever-read/ from All of Beer http://allofbeer.blogspot.com/2017/09/the-fat-jewas-money-pizza-respect-is.html

[karrensspecialtycakes]

Why Does Filipino Women Prefer to Marry Foreingers

Filipina females are several of the globe’s most treasured, demanded fans as well as spouses thanks to their characteristic, readiness, and also need to be caring, however likewise love and also take care of their guy. They are raised very closely by their household, as well as are instructed worths based upon regard, love, tranquility, understanding, and also commonly God. While a bulk Catholic as well as Christian country, numerous Filipinas originate from various other spiritual, or non-religious histories. Filipina females commonly seek these exact same worths in their guys, are accustomed to “dating”, as well as are genuine in mind. Click to read more about foreigners dating a filipina.

A Filipina female recognizes just how she must as well as wishes to be dealt with, is elevated by her moms and dads to understand exactly what to search for in a male, and also similarly wishes a guy that likewise recognizes exactly what he desires as well as requires in life. A guy that has his ‘directly straight’, treasures family members worths, and also is constantly searching for in the direction of the future makes one of the most feeling for a Filipina. The society in the Philippines, greatly affected the Spanish, has actually become it’s very own one-of-a-kind, family-oriented, tireless, as well as modest society that it is today. Lots of Filipinas are brought in to the suggestion of, and also numerous will certainly go after a connection as well as future with an immigrant male– however not always for all the factors you might assume or listen to tales around.

Filipinas are not after the Money

While there is the usual idea that Filipinas are just curious about loan when they date or wed an immigrant guy, for the most parts this is merely not real. At the very least, in contrast, say goodbye to real compared to numerous partnerships in the USA and also various other areas around the globe.

This of training course likewise depends on where in the Philippines your Filipina female comes from, lives, as well as where you have actually gone to or discovered your choices. Without seeing or residing in the Philippines, similar to other nation in Asia or all over the world, it’s hard to comprehend a society, why as well as exactly how individuals live, act, or assume the means they do. As well as while it holds true that some Filipina females want, or after an immigrant guy’s cash, there are even more factors compared to could be thought about.

  Filipino Women Prefer Foreigners Generally

Never is chivalry dead, and also Filipinas understand this. As well as while it holds true there are a lot of excellent Filipino guys, hubbies, as well as effective husband the existing as well as future generations look reasonably decreased in regards to these sorts of worths.

Culturally talking, chivalry is something that’s been shown over and over again to the Philippines as far back as the Spanish freedom, and also the armed forces visibility of American soldiers has actually created a solid love, admiration, as well as enthusiasm for immigrants. Whether chivalry is not something that’s highlighted in the home beginning at a more youthful age, it is something Filipinas desire– as well as an immigrant male’s desire or routines of doing so are well understood.

Filipinas want to be listened to, enjoyed, as well as appreciated. Typically, this is not something that is provided to Filipinas from neighborhood guys, as it’s a fairly “aggressive” society. Maybe due to the fact that guys below function so tough as well as lengthy hrs or days, it’s something commonly ignored and also robbed of in many connections. This produces undesirable stress in connections, diminishes it of regard, as well as interaction.

Filipinas while significantly accommodating, definitely need regard, have a mind, as well as viewpoint of their very own and also delight in being listened to– as a lot of ladies do. Guy from various other nations have the tendency to have a bigger determination, otherwise practice of interacting by doing this with a lady, and also due to this includes attract the worth of immigrants to them.

Guy from various other nations likewise have the tendency to be a lot more encouraging and also recognizing of Filipinas that desire create an effective profession, education and learning, or organisation of their very own.

However, the society in the Philippines typically affects the concept or assumption that Filipinas are suggested to be “housewives”, and also while it holds true they are undoubtedly terrific chefs as well as recognize ways to run a household, it’s not all that the majority of them desire from a partnership. Learn more about beautiful Filipino women.

    from Karrens Specialty Cakes http://ift.tt/2jQ2xOy

from Why Does Filipino Women Prefer to Marry Foreingers

[skiptomy]

[Seeker] An even longer boi. I can’t imagine what this will look like when I have all eight teams designed. Guys I really really hope I get the grant to create this comic. Even if I don’t, I’ll probably go to gofundme or kickstarter or something. I’m in love with all these character and the story I want to create with them. 

Putting the same info under this one incase some people haven’t seen the first post:

Across the multiverse there are people who for whatever reason, only exist in one reality. Root is an agency that collects these singularities, granting them the power and immortality needed to stop inter-dimensional ‘leaks’. These leaks, beings of untethered and unexplainable energy that take the form of gruesome monsters, are causing all of reality to split and fold in on itself. When something makes its way into a place it doesn’t belong, Root is there to quiet, contain, and resolve the problem before the world it inhabits is destroyed.

Root has teams of four singularities, each granted a specific set of powers. A Seeker, a Warp, a Stitch, and a Guardian.

Seekers can see through all of the multiverse, finding pathways between worlds. They can find anything, so long as they have a good enough description of what they are looking for. Once given an alert from the main hub, Seekers can pinpoint the leaks, and lead their team to them efficiently. In the field they provide a form of clairvoyance to support the team.

Warps open up those paths, and take people and things through them. In the field they use a shorter form of teleportation as needed.

Stitches use probability and potential energy to create necessary objects and heal teammates.

Guardians are physically stronger and capable of manipulating light into force, shaping it in to weapons that can connect with leaks more effectively than common forms of attack. Most have a very strong protective drive, preferring defense to offense.

Once a Guardian subdues a leak, Stitches create a pocket dimension to hold them in with the help of the Seeker, who in turn leads the Warp to the path that will get them back home.

Now lets learn a little bit about everyone, Left to Right, down the line:

Name: Eddalyn (Eddie) Francoeur Pronouns: She/Her Ethnicity: French Canadian Type: Seeker Personality: Very softspoken and sweet, interested in studying the differences in worlds as much as saving them. Loves making drinks for people, especially nice warm ones like tea, hot chocolate, and coffee.

Name: Torunn Vinter Pronouns: She/Her/They/Them Ethnicity: Norse Type: Guardian Personality: Constantly on the go, looking for trouble and if she can’t find it, she’ll make it. She has a compulsive need to be the best, but won’t push anyone down to be that. She likes the competition, it keeps her on her toes. She studies very hard, looking into multiple fighting styles and tests her team often to make sure they wont ever get hurt in the field.

Name: Siobán O’Donnell Pronouns: She/Her Ethnicity: Irish Type: Warp Personality: Lively and bright. She loves to plan parties and will often throw little get togethers for all the teams. Every one of them is themed, and every one of them is p e r f e c t.

Name: Hope Benjawan Pronouns: She/Her Ethnicity: Thai/American Type: Stitch Personality: An optimistic nihilist. She finds beauty in everything, but especially the present. Nothing has any grand meaning, so the only meaning is what you give it. She also loves music, and is extremely talented with almost any instrument she picks up, but prefers the electric bass.

Name: Antonio Bellini Pronouns: He/Him Ethnicity: Italian Type: Stitch Personality: Kind of snooty, very prideful. Extreeeeemeeely competitive, thinks team 3 is better than any other team. Will never admit being wrong.

Name: Ysabel Ramos Pronouns: She/Her Ethnicity: Mexican Type: Seeker Personality: Bold but calculating. Tactical genius. Pretty much just an all around genius. Enabler to Antonio’s competitiveness, but knows when to reign him in.

Name: Newton (Newt) Labelle Pronouns: He/Him Ethnicity: European/Latinx mix, non-specific Type: Guardian Personality: Extremely shy, and a bit standoffish. Pretty much only talks to his team. Likes to play with puzzles. Is an amazing sharpshooter.

Name: Mi-Jin Song Pronouns: She/Her Ethnicity: Korean Type: Warp Personality: At first she seems sort of aloof and stubborn, but she genuinely has a heart of gold. She’s surprisingly good at giving inspiring speeches for someone who doesn’t talk much otherwise. Mostly she just opens her mouth when she has something important to say. Or someone to roast. She’s also very very well versed in sarcasm.

Name: Sariya Anandi Pronouns: She/Her Ethnicity: Indian Type: Seeker Personality: A very typical romantic goth. She loves creepy things, dead things, and the idea of everlasting dark love. She loves to read and find places to sit and enjoy nature. Especially if it’s dark out.

Name: Tess Lajani Pronouns: She/Her/They/Them Ethnicity: Persian Type: Guardian Personality: Bright, loud, excitable. Those don’t come close to explaining this firecracker. Tess has endless energy and endless optimism.

Name: Kayde Hadji Pronouns: He/Him Ethnicity: Arabic Type: Stitch Personality: Is as much a protector of the team as Tess. He is the first to wrap anyone and everyone in a bear hug. Kayde can be a bit vain, but also loves to spoil his teammates and anyone else he likes. He’s basically a prince. He’s also a big ol flirt and poly as hell.

Name: Raja Taer Pronouns: They/Them/He/Him Ethnicity: Filipino/English Type: Warp Personality: Inquisitive and precise. They are quick with wit and decision making. But everything has to be just-so. They love collecting art from around the multiverse, and often bring things to trade just to get some.

Name: Leo Imani Pronouns: He/Him Ethnicity: Swahilli/American Type: Stitch Personality: Bright and cheerful prankster. Leo suffers from chronic pain, but he’s never without a grin and a quip. He is fierce to protect his companions, and has more than once ran into a situation that their Guardian should have been the one to handle. He also loves to cook for the team, and makes sure to make a big meal after any hard mission.

Name: Sabrina (Sabre) Caro Pronouns: She/Her Ethnicity: Latinx Type: Warp Personality: Confident in herself and her team. She loves them all to bits and tries to help them all see the best in themselves. Curious by nature, she tends to get in trouble by acting before thinking.

Name: Theodora (Teddy) Goldhirsch Pronouns: They/Them/Any Ethnicity: Jewish/Pacific Islander Type: Guardian Personality: Sweet as sugar. They are as strong with diplomacy as they are physically. Which is to say, extremely. They also love animals, and will make a point of checking out the local fauna of any new world they stop on.

Name: Casper Isley Pronouns: He/Him Ethnicity: Scottish Type: Warp Personality: The replacement for Sabre after she goes missing. He is slow to really catch on with the team as they’ve had such a long time together and he’s the new guy. He’s incredibly eager to please, and just wants to do a good job.

Name: Katya Volkov Pronouns: She/Her Ethnicity: Russian Type: Seeker Personality: A very shy girl who really only opens up around those she sees as her own. Kat tends to live in her head more than she interacts with the world around her. This is partly because of her powers as a Seeker, and partly because of how introverted she is. She is very much in love with Sabre, who showed her how to tune out the whole of the universe, and just be herself.