#like having vhs tapes along with cds

[56thingsinaname]

I mean I’m a bit young but same

we were the liminal kids. alive before the internet, just long enough we remember when things really were different.

when i work in preschools, the hand signal kids make for phone is a flat palm, their fingers like brackets. i still make the pinky-and-thumb octave stretch when i "pick up" to respond to them.

the symbol to save a file is a floppy disc. the other day while cleaning out my parents' house, i found a collection of over a hundred CDs, my mom's handwriting on each of them. first day of kindergarten. playlist for beach trip '94. i don't have a device that can play any of these anymore - none of my electronics are compatible. there are pieces of my childhood buried under these, and i cannot access them. but they do exist, which feels special.

my siblings and i recently spent hours digitizing our family's photos as a present for my mom's birthday. there's a year where the pictures just. stop. cameras on phones got to be too good. it didn't make sense to keep getting them developed. and there are a quite a few years that are lost to us. when we were younger, mementos were lost to floods. and again, while i was in middle school, google drive wasn't "a thing". somewhere out there, there are lost memories on dead laptops. which is to say - i lost it to the flood twice, kind of.

when i teach undergrad, i always feel kind of slapped-in-the-face. they're over 18, and they don't remember a classroom without laptops. i remember when my school put in the first smartboard, and how it was a huge privilege. i used the word walkman once, and had to explain myself. we are only separated by a decade. it feels like we are separated by so much more than that.

and something about ... being half-in half-out of the world after. it marks you. i don't know why. but "real adults" see us as lost children, even though many of us are old enough to have a mortgage. my little sister grew up with more access to the internet than i did - and she's only got 4 years of difference. i know how to write cursive, and i actually think it's good practice for kids to learn too - it helps their motor development. but i also know they have to be able to touch-type way faster than was ever required from me.

in between, i guess. i still like to hand-write most things, even though typing is way faster and more accessible for me. i still wear a pj shirt from when i was like 18. i don't really understand how to operate my parents' smart tv. the other day when i got seriously injured, i used hey siri to call my brother. but if you asked me - honestly, i prefer calling to texting. a life in anachronisms. in being a little out-of-phase. never quite in synchronicity.

[mingsolo]

pause + play

wonwoo x reader (f) / g: meet cute, 90s au, fluff, strangers to lovers / wc: 4k / warnings: cursing, some nipple action, mingyu being a sl*t, / r: nc17

written for Now, That's 90s! collab, hosted by @beomcoups and I! ngI struggled not because I couldn't write this one, but because life is kicking my ass and I couldn't find the time to really sit and think through it... anyways it turned out pretty cute please read if you can <3

A drop of sweat rolled down from your forehead, you blew some air to your face but of course it was hot and it made you dizzy. “Is this thing even on?.” you shouted from the other corner of the shop, to your co-worker, Mingyu.

You stood under the AC trying to feel if there was actually cool air coming from it but you couldn’t feel but a weak wave of hot air over you. 

“Yeah, that thing is better off.” Mingyu shouted back, where he was lining up tapes in the kids section. “By the way, could you help me check the return box? There’s some tapes missing here, they should be there.” 

You waved out, going to the returns box at the entrance of the store. A few tapes were in, three Toy Story 2, one Tarzan and a copy of 10 Things I Hate About You along with two Armageddon at the bottom. You placed the movies on the counter as Mingyu was approaching you. “We need to rewind them first, all of them!” You say inspecting the tapes, “Geez, why do they never do it?.” 

Mingyu laughs and shakes his head. “The sign even says “Please” on it, right?.” He taps the hardcover of the vhs box, where “Please rewind before returning” signs reads on it.

“And it's so hot to be in the rewind room!.” you nag once more, taking the tapes with both arms and dragging your feet to the back of the store and rewind the tapes before someone comes looking for them. Mingyu returns to his previous spot on the kids section, not without laughing at you first. 

Despite the whole minute that it took you to get there, you are now placing the tapes into the machine, leaving the door open so some of the air could get in, the small and dark room feels suffocating just by being two steps inside it. In the speakers of the store, the faint sound of Genie In a Bottle plays on and you start humming, partly because you have the song stuck in your head thanks to Mingyu playing the cd over and over when he is on shift, and because it somehow helps the task be a little less tedious.

While on it, you hear the bells ringing meaning a customer has come to the store. You peek out to see a familiar tall figure enter, waving his way in walking directly towards the back where Mingyu was at the kids section.

“Hey!” you heard the guy saying until he disappeared from your line of sight. You tried to peek out more but it won’t be possible without you stepping out of the room, so you hurried up the process to get another glance before he’s out.

In the month you have been working there, you have seen this guy come in at least once a week. You were sure he was Mingyu’s friend as he always walked directly towards him or looked for him especially after picking up some tapes. The past times he had come with you on shift without Mingyu, you had the bad luck of always doing something like rewinding tapes or in the bathroom, never getting the chance to even greet him when he entered the store.

One thing for sure, he was cute as hell. Cat like eyes and thin defined lips, huge black frames on his face, making it look smaller. And you noticed only by getting little glimpses of him, as he was always in a rush or something, never staying more than five minutes. You thought of asking Mingyu who he was but decided not to as you were still new in the store and even if you liked and had fun working with him, Mingyu has proven to be the teasing type, and he wouldn’t let you work in peace if you dare asking him about this other guy.

Just as you were cursing at Armageddon for rewinding so slowly, you heard them saying goodbyes and the chiming doorbell announcing he was out. 

With a sigh you rolled your eyes and finished your task without hurry, hoping the cat boy would come back soon and you were luckily enough to be on the counter to greet him. 

.

.

.

Today was a Monday, and the week promised to be a quiet one. Not many new releases came to the store yet so customers wandered a little bit before getting out, or just asking when would you stock Sleepy Hollow or why you had so few copies of The Sixth Sense. You tried your best to give every customer a smile at the beginning but after a month of getting the same questions over and over, you just shrugged and advised people to come back later, and maybe the previous customer had brought it back by then. 

Mingyu was way better with customers, both girls and guys. ‘I’ll get it ready and rewinded this afternoon for you’ he said with a wink to a middle aged lady, who shamelessly smiled and flirted with him while her kid smudged chocolate from the bar he was eating on a copy of Inspector Gadget.

“Great, now I have to clean that.” you glared at Mingyu as he saved the piece of paper with the woman’s number on his back pocket once she and the chocolate kid were gone. “I swear to God I’ve seen her come in with her husband.” you arch your eyebrows at him. 

“That doesn’t seem like a me problem.” He shot gun fingers at you and got back to his task on the counter, where a few other ladies waited for him.

You chuckled and started spraying windex on Mathew Broderick’s face covered in chocolate, laughing at how Mingyu flirted shamelessly with every single one of them, all at once, but they didn’t seem to mind. 

Once good ol’ Mathew’s face was clean you left the tape back on the shelf, when you heard the bell ring. “Y/n, can you help?” Mingyu hurried to tell you, he was now surrounded by the women as he showed them a copy of Between Your Legs animatedly. “This one is from our exclusive foreign section, so exotic! And the plot is fascinating…” He looked at the ceiling and the ladies followed.

You shook your head and got up from where you were squatting, seeing the tall figure of cat-boy coming through the door. He looked at the commotion on the counter and figured out Mingyu was busy at the moment. He hesitated for a second before turning back ready to head out when you sprinted towards him, shouting “HI!! WELCOME IN!” maybe a little too enthusiastically. 

“H-hi,” he said back, a little startled by your shouting. Mingyu also looked up to you for a moment, but he was quickly back to answering curious questions from his little fan club. “Uhm, I’ll be back later when-”

“No! Please, I know Mingyu usually helps you out but please tell me what can I do for you?,” you smiled with pressed lips and your voice two tones higher than how you usually speak, but you couldn’t help it. Seeing him in front of you confirmed your suspicions, he was stupidly handsome, freakingly hot even behind those thick square glasses. His hoodie smells like coffee and the cap he was wearing backwards made the earring on his left ear seem more dangly. 

“I really would prefer to wait for Mingyu…” 

“Nonsense!” you guided him towards a free counter next to where Mingyu and his harem were discussing Between Your Legs, quickly putting some space between you two before you would get inappropriately close and start sniffing his sweater, your eyes shining brightly as you spotted cat hairs on them. 

God he is so hot for a nerd!!!

“So, what can I do for you today, I’m Y/n by the way,” you smiled again and you could swear you creeped him out by the way he started sweating. It was hot as hell inside but still, his ears turned red and the tapes he was carrying under his arm were starting to slip from his grip. He quickly put them in the pocket of his hoodie, smiling awkwardly and glancing at Mingyu behind his frames. 

You glanced at Mingyu too, who began chuckling, losing for a moment his track on the plot of the movie he was explaining. 

“Are you going to return those?” you extended your hand but he stood still, tapes still packed into his hoodie. “No?,” you asked again. He opened his mouth briefly but smacked his lips loudly looking at the ceiling. 

He looked at Mingyu and his expression changed from mortified to annoyed. He bit his cheek and took a deep breath before taking out the tapes and laying them one on top of another before you. 

Night of the Giving Head, A Beautiful Behind, Yank my Doodle! It's a Dandy!, and Throbin Hood laid on the counter before you.

There was a few seconds of silence, only broken up by Mingyu’s suppressed wheeze. You cleared your throat lightly, taking the tapes and checking if they were rewinded. “Oh a rewinder, that’s unusual!” you chuckled dryly not really knowing how to break the wall of ice that suddenly appeared in front of you.

“I didn’t watch them,” He cleared his throat, avoiding eye contact. “That’s why they are- anyway.” He sighed and stopped, releasing it seemed like he was making up excuses for not one in particular. 

“You don’t have to explain,” You tried to sound friendly and not make a big deal, but you had so many questions and this selection was the last thing you expected to see him with. “We are a judging free video store,” the words coming out mechanically as you remembered the training video Mingyu played for you once on your first day.

“Yeah…It’s not… Can we please get this over with quickly?,” He returned to his mortified expression and you nodded quickly annotating the returns on the logbook. “Thanks,” He smiled awkwardly at you before tapping the counter once, glancing quickly at Mingyu one more time before sprinting out.

“He’s going to murder me, but oh god, it was worth it!”

Mingyu was now smiling ear to ear, waving goodbye to the last girl that visited the shop for the day, her phone number written on his palm. “I got no more sticky notes left,” he said before sticking his hand out to her.

“Yeah that was… I didn’t even know we had these.” you were sweeping the floors as the store was about to close, keeping yourself busy for the rest of the day still thinking about the Night of The Giving Head cover inside your mind. “Wait, he’s your friend, does he only watch porn?.” 

Mingyu laughed loudly, helping you out by taking the trash bags out of the bins and emptied them in one big plastic bag. “Maybe, why do you ask?” he arched his eyebrows at you. 

“No reason, it was just- he doesn’t look like the porn addict type.” 

Mingyu laughed louder. “Wait till I tell him you think he’s a porn addict!” He collected the dust you were sweeping onto the plastic bag, making a knot and throwing it on his shoulders. 

“Wait! Why would you tell him that?!” 

“No reason…” he smirked, walking outside to take out the trash. 

.

.

.

The next week the store got busier than usual, so Mingyu and you barely got to chat with each other about cat-boy or anything really. He had also switched shifts to train a new employee, a younger guy, probably a highschooler, who he spent most of the time in the mornings, leaving you alone to take care of the closing shift. 

Saturday came quickly, and you were alone in the shop. Lights were almost all out, and you were finishing stocking some new tapes that came that afternoon, the last task before officially closing. 

Somehow the humid air was insufferable even by night time, so you were sweating bullets over the thick fabric of your uniform shirt. You couldn’t believe they made you wear this in this hot weather, but alas, you were transpiring and melting under it. 

As you finished putting the tapes on their respective shelfs, you walked towards the bathroom where you had a spare shirt, not before turning the volume of the radio a little, you played music a lot in the shop and the customers seemed to like your taste more like Mingyu’s.

Once there, humming to Bills Bills Bills, you were looking for your spare shirt when you noticed you it wasn’t there. “What the-?” you cursed under your breath, sure you had one hanging on the stall reserved for staff. One glance at the sweaty uniform shirt you just took off and you knew you won’t be wearing that again. “Come on, I already put roll-on….” you whined. Then you remembered there were a couple of uniform shirts in the lockers, maybe too big for you but that would do for today and you will return them tomorrow. 

And so you were signing,

Can you pay my telephone bills?, 

Can you pay my automo’ bills? 

If you did, maybe we could chill…. 

When suddenly the tall figure of cat-boy appeared in front of you right by the counter. He stared. And you stared back. And his eyes stayed on your face for a a few seconds, but they quickly drifted a little down, on your lace see through bra, nonetheless.

“What the fuck?!” you shouted, sprinting towards the locker room. 

“Im sorry! I knocked, and the lights were on…. I thought…” you could hear him speak but there was a high ringing pitch in your ears that made his voice fade away as you took one of the spare uniform shirts and slipped in over your head. “The fuck you needed to wear a see through one today, huh?!” you covered your face with both palms.

“I’m sorry… I better go…”

You heard footsteps and shouted “No!” back but when you were out you could only see his back walk out the door.

You blew raspberries, feeling insufferably hot under the hot fabric of the oversized uniform shirt, that covered you like a circus carp. “Too much for our second encounter, cat-boy.” 

.

.

.

The next day you got to the store a little early, trying to catch Mingyu before he left for the day, and to your surprise, he was waiting for you.

“A nipple piercing!” 

“Good afternoon to you too!” you sighed, walking towards the locker room with Mingyu’s tail wagging at your ankles. “And how could he notice that?! It was dark!” you threw your backpack at your locker, huffing and puffing, ignoring Mingyu’s curious eyes.

“I guess he was really paying attention,” he teased. You shot him a glare and he raised his arms signaling peace. “Hey, don’t be mad that he told me, I’m his best friend and well, he actually came looking for you, how could he know you liked walking around the store naked when you were on shift alone?” 

“I-wasn’t-naked.” you slapped the locker room shut. “Wait… he came looking out for me?”

Mingyu wiggled his eyebrows in response. 

“Tell me everything, or else.”

“He likes you, duh.” Mingyu moved toward his locker, pretending to roam for something but you knew there wasn’t anything there. “He has had his eyes on you, since the first day he saw you working here.”

“But why hasn't he talked to me? He always comes in and it’s gone in a second.” 

Mingyu clicked his tongue. “He had a bad break up two years ago, and honestly he’s pretty shy, maybe that’s why we are such good friends, we balance each other…” you crossed your arms signaling he was deviating from the topic. “... So he wasn’t sure how to approach you, he has been coming here asking me to be a wingman but I refused, I was trying to encourage him so I told him you were going to be alone yesterday.”

You sighed, walking out the locker room with Mingyu behind you, ready to get off.

“Want me to tell W-”

“NOO!” you shouted, making the couple of customers in the store turn their heads at you. ��Don’t tell me his name, I want him to tell me when he finally comes and talks to me.”

Mingyu chuckled and nodded, messing your head a little in sign of encouragement. “Get him, tiger. I’ll pass the note out.” He winked and you shrugged as he walked out the store.

Needless to say, all the way to the evening your stomach was swirling inside you. You jumped a little every time the doorbell chimed, and it sank back to your stomach everytime cat-boy wasn’t the one entering.

It was almost seven and you were waving goodbye to the last customer of the day before you changed the sign from open to closed, when you heard the bell one more time. 

The couple of teens walked past cat-boy as he entered the store and they walked out. You could hear loud stomps inside your chest, and you were pretty sure they were so loud he could hear them too. You looked at the mirror wall to your left, and despite being a few feet away you could spot the newest shades of red adorning your face. 

As he walked closer, you smiled shyly, spotting the same color on him too.

“Hey,” he waved so tiny that you felt like your body was becoming butter, cause despite standing up, you felt melted, all over the floor. 

“Hi,” you replied back, not knowing what to say really. Dissociating a little from the awkwardness you focused on him. All of him. His fluffy hair, not hiding under a cap this time. The black thick frames. He was wearing a black sweater, a turtle neck one. Few noticeable white hairs on it. You remembered marshmallow, your cat, and smiled without noticing. 

“Y/n,?” you heard his voice crack, noticing you smiling.

“Sorry! Seeing the cat hair on your sweater reminded me of mine.”

“You have cats?” his eyes became a little bigger. “Me too!”

“Yeah.. I can tell by the cat hair,” you chuckled.

“Right…” he scratched the back of his head. “Well I have a couple.. A few.” 

“I love cats! I only have marshmallow because my landlord doesn’t let me have more, but one day I will!” you were glad you mentioned the cat hair cause this gave you a shot to talk more comfortably. “By the way, did Mingyu tell you my name?”

“I asked him, the first day I saw you here working.”

“Not fair, I didn't let him tell me yours.”

“Huh?” He arched his eyebrows, puzzled. 

“He told me you came looking for me yesterday… Sorry you find me like that, I swear I don’t usually walk around naked when I’m alone here…”

He laughed. “Mingyu told me you probably did.”

You scoffed. “He’s the whore not I.” 

“Can’t defend him from that,” He lowered his head a little, “Sorry I told him about your… well I was frantic after seeing you like that and ran straight to his dorm, I was too shocked I guess, I wasn’t trying to be a creep.”

“And what about the pornos? Night of the Giving Head, seriously?” 

“That was Mingyu! He dropped them at my dorm the night before telling me I should distract myself from being a coward and not talk to you…” He speaked fast and you were trying to follow up. “I swear I didn’t watched them, I tried, but they were too tacky”

“There’s tasteful porn?” you laughed.

“There should be… somewhere” he laughed back. 

“Bet the bastard wanted you to return them so I could catch you myself!” 

“He a hundred percent did.” 

There was a moment of silence after the laugh, and you felt like staring at the floor because looking at him was becoming addicting too quickly. 

“Want me to help you close? I want you to walk out with me for a while, maybe get some coffee?” He suddenly speaks, and you snap out of the mental image of you two sitting on your couch, a few cats around. 

“Uh- well I just need to take out the trash and I’m ready, I- would love that,” He smiles from ear to ear and stands straight, making you notice he’s like, really really tall. 

“I’ll help you with that, be ready when I come back!” He sprinted towards the entrance where the two plastic bags laid one beside the other and took them out. You run towards the bathroom as soon as he’s out, changing your ugly uniform shirt into your spare one, feeling relieved when you notice is there this time. After putting roll on, combing your hair a little and putting some perfume you walk out, finding him waiting for you near the entrance.

He asks if he can wash his hands and once that’s done you close up, and you start walking beside him to nowhere in particular. 

You suggest walking to your recent favorite spot, a part cafe, part flower shop near your apartment. Walking there you talk about your studies, the tedious but fun times at the video store, his job at the library (he was such a nerd!), his and your cat, about everything and nothing in particular, and time just flew by so quickly.

“This is so nice, I didn’t even notice the hour!” you say checking the casio watch on your wrist. And he does the same. 

“Let me walk you home, I would feel bad by letting you take a cab at this hour.”

“It’s not far away…” you object but he insists. “Fine, but just by the door, what if you are indeed a creep or something!” He pouts and gives you the stink eye. You laughed, delighted how quickly you became comfortable with each other.

Once at your door you ask him to give you his palm. “I learned this trick from our dear Gyu,” you say, taking out a sharpie pen from your backpack and writing your number on his palm. “There, call me as soon as you get home, I’m not done talking to you.”

You thanked him for the coffee and sprinted towards your complex door without letting him say anything else. 

A quarter to eleven, your phone starts ringing. 

Grabbing the cordless phone from its base and throwing yourself over your bed you answer. “Hello?,” 

“I was about to tell you my name and ask you on a proper date,” you heard his shaky voice from the other line. He must have literally run or sprinted towards his own apartment. “But you ran away.” 

You smiled, twirling your hair, eyes closed remembering every moment since you closed the video store a few hours ago.

“Y/n?,” 

“Not yet cat-boy, I want you to tell me only after you first kiss me.” A few moments of silence before he speaks again, you can’t see him but you know he’s smiling too.

“Deal, then I won’t be cat-boy much longer.”

@mingsolo please don't repost/translate to any sites.

[honey-minded-hivemind]

🔦Rewind AU Snippet:

• It's cloudy outside, when they come in. They can already see the older TV and electronics along the backwall, as well as the rows and rows of old and used games and tapes. And for now, it's just them and their co-worker.

• Reader groans a little as they carry a box of old VHS tapes, feeling their back pop a little. Their co-worker is already grabbing the box from them and setting inside before they can blink. Huh. Must be a morning person. Reader walks back to the beat-up car, checking the trunk... and finds one more box. They're careful, lifting it up and bringing it inside. Their co-worker takes one look at the titles, and are eagerly grabbing one of the tapes.

• "Hey! Careful!" Reader grumbles, setting the box down on the counter as their co-worker pops in the tape. But they don't seem to hear Reader, too engrossed in whatever they're doing. "Reader, I can't believe you have all of these! You must have been quite the fan!" they chatter, and Reader turns to stare at them, unsure of what they're saying. "Fan of what?" Their co-worker grins, pressing the rewind button, watching the static on the glass screen. "The X-Men, duh. You have all of their tapes!" Reader feels a headache coming on. Did they take their medicine? "Oh, those were uhm, X-Men tapes...? Must have been from awhile back..."

• Their co-worker finally gets the tape at the beginning, then press the play button. Soon the theme song can be heard, and the episode plays in the background as the two of them sort through the various tapes and CDs and cassettes. The store doesn't open for the next few hours (thankfully) so they have some time to set up the new items. Reader can hear the faint buzz of the static play as they work, sorting through the box of old tapes as their co-worker moves some records to the back of the store. They find themself humming along for a moment, their head drifting into a peace they haven't felt in a while... But then they hear something, a clatter, and look up-

• Just to see the characters on the screen staring straight ahead... almost as though they're watching them... "Reader!" Reader's gaze breaks, then they're hurrying to the back to help their co-worker catch a radio that almost fell as they'd been restocking. It didn't take much time to set it back up, checking the antenna and dials, and when Reader found nothing broken or cracked, they wandered back towards the front of the store, then went back to sorting through the old tapes. Each one seemed in good condition, save for a bit of smudged marker or dust... But still... As Reader worked, they couldn't shake the feeling of something watching them.

• Their co-worker came back up about an hour later, panting and laughing a little, which was when Reader decided to ask them if they felt the same thing. "Like something's watching you... Hmmm... Nope! What? Are you not used to watching TV?" Reader blushed a little at that remark, frowning. "Um... no..." Their co-worker gasps, soon patting their shoulder. Reader jumps at the foreign touch, pulling back. "What?! No wonder you're so grouchy all the time! No one has ever shown you the joys of... animation!" You snort, earning a look. "That won't do! That's it! We're watching all of these tapes! Pop in another one when this one's done playing! I'll see you, once you've realized how awesome it is!" They playfully stuck their tongue out at you, and you snickered, just a small one. You sighed, turning back around once they left...

• And saw the screen seemed to be paused. Yet it couldn't be, because the music was still playing... You take a step closer, eyes squinting behind your glasses. The music is soft in the background, as is the cracked of quiet static. The screen isn't broken or cracked or glitching. But the characters stare for a minute, as though shocked or surprised to see something. With a worried shrug, you go back to what you were doing. Soon after, the video seems to play correctly again, because you can hear a conversation going on between the characters. As the minutes fly by, you're discovered that there were a few extra tapes, about an additional season or two's worth, and tucked those away. You can investigate those another day...

• It's almost a relief when the store opens, letting in the stray teens or tired adults or confused older folk, all of whom for reason or another have stopped at ReelTheatre to find something old ready to be used again. It's nice, every now and again, to see someone's eyes light up in happiness when they find something they've been looking for for quite some time... You're quiet, checking people out at the counter and bagging games and the occasional keyboard. It's almost nice, not being so busy or loud...

• "Hey, Reader, is the screen broken? I think your old VHS tape is stuck," your co-worker tells you near the end if your shift. They look puzzled, but not worried. You glance back at the screen- and see the characters staring out, but talking about something- then turn back to your co-worker. "Um... I'll look at it tonight. Let me grab it," you mutter, then approach the TV. You don't know why, but when you open the tape player and see the screen cut out.. for a second, the characters seemed pleased, even mentioning a visit... You're ready to go when it reaches 9:00pm, taking the tape home with you and a few others. It's quiet at night, walking home, but you carry your keys tightly in one hand, while your bag is carried over your shoulder. You feel a bit safer, just a little, with the added weight to the bag and the cold metal in your hand (it felt like you had weight between you and danger). Seeing the door to your home, you rush across the lawn to it, releasing a breath sigh.

• Opening the door and settling in, you start to feel better. Simply washing off, drying your hair, and relaxing into the couch felt good after that uneasy feeling all day. You huffed a little, thinking about it. Why were you worried? What could put you so on edge? You tried to think of the answer as you checked over the tapes, rewinding them and making sure the film didn't break or tear. Was it the fact it was getting colder? Or that it was darker earlier? You just- it seemed stupid now, bit you still weren't sure why you'd felt that way. You pop in one of tapes, letting it start while you prepare dinner from whatever you have in the pantry or refrigerator...

• And hear an odd conversation cominh from the screen-

• "I haven't seen 'em in a while, but I sure do miss 'em..." "It's okay; I'm sure we'll be seeing them soon!" "Of course; I hear they're coming back quite soon, in fact." "Well, that just means we'll be ready for them. Right, team?" "Got it, boss! Wonder what they're up to now~!" "Well, mehybe dinner is a good idea, eh? Gambit's cookin' somethin', an' it's almost done!"

• You hum a little, scooping out some buttered rice, then mixing in the sausage, sauce, shrimp and herbs of jambalaya... It smells warm, like warm rooms and nice people and bright smiles and heavenly spice... You go to sit down on the couch, blowing on a spoonful of your dinner... and see the X-Men eating some, too, on the screen. For a minute you feel that sense of unease again-

• But you push it down, breathing in deep amd eating your food. The spicy yet hearty taste is warm and flavorful on your tongue, and you can't help but smile a little...

• "Well... ain't it nice ta have dinner together, as a family~?♡"

• That night, you find it easy to fall asleep...

• And in the morning, you take the tapes back to work with you, ready to start another day...

• And so the adventure begins~

( @thewickedweiner @sugar-soda @danni1323 @vivid-bun @weebwholovesuchihasasuke @crowwithguns @roxanndrummond @opossumdaydreamz I hope this feeds the imagination for a bit~ I'm liking this AU, and depending on how dark you want it, Cube Anon, this can get pretty dark... How dark do you want to go?)

[zzzzombvee]

ive been hit with an idea

kieran would be completely detatched from everything tech. barely even know how to work a tv remote. ive seen so many "hes emo and listening to emo music" he prolly doesnt even know what emo means 😭

like, mc would be going on about something related to their favorite game, while this boy has been watching movies and shit on cds and vhs tapes because his grandparents didnt have anything else. bro would be nodding along and smiling like how people do when they wanna act like they know what your talking about because he'd be too nervous to say "uhhh what the fuck are you talking about?"

bro probably had a stroke walking into the terarrium for the first time like, "what the fuck you mean its technology that aint no computer box

[sees-text-shenans]

Minato and Kotone Lore 👁️👁️

Both born on January 8th, 1992

Parents names were Mei and Kaito Arisato

Moved from relative to relative after their parent’s deaths, but stuck with their Grandma in Yasoinaba when they moved with her in 2005

Mei was a dancer, Kaito was a music producer, so naturally they both ended up loving music

Were given their MP3’s the day that the accident happened

Only Minato went to Iwatodai, Kotone wasn’t interested and told him to go himself. It took a LOT of convincing but he left. Ko instead stayed with their grandma and has been studying to go into nursing school so she can be a care assistant for the elderly cus of it!! Kotone does visit Iwatodai occasionally and stays at the dorm (and since she is a Persona user, they let her come with to Tarty expeditions.

Since Minato came back to Iwatodai, he has not stepped on the Moonlight Bridge once (until the last shadow happened) Kotone just so happened to be there visiting when the mission happened and had tagged along to join the fight. Minato had a breakdown when they got there and Kotone had stepped up to be the leader (Fuuka stayed with Minato!)

They’re total opposites, but they complete each other in the things they lack

They share a favorite Sanrio character: Little Twin Stars, Kiki and Lala. Their mom always called them her Little Stars because of LTS and the twins came to really like them!!! They have matching phone LTS charms, Minato has Kiki and Kotone has Lala!!!

Minato

He was born first by 5 and a half minutes and teased Kotone relentlessly about it (not so much anymore)

He is really shy with new people, so much so he’ll go completely mute, but once he warms up to someone, he’ll be more expressive and open.

Kotone is the only person who’s seen his true self (before SEES came along at least)

He’s always been at Kotone’s side, so when he left for Iwatodai alone, he felt empty, and wouldn’t really interact with any of SEES outside of missions until after the Priestess mission.

He likes to collect CDs and manga

In track and photography club

insanely socially awkward someone save this man

tends to speak before he thinks, so he unintentionally upsets people and doesn’t realize

Gets embarrassed easily lol

Owns a guitar but sucks at playing it

He also writes lyrics!!!!

His second favorite Sanrio character is Kuromi fight me on that

He bought his first keyboard after getting a lot of money from Tartarus. He’s been getting into making music just like his dad did !!!

Listens to a little bit of everything, but really likes metal and late 90’s-early 00’s rap

He listens to his dad’s CDs and his mom’s VHS tapes of her dancing all the time just see her face and hear his voice…He’s scared that he’ll burn them out lol Kotone can’t stand to watch and lister to them because she’ll start to cry and she hates crying

He’s really good at dancing thanks to his mom, and even took ballet when he was younger.

He’s in love with Fuuka!!!!!!( sorry not sorry!!! lmao)

He’s dated both a guy and a woman in the past. He’s biromantic and demisexual.

Kotone

She gets hyper easily and it made it hard for her to get friends early on, but she always had Minato so she was okay with it.

While she loves music, she’s never really wanted to compose or dance, she just loves listening to music.

Took a couple ballet lessons with Minato, but she didn’t like it so she quit. She did go watch him though!! Instead she started martial arts classes. she graduated with a black belt~

She uses a Naginata in battle, but she also uses her martial arts skills to beat shadow ass!!!! (Minato is so proud of his sister!!!!!)

Is a force to be reckoned with in Tartarus.. Minato was scared to let her join during her first trip to Tartarus, but after watching her stagger the Reaper in one punch (haha get it), he decided she’s just fine

She LOVES horror movies, much to Minato’s dismay (he…. doesn’t prefer them he‘ll but we all know he’s scared of them)

Always was the one to stand up for Minato since he never talked to anyone but his family. He would just sit there and take the bullying and Kotone was not having it!!!

When Kotone is home in Yasoinaba, she attends Yasogami high and works part-time as a tutor and at the Amagi Inn. She tends to spend time with the owner’s daughter and help her in her studys!!!!

She takes care of all the Inaba cats and updates Minato on the additions to their family everyday. (“Minty!! say hello to your new niece!” “My 17th niece.. Ko, you need to bring them here.” “Oh my god YES!!!”)

Kotone’s in drama club, but no sports clubs.

Ropes Minato into helping her practice lines cus secretly, he’s a really good actor too

Her second favorite Sanrio character is Tuxedo Sam, has a huge collection of Sam plushies (Minato won her a HUGE plush at a festival when they were 15)

also has a lot of plushies and squishmellows

pansexual club!!

Kotone falls in love too easily, and her crush changes like every week, but she never acts out on it cus she’s super nervous. (“OH MY GOD MINTY GUESS WHO I LIKE” “Who is it this time? Kanjiro-San, Chiko-Chan.. Ohh, or maybe do you like Karina-chan again?” “NO!!! ….It’s Tomo-kun…” “Oh, good luck.”) She’s never gone out with anyone cus of her shyness, but she’s also scared that she’ll fall in love with someone else during a relationship. She has gone on dates, but never made anything official.

On that note, Ko is a super flirty person! Max level rizz for sure

She loves hanging out with Ken!!! They learned that they both love Neo Featherman and talk about it all the time!!! She feels like she has a little brother and is happy she can be a big sister for once!!

She also loves her Junjun!!! They became super fast best friends, and she even helps Junpei with planning dates for him and Chidori!! Best wingwoman!!

[queen-erika-the-songful]

My Barbie Movie DVD Collection (02/17/23)

Pic 1-4: All movie releases currently available at the time of posting. Some of my DVDs also have extras like a bonus CD (Princess and the Pauper) or a bonus DVD (Pink Shoes). I also have German DVDs for Princess Adventure and Lost Birthday as those are the only official DVD releases so far.

Pic 5: Bonus & Tie-In DVDs. The first 3 are Walmart Exclusive bonus discs that were packaged with their respective movies. I would've had them put next to their movies but I didn't want to disrupt the flow of having each movie one after another. There's also the Rainbow Adventure DVD game that ties into Magic of the Rainbow, Barbie Learn to Draw DVD featuring several movies (and a custom cover I printed out), Sing Like a Star that ties into Diamond Castle, and Sing Along with Barbie featuring several movies.

Pic 6: Other Barbie movies & DVDs. I included the DVDs for Dreamhouse Adventures+Go Team Roberts as they are in the same universe as Dolphin Magic through Big City Big Dreams (and It Takes Two, which has a couple DVDs coming out soon). Then there's the 2 Barbie and the Rockers specials (with a printed out cover) that was digitally ripped from a VHS tape. Then the Dreamtopia special and Festival of Fun, which is the first 4 episodes of the web series put together with breaks between. Then finally the My Scene movies since that was an offshoot of Barbie.

Pic 7: Others. This includes a multilanguage version of PatP which I have because of Willemijn Verkaik voicing Erika, another PatP DVD featuring the "new" artwork, the Mermaidia DVD game which ties more into the Fairytopia/Mermaidia franchise as a whole instead of the Mermaidia movie, and Toy Story 3 since Barbie plays a prominent role in it.

And this will get even bigger soon! The first season of It Takes Two will be released soon in 2 DVD volumes and will be added next to the DVDs for Dreamhouse Adventures. Hopefully the English releases of Princess Adventure and Lost Birthday come out as well.

[shebeafancyflapjack]

Sleepover

(Set shortly after @idiotwithanipad 's A Little Light)

"Hey, I'm back! Told you it wouldn't be...." Amy stopped in her tracks as she passed through the door, frowning and looking around; "Wait..."

"It's not quite finished yet! Just hold on."

Silver held her hands in front of her, closing her eyes and concentrating as hard as she could.

Cheap metal dissolved around a single divan covered in a moave bedspread decorated with stars and moons, with purple and black fluffy pillows against the headboard, along with a dog-eared and well-cuddled Simba plushie.

The Neo Pagan sighed, looking well and truly spent, as if she'd been moving all the furniture around by hand instead of her mind.

"There! I think that's it. As good as I can remember." She smiled at the returning image of her friend, who she still couldn't quite believe she could see and speak too again.

Amy blinked at the room. A rather stark contrast to the dark and damp little chamber they'd conversed in before.

"You...redecorated?"

"Yeah! Took me a couple of tries to figure it out but, well, like I kept telling you guys - I'm a lucid dreamer! And you can astral project, which is so fucking awesome, let's make the most of it!"

Silver was bouncing on the toes of her boots once again, having clearly leapt right to the other extreme of her personality, following Amy's visit and messages from Mary. They'd brought the sparkle back into the witchling's eyes and the color to her cheeks.

She fiddled with the sheafs on her hands as she watched Amy inspect the room.

"There's...a lot of stuff. Holy shit."

She ran a finger up a CD tower that came up past her waist. Then peered at a collection of books on a shelf above a hefty old computer tucked in the corner. Every inch of the lilac walls were covered with posters of Buffy, Linkin Park, Avril Lavigne, Evanescence, Green Day and some other bands and movies Amy didn't recognise.

On the nightstand beside the bed was the smallest witches' altar set up, with a little goddess statue between two black wax candles, and a photo of a dark haired man crouching beside a girl with short brown hair clutching a three month old puppy in her arms.

"Silv. Is this your room?"

The Pagan nodded; "Yeah. Hope you don't mind, it's just...you showed me yours, I wanted to show you mine."

"Shit. You never said you were rich?!"

"I...What? I wasn't rich!" Silver scoffed, blushing a bit.

Maybe her family could be called 'Lower Middle Class', but...

Oh crap. Did Amy think she was showing off? That wasn't what she was going for at all.

But her friend just laughed; "Dude, look at all this stuff! You got computer and a TV in your room! You got a library of books and disks! No wonder you never smoked, you must never have been bored."

Silver chuckled at that.

"And look at that! It's like something off the set of Star Wars." The girl was gawping at her blue lava lamp next to the computer; "And what's this? Is some kinda witchy crystal ball?"

She struggled not to double over as Amy looked over the sphere containing a lines of pink electricity dancing out from the ball in the centre.

"It's a plasma ball, you twit! Put your finger on it!"

Amy did so, her mouth forming an 'O' as the lights commented to her fingertip.

"Ooh! Cool! Alison should get one of these for...."

They both locked eyes, Silver gripping the fluff of her blanket. Amy cleared her throat and moved away from the ball.

"Okay, just to be clear - most of the things you're seeing were second hand." Explained Silver, changing the subject; "The computer is like...three years old? My brother gave it to me after he got his laptop, and the fan on it sounds like a jet engine. Same with the TV, which has a VHS tape stuck in that no one can get out."

"A V-what?"

"Those dvds shaped like rectangles."

"Oh, right." Amy nodded; "Still, c'mon. It's a pretty sweet room, that's all I'm saying."

Silver shrugged; "Yeah, well...It was the one area in the house that was mine and I could do what I wanted in." She sat down on the divan, running her finger over the soft purple blanket at the foot; "Every time I stepped outside or tried to watch tv in the living room, my family made me feel like shit. So if it was better to stay in here, needed to make it cosy, y'know. And...I guess I was lucky enough to have enough money to do it up how I wanted."

"See? Rich cow!" Amy teased.

"It was my Dad's life insurance."

Her friend pursed her lips at that; "Oh. Fuck. Sorry."

"S'fine. Mum...my living Mum, was at least decent enough to give me an allowance for my chores." Silver confessed, "Wasn't much use for anything else mums are meant to do, but guess I can be grateful she never let me starve...I did that all to myself."

Amy took a seat on the bean bag chair stuffed in the corner next to the little grey box of a TV behind her.

"Wanna talk self harm? Try topping ripping your own skin off till your arteries are on display."

Silver stared at her with eyes like a rabbit in headlights. It made Amy snort.

"Relax! Mary stopped me. And it's not like I was in any real danger...Just kinda needed that release, you know?" She admitted, "It's...not been easy for me. There."

"But...you said you were okay? I thought were in like....Heaven?"

"I am, we are...It's just not playing harps on clouds like in the cartoons. Thank fuck because that sounds boring as shit. It's just...It's really hard to describe." Her friend frowned; "It's like a living dream. Mary and Annie keep telling me it's a paradise...and yeah it looked pretty amazing when I first arrived. But it's also like...whatever you want it to be? And...well I guess, moody bitch that I am, being separated from you and Humphrey, I wanted..."

"...Hell?" Asked Silver.

Amy snorted; "Trust me to be the one stupid cow that could ruin Heaven!"

Silver wished she could nudge her friend or give her a half-hearted hug. She watched Amy's fingers smooth over bean bag cover.

Humming, curious, she grabbed her Lion King plushie and chucked it at the other girl's head.

"Hey! What the...?" She exclaimed, frowning as the beloved teddy fell into her lap.

"Just wanted to test a theory." Silver grinned.

"Cow. What did Simba do to deserve that?"

"Collateral damage." She shrugged, then looked down at her lap; "Speaking of....Did you see your dad?"

Amy went quiet, stroking the patch of fur on Simba's head, matted after many trips in the washing machine.

She nodded, a twitch of a smile on her lips.

"It's okay. You don't have to tell me about it. It's between you two."

"Thanks, mate." Said Amy, her voice breaking a little.

Silver could still see pain on her friend's face. It was enough to surmise that, even if making that connection had helped Amy a little, it was still agony to be separated from him. Understandable. As grateful as she was to have this 'crossing' to interact with her best mate again, her absence would still be felt when she woke up.

"And....Robin?" She couldn't hide the distaste in her voice as she said that name.

Amy shook her head; "Not yet. I'm still...getting the hang of how to do this with different people. Reaching Dad was a bit tougher than you. S'like you put up less walls for me to break through than he had around him."

Made sense. Humphrey had quite literally shut himself off from the others, both emotionally and locking himself in Amy's room.

"And when I tried to look in on Robin...well. Let's just say there's not so much walls around his head, more like a cave. In a mountain. On fucking Mars."

"Should've seen that coming." Silver clicked her tongue; "Well don't feel the need to rush on my account."

The dejected monotone sound of her voice caught Amy's attention.

"What really happened, Silv?" She asked, "I only know what Mary said he did."

She shrugged; "Not much else to say."

"I know, but...It's Robin, you know? Our Robin. Big, silly, fluffy, man-puppy Robin who loves practical jokes and dispensing random wisdom!"

"Maybe we don't know him as well as we thought?" Silver mused, looking at her thin lavender curtains, "I mean...the dude has killed people. To survive, sure, but there was also that thing with Hat. And you know he was all on board for killing Alison, to start. Then again, so was Mary, so maybe I just have a habit of attracting problematic parental figures..."

"Maybe. But...they do love you though. I'm sure of that. Or at least, I am with Mary. I just can't imagine Robin..."

"Might be easier to show you. Then you can come up to your own conclusions."

Silver reached into the drawer of random crap in the table next to her bed and fished out a remote.

Closing her eyes, she clutched the device between her palms and focused, as she had when manifesting the items in the bedroom.

Pressing the On button, she pointed it towards the fat TV, which lit up with a burst of static, before showing a first person POV of Robin, looking straight at the screen. Amy moved from the bean bag chair over to the edge of the bed.

Silver pressed the rewind button, to show the context of what occurred in the build up to their fight.

Humphrey's body clinging to her. Their silent communication as they sat listening to Cap's long winded story.

Then Robin bringing in Humphrey's head. Humphrey's heart visibly breaking.

Silver lashing out at the others as they stared at her in judgement. The way they turned their backs to walk away.

Humphrey asking her to leave him alone. Both of him.

And all the while, Robin standing there in the corner. Watching.

In the bedroom, Silver said nothing as the argument played out again, letting Amy watch it for herself. Her plea to know why Robin had to do it like that. Robin's assertion it was for her own good. The escalating shouts. She cringes, feeling a little bad, knowing how much her friend hates arguments. It seems longer than she remembered it, too.

More swearing. More hurtful accusations. Then Robin looking as bestial as either of them have known as he's there, in her face, telling her about what Mary did. Then Silver's slap knocking him back. The flash of regret on his weathered face.

Then the screen goes blank, and they're back staring at a grey mirror of themselves.

"....Shit. That was brutal..." Amy gulped, having tugged her hoodie up at some point during the raised voices.

It hadn't helped Silver feel any better to watch the replay.

"Maybe...maybe I shouldn't have said that thing about him forgetting how to be human." She winced; "You know he can get pretty sensitive when someone calls him an animal-."

"Bullshit!" Amy cut her off; "You were right to call him out for that, acting all high and mighty, making out like that was the right thing when all it did was make you and Dad feel even more shitty! It's no excuse for him breaking his promise to Mary and letting you think she didn't...Well. You can tell him yourself that's a load of crap, straight from the woman herself!"

Silver smiled at that, feeling a warmth in her chest as she remembered Mary's last message to her.

Amy tossed Simba back into her arms.

"Don't worry. Leave the annoying fluff to me. He'll be grovelling for your forgiveness by the time I'm done with him."

Silver shook her head, giving the plushie a hug; "Honestly....I really don't give a toss about Robin. You just saw my perspective there. I'm sure he has his own reasons for what he said but...I just can't be bothered to care."

Despite the words, her tone was no longer defeated or hopeless.

"I'm just excited to wake up and nag Julian to call Alison. So I can get the paperwork done and officially be Silver Guppy. Hehehe." She grinned, looking well and truly like a giddy teenager as she sat cross-legged on her childhood bed; "And I'm gonna talk to Humphrey. Whole Humphrey. He's the one who I hurt and the one whose feelings I care about helping right now."

"He's not mad at you. You know that, right?" Amy assured.

"I know, but...I'm mad at me. He can take as long as he wants to forgive me, I can accept that. But I wanna try and be there for him. Both parts." She explained; "You know, before this whole mess, I went to visit him in your room, his head bit....We actually had a really sweet moment. I gave him space after because I thought that's what he wanted, but-."

"Word of advice? Humphrey's not the sort of guy who asks for attention. Especially when he really needs it." Said Amy.

"So he's like....the Anti-Thomas?"

"Pretty much."

They both laughed at that. Silver felt a little more confident about facing the Tudor when she awoke now. She'd dedicate the rest of her afterlife to trying to look after him in Amy's absence if she needed to, whether he thought of her as a friend or not. He deserved better than to be left alone in the dark.

A fate she knew all too well.

"How much longer do you have?" Silver asked her friend.

"As long as you want. Time works roughly the same up there as the old world...but dreams are weird."

"Preaching to the choir." She smiled; "...Wanna play some games?"

"Sure. What you got?"

Silver shuffled forward and retrieved a purple cube with a handle from a cabinet, setting it out and unravelling many tangled black wires.

"What is that?!" Amy pointed at the box.

"It's a Gamecube! The best console ever! Please tell me Nintendo still existed when you died."

"Oh, is it like...an old Wii?"

"Dude, the Wii was literally just a Gamecube with motion controls." She said, having watched Mike play some Mariokart with his friend Obi one time. "Here, this is a classic. The first Resident Evil, remade!"

She pressed the button and brought the wired controller up onto the bed, the two girls laying on their front on the edge of bed.

"Damn, check out those graphics. It's like watching the first Toy Story." Amy commented.

"Oi, this was like cutting edge realism in my day!"

"Dude, you can see all the angles on their jackets. And all those rocks in the background are blurred together."

"Shut up or I won't let you shoot any zombies!"

Funny enough, in life she'd never had a friend come up to her room to play video games with her. Even her brother wasn't interested, preferring to stick to playing GTA on his own console. Silver watched, amused, as Amy took the controller for the first part, controlling Jill Valentine as she explores the zombie infested mansion.

Quietly, she sent a prayer up to whatever god had blessed her with this chance to still spend time with her friend, despite being separated by two worlds. For a brief moment, her heart panged for Robin, who she doubted in all these years had a chance to speak to those he lost. Then the sympathy passed; perhaps that was what happened when you built a literal cave around your heart.

She would never let herself become that. Never shut herself off from feeling what it means to be human. To love, to lose, to grieve, to make silly mistakes with the best of intentions. She'd take friendship over cold, hard wisdom any day.

"Fucking TWAT!" Amy cursed as she failed to shoot one creature in time as it grabbed Jill and sunk it's teeth into her neck; "What is up with this shit camera?! This game is rigged!"

"We can play Animal Crossing if you prefer?"

"Fuck off, I'm blowing this assholes head off." She said, determined, making Silver giggle.

[mutt-guttz]

List 5 things that make you happy, then put this in the askbox for the last 10 people who reblogged something from you! get to know your mutuals and followers ٩(ˊᗜˋ*)

1. plushies, blankets and pillows! i love the soft textures and cuddling up into a nest on my bed. plus i love getting ones of my hyperfixations (my bed rn is mostly murder drones, trolls, and other miscellaneous fandom plushies lmao)

2. antiques! one of my jobs is at an antique store and i grew up with my grandma taking me with her to antique stores all over the place. i love the history some stuff can have, along with fixing up some. my favorites in my collection are old playskool toys that were clearly well loved and old books like kids books and yearbooks

3. roadtrips make me extremely happy. even just day trips. i love going out and seeing new things and just feeling new surroundings. it’s enough to satisfy my need for change before coming back to my own place for familiarity TwT

4. movies and music. gonna group these together cause they go so hand in hand in my brain. i have a huge collection of dvds, vhs tapes, vinyls, cds, cassettes, etc. i buy them mostly second hand or get them for free lmao. my favorite is my horror movie collection and my vinyl collection. i think in total i have like 200 of these medias combined at this point

5. dancing (along with music again lmao). i love dressing up for nights out and going to local places in my city to listen to djs and just feel the music. i only rrly go out with friends but usually meet new ppl whenever i go out and it’s a fun time :3 wearing a tail and ears and going out is so nice (with breaks ofc cause my disabled ass can only handle so much /lh)

[appears]

10th Anniversary

f(x): Pink Tape (2013.07.29)

Pink Tape is a gold standard of an album, not just for K-pop, but for pop music in general. It has been named the Greatest K-pop Album of the 2010s by Billboard in 2019, and its lead single "Cheot Sarangni (Rum Pum Pum Pum)" was ranked #59 on its general "100 Greatest Girl Group Songs of All Time" list in 2017. Pink Tape is the type of album that other pop stars are still trying to emulate years after its release, and is the source of my oft-repeated refrain that "f(x) did it first” (see also, Red Light and 4 Walls).

The album was released exactly ten years ago in the summer of 2013, when the K-pop girl group was at is peak, and when, I would argue, K-pop itself had reached the very edge of its Golden Age plateau from which it would begin a kind of wandering, sporadic descent. Almost every single song on here sounds as fresh and exciting as it did ten years ago. Like much of their previous work, the album is full of quirky upbeat, pop songs that incorporate everything from dance, to disco, to rap, to hip-hop, to electro, to an almost avant-garde selection of instruments against the synthetic keyboards that comprise the bulk of the album's sound. The album does have one or two places where it falters a bit, in the obligatory ballad selections, which sound like any SM group could have done competently, like "Goodbye Summer" (co-written by member Amber) or "Yeou Gateun Nae Chingu (No More)" which sounds like something picked up from the cutting room floor of Girls’ Generation’s SNSD's Oh! album. But there are so many songs on here that only f(x) could pull off, like "Pretty Girl" and "Kick." The album is just sublime, and even songs that I don't particularly find myself returning to, I can appreciate. It's the type of song selection that works best as an entire album, illuminating the group's eclectic make up, both physically and musically, in their innovative, ground-breaking sound.

The packaging on this is super fun: it comes in a box that's shaped and designed to look like a pink, oversized VHS tape. The box opens up to reveal a type of OBI that wraps around the back and spine of the box, a booklet of the same height and size as the box, and the CD, along with one of a set of collectible photo cards, and some promo material. The pictures in the booklet are designed to look like stills from a "romantic, cult" teen flick, including "subtitled" captions on many of them that read more like random poetry than a cohesive narrative. It all adds to the fun and mystique of this album -- and I think it's clever and weirdly accurate to use the term "cult" to describe this album and group, as even though f(x) was mega-popular, they were still the somewhat quirkier, alternative sister-group to SM Entertainment's flagship girl-group Girls’ Generation (SNSD).

Catalog Number: SMK0272

[xandriagreat]

Teaching and Learning with The Paw | chapter 2: Granny Gumbo

First chapter | Last Chapter | Next Chapter

Author's note: This story is ALIVE! Sorry that it's been so long. Writer's block… but anyway, story! Also, a hug thank you to @vanessafangirl13 for helping me with this chapter and to let you all know that the names of Diane’s parents is something that we both chose.

Notice/Warnings: weapons, anger, sad past, good ending

▪▪▪

Governor Moe Wolf drove to the hideout of the Paw with his team/friends.

The hideout is in the abandoned part of the city.

He parked his car and got out of his car before they went inside by the garage door.

They looked around at the almost empty house.

There were a few boxes that were filled with the treasures that Diane had stolen over the years and there were some folded cardboard boxes.

The only things that weren’t packed were things behind a locked bedroom door.

Lou picked up the folded cardboard boxes and carried them as the five went to unlock the door.

“You still got your lockpicks?” Herbert asked, looking at Moe.

“You know that I do.” the wolf answered, taking out lockpicks. He started to pick the lock and got the door opened, turning the lights on.

They entered the room and looked around in curiosity.

The room looked ordinary. It felt it was fit for what a child would think a princess bed room would be but it also had a punk rock feel.

The walls were painted a crimson red golden lining, and the carpet was black.

A metal bed frame with white and black sheets over the mattress. There were pick and yellow pillowcases on her bed along with an orange comforter over the bed.

Up against the wall on the left side of the bed was an old-fashioned drawer. There was a chair in the cournor that faced the bed. A desk against the wall and a medium sized window above it.

There were a few photos, some rock and roll posters, and some ninja posters on the wall.

There was an old TV with VHS and DVD player on top of a TV stand. On the lower shelf of the TV stand was a CD player, some CDs and DVDs.

“Wow.” all five of The Bad Guys breathed as they looked around.

“Strange.” Stefaine said under her breath as she looked at her phone.

"What's wrong?" Lou asked, looking at her on his shoulder.

“These things aren’t on the stolen list.” Stefaine said, looking up to look at everyone, who were looking at her confused. “Look.”

She showed them her phone to show the list.

The things in the room weren’t on the list.

“That is strange.” Herbert said before shrugging. “But we should still get things packed.”

Everyone nodded as they got some of the folded cardboard boxes unfolded and taped.

Before they started packing, Moe looked at the photos on the walls.

“Hey, guys. Look at this.” the wolf said, pointing at the photos.

The team looked at the photos.

There were a few photos of a young fox and her parents. One of the photos was of the same young fox and an alligator. Another was the same young fox with a young bunny rabbit.

The young fox looked like Diane.

“Hey, the little fox looks like Diane!” Pepe exclaimed, pointing at the photos. “That’s probably Diane.” Lou said, looking at him.

Then they heard the clicking sound of a shotgun behind them. All five turned around and saw an old female alligator, who was holding a shotgun.

“You all have a lot of explaining to do to be here in the Foxington residence, trespassers.” the alligator growled at them.

☆◇

The Bad Guys were sitting on the bed and looked in fear at the old female alligator who was sitting in the chair across the bed.

The alligator was wearing an off white button up shirt, brown overalls, black boots, and a dark green sunhat.

“I’m not into politics but why is the governor of LA and his team here?” the alligator asked in a stern tone, glaring at them as she still held the shotgun. “Why are you five in my god daughter’s home?”

The Bad Guys looked at the wolf as if he could explain. “Um… well, we’re like friends of Diane’s. And she literally gave directions to this place so we could give everything that she had stolen back to the places she stole.” Moe explained, looking at the alligator again.

The alligator glared at him and pointed the shotgun at him. “I don’t believe you, mutt dog.” she growled at him. “Unless you have evidence.”

The fear in Moe’s eyes became a glared look. “Don’t call me that.” he said, a serious look on his face. “Also, we do have evidence.”

The alligator lowered her gun and placed it on her lap. The alligator ignored him as she looked at the others and asked, “Is he tellin' the truth?”

The others nodded.

"Show me." she ordered, stretching her clawed hand out to them.

Moe was about to get the map, that Diane gave him at the gala, from his suit jacket but Herbert stopped him. “Wait. Let’s make a deal first.” the snake said, looking at his friends before looking at the alligator.

“What is the deal?” the alligator asked, a growl in her voice as she pulled her hand back.

Herbert looked at her, his eyes cold, as he said, “We show evidence if you answer some questions that we have about Diane. Also, if we don’t get shot by your shotgun, we don’t need to file a report on you. As far as I can tell, your shotgun is old fashioned and not a lot of places can sell that. So…” Then Herbert shrugged with a bit of a smug look on his face. “Do we have an agreement?”

The gang watched the alligator, who was thinking if it was a good deal or not. “We do.” the gator said, nodding. Then she stretched her claw hand out again and Moe got the map out as the rest of the gang sigh in relief.

The alligator snatched it from him and looked at it. Then she got a piece of paper from her pocket and looked at both papers, comparing the two.

The silence was a bit awkward for a while until Stefaine spoke up, “So… you must be Granny Gumbo. Right?”

The alligator stopped comparing the two papers and looked at Stefanie. “I am known by that name in my small town in the woods.” The alligator replied. “My actual name is Gretel Nyx Gumbo, but a lot of people call me Granny Gumbo for I’m one of the living elders of the town.”

Stefanie hummed and nodded with the others.

Granny Gumbo gave the map back to Moe. “I see that you were tellin’ the truth.” the alligator said as she put the piece of paper back in her pocket.

The Bad Guys sighed in relief.

"You all probably have some questions, since you mentioned it in the deal." Granny Gumbo said, placing the shotgun next to her seat. "You can ask questions. Just don't ask about the Lost Girls. I only met them a few times."

The Bad Guys nodded in understanding.

“I have a question!” Pepe said, raising his fin.

Granny Gumbo nodded to him. “Go ahead.”

“So… is all the stuff in this room stolen or was the stuff here before?” the piranha asked, pointing at the tv.

Granny Gumbo looked at the room before looking at Pepe. “The stuff has been here before Diane became The Paw. This is Diane’s childhood room. Actually, this house is her childhood home, the place where she grew up.” she replied, smiling a bit.

Pepe was in awe as he looked around the room as the rest of the gang hummed, figuring that Granny Gumbo was done with the question.

Moe raised his hand to ask the next question. Granny Gumbo noticed his hand and nodded to him to let him speak. “So, um… How do you know Diane?” Moe asked.

Granny looked at him for a moment before answering, “Owen and Margaret Foxington, Diane’s parents, used to have a summer home long before she came along. They were like my neighbors during the summer time. We didn’t get to know each other a lot until Diane came along and was at the age of three years old. That little fox was very curious about me. So curious that she walked over to me while I was resting in the sun. I was surprised to see her by me.”

Then pointed at the photo of the little fox and alligator on the wall. “See that photo there? That’s me and Diane on the last summer before that horrible day happened.”

The Bad Guys were shocked and confused by this. “What do you mean?” Stefaine asked the question.

Granny looked at the five and asked, “Do you five know about The Nevergreen Camps?”

Herbert, Moe, Lou, and Stefaine were shocked while Pepe was confused. “I don’t.” Pepe said, looking at his friends. “What is that? Or what was it?”

Everyone in the room was quiet for a moment. “Remember what happened during the second world war?” Herbert asked, looking at Pepe.

The piranha nodded. “Yeah. I learned what happened. It was another big war and a lot of lives were lost. And those scary camps… What does that have to do with The Nevergreen Camps?”

“It’s similar to the camps but it’s more for predators and it was a bit more recent.” Granny Gumbo answered.

Pepe’s eyes widened. “How recent?”

“22 years ago.” Granny Gumbo said, a sound of a bit of sadness in her voice. “She was only eight years old at the time. She was ten years old when it was over.”

Pepe was in shock with everyone else while Granny Gumbo shrugged before continuing, “Anyway, with that aside. The number on her back is branding like on cattle or prisoner numbers way back in the day…”

The Bad Guys nodded, still in shock.

Granny Gumbo sighed, taking her hat off and rubbing her head with her free hand. “Do you all have any more questions?” she asked, putting her hat back on.

Pepe raised his hand again and asked, “Who was in charge of the Nevergreen?”

Granny looked at the piranha and shrugged. “It… depends on who you see is at fault.” she explained, looking at him.

“What do you mean?” four of the Bad Guys asked in confusion, not seeing the one ask becoming red.

“It was Everett Evergreen!” Herbert shouted angrily, getting up from his seat. “He was the one who wanted predators locked away and turned into animal products!”

Granny Gumbo got up from her seat and looked down at Herbert. “I know.” she growled, a dangerous look in her eye. “But he wasn’t the only one at fault.”

Moe carefully grabbed Herbert by the neck and pulled him back to his seat when it looked like Granny was about to step to him. But instead she walked to the desk as she added, “Everyone thought that it was James Wonder, the owner of the Wonder farms at the time, after giving Everett one of the farmlands.”

Granny Gumbo went back to her seat with an old newspaper. “There’s a reason why they lost that part of farmland.” she said as she sat down. Then Granny Gumbo cleared her throat before she continued, “James Wonder, the owner at the time, was struggling with that farmland. He wanted to plant crops and trees for the business but nothing was growing. That’s when Everett Evergreen came into the picture and offered a deal with him.”

The Bad Guys got interested in this. “What was the deal?” they asked, their eyes wide.

“The deal was if James gives Everett that part of land, Everett would give money to him after selling products that he would be using.” Granny Gumbo said, looking at them. “Everett didn’t tell James what it was and James didn’t mind until two years after the deal. That’s when Abby, his youngest child, went missing around Easter time. That’s when the truth came out.”

Then Granny Gumbo gave Moe the newspapers and The Bad Guys looked at it.

A Two Year Agreement Broken

James Wonder and the rest of the Wonder Family found out what product that Everett Evergreen was using after finding Abby Wonder, the youngest of the Wonder Family, in a gas room with a young fox.

The gas room was on the grounds of a dangerous campsite that used to be one of the old Wonder farms before Evergreen took over it.

It turns out that it was similar to what happened in World War 2, a dangerous camp just for predators.

After finding out and getting the survivors' help, James shut it down and the camps were destroyed.

No one knows where Everett Evergreen is.

The Bad Guys looked at Granny Gumbo, who looked lost in a bad memory for a moment. “It was the biggest and scariest thing in history.” Granny Gumbo said when she came back to the present. “Thankfully she survived the horrors of that place with the other survivors.”

“Yeah…” Herbert said, nodding slowly.

The Bad Guys were processing what they learned.

Then their attention went to Granny Gumbo when she hummed. “Are there any more questions? Or are we done?” she asked, looking at them.

The gang looked at each other before Lou raised his fin. “I have one question.”

“Go ahead.” the gator said, nodding to him.

“Is the Nevergreens Camps the reason that Diane has those scar burn marks?” the shark asked, rubbing his lower back a reference. “The ones on her lower back.”

Granny Gumbo was quiet before nodding. “Yes… She got the burn numbers from there… All of the predators that were there got different burn numbers.”

Then the gator sighed and got up from her seat as The gang also got up from their seats.

As Granny Gumbo got her shotgun, she looked at the five. “Oh, thank you five for helping Diane.” she said, smiling a bit as she walked out the room.

The Bad Guys were surprised.

“How did you know?” Pepe asked, his eyes wide as he and the gang followed her.

Granny Gumbo turned around to look at the five before leaving. “I figured that you five were the ones who helped her. Since she doesn’t let a lot of people help her and by the looks of it, she trusts you five.” Granny said, smiling softly.

The Bad Guys looked at each other, smiling a bit with the same thought going through their heads, ‘Diane trusts us.’

The five started a huddle, talking about something before Granny Gumbo left.

The alligator looked at them with a confused look.

The Bad Guys finished talking and broke the huddle, looking at the alligator.

“We trust you and we want to help.” Moe said as the gang nodded. “With investigating the camps.”

Granny Gumbo nodded and hummed, “That’s very brave of the five of you. But I suggest not going in head first of this investigation.”

“Then what should we do first?” Stefaine asked.

“I suggest that you five see Abby Wonder.” Granny said, opening the door to the garage. “Also, don’t overwork yourselves with this and your other lifes. Your bodies will thank you.”

Then Granny Gumbo left, leaving The Bad Guys by themselves, packed boxes, and their thoughts.

“Hey, Webs.” Moe said, getting the gang’s attention. “Get an appointment with Abby Wonder, please. We got to know what happened.”

The gang nodded and the five left the place, turning off the lights and locking up the place before leaving.

[fuckyeahvanhalen86-95]

Boxed Set Introduces Four Newly Remastered VH Studio Albums With Sammy Hagar, Plus Rarities Recorded Between 1989 And 2004

5-LP And 5-CD Versions Arriving On October 6

PRE-ORDER NOW direct from VanHalenStore.com

Van Halen will release a new boxed set this fall spotlighting the band's second incarnation, with singer Sammy Hagar, guitarist Eddie Van Halen, drummer Alex Van Halen, and bassist Michael Anthony. The upcoming set includes newly remastered versions of four multi-platinum studio albums, along with a selection of rarities recorded between 1989 and 2004.

THE COLLECTION II will be available on October 6th on 5 Vinyl 180-Gram LPs for $124.98 and 5 CDs for $49.98. Pre-order both versions HERE. All the music in the set was mastered directly from the original master tapes, a process overseen by the band's longtime engineer, Donn Landee.

The new set is the long-awaited sequel to THE COLLECTION, a compilation released in 2015 that focused on the six studio albums recorded by the band's original line-up, which featured singer David Lee Roth. THE COLLECTION II picks up where its predecessor left off and covers the four consecutive #1 albums released during the Hagar era: 5150 (1986), OU812 (1988), For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge (1991), and Balance (1995).

The journey begins with 5150, Van Halen's seventh studio album and the band's first to claim the top spot on the Bilboard 200. Certified platinum six times in the U.S, the record treated fans to hits like "Dreams," "Love Walks In," and "Why Can't This Be Love" which peaked at #3 on the Billboard Hot 100. The group returned two years later with OU812, a quadruple-platinum smash that delivered four Bilboard Hot 100 hits, including "Finish What Ya Started" and "When It's Love."

The accolades continued with For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge, which earned Van Halen its first Grammy® Award for Favorite Heavy Metal/Hard Rock Album. Debuting at #1 and staying there for three weeks, the album achieved triple-platinum certification. The record produced an incredible seven singles, including hits like "Poundcake," "Top Of The World," and "Right Now."

In 1993, the band released its first live album, Live: Right Here, Right Now, before returning in 1995 with Balance, its final studio album with Hagar. The album was another commercial triumph, debuting at #1, selling more than three million copies, and earning a Grammy nomination for "The Seventh Seal."

THE COLLECTION II concludes with Studio Rarities 1989- 2004, an exclusive compilation that assembles eight gems from the Hagar era for the first time. Among these rarities is "Crossing Over" the B-Side to Balance's "Can't Stop Lovin' You", and the band's only non-album B-side.

The compilation boasts other exceptional highlights, including the band's cover of Little Feat's "A Apolitical Blues" and the instrumental "Baluchitherium" which were left off the vinyl versions of OU812 and Balance, respectively. Additionally, the set features two songs the band contributed to the Twister Soundtrack "Humans Being" and the Grammy-nominated "Respect The Wind."

Rounding out the set are "It's About Time", "Up For Breakfast", and "Learning To See" which were recorded during the band's temporary reunion with Hagar in 2004. All three debuted that year on Van Halen's second greatest hits collection, The Best of Both Worlds.

Sammy & Mike share their excitement:

Sammy Hagar: "Mikey and have been waitinga long time to get these remastered Van Halen records from my era. They did the whole nine yards. This stuff sounds SO GOOD!

These records were recorded before (without) ProTools or digital recording: it was analog on real to reel tape recorders. There's a very special sound to that type of recording. We were careful not to destroy any of that, but to re-master with more modern technical equipment to bring out that wonderful magical sound. It's never sounded better.

I know you're gonna enjoy it. There are some special bonus tracks in there. A Box Set. It's the whole Van Hagar era. All remastered. Finally! It's About Time! BOOM!"

Michael Anthony: "So excited about our Sammy era box set coming to ya!! Our longtime studio engineer Donn Landee remastered these albums and they are kicking ASS!"

Track Listing:

5150

Good Enough

Why Can't This Be Love?

Get Up

Dreams

Summer Nights

Best Of Both Worlds

Love Walks In

"5150"

Inside

OU812

Mine All Mine

When It's Love

A.F.U. (Naturally Wired)

Cabo Wabo

Source Of Infection

Feels So Good

Finish What Ya Started

Black And Blue

Sucker In A 3 Piece

For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge

Poundcake

Judgement Day

Spanked

Runaround

Pleasure Dome

In 'N' Out

Man On A Mission

The Dream Is Over

Right Now

316

Top of the World

Balance

The Seventh Seal

Can't Stop Lovin' You

Don't Tell Me (What Love Can Do)

Amsterdam

Big Fat Money

Doin' Time

Aftershock

Strung Out

Not Enough

Take Me Back (Déjà Vu)

Feelin'

Studio Rarities 1989-2004

A Apolitical Blues

Crossing Over

Baluchitherium

Humans Being

Respect The Wind

It's About Time

Up For Breakfast

Learning To See

[piggybonez]

things i actively have a collection of:

- kandi (i made all of it but i want a collection of traded kandi too)

- oddities/wet specimens. i threw away most of my bones but there’s a lot more i want to collect. right now i only have a couple things: sheep eyes, sheeps brain, a jellyfish, and a frog. i used to have a beetle. i have a brown bat too but now that i am aware of the fact that they are killed for taxidermy i will never buy another one :(

- concert/show memorabilia. can be free posters i’ve acquired (my favorite thing to aquire) paper wrist bands, tickets, physical media, band t shirts, patches, pins, etc. one time a guy gave me his beat up drum stick after the show, and i’ve since gotten rid of it but it was hanging on my wall for a while before i had to move/downsize.

- i used to collect vinyls and cassette tapes. i got rid of all my vinyls (tragic decision lol) but i still have a small cassette tape collection. i like owning physical copies of music and i want alll my favorite music to be on physical copy and collected together at one point. and that means cds, records, and cassettes.

- pins

- clowns/clown dolls (i’ve gotten rid of some cool stuff but i plan to expand my collection when i get the chance)

- art/handmade things in general

- stuffed animals

- antique stuff

things i want to collect:

littlest pet shop toys, (especially the little piggys!) more vintage/antique things, clowns and clown dolls, marionettes/puppets, bones, eyes from different animals as wet specimens, i want to have an extensive mask collection with creepy masks, clown masks, multimedia handmade masks, hung on the wall (just like michael myers did in his cell for rob zombies remake), i want to have a collection of living dead dolls hanging up on the wall, along with begoth dolls, i want to have an insane tshirt collection with band tees, vintage tees, just cool t-shirts in general, maybe a lot of handmade stuff made by local artists. i want a collection of horror vhs tapes with an old vhs tv, and a collection of horror memorabilia including posters, sculptures, etc. i also want a collection of vintage/horror/cool lunchboxes too.

do u guys collect stuff (irl)? tell me what u collect

[honey-minded-hivemind]

Chapter One of 🔦Rewind AU:

It's cloudy that day when you come in. The wind is chilled, nipping at your cheeks and ruffling your hair. Everything smells like rain and damp earth; the sidewalk lies cracked and broken in some places, slick with dead clumps of leaf litter; the buildings aren't much, most of them old, weathered, and chipped. But you aren't here for those places. You're here, coming up to the entrance of your job, an old thrift store/discount bargain mart for electronics, games, tech, and more: ReelTheatre.

Greeting you is your co-worker, someone who for all their chatter is quite nice. Their car is packed in front of the store, the old yellow thing holding large, dusty boxes. The moment they spot you, they light up, waving excitedly and planting their hands on their hips. "Reader, hey, buddy! Where ya been? Got some old stuff to sort through today! Wanna help me carry it in?"

You snort lightly, but walk over to them, stuffing your cold hands in your pockets for a moment. "Yeah, sure thing... It's a bit cold today, eh?" You squint your eyes at the sky overhead, sniffing lightly. "Rain will probably be here tonight." Your co-worker grins widely at you, laughing.

"Well, yeah! Wasn't hard that to guess, kiddo!" They laugh again, their small cackle, then start to open their car's trunk, tugging out some bags. They tilt their head towards the car, and you open the side door. You're quick to heave out the heavier box first, hefting it up, then stagger back to the front of the store. Your co-worker, who'd already entered and dropped off their bags, opens the door for you. "After you, my dear~!" they snicker, causing you to snort as you wander in. You're quick to set the box down on the counter closest to you, panting a little from weight. What the heck was in this, bricks?

"Thanks for donating some of your old tapes, Reader. Hopefully they'll be more interesting than the old country CDs," they say, and go out to drag in the other box. "See ya in a minute! Don't miss me~!" And then you're on your own, left to sort through the store's new stock.

The bags are filled mostly with old CDs and discount DVDs, with the occasional cassette tape or odd video game. That leaves you to sort through them, finding the ones in near-perfect condition, which your boss will probably set in the newer section, and setting apart the scratched ones or visibly used ones, probably to be sold rather cheaply. A few items might make it to the protected case, but otherwise, the rest can be given a price sticker and shoved into their shelf or basket, ready to be someone else's. Your co-worker takes them off your hands soon after, mumbling to themself about where they put the stickers, leaving you to handle the box that nearly popped your back.

It doesn't seem very special, looking at its outside appearance. Some stained, yellowed corners, a few torn holes in the side, and some weird name written in marker on the top flap... You take out an box cutter, slitting through the aged tape, and cough a little at the sudden inhale of dust. But it's open-

And lying in the box, shiny and smelling of plastic, are VHS tapes. There's old marker titles drawn on the fronts, and looking throughly between all the tapes, their tape reels seem to be working, not a single film out of place or plastic piece broken. You let out a short hum, lifting up one of the labeled rectangles-

"Oooo! I can't believe you have all of these!"

"AH!" You jump at the sudden voice of your co-worker, who must have snuck up to the front while you were caught up in sorting through the tapes. They snicker a little, but subside. They curiously look through the box themself, making a pleased noise.

"I didn't know you were such a fan!" your co-worker excitedly cheers when they finish, soon plucking the tape from your hands and hurrying over to the old TV along the wall.

"Of... what? Old tapes?"

"No! The X-Men, duh! You have all of their tapes!" They stick their tongue out as they work, tapping away at the tape player, soon letting out a small "yes!" as they manage to open it up, quickly popping the tape in, and pressing the play button.

You pause, squinting at them, then at the TV, which crackles with static. "Huh... I don't... remember... having those..." A puzzled feeling washes over you, but it's soon swamped by your co-worker's gasp.

"You don't remember the X-Men?! Well, that won't do at all!" They hold a hand to their chest, dramatically gasping. "I can't let this stand! You are watching this! Trust me, it'll be great for you, you'll see~!" They laugh, moving out from behind the counter and heading towards the back. "I'll check on you in a bit!" And then they're gone, disappearing into the record section, humming a small tune as they go...

Leaving you up here, with nothing to do but restock the shelves and listen to the old tape play in the background...

Filing the movies and CDs and games away feels good, calming a part of your mind that likes order, making you feel just a bit less tired. It's satisfying in a way, knowing everything is in alphabetical order or grouped in its genre, clustered neat and tight together, not a case out of place. A small, tired grin peeks at the corners of your mouth, your shoulders relaxing just a fraction from their usual stiffness. The TV crackles lightly behind you, the voices fuzzy and the colors comforting. You're turning around, done with your task, when you hear something... off...

Silence.

Pure... still... silence.

You look up at the TV, feeling yourself freeze up.

Because the screen seems still, and the X-Men are all frozen. But it's not a normal pause, no. They are staring straight at the screen. And it feels almost like they're staring at... you...

"Reader! A little help over here, please!" calls your co-worker from deep in the store, sending you scurrying over to them, just in time to stop a heavy wooden record player from falling on top of them. "Th.. thanks, kiddo... phew... that... was so heavy... who the H*ll put a record player on the top shelf, huh, kit-cat?" they snort, making you crack a rare chuckle. They grin, then wander with you back to the front. You glance back over at the TV, which seems to be back to normal... but you still feel... watched...

"Hey... uh... did... did you notice anything... odd, with the TV?" you inquire, scratching lightly at your hand. The fingerless gloves tug slightly with the motion, but stay in place.

"Something odd, huh? Nope. Why?" they respond, looking over at you. Their eyes are warm, no sign of judgment or teasing. You shrink a little under their gaze, eyes shifting away to stare at the floor.

"Eh... nothing... I think the screen just paused for a minute..."

"Oh! You're probably not used to the TV then! What, never let a tape play while working?" At the shake of your head, they gasp, just as dramatic as before. "Well, that won't do at all! No wonder you're so grouchy all the time! You've never enjoyed the wonders of... animation!" You let out a small snort at that. "That's it! Pop in another one of these tapes when this one is done playing! I'll see you when you've realized how awesome they are!" They playfully stick their tongue out at you, causing you to snicker a little. Once they're gone, you turn back to the TV...

The screen seems to be paused again... but it couldn't be, as music kept playing... You take a step closer, eyes squinting... The music playing is soft, and so too is the quiet crackle of static in the background... The glass screen isn't cracked or broken, nor is the video glitching. Yet the characters keep staring, as though shocked or surprised to see something... With a nervous shrug, you head back to the shelves, rearranging what you can and tidying up. Soon afterwards, the video seems to play correctly again, because you can hear a conversation going on between the characters. As the minutes fly by, you look through the extra box, finding more X-Men tapes, potentially for a lost season... You tuck those away. You can always watch them another day.

It's almost a relief when the store opens, letting in the stray teen or tired adult or confused older folk, all of whom have stopped here to hopefully find something old and waiting, ready to be used once more. It's nice, every now and again, to see someone's eyes light up when they've found something they've been looking for for quite some time... You're quiet as you check people out, bagging their items and nodding to idle chatter, wishing them a good day as they leave. It's almost nice, not being so busy or loud all the time...

When it's time to leave, your co-worker is paused by the TV, staring at it quietly. "Hey, Reader, is the screen broken? I think your old VHS tape is stuck," they tell you. They wear a lightly confused expression, but not concerned. You glance at the screen- seeing the characters are staring out, yet still talking- then turn back to your co-worker.

"Um... I'll look at it tonight... let me grab it..." You mumble tiredly, approaching the tape player. As you open the tape player, you aren't sure why, but... the X-Men almost seemed... pleased... You glance at the clock, noting the time, and wish your co-worker a good night. "Night, Kevin... I'll see you later..."

The walk back home is quiet, but the weight of the tapes in your bag (and the metal keys in your hand) make you feel just a tad bit safer. It doesn't take long for you to reach the sidewalk leading to your home, but... you swear it still feels like something is watching you... You quicken your pace, almost running down the pavement to the door of your downtrodden home, slipping the key into the lock and twisting it back once you're inside, locking yourself in, and everything else out.

Once you're inside you start to feel better. Slipping into the shower for a quick rinse and washing off, cleaning your hair, and slipping into a comfy sweater on the couch feels relaxing, after feeling tense all day... You huff, thinking about it. Why were you so worried? What had set you off? You tried to think of the answer as you looked over the tapes, not finding any loose film or cracked parts. You were careful rewinding them, taking care not to break or tear the film.

Were you on edge because it was getting colder? Or that is was getting darker earlier? It just seemed so stupid now, but you still weren't sure why you'd felt that way today.

You pop in one of the tapes after a minute, letting it start playing as you head into the small kitchen to start reheating dinner. You hum softly while you work, listening to an odd conversation between the characters-

"I haven't seen 'em in a while, but I sure have missed 'em..."

"It's going to be okay! We'll see them soon!"

"Why, of course! I hear they'll be coming back quite soon, in fact-"

"Well, that means we'll be ready for them, right, team?"

"Got it, boss~! I wonder what they're up to now..."

"Well, mehybe dinner 's a good idea, eh? Gambit be cookin' somethin', an' it's almost done!"

You continue to hum as you take out your reheated rice, soft and buttery. Next to it is a container holding steaming sauce, with bits of shrimp and sausage and herbs mixed in. You pour a bit of each into a bowl, mixing it together thoroughly. The warm smell soothes you, smelling of cozy rooms and kind people and bright smiles and savory spice... You exit the kitchen, settling onto your worn couch, blowing on a spoonful of your dinner... and see the X-Men eating the exact same food, jambalaya, on the screen.

For a minute you feel that sense of unease crawl over you again-

But you push it down, breathing in deep, then start eating your food. The spicy yet hearty taste is flavorful on your tongue, a memory of something you can't remember still lingering in your senses, making you smile just a little...

"Well... ain't it nice ta have dinner together, as a family~?"

You finish your food after awhile, then return your dishes to the sink. You'll wash them tomorrow... but now... you could use some sleep... You settle onto the old couch, pulling your thin blankets over you and closing your eyes... the air is quiet, the room dark, save for the crackle of the static and the soft glow of the screen... You're quick to drift off, exhausted as usual...

But watching you, ever the same protective and caring people as the were then, are old friends... family... who have finally found you... and among them a familiar face watches you as well, glad to have been able to spend the day with you, hoping to help you remember who they were, and who you used to be...

"Night, Reader... sleep tight..."

[goombasa]

Library Propoganda Post

Go to your local library.

I'm always a bit surprised to hear about people who don't know about everything that you can find there. Then again, libraries aren't nearly as advertised as they used to be, and yet there is so much that you can do there.

And y'all should go and experience it.

First and foremost, to make sure everyone knows, public libraries are free. There's generally no fee to get yourself a card and start checking things out. Literally no excuse not to go in and grab one.

Most obviously, you can check out books, of pretty much any subject or genre. If they don't have what you're looking for, bring it up with the librarian on duty, ask what their process is for making requests. Most libraries will have an interlibrary loan system, where you can request a book and they'll borrow it from another library for you to read. Note that some libraries do ask for postage for this service, but others will just eat the cost for you.

But what if you live a good, long way from the library and are worried you won't be able to get the books back before the due date? Well, libraries generally have phone numbers or some will have an online system where you can request the books be renewed. Again, it differs from library to library, but in general you'll be able to renew a book up to two times before it has to be returned, provided there's not a wait list for it. Almost every library will also have a drop box available as well, where you can drop off books after hours if you can't get back before they close.

And it's not just books either! A library exists to make media and information of all kinds available to everyone for as cheap as possible. To this end, libraries nowadays will offer DVDs, Blurays, audiobooks, periodicals, and even video games for rent. Some of the larger libraries I've been too will even have older tech available, with means to use it, like VHS or cassette tapes, or even game consoles to rent, though they're usually very particular about those, or they're only for use within the facility.

But what if you don't have the physical means to watch movies or listen to audiobooks anymore? No CD player, no DVD or bluray player? Well, apart from watching in the facility itself, most libraries will also have digital services as well that you can sign up for with your library card number. My library has services like the cloud library, allowing you to check out electronic and audio books like they were physical. You check them out, and then when the time expires, it's returned and you can check out another one without having to worry about late fees at all. We have Kanopy, a free streaming service with a focus on documentaries, foreign films, and blockbusters from a few years ago. We have the comics archive, which is full of comic books and graphic novels from all eras and countries.

But that's just stuff you can check out. Public libraries are also a great sour of news, as they often have local, regional, or national newspapers available to read, along with various periodicals and magazines too. Heck, some libraries will even host an archive (physical or digital) of back issues of local news sources or articles associated with the local area. Depending on the nature of your library, you might also be able to find a lot of genealogical information there as well. Local yearbooks, graveyard records, local histories, libraries often have that stuff available for public perusal. 

Ask about technology while you're at it, as many libraries might not necessarily have a lot of tech that you can take off premises, but there's a lot there that you can still use, whether it's computers and printers for basic web browsing and computing uses, conversion equipment to get your videos and audio off of aging formats and back them up digitally, and even programs that might help you get cheap or free devices that you might not be able to afford on your own. This is usually done in association with third parties.

If you're looking for things to do with your time off or want to learn a new skill but prefer the motivation of being taught in person or being around other people who are trying to learn the same thing as you are, or just looking to join a club or organization that enjoys a similar hobby, the library often hosts local talks, informative classes, or is just a meeting place for folks who want to have a group discussion about whatever they wish to talk about.

I'm sure I've missed a few things, as there are some differences from one library to the next, depending on who is funding it (I'm fortunate in that the town government funds my library and gives it a very generous yearly budget for basically everything, as well as a local fund that helps us equip it with whatever technology, repairs, and upgrades it needs), but most of these options are available (FOR FREE) at your local library, and even if you can't make frequent trips there, just getting a library card and using their digital services helps to keep them funded and functional, you have no idea what it means to a librarian to have new people come in and take a look around for stuff. And most library staff is more than happy to help you find what you're looking for. Even if they don't have it in the building, they'll help you find out where and how you can find it.

This concludes your local library propaganda post.

Go to your local library.

[me4ttzar]

3, 8, 28 for the ask game! (no pressure of course)

3. 3 films you could watch for the rest of your life and never get bored of refer to my last post :) 8. any reacquiring dreams? oh god yes. i tend to have like super weird vivid dreams. last night i had a dream that brian molko was half naked singing to me? odd but whatever. i have a lot of reoccuring dreams about being taken. as a kid i had a reoccuring dream that a bear would break into my house, chase me around, rob us, and then leave lol. i dream a lot and they are either terrifying or just super odd. 28. do you collect anything? YES!!! i love talking about my collections... i mainly collect physical music and media. i could make a whole post about it if anyone is interested !! (send another ask if you'd be interested in seeing that in depth). the majority of my collection is cds but i also have a lot of records and cassettes :) along with that i have a single vhs tape (that i cannot play as i dont have a vhs player yet) of a cure concert and i also have a few dvds!!!!

[isabelarcmero]

It's so weird to think about what time period we're living in, you know? We grew up with portable CD players and VHS tapes and then iPods and DVDs come along. Now it's all about streaming. Which is fine if I didn't have to pay for so many services at once. I'm thankful that Mandy and I share some of them. Yeah! I guess it's just easier to keep it stored on your laptop and then it can be transferred to your phone or whatever. I kind of think we should all bring it back. Make cute little playlists for each other on CDs and listen to them on a CD player. But I do like the convenience of Spotify. Especially when a new album comes out. No more lining up at the store, you can just click on it. Exactly! I think so, too. Unlike others, he's maintained a pretty good reputation. Ah, good! I'm glad that I've kept my stubs. Yeah, a lot of it is digital now. Like, I'm sad that you can't get physical tickets when you go to a concert these days. I liked putting those in my little box, too.

It's surreal, because we can remember VHS tapes being phased out, and thinking how cool and modern DVDs are and then… this. And then it makes you wonder what comes next, you know? If there will be something else around the corner! Or if we're just going to stream forever. The laptop thing is what gets me, everything is on drives now, or your store it digitally! Gone are the days of burning CDs, I guess, which is kind of sad. Now we just make playlists for each other on Spotify. It's a walk down memory lane that none of us actually ever asked to take, when you open those things up. That's a good choice! Lance is still pretty cool, he's held up. No, no, it makes you sentimental. Especially since even movie tickets have changed!