#maybe bc of the advertising in it + the boring nature

[ashgunnywolf]

This gets its own post bc it got too damn long. Re: my last reblog (the video of the lady talking about how pretty white girls choose to be property bc if they're hot property they get special privileges)

Cishet white women can easily be suckered into complying with patriarchy bc cishet white women are cishet and white, and with patriarchy comes cisheteronormativity and white supremacy and classism and the dehumanization of children, so if they happily shackle themselves to an ideology that makes them into domestic slaves to their husbands, they get the privileges of exerting control over their children and breathing a sigh of relief that at least they have it better than the queers and the poors and the non-white people.

A lot of people overlook just how important controlling children is to cishet white women's participation in patriarchy. They take on all the drudgery of domestic labor like cleaning, cooking, shopping, child-rearing, etc, but with child-rearing comes the option to be an authoritarian parent. Think of every mean girl who became a nurse or a teacher so she could exert control over her patients or her students. Now imagine her with a baby: a person who cannot be free of her after one terrible school year or one bad stay in the hospital. She looks at that tiny human being and sees a blank slate, ready for her to mold into her vision of the perfect child. The way her husband treats her: as property to show off as a sign of his superiority, she treats her children. Like a domestic middle manager.

They're pretty white girls with good husbands and darling children! They're just like the bright and cheery moms in the 1950s refrigerator advertisements! Except they're not. Being a domestic slave sucks. It's not rewarding work; it's what they're "supposed" to do. If they're not stay-at-home moms (an incredibly boring life for seven hours every day once the kids all start school and all the adult friendships have drifted away) then they're coming home from a workday to a second workday where they don't even get paid. And if their parenting style is forcing their kids into a perfect little mold they're never going to perfectly fit, and not, you know, nurturing and celebrating the human beings their children already are, they're not going to like their kids very much, and their kids won't like them either.

Not to mention that a LOT hinges on their ability to function as domestic slaves that look pretty. It is truly incredible how many more men leave their sick wives than women leave their sick husbands. And if it's not as drastic as a sudden serious illness like cancer, it's something else. Maybe she becomes disabled (and rejects disability activism because it opposes the structures that she's shackled herself to). Or fat (and rejects fat acceptance for the same reason). Or even just older and not as cute as she was when he met her in college. Perfect youthful faces and bodies do not last forever. These women WILL cease to be trophies and become just... property. Not cherished anymore except for three or four obligatory special occasions per year. If he remembers.

Cisheteronormativity and white supremacy and classism and the dehumanization of children promised those cishet white women that they were better than everyone else, that they deserve a better life than everyone else. But they're not happy. And rather than realize they've shackled themselves to a toxic ideology, they choose to maintain their idea of a natural order by being cruel to queer people, to people of color, to poor people, to fat people, to disabled people, and to children. To everyone they see as beneath them, everyone they think they can get away with being cruel to. Because if they aren't better than everyone who isn't cishet and white, then what is it all for?

[angeloncewas]

yeah i totally agree with what you said about satire and schlatt basically taking the easy way out. it seems like since that video he's kinda eased back from doing that shit, either bc the backlash or bc his friends have started verbally calling him out on it, both to his face and through making comments about him on stream (comments as in like saying they dont agree with what he did and saying they thought that video was terrible, not like them shading him or whatever ajsksk) which is good but also i wouldnt be surprised if something like that video happened again just bc like. it is his career and at this point he has to know what his larger fanbase is like to an extent, which means he also knows those terrible fucking jokes will make him money. i dont like that, but im also not gonna sit around and pretend like i cant see the fucking obvious, ya know? from what ive seen of him when he's not putting on a show for his main channel, or when he isnt around people who both encourage and enable his bad behavior (not saying this to shift blame, ive just noticed how he goes from making actually funny jokes that are harmless or, at most, a pretty obvious example of him poking fun at shitty people, at least imo, to like. straight up just being offensive when he's with people like swagger, miz, etc. vs ted, charlie and so on), he seems like a pretty good guy and its pretty clear to me that he doesnt hold the same views as the character he plays up for his main channel but that doesnt change the fact that his audience is now full of the worst kinds of people and that is how he makes money.

as someone who, again, watched idubbbz, as well as filthyfrank, they both stated they were playing characters and they didnt agree with the shit they were joking about, joji especially, but them saying that isnt very well known by even their own fanbase who just watches their main channel stuff, bc the one video where joji made that explicitly clear what he was doing, he later deleted for people harassing him in the comments (it was an old ass video where he basically said that playing those characters was giving him literal health problems, specifically stress induced seizures, and his comments were so bad that he never made an ooc video on his main channel again) and the one video i can think of where ian explicitly said he was playing a character was like an hour long podcast with h3, which most people dont even wanna watch bc it is a painfully uncomfortable one hour, considering the fact that they are supposed to be friends. besides that, the only other time they were really out of character was in vlogs with maxmoefoe, and they still did their offensive bits from time to time bc it was still going up on youtube, even if it wasnt their main channel. compare that to schlatt who has, as far as i know, never explicitly said he's playing a character, and the closest he has gotten to saying that was in some weekly slap video that i cant remember the title of bc all those videos kinda blend together if im being honest. like they definitely show a different, better side of him, but they are also all really short videos with only gameplay to watch and he never even promotes the channel, so its not like the shitty people watching him are like "hm time to take some time out of my day to go watch big man schlatt give people advice and be a genuine person for once", right?

idk. schlatt is just such a weird person for me bc like. he is a big comfort for me, i really do enjoy his content when he's not making bad stabs at satire (bc sometimes he does it right!! but a lot of the time, at least recently, he has just missed the mark entirely, to the point where it feels like he wasnt even trying to hit the mark at all), but he is also so uncomfortable to watch sometimes just bc he seems to either not know where the line is, or thinks crossing it is okay bc its him playing a character and that's not fun to watch as a minority who often ends up being apart of that "punchline".

that aside tho...yes, unfortunately idubbbz does still make content (and i say unfortunately bc it is not very good) though it seems like he is very slow to upload and last i checked, the views arent too great, but ive seen worse. probably the only thing that could bring back his views at this point would be a content cop, but like a year or so back he said he has no plans of continuing the series bc he finds it boring now, which is fair enough. i dont really keep up with him anymore, but as far as i know, he just got married to anisa and he streams on twitch sometimes, besides that the dude is a mystery to me!

—🦷 (also im sorry if this is formatted weird, for whatever reason tumblr has indented each of my paragraphs with one of those grey line thingys and it wont let me remove it. if it doesnt show up in the actual ask then ignore this!)

This is kind of old now (sorry), but I still wanted to respond because I really appreciate your perspective :)

> I always wonder how people not involved in the fandom view Schlatt. Because wasn't there this thing about Hasan genuinely thinking that he was conservative? And like he obviously doesn't now, but does that not impact how he sees him and his content? I don't mean to dictate friendships - of course - I'm just curious as to the impact of having that audience from an outsider pov. I remember being shocked what that thing happened with the pdp fan, but I later found that many people weren't because they knew the nature of the audience he cultivated; maybe I'm just stupid, I had no idea. (Not that Schlatt and pdp are the same, it's just a loose comparison.)

> No one should face harassment, but I doubt Joji deleting that video helped his case. (I mean ig it worked out in the long term considering everything that happened with his music, but yk.) I'm very sorry for the health problems he faced with the characters themselves though. I don't know much about him but that sounds awful.

> I have thoughts on The Weekly Slap, but I think they make me sound bitter and don't add much so just know that they're there ajfdkjdf. I will say that he doesn't seem like "Jschlatt" in them, and moreso just a guy. I know that he quit it for a number of reasons and one of them was not being comfortable with that kind of connection in relation to his increasing fame, but honestly I think his complete dislodgement from his fanbase isn't healthy either.

> I mean, I get it. I've watched a lot of content from a lot of people - ranging from kind of unpleasant to very unsavory - and it's kind of a weird feeling with YouTube and Twitch stuff. Idk it's like - when I go to the grocery store, I'm not wondering if the guy checking my things out is a racist. When I see a commercial, I don't wonder if that guy advertising chicken nuggets is a secret creep. But with content creation of this kind, it's just a weird thought in the back of my mind. I don't know if this makes sense lmao

> Weird that Idubbz finds content cop "boring." I guess the formula is kind of stale and half of the content was the edge, but it seems like the kind of thing that'd be perfect to capitalize off of around now. Cool that he got married... I think. I mean if he's happy ???

> Don't mind the formatting, and sorry to respond like WAY past when this conversation was relevant T_T. I read it right away but the timing got off with actually being able to type stuff out.

[moneyshvt]

☆ . · . simay barlas, twenty-two, female, she / her . · . ☆ AYLA CLEARWATER lives in that huge mansion over there! no, not that one. look for THE LARGE NATURAL STONE FOUNTAIN and that’ll be it. the SPORTS PHOTOGRAPHER has offered occasional glimpses of LIGHT GREEN walls and an impressive collection of EMPTY PICTURE FRAMES in the background of social media posts, but all of that is nothing compared to seeing the opulence in person. they’ve remained CLEVER as ever since moving to tercet court one year ago, but it seems like they might’ve gotten a little more of NARCISSISTIC too. maybe that’s why they’re rumored to have such a FRIENDLY relationship with everyone else who lives on this street. ☆ . · . ooc info: ollie, they/them, 21, est . · . ☆

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐘

— she was adopted when she was just under two years old from turkey, so the clearwaters have always felt like her family to her. she knew the greater part of growing up that she was adopted, it just never was an issue for her. it was a fact, but it really wasn’t an important fact. she has no desire to try to find her birth parents or family, though she has visited turkey.

—  the clearwaters are a triple threat in sports : her grandfather retired mlb player and coach, her father a retired prominent defenseman in the nhl and current dartmouth men’s hockey coach, and her older brother ( 26 ) is making a splash in his third year in the nfl as a wide receiver.  however, her parents made sure she and her brother had a ( fairly ) average “middle class” bringing up, though they had their fair share of money in the bank. didn’t have to struggle, really, but didn’t get everything she wanted either. had a summer job scooping ice cream for two years in high school.

— grew up in norwich, vt, real big on nature and hiking and all that jazz and lowkey misses it in the heart of la.

— when she was ten she got one of those kid’s polaroid cameras ( u know the ones where the film is only a little bigger than a postage stamp ) and she was obsessed. she worked her way up through cameras over the years, having a natural eye for it.

— one of the first games she ever shot was one of her brother’s high school football games which sounds sweet but it was actually because she was so bored out of her mind and wanted something to do. needless to say, though, that was the start of it. some might say it was kind of inevitable she gravitated toward sports somehow — she was a clearwater at heart. since then she has gained a lot of knowledge and respect for all different kinds of sports.

— for college she was torn between dartmouth and nyu. she ultimately chose nyu because it was somewhere new.

— she went to nyu for advertising and photography, shooting various nyu sports teams while she was there and throughout her years, managed to shoot a few rangers, knicks, and yankees games as well. she held two summer internships with the yankees ( on her own merits or because of her family name, she may never truly know ) and ultimately graduated from nyu a year early.

— she then spent the better part of a year after graduation road tripping as you do and ended up in california. it’s all about who you know, and in picking up a favor for a friend in cali she stumbled into the perfect opportunity. from there she landed a role on the company that handles the photography for staples center and other notable teams, most notably the kings, lakers, and dodgers ( photography company based on this irl one ).

— she moved into tercet court not long after she knew she would be in la for much of the time being. it’s definitely not her house, considering she makes just enough to live on. it’s a family home, purchased initially by her father who’d wanted to sink some money into tangible assets instead of the stock market and to have a west-coast home available for the family. hey, worked out pretty well for her.

— she has predominately been tasked with shooting the kings the past year or so, though she started with shooting dodgers games last summer and is doing so this summer as well. she’s also shot a handful of lakers’ games when a friend needs someone to cover. three of her photos so far have been used in large ads and banners in the city ( including most recently her current MONEY SHOT of the game winning goal in a come back win ) --- very cool moment for her. several others have been used by local publications and websites.

— she does a little freelance work as well ; mostly for friends or friends of friends, though she’s been considering lately trying to make her skills and business available in a more professional manner. she does do a lot of photographing for herself --- a lot of candids ; she thinks they capture the true spirit of a person moreso than when they’re posing or prepared for a photo. but not in a creepy way --- she’s been the victim of the paps enough times by association with her family to know the correct boundaries and limits.

𝐌𝐈𝐒𝐂

— lowkey loves playing games with the paps, though she’s probably the only one that finds it funny. as a photographer herself she has a good eye for where they’re hiding and will also snap photos of them in turn just for her own amusement.

— she hopes someday to be the team photographer for a team, hopefully in one of the “big four” ( nfl, nhl, nba, mlb )

— she played field hockey and lacrosse through high school.

— ayla thinks she’s better at shooting people. part of what she loves about being a sports photographer is how active and unpredictable it is to shoot a game. she’s had to learn a lot to try to predict what she can.

— very much a morning person. has never had a problem waking up in the morning. who’s jealous bc i am. goes for a run at sunrise, and has showered, gotten ready for the day, and is at a local cafe shop editing photos / making graphics and drinking an iced mocha by 8. truly couldn’t be me...

— so desperately wants to be that girl with tons of cute aesthetic plants in her apartment but tragically plants always die in her care no matter what she does. probably has gotten one of those tiny tabletop sand zen gardens to make herself feel better tho she still keeps trying with plants. so far the only ones that have lived any length of time are the air plants.

— she really wants a greyhound but is afraid to make the commitment to actually adopting one.

— her personal insta ( the non-sports one ) has a modest following. a few thousand, probs.

— she has struggled a bit with people who think her opportunities have only arisen because of her family pedigree ( which some have gone so far to tell her they’re “not her family” --- which, don’t even go there, lads... ), and that has made ayla work all that much harder to prove that she’d gotten where she has on her own merits.

— she has a rule ( and in the case of the nhl there is a rule enforced by a signed contract ) about not getting involved with anyone she shoots ; it’s considered a conflict of interest. i imagine she has a really good relationship with the players though --- probably doesn’t hurt that she is pretty. at least one of them have hired her to shoot their wedding this summer even though she is wildly under qualified.

𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐎𝐍𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐓𝐘

alya is a chill and laidback person at heart. her approach to the fame attached to her due to her father and brother has been to laugh it off good-naturedly. she’s generally well liked, with a hint of sass and humor. she comes across as a bit of an air-head at times, but that’s part due to a persona she put on from a young age. she has an observant eye that drew to her photography in the first place and will often allow her to draw certain conclusions about people. she’s well versed in all the sports she shoots, something that tends to surprise a lot of people, but how is she supposed to be good at her job if she isn’t ? if she gets bothered during games she typically shuts people down with wide eyes and some obscure bit of knowledge in her cute, raspy lil voice. dareisay... elle woods, what like it’s hard ? energy ??

a few of her downfalls include her narcissism and need to be liked. she looks to look and feel pretty, by her own standards, and is a queen of the self-timer and remote self photography : has two instas because of it -- one for her sports photography and one that’s a “personal” and mostly just pictures of herself. her need to be liked is something she doesn’t even realize. she likes to be seen in a positive light.

𝐀𝐏𝐏𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐄

alya stands at 5′4″ with a slim but athletic build. her hair is naturally brown, but is dyed to have blonde highlights. she does not need glasses or contacts and has no tattoos.

she’s almost always wearing the same pair of beat up timberland’s she’s owned since freshman year of college. she likes to be able to move easily ( bc homegirl absolutely cannot walk in heels at all ). despite what the tabloids like to call her unfortunate choice in footwear, she likes to look cute, often pairing them with short, flowy sundresses or skirts + crop tops. when she shoots games, however, she’s dressed rather practically in skinny jeans, a crop top, and a cardigan. her hair is often kept down and loose, or in a messy bun.

𝐎𝐎𝐂

it me. ollie again. i also play fitz ( miguel bernardeau fc ). yes the overlap between fitz and ayla is not great but i truly only know one thing that that one thing is hockey asldfalsdjf sO. if y’all seeing me rping with myself on the dash bc i think it’d be fun to bounce fitz and ayla off each other mind ur own business...

[midnight-circus]

alphabetical OC meme

filled this out for Lord Asshole bc i cant write anything so i may as well fill in questionnaires instead

also numerous numbers and at least one section were missing when i copied it so idk what happened there

under the cut bc its Long As Hell

A: Aptitude 1. what are your oc’s natural abilities, things they’ve been doing since young? // Independence lmao. He could get through his whole life relying entirely on himself if need be. He wouldn’t be happy, but he’d survive. He’s also naturally intellectual and has never had to try very hard in academia.

2. what activities have they participated in? // literally what does this mean. Safe to say he’s not exactly playing team sports.

3. what abilities do they have that they’ve worked for? // He’s had to work extremely hard to shed the bad habits learnt whilst growing up in a white aristocratic dysfunctional family. Other than that, he’s a talented pianist – the only thing his mother was ever proud of. Also sending work-emails that don’t make him sound like a total dick. still working on that tbh

4. what things are they bad at? // Honestly, anything creative. He’s very intelligent but has absolutely no artistic talent, and he’s not at all imaginative – creating something out of nothing when it doesn’t have a logical or scientific basis is pretty beyond him.

5. what is their most impressive talent? // In his original AU, and any fantasy AUs I force him kicking and screaming into, swordsmanship. He’s pretty untouchable with a blade.

B: Basics 1. what is their hair color?// Dark brown, close to black.

2. what is their eye color? // Also dark brown.

3. how tall are they? // 6’2

4. how old are they? // He fluctuates depending on the AU, but his default base-age is 34.

5. how much do they weigh? // Generally between 150-180lbs, depending on his age, eating habits and mental state. When he’s going through stress, his eating and sleeping patterns are the first to nosedive.

C: Comfort 1. how do they sit in a chair? // His posture leaves a lot to be desired. He slouches pretty badly, and to be honest his height makes it difficult to get comfortable in most regular chairs. He also manspreads, though to be fair his legs are about 3 miles long and it’s hard to know where to put them honestly

2. in what position do they sleep? // Either on his side or his front. Never on his back.

4. what is their major comfort food? why? // oh man sugar. His eating habits aren’t good at the best of times, but when he’s feeling Mentally Ill he’s prone to 4am binges of as much sugar as conceivably possible in one sitting. He then goes for a 5am run until he throws up, so yknow. all nice and healthy.

5. who is the best at comforting them when down? // Elrick. Gross. Also Kat, to be fair.

D: Decoration 1. how would they decorate a house if they had one under their name? // He’s very fond of Nordic design and tries to keep vibrancy to a minimum, because he’s a boring bitch. Light walls, dark woods, pretty stylish furniture but no chrome Thank You Very Much; accent colours would probably be dark blues or greens. Plants, but only if he doesn’t have to water them because he Will forget and they Will all die. He’s also anal as fuck and despises mess and disorder, which makes living with Elrick fuckin interesting to say the least.

2. how would they decorate their child’s room? // however they wanted as long as it wasn’t pastels bc a man has to draw the line somewhere

3. how do they decorate their own room? // muted, calm, maybe a little regency – he accessorises more in the bedroom than he does in the rest of the house, gold accents here and there, that sort of thing. Less austere, more opulent. At the end of the day, he’s from an aristocratic background, however unhealthy his upbringing was – he can never quite shed the appreciation for luxe.

4. what type of clothes and accessories do they wear? // He dresses well – very put-together, if very monochrome. He doesn’t do casual very well and will avoid jeans unless he has no other choice. He would quite literally rather die than wear shorts. As for colours, generally blacks, greys, dark jewel-tones (maroons, dark greens, dark purples, etc). Very rarely light colours, and if he does wear light tones he layers them – a white shirt under a dark leather jacket, for example. As for accessories, he stays simple with a decent watch (Patek Phillipe, thanks, none of this Rolex bullshit) and two rings (wedding ring and onyx signet ring – family heirloom, the only one he has). He knows how to dress to suit himself.

5. do they like makeup/nail/beauty trends? // >:[  

E: External Personality 1. does the way they do things portray their internal personality? // For the most part. How he behaves has been moulded over many years by how he thinks and feels, and it’s hard to shed the habits of a lifetime. EG, he’s very neurotic and it does have an impact on his organisation – if his mental state slips into decline, so too does his command over his surroundings and his ability to keep things on track.

2. do they do things that conform to the norm? // Again, for the most part. A key element of his upbringing was the overbearing sense of being watched, being judged, being on display; one behaves the way one is expected to behave, and one never deviates from that path. Obviously he fucked that one right up when he started putting dicks in his mouth, but it still remains something of a mantra.

3. do they follow trends or do their own thing? // Neither, really. He doesn’t follow trends because he’s actually 70 years old and doesn’t know what they are, but nor is he particularly unconventional. He does his own thing because he has no idea what anybody else is currently doing.

4. are they up-to-date on the internet fads? // oh god no. he has a twitter account but the last time he used it he got drunk and tweeted at jeremy paxman that he was a cunt so he doesn’t really engage with it very much

5. do they portray their personality intentionally or let people figure it out on their own? // People are left to figure it out. He doesn’t go out of his way to make friends or advertise his personality – he’s friendly when he needs to be, but is not the sort of person to go out actively socialising.

G: Gorgeous 1. what is their most attractive external feature? // His height makes him pretty popular and he knows how to dress well. He also has that particular ‘tall, thin, dark hair, pale skin, heroin-addict-esque’ chic that some people tend to go for. He doesn’t really get it, himself.

2. what is the most attractive part of their personality? // He’s witty in a very dry way – a little sharper than run-of-the-mill sarcasm.

3. what benefits come with being their friend? // Ok honestly? Money lmao. idk man you’d have to ask Kat bc she’s the only one who’s lasted this long

4. what parts of them do they like and dislike? // Though he projects an aura of self-assurance, he really doesn’t like very much about himself; his upbringing and unhealthy relationship with Catholicism did a number of his self-esteem. He’s proud of his intellect and knows he is smarter than the average person, but other than that, not a great deal.

5. what parts of others do they envy? // General happiness. He’s a melancholy person by nature and doesn’t tend to feel a swell of positive emotions for no reason – he can’t help but feel there’s something inherently wrong in his brain.

H: Heat 1. do they rather a hot or cold room? // n e i t h e r bitch his internal temperature must remain on an even keel at all times. Probably cold, if he was forced to pick.

2. do they prefer summer or winter? // Winter because it means he can wear layers

3. do they like the snow? // yes but he’ll never admit it. he finds it romantic. that must never be repeated.

4. do they have a favorite summer activity? // lying in front of the fridge cursing God

5. do they have a favorite winter activity? // coffee dates. Independent coffee shops, mind you – fuck Sbux.

I: In-the-closet 1. what is their sexuality? // Gay

2. have they ever questioned their sexuality? // he spent more than half his teen years wishing he was straight

3. have they ever questioned their gender? // No

4. would/was their family be okay with them being LGBT? // mother denies it completely, father kicked him out, brother doesn’t give a shit bc he’s bi as hell himself

5. how long would/did it take for them to come out? // He was forced out at 16 when he was caught with a boyfriend in the boathouse of Darlington estate – it marked the end of an already abusive parental relationship. To be honest, it’s hard to say if he would have ever had the courage to come out himself.

J: Joy 1. what makes them happy? // Feeling loved. He got very little of that in his youth.

2. who makes them happy? // Elrick has an uncanny ability. Who’d have thought it.

3. are there any songs that bring them joy? // He particularly loves Dancing in the Dark by Springsteen, and All Along the Watchtower by Hendrix. Neither are very joyful songs, granted, but they’re two of his favourites.

4. are they happy often? // He’s contented often, and he enjoys his life. ‘Happy’, though? Not sure.

K: Kill 1. have they ever thought about suicide? // More than once.

2. have they ever thought about homicide? // Not with any real intent. In a modern AU, anyway – can’t say the same for any of his other incarnations.

3. if they could kill anyone without punishment, would they? who? // Way deep down somewhere, he’d be tempted to say his father.

4. who would miss them if they died? // More people than he knows.

5. who would be happy they died, anyone? // lmao the tax agency probably. His father wouldn’t be happy, per se, but perhaps it would solve a problem.

L: Lemons 1. what is their favorite fruit? // Black cherries.

2. what is their least favorite fruit? // fuck bananas, honestly

3. are there any foods they hate? // Peanut butter can die, and also asparagus can also die.

4. do they have any food intolerances?  // Not that he knows of.

5. what is their favorite food? // Probably Thai or Korean.

M: Maternal 1. would they want a daughter or a son? // He technically has a son already. Kat wanted a child and she trusted Logan above an anonymous donor, so one stressful jack-off session, a weird experience with a baster and eight months later, Rowan showed up early.  Logan technically has no parental responsibilities or rights, but he’s involved in Rowan’s life nonetheless. And then there’s Bastian, whose own father leaves a Little To Be Desired in the emotional department, let’s say, so ultimately he winds up taking on that role as well.

2. how many children do they want? // One’s enough, ta, and that one doesn’t even live with him. In seriousness, he’s always idly thought about children in his life, but not with any real seriousness – he plays his role with Rowan well and he’s a great uncle to Bastian, but kids wouldn’t suit his and Elrick’s lifestyle.  

3. would they be a good parent? // Yeah, he probably would.

4. what would they name a son? what would they name a daughter? // Demetrius or Victor for a boy, Ophelia for a girl. How else will people know he’s a pretentious bitch?

5. would they adopt? // Nah

O: Optimism 1. are they optimistic or pessimistic? // Total pessimist.

2. are they openly optimistic, throwing it on others? // No and he cannot stand it when other people force optimism into entirely inappropriate situations.

3. are they good at giving advice? // lmao not unless it’s legal advice. Then yes, absolutely. Just don’t cry on his kitchen floor.

4. is there anyone in their life that throws optimism on them? fukkin Katherine. She’s the only one allowed to get away with it.  

5. were they always optimistic/pessimistic? // Yeah, he was a pretty dour, anxious little kid from the start.

P: Personality 1. what is their best personality trait? // From a professional perspective, he’s extremely clear-headed and analytical, and it serves him very well as a criminal prosecution lawyer – there’s not much that slips by him, and he can spot a loophole coming a mile away.

2. what is their worst personality trait? // He’s … difficult to get along with, for a lot of people. Not nasty as such, but he’s sharp-tongued and quite quick to anger in situations outside of his job, particularly when stressed. He also has a tendency to look down on people (particularly people who aren’t considered ‘smart’ by his standards) and let’s be real, he’s pretty classist – it takes him a long time to come to terms with Bastian’s relationship with Fabian. Elrick is more than happy to call him out on this.

3. what of their personality do others love? // Didn’t we already do this?

5. do they hate anything about their personality/about other’s personalities? // god he cannot abide people who aren’t punctual oh GOD he hates people who aren’t punctual

Q: Questions 1. do they ask for help? // Not unless he’s literally dying

2. do they ask questions in class? // to be honest, he generally didn’t need to

3. do they answer questions that make them a little uncomfortable? // Depends on the context, but he generally tries to avoid giving out personal information.

4. do they ask weird questions? // He keeps his weird questions to himself and Googles them later.

5. are they curious? // By nature. It was curiosity that got him into the godawful mess he ended up in re: his source material.

R: Rules 1. do they follow rules? // Generally yeah, aside from the occasionally joint now and then. Although saying that, he does run very much on his own moral code, so I suppose he follows rules as long as he agrees with the sense and logic behind them.

2. would they be a strict or laid-back parent? // It’s odd, his instinct is to be strict but he would also loathe the thought of being anything like his father, so he might swing entirely the other way in an attempt to avoid that. Hard to say. He definitely wouldn’t be like … a fun, playful parent because that’s just not in his nature, but it’s possible he’d relax his own rules significantly. Although he is fairly strict with Rowan, it’s for Rowan’s benefit - he needs rules and boundaries to be comfortable, and Logan’s not a traditional ‘father’ in that case anyway.

3. have they ever been consequenced for breaking a rule? // he was ‘consequenced’ pretty fuckin badly for daring to kiss a boy

4. have they broken any rules they now regret breaking? // oh god probably, he has more regrets than he can count

5. do they find any rules they/others follow absolutely ridiculous? // He’s not got a lot of time nor respect for people who follow rules totally blindly without having some sense of self-critique.

S: Streets 1. are they street-smart? // Depends on the AU, but for the most part he’s too privileged.

2. would they give money to someone on the streets? // no because he’s actually horrible

3. have they ever gotten in a fight on the streets? // No, but he has gotten in a fight in a bar. Kat will not let him forget it.

5. are they cautious when out? // A little paranoid, perhaps, but it doesn’t stop him.

T: Truth 1. are they honest? // define ‘honest’

2. can they tell if someone is lying? // Yes, it’s literally his job.

3. is it obvious when they’re lying? // Nope. He’s a consummate liar.

4. have they lied about anything they regret lying about? // he lied and told Elrick that yes, he’d had sex before their first time, and then regretted it twenty minutes later when they were forced to stop because he almost died. it's fine. they worked it out

5. have they told truths that have been spread against their will? // not really – he plays his cards very close to his chest. Nothing gets out if he doesn’t want it to.

U: Underdog 1. have they been bullied? // Only by his parents.

2. have they bullied anyone? // Not directly to anyone’s face, but he’s definitely made some unpleasant comments.

3. have they been physically attacked by a bully? // If his father counts, yes.

4. have they ever been doubted? // Only from ages 2 to 34.

5. have they surprised people with being good at something? People don’t tend to expect the piano-playing, somehow.

V: Vomit 1. do they vomit often? // what is this question set. Incidentally, yes – he has a problem with running until he’s exhausted and tends to vomit after that.

2. do they get lots of stomach aches? // no?? I guess not???

3. are they good at comforting someone ill? // lol he could be better. His levels of sympathy leave a little to be desired.

4. what do they like as far as comfort goes? // he doesn’t, really. He generally dislikes being fussed over too much and denies he is sick until he’s unable to stand up, at which point he’s forced to accept it whether he likes it or not.

5. do they burp, cough, or hiccup most when nauseous? when vomiting? // what is this question ASKING

W: Water 1. do they drink enough water? // Actually probably yes – it’s one of the few healthy habits he has.

2. have they learned to swim? // yes

3. do they like to swim? // ehhhhh he can take it or leave it

4. can they dive? // he went to an expensive private school of course he can dive

5. can they swim without holding their nose? // yes

X: Xylophone 1. what is their favorite genre of music? // Classic rock – nothing after 1989, thanks.

2. do they have a favorite song? // Hendrix’s Watchtower is up there, as mentioned, along with Don’t Fear the Reaper by Blue Oyster Cult. He has favourite playlists, rather than favourite songs.

3. do they have a favorite band/artist/singer? Blue Oyster Cult in general is a favourite, as is Black Sabbath and Springsteen.

4. can they sing well? He does ok. His voice isn’t fuckin Grammy material or anything, but he can hold a note.

5. can they rap? lmao

Y: You 1. how old were you when you created them? // lol

2. what inspired you to create them? // LOL

3. were they different when they were first created? // oh god yeah. Prototype!Logan was a fucking mess, he’s undergone some serious reworking since the early days.

4. do you enjoy writing them more than other characters? // he’s my comfort-zone, honestly.

5. what’s your favorite thing about them? // his internal monologue of disdain suddenly being interrupted by Oppressively Gay Thoughts

Z: Zebra 1. what’s their favorite animal? // He likes watching birds, but only from a distance.

2. do they like animals? // Nah, he’s really not much of an animal person. Loud and messy, for the most part.

3. cats or dogs? // Cats, if he has to pick.

4. what’s their dream pet? // A taxidermised one.

5. do they have any pets at the moment? // A Birman cat named Saskia. It’s the only animal in the entire world that he loves. He doesn’t like cats – he likes his cat.

[byul-bit-arae]

Astro Coffee Shop AU

Astro drabble inspired by @alternateastro ’s coffee shop au 

Um hi 

So you are this struggling college freshman 

It’s just your first year but you already learned that caffeine is your friend

And that’s probably the main reason you got excited when you heard a new coffee shop opened on the way to the bus stop you usually board from to college

The coffee shop is really cute and has a welcoming feel to it

Also it opens as early as 6am so it’s perfect for grabbing a cup of cappuccino while waiting for your bus that takes off at seven

A tall decent young man that is around your age is always there, a warm smile on his face as he serves you, probably his only customer at that early time since the shop isn’t that popular yet nor is in a remarkable place 

Cha Eunwoo, his name tag says

Eunwoo is quite friendly for a barista whose shift starts at six in the morning and even bothers to start small conversations with you as you sip on your cappuccino by the counter

About two weeks in and you’re addicted to their coffee

You didn’t know if it was just you, or that it had some really special taste to it 

There was just something about it that you couldn’t get enough of, and most importantly, couldn’t go on your day without

Waking up at five thirty, getting ready, leaving your house and passing by the ‘Dream Store’ to have a cup of coffee and a small chat with an ever so energetic Eunwoo became a part of your routine

Until you ‘accidentally’ wake up late one day 

Maybe your alarm went off by itself, maybe it really rang and you turned it off and went back to sleep, maybe you didn’t even set it in the first place, what mattered the most is that it was a quarter past six and you were still in your pjs

You jump off your bed and quickly wash your face before grabbing the first combination of clothing that looked reasonable.

Smashing a bit of makeup on your face, you decided there was no time for more than a natural look for today, 

a bb cushion, brown eyeliner pencil, transparent mascara and and a warm orange gradient lip was the best you could achieve 

Throwing on your hood over your ‘whatever’ looking hair you grabbed your bag and sprinted your way out

You glanced at your hand watch to check if you had atleast a few spare minutes to order a coffee for take out but then you stopped at your tracks 

Because it was freaking 5:40 in the freaking morning aka an hour early 

The Dream store wasnt even opened yet and you felt like an idiot because your shitty clock was probably running out of battery and was showing the wrong time 

Groaning you glanced again at the cafe to see that the roller shutter of the front door was half rolled up

And that meant that atleast someone was inside

Looking around you one more time you figured out there was no other safe place for a lonely nineteen year old girl to stay in while waiting 

So you just decided to sneak inside and just hope it was Eunwoo getting ready to open the shop

You weren’t really that close to him but you just thought he wouldn’t be that freaked out if he saw you at such an hour 

Entering the shop you quietly muttered a “hello” as you heard faint sounds coming from the staff area 

“Eunwoo shi are you here” you dumbly murmured then figured out it was better to just take a seat and wait for whoever was there to appear

But you kind of accidentally doze off over the table because you woke up in such a hurry that you were feeling a bit drowsy by that time

Rocky takes off his sailor moon apron and hangs it after finishing with decorating the pastries and cleaning the kitchen

He leaves the kitchen and checks the café since he heard some sounds coming from there 

“Eunwoo hyung you’re here earl–”

He sees you sleeping on one of the tables and sort of just-

–For a second but not enough for you to wake up then purses his lips, not knowing what to do

Rocky always disappears so early in the morning after he’s done with his work so he doesn’t get to interact with any customers, and even when he comes in the afternoon to test out new recipes with Bin, he doesn’t leave the kitchen. 

So he gets so frustrated seeing you there bc um help what am I supposed to do with this creature it looks like a human

Luckily Eunwoo comes in just at the right time and is rather confused as of why rocky is still there 

Also why is he standing still like a statue 

“Good morning minhyuk, what are you still doi–”

Eunwoo looks at the same direction as rocky and takes a step back in surprise

But he soon recognizes your sleeping figure and is way more confused now but decides to wake you up anyway

You slowly open your eyes and find none other than the most beautiful angel you’ve ever seen in front of your eyes that you can’t help but yelp bc are you already dead and is this heaven 

You blink for a few seconds and look around the place then at Eunwoo and the other guy 

“…w-welcome to Dream sh-shop !!!!” Rocky says in a super nervous tone that his voice cracks as he tries to sound the brightest he could “is that how you do it” he whispers to Eunwoo bc he honestly had no idea how things went outside the kitchen

Then Eunwoo kindly introduces you to Rocky to break the awkward atmosphere

And hey Rocky is quite cute and hyper 

And that’s how you start meeting the boys one by one 

And you just have to embarrass yourself each time 

Like that other time you were soooo sleepy that you were walking with your eyes closed

Maybe bc you had so much work and didn’t get enough sleep 

But that didn’t really matter bc you knew the way too well that you could manage 

You instinctively make a turn to the left to enter the coffee shop

But then you just bump into the glass door like an idiot

Bc it’s usually always open

Truth is Bin came earlier than usual that day 

And usually whenever he comes he always closes the door

Since he claims it’s way too cold in the morning

And Eunwoo is like uhh ok nvm 

And since Bin always comes later you never really saw the door closed 

Being still as sleepy as heck you groan as you lazily push the door open with literally your whole body, pouting since it was too early for embarrassing yourself yet here you are

You enter the shop to see an ever so amused Bin holding his laugh 

“Welcome” he says quietly and you awkwardly smile with half closed eyes 

And wth wth wth why are all the ppl working here so cute 

And that other time you got dismissed early in the afternoon so you decided to pass by 

And you go up to the counter only to be faced by like a giant five year old 

And you’re like “uhh excuse me where’s the one in charge here?”

And Sanha just blinks for a second before blurting “it’s me!” 

And you’re like “but you look so young ??????”

And Sanha just smiles cutely then takes your order

And from that day you always stop by whenever you have time in the afternoon

Bc Sanha is just too adorable and his smile gives you so much energy to go on with your day

And that OTHER time the Dream Store was having that spring cleaning thing and there was actually a notice on the front door but you’re too reckless to realize that and just legit barge in to JinJin dancing with a broom to Plz don’t be sad by Highlight while singing with a really, really High pitched voice

And you never felt this attacked honestly

JinJin is caught off guard and immediately restrains himself 

“My apologies. How can I help you? I’m Park Jinwoo, the Dream Store manager”

And you’re like ????? Okay ????

AND THAT OTHER TIME you were with this senior of yours in art school 

He’s reaaaally kind and cheerful and you’re actually good friends

So one day he invites for coffee in what he claimed to be his store

And you’re shook af on the way bc uhh isn’t this the way to Dream Store?

You two enter and everyone, legit every single member of the staff (aka astro) stops wtv they’re doing and 

“Y/N iS MJ hYunG’s gF ????!!!!?!!!”

And you’re like um wat 

And this is how you get to know all of them

And you never felt happier tbh 

Bc they are all so lovely 

Also bc you get to prank them 

You figured pranks were a thing after getting to know them all 

Sometimes you drop by to do your assignments there

Bc your house is too boring

And as an art student you need a lot of inspiration

Also bc MJ is there and is always ready to help you with studies

Other times you help them with serving bc the shop is getting more popular by the time bc of the quality of the food and the hostility of the staff

Also you’re prolly the only one Rocky allows to touch the pastries

He lets your help him with the decorations and even keeps your suggestions of new desserts in mind

JinJin seeks your and MJ’s help before making any changes in the store’s decor or theme 

You secretly help JinJin to become faster with the drinks 

And ofc you help with advertising the store 

Like you legit tell everyone you meet about it 

You’re basically just really happy you got to meet these cuties bc your life would 794261% be hella boring without them

[news-mashable-yahoopartner-blog]

This sex toy company uses niche meme accounts to spread the joys of masturbation

May is National Masturbation Month, and we're celebrating with Feeling Yourself, a series exploring the finer points of self-pleasure.

It's 2019, and people are finally starting to understand that it isn't just dudes who are allowed to be horny. 

While social media platforms lag behind on allowing sponsored posts for vibrators and other sextech, one sex toy company is getting around these barriers by advertising through something more organic: meme accounts. 

View this post on Instagram

Start by doing what's necessary; then do what's possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible.

A post shared by Unbound (@unboundbabes) on Apr 20, 2019 at 6:09pm PDT

Male sexual enhancement has long been advertised openly. Older men toss footballs and describe how Viagra rejuvenated their love lives. Condom ads run in the same traditionally masculine tone as whiskey and beer spots. Sure, we've seen ads for menstrual products, where overly cheery women spike volleyballs on the beach and sprint across stretches of wildflowers as if their uteri weren't betraying them at that very moment. But products focused on female sexual health — and on pleasure, specifically — remain shrouded in shame. Companies in the sextech space face difficulty securing funding for new products and often can't advertise using traditional channels. 

As a result sex tech companies have increasingly relied on social media to promote their products. Aesthetically pleasing sex toys found a home on Instagram a while back. (Vox dove into the many companies whose minimalist earth-toned Instagram grids echo those of beauty and skincare brands.) But Unbound, a sexual wellness company founded in 2014, takes a different approach. 

Leaning in to chaotic horniness

The company's Instagram grid is curated chaos. Unbound also posts ethereal portraits of female and non-binary fans with their toys, but the soul of its Instagram presence is in the memes about eating ass and canceling plans to play with yourself instead.  

"When it comes to subjects that make us feel vulnerable," Unbound CEO Polly Rodriguez told Mashable during a phone call. "The best thing to make people more comfortable is to laugh at the truths we all know are real but maybe don't talk about."

Buying toys for the first time can be an intimidating experience, especially if you don't know what you're looking for. Traditionally, sex shops were crowded with overwhelmingly flesh-colored silicone molded into equally overwhelming phallic shapes. For decades, Rodriguez says, toys for women were designed by men, based on cis male genitals. When she was diagnosed with cancer and treatment forced her into menopause at the age of 21, a friend who was a nurse recommended buying a vibrator to get a hold of her sex drive again. Rodriguez says she, "questioned why they all had to look like penises." 

SEE ALSO: How mutual masturbation can help close the orgasm gap

She added that the packaging on the toys depicted women "in lingerie with big boobs and the hair," and said she didn't see herself in them. Unbound products are more whimsical and otherworldly than conventionally sexy — one of its vibrators is literally shaped like an alien spaceship. Rodriguez says when it came to designing these toys, she wanted people to feel comfortable leaving it out on their nightstand. 

The fact that Unbound's toys are rarely shaped like any sort of genital almost makes their Instagram page more approachable for first-time buyers who may be more timid about their desires. It also naturally paves the way for a more chaotically horny, relatable social media landscape. 

View this post on Instagram

MEET SAUCY: a body-safe silicone vibrator with magnetic USB charging capabilities. Haptic response technology means the harder you squeeze, the harder it vibrates. Waterproof so u can rub one out while u rub-a-dub-dub 💦 LINK IN BIO 2 SHOP. 🛸💫💙

A post shared by Unbound (@unboundbabes) on Feb 18, 2019 at 3:44pm PST

"That mentality of not giving a fuck relates to a lot of the audience," Rodriguez said, explaining the company's shitpost-y Instagram presence. "We want to follow meme accounts because they make us laugh."

A shift in the spon con landscape

Although Unbound really started taking off in 2016, at the height of color-coordinated, well-planned grids, Instagram users are moving away from avocado toast and selfies against saturated mural walls. As the Atlantic noted in an article about the decline of the perfect Instagram grid, "Fast-rising young influencers such as Emma Chamberlain, Jazzy Anne, and Joanna Ceddia all reject the notion of a curated feed in favor of a messier and more unfiltered vibe."

Unbound was ahead of the times. When Glossier's millennial pink-themed grid was the gold standard for Instagram accounts, Rodriguez said she let her former intern and now social media manager Emily Malinowski take the wheel. 

"Emily was like we're just gonna post some weird shit and see what happens," Rodriguez explained. "That's where Instagram's trending — people want lowbrow in experience but highbrow in intellect." 

But while Unbound's messaging and aesthetic resonated with its audience, Instagram itself still has a long way to go when it comes to sex positivity. The platform doesn't allow Unbound to use typical advertising methods like promoted posts, Rodriguez says, and frequently removes posts it claims are inappropriate. She calls it a "double edged sword."

"On one hand Instagram rewards brands and accounts that really care about visual aesthetic," Rodriguez explained. "At the same time, Instagram is constantly taking down accounts, banning accounts ... And yet male sexual wellness brands are allowed to promote."

Which is why Unbound uses the more unconventional advertising tactic of partnering with meme accounts. Many brands, of course, reach out to influencers to promote their products. But doing spon con through memes, like Unbound is doing, is brilliant. 

View this post on Instagram

i have two loves in my life and their names are gem and ollie💎💗 @unboundbabes just launched #UNArea69 and it’s amazingggg!! use the code barbie69 to get $10 off of $50+ from them and use the link in my bio

A post shared by ♏️ 🦂 scorpihoé 🦇♏️ (@prozac.barbie) on Jan 31, 2019 at 7:24pm PST

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Use my promo code 'clara' for 10% off orders of $35 or more at @unboundbabes ! Especially luv the bender bc it’s USB chargeable, and cute but powerful (and bendy, ofc). This is my ideal weekend honestly I wasted so much time on bad rebound sex before my vibe #ad

A post shared by clara (@meme_love_you_long_time) on Apr 30, 2019 at 7:27am PDT

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it’s a mEtApHySiCaL paradoxical law of science and physics and chemistry that u cannot escape, boys (vibrator wand featured is the Ollie by @unboundbabes, I have a code “ghosted69” for $10 off)

A post shared by haley (@ghosted1996) on Jan 31, 2019 at 4:21pm PST

Linda Lin found Unbound through the meme account @ghosted1996, and was drawn in by the fact that she didn't have to visit a "sleazy website" to buy sex toys.

"It made it seem like masturbation was normal to talk about," she said through Instagram DMs. "Seeing memes and small influencers promote this material makes you feel good about being open about your sexuality." 

Hyacinth Rios was surprised that when they first bought an Unbound toy and posted about it, a friend reached out to ask how they liked it. 

"I remember being surprised that someone who I considered to be like a normie or local (not that either is bad) would be open about sex toys," they said through Instagram DMs. "Which made me feel like it was probably super widely accepted now." 

Normalizing masturbation through memes

The fact that Unbound advertises through meme accounts is so smart because it not only normalizes sex toys in a humorous, approachable way, but because it presents them on the ground level. Sure, masturbation can be a sexy experience for personal awakening and empowerment, but it can also be something you do when you're bored. 

The memes depict masturbation as any other kind of self care, like popping on a face mask or blasting your favorite album. They aren't necessarily presented as wholesome — but the fact that so many of the memes are about spending a night smoking weed and flicking the bean out of boredom or distress is what makes masturbating seem so normal. 

By establishing a presence through Instagram memes, Unbound gets around Instagram's draconian rules for images surrounding female pleasure and also finds its way right into the lap of young people who are over cis men getting to have all the fun. 

"Meme accounts earn the respect of their audience because to be funny is difficult," Rodriguez concluded. 

She notes that not everyone can nail down the art of meme making — if you get it, you get it, and if you don't, you don't. We've seen brands attempt to get in touch with the youth and fail miserably. But by going straight to the meme makers, Unbound lessens the risk of making an embarrassing gaff. 

Masturbating isn't a big deal. Just ask the meme accounts of Instagram.

WATCH: Co-founder of Facebook now wants it broken up

[ajl1963]

Yes, books ARE awfully decorative. (Points to you if you can place that quote without using a search engine. Don’t worry, I’ll give you the answer later in the article.)

I don’t pretend to be a collector of, nor an expert about collecting books. There are plenty of wonderful and informative sites online about this subject. And books don’t need to be an ancient work to be valuable as we will see shortly.

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Creuzevault, Jungle Book c.1925

Bacchus Behave! The Lost Art Of Polite Drinking 1933

Sure, your device can hold hundreds of books that you won’t need to dust and are easy to transport (especially on vacation). Nothing, however, beats the heft of a classic or the feel of crisp paper as you turn the page. They are equally important as paperweights, door stops, uneven table leg levelers (ok, that may be a stretch), many things your device can’t do. (Except, maybe be used as a paperweight.) And books, displayed correctly, can give the impression of being really smart.

 Let’s face it, if you were Belle in Beauty and the Beast, which would be the more impressive gift?

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Really?

Or:

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Prague Klementinum Library

And now,  a brief history.

The first books were of Asian origin. Made from strips of palm leaves or strips of bark, writing was scratched into the surface. Lamp black rubbed onto the leaves or bark filled the impressions left to make them stand out. To keep the leaves flat, pieces of wood were placed on either side of the “pages”.

The wood and palm leaves would be held together by cord or leather thongs woven through holes bored through the back. These covers would be decorated with complex design with elaborate carvings and intricate inlay work of gold and silver.

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This and following picture illustrate the delicate nature of papyrus

dead sea scroll Leviticus- 30BC-68AD

Papyrus scrolls were the next iteration but are fragile by nature. Modern bookbinding began with the change from papyrus scrolls, to books made up from separate sheets of vellum (and later paper), folded and collected into sections called leaves. The leaves were placed in correct order and held together by sewing through the center fold.

To keep the leaves flat and undamaged, they were placed between wooden boards, joined together with leather wrapped round to form the type of book that today we are all familiar with.

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Lead and copper book Photo by David Elkington and Rex Features (1300967s)

 Source: http://rarebookbuyer.com/

However, 2 major inventions allowed books to be produced in large quantities: Paper  invented by the Chinese around 200 years BC and movable type by German printer Johann Gutenburg in 1456.

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Gutenberg printing press

As the number of books and demand increased in the 15th Century, the occupation of printer and binder became separate. Gold-leaf was introduced from the East into Venice. Fine delicate tools for impressing the gold designs and different color leathers for onlays and inlays on the covers became the foundation for decorating bindings.

The early 16th Century became one of the finest periods in the history of decorative bookbinding. However, the high cost of producing books made them so valuable that they were often chained to the bookshelves to prevent them being stolen.

Source: http://www.waytebinding.co.uk/pr02.htm

So yes, they ARE awfully decorative!

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Sybil Pye, Apocrypha, 1924 – embroidered satin

In 1868, David McConnell Smyth patented a sewing machine designed specifically for bookbinding. Over the next 30 years, he went on to develop machines for gluing, trimming, case-making (hard covers), and casing-in. Many of his machines are still in use.

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Early double-loop sewing machine

The invention uses a double-loop stitch and “a pair of curved needles acting in opposite directions, with a looper that takes the loop from one needle and delivers it over the other needle.

Source: http://americanhistory.si.edu/blog/book-boom-early-bookbinding-inventions

  Though the perfect binding was invented in 1895, it did not become popular until 1931 when the German publisher, Albatross Books, introduced the first paperback book. Penguin Books in England adopted the format in 1935 with their popular books. In America, Pocket Books started producing popular titles in 1939 paperback versions. Soon everyone was reading paperback books.

Source: http://www.powis.com/resources/learn/binding_history.php

Dust jackets first came into use in the 1800’s and were simple, unadorned paper wrappers (see below). Their original intent was to protect books bound in leather or silk from the printing house.  They were not regarded as part of the book. Essentially, they were meant to be discarded when it reached its destination. All of that changed, once publishers realized the marketing potential afforded by dust jackets.

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“Some Details concerning General Moreau” – value without dust jacket $100; with dust jacket $400

Decorative dust jackets caught on slowly. At first design elements of the dust jacket was a small window cut in an area on the binding where the publisher had a small picture or design sewed in. Eventually, publishers abandoned the cut-out window and simply duplicated the design on the jacket.

By the turn of the century, publishers realized that these relatively plain wrappers offered plenty of space for advertising. Synopses of the book and biographies of the author started to show up around 1910, and by 1920 illustrated dust jackets were common. Source: http://www.advantagebookbinding.com/blog/ .

Each era has a style reflective of the times. The period we refer to as Art Deco was no exception.

The 1933 Savory Cocktail book has a classic deco cover and is highly collectable.

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Savoy with dust jacket – ultra rare

The Savoy without dust jacket

A first edition in good condition can be hundreds of dollars without a dust jacket. With a dust jacket in serviceable condition, it is woth several thousands of dollars.

A 1983’s reprint reproduced the cover exactly as the original. It is something of a collectible in its own right and is valued at $25.00 – $70.00. Not bad for a book that could be found in a bargain bin for $1.00 in the early 1980’s.

Luckily for me, my favorite author, Agatha Christie, wrote some of her books at this time. Wonderful reproductions of her (and many other’s) dust-jackets can be purchased online. The following  pictures are a sampling of reproduction dust jackets produced and available at  https://www.dustjackets.com.

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1930 – The Mysterious Mr Quin

1933 – 13 at dinner (detail)

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1934 – Murder in the Calais Coach (detail)

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1935 – Death in the Air (detail)

1936 – Murder in Mesopotamia (detail)

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1940 – Sad Cypress (detail)

1944 – Partners in Crime (detail)

So, as Gloria Upson said in “Auntie Mame”, “books ARE awfully decorative…”. But please, don’t be a Gloria Upson, do read them!

    Hope you enjoyed,

Chris and Anthony (The Freaking’ ‘Tiquen guys)

“Books are AWFULLY decorative, don’t you think?”

[idolizerp]

LOADING INFORMATION ON AURORA’S MAIN DANCE PARK DAHYUN...

IDOL DETAILS

STAGENAME: n/a CURRENT AGE: 24 DEBUT AGE: 21 TRAINEE SINCE AGE: 13 COMPANY: Midas SECONDARY SKILL: n/a

IDOL PROFILE

NICKNAME(S): “sunnie, bc dahyun shines like the sun” - jiyeon. the fans, as such, have adopted that nickname for her as well. INSPIRATION: it’s well known that dahyun has been a dancer for most of her life and her love for performing led her to audition. SPECIAL TALENTS:

other group’s dances: dahyun seems to have a never-ending well of knowledge when it comes to knowing the choreography for other groups.

hello cleopatra: despite not having the best voice in aurora, she can often up nearly anyone when playing the ‘hello cleopatra’ game.

flirt: less of a talent and more of her natural personality, she has a way of unintentionally flirting (batting her eyelashes, compliments, endless aegyo) that often tends to make hosts bashful.

NOTABLE FACTS:

as a trainee, received attention for her looks and her face popped up in material for other groups (example: background video during an olympus concert).

grew up around oh taeho of olympus and it’s rumored that inspired her to audition specifically for midas.

regularly visits the dance studio she grew up taking lessons for and will teach a class every once in a while.

close with members of olympus, jinx, and titanium since she trained with all of them. 

IDOL GOALS

SHORT-TERM GOALS:

Dahyun is currently very dedicated to her group, so her current focus is (and will probably always be) seeing them succeed. Right now, she’d love to see Aurora get their first music show win and see both herself and her group members appear in more commercial advertisements, variety shows, etc. She also wants their transition of adding a new member (and losing one) to go as smoothly as possible.

LONG-TERM GOALS:

Her first love will always be dance, and she plans to never stop dancing. But she has found that she genuinely enjoys being an idol, so it’s likely that Dahyun plans to stay in the spotlight for a long time. She seems to succeed effortlessly when it comes to variety, so as her career progresses, she plans to be more of a staple in that scene. On the dance side, she’d love to open a dance studio of her own one day and choreograph dances for other groups and artists. While she’d love Aurora to last forever, she knows in her heart that’s not realistic.

IDOL IMAGE

dahyun is a peculiar girl. the instant you meet her, you think something’s a little off, some screw needs to be tightened just a tad. she���s not crazy by any means, nor does she seem it. just… off. not all there. some might say her head is in the clouds, but that doesn’t take it far enough. she seems sweet and more than kind, but also maybe not the brightest. the words that come out of her mouth seem nonsensical and almost imaginary, like she’s living in her own world. like she can see something no one else can, and maybe that’s the case. or maybe she’s just not the brightest bulb in the bunch. or maybe she’s a genius. her silly comments usually make her the victim of constant laughter in interviews and variety shows. the stupid one in aurora, she’s seen the comments people leave. but she doesn’t hate it because what they say isn’t ALWAYS negative. they don’t hate it, and actually most like that she’s not some rocket scientist of an idol. it works for her.

the reason it works is because dahyun to the world is sunshine personified. at any event, in any backstage video, on any television show, her smile is blinding, but not forced. it’s easy and infectious, because she’s genuinely happy to be there with whoever else there is. she cares for the younger members to the best of her abilities, always showing skinship and urging them into the spotlight as well. since she was a kid, it’s been said she could befriend a tree branch if she wanted to, so hosts often love her. she makes them feel special and involved (and a little smarter) and seems to enjoy her time on any music show or interview. people gravitate towards her, fans lover her ‘unintentional aegyo’; she has a way of making anyone she interacts with feel like a close personal friend.

those who have grown up with park dahyun see the girl they’ve always known on the screen. when aurora debuted, she saw girls scrambling to find who they were on-screen (and off-screen), but she never felt that panic. sure, this was midas, and they’d never let someone just ‘be themselves’ on screen, but dahyun never felt forced to change who she was for the sake of the fans. they just wanted to… fine-tune her. tweak her, sand down any hard edges (they were few and far between and already sanded down a little), coach her less on what to say and more on what not to say. they encouraged the sweet parts of her, the parts full of aegyo and kind words to everyone. it fit aurora. she fit aurora.

IDOL HISTORY

dahyun grew up in an exceptionally loud household in seoul. her mother, miju, was a school teacher and her father, junho, was a pediatrician. as made evident by their professions, both had always loved children which translated into their desire for a big family. growing up with four other siblings wasn’t exactly normal, and her parents encouraged the uniqueness of their situation. the couple liked to joke to their friends that they just kept trying until they had the girl they always wanted, which was the reason for dahyun’s four older brothers. the house was constantly filled with laughter, rough-housing, and music. the music was always dahyun’s favorite part.

her family liked to say that she learned to dance before she learned to walk. they put her in dance classes at the age of three, ballet & tap to start with. as she grew older, she began experimenting with more types of dance, finding the most joy in contemporary and ballet. dance became her one love in life, her passion, and her escape when tragedy struck the family when she was eight.

miju had cancer. stage four cancer. they hadn’t caught it soon enough (there was no history of it in her family) and it was aggressive. very aggressive. they’d be lucky if they had a year left with her. dahyun still remembered the tears, the yelling, the confusion when her parents told them. everyone was loud and angry, but she didn’t full comprehend what was happening, so she sat quietly, eyes watering ever-so-slightly, as the discussed what that meant for them.

the months to come were spent in and out of hospitals, talking to every doctor her father knew about what they could do. but in the end, the different doctors didn’t matter. dahyun’s mother passed eight months later, in october.

inevitably, the family dynamic changed. her father grew distant from her, despite her attempts at swallowing her own feelings to care for him, and spent more time at work or with dahyun’s brothers. it took a full year for him to come around and admit that she reminded him so much of her mother that it had been hard for him to be around her. but the family adjusted eventually, and grew closer after the accident.

dahyun had always been… unique. she never saw the world quite as everyone else did. in her eyes, there was a silver lining on every cloud and there was good in every person. she loved to talk and make friends, though half of what she said only made sense in her own mind. school was a struggle for her: while she tried hard to study and get good grades, she grew bored easily. there was so much more to the world than school and grades and math (especially math) and she wanted to be apart of it all.

so it was no surprise to her family when she decided to audition for midas at the age of thirteen. things were stable at home now, the family would never truly be over what had happened, but they learned to cope and continue with their lives. dahyun wanted dance to be her life, she knew it, and midas was the company, full of successful groups. dancing was her main draw, and her vocals and visuals weren’t half bad. she was signed and her life as a trainee began.

those who met her were under the impression that the hardships of a trainee life didn’t affect her, but that was far from the case. she spent eight years as a trainee. eight long years of strict diets and schedules, of being locked away from the outside world. eight years of constantly being told she wasn’t good enough, despite a lifetime of training. eight years of being passed up for someone taller, someone smarter, someone sexier or just generally more well-rounded. no person would be immune to that. it seemed every other day, she was finding somewhere private to cry, but she always made sure no one saw that side of her. dahyun was sunshine, not rain clouds. so she internalized her issues and plastered a smile on her face in public.

first, olympus debuted. she was happy for the friends she had made, happy to see them succeed in a group she genuinely enjoyed. it wasn’t as if there was a place for her in the male group, so it was easy to show her support. but only a year later, midas was ready to debut a girl group: jinx. she couldn’t have been more excited. despite generally being modest, she knew she was one of the best dancers they had and that there was a good chance she would get to debut after four years of training. but when the lineup was finally confirmed, her name wasn’t on the list. “you’re beautiful, you dance beautifully, you work hard, but you’re just not sexy enough. maybe next time.” as a teenage girl, her self-esteem was already fragile enough. it didn’t help to have a room full of grown men tell her she wasn’t sexy enough.

years passed, watching yet another group debut (titanium) and take her friends with it. it wasn’t until 2015 that her life took a drastic change. dahyun debuted as part of aurora as the main dancer. the years of ‘not being the right fit’ were finally paying off. cute came easy to her. she was the youngest in her family, and while she wasn’t the maknae in the group (not even close), they liked to joke that she acted more like the maknae than the maknae actually did. she was always kind and seemingly innocent, which prompted her group mates (and often their fanbase) to act protective. aurora felt like somewhere she belonged, and she hadn’t felt that in a long time.

things started out great. she was just happy to debut, even if the songs and concepts weren’t exactly ideal for someone her age. she loved her girls and she loved the chance to perform. finally. but as she grew older, and as other groups seemed to receive more and more attention, she felt the insecurities and restlessness return. so dahyun supplements it with what she can: photoshoots, variety appearances, dance competitions. she tries to hide the negative emotions, tries to hide the uncertainty with her career, but everything comes to light eventually. she knows that if she’s not careful, one day she’ll just… break.

[osteomed-lyon]

Giving up Smoking entirely with Acupuncture

Acupuncture is currently a noticeable method made use of in taking care of cigarette smoking dependancy. An alternative medicine thought to have in reality stemmed from worrying 3000 BC in old China, this therapy is currently being extensively used for different professional together with healing functions. It has actually truly been discovered moreover to effectively deal with chemical misuse along with unrelenting smoking dependence.

There are a selection of smoking cessation medicines in addition to treatments supplied currently. A cigarette smoker should cost-free himself from the also physical in addition to emotional dependence of smoking cigarettes, because of this asking for an included all-natural therapy.

Specifically specifically just how It Stops the Addiction

Individuals that have a smoking cigarettes behaviors are bound to inhabit the pure nicotine stick a lot far more normally whenever they really feel worried, bored, or dispirited. Needles are additionally generally positioned on the hand in enhancement to wrists to advertise a steadier blood flow of physical power.

This alternative medicine markets much better resistance to discomfort along with pain throughout smoking cigarettes cessation. Frequently, these very same difficulties will definitely push an unique back to his smoking propensities formerly as compared with in the future.

This coincides item that makes giving up a large obstacle for the majority of cigarette smokers. The pure nicotine that you receive from smoking will absolutely attach itself to the satisfaction locations emotional, making it tough for you to quit.

Individuals that have actually truly started acupuncture therapy reported that they not discover cigarettes as attracting or as pleasing. In many cases, smoking would absolutely leave a dreadful option in their mouths triggering them to quit their strategy for as swiftly as. Some people would absolutely in addition take into account consuming mints or lozenges to clear to obtain eliminate the awful aftertaste.

Inning consistency with knowledgeable specialists, relating to 7 from 10 cigarette smokers will effectively release themselves from their smoking approach after 2 or 3 weeks. While the others are not able to stop entirely, these cigarette smokers will definitely have the ability to reduce their cigarette intake instead substantially.

Therapy from Acupuncture Experts

It is really essential for a consumer to make inquiries from an informed acupuncturist. A a whole lot a lot more tailored choice will definitely be utilized by a professional, along with contained therapy for the client. An acupuncturist could encourage all-natural supplements to aid the consumer in quiting projects.

Throughout therapy, filiform needles are rectified into certain variables on the ear cartilage material item, together with the wrists in addition to hands. Body acupuncture could be used in mix with the ear in addition to wrist needle positionings.

Unlike smoking cessation medicines in addition to pure nicotine alternative therapy items, acupuncture does not make use of chemically made materials. In combine with helping a private gave up smoking, it could additionally suppress desires, therefore decreasing food dreams.

If you have actually truly attempted a variety of methods in smoking cigarettes cessation to no get, maybe it is due time you take right into element to think about the option technique that is acupuncture. With the appropriate professional along with the very best frame of mind, there is no element that you will absolutely not be nicotine-free swiftly.

Acupuncture is currently a well-known method utilized in dealing with smoking dependence. There many smoking cessation medicines along with treatments quickly provided currently. A cigarette smoker has to completely free himself from the in addition physical in addition to emotional dependence of smoking, therefore needing an included alternative therapy.

Unlike cigarette smoking cessation medicines along with pure nicotine alternative therapy items, acupuncture does not make use of chemically developed items. In combine with assisting a specific stopped smoking, it could in addition suppress desires, therefore lowering food yearnings.

Acupuncture is currently a recommended approach taken advantage of in handling smoking cigarettes reliance. It has actually been exposed moreover to effectively handle product abuse in addition to furthermore unrelenting smoking cigarettes dependence.

Acupuncture is currently a renowned technique utilized in handling smoking cigarettes dependence. There are numerous smoking cigarettes cessation drugs along with treatments comfortably used currently. A cigarette smoker requires to completely free himself from the in addition physical in addition to emotional dependence of smoking cigarettes, therefore needing an included alternative therapy.

Acupuncture is currently a popular strategy utilized in taking care of cigarette smoking cigarettes dependence. A cigarette smoker requires to completely free himself from the in addition physical as well as mental dependence of cigarette smoking cigarettes, for that factor calling for an included alternative therapy.

Acupuncture is currently a popular approach made usage of in dealing with cigarette smoking cigarettes dependence. There are different cigarette smoking cigarettes cessation drugs as well as treatments comfortably provided currently. A cigarette smoker calls for to completely free himself from the in addition physical as well as mental dependence of cigarette smoking cigarettes, as an outcome calling for an included alternative therapy.