#q. sophie [ OLD ]

[meikuree]

[text ID:

So naturally I began to lug a heavy suitcase of books each Saturday to the Harvard Business School to work on my Nabokov paper. In one cavernous, well-appointed room sat approximately 50 of the planet's most suitable bachelors. I had high breasts, most of my eggs, plausible deniability when it came to purity, a flush ponytail, a pep in my step that had yet to run out. Apologies to Progress, but older men still desired those things.

/end ID]

babe wake up another cursed the cut article has dropped

[tavolgisvist]

'Just call him on the phone'

Q: Aside from the millions you’ve been offered for a reunion concert, how did you feel about producer Lorne Michaels’s generous offer of thirty-two hundred dollars for appearing together on Saturday Night Live a few years ago?* A: Oh, yeah, Paul and I were together watching that show. He was visiting us at our place in the Dakota. We were watching it and almost went down to the studio, just as a gag. We nearly got into a cab, but we were actually too tired. Q: How did you and Paul happen to be watching TV together? A: That was a period when Paul just kept turning up at our door with a guitar. I would let him in, but finally I said to him**, “Please call before you come over. It’s not 1956, and turning up at the door isn’t the same anymore. You know, just give me a ring.” He was upset by that, but I didn’t mean it badly. I just meant that I was taking care of a baby all day, and some guy turns up at the door … But anyway, back on that night he and Linda walked in and he and I were just sitting there watching the show, and we went, Ha-ha, wouldn’t it be funny if we went down, but we didn’t. Q: Is that the last time you’ve seen Paul? A: Yes, but I didn’t mean it like that.

<...> Q: You say you haven’t really listened to Paul’s work and haven’t really talked to him since that night in your apartment— A: Really talked to him, no, that’s the operative word. I haven’t really talked to him in ten years. Because I haven’t spent time with him. I’ve been doing other things and so has he. You know, he’s got twenty five kids and about twenty million records out — how can he spend time talking? He’s always working.

(John Lennon, 1980, All We Are Saying, David Sheff)

*It was in 25 April 1976 **it was in 26 April 1976

Well, when I, when I was Just a little baby boy, Every night, every night I would call, Because your number, you know, Brought me such sweet joy. I've called your name, John, Every night since then But I ain't never, no, no, never Heard you calling me, My sweet, sweet babe, So, you know, you better call me back again, I call your operator but I still can't get through to you, Call me back again

(Call Me Back Again, presumably, 10 June 1976, Seattle)

Tell me, is she everything i see Or is she really not the one for me? We know, and though some may disagree But do they know the way we want to be? <…> Building something One thing made to last And holding something Special from the past And do I still believe in stories we've been told***? Are all the things she brings me worth their weight in gold? Oh yeah, (oh yeah) pure gold

(Pure Gold, Paul for Ringo, 1976)

***I remember when John and I were first hanging out together, I had a dream about digging in the garden with my hands. I’d dreamt that before but I’d never found anything other than an old tin can. But in this dream I found a gold coin. I kept digging and I found another. And another.The next day I told John about this amazing dream I’d had and he said, ‘That’s funny, I had the same dream’. So both of us had this dream of finding this treasure. And I suppose you could say it came true. I remember years later talking about it – ‘Remember that dream we had?’; ‘Yeah, that was far out’. So the message of that dream was: keep digging lads.'

(Paul McCartney to The Big Issue, Feb. 2012)

After you've gone And left me crying After you've gone Ain't no deny You'll feel blue You'll feel sad You'll miss the dearest pal that you ever had

There'll come a time And don't you forget it There'll come a time When you'll regret it****

Someday when you grow lonely Your heart will break like mine You want me only After you've gone After you've gone away

(After You've Gone, 1977, Paul's version - 'just for fun' as he said - of a 1918 popular song written by Turner Layton and Henry Creamer, and it's Frank Sinatra's (and Sophie Tucker!) version.

****the line 'Don't you forget it/When you'll regret it' reminds another old (not as old like After You've Gone but old) song -  I Love You And Don't You Forget It by Perry Como. The song, what our lads were singing in their early years so playfully:

Klas Burling: Tell us something about how you find a song… how you get the idea about a song, to write it down. John: Well, sometimes it's the words first, and then the music after. Klas Burling: Very often you've got a title, you know… Me and you, and everything like that? Paul: Yeah. We try to do that, to make it personal so it's… so we really mean it. When we sing a thing about 'I love you,' it's easier. John: (singing) 'And don't you forget it!' John & Paul: (singing together, jokingly) 'I love you and don't you forget it!' Paul: Well, you see, it's easier than singing something about the cat that lives on the hill, man. (laughter) Paul: It's a lot easier just to sing about what you feel yourself.

(August 23 1963, interview with Klas Burling)

Was I just dreaming or was it only yesterday I used to hold you in my arms And now a baby, and a another on the way [Indescernable] in a farm Now must we be alone? If it don’t feel right, don’t do it If it don’t look right, look right through it If it don’t feel right, don’t do it Just call him on the phone

(John Lennon, Real Life, Feb 1977)

We'd had a bread strike over here***** and I rang him and I was saying, What are you doing? He says. I'm baking some bread.' 'Oh! Me too.' Imagine, with the stereotypes, John and Paul talking about baking bread.

(Paul McCartney, May 2001, interview for Mojo magazine)

*****a bread strike in England was in Nov 1978

Q: Do you regret that your life has become so public? A: I realized that a good fifteen years ago. I remember actually thinking when I went on holiday somewhere, ‘God I’d really better start thinking now about keeping a few countries aside where we don’t sell records. I won’t be able to go anywhere without being recognized.’ But now I think, ‘Really, I’ve reached the point of no return. There’s no going back.’ Even if I didn’t want to sing anymore, I’d just be like Greta Garbo or Brigitte Bardot. They both retired but you’d never know it. John said this to me a year before he died. He said, ‘Be careful what you wish for, it might just come true.’ That’s the way I look at it. I wished for all this and I got it. To regret it would mean I’d have to sit here and live with negative thoughts about it. I know that would only sink me. Even if I had feelings of regret my personality would not really let them out. ‘Look mate, you don’t regret it. Look on the other side,’ that’s me. Not to sink. I always used to do that instinctively, and not allow too many negative thoughts to surface.

(Paul McCartney, April/May 1982, interview for Music Express)

The couple of years after the Beatles broke up it was very touchy because I think we suspected each other of business manoeuvres. So anyone would ring up, it would be like, “Why is he ringing?” And when you put up the defensive like that it’s very difficult to say, “I’m not! Honest!” You just don’t know where to put yourself. So we had a lot of those ups and downs for quite a few years. But the favourite thing was that if ever we talked not business – and what we ended doing, actually, was make a rule not to talk business on the phone – and on those occasions, we had really good vibes, man. And it was great; we just talked kids, we talked family, we talked cats, we talked life, rather than, “oh, what songs are doing with x business affair?” And one of the great things for me, one of the consolation prizes after John was killed, the only thing– you know, you find yourself holding on to little bits of wreckage to keep yourself afloat. And with me it was the fact that our last phonecall was really one of the best we ever had together; it was really warm, we were really friends again.

(Paul McCartney, 1984, interview for CBS Morning News)

Q: Do you remember your last conversation with John? A: Yes. That is a nice thing, a consoling factor for me, because I do feel it was sad that we never actually sat down and straightened our differences out. But fortunately for me, the last phone conversation I ever had with him was really great, and we didn’t have any kind of blowup. It could have easily been one of the other phone calls, when we blew up at each other and slammed the phone down. Q: Do you remember what you talked about? A: It was just a very happy conversation about his family, my family. Enjoying his life very much; Sean was a very big part of it. And thining about getting on with his career. I remember he said, “Oh, God, I’m like Aunt Mimi, padding round here in me dressing gown”– robe, as he called it, ’cause he was picking up the American vernacular –“feeding the cats in me robe and cooking and putting a cup of tea on. This housewife wants a career!” It was that time for him. He was about to launch Double Fantasy.******

(Paul McCartney, Dec 1984, interview for Playboy)

******Double Fantasy released 17 November 1980

I was lucky. The last few wee... months that he was alive, we’d managed to get our relationship back on track. And we were talking and having real good conversations. Real nice and friendly.

(Paul McCartney about This One, interview with Bernard Goldberg for the TV series 48 Hours, 1989)

[butchsophiewalten]

Twitter Space Recap July 28th 2024

Last Sunday Martin, Eva, Kyle did a Twitter Space, with intermittent appearances from Coral! Here are some of the Q&A answers and other interesting things they talked about:

-Someone asks if TWF5 is going to be longer or shorter than TWF4, and Martin says that he currently predicts it to be "a bit longer".

-Somebody asks how Laura Peony (Rosemary's sister) looks. He says that she looks similar to Rose, probably, but that he honestly doesn't have much of a design in mind for her. Something fun to me is that he calls her "Sophie's aunt", rather than calling her Rosemary's sister, which is interesting when remembering one of Martin's previous statements that Rosemary doesn't have a very good relationship with her family.

-Someone asks about something Martin said in a Q&A a while ago, about Jenny going through many redesigns before her current and final design, and if we could see any of them. Eva ends up sharing one of Martin's old drawings of one of these designs, even though Martin says that he really hates it.

He mentions that she looks "too normal" and that she "looks like she's straight."

-Someone asks, "Who or what was the thing behind Bon and Sha in the TV in TWF2?" and Martin answers that it's Susan. (slowed gif relevant)

-Someone asks about how the Relocate Project trio all met each other, and Martin explains how in his original vision for the characters, they were this really close and inseparable group of long-time friends, but that he's recently kinda revised that idea, thinking it'd be more realistic if they were just work friends, who met each other through their jobs and all had full, separate lives and maybe weren't so inseparably close.

-Someone asks how old Kevin is in TWF2, and Martin explains that the relocate trio's ages are something that he's kinda retconned. He brings up an old image of Ashley that gets passed around by the fanbase sometimes which says she'd be 19 years old in 1978, saying that in his mind now, she'd be 22 at the time. He says "-and there's a reason for this, there's a reason for this. There are things about, uh, Ashley, and some things about the rest of the episode 2 crew that we haven't seen yet."

-Martin and Eva joke back and forth about an idea they both like, which is that Bon can create or mimic noises with his animatronic voice box, and that he likes to do stuff like bark and people in K-9, just to freak them out. Martin says, "Wait, did you know that this actually happens, in one of the episodes? In episode 2, Bon fucking plays rabbit noises, to mess with Ashley. When the lights go out, Bon-- he's imitating a rabbit."

-Martin says, "Somebody asked if the baby doll we see in Souvenir and TWF4 will have meaning in the future. Ah, yes it will."

-Someone asks, "Are we gonna get wholesome Rosemary content in the upcoming episodes?" and Martin and the rest of the crew shoot the shit for awhile, alluding ironically to the torment (emotional and otherwise) she will almost certainly be met with in the upcoming episode.

-Martin mentions that he's working on something related to TWF7, and says, "I genuinely think that episode 7 is going to be the most hated episode of The Walten Files ever. I've talked about this with Eva before." Martin and Eva refer to it sneakily as the "yuri" episode, and we know from previous Q&As and spaces that TWF7 is most likely going to be about Sophie and Jenny's relationship, possibly detailing how they met. Martin says, "I think- it's not because of what is in it [that it will be hated], it's more like, it's the least 'Walten Files' episode of The Walten Files."

Kyle says, "To be fair, I feel like season 2 is going to be such a tone shift and it's gonna do so much, that it's gonna be like, "Woah!" You're gonna send people back, like, 20 feet in surprise."

-Somebody asks if Jack is addicted to smoking, and if Felix gets on his ass about it. Martin says "I don't think Jack is addicted, I think Jack just smokes because he thinks smoking is cool. I wouldn't say addicted, but I'd say Rosemary smokes out of like, a place of, like, stress and anxiety. Instead of just as a hobby, in a way."

-Someone asks if Susan is skinny. Martin says, "I don't think Susan is very skinny, I would say Susan is more--" and Eva fills in with "Muscular..?" to which Martin replies, "Yeah, I was gonna say that, I couldn't find the right word. Yeah, considering she usually helps build the stuff, and shit like that, while Charles sits on his ass and stays on his computer all day, like a fucking lazy bitch. Just programming shit."

-Martin openly laments that Charles doesn't have more of a fanbase for him as in individual character. He goes, "Do I have to wait for the next two episodes to drop, so I can fucking have a Charles fandom? That's so sad."

-According to Kyle, Charles' favorite Sonic the Hedgehog character would be Knuckles. Martin says he doesn't know a lot about Sonic, but that Jack's favorite character would be Doctor Eggman, because he's the only human character.

-Martin and Eva talk for a bit about who would win in a fight between Bon and a bunch of different animatronic characters from Five Nights at Freddy's, with him losing terribly to most or all of them. Eva determines that he could definitely win against normal human William Afton, and Martin says he could, at least, probably win against The Puppet. Martin says, "Y'know how dogs grab, like, a toy? And shake it around? Bon just fucking bites-- and starts fucking shaking the animatronics around."

-Somebody asks, "Do Brian and Kevin know each other?" and Martin says, "No, they don't. I don't think Brian knows anybody from the rest of the series. Why would he?"

-Martin says, "I like to think- in the apartment [Jenny and Sophie] live in- It's really funny to me, the idea that Jenny knows everybody in the building and is friends with everybody, and Sophie isn't. Like, it's like, imagine in everyone else's perspective, its like 'Ohh, there's Jenny!', and she's like this really sweet person, and then there's just Sophie, this fucking-- this silent, weird girl that's always seen next to Jenny."

-Martin asks Eva, "What to you think of episode 7?" to which she replies, "It's very yuriful." He responds saying, "That's true." Eva later appends saying, "It's also a very good episode."

-Someone asks, "Will there be a Walten Files 5 & 6 trailer soon?" and Martin replies, "I have an idea for a trailer, but I know know if it's necessary, considering I don't want to show what happens in the episodes. I want people to go in completely blind."

-Eva reads a question that she likes, but is worried is too spoilery. "What's Sophie's relationship with her medication? Does she resent having to take it? Does Jenny know that she's on it?" Martin responds, "We cannot answer that. Because the medication Sophie's on will be expanded on." appends later going "I love how my original idea for Sophie's pills was like, it was never addressed it any way. It was just like, 'oh, she's just taking pills.'"

-Somebody asks about Hidie the Raccoon from the Showstoppers Cartoon, and Martin says that he's a burglar who pretends to be a collector for charity, but just steals the money.

-Someone asks about Madness Meridian. Martin says, "It was a book that was like, a more realistic version of The Walten Files. And it was like, 'what if The Walten Files was, like, completely made up by Sophie?', and it was like, it was really bad. And I remember I worked a lot in the book, but I lost it on an old computer, so."

-Someone asks if we're ever going to see the Showstoppers singing for real, instead of just performing over a preexisting song, and Martin says yes!

-Someone asks about the Findjackwalten page that was recently discovered, /jennyslair-dot-com-worldwideweb, which is currently password protected. Martin says that it will be a page soon, so the page's content is probably not currently meant to be accessed.

[bcacstuff]

Day 3 Highlanders 7 con 21 July 2024 at the Hilton Metropole Hotel, Birmingham

Charles Q&A

They only let him do some stunts. The apple "may have" already been cut in half 😅

At his first OL audition (over zoom from his bedroom), he did a Peaky Blinders accent because thought the English all have the same accent - he works hard on it, accents don't come naturally to him

William inherited the "good Fraser fire" from Jamie but learned how to be reserved (a "board") from LJG so he often feels the conflict within himself what he is vs what he was "trained" to be

One of the auditions (all on zoom) was the Death Song scene with JB - it was weird for him to see these "fictional characters" in real life. Couldn't mention the other audition scenes because they're 7B spoilers

He had phantom pain in his arm from the stick. They sent him to London to have a mold made of his arm

He has no piano in his flat but would go to the Edinburgh train station and use the public piano

Dream role: anything - "I love employment" but likes characters that exist between good and evil

Superstitions: not for acting but the supernatural - hasn't used a Ouija board because he doesn't know if they work but what if they do??

William is "a bit of a shit" and a "brat" when we first meet him in 7A

They did audition someone else for William for S6 (those episodes would have been late in 6) but he would have been too young. Since they shortened 6, they didn't cast William until later.

Someone asked whether he was intimidated by S&C. The audience member then went on telling a story how Caitlin before she got to set, was told S&C were a "power couple" and together in real life. Then when she got there she was told opposite (you could hear people gasp when she said that)

While Charles really didn't answered above, he later on was asked what his favourite movie is, he didn't really have one but said he really loved Ford vs Ferrari, so when he met Caitriona he thought "Whoa"

Mom had watched the show but he binged it in 2 weeks when he got the audition - didn't have the part yet

Felt imposter syndrome and a lot of pressure - do I want to take on being Jamie Fraser's son?

Ultimately LJG is William's dad but important for him to find out who is he to learn about himself

This convention is "so fun" because they couldn't answer any questions during the strike and all they were asked were things like "what's your favourite colour"

Scenes that stuck out when he binged: Claire and BJR in Garrison Commander; the shinty scene

Doesn't have a go-to karaoke song - has never done karaoke. But he would do something like Tequila so all he has to say is 1 word (then they played it when he was leaving the stage)

Sophie, Richard & David

Sophie is apparently a favourite "on the internet" to play Harry Potter's mom in the HBO series. She says "I'm working on it" (ie she'd like to do it).

Their favourite locations to film - Sophie Lallybroch (inside and what they created on set); Richard - University of Glasgow; David - Hopetoun House

David making fun of the questions they always get asked (what would you take from set; what other characters would you like to play) - everyone laughs

If they could play another character, Sophie would play Rollo

Certain scene they were really proud of - Sophie birthing scene "broke some blood vessels"; David never thinks he does well - could have done it differently especially the scene where Jamie offers his body;

What cocktail would your character be: Sophie - Spicy margarita; Richard - Old Fashioned; David Pina Colada because he likes the song (doesn't know any cocktails - people were shouting them out to him)

What would you like to learn how to do: David - Magic the Gathering - watched them play last night and wants them to teach him before wrap; Richard is learning to fly

Which time period do you prefer - Brianna 50/50 - Sophie 1700s "corsets aside" especially since they're all filming together. Richard agrees. David: Lord John in modern times is living in the West Village in NYC running an art gallery called Fraser's 🤣🤣

Karaoke songs: Richard's - Piano Man; David - To be With You (Mr Big): Sophie - Party in the USA

Favourite costume - Richard "from this year" but didn't say which one (didn't want to spoil anything); David - Governor of Jamaica (Sophie says you've had some really good costumes and David said you just realized that???)

Favourite scene to film: Richard - driving around the Highlands (felt like our own little "side Outlander"); Sophie - when she confronts Bonnett in the jail (felt very empowered); David - first day, first scene he filmed dragging Sam on the horse "was a highlight on reflection"

Everyone is treated the same by production

Sophie used to be the makeup trailer DJ but Wendy has taken over

The first scene with Roger & Jamie was fun to shoot but he felt Jamie had "a bit of an overreaction"

What are you obsessed with? Richard - Magic the Gathering; David - his son; Sophie - music

Any scenes that you were intimidated by: David one coming up in 7B (we should all know what it is); Richard - intimate scenes; Sophie - ones that are emotionally challenging and you "take with you"

Question about what you're proud of. Sophie tells the story of when she potty-trained her dog. The dog became so excited he jumped on her, split her lip and she ended up in the emergency room. David then says "do you know what proud means??" • Richard - passing his driving test because he failed 3x; David - when he finished his first block of OL

Character you haven't worked with you would like to - Richard & David said each other. Richard: maybe in the next block then Sophie says "but you're in the 80s", someone mentioned Jemmy and the stones and it just went downhill from there 😅; Sophie - Black Jack

During closing ceremonies everyone is taking photos and Cree (of course) says "go on take your photos like we're animals in a zoo". Then he says something about a "gaggle of lusty women" and Sean says "there is if your name is Sam Heughan"

Sean had organized other fan events then started watching Outlander. He wanted to do an event and learned the person to contact is Steve Himber as he "represents" Sam and Caitriona to get it started. Then Steve says he's "not responsible for Steven Cree"

All credits including pics to my friend at the con (who wishes to remain anonymous) Thank you so much for keeping notes for us (and for me to post!) Great Job, well done! 🧡🧡🧡

[deaddee-anime-brownfanlady]

Diving into more of Rocky past and parts of his childhood and how he was basically brought up by Aunt Nina and listening to Q & As about his mother Sophie. Makes me wonder about the little in-between life moments of the times Rocky had with his mom before her illness & during the hard emotional times around her sickness that lead to Rocky largely being raised by Nina.

Wondering how old Rocky was at the time of his mom's passing and the beginning of her sickness? Rocky is about 5 years older than Freckle so did she started getting sick before Nina had Freckle or when Rocky was maybe still young enough to not fully grasp what was going on with his mom but still old enough to pick up that his mother was not feeling well, and reading certain small details on Rocky himself like for one his skill of being a pretty good violinist, which he first learned from his mother who also played violin and who was also pretty artistic spirit herself. Also I wonder how long Rocky was with his mom until Nina started caring for him along with Freckle, like how Nina felt during those difficult times of her little sister illness including the moments of her dying because of it. Tracy mentioned that the relationship between Nina & Sophie was a good one and that the two were super close...But was there any issues within said sisterly relationship? I'm pretty sure Nina didn't like and most definitely didn't approve of her younger sister choice of suitor /husband ( Ransom) and felt he wasn't good enough for her but maybe likely hide her displeasure for her sister sake.

Honestly, Rocky father is still somewhat of a mystery on some level. But one thing for sure is that so far from certain clues from Rocky letters asking about why his dad isn't writing to him anymore, the guy sounds like a total asshole. Like I do have to wonder in the pretty cold and dismissive way Nina treats Rocky sometimes in the comic is a bit tie to the fact of Nina having some hate or resentment towards her sister husband / Rocky father on some level? Either way just musing on Rocky early life a bit & what it was like for him during the times he had with his mama also on how Nina felt dealing with what was going on with her sister at those times & such.

Man...there's so much underlying issues and hidden depth when it comes to Rocky.

[losrtphu]

LUNA SEA B-PASS 1996 21 Q&A [TRANS]

PART 1

link to original scan

Link to part 2

QUESTION & ANSWERS

A QUESTIONNAIRE THAT GETS YOU KNOWLEDGEABLE ABOUT THE CURRENT LUNA SEA MEMBERS IN PUBLIC AND PRIVATE, 21 QUESTIONS TO THE 5 MEMBERS

What is sports do you guys like?

RYUICHI: Surfing,boxing and tennis. I'm the type who has to play the sport themselves or they wont be satisfied.

SUGIZO: Boxing, ah but I'd like to try scuba-diving or sky diving!

INORAN: If it's just watching sports then i like them all

J: Soccer. watching the Olympics (laughs)

SHINYA: i like watching people play sports, because you can feel that person's determination and passion while watching

What is your favorite time of the day?

RYUICHI: Right before falling asleep.

SUGIZO: At night. my body gets a surge of energy, even the rough nights, the lonely quiet nights, everything starts at night.

INORAN: Dusk.

J: It has nothing to do with the time of the day, but whenever I'm in my bed i feel happy

SHINYA: Morning, when I've just woken up. It's rough, but i enjoy thinking about what to do for the day.

what's your favorite brand of alcohol/cigarettes and how much do you drink/smoke?

RYUICHI: I don't smoke. as for wine i drink white Italian wine or white German wine. for whisky i enjoy 12 year old Canadian club whiskey.

SUGIZO: for cigarettes, JPS. my recent favorite is a vodka base cocktail, or like a vodka martini.

INORAN: about 3 boxes of Kent milds. for alcohol as long as it's good Japanese sake I'm fine. how much i drink/smoke depends on the time and place (laughs)

J: 3 boxes of caster milds. for alcohol, lots of beer, vodka, wine, honestly anything (laughs)

SHINYA: i smoke Rothmans. i don't know about alcohol but i drink watered down whiskey a lot.

name a movie that moved you.

RYUICHI: I think I've been moving away from watching movies...

SUGIZO: This year i would say "STRANGE DAYS" but my all time favorite is probably the 007 series or "BLADE RUNNER". and also "GODFATHER"

INORAN: Hmm i haven't watched many recently. but i want to watch "LISBON STORY" and "HEAT".

J: I haven't watched any recently but "RIVER RUNS THROUGH IT" was really heartwarming, i liked it.

SHINYA: I haven't had time to watch movies. i have a sets of laser discs but i haven't watched a single one of them.

What's your ultimate dream woman?

RYUICHI: A girl who seems normal at first but when she talks she seems a bit stand offish, but a they still have a childish part about them.

SUGIZO: Vanessa Paradis or Sophie Marceau. oh! and Carole Bouquet, for some reason they're all french..

INORAN: I don't have an ideal and I don't really care about appearance, I just want someone who can sympathize/empathize(TN: honestly not sure if the difference matters here lol) with me

J: i think that someone who is put together/independent and is actively trying to fulfill their goal is wonderful.

SHINYA: I admire the idea of being a women. because emotionally speaking it's something i could never be, so i want to know more about them.

Do you guys have any pets, and if not what pet would u like to raise?

RYUICHI: I've started raising 2 dogs, one's a Pomeranian and the other one's a miniature sheep dog.

SUGIZO: Turtles. They're a something-something akamimi turtle (red ear slider) or something like that, they're really cute! by the way they're names are Mickey and Malorie ((TN: he named them based off the two main characters in the movie "natural born killers"))

INORAN: 2 cats. there's a lot of animals that id like to have as pets though, like a dog or a fish... oh yeah, a wolf.

J: I'd want to have a dog as a pet but having an owl as a pet also sounds nice cus they're awake at the same time i am (laughs) letting them sit on my shoulder and then going for walks (laughs)

SHINYA: i have a hamster. if i were to have a pet in the future probably a big fluffy dog, like a golden retriever.

name some items that are near the entrance of your house.

RYUICHI: The first thing you see when you walk in my house is probably the lights, but i do have a stone statue placed there as well.

SUGIZO: I have an art piece that my friend made.

INORAN: i have a lot of stuff, like pictures, framed art, lamps etc

J: I don't have a lot of decorations in my house. ah! but i do have a bass that was made the year i was born laying around.

SHINYA: Mine's filled with car goods, like the emblems of mini-cars or jaguars etc

at 9pm, yesterday, what were you doing?

RYUICHI: I was driving, on my way to go eat.

SUGIZO: starting to check the photos we'd took in the studio (this is after the shooting had ended, this interview was done in a Denny's at 7 in the morning)

INORAN: met with friends and drank

J: I think i was holding a phone?while napping

SHINYA: I was sleeping at home. i was tired after recording something for TV and got home and just finished watching downtown "GOTTSU "A" KANJI" (laughs)

[squish36-writes-and-draws]

Import Cygnus Oscuro

Summary: Creative Writing Final. It's a fedex humans are space orcs au. They're forced to be in the proximity of one another and it's fun for everyone except for those directly involved.

Word count : 5244

TW: one (1) swear word, auton (robot) racism including an in-universe slur (thanks, Fitz), absolutely incomprehensible worldbuilding (thanks, Squish)

Taglist (lmk if you want to be added/removed!): @stellar-lune @faggot-friday @kamikothe1and0nly @nyxpixels @florida-preposterously @poppinspop @uni-seahorse-572 @solreefs @i-loved-while-i-lied @rusted-phone-calls @when-wax-wings-melt @good-old-fashioned-lover-boy7 @dexter-dizzknees @abubble125 @hi-imgrapes @callum-hunt-is-bisexual @callas-pancake-tree @hi-my-name-is-awesome @katniss-elizabeth-chase @arson-anarchy-death @dizzeners @thefoxysnake @olivedumdum @loveution

On Ao3 or below the cut!

Bonus worldbuilding / q&a / suffering because I doubt any of this makes sense

    import pandas as pd

    import numpy as np

    import matplotlib.pyplot as plt

    from sklearn import datasets, model_selection, metrics

    from sklearn.model_selection import train_test_split, cross_val_score

    from sklearn.preprocessing import *

    from sklearn.neighbors import KNeighborsClassifier

    from sklearn.metrics import *

    “Once again, what do you mean by Eifelia? The planet itself or the system as a whole, including its moons?” Sophie asks, staring out the window at the receding planetary surface as their spaceship affectionately called the ‘Cygnus Oscuro’ lifts off the ground. 

    “Eifelia has only one confirmed inhabited moon, Batyrbai. Your home planet of Datson is the only satellite in the Telychian system to have more than one moon that is suitable for habitation. Supplies were acquired at the port of Darriwilian, located at 25.78, -80.21, on the planet of Eifelia itself,” Dex replies, reading off the coordinates from the corner of xor vision. 

    It’s very easy to read off coordinates when xor neural network is constantly searching for information that it thinks will be helpful to xem. It, more often than not, is entirely extraneous information, but it is difficult to discern when, exactly, it will be of assistance. 

    Dex continues, “Five crew members departed in preparation for Eifelia’s cyclical festival of Batyrbai appearing full in the sky from the dark side of the planet. In turn, three crew members embarked.”

    Dex’s fan freezes up. “One of these crew members is human, which hail from Earth, most accurately described as a ‘Death Planet’. It is located in the system of Sol, 40.3 light years away. Take care to avoid any and all possible conflicts.” 

    Sophie fixes Dex an unbelieving look. “They can’t be that bad.”

    Article after article scroll across Dex’s field of vision. “They’ve earned their infamous reputation and most are highly unaware of it. Did you know they have contests to see which one can suffer through the most capsaicin-induced pain? Then, to cool the pain, they consume a drink full of near-impossible-to-digest lactose sugar.”

    “Yeah, and you can bend titanium without even a second thought.”

    “I’m sure a dedicated enough one would figure out how to do that.” 

    Sophie rolls his eyes. “I’ll make sure to tell Keefe not to be an intergalactic space wyrm this week but I don’t think that’s going to be happening any time soon.” 

    Dex’s processor runs the numbers, and Sophie is correct for once. In any other situation, a correct prediction from him would be a thing to praise, but in this particular case, it’s more worrisome for Keefe’s safety.

    stars_df = pd.Dataframe(data=stars.data, columns=stars.feature_names)

    stars_df.iloc[39060]

    name                “Beta Pictoris c”

    distance_ly         60         # light years, 3*10^8 m/s

    yerkes_stellar_class    “A6V”

    mass                4658.44    # Eifelia masses, 4.13*10^24 kg

    orbital_period         197.55     # Eifelia years

    grav_accel         182.470    # m/s^2

    surface_temp        1250       # kelvin

    “Greetings,” Dex’s assigned partner says as Dex slides into the chair next to him. His voice is blanketed with a thick accent Dex’s processor is unable to place, though the circling loading sign in the top corner is certainly trying. Such is the curse of exploring new planets faster than xor updates are able to keep track of them. 

    Today’s mission is expected to make that problem worse, although only slightly.     

    “I’m Fitz,” he says, holding out a hand.    

    “I’m D3x+3r,” Dex replies, not actually pronouncing the numbers like numbers even if they should be pronounced like numbers because they are numbers. The loading wheel is still circling around itself. “Although most people call me Dex because apparently two syllables is too many. I don’t understand it either.” 

    Fitz’s hand falls into his lap. “Nice to meet you, Dex.” He pauses. “Unless you have anything else I’ve forgotten, I think we can probably get going down to the surface so that we can get back sooner than later.” 

    Dex pushes away the loading circle in favor of the small transport ship’s inventory list. “I believe we have everything. If that is a false presumption, the communication link with the Cygnus Oscuro is up and running.” 

    Fitz gently undocks from the Cygnus Oscuro and that’s when Dex’s processor finally decides to provide xem with any information. It’s odd how it’s so proficient with useless information and finally now that it’s relevant, it takes a suspiciously long time. 

    It apparently doesn’t think it’s a major priority to know that xe’s just been sealed into a very small shuttle with a human. No big deal. This is both fine and normal. It’s not like they’re documented to have very short tempers. 

    Now the accent makes sense. Humans have hundreds of different languages, owing to their incredibly diverse geographic distribution. Most other species, including the Eifelians, only exist in small pockets in the corners of their worlds. Humans looked at that and went ‘no, I don’t think I will.’ Any other species is almost immediately recognizable by their accent but humans. They live to be difficult. 

    Even if the accent hadn’t been atrociously obvious in hindsight, the lines streaking across his skin—Blaschko lines, Dex’s processor claims—should have given his heritage away. The even more entertaining part is that most humans don’t even know they have them. 

    Dex’s processor is able to pull up Fitz’s official file without too much difficulty, and that seems like a mostly safe conversation to have instead of stilted silence. “So, how long have you been part of Parallax?” 

    “Well, my parents have worked here since before I was born, so the answer I usually give is, ‘Yes.’ How about you?” 

    “I was built on Gzhelia roughly 250 Eifelia years ago.” Dex pauses, converting this to a unit hopefully a little more familiar to Fitz. “That’s a little more than 4 Earth years.” 

    Fitz’s brows draw together. “Built?”

    Dex’s fan pauses in such a way that it sounds like a sigh as xe pulls back the artificial skin away from xor wrist, revealing the wires twisting underneath. A green fiber optic cable shimmers in the artificial light of the shuttle. 

    “I am aware that I am running on slightly older hardware, but I promise that my software is as updated with the most current Parallax Dataframes an update cycle half an Eifelia year ago could provide. Again, for ease of conversion, that is about three Earth days.”

    “You can stop with that. The conversions. I’ve grown up around more Eifelia time than Earth time.” 

    “I apologize. I was simply trying to prevent any incidental miscommunication before there was an issue. I will refrain from it in the future.” 

    The table of conversions still floats in front of Dex’s vision like a temporary burn-in.    

    Dex and Fitz sit in a silence that even Dex’s emotion identifier that was deprecated two years ago can identify as uncomfortable. Xe really should get around to installing a new one. 

    Fitz is the one to break the silence. “How’d you know I was human? Your little CPU tell you?” 

    Dex nods slowly. “Yes, it did, along with installing several files explaining your species’ customs. I can feel one of them slowing down my SSD flash memory with its sheer size.” 

    “Yeah, yeah, we all get it. Humans are big and loud and dumb and there’s so many of us that you can’t be bothered to learn all of it.” 

    Fitz flicks a half-dozen switches, initiating the landing sequence of the shuttle now that it is within the last thousand kilometers of altitude. The reason that it has to be activated so early is due to Beta Pictoris C’s incredibly high gravitational acceleration, causing the shuttle to have a much higher velocity than if it were under the gravitational influence of most other planets. 

    In other, more numerical terms, gravitational acceleration on Beta Pictoris C at the surface is about 182.970 m/s2, while, for reference, Eifelia’s is 8.011 m/s2. Of course, they are still up in the air, meaning that their orbital radius is slightly larger than the planet’s radius, but that really is not that much of a difference due to the sheer scale of the planet. 

    It’s no wonder Parallax has chosen the two of them for this mission—they’re the most likely to not be crushed under the sheer weight of the surface gravity. Or, more accurately, their own weight due to the increased surface gravity. 

    Fitz touches down gently, one of the very few landings Dex has experienced without involving a significant amount of screaming. 

    “Are you ready to go find one amino acid and then leave?” he asks, standing up. 

    Searching for life on planets like these is, for lack of a better descriptor, a neural-network-numbing process involving taking a few dirt samples while trying to make sure that Dex’s zinc components don’t get instantaneously vaporized, among other problems. 

    A-type stars aren’t even the hottest ones out there, but they’re on the very edge of what is believed to be habitable due to their instability. Their scarcity in the universe also makes it much more unlikely for life to have the opportunity to form around one. 

    It’s nearly inhospitable to every life form currently described, leaving a few carbon-fiber autons to figure out how to sample things on stars-forsaken planets that are literally half the surface temperature of Eifelia’s home star, Telychia. 

    “It would probably be beneficial to don some protective clothing before doing that, even if Beta Pictoris C is nearing aphelion and we have landed on the night side. Do you happen to know if it is tidally locked?”

    “That’s not in your file system?”

    “I regrettably am unable to locate it if it is.” 

    Fitz rolls his eyes, muttering, “Turing incomplete,” under his breath. 

    It takes a few milliseconds for Dex’s processor to provide the context to that statement, and that context is not a flattering one. Its origins lie with both the first human theoretical computer scientist, Alan Turing, and it became popularized due to Earth’s history with artificial intelligence. 

    It’s…not a pleasant history. 

    “Do you believe that infinite memory is possible? Because everything is technically only Turing complete when it is assumed to have infinite amounts of memory, which is impossible to create in the real world. Thus, every device, including this shuttle and your knee replacement is Turing incomplete.

    “Yeah, but at least I can feel emotions.”

    Fitz slides the heat suit’s helmet over his head, obscuring his face.

    “Most of your emotions are induced by shifts in hormonal signals. The Floians don’t have hormones. Does that mean that they too are artificial because they do not experience emotions in the same way that you do?” 

    Fitz opens the shuttle door, pressing himself against the wall to avoid being blown away by both the swirling, windy atmosphere blowing dust into all of the delicate machinery of the shuttle and the zeroth law of thermodynamics. 

    Dex’s fan immediately kicks into its highest gear, and it will stay there as long as the door remains open, barring some catastrophic, friction-related disaster. 

    “The Floians had to figure out how to evolve on their own. That should be a reasonable enough distinction for you.”

    “That implies that genetically modified organisms don’t count as organisms. And then, most autons learn via a reinforcement algorithm that mimics how evolution works in order to train a neural network. That’s the thing that I have making decisions in my ‘little CPU’ and its trillion transistors. How many neurons do you have again?”

    Fitz steps out into the outside, his suit making him look like a large orange nebula. Hopefully the door doesn’t decide to close with its own artificial consciousness like last time. That was not a fun time. 

    “Why do you ask when you could just search through your files? I’m sure it’s in there.” 

    “The answer was 135 billion,” Dex says flatly. That would be a more relevant description if xe was able to inflect xor speech more, but xe has found the setting to make xor voice a specific frequency and uses it a touch more than xe probably should. 

    Fitz turns back to Dex. “What are you doing? The sooner we get these samples into your file system, the sooner I stop looking like the stay puft marshmallow man.”

    Dex smiles as the image flashes across xor vision. Xe follows Fitz down the ramp, revealing the expected vast desertlike landscape of Beta Pictoris C.

    It’s significantly too hot for water to remain liquid but—there’s something odd about the erosion patterns. Those might not just be wind erosion. Xe downloaded a whole library of algorithms a couple of months ago. 

    Ignoring Fitz’s demands to know where xe’s going, Dex approaches one of the striated, gray rock formations. 

    url = 'https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vTCZgoegOH a49SFXYU-ZZTdCkgTp0sn&single=true&output=csv'

    rocks_df = pd.read_csv(url)

    features = rocks[["depth", "width", "mohs_hardness"]]

    label = stars_df["class"]

    X_train, X_test, y_train, y_test = model_selection.train_test_split(features, label, test_size = 0.2, random_state = 42)

    model = KNearestNeighbor(n_neighbors = 53)

    model.fit(X_train, y_train)

    new_rock = pd.Dataframe([7,4,6.5])

    pred = model.predict(new_rock)

    A smile blossoms across Dex’s face. “We’ve got liquid erosion. It’s slightly less viscous than water, but liquid erosion nonetheless.” 

    Fitz stares at xem, waiting for an explanation that takes a long time to get there. 

    “I’m going to have to run some simulations on the ship because I don’t have enough RAM for the kind of resolution I want, but there’s potential that there used to be water here, and I’m sure you’re aware of how water and life are synonymous. Most of the time.” 

    Dex carefully scrapes off a corner of the ashy sandstone column for further study because xe, quite unfortunately, doesn’t have a built-in mass spectrometer. It’s also generally good practice to collect samples. 

    Another aspect of good practice is to look at more than one rock before drawing conclusions about an entire planet. 

    Dex traces into the dirt a simple sketch of Fitz in his marshmallow suit. He’s lucky to have all of his appendages attached, let alone proportional. Dex then takes a sample of the dirt. The mixing helps to paint a better picture of what the sand is like, rather than just the solar-radiation-exposed topsoil. 

    Suddenly, Fitz swears, pointing at something in the vial. That something is a little creature wiggling its way around the glass. 

    Dex nearly drops it, which would have been a less than ideal decision, as xe tries to find the little guy who is desperately trying to not be seen. 

    The little guy is a fairly standard arthropod-style body plan, with an exoskeleton, a number of legs that is larger than 2 and smaller than the number required for ‘burn it alive’ algorithms to kick in. So somewhere in the 6,8,10 range is probably pretty reasonable. 

    Although, to be fair, even numbers are more of a guideline than anything else. Once again, Earth is an exception to the rule with a three legged fish down in some of the deepest parts of its oceans. Also echinoderms with their five-fold radial symmetry. 

    “You, uh, might want to put him down,” Fitz suggests. “You don’t want to be charged with kidnapping should that little bug guy who I’m now going to be naming Fred turn out to have a consciousness.”

    Humans’ inclination to name creatures that have no way of communicating with them is a fairly large section in their file overview. It seems as though this can even occur with inanimate objects, which just links to a page advertising a pet rock, whatever that’s supposed to mean. 

    Dex pours the vial back onto the ground and attempts to take another sample without kidnapping another Fred. 

    Is that how human naming goes? Does it really matter? 

    The only reason this is a question is probably because It feels like all of Dex’s wires are currently being poached in the water designed to cool them. 

    There’s another one in the next vial. And the next. It’s almost like spontaneous generation but, like, not yet disproven by putting meat in a jar and covering it so maggots don’t get laid on it. 

    Yeah, that’s literally what the humans decided to do. Specifically one named Francesco Redi. Seems like a waste of calories for a species who needs to eat a lot of them to support their endothermic metabolisms. At least they figured it out in the end. 

    The fourth attempt seems to be safe as Dex only fills the vial halfway and shakes it extensively to avoid accidental kidnapping. Now the only possible complication could be microscopic creatures, but that’s past the point of reasonable care. 

    Fitz spends another few minutes gallivanting around, likely wandering around for more interesting samples, even if the entire report is already writing itself in the back of Dex’s processor. 

    He returns with a half dozen more samples of varying mineral compositions which get stored in his marshmallow suit’s pockets. “I saw another guy. Sorry I couldn’t get a picture, but he kind of looked like a scorpion. If you know what those are.”

    Dex nods, projecting a picture of one onto the first rock ledge just to prove that xe has image files stored in xor drive. 

    “Yeah, he looked kind of like that.”

    Dex switches the picture to a different one, one that isn’t necessarily a true scorpion. That doesn’t stop Eurypterus from colloquially being called a sea scorpion. It also doesn’t stop them from being extinct on Earth for around 252 million of its own years. 

    Fitz repeats, louder this time, “Yeah, he looked kind of like that.” 

    Fitz’s new best friend the Beta Pictoris C scorpion, who notably has yet to be blessed with a name, hops up onto the rock ledge, and it’s remarkable how similar they look, albeit the hologram being significantly larger. Blue swirls across its hardened exterior, and its pincers look like they’re very ready to reduce the number of fingers Dex has. 

    A warning light flicks on in the corner of Dex’s vision, cutting off access to xor files. 

    “We should probably be getting back to the ship. I have the coordinates of our landing point so that a larger, more prepared team can conduct a more detailed study. And before you begin to state that we are that team, if I am to stay out here for much longer, I will probably end up shutting down, and that is a burden I would rather not impose upon you.”

    It’s kind of odd how Dex’s vision is able to start flickering as xor processor threatens to have enough for the day. One would think it would work the same as when it gets too cold, but no. One second, xe’s completely fine and the next, xe’s restarting after eighteen hours trapped in an avalanche. 

    This is a normal experience. It’s not Dex’s first time, and most other autons xe has communicated with have had similar ones. It’s a risk associated with the job, and xor data won’t be lost in anaerobic environments the same way that data in an biologically-designed brain will. 

    Unless that brain belongs to an obligate or facultative anaerobe, but the vast majority of intelligent species do require some form of a gas to function. Many use oxygen, but carbon dioxide, methane, hydrogen, and carbon monoxide are fairly common as well. 

    Dex and Fitz make their way back into the spaceship and make absolutely certain that the hatch is sealed before peeling off their marshmallow suits. Dex’s blinking temperature warning sign disappears, but xor fan still remains running at full speed. 

    Fitz collapses into the pilot’s chair, sweat streaking down his brow, and barely waits for Dex to sit down beside him before lifting off. 

    They once again sit in an uncomfortable silence, punctuated only by the sounds of Fitz flipping various switches on the shuttle’s control panels. 

    Dex makes half a note that xe should learn how to fly a ship at some point, although Sophie would rapidly abuse that particular ability. 

    Once xe’s back aboard the Cygnus Oscuro, xe locates the mass spectrometer in order to analyze the samples before Fitz starts telling everyone about the larger portion of their discovery, because then xe’s going to have to answer other people’s questions instead of xor own.

    url = ‘https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/16lsnIQaP37r682gKuz CZp-YqLgCis-Ln4PSaDEpiAjw/edit#gid=0’

    mass_spec = pd.read_csv(url) 

    compounds = []

    for i in range(mass_spec.size()): 

        id = identify(mass_spec[i]) 

        compounds += id 

     It turns out to absolutely no one’s surprise that liquid water doesn’t exist inside of the rock samples, but tricobalt tetraoxide, Co3O4, is in there, and it is a liquid at the planet’s surface temperature. It’s certainly a choice for an electron donor, and it’s kind of a wonder the entire planet isn’t bright blue with the Cobalt (ii) ions. 

    Dex isn’t surprised to find out that by the time xe’s had enough time with the samples that the entire ship knows about the little arthropod that was found, even if they aren’t formally related to the Earthen order of arthropoda Fitz is comparing it to. 

    They look similar. It’s close enough. 

    What Dex is surprised to find is that everyone wants a tour to see them despite the fact that the vast majority of the crew would acquire heat stroke almost instantaneously. This is xor thirty-sixth mission to actually go down onto a planet for the first time—autons are cheaper to replace than biological organisms—and this is by far the biggest response to a new species. 

    It’s odd. Xe doesn’t like it. 

    Dex’s neural network wants to blame it on Fitz, and there really isn’t any data to contradict that particular hypothesis. It also makes it a very difficult hypothesis to test, which makes it significantly less useful as a hypothesis. 

    On the other hand, a useful hypothesis would be one relating to the actual little alien creatures that for some reason are able to live on a planet that’s more similar to a furnace than a habitable landscape. 

    And so, against all logical reasons surrounding the temperature of a planet known to be at least twice the temperature of the hottest previously confirmed life forms. Of course it’s on Earth. Hydrothermal vents don’t look like a place where organisms could live, and then they’re just down there chilling. That’s probably not the best choice of a descriptor. 

    When in doubt, the answer is more often than not ‘Earth is a weird planet.’ 

    The journey back down to the surface with Fitz passes with significantly less fanfare than the first, the beeping of the ship being obnoxiously loud in the deafening silence. 

    They touch down, Fitz not taking as much care as last time with making sure the landing has as little of a change in momentum as possible, which is to say that it’s nowhere near the gentle landing of the first trip. 

    Fitz leans back and sighs. “Do you have any commentary you’d like to provide or are you ready to go and collect data so we can finish our reports on this planet?”

    “I mean, I’m always collecting data, even if it's only a live feed of my precise coordinates getting thrown into a plaintext file never to be seen again, so the answer is closest to both of the above.” 

    That does not seem to be the answer Fitz wants as he takes one of his bags of human snacks—potato chips, according to what’s printed on the yellow label—and throws it into the garbage can in the corner. 

    “Wow.” Dex’s visual apertures widen. “I didn’t realize that throwing projectiles with accuracy was a human skill. I’ll make sure to add that to my files, as well as to the main system.”

    Fitz’s eyes flash, his features drawing into hard lines. “Are you physically incapable of not being condescending? I get it. I’m a human. I’m from a death planet. Humans are weirder than fucking dark energy. It doesn’t require that many comments about it to get your point across!”

    Dex pauses, letting xor neural network fully process Fitz’s statements before replying, “I don’t understand where I was being condescending.”

    “You just did it two sentences ago!”

    “I did not do anything two sentences ago. It was genuinely quite interesting how your species has evolved to throw objects with accuracy, even ones with high surface area to volume ratios such as that bag of chips, because it is not something that has been documented in any other intelligent species.” 

    “Oh, please. It’s a basic skill.”

    “Do remember that your species evolved in part to bring down large prey such as Mammuthus primigenius. Throwing spears at a wooly mammoth directly led to that ability being rewarded with a higher rate of nutrients, and thus resulted in the following generations being more able to throw spears as well.”

    “You know all of that but you didn’t figure out that throwing things is pathetically easy? Your little auton brain isn’t very good at drawing conclusions from data you have, is it?”

    “It is simply something I did not have cause to consider before now, though I do recognize that it would have been quite easy to identify without the inciting event.”

    “And you’ve also said that you have a very large file on humans. Most of our games are based around the concept of throwing a ball. Was that not enough information to extrapolate that maybe we’re good at it?”

    “Games of chance are common in many species. It follows that this could simply be a manifestation of that desire in humans, so games like your ‘basketball’ or ‘baseball’ do not provide sufficient evidence to draw conclusions such as the ones you’re suggesting.”

    Fitz rolls his eyes. “Why do I even bother? It’s not like you’re going to change your mind. You don’t have a mind to change.”

    Dex wants to explain that xor neural network is actually changing its dependence on its individual notes on a regular basis, but that doesn’t seem to be advantageous in this particular context.

    Fitz rolls his eyes, muttering in what is likely his native tongue—one which Dex has not downloaded the translation file of—as he gets into the marshmallow suit once again. 

    They go out, describe a half dozen new arthropod-esque species, each with more legs than the last, and return with more samples with as few words as possible. But nothing is ever allowed to be simple. 

    The hatch on the shuttle has decided today that leaving itself open in the blistering heat is not something it likes to do, and while Fitz and Dex are distracted, it shuts its doors. 

    In turn, it opens the floodgates for Dex to learn some new fun human swear words when Fitz notices what’s happened. 

    “No reason to worry,” Dex says, making xor way through the sand to open up the back emergency panel that exists for exactly this reason. 

    “Uh, I left the keys in there. There’s very much a reason to worry.”

    “And I’ve got admin privileges. It’s fine. Go back to looking for the next beetle you’re going to call your son.”

    “Don’t be rude to Benny like that. He’s not that replaceable.”

home@Cygnus-shuttle-3:~$sudo su

home@Cygnus-shuttle-3:~$******

root@Cygnus-shuttle-3:~$ufw disable 

    There’s no particular reason why the firewall sometimes decides to make the hatch close, and this is enough of a solution for Dex to not go searching for an answer. 

    As the door begins to open again, Fitz asks, “So, what’s the password?”

    “I’m the password.”

    “Yes, yes, I understand that you’re helpful. Now, what’s the password if this were to happen again and you aren’t around?”

    “I’m the password. It’s literally just my name. D3x+3r. It’s got an uppercase character, lowercase character, number, and a special character. My friend Sophie thought he was hilarious when he heard it, so now it’s my password for everything. Don’t tell anyone.”

    “I won’t. I don’t even know where the special characters are even if I wanted to.”

    “The ‘t’ is replaced with a plus. The ‘e’s are fairly obviously transliterated to ‘3’s. There’s nothing fancy going on here.”

    Fitz turns to walk away but stops himself. “The name Sophie feels a little familiar. Does he by any chance know a Keefe?”

    “Yes, actually. The two of them dated for a while. Although I’m not sure if that should be in the past tense. I stopped asking for updates a while ago.” 

    Fitz laughs. “Stars, I wish I could figure out how to do that. I’ve never escaped from them.”

    “Just kind of stare blankly into the distance and people will stop wanting to tell you things. They’re usually doing it because they want compliments on whatever it is they’re telling you, and by depriving them of that, they stop wanting to do that.”

    “Are you sure you’re an auton?”

    Now it’s Dex’s turn to laugh, a sound xe was very much not designed to make, so it sounds more like an out of tune record skipping. “Yeah, I think so. I’ve walked into too many door frames to have gone this long without getting a contusion, which is another thing your species doesn’t particularly care about getting.”

    “Case in point: I found one on my leg yesterday and I have no idea how I got it. It’s already green and I’m not sure how I hadn’t noticed it before. I guess that’s what I get for being from a death world.”

    Dex gestures widely to the rolling desert around xem. “I think Earth’s death world status may be a bit outdated. If this isn’t a death world, I don’t know what is, and, by comparison, I’m pretty sure Earth is an absolute paradise. You didn’t have to evolve to use tricobalt tetraoxide as an electron donor.”

    “We’ve also had five mass extinctions,” Fitz interjects. 

    “So has everybody else, including the Datsonians, even if their government would rather not admit that out loud. You’re not special.”

    Fitz snaps his fingers inside of the marshmallow suit, which does not work well with the thick padding of the gloves. “And that’s exactly what I wanted you to admit.”

    “Is that why you volunteered to come back down here?”

    “That was mostly a decision based on Parallax’s inability to find another poor sap that would be willing and able to come down here.”

    “Wouldn’t it be really funny if they send a Gzhelian in your place?”

    Fitz smiles, the sound of the air conditioners they use onboard the Cygnus Oscuro at a nice, toasty 200 kelvin having kept him from sleeping for nearly as many hours as Dex has wanted to disconnect xor audio input. 

    A beat of silence stretches in the space between them, but for the first time it isn’t immensely uncomfortable. 

    “We should probably be getting back inside the shuttle before it decides to close again,” Dex says, even if it would be very entertaining if they stood outside long enough for it to grow its own intelligence again. 

    After all, that’s kind of how xe got here. Xe’s going to get replaced by a shuttle door within the next couple of Eifelia years. 

    Xe’ll probably get assigned to, like, repairing the Cygnus Oscuro in all of the places the non-auton mechanics are unable to go, but at least xe’ll have discovered a wondrous new world before that happens. 

    while True: 

        # avoid getting hit by Fitz’s projectiles

# no, seriously, they’re dangerous

        update_coordinates()

        data_status = upload_data()

        if (data_status == True):

            break() 

[kellyvela]

What a good boyfriend Perry is. I hope he would continue to treat Sophie well.

It confused me. That an Aristocrat rich kid like Perry. Who is born into a massive wealth, connections, and privileges. Who also has been rich his whole life. Treat women better than the rat whose parents are bankrupt.

The rat has cruelty in him. That you expect from a rich kid like Perry. You think people who are from a bankrupt parents like the rat would has a good character. And, yet. It is Perry who is a rich kid. That is the one with a good character.

Hello anon,

I truly wish that Perry always treats Sophie well and they have a good, healthy, happy relationship.

But you know what? Your message reminded me to Deuxmoi Cheat Sheet & Podcast from November 2023.

This is the Deuxmoi Cheat Sheet from November 05th, 2023:

As you can see, that "exclusive source" belittled Sophie's new relationship as nothing serious, since they claimed Perry was casually dating other girls and went to a two weeks vacations just after kissing Sophie in Paris.

If he dated other girls after beaking up with his ex girlfriend, that's OK since he was single and the Daily Mail also reported that he attended Burning Man festival in Nevada where he was seen with some girls (I think some of them were probably members of his family because the whole Perason family loves to go there).

And it got worse in the Deuxmoi Podcast, when they read the whole email from that "exclusive source" that basically defamed Perry by calling him lazy (as if he doesn't work), entitled (he's too good to work), and a cheater (that he cheat on his ex girldfriend the princess).

You can listen all that here:

But the thing is, even that "exclusive source" that said all those nasty things about Perry, claimed that Sophie and him were BRAND NEW & NOT EVEN TWO WEEKS OLD.

I wonder who was that "exclusive source"??? The 🐀 PR Team??? Or Perry's ex *the princess* PR Team???

Because now we know that the cheater was another person:

And about him being lazy and entitled, I honestly don't believe that, I know he's basically a nepo baby, but he does work, he manages some companies, and is training to run his family estate by himself one day.

And for someone supposedly that *entitled,* he's fine travelling in commercial flights and trains, wearing jeans and adidas gazelle sneakers, and attending Lucha Libre shows in Mexico City.

Also, even if he accompanied Sophie to some LV events, he's not stuck to her trying to get some limelight for himself.

Anyway, thanks for your message.

[saint--claire]

Tagged by @blackidyll - thank you! (◕‿◕✿)*:･ﾟ✧ I had fun with this, this was a good one.

10 Films I Love: (not in order, because jesus, I can’t pick that)

1. The Little Mermaid.  Little me was obsessed with it, adult me still loves it, and all versions of me can still sing it (badly). 

2. Top Gun Maverick - MY BELOVEDS.  Something that (for me) the sequel was even better than the original.  TGM was such a brilliant sandpit to fic writers that I got back from my 2.5yr year writing slump, and got to get back the joy of that as a hobby.  Watched the ending in awe, having completely lost track of time in the cinema and with no idea about whether they were going to kill of Tom Cruise in a blaze of glory.  (For the record I am glad they did not).

3. Now You See Me - the ending to this day delights me.  I caught the movie by accident right at the start cooking dinner at uni one night, with the movie on the communal TV. 

4. The Old Guard - undying found family.  Beautiful dynamics between everybody.  Sweet romance.  Insane anti-hero who you know is going to stir some shit up.  Very hot woman swinging deadly weapons around.  Also love that.

5. Howl’s Moving Castle - Restful.  Old Sophie has the attitude on life that I want.  This movie is calm-down-and-drop-off-to-sleep - everything’s safe watching.

6. Glass Onion - A Knives Out Movie.  Just delightful.  The main thing I enjoy about this movie (apart from all of it) is how very obviously each actor is having the time of their lives.  They all look like they are having fun.  I also suck at murder mysteries and the endings are complete surprises to me every time, which is great fun.

7. Fast & Furious - I saw the trailer for FX yesterday and I am WILDLY excited.  It looks absolutely batshit insane and I nearly cried when Paul Walker came on. Another movie where the actors are all having the time of their lives.  Fast cars go zoom, cool stunts, great actors, a movie that understands exactly how far outside the bounds of reality and physics it is and still doesn’t give a shit.  Inspirational.

8. Pirates of the Caribbean - Boats!  Swords!  More cool stunts and pretty people!  Everything about the series.  I was about to say my favourite was the third, but then I remember the fountain of youth and curse of the black pearl and couldn’t commit.  Still absolutely obsessed with the King of the Brethren Court, and her hat.

9. Skyfall - I’m with blackidyll here, this was the best.  We were given so much - Q, James & Q, everything that happened with Skyfall manor, and James and M.  I will say Eva Green as Vespa remains my second favourite Bond Girl, as the first, clearly, is Q.

10. The Martian - Maybe I was lying when I said I couldn’t pick a favourite movie.  I adore this movie.  I watched it for the first time with my Dad, not having read the book, and then twenty minutes after it finished I found and read the book and loved that even more.  The love, emotions, desperation, and humanity gets me every time.  “Houston, 6 crew safely aboard”.

I am going to tag @milestaller @luddycris @glitterisblue - if you have the time and spoons xx.  Anyone else following me - also feel free to complete!

[grandma-battle]

hello and welcome to the grandma battle! here your favorite grandmas will battle it out to see who’s the ultimate grandma! ٩(ˊᗜˋ*)و

here are all of our competitors!

nana (luigi’s mansion) VS granny ethel (tumblr)

battle granny gertrude (tumblr) VS mamie (coline et colas)

abigail puckett (hoodwinked) VS toph (the legend of korra)

granny (once upon a time) VS suzi q joestar (jojo's bizarre adventure)

luisa castillo-flores (elena of avalor) VS bridgette mcguire (once and future)

granny (celeste game) VS abuela claudia (in the heights)

erina pendleton joestar (jojo's bizarre adventure) VS grandmama addams (the addams family)

ida manson (danny phantom) VS queen clarisse marie grimaldi renaldi (the princess diaries)

agathe/agatha (phantom spirits) VS seer (hollow knight)

 fairy godmother (shrek) VS gramma tala (moana)

tsubone (hunter x hunter) VS katara (the legend of korra)

daisy suchot (arthur and the invisibles) VS josefina ortiz/old woman josie (welcome to night vale)

gwendolyn clawthorne (the owl house) VS nana (madagascar)

evelyn (stardew valley) VS grandmother (the witches)

gran (the trouble with gran) VS granny (ice age)

sophie hatter (howl’s moving castle) VS pinako rockbell (fullmetal alchemist)

karin’s grandma (magia record) VS klara (saga)

grandma dowel (a long way from chicago) VS grandma (grandma got run over by a reindeer)

granny (loony toons) VS elvira duck (disney ducks)

yan lin (w.i.t.c.h) VS morri (critical role)

the polls will last one day, & i'll be posting two polls a day for now. a visual will be added soon, & i wish every granny the best of luck!

the first two polls will be posted at 8:00 tonight, EST

[applepi00]

I posted 4,048 times in 2022

That's 1,181 more posts than 2021!

675 posts created (17%)

3,373 posts reblogged (83%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@chubsthehamster

@ancientstone

@feralrookie

@idlenight

@nautilusopus

I tagged 2,241 of my posts in 2022

Only 45% of my posts had no tags

#emi rambles - 414 posts

#emi writes - 321 posts

#bsd - 258 posts

#bungou stray dogs - 147 posts

#soukoku - 132 posts

#phantoms - 126 posts

#reblog - 120 posts

#nakahara chuuya - 114 posts

#dazai osamu - 81 posts

#on love - 64 posts

Longest Tag: 140 characters

#okay i barely remember using the vcr because obvs nobody wanted grimy kid hands on it but i know it works and it’s weird seeing it explained

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

As per usual, my mum and I were watching Star Trek before bed, and we got to the second season episode of TNG called “Offspring”, in which Data has a daughter, and lemme tell you I was nearly crying by the end.

The beginning is very wholesome! Most of the episode as Data teaches Lal is very wholesome! But then the ending! It crushed me!

She exceeds Data, she achieves what I understand from sci-fi films to be the ultimate goal of artificial intelligence: human emotion. She experienced fear and confusion at the prospect of being separated from her father and the only life she’s ever known, and then a neural net failure. Data works doggedly at saving her, in a scene that very much screams frantic parent beneath the cool exterior of his android behaviour, especially as told by the Admiral.

And then Lal’s last scene. She experiences love, tells her father she loves him that she thanks him for her life, and he says that he wishes he could feel it with her, she replies that she’ll feel it for both of them. Then she shuts down, her expression goes first, then sentences become single words to describe her life, finally ending on “family”. Her last thought was of family, of the father that cared for her and taught her and loved her in what ways he could, and then she was gone. Omygod I was in tears.

79 notes - Posted January 4, 2022

#4

I’m reading Madeline Miller’s Song of Achilles, and I think the brilliant heart striking beauty of it (and of other tragic retellings, like Hadestown) is that we know what happens.

We know how this story ends, but we tell it again, we tell it and tell it in different words and different ways hoping that this time it will be different, this time it will be happy. But it never is. A tragedy hurts because we know it will, we know the living beast of it will arrive at that predetermined end no matter how we fight it. It’s an old story, but we tell it anyways.

92 notes - Posted January 18, 2022

#3

It breaks my heart seeing young queer kids ask if they’re allowed to use the “q slur” (direct quote) if they know they aren’t straight but aren’t sure what label they fit.

Like babes, yes of course, that’s the point of the word queer. It isn’t a dirty word it is an umbrella that covers all of us. You are allowed to call yourself queer.

99 notes - Posted April 15, 2022

#2

Mcr and Dan and Phil being around and trending in this year of our lord 2022, I feel like I’m thirteen again jesus fuck

130 notes - Posted September 7, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

I will say, the addition of the minor bit of time travel nonsense in Ghibli’s Howl’s Moving Castle is probably my favourite change to the story, just the “there you are sweetheart, I’ve been looking everywhere for you.” lives in my head rent free and it’s so good! So soft! Because this Howl really has been looking for Sophie! She told him to!

It just makes my heart happy.

200 notes - Posted October 7, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[butchsophiewalten]

Findjackwalten 07/14/23 Update Walkthrough

Last night Findjackwalten updated! We've got one page update and two new pages. Let's start:

Findjackwalten.com

Our main page has updated! Jack and Rose's pictures are gone, and the whole page is greyed out now as opposed to being red. The shutdown text has changed to read "You just couldn't stay home, could you?". The play button here still works, with all new audio. It's a car radio, first it's an afternoon weather report, then just some talk radio intermission, and then it's music. There's also car noise, tires on asphalt, chair squeaks, turn signal, and general Car Creaking.

I've already seen some people theorize that this is audio from Felix's drive home after the crash, but that doesn't make a lot of sense to me since that's already what Guilty is. Feels redundant, as much as I love the idea of Felix driving home listening to Yummy Yummy Yummy by Ohio Express.

Findjackwalten.com/martinguaridasecretanoentrar

This page's URL and title is in Spanish. It just means "Martin secret lair do not enter" and the title "q pasa tia" in this context is like, "whats up, girl?". Kinda gossipy. Meant to invoke a vibe that you're being let in on a secret.

The top of this page reads "92%", referring probably to the percentage of TWF4 that is completed. The rest of the page contains "3 funny walten facts" Which are:

"Bon the rabbit was originally called Bon the Dancing Hare by Jack, ultimately Felix vouched against that because Rabbit sounds friendlier."

This is so fun to me! I did always think Bon was pretty hare-like. Funny that Jack wanted Bon to be a Jackrabbit. Also I can't believe "Bon The Dancing Rabbit" is still real. It's been so long since I've heard anybody call him that I kinda figured it was retconned.

"During the late 70s, BSI expanded further than restaurant chains, the showstoppers became famous for way different products such as random merch, plushies, furniture, toys, watches, bed sheets, lanterns, masks, lamps, toilet seats. BSI most succesful product was "Showstopper's Comedy Extravaganza", a 1977 animated TV show that ran for 3 seasons and was cancelled in the 1979's to make room for a "bigger project". it is unknown what was the cause for BSI to milk the showstopper franchise to that extent, what was the money for?"

This is something we sorta already knew? Relocate Project implied this sort of thing But I guess we didn't really know how successful their merch ventures were until now. Turns out, they were pretty successful! The "Showstopper's Comedy Extravaganza" thing is crazy to me though, three seasons? That 'what was the money for?' comment is also very ominous. It makes me think of the planned relaunch of Bon's Burgers but considering how vague the comment is and how the Bon's Burgers relaunch was something we already knew about, I'm wondering if it's something else.

"Sophie lived on the back of a meat store for the better part of 3 years, she managed."

How do I even comment on this. This is just so fucked. It makes me sick to my stomach. She was homeless for three years? Homeless? For three years? As a teenager? I feel like i'm undergoing hitherto unexperienced Sophie Emotions. What the hell do I even say.

Findjackwalten.com/btscene

Just a whole page of behind the scenes stuff! This is also hard to comment on, really. It'd be easiest if you just went and looked at everything yourself.

There's a little play button here with Anything Goes by Cole Porter, but I think it's been edited to sound more echo-y. Like it's being played in a big empty room, but also like the next room over? I've listened to a few versions of this song before but none that sound quite like this. This is also the song that's referenced lyrically in the new years 2022 version of /investigation1, with this bit of writing:

A decent bit of the stuff on this page is from the old Patreon, but not all of it, or even like, half of it. And some stuff (like the blue and purple Felix drawing) is old concept art that had been shared in the Discord server before.

[theonlyfanslife]

Sophie Rain’s top 5 booty pics have fans completely obsessed

The 19-year-old OnlyFans star is captivating fans with her stunning looks, claiming she is the finest woman alive The guy in the back liked the view Instagram / @sophieraiin Redacción Actualizado a 24/09/2024 09:35 EDT Florida-based influencer Sophie Rain, who in an Instagram Q&A revealed she is single, has taken the internet by storm, making hearts smile with her stunning booty…

[warningsine]

Born in Chennai, India in 1987, Anjana Vasan grew up in Singapore before relocating to the UK to study drama. She has starred in films including Mogul Mowgli and Wicked Little Letters; her stage credits include Tanika Gupta’s production of A Doll’s House (Lyric Hammersmith, 2019) and Rebecca Frecknall’s A Streetcar Named Desire (Almeida, 2022-23), for which she won an Olivier award and an Evening Standard theatre award. Vasan has been nominated for Baftas for her TV work in Black Mirror and Nida Manzoor’s comedy We Are Lady Parts; series two returns to Channel 4 on 30 May.

1. Play

Machinal at the Old Vic, London

Machinal, by playwright Sophie Treadwell, takes inspiration from a case that happened in 1920s America, of a young woman called Ruth Snyder who murdered her husband, and her very public court case and execution. This is one of the best productions I’ve seen in a while: it’s taut and clear and uncomfortable. I felt it on a visceral level rather than as an intellectual experience. Even though the play is very unsentimental, in a brilliant way, I felt so much watching it, largely due to Rosie Sheehy’s central performance was electric – like an exposed cable. I could not take my eyes off her.

2. Cookbook

Japan: The Cookbook by Nancy Singleton Hachisu (Phaidon)

This book was a gift from my boyfriend. It’s written by an American who has lived in Japan since the 1980s and is married to a Japanese man, and she’s very much entrenched in the culture. Rather than a definitive expert on Japanese cooking, she presents herself as a conduit – she spent years getting to know not just chefs and experts, but grandmothers from different regions of Japan. I am quite intimidated by this book, but I’ve got my eye on the miso, aubergine and peppers recipe, and at some point I will attempt the udon noodles.

3. TV

Shōgun, Disney+

I haven’t been as invested in a TV show since Succession. The performances are incredible: the leads Hiroyuki Sanada and Anna Sawai, but also Moeka Hoshi and Tadanobu Asano. It’s historical fiction, which takes this character of John Blackthorne, an English sailor who is lost and shipwrecked in Japan and somehow ends up being part of all the political machinations that are going on. I want more TV like this, where I’m watching something through a different cultural lens to mine.

4. News

Q&A series by Isaac Chotiner for the New Yorker

This series on Gaza has been illuminating. It’s very sobering and depressing reading, but also necessary and important. Isaac Chotiner is a very skilled interviewer, going deep behind the headlines to really understand the specific problems and challenges. The last one I read was about unexploded ordnance and mines – there are now more in Gaza than anywhere in the world since at least the second world war.

5. Food

Oi Spaghetti + Tiramisù, London SE15

This was an accidental find. I was walking through Copeland Park in Peckham when I saw this tiny little shed: it’s a charming restaurant run by Francesco, who is also the waiter and chef. It’s clearly a labour of love for him: it’s only open for a few hours in the evening, Mondays to Fridays. There are three starters, and only spaghetti as the main – I went for the mushroom, cream and truffle, and it was one of the best plates of spaghetti I’ve ever had. Then dessert is tiramisu. It’s one of my favourite hidden gems I’ve discovered in London.

6. Shopping

Kastur Jewels, London W1

I walked past a store in Marylebone and saw this ring that looked a lot like something I inherited from my grandmother when she passed. I don’t own a lot of jewellery, but the few pieces I have, I like to feel I will keep them for ever. Kastur’s jewellery is inspired by heirloom pieces, and there’s a real range of prices – more high-end pieces but also a lot that are much more affordable. The two I bought are enamel: handpainted stud square earrings, and small golden pearl hoops. They feel like pieces you wish you’d inherited.

7. Art

Expressionists: Kandinsky, Münter and the Blue Rider, Tate Modern

I really loved this exhibition. There’s something about the colours: I read a review that said they’re colours you want to lick, and I agree – they’re very vivid blues and greens and purples. For me, art can sometimes feel like a time capsule, but the art in this exhibition felt very alive, especially the portraits. Kandinsky is someone whose work I’ve seen online but never up close. I loved his Riding Couple, and some of the Robert Delaunay pieces. And what’s lovely is that it’s not just paintings – there’s sculpture, photography and music. It was beautiful.

[cycagp445]

What is democratization

Remember her? Well, if you don’t, this is Charli D’Amelio who became TikTok famous in 2019. Let's talk about it. 

Let’s not forget her family TV show on Hulu called “The D’Amelio Show” which has 3 seasons as of 2023 (Caldwell, 2023). 

This is a prime example of the concept of democratization which means that the internet and social media are very accessible to everyone now (Oxford Languages, 2024). I think a lot of us can agree that we catch ourselves scrolling on TikTok or scrolling on Facebook for what feels like 20 minutes but it’s now dark outside and you didn’t make dinner. We as the audience determine what videos or what pictures we like and that is what gives the creator traction and that's the key to becoming internet famous. If you have ever seen a post that makes you so mad or so disgusted you want to comment on it trying to reach the creator to make them stop or you send it to your friend so you aren’t the only one who had to see it, well, that is also giving traction and making that creator one step closer to rising in fame. 

Now, what would happen if social media wasn’t a thing or it wasn’t so accessible, would Charli D’Amelio still be able to become famous? Considering her journey of competitive dancing I believe there could be a possibility that she would become famous for a dancer however, It’s very unlikely. In my opinion, Charli was able to gain her confidence online and with creating content with friends, if she didn’t blow up from that first lip syncing video or those dancing videos, I don’t believe she would've gained this confidence to become a famous competitive dancer therefore, In a way, she wouldn't becoming famous if social media was not a thing.  

Since democratization can work both ways, let’s look at someone who received negative consequences due to their social media access. 

In 2018 a woman proudly posted on twitter her new internship at NASA but later on, got let go. 

In the article written by Robyn Merrett shares that this woman posted “EVERYONE SHUT THE F... UP, I GOT ACCEPTED FOR NASA INTERNSHIP” and of course that post was seen by the NASA engineer, Homer Hickam where he replies with “Language” (Merrett, 2018). The woman then replies to Hickam saying “Suck my d... and b.... I'm working at NASA” then he reveals who he is. (Merrett, 2018).  

While the internet gives you the freedom to post almost anything, it doesn’t mean that what you say won't have repercussions such as getting fired, however, democratization can give you the desired fame you want on TikTok or Instagram as long as the audience clicks the right button. 

References 

Carolina Muniz, 2023. Marketing 4 ecommerce, How Charli D’Amelio became the second most popular tiktoker in the world. https://marketing4ecommerce.net/en/how-charli-damelio-became-the-second-most-popular-tiktoker-in-the-world/  

Google, 2024. Oxford Languages, Democratization. https://www.google.com/search?sca_esv=4c908fbc6c8bfb37&rlz=1C1SQJL_enCA921CA921&sxsrf=ACQVn09K7EgsPxrunJJxo_T9JXboOOa7yg:1709943862635&q=democratization&si=AKbGX_qbffDhNJNmNuoQO9DPv_17C1K1XhS0E42xOOmOMD5kdtCff_uel2bzCuTmhOiMWyHBmymGqLVtOS1tgaytRAgGxJvqthCWFqvaULJUTEZ8hhxJBZA%3D&expnd=1&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjbp5Kk9eWEAxW6jYkEHZ-ZDrAQ2v4IegQIHxAT&biw=1366&bih=599&dpr=1  

Sophie Caldwell, 2023. TODAY, Charli D’Amelio reflects on fame and the future: ‘Sometimes I feel like I’m still 15 years old’. https://www.today.com/popculture/charli-damelio-tiktok-profile-future-rcna91650  

Robyn Merrett, 2018. People, Woman Loses Prized NASA Internship over Vulgar Tweet- but she might get a better position. https://people.com/human-interest/woman-loses-nasa-internship-over-tweet/  

TikTok, 2024. Charli D’Amelio. https://www.tiktok.com/en/  

Images: 

[hollyfishlockcind3510]

🎞 Interviewing Jemma 🎞

This week we completed our final (maybe) interview with a current or past uni student. On Wednesday afternoon, we spoke with Jemma about her experience paying off her HECs and then being told she didn’t need her degree.

We met at the Q building at 11:30 to begin setting up. Jemma arrived at 12:30. I had prepared interview questions for Jemma. This week, we wanted to focus more on the background set-up, as this isn’t something we had considered in the previous weeks.

We asked Jemma questions surrounding HECs, her degree, and her current job. The key questions are listed below:

Could you start by talking us through your program? What degree did you study and why?

Tell us about your experience. Do you think the degree properly prepared you for a job in your field?

Did the quality of your education reflect the amount you paid for it?

Was HECs ever a consideration when coming to university?

What prompted you to pay off your HECs in one go? Do you think it was the right move?

How did you feel when you were told you didn't need your degree in your current job?

Is it worth going to uni?

Peter offered to edit this week, as I was busy with other commitments

A link to the edited video is below:

https://uoneduau-my.sharepoint.com/:v:/g/personal/c3399291_uon_edu_au/EbsrfNmxKlpBkPbiyEE0UqMBFWf8vnhTxw-2DpQnsF5O3Q?e=i8bE31

We also began to fill out a document with our availability during the mid-term break. We are aiming during this time to complete all interviews with experts, have all footage and b-roll recorded and ready, and begin editing both the text article and video documentary. Thankfully, we all are free for the majority of the break and will have plenty of time to focus on our project.

My contribution

This week, my main contribution was conducting the interview. I prepared the interview questions, helped set up the camera and audio equipment, and interviewed Jemma. My group members provided me with positive feedback, saying that I had spoken clearly and slowly, and I asked additional questions to those that I wrote down, to help gain further insight and get the interview back on track at times.

Challenges

One issue we faced this week was audio recording. Sophie unfortunately forgot her lav mic at home. Peter had his, and there was one in the camera kit, however this was one we were unfamiliar with. We eventually got it working through extensive trial and error.

Next week

We are unsure of what progress we will make next week. We may interview Lincoln, the 21-year-old who went straight into construction out of high school. He also quit this year due to how toxic the work environment is. We will discuss this and potentially organise a time. If we don’t do this, we will prioritise shooting b-roll and finalising research before beginning to construct our article and video.

Holly Fishlock c3398018