#talking about economics is BLEH

[genericpuff]

the Underworld is the only godly realm that was built on capitalism

So what's Olympus built on? Socialism? Are the gods and nymphs there living the good life compared to their underworld counterparts? Are Zeus and Hera good monarchs even if they're not good people? Or is it just bad in a different way?

Olympus does still participate in capitalism to a degree (especially considering that they do a lot of buying and selling between the Underworld, ex. Kore isn't the only one who travels for work between realms) but the realm was originally built on offerings and bartering which is a tradition that's still maintained between the gods themselves - and it's a big reason why they care for the mortals at all, because without their prayers and offerings, the entire foundation of their realm and the gods' status as rulers would crumble.

So in that way, the gods in power - aside from Hades who is an exception we'll touch on in a second - don't really care about the societal institutions of money, because money just doesn't really serve any function for them that the mortals' offerings - and their own abilities as gods - aren't already providing them. The capitalist system that exists in Olympus is more so to serve the residents who aren't being actively worshipped, such as the nymphs and satyrs (though some are lucky to gain recognition in ways that benefits them through offerings) and for budding gods who don't have as much influence in the Mortal Realm yet (such as Kore).

That said, there are plenty of complaints to be made about Hera and Zeus regardless of the economy that exists within Olympus, buuuut we'll be getting into those issues later ;3 As for the quality of life of Olympus vs. the Underworld, there are pros and cons to both, as with any economic system. The Underworld has a bit of a steeper divide between the rich and poor, but living in Olympus comes with the caveats of being in Zeus' territory where life can be... unpredictable, to say the least. BUT the Underworld being built on the free market has provided it with unique advantages through their technological advancements (ex. the existence of cars and cellphones in both realms is largely owed to the Underworld); whereas Olympus has greater access to the resources of the gods themselves due to literally being the home of the King of the Gods who everyone tries to keep in their good graces.

We've seen a mini example of this bartering system already back in Episode 56: Hera telling Kore she was going to help her with her garden wasn't just the Queen dishing out orders, she was telling Kore that gardening would be a sufficient enough trade for having her in her home and feeding her.

She's not offering to feed Kore for free (which WOULD be an honor coming from the Queen), she's telling her "I'll provide you with the company of royalty and good food / wine / etc. in exchange for your gardening services." (that said, it is still sort of a high honor in and of itself considering Hera wouldn't let just anyone tend to her property ;3)

But that brings us to the exception - Hades. The Underworld had to be built on a different system due to many of its gods and goddesses not being commonly worshipped, so offerings and tributes were hard to come by. For Hades especially, how was he supposed to earn the favors of mortals when they wouldn't even dare speak his name? This led to him having to build the Underworld on the value of specific resources - such as the minerals and metals and gemstones found in the Underworld itself - which were later refined into common currency that's now used across the realms.

Fun fact, this is also why Kore is ticked off that the Underworld costs a toll to enter for both shades and gods alike - because there isn't a toll booth to get into Olympus.

The Underworld has truly mastered the art of microtransactions LMAO

To wrap up this fun lil' lore dump, there's a WIP scene I have on the back burner that goes into greater detail on Olympus' bartering systems but I haven't had the chance to work it naturally into the story yet, I'm hoping it'll be included in an upcoming episode soon but it's basically a cute lil' shopping sequence between Persephone, Artemis, and Daphne :' )

(enjoy these never before seen sketches of Daphne sporting Y2K-style fashion LMAO)

[whowantslovergirl]

Nonsense

JJ Maybank x reader (reader is female with she/her pronouns)

warnings: this is a prequel to my other story feather so if you want to read that then go ahead but it can be read as a stand alone, ^ this means start the song 💋, cursing, suggestive, in readers POV, my queen sabrina again, hope you enjoy my loversss 🤍🤍 outer banks masterlist

Summary: JJ has Y/n thinking pure nonsense

posted: May 14,2024

Y/n recently started talking to this guy. JJ, yes he is a pogue but you never really cared about anyone’s economic status. He’s tall, funny, a risk taker, and overall really hot. It’s been only a month and he has her thinking pure nonsense. ^

Think I only want one number in my phone

I might change your contact to "don't leave me alone"

You said you like my eyes and you like to make 'em roll

Treat me like a queen, now you got me feelin' thrown, oh

Ugh. Everything about him just makes you feel all giddy inside. You feel like a teenage girl in a romcom or something. You really don’t want him to leave you alone. Maybe his contact might be changed to don’t leave me alone.

_____

JJ and Y/n were walking on the beach during sunset. Golden hour really frames his features especially his eyes. He looked at you and just stared. You giggled. “What are you looking at?”

“You have really pretty eyes.” Your face got flushed and you look down in embarrassment. “Would love to make them roll by the way.”

“Shut up!” You both laughed and you got to the twinkie. He opened the door for you. “After you malady.” He said in a terrible British accent. “Why thank you kind sir.” You said also in a terrible British accent. You love how he treats you like a queen.

But I can't help myself

When you get close to me

Baby, my tongue goes numb

Sounds like bleh, blah, blee

JJ invited you to a kegger and you went obviously. He said that he wouldn’t be able to survive if his girlfriend didn’t come. He’s so dramatic. He quickly saw you and guided you through the party after he got you a drink and you both just stood together.

He started getting closer and you started getting hot and flustered. He dipped his head to whisper in your ear. “You look really pretty tonight.” You started getting hot and your cheeks flushed. “Oh no I thanks you’re pretty too.” Y/n why would you say that? He laughed and got closer.

I don't want no one else

Baby, I'm in too deep

Here's a lil' song I wrote

It's about you and me

You were at a family get together and this guy who was your mom’s friend’s son kept making eyes at you. You didn’t make eye contact and felt a tap on your shoulder. “Excuse me?” He smiled.

“Hi I just wanted to tell you that you’re so beautiful and I was wondering if you wanted to get out of here.” You almost laughed. I mean you did used to have a crush on him but you’re with JJ now sooo you don’t really want anyone else.

“Oh no thanks I have a boyfriend.” He just nodded sadly and left.

I'll be honest

Lookin' at you got me thinkin' nonsense

Cartwheels in my stomach when you walk in

And when you got your arms around me

Ooh, it feels so good I had to jump the octave

You, Kie, and Sarah were at the chateau, just talking. Then the guys came in specifically JJ. Literal cartwheels in my stomach when he walks in. He sat next to me and gave me a kiss. He wrapped his arms around me and I just stared at him.

“You guys are disgusting.” Kie said pretending to gag. You both rolled your eyes.

I think I got an ex but I forgot him

And I can't find my chill, I must have lost it

I don't even know I'm talkin' nonsense

I'm talkin', I'm talkin' (ah)

You never been this down bad for a guy. There’s just something about him that just makes me feel tingly inside. Ugh I don’t even know I’m talking nonsense.

I'm talkin' all around clock

I'm talkin' hope nobody knocks

I'm talkin' opposite of soft

I'm talkin' wild, wild thoughts

He was rushing to get your top off almost ripping it off. “Make sure the door is locked.” You whispered since you were against the door he reached behind you and it was locked. He then pulled you over to your bed. When he got on top of you. Let’s just say he was the opposite of soft.

Then your alarm went off.

You gotta keep up with me

I got some young energy

I caught the L-O-V-E

How do you do this to me?

“I think I’m in love with you JJ.” He looked at you. He looked scared in a ‘oh shit’ type of way. “Yeah?” You nodded. “Well I think I’m in love with you too Y/N.” It sounded forced but you didn’t think anything of it.

But I can't help myself

When you get close to me

Baby, my tongue goes numb

Sounds like blah, blah, bleh, blee

You guys were in your room just cuddling and talking. “You know I’m crazy for you Y/N.” You giggled and looked at him. “Really?” He nodded and you laughed again.

Little did you know he was crazy for other girls too.

I don't want no one else

Baby, I'm in too deep

Here's a lil' song I wrote

It's about you and me

JJ and Y/n’s relationship was better than ever. She is still whipped for him and he is ‘whipped’ for her too. He gives her gifts unexpectedly, always spent time with her, giving her more love than anything, and she can’t see how it was suspicious but everyone else did.

But she’s in too deep.

I'll be honest

Lookin' at you got me thinkin' nonsense

Cartwheels in my stomach when you walk in

When you got your arms around me

Ooh, it feels so good I had to hit the octave

You guys are cuddling on the hammock just giggling to each other and everyone else is watching.

“Someone’s gotta tell her man.” John B said looking away. “Maybe Kie and/or Sarah could do it.” Pope mumbled. They both denied it.

“So what? We just let her be cheated on when we can tell her?!” They all got in an argument and you can hear them from outside.

“Do you think everything is okay Jay?” He nodded and he knew exactly what they were talking about. “Probably something stupid.”

I think I got an ex but I forgot him

And I can't find my chill, I must have lost it

I don't even know I'm talkin' nonsense

I'm talkin', I'm talkin', I'm talkin'

You noticed that your friends were acting weird completely ignoring you. JJ was as well. Maybe they know something. You went over to Kie and she immediately avoided eye contact. After watching a lot of criminal minds you know that she is hiding something.

“What are you hiding Kie?” She didn’t say anything. “Is it something with JJ.” At that she got up and left. So it’s something with JJ. Imagine if he cheated or something. Wait no that’s pure nonsense.

I'm talkin', I'm talkin'

Blah, blah, blah, blah, uh-uh-uh-uh

After further investigation you noticed every time you mentioned JJ. Everyone got all weird and nervous. If it’s something with JJ they should tell you. Right?

“Ugh I don't even know anymore.”

This song catchier than chickenpox is

I bet your house is where my other sock is

Woke up this morning, thought I'd write a pop hit

How quickly can you take your clothes off pop quiz?

You were looking for other sock when you got a text from Kie.

Kie 😝

I’m so sorry Y/n

What? Then a video came through and you dropped your phone and started sobbing.

It was a video of JJ making out with a girl. Then another video came in, different girl. Then another, different girl. There was five videos of JJ with different girls.

And to think you thought you found the one.

An: AHHHHHH hoped you enjoyed my lovers 🤍🤍🤍 until next time 💋💋

[andmaybegayer]

Last Monday of the Tuesday 2024-08-06

Was very busy with interview prep yesterday. Tuesday again no problem.

Listening: My Interview Prep music has been Siege Ubsessed! by Curta'n Wall because it calms me. In particular, Pict's Wall is a good one that allows me to just kind of get my heart rate stabilized before I have to talk to people about networking concepts.

Watching: Movie night was Mac And Me, the E.T. ripoff that was bad and not very good. Extremely funny movie that is extremely easy to project ideology onto. Very unfortunate design of... everything, really.

Movie night also involved watching the track and field event and I mostly bring this up to get everyone to check out the Canadian hammer throw guy who has the most astounding look.

powerous.

Reading: Finished The Monster Baru Cormorant which pulls a clever trick on you by simultaneously having a lot of things happen and almost nothing happen in the same book. You thought we'd get to Oriati Mbo, dipshit? No we're going to do economics on an island for a while.

I'll get on to Tyrant just now.

Playing: Picked up Dishonored 2 which is unfortunately experiencing some strange crashes which puts a damper on things, but man. What a gorgeously complicated game. You never get to do your first run through a Dishonored level again so it's really worth it to go full hog on exploration, my first run through Dishonored games is now bloody, which I think is a thing more people should do.

Making: Bleh.

Tools and Equipment: Never give me paper that is not grid square ruled. Grid squares are so useful, you can write on them, you can diagram on them, you can sketch on them, you can do maths. I got some for interview prep and it's so nice to have big grid square paper again, I have had an old line ruled pad kicking around for months and it sucks ass.

[sugaredrhubarb]

15 questions, 15 mutuals

tagged by @woodswit 💌

whose blog ive been lurking on for a bit now and whose book is near the top of my tbr so i will hopefully get to talk about soon!

1. are you named after anyone?

first name not really (tis a common noun so kinda?), but middle name is feminized version of my mum's dad

2. when was the last time you cried?

the other day from a book i think?

out of the crying everyday phase now that we're a couple weeks out from breakup so thats a yay

3. do you have kids?

i'm pretty young so no. but, i have always wanted them (got called maternal from a very young age, we don't have to talk about what that did to my psyche)

4. what sports do you play/have played?

did very minimal karate, ballet, gymnastics as a kid and then played soccer into highschool until i was too concussed <3

5. do you use sarcasm?

actually something im trying to lean on less - i try to be a kind person and find i lean on sarcasm as a defense mechanism even when its not how i want to be interacting with people

6. what's the first thing you notice about people?

probably something cliché like eyes but also the energy they are giving off and if they have humour about them, if that makes sense? not sure how to explain it other than some people are just heavier or lighter beings

7. what’s your eye colour?

dark brown, i used to not really like them but got this insane text from a guy friend™️ once so there's that

8. scary movies or happy endings?

firmly happy endings, im an absolute p*ssy with a pension for nightmares so keep scary shit away from me

9. any talents?

I'm a good talker, always could improv a speech or articulate my point well which has come in pretty handy in academic writing

i also can solo the shit out of a canoe so

10. where were you born?

born and raised in the same canadian city

i like to leave breadcrumbs of mystery

11. what are your hobbies?

reading and talking about books generally, watch quite a few sports with varying degrees of intensity (love hockey but have had a harder time with it over the past few years with how bad the culture is), a lot of time looking at/talking about politics but thats also my degree

also not sure if it counts but i really do love being a part of fandom/internet spaces

12. do you have any pets?

a family dog back home with my parents!

13. how tall are you?

about 5'9 which i think is pretty tall and i am very self conscious about

14. favourite subject in school?

oo it shifted a lot over time. i loved math early on because i picked it up really easily but that was a really hard subject to maintain when i was in and out of school for health reasons. so it moved to the humanities/lib arts

always enjoyed english and I'm a Politics, Philosophy, and Economics(bleh) major so do with that information what you will

15. dream job?

aha thinking about the future is terrifying. i'd really like to teach in the polisci field just because i have so many thoughts about the importance of education there but every now and then i consider being a librarian

or the younger wife of a rich man who wants to give me his money for books and philanthropy would work too

absolutely zero pressure tags of those i love and/or would love to get to know better: @chai-isms @ceilidho @ohbo-ohno @heatherdewhoney @ghosts-cyphera @winterrose527 @thegoodbutter @bluemoonjeans

and anyone else who would like to but im shy and terrified of annoying people (ill bring it up to my therapist)

[allsassnoclass]

Hazel! Can I submit ““i got you for secret santa so i got you this really expensive but sentimental gift that you’ve always wanted, hoping you’ll never find out it’s from me - and that i’ve been in love with you 1234567 years” for lashton??

as you wish my dear

Ficmas Day 2

Rating: teen and up

Read on AO3

Ashton knew he was screwed the moment he picked Luke’s name out of the hat for Secret Santa, but it doesn’t fully hit him until the night before the last day of school before break.  They’re going to exchange gifts once all of the students leave at the end of the day, and Ashton has to admit that he went a little overboard.

He’s supposed to wrap and bring one gift.  He has six.

“Hey, Calum,” he says once the other person picks up the phone.  “So.  I’m in a bit of a pickle.”

“Why?” Calum asks, voice tinny and almost overpowered by Michael’s very loud singing in the background.  He gasps.  “Ash, tell me you didn’t leave Luke’s present until right now.  There’s no way I can help you with less than 24 hours to go.”

“How do you know I have Luke?” Ashton frowns.  “Have you been snooping?”

“No, but I saw your face when you drew the name.”

Ashton sighs.  “Fuck, do you think he knows?”

“Well, he’d have to know that you’ve been in love with him since he started at the school, and we both know Luke is not self-aware enough for that.  You can’t drop hints with him, because he won’t pick them up.  Remember when we all went to eat and the waitress was tripping over herself to flirt with him?  He didn’t even notice.”

Ashton remembers that night well.  It hadn’t been the first time a stranger tried to chat up Luke, and just like every instance before Ashton had to tamp down his jealousy.  Luke is an attractive and appealing guy.  He can’t fault other people for noticing that too and shooting their shot.

“That doesn’t help my crisis.”

“Which is…?”

Ashton glances at the presents sitting on his floor with wrapping paper next to them.

“Can you come over?” he asks.

“You didn’t get him another dog, did you?” Calum asks dubiously.

“Of course not,” Ashton says.  “I’m not an idiot Calum.  Dogs aren’t surprise presents.  I just… still may have gone a bit overboard on this one.”

“Overboard how?”

“I have six presents and I need you to help me choose.”

Calum sighs.

“I’ll be there in five minutes, and I’m bringing Michael.”  He hangs up before Ashton can protest.  

Great.  Now instead of being subject to Calum’s quiet judgement, he’s going to have to deal with Michael laughing at him, too.

They find him sitting on the floor of his living room, wrapping paper tube in hand but no closer to figuring out what he’s doing.

“Hey,” Calum says, sitting down next to him.  Ashton grunts.  “Walk me through the presents.  Let’s see what we’re dealing with here.”

Michael flops down on the couch behind them.

“Well, I got him a cookbook, because I saw it at the store and know he wants to start cooking for himself more, plus it says they’re easy.  But cookbooks are so bleh, so I made a donation to the shelter he got Petunia from in his name, but I don’t want to show up and have him be the only person who doesn’t get to take something home with him at the end of the night, so then I started thinking about how he’s always late so I got him this personalized watch with his name and an engraving on the back, but I don’t want him to take it as something passive aggressive so I got him a framed artistic map of his hometown since I know he misses it, but then I thought that’s lame because he can get a map anywhere, so I called up his mom and there are these rings that you can get thumbprints engraved on so I worked with her and got one of those with her fingerprint because I know he misses her like crazy, but that’s way too much and I wasn’t sure if it would arrive on time so I got one of those books of affirmations and personalized a few for days when he feels bad.”

Calum gapes at him.  Michael pats him once on the head.

“I think you should just fuck him for Christmas.”

Ashton groans and buries his head in his hands.

“Shut up, Michael.  No one asked you.”

“I’m just saying!”

“Ashton,” Calum says slowly.  “We are teachers at a public school.  There was a $20 cap on the presents.  How much did you spend?”

“Um,” he says.  “If the cookbook was paperback it might have been less than $20.”

“Well,” Calum sighs, “at least you aren’t the economics teacher.”

“If you fuck him, it would be free.”

“Shut up, Michael!”

“Babe, stop antagonizing him.”

“But I’m right!”

Calum gives Michael a look that makes him sulk off to the kitchen, probably to eat all of Ashton’s ice cream.

“Okay,” Calum says.  “You can’t give him all of that in front of everyone.  He’ll definitely know you’re in love with him, and it’s not fair to everyone else getting smaller $20 gifts.  Wrap the cookbook and give him the rest later.”

Ashton grimaces.

“Luke deserves better than just a cookbook, though.  He’s…”

“He’s what?”

Ashton has known Luke for three years and is still no closer to figuring out how to describe him.  He’s an English teacher, yet all words fail when he thinks about the math teacher who’s classroom sits down the hall.  It makes him want to read more Shakespeare or Browning or EE Cummings to see if someone else can say it better than him.

Luke is a breath of fresh air when he’s been underground too long.  He’s flowers in bloom, meteors visible from Earth, and rain when the sun is still shining.  He’s incredibly grumpy in the mornings when he comes in to work, but always gives Ashton a smile.  He gives his students pop quizzes but doesn’t count them towards their grades, only uses them to see what concepts need clarifying.  He has his students complete logic puzzles for extra credit and brings snacks on Fridays.  He has stupid rhymes and songs to help people remember formulas and they actually work.  Ashton had never seen a group of students truly excited about math until Luke joined their staff.

“He deserves better than a stupid cookbook for his present.”

“Meet him later to give him the rest,” Calum says.  “Unless you want everyone else on staff to know you’re hopelessly in love with him, too?”

“You don’t,” Michael calls from the kitchen.  “If you think I’m bad, you have no idea what Sierra is capable of.  When she found out I like Calum, it was brutal.  Hey, do you have any chocolate sauce?”

“You were no help tonight.  You don’t deserve chocolate sauce,” he calls back.  Michael appears in the doorway with a bowl and spoon, distressed.

“I said you should fuck him.  If you need different advice, then do what Calum says.  He’s smart most of the time.”

“Aw, thanks,” Calum says.

“Most of the time,” Michael emphasizes, brandishing his spoon.  “You’re still stupid for liking the lesser science.”

“Please don’t start that again,” Ashton says.  “If you two start arguing about chemistry and physics I’m kicking you out.  I know it’s foreplay for you, and that makes it weird.”

“Well, Michael and I do have a lot of chemistry together.”

“Nice,” Michael says.  “We should use my lever to shift your center of mass.”

“I hate you both so much,” Ashton groans.

“You’d hate us less if you had a boyfriend of your own,” Michael says over his shoulder, already heading back to the kitchen.

“That’s not the point,” Ashton says.  “I’m not trying to get a boyfriend right now.  I just… I don’t know.  I want him to have nice things.”

Calum clasps his shoulder, giving him a small shake.

“You’re a nice thing, too.”

Ashton buries his head in his hands again.

“Hey.  He’ll love his cookbook, and if you give him the rest he’ll absolutely love that, too.”

Something crashes in the kitchen.

“I’m going to go check on him,” Calum says.  “Give Luke the cookbook.  Ask him to meet you later so you can give him the other presents.  I’ll be right back to help wrap them.”

Ashton nods miserably and unrolls the wrapping paper.

-/-

Ashton wakes up the next day with a headache already pressing against his skull.  Calum and Michael had stayed late the night before, helping wrap the presents and then poking at him until he agreed to play a few rounds of MarioKart with them.  Halfway through the first race he remembered that he still had papers to grade that he promised the students would be done before break, so he moved his grading to the living room and listened to Michael and Calum trash talk each other and the cheesy music of each course.  Nothing managed to fully distract him from the presents sitting in the corner, though, and even when he eventually went to bed he spent most of the night tossing and turning.

The kids are always squirly the day before a break, but the lack of sleep only makes his patience shorter.  The end of each class period brings a sigh of relief for everyone, and he relishes in the few minutes he gets where he can relax instead of teach as long as he doesn’t dwell on the impending gift exchange.

Not even seeing Luke this morning and having lunch with him had managed to ease some of the tension pressing against the base of his skull.  He can’t fully enjoy his company when he’s the source of his problem.

When the final bell rings, Ashton wishes he could rush out of the building with the students, but instead he puts his classroom back to rights, monitors the hall for a few minutes, then grabs his present and heads to the staff lounge.

“Hey,” Michael says, sliding up to him after he deposits his present on the middle table.  “How’s it going?”

“I’m shitting bricks,” Ashton says.  “And I slept like shit because you and Calum didn’t get out of my house until midnight.”

“Relax, dude.  It’s Luke.  What’s the worst that could happen?”

Ashton doesn’t say he could hate my present and then hate me or he might figure out that I’m hopelessly in love with him.  He shrugs.  Michael snorts, then promptly forgets about Ashton as soon as Calum walks in the door.  Luke walks in right behind him, so Ashton pretty much forgets about Michael, too, because Luke is wearing a red button up and black slacks and his hair is a big curly mess.  His math classes seem to be perpetually bursting with activity, and Ashton loves seeing the transition from grumpy and put-together to beaming and unkempt throughout the day.  Luke is the only person he knows who gains limitless energy from his students, always bouncing after the last class instead of exhausted by a full day of work.

Ashton doesn't have a chance to greet him before Principal Feldman walks in, promptly starting the gift exchange since "so many of us will be happy to go on break and there are a lot of us to get through."  He takes it upon himself to start passing out the presents.  Ashton joins along with everyone else "oooo-ing" and "ahhhh-ing" at each gift, but he's too distracted to try to help people guess who their particular Santa may be.

Michael gets a stapler and a gift card to an office supply store because he keeps misplacing his desk materials.  Calum gets a shirt with a chemistry pun from Anne in the office. Ashton ends up getting a small care package from Calum with some bath bombs, chapstick, and a scented candle because Calum says he needs to learn how to relax more.  Ashton is just happy it wasn't another mug with a book pun on it, because Calum likes sending him pictures of those whenever he runs across one but Ashton already has too many to fit in his cupboard.

Luke is one of the last people to open his gift.  He comments on the cute snowflake pattern on the wrapping paper then tears through it, flipping the book around to fully read the cover.

"It's a cookbook!" he enthuses.  "I need this.  Who knew I needed this?"  He looks around the room, lighting up once he locks eyes with Ashton.  "Ashton!  Is it you?"

"Yeah, that's from me," Ashton says.

"Thank you!" Luke beams.  Feldman quickly moves on to the next present and Luke opens the cookbook, pursuing the pages instead of paying attention.  By the time everyone has their present and starts to filter out of the lounge, Ashton has been doing breathing exercises to ensure he doesn't psych himself out.  Michael pats him on the back when he drags Calum out, which does less to encourage Ashton and more to ignite his nerves, but he's not about to let the other five presents he has go to waste.

"Hey, Luke," he calls.  Luke pauses in his tracks, stepping to the side to get out of the doorway and let the rest of their coworkers pass.  "Can you stop by my classroom?  There's another part of your present I need to give you."

"There's more?" Luke asks.  "Ash, the cookbook is already amazing, I don't need anything else."

"Don't you want to know what it is?" Ashton asks.

Curiosity wins out over any lingering politeness.  Luke eagerly follows Ashton out the door and through the halls to his classroom. It's tucked into a corner, which Ashton likes because it means he has a lot of windows, and he's been there for long enough that the walls are covered in posters, quotes, pictures, and some particularly striking student works.  Four boxes and an envelope sit wrapped on the desk in the same snowflake wrapping paper.

"Are all of those..."

"Yeah," Ashton says.  "I got a little carried away."

"Wow."

"Here."  Ashton hands him the envelope.  "Start here."

Luke tears open the flap as messily as he tore open the wrapping paper earlier, pulling out the donation receipt inside.

“This is the place I got Petunia,” he says.

“I know.”

“Thanks,” he says.  “I try to donate to them every year but… thank you.  They’ll be able to do some good with this.”

Ashton clears his throat.  “You’re welcome.  Here’s the next one.”

He unwraps the map next.

“I know you miss it,” Ashton says.  “There’s some star stickers in there, too, if you want to mark important places.”

Luke’s eyes glitter with memories as he looks over it.  He gasps and turns the frame towards Ashton.  “Here’s my house!  Right there.  And then over here was my school, and the movie theater…. Sorry.  You don’t want to listen to me go on about this.  What’s next?”

Ashton could listen to Luke tell him stories about his hometown all night, but he’s looking expectantly at him and there’s still three presents sitting on his desk.

He tosses him the watch next.  Luke fumbles when he catches it.  Ashton is extremely thankful that it’s packed in the box well and won’t break, especially when Luke shakes it.

He laughs when he sees what’s inside.

“I get it.  I won’t miss our lunch dates anymore.”

“Sure you won’t,” Ashton teases.  “There’s an inscription on it, too.”

Luke takes the watch out of the box and flips it over.

“‘Education is our passport to the future.’”

“‘Education is our passport to the future,” Ashton recites, “for tomorrow belongs to the people who prepare for it today.’ Malcolm X.”

“Appropriate,” Luke says.  “Thanks.”

He puts the watch on, struggling a little with the clasp.  Ashton reaches out and helps, careful not to make it too tight or too loose.  Luke’s wrist is soft beneath his fingers, a patch of smooth pale skin covering his pulse.  When he finishes, neither of them move away.

“It’s wonderful, Ashton.  Thank you,” Luke says.  “I’m going to wear it every day.”

“It suits you.”

Luke gives him a smile that sends Ashton reaching for another present before he does something uncalled for like lean forward and try to kiss him.

“This one’s for bad days.  It’s not much, but I wanted you to have reminders of how amazing you are.”

Luke rips off the paper and softens like butter once he starts flipping through the book of affirmations.

“A lot of them are generic, but there are a few personalized ones in there, and all of them are true anyway.”

“Ashton, this is too much,” Luke says.  “This is insane.  You went above and beyond Secret Santa.”

“Well.”  Ashton scratches the back of his neck, the feeling of a blush prickling under his skin.  “I can’t exactly return them since they’re personalized.  I kept seeing things that made me think of you.”

“Thank you.  I don’t--” he laughs-- “I don’t know what to say.”

“Save it until you get your last gift.  Then you can judge them all.”

The last box is the smallest, but it’s heavy with a phantom weight.  Ashton went above and beyond for this one, going so far as to contact Liz when he’s only talked to her a few times before, and Luke is either going to think it’s sweet or creepy.

“It’s small,” Luke says, testing the feel of the box in his hands.  He glances up at Ashton before taking off the paper, then again when he sees that the box is a ring box.  Ashton holds his breath while he opens it, wanting to spare himself from seeing Luke’s reaction but not able to look away.

The silver ring glints in the light, a thick band pinched between Luke’s fingers so he can look at it closer.

“What…” he trails off.

“I talked to your mum,” Ashton says.  “The engraving on the outside is her fingerprint.  I know you miss her, and this way you can have a piece of her with you all the time.

“I can’t accept this,” Luke says.  “It’s too much.”

He tries to hand it to Ashton, but he closes Luke’s hand around the ring and pushes it back towards his chest.

“It’s personalized,” he says.  “It doesn’t mean anything to me, so you need to keep it.”

Luke briefly looks down at the ring again.  When he meets Ashton’s gaze, his eyes are glistening.

“You’re going to make me cry,” he laughs.  “Sorry.  Thank you.  So Much.”

He reaches for him, and Ashton’s thankful that Luke seems to fit perfectly in his arms.

“I can’t believe you got all this for a stupid Secret Santa,” he sniffs when he pulls away.

“You deserve it,” Ashton says earnestly.  “I kept seeing things I knew you would appreciate.  Guess I got a bit carried away.”

“A bit,” Luke teases.  Ashton smiles.  Luke’s teasing is a different kind, always giving the impression that it’s somehow an inside joke between them instead of Luke laughing at him.

“I have something for you, too,” Luke says.  “I know I wasn’t supposed to, but if you got me so much I feel better giving you this one thing.”

“Oh?”

Luke reaches into his messenger bag and pulls out a book.  Ashton can tell what it is even before Luke hands it to him.

“Leaves of Grass,” he says, running his hand over the vines and leaves adorning the hard cover behind the gold leaf of the title.

“You said you wanted another copy since your old one is full of annotations.”

“You didn’t have to do this,” he says, tracing the swirling script of Walt Whitman’s name.

“Okay, Mr. I-got-a-billion-presents-for-my-Secret-Santa.  I wanted to give you something nice.”

It’s a thought Ashton has had thousands of times during his own gift-buying process, and that’s what compels him to finally ask “Do you want to go on a date with me?  We could go to dinner or a movie, maybe ice skating or something more festive?”

“I thought you’d never ask!”

Ashton grins, smile threatening to split his face in two.

“Maybe not ice skating, though,” Luke says.  “I’m all legs and no coordination.”

“Dinner, then,” Ashton says.  “Do you like Italian?  I could pick you up next week.”

“I love Italian, and getting picked up.”

“Good,” Ashton says.  “Great!”

“Great!”

Ashton knows his smile is verging on dopey, but it’s okay because Luke has the same stupid-happy look on his face.  Luke’s phone rings and shatters the moment, but Ashton can’t even be that upset when Luke takes a few steps away to answer, glancing back with immense fondness and answering the person on the other line with vague and distracted noises.

“I’m so sorry,” Luke says when he hangs up.  “I have to go.  I promised Sierra I’d help her with some last-minute classroom things.”

“That’s okay,” Ashton says.  “I’ll call you.”

“Okay,” Luke smiles.  “Please do.  I mean--yeah.  I’d like that.’

“I will,” Ashton says.  Then, because someone has to be responsible and get Luke out the door instead of locked in a staring contest, he stacks Luke’s gifts and passes them off to him.

“Okay.  I’ll see you later!  On our date!”

“See you, Luke!”

Luke stumbles on his way out the door, too distracted trying to look back at Ashton.  He’s right: he really is all legs and no coordination.

Watching him leave with his new book in hand, Ashton thinks that he got the best gift of all this year.

[carriagelamp]

September Book Roundup, back-to-school edition aka The Season Of Red apparently?

Here is a selection of the books I’ve read this month. Summer is over, so the little bit of brain power I had managed to scrape together is quickly disintegrating, so enjoying the hodge podge of stories.

Binti

This was probably my favourite book that I read this month. It’s a novella I first heard about hear on tumblr and went to find a copy in my library. I have since bought the collected trilogy so I can read book two and three at my leisure because it was honestly just that friggin cool. This is exactly my flavour of scifi and I tend to be very very picky about the scifi I consume. It’s about a girl named Binti, a member of the Himba people (a real group of indigenous people from Namibia). They are a people well known for their mathematical and technical prowess, but due to their strong connection to their homeland and the earth they choose not to travel through space like so many other humans do. However, when Binti secures a position at Oomza University, the greatest university in the galaxy, she chooses to go against her family’s wishes and traditions in order to set out into space to attend. Everything is ruined though when her spaceship is attacked by a hostile alien race and everyone is killed but Binti, who must rely on all her intellect and abilities if she wants any chance at survival.

A seriously cool book with great world building – it really successfully introduces readers not only to the fictional scifi world and races of the novel but also to the culture and traditions of the Himba people. It’s a quick read, and feels like a cross between Dead Space and Tamora Pierce. Would totally recommend a read.

Fake Blood

A Canadian graphic novel. It was a goofy cute read. It’s about an awkward group of friends in middle school, and one boy with a crush on one of the girls in his class. Knowing her love for vampire stories, AJ decides, like any self-respecting middle schooler, to try to pretend he’s a vampire. Naturally nothing goes right and some things go wrong in unexpected ways. It’s funny and cute. Nothing amazing but it was a cozy evening read.

The Last Book On The Left

I’ve been listening to this podcast a lot since my friend recommended it to me and finally decided to read their book. For those that don’t know, The Last Podcast On The Left is a immaculately researched comedy podcast that’s hosted by Ben Kissel, Marcus Parks, and Henry Zebrowski, and explores the darker realms of human nature. Ghosts, paranormal, aliens, cults, and of course serial killers. In this book they collected several of their biggest name serial killer series, did some renewed research, and put together a book that is both informative, irreverent, gross, and very funny, complete with some really amazing illustrations by Tom Neely. A very cool read (and listen, if you decide to check out the podcast instead), I really love how they tell these stories without idolizing or romanticizing the people they talk about. Their humour always makes sure you know exactly how much of a pathetic loser these people are. Fantastic true crime, from someone who has never really felt the need to read about true crime before.

Midnight Sun

I won’t harp on this one, everyone is already going to firmly have their opinions here. I grew up on Twilight, I was reading them as they came out, and I still love them. Were they dumb? Oh my god yes. Did they have problems? Sure, they came out in 2005 it was part and parcel. Were they also a really fun for a thirteen year old to read? Absolutely, I don’t regret it. Sometimes teenage girls should just to get like things without being mocked.

Anyway, I am off my soapbox now (can you tell this is still a raw spot for me?) I unironically loved this book! Getting to see Edward’s perspective was really cool, and since he can read minds it essentially let you get the perspective of everyone else around him too. The Cullens family is a great set of characters so it was really cool to see more of them, and I was very impressed by how Stephenie Meyers took a YA romance she wrote in 2005 and was able to make it feel updated and more appropriate for a 2020 audience even though she couldn’t actually change any of the events themselves. So fans of Twilight, don’t be ashamed, go read Midnight Sun and have the shameless fun you deserve. Is there anymore appropriate book for the bizarre ass year that was 2020 than a return to this goofy nonsense?

The Paperbag Princess

(and Up, Up, Down, and Robert Munsch in general)

I’m back in schools so I’m back to reading children’s book! And honestly, and of you that don’t occasionally sit down and read a kids book out loud don’t know what you’re missing. Anyway, Robert Munsch is a Canadian author, and one of my all-time favourite children’s authors. It surprised me to learn he isn’t as well known in the States apparently? I don’t know if that’s changed or not, but he is a Canadian staple for a good reason, his books have ridiculous premises, are specifically written to be fun to read out loud, and have beautiful, involved, and hilarious illustrations. The Paperbag Princess is one of my absolute favourites, and as a kid it was one of the first stories I had ever read where a princess is the one saving the prince… and then telling the prince to piss off when it turns out he’s a jerk. Up, Up, Down is another favourite I reread this month, because it’s just hilarious funny and makes a fantastic read aloud with kids. Some other Robert Munsch I reread this month include: Mmm, Cookies, More Pies, Ribbon Rescue, Just One Goal, and Andrew’s Loose Tooth. You just cannot go wrong, for kids or adults.

Pit Pony

Another Canadian staple while I was growing up. If you’re a young adult know who went through the Canadian elementary school system, you probably had your entire heart ripped out and stepped on by this chapter book. It’s a historical fiction that looks at the economic hardship, debt slavery, child labour, and animal abuse that was tied to coal mining in the Maritimes. Finding a copy was harder than I would have expected give how pervasive it was a decade or so back, but reading it again was a pure shot of nostalgia.

Seeking Refuge

A graphic novel written by a German-born Canadian about a Jewish girl who flees Nazi-occupied Austria by way of Kindertransport to become a child refuge in England. It follows her as she is moved from host family to host family as the war continues to pick up and gradually makes it’s way to the United Kingdom as well. It’s very poignant and the pencil-sketch illustrations are an interesting change to a lot of the graphic novels that are out right now. This story is still aimed at a younger audience, so it never gets too brutal but it still is a hard hitting story, especially with everything else going on right now.

Silver Spoon #9/10

I know I’ve talked about these books before, but my library got some more since I last read them, so I’m continuing my way through the series. It’s about a teenaged boy who, after having a breakdown from the pressure he was feeling to study and succeeded, decided not to attend an academic, urban high school, but rather to apply for an agricultural high school so he could live in the dorms, far away from his parents. The series just gets more and more heartwarming as it continues. It’s all about failure and overcoming and how worth can be measured in different ways, and about family and understanding each other and coming together… but also about the realities of farming which aren’t always very nice, especially when it comes to finances and survival. It’s written by the mangaka behind Fullmetal Alchemist but I’ll be honest… I think I like this series more. It is honestly one of my all time favourite manga series, it just has so much heart.

Ruby Finds A Worry

aka Ruby’s Worry apparently? I can’t figure out why this has more than one title. I actually read it in French not English, so for me it was Le Souci de Calie. Regardless, this was a nice little picture book for talking about worries and anxieties with children… especially with the amount of Covid stress a lot of kids are dealing with. It explains in a really nice way how talking about anxieties are often the best way to make them more manageable, and how pretending nothing is wrong can just let it grow bigger and bigger. A good explanation for kids and possible a good reminder for adults.

War of the Realms: Journey Into Mystery

I read this because the Mcelroy family wrote it so I figured Hey! Why not give it a go! And I’m glad I did. Their brand of humour was all over it, and it made the story a delight to read. I don’t follow all of Marvel’s weirdness, so I didn’t actually know most of the characters (Miles and Kate were actually the only two I was familiar with) but they do a great job of introducing the characters and making them all feel distinct and interesting. I absolutely adore the Dog of Gods (God of Dogs) who is a very very good boy. And Miles is absolutely always a delight so you can’t really lose. It’s a single book that I think is a part of a larger plotline that I have zero interest in. This book is a fine one to read though if you don’t mind jumping into the middle of the action and just getting swept along for the ride. Also Mcelroys!

Witcher Omnibus

Bleh. Absolutely not worth it. All the misogyny and Dumb Bullshit that I hate in the original books and from video games in general. Honestly, Witcher III did way better by its characters than most of these short stories. The only one worth reading in it is Curse Of Crows – that one was actually really enjoyable, probably because it was about Ciri and had an actual fucking woman on the writing team. (Seriously guys what were you thinking with Fox Children that’s literally just a story from Season of Storms but done worse. Fuck off.) If you like The Witcher, go read Curse of Crows and skip every other story in this book.

Billy Stuart: Les Zintrépides #1

Another French (Quebecois) book I read, though I believe you can get it in English as well (Billy Stuart and the Zintrepids). It’s a chapter book / graphic novel hybrid, and was honestly a fairly fun little read. It’s in a similar vein to Geronimo Stilton but done much better in my opinion. The humour was funnier, the characters felt less like caricatures, and while it still used stylized fonts it was also less intrusive and eye-strainy than the Stilton books. Also when the story suddenly pivots into the main adventure and mystery of the series? Fantastic. Was not expecting a hell-beast to appear part way through the story. Very interested in reading more.

Over all, it was cute and funny, and I can see it being a good next step when children have read their fill of the Stilton series and want something similar but possibly a bit more involved and coherent.

[zevlogofamiserable]

Meta #5: Fanon, canon and my own shenanigans

If there’s a truth universally acknowledged, it’s that Prouvaire is a Cinnamon Roll too pure for this world. Hugo said it himself and that’s probably the only thing on which everyone agrees. 

Jean Prouvaire était une nuance plus adoucie encore que Combeferre. Il s’appelait Jehan, par cette petite fantaisie momentanée qui se mêlait au puissant et profond mouvement d’où est sortie l’étude si nécessaire du moyen âge. Jean Prouvaire était amoureux, cultivait un pot de fleurs, jouait de la flûte, faisait des vers, aimait le peuple, plaignait la femme, pleurait sur l’enfant, confondait dans la même confiance l’avenir et Dieu, et blâmait la révolution d’avoir fait tomber une tête royale, celle d’André Chénier. Il avait la voix habituellement délicate et tout à coup virile. Il était lettré jusqu’à l’érudition, et presque orientaliste. Il était bon par-dessus tout ; et, chose toute simple pour qui sait combien la bonté confine à la grandeur, en fait de poésie il préférait l’immense. Il savait l’italien, le latin, le grec et l’hébreu ; et cela lui servait à ne lire que quatre poètes : Dante, Juvénal, Eschyle et Isaïe. En français il préférait Corneille à Racine et Agrippa d’Aubigné à Corneille. Il flânait volontiers dans les champs de folle avoine et de bleuets, et s’occupait des nuages presque autant que des événements. Son esprit avait deux attitudes, l’une du côté de l’homme, l’autre du côté de Dieu ; il étudiait, ou il contemplait. Toute la journée il approfondissait les questions sociales, le salaire, le capital, le crédit, le mariage, la religion, la liberté de penser, la liberté d’aimer, l’éducation, la pénalité, la misère, l’association, la propriété, la production et la répartition, l’énigme d’en bas qui couvre d’ombre la fourmilière humaine ; et le soir, il regardait les astres, ces êtres énormes. Comme Enjolras, il était riche et fils unique. Il parlait doucement, penchait la tête, baissait les yeux, souriait avec embarras, se mettait mal, avait l’air gauche, rougissait de rien, était fort timide. Du reste, intrépide. 

So he’s soft… soft and soft again, but suddenly manly, suddenly brave, suddenly something. He’s also said to be an orientalist (bleh) his name comes from the romantic obsession with the medieval  (“Jehan” is just the old way to say “Jean”)… but he’s also super practical and studies concrete social, political, economical issues and like everything in his description is contradictory (he’s like that, but like that) and you don’t get much from it besides, he’s an intellectual but a dreamer … erm… kinda like the others… maybe a bit more emotional.

Prouvaire the cinnamon roll

I feel like Hugo’s depictions of the ABC is sometimes too much and too little. He describes them in full detail as if they were all protagonists with many nuances and subtleties, compares them to one another as if we already knew them (you can make a Les amis scale from the romantic Marius to the intense Enjolras) but they don’t appear much and he fails at having them “show not tell” who they are, at giving a clear impression of them through their actions except maybe for Enjolras and Grantaire. He says that one is such. but such and also such: Bossuet is unlucky but joyful, Lesgle thinks he’s always sick but is joyful, Courfeyrac is… like Tholomyes but nice… Everybody is joyful… well except Enjolras maybe. But do they show who they are through their actions?… if we ignore a few lines, they’re mostly interchangeable during the barricades scenes. Be honest. They’re not types… but they’re not complex beings either… They’re… hard to grab… to be honest...I mean like real people I guess?

As I was writing my webseries, I really tried to get as many things as I could from the book, but it was both so imprecise and yet so overwhelming with timely references that I ended up reinventing the characters and some reinventions don’t match with the popular fanon, which is both based on the musical and the Brick. (And like it’s good, the fanon is interesting and a collective rebuilding of the characters and again I love some elements of it so much! Like Musichetta/Lesgle/Joly = Poly yay!)

So, rereading the book, I ended up with something like a Breakfast Club archetype list: Enjolras, mega charismatic cold leader; Combeferre, intellectual; Prouvaire,  Cinnamon Roll, dreamer; Courfeyrac, charming, sassy (he has “de l’esprit” it means sass); Lesgle and Joly,  the fun eccentric ones, work as a duet; Bahorel, bad boy who knows the real shit; Feuilly, good boy who knows the real shit; Grantaire, sassy intoxicated unreliable bad-boyish one with a heart. I already talked about the writing of Grantaire here. I replaced booze with weed. That’s the main difference. He was easy to modernize. It was more complex for Enjolras, I talk about it here.)

Courfeyrac, nonchalant! Charming? but overall sassy/salty

… And then I had to make this work with a vlog/fanfic format, to avoid the repetition of characters, to update them and to make new political agendas carried out by my activist friends fit in. But I kept some things: Courfeyrac, Combeferre and Prouvaire are very close to my original ideas of them and Lesgle and Bê (who replaced Joly) are a duet with eccentric sass (although, I’m afraid Grantaire took a lot of the eccentric).

The eccentric sassy duet Lesgle and Bê

Now… would I say that the characters I got out of the book are more accurate than the depictions I see in the fanon? Nope… but I tried to get things from the book, in my own way. And the fact that it’s divergent from common fan-readings could prove… my cluelessness and ignorance (well if I may? I don’t think so lol. I’m French and I’ve studied Hugo a bit… and scholars don’t agree on the dude’s writing goals), but also simply the fact that the dear Totor… wasn’t so “precise” in his descriptions of the ABC, which is more of a collective that he mostly fails to present as a sum of individuals because… he gives too many details about them. I really think an efficient character description, especially if there are MANY characters, is to give key elements that can structure a coherent type and Hugo… didn’t have that goal (because he was thinking of people he knew and yadi yada and it’s a respectable goal as well). Hence, diverse interpretation and that is really interesting!

Combeferre the intellectual who wants to work together!

[sai-reads]

penpal wanted!

Hello,

I’m a 24-year-old college student on the east coast of the U.S. looking for a penpal around my age or older, so at least 18. I’m well-traveled and well-read and I am currently looking for an excuse to write letters on this old typewriter and my handmade stationery... but finding someone to connect with as friends would also be wonderful.

I’m studying economics and politics but currently focus on more classical political theory e.g. Machiavelli, Plato, Aristotle, Locke, etc. This is an escape from the modern world a bit, so don’t worry, I won’t talk about politics or current events unless you’re also interested.

I just got my associates and I’m in the middle of applying to schools (bleh) so I’d be happy to correspond with older students or people not currently in school.  You don’t have to be in school to be a part of dark academia, and self-teaching is the most classic form of learning. 

 I’m an avid reader, and I’m currently interning at one of the biggest libraries in the world, if not the biggest, and I worked at a small college library for three years. I also love art and art history, both classic and modern -- I’m ready to defend blank walls and urinals, and Rothko. 

I love baking and cooking as well and would be happy to send my favorite recipes. Also, If you’re a writer, or just interested, I could also share poetry or short stories that I’m working on. I also love languages, and I’m currently learning French, Korean, and Latin, and I would be happy to send short messages or poems in French or Latin to work on my translation skills.

I know some people find the dark academia trend a little corny or pretentious, and I can see why there’s #discourse about it being less than inclusive, as a broke, black, queer, immigrant, and an older college student. However, the aesthetic always spoke to me and I will admit that I read The Secret History because of it, but I LOVED the book and I’m forgiving about anything that gets people to read good books. I just wanted to acknowledge this stuff though, and also let anyone else who is an older student, or not in school currently, or a person of color, or immigrant, etc and feels left out know that I would be the perfect person to write to.

I’m getting a P.O. Box as soon as the post office by my house is open again. I’m hoping to send letters every two weeks.

P.S. this was super long, but it’s not even half of the stuff we could talk about, to be honest. I grew up in a military dictatorship; I’ve lived in six different countries (including England and Ethiopia) and traveled to a few more; I’ve changed my major a lot, and in one lifetime I was a premed student doing research on cancer metastasization and genetics, and I love questions.

[jacensolodjo]

sansael replied to your post: sansael replied to your post: ...

Or later on, how USSR government won’t give villagers passports so that they won’t move to different areas.

sansael replied to your post: sansael replied to your post: ...

I mean. Digging deeper, Shevchenko’s st Petersburg friends had to crowdfund to buy him out from his master, how is that not a definition of slavery? I hater ukr literature with passion at school, because all we seemed to read only poems and stories about working for the pan, the horrible fate and working fingers to the bones, and how they had to ask pan’s permission to get married.

I actually have a post in my drafts I’m working on detailing that (or, both?)! I’m not happy w/ some of the wording of it but I’ve been feeling so bleh lately and haven’t been able to get my notes together cause of it haha. 

(along with some stats about how every single urban commie was entirely fucking wrong about the country folks especially where their own economics and civic mindedness were concerned.)

I suppose it’s easy to kinda overlook it because the Emancipation of said ‘serfs��� happened in 1861 and a lot of other stuff was also happening that year (especially in the West) but like. it’s still important and it’s not impossible to care about multiple things nor does it happening in eastern europe diminish what was happening elsewhere in the world and it feels like people are afraid it does/would to talk about it? (and like i don’t blame people for NOT knowing right off the bat but also it feels like people shrink away from learning it???)

[noelandrae]

Top Ten Underrated (Or At Least in My Opinion) Ensemble Comedies

It’s time for me to talk about all the ensemble comedies that don’t get the credit they deserve.

I’m a fan of top ten lists and can spend a whole day watching them on YouTube—in fact, I have. But whenever I see a list of amazing sitcoms/comedies the same shows are given credit for being AMAZING, GROUNDBREAKING, HISTORY-MAKING, and bleh.

I think we all know the definition of an ensemble comedy, but in case you don’t:

Ensemble acting noun

1.an approach to acting that aims for a unified effect achieved by all members of a cast working together on behalf of the play, rather than emphasizing individual performances.

With all that out of the way, let’s move on to the list!

#9 A Different World

*queue the theme music* and sing along because I know you know the words.

I feel like I don’t have to spend a lot of time explaining A Different World because it’s such a classic. But for those of you who don’t know, A different World is a college-based comedy that premiered in 1987. the show takes place at the unfortunately fictional Hillman College--a historically black college in the south. As a college grad I can tell you that I would have had a lot more fun if I had gone to a school like Hillman. 

The show is a spin-off of The Cosby Show but don’t let that put you off. The first season follows Denise Huxtable--arguably the coolest of most fashionable of the Cobsy children--and her journey through her sophomore year at Hillman. Denise is played by Lisa Bonet who is also very cool looking in real life. She’s married to that big guy from Game of Thrones who’s name doesn’t matter because this isn’t about him. 

During Denise’s first year we’re introduced to so many unforgettable and classic characters. 

Whitley Gilbert the southern belle. A woman of high-class and sophisticated tastes glides across the campus and demands attention everywhere she goes played by the just as classy Jasmine Guy. 

Dwayne Wayne played by Kadeem Hardison made those flip up sunglasses iconic. At first portrayed as a typical string-bean college guy hitting on every woman he came across, but also head over heels in love with just one girl. In the first season that girl was Denise was that girl, but after Bonet’s departure from the show he found his soulmate in another. 

Jaleesa Vinson played by Dawn Lewis is meant to be this intimidating woman upon first appearance. She’s tall, older than most students, she’s been married before, and she’s all business--taking her school work very seriously. But in reality she’s this sweet, goofy, and ambitious woman. 

Sinbad (yes, Sinbad) played Coach Walter Oakes and was actually pretty hilarious. It’s one of those you have to see it to believe it sort of things. He was there as a voice of reason for the men around campus. A sort of guiding light and moral high-ground for them when feeling lost. 

Ron Johnson played by Darryl M. Bell was a comic relief for most of the series. He was also Dwayne’s right hand man through it all and starred in the main role in one of the show’s most poignant episodes “Cat’s in the Cradle.”

The first season had many other characters that were meant to be season regulars such as Marisa Tomei as Maggie Lauten and Loretta Devine as Stevie Rallen, but due to changes going into season two they either left the show or were just removed to bring other characters to the forefront. 

Season two introduced us to Freddie Brooks played by Cree Summers also known as the woman who voiced your childhood. Bringing characters to life such as Susie Carmichael from Rugrats and Numbuh Five from Codename: Kids Next Door. Freddie is admittedly problematic but was the embodiment of the activist student. 

We also got my personal favorite character whom I refer to as “Big Sister Dark and Lovely” Kimberly Reese played by Charnele Brown. Smart, beautiful, ambitious, great friend, complex, etc. Kim had it all. She became Whitley’s best friend and confidante as the series went on. 

Characters such as Colonel Bradford Taylor and Mr. Gaines also became series regulars by the second and third seasons. By the end of the series the cast also included Jada Pinkett, Ajai Sanders, and Karen Malina White. 

As you can see, this ensemble included many familiar faces and iconic characters over their six seasons. These characters spanned so many different age groups, cliques, personalities, economic classes, and cultures that there was a little something for everyone when they watched. The series made a point to talk about current issues that affected students and black people at the time it aired, but these discussions are still relevant today. A Different World is worth a watch by everyone so it can leave its mark on a new generation.

Rae Beary

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[scriptfeature]

ScriptX Family Weekly Update

5/24/2017

Hey y’all and welcome back to the update. Bleh bleh bleh bleh intro, let’s go.

Announcements

@scriptmedic has instituted a new system of answering her extensive asks. See her post about it here. 

Featured Posts

Steam Punk Solo Run

Your steampunk character has to get up the river. Can they operate a steam ship on their own? Plus how big of a ship could they operate. @scriptsailor talks about how this may work.   

Apocalypse: 1929 

It’s the end of the roaring twenties and everyone is having the time of their life. Your character, however, has noticed that things aren’t going uphill as much as they have been. In fact, they’re worried about a huge economic crash. What would they do? @scriptaccountant has some ideas.

Silent Inquisition 

History is sadly full of many occasions of governments treating certain groups of people as inferior. Sometimes though, these can be used as inspiration for our writing. @scriptpastor had an ask about a similar subject and gives us some ideas for our own writing.

Ze Red Headed League

Your character is traveling in Germany on an assignment from their agency. For their assignment, they must find another character. The only clue they have is that the second character has red hair. How hard could that be to find? @scriptgerman has some help for us.

Mod Riley: Superqueero

In this post, Mod Riley of @scriptspoonie talks about a project they took on one time for fun. Being a spoonie, it took a lot out of them. From here, I’m going to let them explain as they have actual experience, so go ahead and click that link.

California Roses

California is hot. Trying to grow roses in a climate like that may be slightly difficult. However growing them inside might help, but there’s less room. How can one find the balance so that their roses are beautiful and healthy. @scriptflorist had a couple ideas.

Ask Box Statuses

@scriptmedic’s ask box is being revamped as mentioned in announcements.

New Family

No new family this week.

And that’s all for this week. Until next time, this is your host signing off.

-Splat

[assassinshadow17]

I’m ready and also going to be very observant on how Lindsay will play into Cooliver. 

Sadly yes, only 1 more Cooliver episode(grand season finale!) but I hope it’ll be some good content(also confirmation of feelings plz!)

But, Scenario 1 for Lindsay: Platonic/Realization - Oliver talks with Lindsay and they catch up a bit, he’s glad she’s back, but has some realization when she starts talking about her current life and if college(if she is attending) affects her life and gives some advice for him. Maybe she makes a joke about Cooliver?! But moving on. Taylor then comes in and that’s Lindsay’s cue to leave. Taylor gives Oliver advice on his future and what he wants or ‘who’ he wants. Oliver is now very curious and wants to ask Lindsay sometime later for more advice or just another catching up session. Cooper is now on Oliver’s mind, setting up a Finale of trying to tell him how he feels. This scenario makes Oliver snap into his feelings or shut out emotions of Cooper, he wants to chase them now. Realizing it could be too late if he doesn’t NOW.

Scenario 2: Conflict/Love Triangle - An unlikely scenario(I still believe the age gap is too controversial and gross asf, I’m sorry but its just bleh-) But like in Scenario 1, Oliver is actually more interested in Lindsay and doesn’t know what he feels, but then they talk some more about Cooper and Lindsay noticed some feelings. Taylor comes in, Lindsay leaves. Taylor tells Oliver to choose what his heart wants in a future significant other. Is it someone like who Taylor wants?(Older and wiser, apparently TA/Andre is this smh) or someone who is a close friend and would journey through hell and back for them?(Cooper obviously) This scenario could get Oliver thinking about his emotions besides his academic, economical future. 

Scenario 3: Just Friends: Or maybe I’m just overthinking and Lindsay is just here to be another friend to Oliver and maybe she could help with the Gyftte app?(if interested of course) There’s a reason Lindsay is here and it won’t be for just one episode I believe(until it is, watch it be one episode lol) This pretty much doesn’t move any plot though and has Cooliver remain at a stand still.

I’m hoping for Scenario 1, which I can see is likely, or it might just be Scenario 3 lmao. However, I want Cooliver PUSHED to its darn limits cause nothing is getting done with them. So I want a strict answer if they WILL or WON’T end up as a happy couple. I want the facts and its time for the writers to decide, they have the material to make this work. Its. Time. To. Confirm. It.

Cooliver, now or freaking never by the end of this season!

Its time to stop playing with the kiddy toys and get the big guns for the ultimate reveal storyline! Cooliver dammit or we RIOT! 

Are y’all ready for tomorrow’s episode of American Housewife? We’ll only have two more episodes left and less than 20 minutes of Cooliver, for a while. Or maybe ever 😭. Let’s hope the last we get of them it’s fantastic, and that the series gets renewed for many more seasons. 🥰

[bitletsanddrabbles]

WIP Wednesday: SCRAP TIME!

Monday was great. Monday was soooo productive!

I couldn’t help picking up one of the responses @o-rchidae gave to my mashup challenge. I mean, it pretty much screamed “Hi! I’m a two scene story! Nice and short and DOABLE!” And so I rolled up my sleeves, did a little research, and BAM! By the end of the day, scene one was done and I was super happy with it!

...

And then I went to dinner, asked Mum a few questions for the second scene, had holes poked in my first scene, double checked a few things with o-rchidae, and BAM! The whole thing fell apart and needed redoing.

And I’ve not been able to force myself to focus on writing since. Seriously. Yesterday I couldn’t even make myself SIT IN THE DAMN CHAIR and open the document.

The good news is that I’ve gathered lots of info since then (remembered I have an online friend who’s actually had malaria!), so when I get around to taking another run at this, it should be even better.

The bad news is..........bleh. Wind completely taken out of the sail.

But! Since I liked it, here is the soon-to-be-demoed scene, so, for posterity, Peter goes to the hospital “American writer hasn’t been in for more than a physical in about twenty years” version.

Peter curled into his chair as best he was able and wished he’d just die. It would, he supposed in a vague, feverish sort of way, work just as well if the screaming baby across from him and the man having some sort of nervous breakdown three seats over were to die instead, but then he’d feel guilty on top of everything else. Besides, one death was more economical than two. He shifted position and wished he dared lay his head on Bertie’s shoulder.

“How long have you been back in the country?” Bertie asked, looking at the sheet of paper in front of him

It was damn decent of his cousin to fill out the paperwork. Then again, it was decent of him to haul Peter to the hospital to start with rather than just shoving him in a cab or something. Then again, it might be more economical driving himself. What were the cab fees from Downton to York? Oh, right. Bertie had asked a question. “Um, a week, I think?” Peter replied, trying to scrape together enough brain cells to remember. “Week and a half?”

Bertie jotted down the answer, then dug into his pocket for a small bottle, adding the information from the label to the page.

Peter closed his eyes against a wave of nausea and went back to wishing he’d die. What happened if one was violently sick in a waiting room? Did it get you seen sooner or did they just hope they could clean everything up before you gave everyone else in the room the flu? That screaming baby definitely did not need to catch his flu. That would really make it scream.

“Mr. Pelham?” a concerned, female voice said from somewhere in the world behind his eyelids. “What are you doing here?”

Peter opened his eyes and made to reply, only to realize the woman wasn’t addressing him. His first impression was of someone in her sixties, or maybe her seventies, wearing a nurse’s uniform.

Bertie smiled up at her. “Oh, hello Isobel. I didn’t know you were working today.” He turned and gestured to Peter. “This is my cousin, Peter Pelham. He’s not feeling well.”

“Flu,” Peter informed her. It belatedly occurred to him that he should say ‘hello’, but Bertie was talking again and it was rude to interrupt.

“Well, we hope it’s the flu,” the younger man replied.

Hang manners. “Dash it, Bertie, I don’t have cholera.”

“No, your symptoms are wrong for that,” Bertie agreed with admirable calm. That was what Peter liked about Bertie, really. He was so steady. “But that doesn’t rule out a lot of other things.”

“What are the symptoms?” Nurse Isobel asked, her tone brisk and professional. It was both comforting and, oddly, somewhat terrifying. Perhaps it was the fever, but she left Peter feeling like something under a microscope.

“Fever, chills, headache, nausea, fatigue,” Bertie rattled off. “You know, the usual list that can mean anything from cancer to typhoid to pregnancy.”

The nurse sighed. “Well, we can at least rule out that last one. Has he traveled lately?”

“Thailand,” Peter confirmed. “Along the border of Laos and…” Not Borneo. The name had changed when he was ten. Started with an M now. What the hell was the name of that country? “Borneo.” For clarification he added. “I’m a photojournalist.”

“Hmm,” the Nurse looked thoughtful. “Malaria is a concern in that area, but not the only one. Have you been experiencing a rash at all?”

“Isobel,” Bertie threw her a wry look. “Diagnosis is Dr. Clarkson’s job.”

She paused and for a moment Peter thought she’d look abashed, but instead she just shrugged. “Dr. Clarkson’s on holiday, so you’ll be seeing one of the other doctors. And I was only curious. I like to stay up on the patients.”

“Don’t I know it,” Bertie arched her eyebrows at, although his smile was decidedly fond.

Peter frowned, looking between the two of them. “Bertie? Do you come here often?”

His cousin gave him a surprised look. “Hm? Not at all, only Dr. Clarkson is the GP for Edith’s entire - oh.” Realization sank in and he laughed. “Right, I’m sorry! Peter, this is Isobel Crawley. Her husband was Robert’s third cousin.”

“Ah.” That made sense then. Of course they’d be familiar.

Introductions completed, even belatedly, Bertie continued his conversation. “Anyway, if Dr. Clarkson’s out, is there any way of know who we’ll be seeing?”

Isobel shook her head. “I’m afraid not. Dr. Leslie, Dr. Wallace, Dr. Nestor, and Dr. Barrow are the most likely candidates, but there are others.” She looked at Peter, her expression finally softening to something other than keen academic interest. “I don’t suppose you’ll have problem being seen by a male doctor?”

Peter chuckled at that. “No,” he assured her. He didn’t add that he’d never minded being seen by men. That sort of humor was bad taste in a doctor’s office, and being ill wasn’t much of an excuse.

“Well, then, that leaves plenty of options. If I can find out who it will be in advance, I can share some of what you’ve already told me.”

Before either man could respond, someone hailed Nurse Isobel - properly Nurse Crawley, he supposed - from down the hall and she had to excuse herself.

Bertie sighed. At Peter’s questioning look, he explained, “I’d rather hoped we’d be able to get you in to see Dr. Clarkson, just for familiarity sake. Very English of me, I know.”

Peter managed another chuckle at that. “Don’t worry, Bertie. I’m sure they all know what they’re about. And really, if I can survive a rattlesnake bite in Aruba, I can survive the flu in England.” The infant across the room gave a particularly loud scream and his head throbbed in response. “Although, I might honestly have preferred the snake bite.”

“I can’t believe you took pictures of the snake.” Bertie shook his head, turning his attention back to the paperwork.

“They’re an endangered species. Seeing one in the wild like that was a once in a lifetime opportunity, even if I stepped on it first.” With a sigh, Peter closed his eyes. “I may have the attention span of a drunken gnat, but I’m good at my job.”

“Don’t be so hard on yourself, Peter. You have at least the attention span of a sober house fly.”

[lustedneverloved-blog]

Suicide

Suicide

Suicide

Suicide

Suicide

My brain is somehow dying. I can tell. As every year goes on I see growth and change in myself. But the one constant since as long as I can remember is I die by suicide. It’s never been a doubt in my fucking mind. And I’m kind of in this weird place in life, alive during the strangest point in human history if you ask me. You have pedofiles in office, a world wide pandemic, the worst economic crisis we’ve had in a while, homelessness reaching higher numbers than ever, KKK straight chillin in public...I just..............it got me thinking right? Like how has the suicide rate changed since the pandemic? I’m curious because me personally.....it’s making sense. But the sickest part of me knows that if it was time I wouldn’t be writing this. I wouldn’t allow anyone to stop me. I’d just do it and leave people left with a million questions. As if it wasn’t in front of them for years. As if I haven’t been cutting my own leg to feel something for years. As if I don’t talk about it all the time. I just genuinely am not enjoying life currently. And I hate domesticated life so god damn much. Every single house I look at is ugly and worn down. And every apartment makes me feel like I’m in a fucking prison cell or episode of black mirror they’re so fake and bleh. I wish with every fiber of my being that I had just stayed on the road. I should’ve. I came back for Hannah’s wedding and I loved it. But I should’ve only come home for that and spent my saving and kept going. But instead I was responsible. And Becky kept telling me that maybe the universe was sending me home now for a reason and to trust the flow of things. And then for a few days on the way back to Indiana I saw 222 so many god damn times. And I started tweakin about it right. Then I had several strange and unexplainable encounters when I got back to Indiana. Things that just literally couldn’t possibly happen were happening. It was odd. But my brain is poop and people suck and I miss my van. Finally held my cat. Everything’s better with him. He’s my entire heart outside of my body. Maybe it I keep typing and keep my hands busy I won’t do I what I want to do. Maybe if someone was as equally fucked and awake and could just keep me sane long enough for me to find sleep. But my brain is pulsing and on fire. My ears feel like they’re bleeding. And I’m so dizzy. I’ve caught myself counting calories again. I got sick and puked and lost some weight. And it brought me to my goal weight. My goal weight I’ve had and not changed since I was 12. I’m officially underweight and no one can seem to stop pointing it out. I just keep saying “I’m just got from all the hiking” or “I got sick I’m putting it back on”. But in reality I’ve had one meal today and it was so hard to eat it. I miss having an appetite. I miss loving food. I wish i wasn’t so god damn fucked up. Hopefully i can bite the bullet.....haaaaaa! Literally. 

[charlesjening]

Are Financial Barriers to Entry Keeping Low-Income People Out of the Profession?

You may not know this but I grew up po’. Not “sorry, Adrienne, you won’t be getting a new bike for your birthday” po’, but “sorry, Adrienne, Santa won’t be coming at all this year, deal with it” po’. The child of a hardworking single mother, I learned pretty early on how to make box macaroni and cheese with powdered milk (bleh) and was wearing thrift store clothes long before it was cool.

Our income bracket wasn’t a huge deal growing up in inner-city Milwaukee, WI, but when I moved to a suburb of Madison for high school, I realized just how broke we were. While my classmates rocked Columbia fleece and Levis, I wore hand-me-down sweatshirts from my uncles. Thankfully the grunge thing happened and I was able to take my $100 yearly school clothes allowance and turn it into a year’s worth of flannel and ratty no-name jeans. Still, it’s tough being broke as a kid, hoping the food bank gives you something good that week and realizing early on that there’s something different about you when you’re at your friend’s house trying to pick out a Nintendo game from the dozens they have and suddenly realize he has so much more than you’ll ever have.

We’ve talked before about barriers to entry and the socioeconomic factors that may contribute to the overwhelming whiteness of the accounting profession, but it’s worth discussing again. So long as the conversation about “diversity” is happening, a parallel conversation needs to be had about large swaths of potential future CPAs who will never have the opportunity to go to college, much less major in accounting, pay for CPA review, and shell out another thousand bucks to sit for the CPA exam.

Idk who this dude is but he makes a good point.

It’s frustrating to notice how exclusive being a #CPA is. If you don’t take the exam review, you’re bound to fail and each review costs around $700.

What happens to those who don’t have $2,100 for exam prep and $1,300 for the test?

— José Lazo Rivera (@joselazorivera) February 9, 2019

And a follow-up tweet:

Update: the review professor just highlighted the irony that the @AICPA is a nonprofit but costs so much to take the exams.

Point made. https://t.co/Ts6wiPqTKa

— José Lazo Rivera (@joselazorivera) February 9, 2019

Back in my CPA review days, a full course including books, practice MCQ, and lectures ran about $2,000 for individuals who did not qualify for discounts (students, certain firms, past students of other CPA review courses). For someone living hand-to-mouth, $2,000 might as well be $20,000 for as feasible as it is that they’ll get their hands on it.

This isn’t to say that those who join the profession from more privileged backgrounds don’t work their butts off; the process is difficult work for anyone regardless of class or income. What the tweet does imply is that by its very nature, the profession’s pipeline is staffed with a toll of sorts that weeds out those without the means to pay it.

There’s also the matter of “fitting in.” Team dynamics are a huge factor in public accounting, and it stands to reason that birds of a feather flock together as it were. Individuals who can seemlessly glide between colleagues, partners, and clients are more likely to have successful careers in accounting. Who do you think is more likely to possess this quality, the poor brown kid from the inner city who manages to claw his way out of poverty and into the middle class through education, or the suburban kid of means who attends a relatively prestigious school, lands a Big 4 offer with ease because he does well at Meet the Firms, and knows how to act around people similar to him because he’s been doing it all his life?

Not to say people can’t adapt, and certainly there is no shortage of stories of folks from piss-poor backgrounds who struck it rich through sacrifice and hard work. After all, that’s what America is all about, right? Anyone can be anything they want to be, you’ve just got to put in the work.

Still, you have to wonder how many smart, hardworking kids will never get a chance to even consider joining the profession due to the innumerable costs — both social and economic — standing in their way. If the profession wants diversity, they’re going to have to dig deep in self-reflection and realize why so many cubes are populated with the same kinds of people from such similar backgrounds.

The post Are Financial Barriers to Entry Keeping Low-Income People Out of the Profession? appeared first on Going Concern.

republished from Going Concern