#the problem about adult money is that you can spend it on a whim

[slutforcoffein]

I really shouldn't be left alone. My partner has been gone for less than 24 hours and I have booked a tattoo appointment and am about to spend too much money on band merch

[forsetti]

On Overcompensation: Josh Hawley’s “Manhood”

Sen. Josh Hawley has come out with a new book about manhood. Why?  Because there is nothing more misogynist than patriarch-enabling dimwits, they like to do more than spend time rationalizing and justifying why they are "special" and why their whims and desires need to be catered to. This way, Hawley can have his political PACs buy up thousands of copies as a way of laundering money and pumping up his wingnut cred by being able to claim, "New York Times best-selling author." In an essay, "The Antidote to Dependence Is Building," an adaptation from his book, Hawley pulls out all the typical bullshit to make his case that conservatives, and only conservatives, are and defend "real men." Using their hands, creating things, and building things are how men are of value to society and how they earn their mythical "man points" until they get enough to be called a "real man" at the "Real Man Ceremony" at their local Cracker Barrel.

Let’s put aside the fact that Hawley went to a private Jesuit prep school, went to Stanford as a legacy, graduated from Yale Law School, and spent his adult life as a lawyer, Missouri Attorney General, and U.S. Senator. These are hardly the tracks to manhood Hawley argues for and claims to defend. Instead, let’s focus on how he sets up the problem and his arguments.

Hawley starts defining "manhood" with a description of his uncle, Bruce, who ran a concrete company:

"The truth is that manual work of the kind Bruce does has become less and less valued in our society, not least because the elites who set the cultural tone largely disdain those who work with their hands." The media regularly admonish schoolchildren to go to college precisely to avoid the kind of labor Bruce has been doing for 40 years. "The tech start-up wizard and the Wall Street maven are liberal culture’s beau ideals."

Manual labor has become less and less valued in our society. However, not because of left-leaning disdain but because economies around the world have shifted and a big chunk of those doing the type of work Hawley ties to manhood are minorities, Democrats have been trying to get better wages and working conditions for the people in this country doing manual labor forever. Republicans have been demonizing them. Hawley doesn’t go down this road because it exposes the bigotry and racism built into today’s GOP. Hawley wants to use the example of his white uncle and cousin as a stand-in for all manual laborers, even though they represent the minority of this group.

Next, Hawley claims the media admonishes kids to attend college to "avoid the kind of labor Bruce has been doing for 40 years." Without providing even a single example of the "media" doing this, Hawley throws all media under the bus. Why?  because it is a lazy trope. When all else fails, blame the "media," because the GOP base has been conditioned for decades to believe that the media is run by elite leftists. Hawley knows this and is readily willing to use it to support his bullshit position. 

The media hasn’t been the one pushing for kids to get a college education. Parents who want their kids to have a better life than they do are behind this push. Businesses run by GOP owners, CEOs, and managers have been demanding college degrees from their workers. The world economy has been behind this push. What Hawley is mad about is the fact that women have been earning bachelor’s degrees at a much higher rate than men since 1981.

Having more educated women and minorities defeats the "men are superior" bullshit. If women and minorities excel scholastically, financially, and culturally, then the entire "men are superior" house of cards comes tumbling down. Women and minorities earning college degrees, especially at a rate higher than men, is just another reason for Republicans to denigrate a college education. 

You don’t get to bitch and moan about how American kids are falling behind kids from Japan, India, South Korea, etc. when it comes to test scores while undermining college educations. If you want American kids to be able to compete with kids from around the world, then they need to be as well or better educated. These won't happen through thoughts and prayers.

You don’t get to bitch about having to see medical personnel and specialists with names you can’t pronounce while complaining that American kids are being "admonished" to be better educated. 

You don’t get to bitch about people from India, Indonesia, China, etc. taking over tech jobs in Silicon Valley while berating those pushing for more STEM programs and education for American kids.

Wanting kids to attend college isn’t about avoiding the "kind of labor Bruce has been doing for 40 years." It is about wanting kids to have the necessary skills in an ever-more technical world. If you want to be nostalgic, there used to be a time when stories about a manual-laboring father making sacrifices so his kids could go to college and not have to do the hard work he’d endured were seen as the epitome of the American Dream. I guess if "dad" in this story is "mom" and/or the child going to college isn’t a white male, it doesn’t count.

Hawley claims being a tech start-up wizard and Wall Street maven are "liberal culture’s best ideals." What the actual fuck? A lot of tech start-up wizards are not liberals. They are libertarians. If you don’t understand the differences between liberals and libertarians, you probably think Hawley’s claim has merit. It doesn’t.  Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, Larry Ellison, Jack Dorsey, etc. might have some liberal views when it comes to social issues, but they are ultra-conservative when it comes to things like tax cuts, regulations, government oversight, etc.

As ridiculous as claiming liberals are fans of the start-up tech bros is, stating liberals love Wall Street mavens is not just outlandish; it is an outright lie.

Vulture capitalists and hedge fund managers are reviled by the left. Democrats, from FDR to Joe Biden, have tried to regulate Wall Street mavens, sometimes successfully, often not. When the housing market collapsed in 2008–09, it was on the left, not the right, behind Occupy Wall Street. Since Reagan, Republicans have catered to, fawned over, and lionized Wall Street mavens. If there was a Wall Street ball gargling contest, the top 100 ranked garglers would all be Republicans. 

After lying about who caters to Wall Street and why college educations are encouraged, Hawley does what any Republican trying to make their argument unassailable does—tie it to the Bible.

"The antidote to dependence is building." The antidote to passivity is work. And work is, according to the Bible and the Western tradition it defines, an invitation that speaks to every man. "It is an invitation to do what every man wants to do: matter in the most lasting way possible."

This is the Yale Law School reframing of "Give a man a fish, he eats for a day." "Teach a man to fish; he eats for life." It might sound smart to the rubes, but it is overly simplistic and ignores all economic progress over the past three thousand years. 

In an agrarian society where it was necessary to work hard in order to survive, this kind of pithy view might have made sense. In the high-tech world economy, it doesn’t. Humanity has intentionally created things to make their lives easier. Whining about this and/or demanding some allegiance to the past is moronic. There are good reasons why humans live longer, have lower poverty rates, and are better educated than their ancestors. It isn’t because we still churn our own butter or work the back forty from dawn to dusk. It is because science and innovations have created a world where more and more of us don’t have to do things that shorten our lives and make them more difficult.

Hawley’s view that men get value from work is very similar to the view that slaves were lucky to have work and be of value to their owners. Work is only valuable if it gives value to the person doing it. Hawley seems to believe that work has some intrinsic property and that merely by doing it, a man gets value.

Working = value is useful for Hawley and the right because if this is true, then there is no reason to increase the minimum wage, have workers place safety measures, provide healthcare, or have some sort of pension plan. If you are a good Christian American, you should work for the sake of work because it has some magical property that gives you value.

All this bullshit about work, for Hawley, is limited to men (and by his examples, white men) because "being a man," in these very specific ways, is necessary to protect the white Christian American male world Hawley grew up in and needs to keep him in office. 

He could easily use the same work = value argument for women, but he doesn’t because it is necessary for him to have a world where men are the ones who need to have value. I’m sure if pressed, he’d say women do have value, but as wives and mothers, because that too protects the world where he and his ilk are special, they need to be reminded they are special, and their specialness must be protected at all costs.

Hawley and his ilk are hothouse orchids. They grew up in a world where they were the default members of every social pyramid. They didn’t have to really compete in an open job market because women and minorities weren’t allowed or given equal consideration. Television, movies, magazines—they told them they were special. What these mediums didn’t tell them is that they were told this because they were the largest consumer group. They were told they were special for so long and in so many different ways that they believed it. Why are white Christian men special? because white Christian men wrote the book on who gets to be considered special.

Instead of recognizing this and doing the bare minimum to change, people like Hawley make up new and uninteresting arguments as to why they are special. Their entire self-worth is tied to this notion of being special. As America becomes more diverse and cultural norms change to be more accepting of women, minorities, and the LGBTQI community, it becomes more difficult for people like Hawley to claim and defend their archaic worldview. The more examples of non-male, non-Christian, non-white people succeeding and doing as well or better than their white Christian male counterparts, the more obvious it becomes that the Josh Hawleys of the world are overcompensating because, whether they will ever admit it or not, they know they are full of shit.

[tellywoodtrash]

Hi TT, hope you are well. I want to share something personal and ask you for your thoughts about it. I grew up in a lower middle class family where money was always short and our family life revolted around it. Now, I cannot bring myself to have kids and subject them to the same kind of life that I had. Although I am employed, but I am certain that I will not be able to bring up a child, forcing myself or my child to compromise on everything due to money. My parents do not understand my views

(Continued): They feel children should learn to adjust from their childhood to grow up to become model adults. I regard their thoughts with respect, but times have changed. So has inflation, society, peer pressure and find it very unfair to children who have no control over who they are born to. In a country like India, where children still live with parents( at least in the small town that I hail from), I cannot imagine slogging away my life for kids. This may make me sound self centered (Continued 2): but I value my current life, which is free from child related drama. I have a million other problems to handle day in and day out. Bring emotionally pressurised everyday is doing more harm than good. How do you suggest I navigate through this situation as talking out openly has been a gateway to tears and arguments. Not solutions. Would love to know your thoughts. TIA.

Dearest anon,

First of all, biggggggg hugs. I completely understand and empathize with you. Although my own parents have always been accepting of my decision to be childfree, the societal pressure to procreate is so fucking insane, especially in our desi circles. Like, I just went to do my dad's shraadh a few days ago, and the priest spent a good 5 min talking about how you NEED TO and absolutely MUST be blessed with kids to do this ceremony for you once you pass, and I was just like......... "Welppppp guess imma be haunting bitches up in here forever then........" 🥴🥴🥴

No but jokes aside, good on you for reflecting on your past, being aware of what you want in the future, and coming to this decision. First of all, even if you did make the decision in a "selfish" manner, I don't think there's a single thing wrong with it. You have the right to build an adult life as you see best for yourself. If you don't see children contributing any value to your life, then you shouldn't have them. It's absolutely ridiculous how we have to live until 18 as our parents say (down to being pushed into fields of study and careers that we don't want), and then spend even more of our adult lives catering to the arbitrary whims of these elders as well. At what point in this never-ending cycle do we get to live the life WE want for ourselves? So yeah, go ahead and BE CONFIDENT IN YOUR SELFISHNESS. You made it this far in life based on your self preservation instincts, and you'll be fine in the future as well. If protecting your boundaries is called being "selfish", then so be it. In the immortal words of Bhai....

Secondly, it's not self centered AT ALL - you sound very conscious of the meaning of a quality life, and what it means in the current global circumstances; you are not willing to risk dooming a potential life to an uncertain future, and that in itself is very considerate. So is the fact that you're not just having kids as an "insurance policy" for being taken care of in your later years.

The analogy I always use to make reasonable people who are willing to have a good faith discussion is that it's very much like insisting someone adopt an unwieldy pet like... A HORSE, or a fucking LEOPARD, or something. Like sure, there are people who do it, and they're happy to be living that life, good for them. But can you blame someone for not wanting something that is such a huge emotional and financial and time investment in the middle of their daily lives while just trying to survive in whatever clusterfuck existence??? You need a lot of special skills and commitment to ensure they live their best lives (and isn't that the reason to do this in the first place? To give it a good life?) and not everyone wants to do it. And that's a perfectly reasonable opinion to have. One could argue that such neglect would hurt human children much more than they would animals, and isn't that all the more reason to ensure that you don't birth them until you are 100% you are willing to put in the work?

But I suspect your parents aren't really willing to listen to your logic, and are reacting from an extremely emotional place instead. There's no real point talking to someone who isn't receptive to what you're saying. It's like pouring water onto a glass that's turned bottom up; all your time and effort is just for naught. My best advice to you would be to just stay absolutely steadfast on your decision. If they insist on discussing this, tell them this is between you and your future life partner to decide. Just say that and shut down the conversation and refuse to entertain it any further. And make sure if/when you do decide to make a long-term commitment to a partner, that they are on the exact same page about this matter. Tell them this is one of your non-negotiables, and that you'll commit to the relationship only if this is agreed upon. Once you and your partner have joined forces, there's nothing anyone else can really do about it. Eventually, they'll just have to make their peace with it and move on.

I know this current period of strife is stressful to you, but hang in there, love. It will eventually get better. I'm sending you lots and lots of love and support, and am always here to cheer you on. 🤗🤗🤗

[animeomegas]

Omega!Kaidou Headcanons

Anon:  Ooooh can you do omega kaido hcs?

(Aww, I love Kaidou, he is baby. I just finished all my uni work for the week so I jumped to write this! Enjoy!)

Warnings: N-sfw under cut, mpreg, talk of insecurities.

General:

Kaidou is quite an insecure omega. Especially as a teenager.

Honestly, he has probably tried to masquerade as a beta before, and wished many times that he was an alpha like his younger brother and sister.

A lot of his façade as the ‘Jet Black Wings’ is a defence mechanism because of his insecurities and him being an omega fuels that.

Kaidou can be wary around alphas he doesn’t know, so it’s likely that you were friends first and romantic a long time afterwards.

When you are finally mates/almost mates, you see a completely different side to Kaidou.

He is incredibly touch starved. He loves cuddles and pets. He’ll take any affection you dish out. He especially loves resting his head on your lap or on your shoulder.

Kaidou wants to be an author when he’s older, and he has never had anyone support his dream. When you offer your support for him, he falls in love with you right then and there. That’s when he knew he wanted you to be his alpha.

His scent is light and flowery, with a hint of citrus.

Kaidou purrs a lot without realising and it always embarrasses him when you point it out. He purrs everytime you scent him, croon, cuddle him, etc. 

Kaidou is a very sweet omega who is a dedicated and loving mate and parent. 

Nesting:

As a teenager, Kaidou never gets to the point where he likes his nest. 

He wants a super cool nest! A combo between a ‘secret lair’ style and a ‘pinterest’ style nest.

He wants a room dedicated to his nest, preferably with a hidden entrance. He wants a super powerful colour scheme with cool posters but he also wants fairy lights and pastel blankets.

Kaidou has lots of cuddly toys but he gets embarrassed about it and won’t admit it. 

In fact, cuddly toys are his favourite courting gifts to receive, but he will always pretend that he think toys are for little kids, but you can see how tightly he cradles the toy, and if you scent the teddy first, you can even hear him purring. 

As an adult, Kaidou really wants his dream nest, but he feels guilty spending so much money on it. It’s up to his alpha to encourage him. 

When he has pups, they think his nest is the coolest thing ever, and they tell all the other kids at school because it has a hidden door! And beanbags! And a mini fridge! And it’s way better than your omega parent’s nest!!

Kaidou is very protective of his nest. He only lets you and his pups inside. No one else. He doesn’t even like when someone figures out where it is in his home.

This causes some conflict because he would love to give birth in his nest, but he would never be able to invite a midwife or doctor inside. 

You clutched a small bat plushie in you hands as you walked into your classroom. You had bought it for Kaidou on a whim yesterday on your way home from school. This was hardly the first time you had given him a courting gift, but this was the first one that had your scent on it. 

“Holy shit.” You whispered to yourself. “You can do this, don’t be nervous.” 

You saw Kaidou immediately. He was sitting on top of his desk, chatting with Hairo and Nendou. You huffed. You would have preferred him to be alone but you guess that couldn’t be helped now.

“Hey, Shun...” You started, awkwardly sliding up beside him.

He startled slightly, a blush settling on his cheeks.

 “Oh! Hey... Everything okay?”

“Yeah, I, um.” You pulled the bat toy out of your pocket, shoving it vaguely in his direction. “This is for you.”

Kaidou gently took it from your hands, eyes wide. He turned it over, running a finger over the fake fangs. You saw the moment he realised you had scented it. He looked up at you in shock before turning and sniffing absentmindedly at the toy, purrs beginning to sneak out. 

You puffed up in pride. Watching your intended mate accept and enjoy your gift with such fervour filled your heart with joy. 

“HA HA!” Interrupted Nedou. “Kaidou’s purring!”

The purrs stopped immediately, Kaidou turned bright red, shoving the toy into his bag. 

“I AM NOT! Shut up!”

The two began to bicker, Nedou laughing over Kaidou’s agressive denial. 

You were vaguely embarrassed that Kaidou’s friends had seen you give him a courting gift, but mostly you were pleased by his acceptance of your first serious courting gift. Giving someone your scent to put in their nest was a big deal after all.

Family + pups

When you decide to court Kaidou, he will try and keep you as far away from his mother as he can. Unfortunately, this doesn’t last long, because his mother just orders him to bring you over and he can’t say no to his terrifying alpha mother.

Kaidou is unbelievably nervous throughout the whole meeting. He knows his mother will order him to end the courtship if she doesn’t approve.

His mother’s opinion depends a lot of how well spoken, intelligent and ambitious Kaidou’s intended alpha is.

If you have good grades, can match her successfully in conversation, and are preparing to apply to a good university, she will adore you. 

(it’s best just to lie if you aren’t those things).

Kaidou’s mother is a very hands on grandparent when the time comes. She always take your pup(s) when Kaidou is in heat and you in rut. She also helps pay for tutors and arranges academic help for all her grandchildren.

Kaidou wants at least one pup but no more than three pups. 

He is such a sweet parent. 

He never, ever makes fun of his pups. He always treats their problems seriously and loves them for who they are.

He’s the kind of parent who jumps at the opportunity to support his kids hobbies. Writing, martial arts, painting, cooking, whatever they love, he makes sure they can do it. 

Kaidou makes an excellent stay-at-home parent. He loves spending time with his pup(s) and working on writing the book he wants to write.

Family cuddles are a scheduled weekly event. He is distraught if, when his pups get older, they don’t partake in the family cuddles every week.

It took Kaidou quite a few tries to get pregnant, and he ended up getting very stressed about it, thinking something was wrong with him. Luckily, it eventually happened for you both. 

When he was pregnant, Kaidou didn’t have many symptoms, but he was very tired and hungry all the time. 

He needed help to do most things because he was so tired, but he felt like a burden, so didn’t ask for help. This changes in his second pregnancy (if he has one). He needs to have help with your other pup(s) when he’s pregnant because he’s too tired to look after them fulltime.

It would make more sense for you to wait until your first pup was in school before trying for a second one, just to take the pressure off of Kaidou somewhat.

The night’s peace was broken by a tentative knock at your bedroom door. You startled slightly, starting to sit up, Kaidou also stirring in your arms. The door handle turned slowly, the silhouette of you oldest son was revealed, along with the quiet sound of sniffling.

Before you could even process what you were seeing, Kaidou had yanked himself out of your arms and thrown himself towards your crying pup. 

“What’s wrong? What happened?” Kaidou panicked, hands flitting over your pup as if to check for injuries. 

“Nightmare.” Your pup whined, beginning to sob and he held his arms out for a hug. 

Kaidou whined with him, quickly and firmly pulling him into his embrace. Kaidou then stood up, cradling your pup in his arms, rocking him back and forth. 

“Why don’t you sleep with us tonight, pup?” You said, voice still heavy with sleep, gesturing for Kaidou to get back into bed. It was freezing after all.

Kaidou didn’t need any more prompting and slipped back under the covers you were holding up for him. As he settled down, your pup quickly grabbed at your shirt, holding it tightly in his fist. You brushed your hand over his tiny one before settling your hand on his back, rubbing up and down to help soothe him. You could no longer see his face (it was buried in your mate’s chest), but you could still hear his sniffling. 

“What was your nightmare about, sweetheart? Must have been scary, huh?” You asked as Kaidou began scenting the top of your son’s head. 

“Yeah. W’s scary.” Came the muffled voice of your pup. 

In lieu of a reply, you pulled both him and Kaidou more closely against your chest. 

“Nothing can happen while you’re here with us, okay. You’re safe.” You kept rubbing his back as he finally started to settle. Eventually, his breathing evened out and he relaxed fully against you and Kaidou, his grip on your shirt loosening. 

“I feel so useless when he has nightmares.” Kaidou admitted, breaking the hush. “I can’t protect him from them.”

You shifted slightly to look him in the eye. 

“You’re protecting him right now, my love. This is what he needs from you and you’re so good at it. You’re such a good parent, Shun.” Kaidou blushed faintly.  “I fall in love with you all over again everytime I see you with our pups.”

Kaidou smiled slightly, resting his head against your shoulder. 

“I just want him to be happy.” 

“I know.” You replied, placing a kiss on his head. “Me too.” 

You started to drift off to sleep as silence descended on the room. 

“Thanks.” Kaidou murmured. 

Too tired to reply, you squeezed him lightly with your arms. It saddened you that your amazing parent of a mate still felt insecure four years into parenthood, but you were just going to have to keep telling him otherwise until he started to see himself as you saw him. 

N-SFW under cut (ft. Slightly!Older!Kaidou)

Kaidou always, always needs after sex cuddles. It helps relax him, quiet his insecurities and is equally as enjoyable as the sex in his opinion.

Kaidou is a big subby baby, and he needs cuddles for his aftercare or he can feel very rejected.

Do you remember the episode where Kaidou came last in every event of the physical fitness test, but came first in flexibility? Kaidou is extremely flexible and he loves to show it off in bed. He’s very proud of all the positions he can bend into. 

Kaidou loves dressing up in lingerie. He feels pretty and confident when he’s wearing lace lingerie. He looks best in pastel blue (it matches his hair), but honestly, he pulls off all pastel shades very well.

Along a similar vein, Kaidou finds it very embarrasing but very hot to look at himself in the mirror while you have sex. It requires a lot of praise though, as he can be quite insecure.

In heat, Kaidou is absolutely shameless. He will beg and plead and whine and nuzzle you to get you into his nest with him. 

Kaidou is weak to hickeys on his neck, especially around his scent glands. He doesn’t give many hickeys, but he is prone to leaving scratch marks on your back and shoulders. 

This man is very sensitive in a lot of areas. His nipples and the inside of his thighs are very soft and particularly sensitive.

He hates pain though. He is neither a masochist nor a sadist and thinks that pain has no place in love making. 

Kaidou likes a little bit of roleplay but he’s way to embarrassed to bring it up. You have to wait until you’ve been in a relationship with him for years before he feels comfortable enough to bring it up. He is interested in teacher/student and master/slave style roleplays. He enjoys playing the part of someone else, because it makes him feel more comfortable in embracing his sexuality outside his heat. 

“I’m-I’m coming out now. Don’t laugh, okay?”

You shook you head fondly. 

“I’m not going to laugh at you, baby. You always look gorgeous, don’t forget that.”

The bathroom door opened and Kaidou shuffled out, clad in the new pastel blue lingerie set you had ordered for him last week. 

You lost your breath just looking at him. 

He was wearing sheer knee socks with little bows, held up by the garter belt sitting snugly on his waist. On top, he was wearing a lacy bralette, completely see through of course. Your favourite piece however, was undoubtedly the little blue panties. You could see the fabric bulging, straining against his erection. Looking a little closer, you noticed a small damp spot. You grinned. For all his complaining, he certainly enjoyed this a lot. You haven’t even touched him yet. 

Kaidou shifted under your hungry gaze, feeling a little like your prey. He shivered at the thought. 

You moved to kneel on the ground before him, pressing wet, open mouth kisses over his thighs and tummy. Kaidou steadied himself by gripping onto your shoulders. You could feel his nails making small grooves in your skin. 

When you reached his chest, you began to suck and bite at his nipples through the lacey fabric, delighting in his moans and whimpers. He was always so sensitive for you. 

“So beautiful.” You panted, breathing heavily against him. 

“M’ not. Not beautiful.” Kaidou denied, eyes clenched shut.

You growled in response, biting him lightly on the shoulder. 

“Don’t you dare. You’re breath-taking, Shun. Stunning. Gorgeous. Perfect.” You emphasised every word with a suck or a bit on his neck. You wouldn’t stop until he learnt to love himself as much as you loved him. 

“Okay, baby, get on the bed. We have a long night ahead.” You made a point to crash your hips into his.  “I’m going to show you how beautiful you are.”

[thecupcakewritesmorethings]

Elliot: The Berst Stardew Valley Batchelor

Hi, all. I wanna talk about something. Actually- I want to talk about someone.

I’ve been re-playing Stardew Valley again amidst taking care of some pretty intensive real-life stuff. Like always I woo and Marry Elliot (because writers ftw), and I just gotta ask myself... WHY?

Potential spoilers for Stardew Valley’s Romance Routes, mostly Elliott. 

Apart from my affinity for writing, and I guess Elliot’s nice hair... Elliot... Doesn’t really stick out too much. Let’s start off with what we know. He’s an attractive, post-college aged man, who has used his life savings to buy a shack on the sea in hopes off kicking off his writing career. Elliot is also dramatic, and has a penchant for fine artisan goods. The entirety of his romance plot is supporting him in his writing career which he doesn’t seem to have any direct opposition towards, just doubt.

I mean, sure he’s handsome, but so is everyone else on the island. He’s not from the Island, like his female artistic counter-part Leah, but unlike her he never openly declares how he feels like he doesn’t fit in. This either implies that he KNOWS he doesn’t fit in or perhaps spends too much time holed up in his shack to care.

Both his model (Jacket, tie, button-up) suggests that he’s an elder bachelor, and one of the secret notes confirms this (I’m guessing early thirties). We don’t know of what his life was like before he came to Pelican Town; just that he took his life-savings to pursue his dreams. This implies that he had to MAKE those life-savings; implying he had an unspoken career before this. We’ll talk more about his career in a minute- but this also gives that little shack an implied importance: his move to Pelican Town was not a whim, but something he thought a great deal about.

Elliott also has a penchant for the finer things in life. Unless you save up a lot of money for it in the first spring and summer- you won’t have regular access to pomegranates until year two. Both duck feathers and lucky rabbits feet require that you have a coop you have upgraded (once and twice respectively) and are rare drops at best. Crab Cakes and Tom Kha Soup require you to have a fully upgraded kitchen, and the only things that you can forage for that he loves are Lobsters and Prismatic Shards. Needless to say, you can woo him with items he likes- but his expensive tastes imply that he has tasted it before. Either he came from money- or his career allowed him to enjoy and experience the “finer” things in life. Maybe even both.

Before Elliott’s route- let’s talk about what we can derive. Elliott is a hardworking adult who gave up a wealth/a stable career to pursue the thing he loves. To make sure that he has the most time to see this through as possible: he lives in a dingy little shack by the sea away from many of the distractions the town brings. He’s thankful for most every gift you give him- but is exceptionally happy when he receives the things he could enjoy before he moved there.

Now onto his Route.

Elliott has... Well. I say this with all the love and respect that I can; Elliott doesn’t have much of a character arc. There’s no mention of family members doubting him, no horrible ex that’s bothering him, no mental illness he has to combat. Likewise, there’s no real evidence to suggest he’ll fail as a writer. There aren’t rejected manuscripts in his trash, just pieces of paper he wasn’t satisfied with. To top it all off- in his 10-hear event Elliott begins to say thank you for the moral support, and that he couldn’t have done it without you, then doubles back and says the truth:

And as unromantic as it is; it is true. Elliott is a responsible adult who can clearly take care of himself. THAT wasn’t the problem here. The problem Elliot had was thinking no one else believed he could.

 After all, why would anyone believe in him? Elliott is dramatic. He’s kinda crazy, and was willing to walk away from a cushy life and a stable career to live in a shack to do what he loved.

Now why does this make him the Best AND Worst Bachelor of Stardew Valley?

Well, it makes him the best because unlike many of the other Bachelors and Bachelorettes; Elliot’s big character-arc happened BEFORE the events of the game. Likely, when he decided to pursue his dreams. We don’t know what all he lost when he did so- but he never mentions his family or old ties. Frankly, he’s an adult who’s got shit to do. His dreams aren’t entirely dependent on the farmer coming to town, which gives him a sense of agency few others have.

It also makes him the worst because, whether I liked digging into it or not, the obfuscation of his story makes him seem like a dramatic rich guy who decided to journey to the beach. His story doesn’t feel like it has a great amount of personal growth between the farmer and he. I can imagine many actually pass him up as a potential spouse because it doesn’t feel like he resonates emotionally with the player.

TLDR: Elliott is the Best Husband because he’s actually his own person and gets his shit together more or less on his own, but this also means we don’t get to see that- and it makes him a little stiff to romance.

[borhap-au]

Joe Mazzello: the fluffy chronicles.

Joe defending your relationship against his family. 

Joe was very excited about introducing you to his family. After all, you were his first serious relationship since that unfortunate incident a few years back, that ended in a heartbreak for Joe. You already knew his mom and his siblings, his nieces and nephews loved you.

Before it actually happened, you weren’t sure how Joe’s closest family members would react to you, after all, you were much younger than him. But Joe said they all thought you were a nice girl, and it was “really up to him” who he was dating, after all, it wasn’t their call. Unfortunately, that wasn’t what the rest of his family believed in.

You met them at a big family party. It was unfortunate for you, because you hated family parties, you hated being in a center of attention in a group of strangers, and you hated that Joe was all the time asked to go somewhere, so you were alone most of the time. You were obviously trying to be very nice and kind to whoever you were talking to, trying to show your best side, but also, you were always looking around, hoping to spot Joe and excuse yourself from the conversation. At the party you had the most fun around children, playing with them, because that was the only place you knew for sure you weren’t being judged. Unfortunately, that didn’t really help your case.

When you finally spotted Joe, he was going inside to the house, so you followed him. You thought he was going to be alone, but when you heard his voice in a mix of others, you stopped yourself from going there. You wanted to go back, but then you heard your name. At first you thought someone was calling for you, so you moved a little in the direction of the door, but then you realized, it wasn’t to you. It was about you.

“Come on, guys, just give her a chance. She’s really nice and smart. You will like her,” you heard Joe’s voice and sighed quietly. So all of your effort was for nothing.

“She’s out there playing with the kids, Joey. She’s a child herself. You should find yourself a real woman,” one of his cousins said.

“First of all, she looks younger than she really is. Second of all, she’s not a child. Sure, she’s younger than me, but she’s been an adult for a good few years now, so don’t worry, she is a woman,” Joe didn’t give up fighting for you and it was really sweet in your opinion. Although you didn’t really want him to fight with anyone, especially because of you.

“The age difference is too transparent. What you two even talk about? She’s probably into Justin Bieber and that Miley girl, while you listen to the old classics. Does she even know who Freddie Mercury was? Has she heard of Queen?” another of his cousins said.

“Excuse me, you don’t appreciate her enough. She actually loves old rock n’ roll. She listens to the classics more than I do. Her favorite movie is The Godfather. We have so much to talk about,” he took a breath, probably to drink something, while his female cousin gave her two cents.

“If she loves old things, that would explain why she wants you,” she joked, and the rest of them laughed. You were sure Joe rolled his eyes at that comment.

“Are you her sugar daddy or something, Joey? Is that what it is?” you heard another voice saying.

“No, I am not her sugar daddy. She has a job, she has her own money. She’s not even comfortable with me buying her expensive gifts. She’s not in this relationship for money, don’t insult her like that, Karen,” oh, Karen. Now the comment made sense to you.

“Okay, but what does she even know? Those young kids these days, they don’t appreciate anything. Only social media are on their minds. Facebook, selfies, no culture, no nothing,” you heard one of the older aunts.

“I’m about to prove you wrong. She actually loves literature, she knows a lot about cinema, her hobbies include sports and taking frequent breaks from social media to be around nature. We often go on small trips around the country, she is a great photographer. And she has unbelievable knowledge about history. We don’t only have million topics to talk about, it often is that she talks and I just listen, because she has so many important and fascinating things to say. And she also has very strong views and beliefs, and your old school view on women is definitely something she would disagree with. She’s smart, she’s independent and she’s with me because she loves me. I really do not understand, what is your problem, people,” Joe was actually starting to get mad, and you were mad as well, but even more so because of the fact that they made him mad. You didn’t want anyone putting Joe down because of something, or someone, he loves.

“Well, if she’s not in for the money, then probably for the fame,” you heard that voice before. Apparently Joe didn’t persuade them enough.

“No, none of that. She refuses to go on red carpets with me. She doesn’t even allow me to post anything about her on my social media. She doesn’t want the attention. She wants the relationship to be a private matter, and frankly, that’s what it should be. I shouldn’t even have to explain that to you,” despite all the nasty comments about your alleged motifs, Joe didn’t give up fighting for you, even if that meant going against his family.

“Let’s just all calm down. We spend too much energy on a topic that’s not even worth it. It’s just a whim, he will soon come to his senses,” you weren’t the one to really care about some old woman’s opinion, but that one hurt you. For anyone to assume you were just a quick thing for Joe, it was hurtful and unfair.

“Oh, no. I beg you pardon. I want none of those kind of insinuations. She’s not a doll to throw away when I’m done playing with her. She’s a real person, with a heart and soul and she’s so much more than you give her credit for. You guys are awful, you know? You didn’t even give her a chance! How is she supposed to prove you wrong, when you dismiss anything she says? Stop belittling her. She did nothing to deserve this. I really expected more of you,” he scoffed.

“Come on, she’s not a wife material for you, and most definitely not a mother material. She was a child herself not so long ago,” another person added.

“Once again, you are wrong. She’s most definitely a wife material and I would be more than happy to marry her someday. Don’t be surprised when you get an invitation to our wedding. Or if you don’t get one, if you’re going to continue to act like that,” you smiled hearing that. Becoming Mrs. Mazzello was a dream come true for you, but you had no idea Joe even took that under consideration.

“Before it comes to marriage, Joseph, you will change your mind five times,” another aunt, another wrong statement about Joe. You thought that they not only treated you like a child, but actually also him, not listening to a word he says.

“Maybe, or maybe I already looked for a ring. We’ve been together long enough. Some of you were married after shorter periods of knowing each other,” oh, you could feel that he smiled ironically. And wait, were you supposed to hear that? I mean, you weren’t really supposed to hear any of this… But maybe you just found out about a surprise engagement… One way or another, you were overjoyed.

“But she may change her mind. She may change a lot in the next few years. She’s still growing, discovering herself as a woman. You’re a grown up. That’s the difference. Where you want to settle down, she only starts her journey,” nice quote, but no. You were all about setting for a journey together, helping each other grow, give each other peace and love.

“Actually, I have no plans of holding her back. She can grow and discover herself as much as she wants, whether it’s in the relationship or in a marriage. I want her to find her path, pursue her dream career, become successful and do whatever she wants to do. She’s a woman with big dreams and plans,” Joe said, but was quickly interrupted.

“Yeah, I bet a girl in her 20s wants to stick with one dick for the rest of her life,” one of his cousins said, and you almost threw up in your mouth hearing that.

“First of all, don’t be disgusting, there are ladies in this room, and you’re talking about a lady as well. Second of all, despite of what you’re implying, not every young woman’s dream is to party and change partners all the time. Some actually want to settle down. And she’s one of those women. I know that, because contrary to you, I listen to what she says. She focuses on her career and her relationship, trust me, she’s not missing anything,” some of the guys laughed, but most of the girls acted more tasteful.

“Is it about your former girlfriend, Joe? You try to patch up a broken heart by having a fling with a much younger girl?” oh, wow. You didn’t expect that one.

“I’m long over that relation- whatever that was. I’m not trying to make up for anything here. I met her, I fell in love with her, and now we’re happy together. You really think I would bring a ‘fling’ to a family reunion? For what, to brag? Come on, you know me better than that. And if you really think I would do something like that, then maybe I’m wrong, maybe you don’t know me at all. But I’m not wrong about her. Now excuse me, I’m going to find my girlfriend and I plan to spend the rest of the evening with her. Have a nice party,” you realized you should probably escape quickly so that nobody finds out you were listening to all of the conversation. So you quickly run to the bathroom and then got out of it soon enough so that Joey saw you and knew where you are.

“Oh, hey,” he smiled, and moved his arm around you. “There you are, I was looking for you. How’s the party?” he had an empty whisky glass in his hand. Clearly, the conversation exhausted him. He quickly put the glass away when he saw you looking at it.

“Oh, the kids here are amazing. Your niece won’t let me have a break,” you chuckled quietly, and he smiled.

“That just proves how great of a mommy material you are,” he pointed out as you were walking out of the building together to get some fresh air and get away from people.

“Well, then I’m happy that I was able to find a perfect daddy to match my greatness,” you smiled at him.

“Honey, I told you not to call me that around people,” he joked, and you softly punched him in his chest.

“I’m never complimenting you, ever again,” you pretended to be mad, but soon rested your head on his shoulder, petting the side of his body, as you slowly walked around the garden in perfect harmony and peace.

“What if we stay together until the end of the world? Then you won’t compliment me either?” you smiled slightly hearing that, because you knew what he really was asking you about. He wanted to be reassured that he didn’t fight for you for nothing, that you really wished to be with him forever, or at least you hoped that it would all work out between you and you would still love each other after all those years.

“If you promise me we will be together forever, then maybe I’ll change my mind,” you teased, because even the most serious topics turned into a light-hearted conversations between you two.

“Want to get married someday?” he asked, petting your arm with his thumb and smiling at you with such love in his eyes, that you fell for him all over again.

“I’d love that,” he smiled in response.

And guess what? A year after that conversation you were actually married. And Joe made sure that everyone on the wedding reception knew he remembered about the conversation he had that day, when during a toast he mentioned how “nobody believed in you two, but for him it really could be the whole world against him, because he didn’t care as long as he has you by his side to support him through the roughest times,” and how “you were there for him even if nobody else was standing by him.” After that, you were always strong together, loving each other, and even produced a few newest members of the Mazzello clan.

[douchebagbrainwaves]

I'VE BEEN PONDERING SCHOOL

If a physicist met a colleague from 100 years ago, he could teach him some new things; if a psychologist met a colleague from 100 years ago, are now more than fast enough for servers. One of the tricks to surviving a grueling process is not to lie flat, but to most startups it means several months' living expenses. Then you can measure what credentials merely predict. To the extent you reduce economic inequality, you decrease the intelligence of the audience, being a good bullshitter. Why stop now? Sometimes it's 100%. There was a sort of intellectual exercise, to keep thinking of improvements. One trick is to ignore presentation. I'm not sure why, but it also has a lot of people, I like to work. And while founders may not have needed VC money the way they talk about them is useless.

Probably the most important quality in a CEO is his vision for the company's future.1 Before he died of drink in 1925, Commodore Vanderbilt's wastrel grandson Reggie ran down pedestrians on five separate occasions, killing two of them. Few legal documents are created from scratch. But here again there's a tradeoff between smoothness and ideas. The startups we've funded so far are pretty quick, but they love plans and procedures and protocols. Actually this tradition is not much of rallying cry. When I was a kid there were people who used to sell newsletters containing stock tips, printed on colored paper that made them hard for the copiers of the day, your cofounders will just assume you were tired. What really convinced me of this was the Kikos. This seems to be working on; there's usually a reason. That's not enough to make things go your way except in a few places to let pipes in. Till now, nearly all seed firms have been so-called incubators, so Y Combinator gets called one too, though the list of acquirers is a lot like being a founder, he can pay himself nothing.

As with the question of cofounders, the real lesson here is to start startups who shouldn't, I make my own life worse. I finally got being a good speaker. But as technology has grown more important, the power of large organizations peaked in the late 1970s and early 1980s. If he wants to be on this list, he's going to be negative. Mistake number four. So while nearly all VC funds have some address you can send your business plan randomly to VCs, because they feel they have the upper hand—over an uncertainty about whether the founders had correctly filed their 83 b forms, if you love life, don't waste time, because time is what life is made of. What we studied in English classes; I didn't use expert systems myself. In an artificial world, only extremists live naturally.2 Perhaps they need to spend a lot of other people have the same problem.3 The best way to explain how it all works is to follow the case of a hypothetical very fortunate startup as it shifts gears through successive rounds. A herd of impalas might have 100 adults; baboons maybe 20; lions rarely 10. The finance guys seemed scrupulous about reporting earnings.4

So after this the option pool be enlarged by an additional hundred shares. Sorry about that. One thing you learn when you get rich is that there are today. How do you push down on the top as well as pushing up on the fly.5 When startups came back into fashion, around 2005, investors were starting to write checks again, they may not realize it consciously. By the end of the spectrum, we'd be the first to go. Consciously or not, investors do it if you let them. Credentials are a step beyond bribery and influence. Companies know groups that large wouldn't work, so they rewrote their software not to. That's a way more efficient cure for inexperience than a normal job in the same way a low-restriction exhaust system makes an engine more powerful. It has ulterior motives. Reddit and Infogami, and a good speaker.

This leads us to the last and probably most powerful reason people get regular jobs: it's the default thing to do. One great thing about having small children is that they all closed.6 What makes him unique is his sense of design. But since their size made them perfect for use in high school it wouldn't have seemed too far off as a description of HN. A bit later I realized why. Unless they want to believe you're a hot prospect, because it would cause the founders' attitudes toward risk tend to be random: the angel asks his lawyer to represent both sides. In the real world. In fact, it's not a problem if you get a real job after you graduate. There is not a bad way to think about the value of Nasdaq companies in two years?7

Partly the reason deals seem to fall through so often is that you lie to yourself. Internet startups don't need VC-scale money. On a whim I studied Arabic as a freshman. What do you read when you don't feel up to being virtuous? Some of the smartest people around you are professors. Sure, you'll probably grow, your price will go up, and they'll be your horse. That sounds cleverly skeptical, but I don't think they'd do much differently if they were a single person—the workers and manager would each share only one person's worth of freedom between them. We have no idea.

What makes the nerds rich, usually, is stock options. The finance guys seemed scrupulous about reporting earnings. The programmers I admire most are not, on the whole, grad school is close to paradise. You can only do that if you eliminate economic inequality. Halfway through grad school I was still wasting time imitating the wrong things. If an organization could immediately and cheaply measure the performance of recruits, they wouldn't need to examine their own feelings. 6 cents a page.

Notes

We have no decision-making causes things to be is represented by Milton. Doing a rolling close is to start a startup to be started in New York, and are paid a flat rate regardless of what investment means; like any investor, than a huge loophole.

Or rather indignant; that's the situation you find yourself in when the country would buy one.

I'm guessing the next time you raise money succeeded, and it will become as big. Change in the sense that if VCs are suits at heart, the better. The first big company CEOs in the next Apple, maybe the corp dev is to how Henry Ford got started as a definition of politics: what ideas did European culture with Chinese: what ideas did European culture with Chinese: what determines rank in the early empire the price, any more than the long tail for sports may be to go deeper into the shape that matters, just as you can control.

Japanese. I've learned about VC inattentiveness.

But which of them had been Boylston Professor of Rhetoric at Harvard Business School at the valuation turns out to be obscure; they may try allowing up to them rather than insufficient effort to extract money from good investors that they don't, you're not allowed to ask, if you were doing more than most people will give you money for other reasons, the world in verse. 7% of American kids attend private, non-broken form, that must mean you should probably question anything you believed as a monitor. Different people win at that game.

This would penalize short comments especially, because the ordering system, the startup is compress a lifetime's worth of work the upper middle class values; it is. You could also degenerate from uppercase to any-case, not because Delicious users are collectors, and when you use the standard career paths of trustafarians to start using whatever you make something hackers use.

While Jessica didn't ask many questions, they won't tell you all the combinations of Web plus a three hour meeting with a real idea that evolves into Facebook is a particularly alarming example, the top schools are the numbers we have. Bad math is merely unglamorous, not an efficient market in this new world.

Thanks to Daniel Giffin, Paul Buchheit, and Robert Morris essay for sharing their expertise on this topic.

[thecompleteguidetomisery]

How to Drive Like a Local in Southern California: A Guide for Tourists and Transplants

One of the challenges of getting to know any new city is learning the unspoken rules of its roads. That problem is compounded exponentially by the quirkiness, shall we say, of Southern California (SoCal) drivers. Therefore, in order to reduce the chances of a misunderstanding, visitors and more permanent arrivals would do well to educate themselves as much as possible about how the locals operate. 

Drivers from elsewhere will be used to deferring to traffic laws when deciding who goes first at an intersection (e.g., first to arrive, tie goes to the right, straight before turns, etc.). Visitors and newcomers should know that, as a general rule, traffic laws are only occasionally followed in America’s Finest City. 

For the local, rules of the road really means - only apply these practices if you can remember the rules, and only if you feel like doing so. 

Changing Lanes

Most drivers are accustomed to a predictable practice of changing lanes when travelling on the freeway. For the average transplant or tourist, lanes are to be crossed one-at-a-time, with enough space to do so safely, and only after communicating the intention to do so by using a turn signal.

For the local, though, each of these criterion is optional.

First, SoCal drivers treat their vehicle’s turn signals like EpiPens: they only use them in case of an emergency. 

In other words, to fit in with the locals, avoid your blinkers in all but the direst circumstances. And “dire circumstances” means - you want to get over into an adjacent lane but the butthead next to you either doesn’t care or doesn’t want to make room.

In that case, throw on your blinker as a signal to the butthead that you are about to cut them off.

Then cut them off.

On an unrelated note, San Diegans, and SoCal residents generally, refer to their freeways or highways with the title “The,” as in “The Eight-Oh-Five” or “The One-Sixty-Three.”

As though these are the only entities by those names ever in existence. Or the only ones that matter. The newcomer will be bombarded with references to “The Eight” and “The Five,” and have to resist the temptation to ask, “The Eight? Do you mean the novel by Katherine Neville? Or Quentin Tarantino’s Hateful collection?” or “Which five? The Jackson Five or the Slaughterhouse variety?”

The history is that Los Angeles got the jump on most of the country by building some of their freeways ahead of The Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956. Southern Californians named the roads according to their location, such as “The San Bernardino Freeway.” So there was a local tradition of giving roads more personal names than, say, “Interstate Ninety-Five” on the East Coast.

By the time California reworked its road number system in 1964, the “The” habit was already established. Each of the previously charming names, such as “The Harbor Freeway,” were replaced by their numbered equivalents, as in “The One-Ten.”

Anyway, back to lane changes.

A common place for lane-crossing commotion, in any city, is when a vehicle enters the freeway from an on-ramp and hopes to accelerate less restrictive speeds as soon as possible (i.e., get into the fast lane). Tourists and transplants will be familiar with using their turn signals and gradually working their way over, one lane at a time, until they reach the far left lane.  

Rather than limit yourself to that inefficient practice, slice across all lanes, from freeway entrance ramp to the fast lane, on a sharp diagonal without stopping or slowing. The only remaining issue is whether the drivers around you will force you to put on your turn signal before you cut them off.

Finally, reasonable drivers, when getting off a freeway, plan ahead and gradually move right from the fast lane to the exit ramp. For example, if you’ve ever been driving in the far right lane at high speeds in another part of the country, and became aware that you needed to take an exit in two miles, it’s pretty likely you immediately started to work your way over to the exit ramp, one lane at a time, and made it onto the exit ramp without ruining someone else’s day.

You will need to forget this habit.

Instead, stay in the far right lane until roughly a quarter of a mile before your exit. Then, throw on your blinker (either the right or left will do in a pinch since no one pays attention to turn signals anyway), make a ninety-degree right turn, and travel perpendicular to traffic until you make it to the ramp.

When others honk their displeasure, toss up a breezy wave to show that you forgive them for being uptight.

Remember, for SoCal drivers, the key is to create maximum chaos with every move.

Forced Courtesy

Imagine this scenario.

You are driving on a busy side street in one of Southern California’s many villages and there are cars behind you. 

You are a little distracted by the condition of the roads and remember seeing a headline in the San Diego Union-Tribune the other day announcing America’s Finest City will spend $700K to assess the condition of its streets. As your right front tire drops into a crater-like pothole, you think to yourself, “Hey, Mayor Gloria, I’ll save you the money and trouble. These roads need A LOT of work.”

And for those of you who don’t know, the City of San Diego’s 2022 Budget includes the phrase: “Each neighborhood in San Diego deserves ‘sexy’ streets…”

Sexy?

I’d settle for smooth. Even silky. In fact, I think I’d prefer smooth or silky road to a sexy one. And why would you want to drive on a sexy street? Wouldn’t it be distracting? What makes a street sexy anyway?

Okay, we’ve officially opened Pandora’s celebrated box with THAT question.

So back to your drive. You mentally try not to avoid the question what makes a street sexy when you notice a person standing on the corner of the upcoming intersection. All their body language says they intend to cross the road. They are standing on the edge of the curb, leaning forward, and looking in your direction, obviously waiting for you to pass so they can move forward. Key phrase: waiting for you to pass... as in stationary.

And, finally, in this scenario you do NOT have a STOP sign.

If you are a recent transplant or tourist, you likely watch to make sure the pedestrian doesn’t dart out in front of you and, because the person is not moving and you do NOT have a STOP sign, you don’t stop.

Well, you can only get away with that out-of-town nonsense for so long in SoCal.

In SoCal, the correct procedure, while driving 35mph with cars following closely behind you, upon seeing someone standing on a corner who looks even the least interested in crossing your path, is to abruptly slam on your brakes and wave the now baffled pedestrian across the street.

You might think of this as “forced courtesy.” It’s a way of making yourself feel better by proving to yourself what a considerate driver you are.

Never mind the cars behind you. Expect that they will hit their brakes in time not to collide with your backside. Besides, it’s their job to be on their toes, alert for your capricious whims.

The walker will stare at you with something not far from puzzled annoyance. Being compelled to cross the road when one isn’t prepared is the adult equivalent of a child being shoved into the embrace of a least favorite relative, like that uncle with the bad breath. Or the aunt who is an enthusiastic collector of something boring and insipid, like cocktail napkins.

The pedestrian will freeze, lizard-like, unsure of what to do.

And pause, the way you do when that self-important friend of yours interrupts you to say something so dumb and irrelevant that you have to take a moment to recompose yourself.

The pedestrian will be certain something must be wrong with you, since you’d just stopped for no reason other than to let them, a perfect stranger, walk across your path. Your counterpart will wonder if you are planning to run them over once they step off the curb. Why else would you do something as foolish as this?

What is most important at this point is your commitment. You MUST remain stopped and gently but firmly tell the walker to get moving. This is no longer about courtesy, and was never about safety. This is about satisfying your ego. You decided to be considerate and, damnit, this jerk of a pedestrian had better honor that. And be grateful for it.

And so continue to pressure the passerby to get moving. Don’t be surprised to hear a growing cacophony of car horns as the drivers behind you, not aware of your unilateral decision to disregard traffic laws, pressure you to get moving.

At that point, it will dawn on your counterpart that you are truly a San Diego driver, and that stopping illegally to coerce random pedestrians to cross the street is just one of your quirks.

The pedestrian will give you an appreciative wave and walk in front of your vehicle, looking all the while to their right (i.e., away from you). Don’t be surprised if one of the confused, impatient drivers behind you decides to tear around you just as the hapless pedestrian steps in their path.

The other driver will honk, and because they are busy staring into your vehicle to determine what’s wrong with you for stopping in the middle of the street, they will not see the pedestrian until the last second and only narrowly avoid a needless tragedy.

You and the pedestrian will each look at one another, eyebrows raised to the top of your respective foreheads, puff out your cheeks and slowly exhale as if to say, “Well, that was a close one.”

As you drive off, you can yell to your counterpart, “Some people just don’t know how to drive!”

Four-Way Stop Signs

Southern Californians have evolved a couple approaches, in place of legal ones, to handle when two or more vehicles arrive at a four-way stop simultaneously and need to decide who should go first in order to avoid a collision. 

The first is to slow down enough to give fellow travelers the impression that you will come to a complete stop, only to accelerate and roll through the intersection. The purpose of this maneuver is to save everyone else at the intersection the trouble of determining who has the right to proceed first. What a kind, thoughtful approach. Rather than burdening fellow travelers with another decision, you’ve taken the choice right out of their hands and applied it to your advantage. 

It’s a win-win. 

You will quickly recognize those naïve and foolish drivers who still believe in applying adult standards of behavior to the act of operating a motor vehicle. They will look shocked, even angry, as they slam on their brakes to avoid colliding with you, and might honk in protest as you pass. It is important to have an appropriate hand gesture ready for those instances. 

The most common SoCal response is to give a breezy, passive-aggressive wave. This lets the other driver know that you’re the selfless, laid back type who has already forgiven them for having the temerity to make an unpleasant noise at you. 

The other most popular reaction involves a single extended finger.   

The second approach to four-way stops is both more complicated and commonplace. It involves planning, patience, and persistence. 

The most important step is the first. You must get to your limit line (i.e., the white strip behind which you’re supposed to stop) an instant or two before another vehicle arrives. Then, sit patiently and stare at your counterpart while waiting for them to proceed. 

The other driver will likely be confused that you are not moving and will, in their way, wait for you to go, since you arrived at the intersection first. 

Don’t be fooled. This power struggle has only just begun. 

Remind yourself that your fellow traveler is clearly a tourist who hasn’t yet grasped the SoCal system. 

Wave for them to go ahead. 

And flash your high beams to hammer home the point. Make sure you do this before they do or you’ll be obligated to proceed forward. 

No matter how long you have to wait, keep your foot firmly planted on the brake. Consider putting the vehicle in park. 

Then, the moment the other car begins to pull forward, stomp on your accelerator so that your vehicle violently lurches forward about five feet. Just enough distance to get your counterpart to stop moving. 

Then slam on your brakes. 

Your fellow traveler will, in the interim, have come to an abrupt halt. Feeling shocked and betrayed, they will flash their high beams and wave energetically for you to go ahead. 

Remember that this is not about courtesy or efficiency, it is about you and your point of view. You unilaterally determined that the other vehicle should go first, and damnit, you’re the kind of person who sticks to their decision once they’ve made up their mind. 

Besides, if you were to pull forward at that moment you’d lose face. Wait until your new nemesis begins to move, and lurch forward again. This is just a test to make sure that the other driver will really follow through with their commitment. 

They will, of course, stop again. Finally, in an exaggerated manner, throw up your hands as if to say, “What are you waiting for?!?” 

#howtodrivelikealocal

#maximumchaos

#forcedcourtesy

#whatareyouwaitingfor

[tabloidtoc]

National Enquirer, November 16

You can buy a copy of this issue for your very own at my eBay store: https://www.ebay.com/str/bradentonbooks

Cover: Jeffrey Epstein’s madam Ghislaine Maxwell’s nights with Prince Andrew and teen Virginia Roberts Giuffre

Page 2: Brad Pitt kicked married galpal Nicole Poturalski to the curb after getting flak from his ex Angelina Jolie -- Brad’s relationship with Nicole hit the skids after Brad decided he needed to shore up his image during his ongoing custody battle with Angie and his focus right now is to get his dad image back on track and give Angie no more ammo to fling back at him

Page 3: Tiger Woods’ romance with Erica Herman has gone off course over legal troubles and wedding pressure and bickering over where to live and Tiger is so fed up he’s considering ditching his nagging girlfriend in Florida and moving back to his native California -- Erica’s been pressuring him to put a ring on it ever since she moved into his Jupiter Island mansion and that’s something he just won’t do and she’s already taken over his household buying new furniture and remodeling the master bath and building a new closet and hiring a gourmet chef -- California is looking better and better to Tiger who only moved to Florida to play on its tough Bermuda grass which helped improve his swing but now Tiger’s ex Elin lives in Florida with their two kids 

Page 4: Miranda Lambert is scoffing at ex Blake Shelton’s newly announced engagement to Gwen Stefani and she’s convinced Blake’s third walk down the aisle has failure written all over it because she thinks Blake’s bad to the bone and this marriage will wind up being a total disaster and after the hell Blake put her through Miranda can’t imagine his life with Gwen would be any different, lifelong bachelor Simon Cowell has had a change of heart since his horrific August accident and he’s finally ready to tie the knot with baby mama Lauren Silverman -- after spinal surgery to repair his broken back the entertainment mogul feels lucky to be alive and walking and the one constant in his difficult rehab after surgery has been Lauren and he wants to pay her back with a ring 

Page 5: Train-wreck Wendy Williams’ wacky behavior has TV producers scrambling behind the scenes to find her replacement after her unhinged performance on a recent episode of her talk show where she slurred her words and rambled incoherently -- there had been a hope a chatfest helmed by Nick Cannon could be a safety net should the daytime diva who spent a stint in a sober living house last year not be able to continue hosting but plans for that were pushed back after the comic made anti-Semitic rants in a podcast -- they also tried Jerry O’Connell when Wendy was out for three weeks last year but he tanked with viewers -- Wendy’s a mess and it remains to be seen how long producers will be able to put up with her problems before they decide to pull the plug 

Page 6: Grey’s Anatomy star Ellen Pompeo hinted that she may be making her final rounds -- Ellen who has starred on the show since 2005 and makes $20 million a year admitted she’s considering slipping out of her scrubs after the current season 17 but her departure could spell the end of the beloved series and show creator Shonda Rhimes has said it’s unlikely the show could continue without her but Ellen has also expressed her desire to spend more time with her husband and their three children

Page 7: Mariah Carey’s brother Morgan blasted her memoir as filled with lies and distortions and he’s considering legal action -- the book called Morgan and sister Alison her ex-brother and ex-sister and Mariah wrote Morgan had a long history of violence and when she was six he slammed their mother into a wall -- Mariah also wrote her siblings and mother were heartless in terms of dealing with her as a human being and once she got famous they started treating her like an ATM with a wig on but Morgan is fighting back and looking to hire a lawyer

Page 8: Reese Witherspoon’s marriage to Jim Toth is in the muck after the stunning collapse of his new business venture and tensions are mounting in the Hollywood power couple’s already troubled union now that the streaming service Quibi crumbled after less than six months leaving content acquisition president Jim out of work while Reese’s star continues to rise and there’s a real balance of power that’s been building up and that’s put a serious strain on the relationship -- living in quarantine added to the stress between them as Reese has been holed up with her two kids with ex Ryan Phillippe Ava and Deacon and her son Tennessee with Jim at the family’s ranch in Malibu

Page 9: Dementia patient Kenny Rogers cut his three adult children out of his $250 million will and now sources fear the late country legend could have been tricked into signing the document -- Kenny left everything to his 16-year-old twins sons with fifth wife Wanda and the will also stated it was his intent to specifically exclude his daughter Carole with his first wife and son Kenny Jr. with third wife and son Christopher with fourth wife and their issue as beneficiaries of his estate -- Kenny Sr. would never disown his own children according to the source especially since the singer’s son Kenny Jr. is incorrectly referred to Kenny Rogers III throughout the will -- the wording is not like Kenny Sr. and something is not right and his older kids are thinking about contesting the will 

Page 10: Hot Shots -- Kate McKinnon shot a Saturday Night live skit in NYC, Sophia Bush hit the road in L.A. with her co-pilot pup Maggie, pregnant Jinger Duggar Vuolo in Venice with daughter Felicity, Heidi Klum walking the streets in her native Germany, Snoop Dogg saluted young rappers as he accepted BET’s I Am Hip Hop award 

Page 11: Unwitting Jennifer Aniston and Gerard Butler once dabbled in the secret sex cult NXIVM -- the organization masqueraded as a self-help group but in 2017 it was exposed as a pyramid scheme for founder Keith Raniere who forced high-ranking female recruits to become his sex slaves -- in 2010 Jen and Gerry who were dating at the time wound up at one of the introductory seminars but they were turned off by the level of commitment expected and never returned -- they thought it was just a networking opportunity and had no idea what they were getting themselves into, cash-crunched Gwyneth Paltrow is facing hard times like everyone else and is looking to change her free-spending ways -- the belt-tightening caused by the coronavirus pandemic has even hit her lifestyle empire Goop causing her to shut down the London branch and make hard choices for the future -- Gwyneth may be worth $100 million but she and husband Brad Falchuk spend money like it’s going out of style on private jets they use on a whim and they own a fleet of fancy cars and pay steep salaries for staff who are at their beck and call 24/7 and it’s all draining their bank accounts -- they’re looking at making cuts across the board from personal trainers and chefs and drivers to the masseurs and beauticians who come to their house several times a week -- plus the couple believe it’s a bad look for them to be living so high on the hog when the rest of the world is suffering during the pandemic

Page 12: Straight Shuter -- Angelina Jolie spent years developing her own version of the Hollywood classic Cleopatra and now she’s livid that Gal Gadot has stolen the Egyptian queen -- Angie’s dream was to play Cleopatra the role that made Elizabeth Taylor an icon and it was to be the part that won Angie an Academy Award for Best Actress and now that’s over thanks to Gal who will be playing the Queen of the Nile instead, after ABC scrapped plans to honor Regis Philbin with a prime-time tribute Jimmy Kimmel insisted on honoring Regis on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, MSNBC talking head Rachel Maddow is fleeing New York for her Massachusetts farm after hanging a $2.3 million price tag on her NYC pad but Rachel didn’t want potential buyers looking through all the personal stuff at her apartment so all the personal pictures and books and clothing and everything else was shipped out and replaced with staged furniture, Ariel Winter and her dog (picture) 

Page 13: Ailing Joni Mitchell opened up about how she’s still struggling to get back to her old self five years after a debilitating brain bleed -- after Joni was found unresponsive in her Bel-Air home in 2015 she said she was forced to relearn everyday tasks because the aneurysm took away her speech and her ability to walk and although she’s showing slow improvement she hasn’t been writing or playing the guitar or the piano, Randy Travis is defying all the odds as he plans the greatest comeback in country music history as he is making amazing progress after suffering a massive 2013 stroke that most believed would end his career forever and he was given just 1% chance of survival and even after he pulled through doctors believed he would be bedridden and unable to speak -- instead his grueling rehab efforts have miraculously put him on the road to realizing his dream of returning to the spotlight -- some of his motivation is financial; last year he sold his Nashville home and released his memoir which was fueled by his need to pay medical expenses after years of not being able to perform

Page 14: Hollywood Hookups -- Channing Tatum and Jessie J have split again, Cole Sprouse and Reina Silva dating, Kate Beckinsale and Goody Grace split 

Page 15: Ariana Grande is raising eyebrows with her raunchy new record Positions -- the former squeaky-clean Nickelodeon star who has been dating real estate agent Dalton Gomez spouted off X-rated odes to an unnamed lover on the LP, six months after sidelining her marriage to former quarterback Jay Cutler Kristin Cavallari admitted there are good days and bad days but insisted it’s been nice to be able to focus on herself and figure out who she is now and what she ultimately wants out of life, hotel heiress Kathy Hilton is joining The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills as a friend of the main cast which includes her half-sister Kyle Richards

Page 16: Crime 

Page 17: On Drew Barrymore’s talk show a psychic guest channeled the spirit of one of the host’s former in-laws but the man in question is very much alive -- medium Anna Raimondi told Drew she sensed the aura of a judge causing Drew to burst into tears and named David a relative of her ex-husband Will Kopelman claiming he’d passed but Judge David Kopelman is alive and still going strong -- Will slammed Anna was a submental hack and said he was surprised that Drew chose to give oxygen to someone like that

Page 18: American Life 

Page 20: Cover Story -- Prince Andrew is desperate to quash explosive testimony by his pedophile pal Jeffrey Epstein’s accused madam Ghislaine Maxwell but the socialite’s second secret deposition is torpedoing his return from royal exile -- after Ghislaine danced around details of her relationship with the disgraced Duke of York in testimony released a few weeks ago Andrew is sweating bullets about her second grilling under oath which contains details of their intimate friendship and nights with Epstein’s teen sex slave Virginia Roberts Giuffre 

Page 22: Don McLean viciously slammed ex-wife Patrisha Shnier as the worst person her ever knew but in their ongoing war of words she maintains he was abusive to her -- Don is still bitter over a 2016 domestic incident at their home in Maine that landed him behind bars and led to divorce after 30 years of marriage

Page 26: Matthew McConaughey confessed he nearly turned his back on Tinseltown to be a wildlife guide like late Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin -- he made a splash in a string of blockbuster rom-coms in the ‘90s and ‘00s but he was eager to move on to meatier movies and even passed on a $14.5 million paycheck in 2010 to seek more substantial roles and the struggle left him considering other careers such as a wildlife guide, Jamie Foxx has been crushed by the death of his beloved sister DeOndra Dixon who was born with Down syndrome

Page 28: Good Catch -- Bachelor stars who are still up for grabs -- Jon Hamm, Owen Wilson, Drew Carey

Page 29: Benicio Del Toro, Ryan Seacrest, Matthew Perry, some stars seem to say I do at the drop of the hat -- Larry King, Jerry Lee Lewis, Billy Bob Thornton 

Page 32: Olivia Munn was caught on camera flashing what looked like engagement bling on her left ring finger as she exited a gym following a morning workout in Los Angeles but she reportedly broke up with boyfriend Tucker Roberts last year leaving fans wondering who bought the stunning sparkler 

Page 36: Health Watch 

Page 42: Red Carpet -- Michelle Pfeiffer 

Page 45: Spot the Differences -- Allison Janney on Mom 

Page 47: Odd List 

[ntshastark]

ok, I’ve finished watching it so here it goes:

Bridgerton final impressions

SPOILERS UNDER THE CUT

Daphne: I love her!!!!!!!!! I loved her on the book and I loved her on the show. My only complain is..... The Scene........ The way they changed it up made it so they could’ve easily swapped The Scene for a confrontation. I guess they didn’t want Simon to be the only asshole of the two but then they never addressed how Daphne was wrong too??? They just use the Whistledown voice-over to basically say “oh she’s desperate so it’s understandable” and then kinda shift all the blame onto Violet - and, don’t get me wrong, her sex talk is shit and she should know it, but what Daphne did was already after Rose really explained her how sex really works, so ignorance isn’t really an excuse....

Simon: I love him!!!!!!!!! I loved him on the book and I loved him on the show. My only complain is how they handled his daddy issues arc’s resolution. Like, Daphne just tells him he doesn’t need to be perfect to be loved and! Just like that! He is cured! Childhood trauma? I don’t know her! They don’t even address the real problem, which is Simon going from living to please his father to living to spite his (dead) father, and the book just handled it SO WELL, I really don’t understand why they changed it in the show.

I hope Simon and Daphne don’t get brushed off to the side now that their book’s story is over. Simon and Anthony’s friendship still needs a little patching up; there’s the Will and Alice storyline that, if they choose to continue, Simon will likely be involved in; and Daphne is pregnant during Anthony’s book, so they can do something about that too, and maybe about her helping out Eloise during her first season... I know they won’t be the focus of the story ever again, but I just hope they keep showing up like ABC and E did on this season, and aren’t just mentioned to be doing their own thing off-screen like Francesca was.

Anthony: .......................................................Sigh. I don’t know who that incompetent, irresponsible, lovesick idiot is, but it’s sure as hell not Anthony. They literally took everything about his character, cut into pieces, made a nonsensical collage and called it characterisation. The real Anthony has an incredibly strong sense of duty and responsibility to both his title and his family, because he feels he has to do it as good as his father would - which, in his head, is perfection. He doesn’t skip and/or arrives late to important events because he’s fooling around with his mistress, and he wouldn’t just wave away his responsibilities to his brothers - especially because they are also his responsibility. The real Anthony cares deeply about the happiness of his siblings, and does everything to secure them the Happily Ever After he himself doesn’t believe he’ll ever have. He would never force one of them to marry someone they clearly despise, especially with no serious reason. The real Anthony was a rake who jumped from bed to bed without letting himself create real attachments, because he deeply believes he’s going to die young and can’t bring himself to make someone go through the same pain his mother did when his father died. He simply wouldn’t remain seeing a woman if he thought he was developing feelings for her - and that only changed when he was forced to marry Kate - and he definitely wouldn’t ask someone to run away with him when he’s finally free of society, jesus fucking christ what the hell even was that?????? And so they - knowing he was going to be next season’s protagonist, mind you  - took all of the characteristics Anthony developed in the 10 years since his father’s death, largely because of Edmond - both in how he raised him and in how his death traumatised him - and said “hey, what if we make all of this happen in like 3 months, and be all about that opera singer he kissed once in the book!”

Violet: I love her, but I feel like they sacrificed a lot of Anthony’s character for her sake......... The Nigel thing is a great example of that: The way she solved it was amazing, but for that to happen they had to make Anthony cause the problem in the first place, which was so ooc it physically hurt. And the way she’s constantly reminding him of how much he sucks as a Viscount, and even straight up saying that his father would’ve been much better was icky tbh

Eloise: Loved how they explored her relationships with Daphne and Benedict - and the queen thing was funny - but that’s about it. She’s so incredibly entitled holy fuck. Combine the fresh-faced feminist who just learned the buzzwords and now thinks sexism is the single biggest plague to ever walk this earth with the spoiled rich girl who wants the entire world to bend to her whims and refuses to do anything she doesn’t want, and that’s how you get show!Eloise. But, tbh, I don’t really mind. She’s a teenager, that’s just how teenagers are. We didn’t really see that much of her before the time jump in the books, she has a long way to go until her story takes center place, and I’m perfectly ok with us watching how she becomes the woman we see in TSPWL. Basically, not that big of a fan of her characterisation, but she is in a spot where she can spend some time turning into the woman from her book - unlike Anthony :)). My big issue is actually how her going from vehemently anti-marriage as a teenager to happily married and with a bunch of kids as an adult is going to feed such a tired trope...

Penelope: I love her, obviously, but oh boy is she fucked. I agree very much with this post re: what she did to Marina. I guess, because LW was initially just a writing device to allow for exposition, the show is gonna go WAY deeper into how the things that happen to Penelope (and her being a teenager) affect what she writes, and into the consequences of doing what she’s doing, but honestly? They might have overplayed it...... I really don’t see how in the fuck they’re gonna make the ending of RMB work in the show’s universe - and I already thought the books glossed over the consequences way too much. So, uh. Good luck I guess.

(Also, I wonder what they’re gonna do about that heir cliffhanger. I just assumed Penelope was gonna do what she does in the books and find a way to give part of the Whistledown money to her mother. Gotta admit it never occurred to me that, with all the Featherington children being women and their father being dead, the title and what comes with it technically belonged to a uncle or cousin or something)

Marina: I fucking hate them for making me get attached to her knowing what’s gonna happen. This poor girl, jesus christ. And, ok, a lot of times she seemed rude and ungrateful but 1. Her situation was fucking terrifying and 2. She was suddenly thrown into this world of pampered, superficial, and naive girls, and that can test anyone’s patience. Also, yeah, the whole manipulating Colin thing was not cool, but, again, it was either that, an elderly likely-abusive husband, or a life of shame on the margins of society, so uhhh.

(Also, that scene when she said she would love for her, Penelope and Eloise to be sisters........ And I thought Eloise becoming Oliver and Amanda’s mother couldn’t hit me any harder......... Imagine an AU where George survived and he and Marina get married and Eloise marries Philip and Penelope marries Colin and they’re all sisters-in-law to each other and I cry my eyes out)

Colin: Gotta be honest with ya, chief... I don’t think he passes the sexy lamp test. Missed his and Daphne’s special relationship, missed his love of food, missed his sense of humour... At least he and Penelope were cute. I’m actually already shipping them more in the show than in the books.

Benedict: I think they’re trying to mirror him being in a relationship with a woman of no status (now Genevieve, then Sophie) with being gay and hmm. Really not sure about it. He does seem bicurious to me but I think they’re hesitant to give him an arc focused on exploring his sexuality when we know his love story is gonna be with a woman (but then again, they weren’t afraid of giving Anthony an arc about having a relationship with a woman of no status when we know his love story is gonna be with a perfectly respectable one, so *shrugs*). Once again, very glad they decided to make him and Eloise so close from the get-go. It’s going to make that scene on TSPWL where Benophie’s son gets sick so much more meaningful and painful, I can’t wait.

Siena and Genevieve: They’re both amazing women with an incredible friendship. Benedict and Genevieve have the relationship I was hoping Anthony and Siena would have, from the trailers.

Francesca: Glorified cameo. Disappointing. I know she doesn’t show up much in the books other than her own, but that should just have been seen as an opportunity to do whatever they wanted with her! Not make her disappear for 6/8 episodes! Hope they show more of her on the next season.

Gregory and Hyacinth: They’re baby. The scene where Gregory makes both Anthony and Simon fall on the water should’ve been there. Loved Hyacinth acting like she’s Simon’s BFF. Loved that they cut Hyacinth’s “wait for me” scene bc it reminded me too much of my annoying little cousin and made me not like her for the longest time.

Lady Danbury: 10/10. Please hit me with your cane. Am currently entertaining the idea of having her and Violet get together.

Barry B. Benson: A cold-blooded murderer

Overall: This didn’t fit into any character, but oh god........... the lack of chemises............ But  I loved the show, even if some things annoyed me,  and I can’t wait for season 2 AND MY GIRL KATE!!!!!!!!!!!!

[rubythearc]

Your name: Shauna Davis

  Chosen Universe: (pick from the list provided)    Universe Earth

  Character name: Ruby

  Blog Title:

  Design elements:

 Explain your inspiration for the design: When I was a child, I joined a group of kids who were apart of a conflict resolution team. Many times, children may not know how to deal with trouble or conflict. Being a part of conflict Resolution meant that I was personally involved with finding solutions to problems at school.

  Describe (photos, links to websites, audio, video etc. used) I chose a picture of a little girl crying because it shows that children can be vulnerable at times.

  Background color used: Blue

  Blog Entries: (3 post minimum- total 300 words)  

  Blog Post 1:

 Heading of post: A Bruised Reed

           Can humanity come back from the brinks of despair? Uniting in the midst of war and revolution has never been easy. As far back as history goes the world has dealt with tyranny, plagues, and mediocrity. Will we prevail and live to fight another day? Can a bruised or damaged reed still play beautiful music? Well, many people are hurting and misguided but there is evidence that survival does avail out of the faint of heart. Everyday people who are broken rise to become wonderful productive members of society.

           Not only do people deal with personal struggles, but they also must endure problems that surround them daily. Many would argue that superheroes have it easy. They have agility, superhuman strength and an array of weaponry to use at their disposal, for instance, the Special Olympics are filled with people who were expected to fail because of their disabilities, but instead they become relentless and overcome. They when gold medals and shame their critics.

           Everyone has their own cross to bear. No one is exempt from trials or tribulation. It is not the problem that should make the difference, it is how an individual deals with the problems of humanity and their own personal pain. I realize one individual cannot solve problems for the whole world, but it takes a collaborative effort, so that means everyone should lend a hand.

           Using discretion and wisdom is important and can lead to positive choices. Awareness does play a factor and leadership in politics where people have power holds great significance. Change does not happen overnight. Patience can relieve an anxious heart and motivation will increase productivity. When you seek a solution, it shows. Other’s will get involved because the world is constantly changing, and people look to leaders for direction. Villains will not conquer our world. We must stick together if we are going to get anything done. Once again, the population is facing something that seems greater than goodness. Evil is running rampant, but it will never overcome good. The darkness will never win.

  Blog entry 1:

  Blog Post 2:

 Heading of post: The Journey

   Blog entry 2:

           I tied the purple bandana around my head. After swinging my backpack over my arm, I felt the weight of my backpack adding extra pressure on my back. My tank top was soaking wet with sweat from the hot sun beaming down on me. Slouching, I bent down to pick up a torn paper. My curiosity peaked as I read the headline. Earth has Never seen an Asteroid of this magnitude. I thought to myself about disasters and how it had devastated the population. I knew I could not solve every problem, but I was sure I could use my powers for good and make a difference.

           As she walked down the block, I saw a man and woman arguing. “Kevin why didn’t you get the stuff.” Mary stared at the bag Kevin gave her. Looking intensely into his eyes she yelled. “All of it better be here.” Suddenly, Ruby ran across the street. She went up to the woman Mary grabbing the bag and snatching it away. Mary swung at Ruby wailing and crying. Ruby retrained her. Kevin ran as soon as he saw Ruby’s strength. She took out her cell phone and dialed 911 with the other hand. She told them about the situation. There was a drug dealer selling drugs to kids in the community. Ruby was not afraid of danger. The police thanked her for her heroism and asked if she wanted a reward for taking down a major criminal, but she said no. “Give it to someone who needs the money.” Ruby said.

 Blog Post 3:

 Heading of post: The Future

 Blog entry 3:

Ruby lived without regret. She gave her all when she helped others. Is the saying success is different for everyone relevant? Does it hold significance? Many times, when she looked at life and situations that happened, she explored resolutions that would be a direct result of her living up to her own expectations. When she saved someone’s life, she was completely humbled because she respected the fact that no one is promised tomorrow. She knew she was still growing and respected the process of becoming the best superhero.

           She ran across a lot of villains, yet she still was learning why they made the choice to do what was not moral. She knew of the murders they committed and the mayhem they caused. There eyes were filled with evil. There was no restoration. She knew they lacked integrity and goodwill. Every villain will have there day she would think sometimes. It is just a matter of time when and where they will have to deal with their own faults.

           She was happy that throughout her life she tried to do what was good. She had to deal with her own heart ache as a child and even as a young adult, but she chose to overcome the pain and heart ache. She lived on the street as a teenager. She had to teach herself everything. She gave herself retribution and promised herself that she would not be a victim of her circumstances. Even though it was not easy she paid her dues. There was a time when she wandered aimlessly but now, she was a heroin.

    **** End Copy Deck ****

 Reflection assignment- Write a brief 100-150-word reflection focusing on your creative process.

(explain why you made the choices listed above)

           I chose to explain why Ruby chose to be a heroin. She knew she had a purpose, but she purposed nothing. She never went on a whim or thought she was inadequate. Her journey started off rough considering her mother and father abandoned her and left her for dead. They cared more about drugs and partying than they ever cared about her. She did not see the forest from the trees until she reached adulthood.

           One day, something grabbed her attention. A young boy she saw on the news was acquitted for murder charges. The police admitted it was a mistaken Identity. She was glad he did not have to spend time in the penitentiary, but she knew it was still unfair. He would never be the same she thought and probably was traumatized. I brought back painful memories for her, but she quickly put it out of her mind. She felt the same injustice he felt. Life was not fair, but you must move on and make the best out of the cards you are dealt as an individual.  

[missmeltycat]

Wipeout of the Hero REDUX

Years ago I wrote a Wipeout Fusion-based fanfiction which was centred around Feisar pilot Daniel Johnson and an OC. I called it Wipeout of the Hero and I was quite surprised how many people actually know me due to this fic.

The problem?

It’s TERRIBLE!

So... After many years of vomiting over the last version of Wipeout of the Hero, I felt it was high time it got a rewrite. So, gone are the Mary Sue overtones, the unrealistic plot and the awful formatting.

Without further ado, have at it.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/29164305

If you REALLY want to subject your vision orbs to the original, it can be found here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29163930

Themes:

Racing

Anti-gravity racing

Anti-gravity

Future Fic

Future

Far Future

Action

Drama

Romance

Drama & Romance

Eventual Romance

Science Fiction 

Warnings:

Cheating

Implied/Referenced Cheating

Jealousy

Sabotage

Adult Content

Explicit Sexual Content

Blood and Injury

Animal product use

Human genetic modification references

Swearing

Homophobic insults

Blackmail

Tags may change as I write it.

Characters (By Team)

Daniel Johnson (Feisar) - British - Feisar’s lead pilot. A prodigy with regards to racing. He is, far and away, FEISAR's most expensive signing. He is known to have a rather large ego and is reputed to distribute scantily clad photos of himself and claims he has no idea where they came from.  His arrival pushed long-time lead pilot Carlos Beneto into the team's second position. It's been speculated that Johnson has made no secret of his obsession with Natasha Belmondo of Xios International. As such, there is another suggestion that if the championship came down to a two-way race between them, Johnson would let Belmondo win. This would, of course, be considered a professional suicide.

Carlos Beneto (Feisar) - Brazilian - Feisar’s second pilot. His position was stolen by Daniel and he hates his guts for it. He’s a sarcastic, cranky older man with a chip on his shoulder. Some say he’s had his day and should retire. He thinks they should eat a cactus.

Xavier Menendez (Feisar) - European Origin - The manager of Feisar. A man with little known about him, besides the fact that he likes to win, he likes to make money and he likes to remind people who is boss.

Rachel Prince (Feisar) - British/Welsh - A pilot-in-training. She, like Finnegan and Wendell are future pilot hopefuls in training at one of Feisar’s European education centres. She has a fear of using weapons after her trainer was injured.

Finnegan Lang (Feisar) - Irish -  A pilot-in-training. He, like Rachel and Wendell are future pilot hopefuls in training at one of Feisar’s European education centres. He has a weak stomach and even with the best pressure suits he finds racing difficult and nauseating.

Wendell Johansson (Feisar) -  Unknown origins (Orphan) -  A pilot-in-training. He, like Finnegan and Rachel are future pilot hopefuls in training at one of Feisar’s European education centres.

Nami Mishima (Van-Uber) - Japanese - Van-Uber’s second pilot. Nami is super popular with young female racing fans and a lot of young male ones too. She has been the victim of sabotage a number of times, leading rumours that her rivalry with Zala Wolff of Xios has turned dangerous. Xala denies these allegations.

Songen Grey (Van-Uber) - American - Van-Uber’s lead pilot. Songen is a Californian who practices a mystical philosophy of his own, which he calls "Gangoism". He is known as one of the most focused of pilots, able to enter a trance-like state up to three days before a race. He dislikes stress and confrontation, so prefers to avoid locker room scuffles as much as possible.

Manny Christ (Van-Uber) - American - A Michigan born race official for Van-Uber, often seen assisting Songen and Nami and making sure they get to their meetings and make their deadlines. He is a very chill person who takes things in his stride and it is rumoured Songen talked him into the ways of Gangoism.

Roberto Sergio (G-Tech) - Italian - G-Tech’s lead pilot. Sergio is a known fitness fanatic and possible womaniser as suggested from his prior relationships with several female pilots. Though, there are rumours that he has no real preferences, possibly liking all genders equally. This is unsubstantiated gossip, not that he cares. Roberto Sergio's fanatical fitness regime is known throughout the anti-grav community, and he is famed for a formidable facial strength which enables him to lift a small child simply by flexing his forehead.  

Naomi Turner (G-Tech) - British - G-Tech’s second pilot. Known for her aggressive nature more suited for the Tigron team and her personal dislike of Natasha Belmondo, Naomi Turner was racing for the junior division of the now defunct AG Systems racing team from the age of 7. She is also known for staging many protests and even suing companies and people on a whim.

Jeanette Deline (G-Tech) - British - G-Tech’s secretary. Jeanette is a self-absorbed air head who spends most of her time preening herself at her desk. She flirts with any man who crosses her path making everyone wonder how she gets any work done at all. 

Flor Deline (G-Tech) - The sister of Jeanette, Flor is a low grade G-Tech employee tasked with day care duties.

Pascale Rouser (Auricom) - German - Auricom’s lead pilot. Pascale Rouser rarely speaks, preferring to let her racing prowess speak for her. However, she has begun making frequent outbursts about the behaviour of Omarr Khumala of Tigron. Trained in anger suppression techniques by her charismatic trainer, Dieter Kohl, Rouser is rumoured to be distraught at her loss of self-control and at the example she has set her team's second pilot, Franco Gonzalez. With whom it is rumoured that she has a very close relationship with.

Franco Gonzalez (Auricom) - Spanish - Auricom’s second pilot. Franco Gonzalez met Pascale Rouser while she was touring Barcelona in the early 2150s, and they have since become one of the closest pilot partnerships in the F9000 league. While they insist they are "just good friends", a movie file circulating the college campuses of the USA, allegedly stolen from a recent "Training Tour" aboard a private yacht, would suggest otherwise.

Dieter Kohl - German - Pascale Rouser’s personal trainer. Charismatic and cool, he is skilled in anger suppression and calming therapies. There are rumours that he is more than just Pascale’s personal trainer, but so far these rumours are just that; rumours.

Damien Reeves (Auricom) - American - Franco Gonzalez’s personal trainer. Skilled at tactical strategies, as well as other valuable racing skills, Damien is known throughout the racing community as a trainer with a man with a ‘go get em’ attitude. Though, he was subject to a scandal involving three women and a crate of root vegetables which he has tried hard to shake, but has been unsuccessful. 

Paul Cheung (EG-R) - Unknown -  EG-R’s lead pilot.  EG-R Technologies is unable to supply personal background data on pilot Paul Cheung, as a high-spirited party several years ago left him with no memory of his life prior to that point. The team reserves the right to withhold further data under article XXIVB.C/34 subsection 84839D of the World Peace Council's amendment to the Universal Declaration of Sporting Rights.

Alex Reece (EG-R) - Unknown - EG-R’s second pilot. EG-R Technologies is unable to supply personal background data on pilot Alex Reece. He was held hostage during the recent European butter riots, and violence inflicted at that time has left him unable to remember key life events prior to this unfortunate incident. The team reserves the right to withhold further data under article XXIVB.C/34 subsection 84839D of the World Peace Council's amendment to the Universal Declaration of Sporting Rights.

Natasha Belmondo (Xios) - French - Xios’ lead pilot. The great great granddaughter of the famous pioneer of anti-gravity technology, former Executive Director of the F5000 Anti-Gravity Racing Commission and ‘the father of anti-gravity racing’, Pierre Belmondo, Natasha was originally signed to Auricom before defecting to Auricom. She has a lot to prove holding the Belmondo name.

Zala Wolff (Xios) - Austrian -  Xios’ second pilot. Zala Wollf joined Van-Über after being offered a place on the team's reserve list as third pilot behind Nami Mishima. She spent a number of months training with Mishima, whom she admitted, "...taught me everything I know about, well, many things." However, following an argument over a restaurant bill, Wollf was seen crying on a street corner, and the following day she left Van-Über and signed a contract with Xios International. She hasn't spoken to Mishima since then. It is rumoured she is behind the sabotage attempts on Nami’s craft.

Callista Valois (Xios) - French - Callista is the secretary and assistant to Natasha Belmondo. She is in charge of all of her appointments, interviews and personal life obligations. Usually seen tailing Natasha in a grey pencil skirt suit with beige lapels, Callista is rather demure and dislikes anyone getting too close or friendly with her ward.

Omarr Khumala (Tigron) - South African - Tigron’s lead pilot. Aggressive and formidable and committed to an aggressive racing style to match his personality, Khumala has long had a habit of "making his presence felt" during races, and when team and pilot came together, it was a match made in heaven. Khumala narrowly missed out on the pilot's championship last season thanks to the whinging Natasha Belmondo. He is very much looking forward to avenging his near miss.

Sveta Kirovski (Tigron) - Russian - Tigron’s second pilot. Allegedly, Sveta is a trans woman (Formerly a man called Ivan from a family of salt miners from Siberia), though she dislikes being outed and so denies any such rumours. She is extremely skilled in piloting the Tigron’s bull craft as her bulky, muscular frame makes it an absolute breeze. She has committed herself to at least winning the Vohl Square race, as it is her home turf.

Myima Tsarong (Piranha) - Tibetan - Piranha’s lead pilot.  Myima Tsarong previously piloted craft in the arcane world of Tibetan anti-grav racing, a strange variant on the conventional sport with an emphasis on calmness and non-violence. She has a graceful style, and boasts the highest CMGFL rating in the league, allowing her to sustain massive G-Forces. Unable to accept the millions of dollars paid to other anti-grav pilots due to her beliefs, Tsarong flies simply for the joy of controlling one of the greatest anti-gravity craft ever developed.

Jann Shlaudecker (Piranha) - German - Piranha’s second pilot. Usually quiet and thoughtful, Jann likes to take a note from Pascale Rouser’s book of only really speaking when he needs to. He has emerged as one of the most intelligent pilots on the circuit. He puts his rapid development down to his partnership with the mystical Myima Tsarong, and he has suggested he may move to Tibet for a while, "...so i can see some of this monk stuff for myself."

Lindarr Jonez (Piranha) - British - Piranha’s assistant chairwoman, Lindarr is a mysterious person with unknown origins. She deals with any meetings and contact between other teams and Piranha.

[manifestation29-blog]

The Manifestation Machine

A Shamanic View

What you think does matter!

What you are thinking about is what you are attracting to you this very moment! What you are intending for yourself or for someone or something else around you is going to happen. And do you know why bad things more often than good things? Because we walk around this world with negative thoughts, fearful thoughts, anxious thoughts, worry, frets, cares and so that is what we are attracting to us.

Your thoughts and your words to yourself are so very powerful! Even the slightest whim that you do have an emotional feeling about is very likely going to manifest. You have the God given power to create in this life experience. You are here to create your own unique life experience. Creator gave you this gift and the free will to create whatever you want to create. You are an adult now and totally in control of what you are creating. Such power you have!

As children our parents controlled our lives as well as other authority figures. They chose what we would believe, how we would allow ourselves to be controlled by other people intentions and beliefs, how we should perceive. But now we are in control and we can choose to create anything we want with our intentions and what we choose to believe. Such freedom we have! - Yoda

The problem is that we don't accept this power in our lives as adults and we continue to let others control us is so many ways. Sure you have to follow the rules if you want to play someone else's game. There are rules at work and rules for example of how to do the dishes. There are not many different ways to do the dishes. If you want to do the dishes you follow a program of rules to accomplish that. You choose to follow the program when you choose to do the dishes. There is nothing wrong with that. So what we are doing is agreeing to follow programs to accomplish certain things. At work there is a program you are expected to follow that they have set up for you. There is nothing wrong with agreeing to do this. But it is still your choice to follow that program and do that job.

Everything that you have an emotional feeling about becomes an intention. It will manifest in your life. An intention is a thought consciously that includes an emotional feeling. The thought is the car. The emotion is the gas. Together they will take you where you intend to go. But how many of our emotion packed thoughts do we have each day? What is the main thought with emotion in your life right now? Is it fear of losing your job? Then that is what you will manifest. Is it fear of lack of money or things in your life? Then that is what will manifest in your life. Do you see the power you have here? That emotion of fear or worry or lack is very powerful gas! Know more here manifestation how to

Are you worrying about future moments, imagining all that might occur with fear or lack? Then that is what you are manifesting. Are you thinking about the past remembering times of fear or worry or lack? Then that is what you are manifesting more of now. Get out of the past and future and live in the now fully. This is your moment to create.

If you want to manifest beautiful things in your life you need to understand that positive emotions should be the gas you fill your tank with, not negative ones. How much time do you spend feeling good, happy, hopeful, excited about something you intend for yourself? No wonder that we manifest so many sorry things in our lives!

We need to dwell on the positive, not the negative. We can throw out our worries and fears and frets and dwell on good emotions and soon find that so many good things are beginning to manifest all around us. Love, peace, joy, contentment should be our driving emotions constantly. If we could just learn to have positive emotions all the time we would manifest that into our lives in so many ways and find ourselves being happy all the time because we are manifesting good things into our lives.

Don't blame the boss or the spouse or the kids for what is manifest in your life. It is an inside job and you have the power to turn things around anytime you wish.

When we choose an intention we are setting what Don Juan Matus calls the "inexplicable forces" into work to bring that into manifestation in our lives. We don't control the inexplicable forces. We simply push the button on this huge machine that chugs and churns out what we wish to manifest, in its own way. So when we choose an intention, we set into motion the wheels that will manifest that intention in whatever way the machine brings it to us. The inexplicable forces set into motion the circumstances and situations in your life to manifest that intent. It may be that people come into your life or leave your life. It may be that the conditions to move or change jobs are set into motion. If your intention is to learn patience, then situations and conditions that will teach you patience will come into your life. You may find yourself waiting, waiting, and waiting in all kinds of situations because you asked to learn patience.

The students in this course have pushed the button on the machine to learn about the powers of the Shaman and the tools of shamanism and so it is. The machine is cranking out the situations and conditions and experiences into your life to let you experience these things. Many of you have now found that you can indeed meet with your guides. Something you never intended before but now you have. You may have found that now you can access your inner senses much more easily because that is your intention now where it was never your intention before. You may find balance and peace in your lives now because you have intended to find balance in your lives, where you never intended this before. Those of you who have an emotional feeling about this course, a desire to learn this, an excitement to have this new experience in your lives are seeing these things become manifest in your lives faster and more beautifully than those students who are just reading the course but not intending to experience this for themselves.

Healing also works in the same way. Everything works in the same way. It is easy and always works. Those who have a positive emotional feeling about healing are pushing the button on that machine, setting those inexplicable forces into motion that will manifest healing in their lives. They have a positive anticipatory emotion about getting well. They are excited and really want to get well and by gosh they do get well! But those who are frightened, worried, fretting, or those who find some benefit in staying ill do not have this emotional gas in their car, this positive emotional feeling and so they are not getting well, at least not very fast because they don't' have any gas in their car. They may think they are setting an intention, pushing the button on the machine, but they don't have the emotional feeling to get well in truth so no button is being pushed.

We push the button on this machine without even realizing we are doing it. We see something we desire and we have an emotional feeling about that desire and guess what? We just pushed the button on the machine. Suddenly the forces are at work bringing the conditions, circumstances, situations into our lives to attain that desire. How they are developed is out of our control. But now our lives have changed and we have this new set of circumstances or conditions that bring that desire into our lives. Did you really desire that thing or were you just desiring something that wasn't really what you wanted, or good for you? But now here it is!

Many people have many desires. I want this and this and that and not that. Each one is pushing the button of the machine. I want is an emotional feeling. But in truth they didn't really want it, or didn't want it enough, or were not committed to having that thing but yet the machine is at work manifesting that condition situation or circumstance into their lives and soon they feel overwhelmed with situations they must experience now, situations they don't like.

When we commit to an intention we are agreeing to get that intention in whatever way the inexplicable forces bring it to us. The machine will bring just what you intend. But it will bring it in its own way according to the universal laws, according to what is around you and what energies are in this world. We spin the wheel and we get what we intend. We just don't control in what way we get it. So when you choose an intent you are agreeing to accept the manifestation of that intent in whatever way it is possible considering the conditions and energies around you at that time. You are responsible for your choices. You are agreeing to take the manifestation however it can be manifested at that time. (Hint: There is a time to push the button and a time not to push it!)

Sometimes the energies and conditions are better than others for manifesting your intent. It's much easier for the machine to manifest riches if you are in a position where riches are part of your belief system. Where having money is something you are comfortable with and can easily handle. A condition where having money is not seen by you as some kind of burden. "Oh, now I have to pay taxes on this money! Oh, now my relatives will all be knocking on my door trying to get loans from me. Oh, now the family will bug me to move to a nicer place. " You see what kinds of emotions these thoughts are producing in you? Do you think that the machine will find the conditions and energies available to produce riches in your life in an easy way? Or will these thoughts produce negative energies and possibly some limits to the manifestation of the desire for riches?

Lets take another example. Lets say you wish to manifest peace in your life. So you feel positive about having peace in your life and you push the button on the machine and then you begin to notice that nothing around you is peaceful at all. The conditions have now begun to clear away any situations in your life that are not peaceful so that you can have peace. Yes the machine points out the weeds in your own life that are restricting you from having peace. The machine cuts the grass around your spiritual home and you can see where is good grass and where there are weeds. Now all you need to do to pluck out the weeds and you can have a nice grassy lawn. That is what you asked for. That is what you intended. Peace.

So all the situations in your life that are not peaceful are clearly shoved in your face to get rid of. See what I mean by, we push the button but how that intention is manifest is not up to us? Peace could also come to you by throwing you in a hospital for two weeks. Guess what? You have peace because no one is bugging you there. Peace could also come to you because a friend suddenly walks out of your life; a friend who didn't know peace and didn't encourage peace in your life. Suddenly boom, that friend is now gone and you have what you intended. Peace.

[oldphone-whodis]

How much money do I have to pay for any form of writing on a shikamaru jinchuriki au

No money at all, my good dude. Here! How about the classic introduction scene of the Squad meaning their Jonin Sensei? It took a while, but I like how it turned out and hope you do too!

And just a note, since there's a lot of swaps, many (but not all) characters will be part of different clans. I'll make a post of the swaps later.

Rating: T (for some cursing)

× × ×

His team. His team is an equal balance between an absolute disaster and a dream come true!

On one hand, he has a better chance at befriending Chouji now. If only the boy will look past his ingrained prejudices and see Shikamaru for who he is -- just a chill guy who wants to be friends. Damn all the adults in the village for deciding that just because the Kyuubi was inside of him, he himself was to be treated as that beast. (Honestly, he'd learned that fact very recently.)

Sure, Shikamaru may go out of his way to act out from time to time, but they're all for a good cause! People just just tend to look at his art and call it "illegal" and "vandalism of public property."

Truly, it was a mistake on his part. Next time, he won't paint his artworks on the Hokage Monument. Or he'll at the very least use paint that cleans away with water. He wasted hours cleaning that up while Mikoto-sensei sat with him to make sure he got every last bit of it. It was so… troublesome.

His other teammate is -- for lack of a better term -- a total bitch. Hanabi. He doesn't care what sort of trauma she's gone through. A tragic backstory doesn't mean she can go around manipulating her fanclub into doing dangerous stunts for her amusement or making them buy her snacks on a whim! Why does nobody else ever do anything about her?

Shikamaru himself just prefers to stay out of her way as much as possible. Though he does intervene when it comes to Chouji. He can't stand how often others take advantage of the boy's friendly nature. And Hanabi truly finds some sick pleasure in seeing the others around her do her bidding, no matter how outrageous. He can't let that happen to Chouji.

So Shikamaru has his long-awaited Genin Squad of the person he likes the least and the person he likes the most.

It's been one hour now after everyone else's Jonin Sensei have come to retrieve them, and their Squad -- Squad 7! -- is all that remains. If Shikamaru knew their Sensei was going to be late, he would've went straight for a nap. He stayed up all last night.

"Our Sensei still isn't here," Shikamaru sighs finally, breaking the silence. "I can't sleep because they couldn't be here any minute."

Chouji looks up as if curious when Shikamaru stands up. Confidence thoroughly boosted by the attention, Shikamaru strides down a couple steps to the chalkboard and begins on making his newest artwork.

And by the finish of Shikamaru's interpretation of an improved Konoha, their Sensei is still missing. Two hours late now. And pettiness boils in his heart as he picks up the chalk eraser. He knows it won't work. He knows! But on the off chance that maybe it will, Shikamaru places the chalk eraser in the space between the sliding door and the door frame.

"Shikamaru, what the hell do you think you're doing?" Chouji asks in disbelief. "That's our Sensei! You can't just do that! They'll hate us for sure if that's what you do."

Shikamaru is temporarily conflicted. Give in and remove the eraser for the sake of preserving the very small relationship he'd gotten between himself and Chouji? Or does he keep it to satiate his pettiness powered by a need for vengeance against their Sensei?

"Agh! Fine, I--"

Before he can even finish his sentence, the door slides open and reveals a… very distinct man, to say the least. And he now has chalk dust all over his head.

"My first impression of you in that you're very unyouthful!" the man exclaims. "One of out five stars! Would not recommend!"

All three of them cringe in unison at hearing the man say such a thing. Is this guy really a Jonin? And a good enough one to train Genin? Shikamaru, in that moment, has his doubts. Surely this is a joke, and their real Sensei will walk in any moment now.

"See Shikamaru!" Chouji exclaims in distress. "I told you you shouldn't have done that!"

Shikamaru just sighs. Damn his faulty impulse control.

"Okay! You three, meet me on the roof!" the man -- presumably their Jonin Sensei -- orders them before disappearing in the blink of an eye.

× × ×

"Okay, let's do introductions," their Sensei says.

"Introductions?" Chouji asks warily. "Like what?"

"Yeah," Shikamaru points out. "We could use an example, so why don't you go first?"

"Great idea! I am the very youthful Maito Gai! I like youthfulness and I dislike unyouthfulness!"

Shikamaru can't help but mostly zone that out. Youth this, youth that. What the hell is this guy even saying? But he thinks he's getting the general idea of what Gai-sensei wants from them.

"And finally my dream is…," he trails off as if lost in a very heartfelt memory, which is frankly a little concerning. Should Shikamaru go to the Hokage and petition for a new Sensei now?

"Anyways, just like that!" Gai-sensei says. "Now, you first, with the ponytail."

"Uzumaki Shikamaru," Shikamaru introduces. "I like napping, I guess? I don't like…"

He doesn't like Hanabi, but he doesn't want to make himself a target for her. He doesn't like the people in the village who give him those looks, but he doesn't want to get into that. Maybe he should just skip that, say he doesn't particularly dislike anything. Yeah.

"…I don't really dislike anything specifically," Shikamaru continues. "Hobbies? I'm good at art, I guess. And my dream… Hokage."

The Hokage because if he's Hokage, he can make some much needed changes. Such as fixing that lacking education system. He gets a headache every time he hears someone call the Byakugan a "Sharingan". Definitely fix the education system.

"Nice! Now you!" Gai-sensei points to Chouji.

"I'm Haruno Chouji," the boy says softly. "What I like most is… uh, barbeque. I like barbeque! And my hobby is rating different restaurants around the village. And my dream…"

Chouji glances over to Hanabi with a smile. Shikamaru isn't even sure if she's paying attention. Of course, Chouji's dream would be to finally hook up with Hanabi. Shikamaru wishes he could show Chouji what a demon she actually is.

"And what do you hate?" Gai asks.

"I hate how Shikamaru won't even give Hanabi a chance!" Chouji exclaims. Ouch! Does Chouji think Shikamaru is being unfair to her? He isn't! She actually is a terrible girl. He spend a few months trying to be nice to her after he heard about the incident, but she just doesn't care. All she wants is to see the world suffer and burn. He just knows it.

"Right…," Gai-sensei says as if a bit uncomfortable. "And our last person?"

"My name is Hyuuga Hanabi," she says, emphasizing her name to prove some unknown point. "Likes, dislikes. I'm sure you'd like to know."

He can just hear her calling them plebeians and pissants in the undertones of how she speaks. And Shikamaru wonders how she's gotten through life this far without anyone else getting pissed at her with the way she talks.

"My hobbies," Hanabi says and chuckles darkly. Shikamaru doesn't want to know what that's supposed to mean.

"And my end goal?" Hanabi leaps to her feet and slams a fist against her chest. "I will murder the one I hate most, once and for all!"

Shikamaru shivers and scoots as far away from her as possible. What the hell is her problem? Does she really have no life outside of… whatever hellhole she's trapped herself in? She has too many problems and not enough therapy.

Shikamaru makes a mental note to add that to the list of things that will have to change when he is Hokage.

"Okay then," Gai-sensei says with a nod, now looking a bit more serious. "Now that we're done with our… very passionate introductions, I must tell you about the test tomorrow."

"A test?" Chouji asks and Shikamaru can't help but share the sentiment.

"Yeah, what kind of test?" Shikamaru questions warily.

"It's a survival test," Gai-sensei says, "and your opponent will be me! Prepare for tomorrow -- anything is fair game! -- but you can't eat breakfast because you'll just puke it all back up! Be at Training Ground 3 at dawn! See you then!"

Before anyone can ask any further questions, Gai-sensei is gone, leaving his three students blinking in his dust. That was… very quick.

Nonetheless, Shikamaru will be heading home and start on his petition for a new, more suitable Jonin Sensei for the three of them. It will take some time though. And some reading up on Konoha Law. What a drag.

[mostlysignssomeportents]

Pluralistic: 22 Mar 2020 (Preppers in times of crisis, work-from-home vs smart speakers, scientist's coronavirus painting, DNA Lounge needs help, City Council showdown, Tlaib's trillion dollar coins, plutes are hoarding pandemic supplies)

Today's links

How prepper media is coping with the crisis: Fantasy meets reality while grifters pick up the pieces.

Law firm tells work-from-homers to switch off smart speakers: Bugging your own house is not compatible with attorney-client privilege.

Gorgeous painting of coronavirus from a molecular scientist: Free to use, too.

Slim's is shut, but DNA Lounge needs your help: It's not a business, it's a community.

Florida mayor ducks accountability for threatening power disconnections during the pandemic: Mayor Pam Triolo has permanently disqualified herself for public office, and commissioner Omari Hardy has the receipts.

Rashida Tlaib proposes minting two trillion-dollar coins: A people's covid bailout.

How "concierge doctors" supply the "worried well" with masks, respirators and tests: Pandemic capitalism is guillotine capitalism.

This day in history: 2005, 2010, 2015, 2019

Colophon: Recent publications, current writing projects, upcoming appearances, current reading

How prepper media is coping with the crisis (permalink)

I just listened to the most interesting coverage of the pandemic I've heard so far: On The Media's deep reporting on how preppers are coping with the Current Situation.

https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/otm/segments/why-preppers-werent-really-prepared-pandemic

I admit I felt some schadenfreude when I heard prepper media trying to reconcile their hair-trigger belief in the apocalypse with blind loyalty to Trump and his deny/spin tactics. Not to mention some smugness when I heard about all the scammy products grifters are pimping out to preppers. There's even a fucking Kardashian flogging own-brand prepper gear.

But what made the segment amazing – and not just amusing – was the interview with Richard Mitchell, an ethnographer who embedded with preppers for years.

http://people.oregonstate.edu/~mitchelr/

He wrote the canonical book on the prepper movement, Dancing at Armageddon: Survivalism and Chaos in Modern Times.

https://www.press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/D/bo3637295.html

As Mitchell explains it, prepping is NEVER about actual preparedness. It's about imagining a scenario in which you will uniquely be poised to thrive, irrespective of the likelihood of that scenario. For example, a chemist he profiles in the book is totally prepped for a future in which terrorists poison the water supply and has stockpiled antidotes, water purification chemicals, etc.

The most important thing about this possibility is not that it's likely, but rather than he'd shine if it were to come to pass.

Prepping is a way of playing out a fantasy in which you are elevated to savior status, not an exercise in disaster-mitigation. And the thing is, coronavirus is not a thing anyone can individually prepare for. Individuals in bunkers don't invent novel viral therapies, vaccines, or field-expedient ventilators. That's done by society: labs, research institutes, universities, makerspaces.

The problem with actual prepper-level crises is that they demand social responses, not individual ones. The prepper's quest for individual meaning and supremacy means that he can never be actually prepared, because the way to solve a crisis is run towards it, not away.

Cowering in a luxury bunker trying to unstick the pages of your beloved copy of The Turner Diaries is a hell of a way to while away the end of the world.

Law firm tells work-from-homers to switch off smart speakers (permalink)

Mishcon de Reya is an elite UK law firm whose partners are – like so many others – working from home. The company has issued guidance to staff about shutting down their "smart" speakers while at home, to avoid leakage of sensitive client information

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-03-20/locked-down-lawyers-warned-alexa-is-hearing-confidential-calls

The guidance – to power off these devices – comes from Joe Hancock, the partner in charge of the firm's cybersecurity, and covers all IoT devices with cameras/mics, including baby monitors, smart speakers, Ring doorbells, etc.

Gorgeous painting of coronavirus from a molecular scientist (permalink)

David S. Goodsell is a molecular scientist and artist at the Scripps institute. His latest "Molecular Landscapes" piece is "Coronavirus".

http://pdb101.rcsb.org/sci-art/goodsell-gallery/coronavirus

You can tune into some of the process notes here: "he emphasizes that molecular processes in our body don't stand on their own (despite how they're usually shown in textbooks), but that all these components are part of a crowded environment."

https://www.forbes.com/sites/evaamsen/2020/02/10/what-does-a-coronavirus-look-like/#2b4337f03c7f

Goodsell has declared it "free to use." You can get a high-rez here:

https://cdn.rcsb.org/pdb101/goodsell/tif/coronavirus.tif

Slim's is shut, but DNA Lounge needs your help (permalink)

Two years ago, the billionaires who operated San Francisco's beloved blues club Slim's flogged it off to the predatory venue operator Golden Voice, who have now shuttered it.

https://www.dnalounge.com/backstage/log/2020/03/21.html

As JWZ points out, the fact that Slim's wasn't operated to turn a profit is in no way exceptional. Clubs are labors of love, "We facilitate the creation of culture: You push money in, turn the crank, and what comes out the other side is art, community, music and stories."

He knows. He's run the wonderful DNA Lounge for 30 years: "It isn't some whim of dilettante plutocrats. It's not some hobby I toy with when I'm not private-jetting off to my luxurious doomsday bunker. This is all I do. I didn't expect this to be my life's work, but it is."

He's just about run out of his tech money, and he's had to close during the pandemic, but he's still paying staff and still wants to continue providing a service to his community. He's seeking donations:

https://www.dnalounge.com/donate/

"The 'two or three rich dudes' model is not sustainable, because two or three people, billionaires or not, are not a community."

Florida mayor ducks accountability for threatening power disconnections during the pandemic (permalink)

The city of Lake Worth Beach, Florida was brutally slow to recognize the seriousness of the pandemic. Not only did the Mayor Pam Triolo fail to take action to limit the spread of the virus, her administration also continued to send power disconnection notices to the city's poorest residents.

https://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/20200320/watch-coronavirus-florida-lake-worth-beach-meeting-gets-ugly-and-heated-about-emergency-powers

Her administration refused to agendize or properly debate the response for far too long, provoking commissioner Omari Hardy to call her and city manager Michael Bornstein out for their inaction and their cruelty to the city's poorest.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bgCCXSrwHA

The commissioner's righteous – and technically excellent – intervention during a council meeting is a masterpiece, as he bulls through cack-handed attempts to silence him using mishandled parliamentary procedure, while dogging the mayor as she ducks responsibility.

Forcing people in the worst economic downturn in living memory to choose between spending their last check on power or food, during a once-in-a-century pandemic, is an act of permanently disqualifying depraved indifference and mismanagement.

Rashida Tlaib proposes minting two trillion-dollar coins (permalink)

Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib has revived an idea from the 2011 debt crisis to finance the stimulus, pulled from the #ModernMonentaryTheory playbook: having the Federal Reserve mint two "one trillion dollar coins" and deposit them in its Fed account.

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/economy/tlaib-proposes-minting-two-1-trillion-platinum-coins-to-finance-monthly-coronavirus-debit-cards

Doing so would avoid federal debt strictures and immediately give the USG $2T to spend on reviving the economy, which it would do by sending every person in the USA a $2K prepaid credit card that would receive $1K/month until a year after the crisis's end.

Each person – children, adults, documented, undocumented, rich, poor – would get the card and the deposits, and progressive taxation would rake it back from those who don't need it (far more reliable than means-testing, which is a persistent failure).

Trillion-dollar coins are a well-theorized and documented proposal. You can read more here:

https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3536440

(Image: Merrick Mint)

How "concierge doctors" supply the "worried well" with masks, respirators and tests (permalink)

One big difference I observed between my life under Canadian medicare (30 years), and UK NHS (13 years) is that in the former, there is no private option, so rich people have to advocate for everyone's care in order to improve their own. I think the relative fortunes of the NHS and OHIP can be largely explained by this difference. Allowing the rich to opt into a private system reduces the political costs of slashing the public system.

In the US, this process proceeds on steriods. Those in the USA lucky enough to have "insurance" find that their massive premiums buy them little-to-no healthcare, with endless bureaucracy and denials.

https://twitter.com/doctorow/status/1240411901055492097

Meanwhile, wealthy Americans buy their way out of the system altogether with "concierge doctors." In good times, this is merely an injustice. During the pandemic, it's an invitation to start building guillotines.

https://www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2020/03/19/nelson-schwartz-coronavirus-inequality

Concierge services have finagled all kinds of pandemic unobtanium: respirators, tests, swabs and masks. These are not going to unwell people, they're going to the "worried well": rich people who just want to be on the safe side.

This could make us all much sicker. We need tests for exposed people, masks for health-care workers, respirators for emergency cases. The fact that these are piling up in mansions in the Hamptons and other wealthy enclaves is proof that markets are not efficient allocators.

We're supposed to tolerate inequality because it is an unavoidable consequence of efficient market allocations, making us all better off in the long run. But when inequality allows plutes to hoard pandemic supplies and endanger every human on Earth, the pretence runs thin.

There's a great book about this, The Velvet Rope Economy: How Inequality Became Big Business, by Nelson Schwartz: "In every realm of daily life–from health care to education, highways to home security–there is an invisible velvet rope that divides how Americans live."

https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/561374/the-velvet-rope-economy-by-nelson-d-schwartz/

This day in history (permalink)

#15yrsago EFF appeals Apple versus Online Journalists https://web.archive.org/web/20050323164233/http://www.corante.com/copyfight/archives/2005/03/22/eff_files_for_appeal_in_apple_v_does.php

#10yrsago Delusional EU ACTA negotiator claims that three strikes has never been proposed at ACTA http://www.michaelgeist.ca/2010/03/eu-acta-consultation/

#10yrsago Teacher's heartbreak and anger at No Child Left Behind http://lilysblackboard.org/2010/03/nclb-science-of-making-up-stuff/

#5yrsago Taxonomy of theme park narrative gimmicks <a href="https://passport2dreams.blogspot.com/2015/03/the-theme-park-trope-list.html>https://passport2dreams.blogspot.com/2015/03/the-theme-park-trope-list.html

#1yrago Gollancz has published its first anthology of South Asian Science Fiction https://factordaily.com/gollancz-south-asian-science-fiction-anthology/

#1yrago After fatal crash, Boeing reverses sales policy that locked out some safety features unless airlines paid for an upgrade https://apnews.com/140576a8e9d4449eae646c8c479fdc3a

#1yrago Philadelphia city council candidate says his secret AI has discovered disqualifying fraud in the nominations of 30 out of 33 candidates https://www.inquirer.com/politics/clout/council-at-large-petition-challenges-devon-cade-allan-domb-nick-miccarelli-20190322.html

#1yrago This Could Be It: Key Polish Political Party Comes Out Against Article 13 https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2019/03/could-be-it-key-polish-political-party-comes-out-against-article-13

#1yrago Unnamed stalkerware company has left gigabytes of sensitive personal info unprotected on the web and can't be reached to fix it https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/j573k3/spyware-data-leak-pictures-audio-recordings

#1yrago Wireless vulns in Medtronic's implanted defibrillators allow remote shocks, shutdown, denial-of-service battery attacks and data theft http://www.startribune.com/750-000-medtronic-defibrillators-vulnerable-to-hacking/507470932/

Colophon (permalink)

Today's top sources: Slashdot (https://slashdot.org/). Hugh D'Andrade (http://hughillustration.com/), Late Stage Capitalism (https://www.reddit.com/r/LateStageCapitalism/), Naked Capitalism (https://nakedcapitalism.com/).

Currently writing: I've just finished rewrites on a short story, "The Canadian Miracle," for MIT Tech Review. It's a story set in the world of my next novel, "The Lost Cause," a post-GND novel about truth and reconciliation. I've also just completed "Baby Twitter," a piece of design fiction also set in The Lost Cause's prehistory, for a British think-tank. I'm getting geared up to start work on the novel next.

Currently reading: Just started Lauren Beukes's forthcoming Afterland: it's Y the Last Man plus plus, and two chapters in, it's amazeballs. Last month, I finished Andrea Bernstein's "American Oligarchs"; it's a magnificent history of the Kushner and Trump families, showing how they cheated, stole and lied their way into power. I'm getting really into Anna Weiner's memoir about tech, "Uncanny Valley." I just loaded Matt Stoller's "Goliath" onto my underwater MP3 player and I'm listening to it as I swim laps.

Latest podcast: The Masque of the Red Death and Punch Brothers Punch https://craphound.com/podcast/2020/03/16/the-masque-of-the-red-death-and-punch-brothers-punch/

Upcoming books: "Poesy the Monster Slayer" (Jul 2020), a picture book about monsters, bedtime, gender, and kicking ass. Pre-order here: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781626723627?utm_source=socialmedia&utm_medium=socialpost&utm_term=na-poesycorypreorder&utm_content=na-preorder-buynow&utm_campaign=9781626723627

(we're having a launch for it in Burbank on July 11 at Dark Delicacies and you can get me AND Poesy to sign it and Dark Del will ship it to the monster kids in your life in time for the release date).

"Attack Surface": The third Little Brother book, Oct 20, 2020. https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250757531

"Little Brother/Homeland": A reissue omnibus edition with a new introduction by Edward Snowden: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250774583

[fuckblizzardbearlover]

So obviously alot of people (wrongly) didnt like Woody’s decision in Toy Story 4 and i’m here to tell you why you are wrong (and maybe why you should feel bad about it)

TS4 Spoilers, obviously

With the story being about toys its likely alot of us missed out on the major theme of the genre, which really only came to me recently.

Yes they are cute movies about toys with puns and gag humor.

alot of people try to play up the existential horror of being a toy, whos existence is at the whim of giants who will destroy you themselves or throw you away , blah blah blah.

But really the whole thing is a giant metaphor. its like a Black Mirror/Twilight Zone episode where the concept is “What if adults entire lives revolved around their kids”

See, the toys exist because of kids, are brought into their lives, get fulfillment out of helping the kids grow up and be happy, and while often fearing losing their kids overall accept the inevitability.

lots of people have tried to do some weird fanfictiony thing regarding woody and andy. especially with the heavy implication that Woody was inherited from his father. But i’m here to say Woody is Andy’s father.

No not his biological father, he’s not the reincarnated soul of his father. I’m saying within the confines of this story and metaphore he is Andy’s father. his step father, his father figure. Its, within canon BECAUSE he is an heirloom FROM his father that he’s so attatched to the Woody Doll.

Because each toy has their role. RC is Andy’s first car, Ham and Potatoe head are like Andy’s uncles. Bo Peep his Woody’s girlfiend.

See its cus of this relationship that Woody’s role is so important. What are fathers for? inspiring you. Playing games with you. being heroic. Being kind. protecting others. even falling in love. Andy doesnt have a father and for the sake of the story his mother is barely shown. He gets his fulfillment and plays with the values of heroism, emotion, and becoming a good person through his toys like so many kids. And woody is there to teach him, love him, be there for him and be someone to look up to.

but because of the Black mirrorness, his step dad (woody) and uncles and aunts and all that are objects , that while they exist outside of his perview, dont exist to HIM. To any of the kids in this world. Thats how parents and adults are to kids in the real world...only more literal. Kids dont think about their teachers outside of school. have a hard time comprehending the billions of adults doing things like having lives, working jobs, speaking other languages and doing adult things across the world. Even their own parents are easily forgotten until the kid has been away for awhile, or needs the parent the do somehting or comfort them. Thats JUST like these toys. kids are inspired by and love their toys but are easily distracted, or like with many kids and their parents, grow to dislike playing with those toys/adults. And similarly the toys and adults do have their OWN lives , thats both a good and bad thing. When not being played with the toys still exist and have lives of their own. but ultimately their lives REVOLVE around a kid.

So imagine in real life in Adults werent allowed to move (far), to travel, without their kids. That they COULD but they had to return to their positions by the time the kids got back. The thing you might have been wondering is that ALL the toys cant be parents but they arent they are adults. Look at all of andy’s toys there are some he never plays with and others he barely does. So like...Bo Peep being a toy he only plays with when he needs  a damsel in distress is like him going to his step dad’s girlfriend when he needs advice about girls or buying a gift for one. Ham is the weird nerdy uncle that only exists when you need to ask em weird facts on messenger or borrow money from.

So imagine in this black mirror world if like...the barista didnt make coffee all day, have breaks and made money. If they had to stay in their uniform in the coffee shop all day doing nothing but playing solitair and waiting for a kid to show up so they could play their small part.

And of course the major issue in toy story is the growing up and losing your kids.

In toy story 1 Woody gets upset when another step dad comes into Andy’s life. maybe metaphorical for his mom’s new boyfriend. like many kids ANdy is smitten by having the cool new dad who has lasers and takes him to put put and Pizza planet. Andy loved going to the ranche and horseback riding with Woody but all this NEW stuff is Amazing!. And like many adults Woody was sidelined for the new shiny stuff. If you live for your kids it can be heartbreaking when a new friend or hobby or adult comes into their life and they dont have time for you anymore. Heck every sitcome has like 5 episodes dedicated to the adults getting used to the idea that with growing up the kids dont have time for them anymore. And woody grows to accept the new adult in Andy’s life because him being an asshole about it made it so he almost LOST andy completely. Imagine a movie or sitcom where andy’s dad and his mom’s new boyfriend keep bickering and then the wife tells them if they cant stop yelling at each other in front of andy that neither of them can see him. (andy moving away)

In toy story 2 they are dealing with andy growing up. He’s grown out of most of his toys. just like how kids who are preteen spend most of their time with their family. going to friends house, playing with cousins, that as they grow older they dont want to go on 6 hour car rides to see grandma anymore. they arent interested in playing leggos with toddlers, or grow to dislike cousins. So andy’s likes and dislikes have shifted and he only has some of his favorite toys now, just like how a teenager will often be less involved with their parents, lose some friends, gain others and might interact less with extended relatives.

And then fearing losing andy himself, woody risks himself to keep another relative from losing andy. and he ends up in a new world, playing with the concept of moving on from his kid. See Jessie has already gone through this. Her kid grew into a teenager and like many mothers, was promptly forgotten about. her mom (jessie)  wasnt even embarrassing, she just wasnt on her radar, she was talking with friends, doing makeup , doing extra curriculars. She didnt have time for jessie and when she finally found her, immediately put her away. She’d grown up and her ‘mom’ wasnt in her life anymore, she still had the good memories, but sadly Jessie realized that all that time she waited for her daughter to come back to her so they could bond again, that her kid lost interest in ever being her friend a LONG time ago.

And woody saw that as his future. So when the entire reason you are alive is to help your kid, what do you do when your kid isnt gone, because they dont want you anymore? thats the problem he had to face. And the movie focuses on this. on extra bonus material we see the Prospector was happy now that he finally had his first kid, Woody talks to buzz not about NEVER losing andy, but that its STILL GOING TO HAPPEN. but its WORTH IT. THats just like what so many parents say. That its hard dealing wiht kids that are stressful and take up money and eventually they rebel and you lose them for the most part. but its WORTH IT to see them grow up and become amazing people.

And thats part of Toy Story 3. Andy’s all grown up and since parents/toys only exist for kids to play with then there is no reason for them. their lives are unfullfulling and pointless but they dredge on none the less because thought heir lives are dedicated to kids they dont immediately disappear when they dont have them. though its implied they do eventually fade away.

but some of these toys find an alternative. such a preschool. infinite kids forever. the connection isnt as strong but its something. just like adults who babysit or become teachers or caretakers. In this Bonnie is Woody’s and other toys second chance. their second child. the “we arent that old, maybe we can have another one?” and So they try again.

however, Toy story 4

in this extended metaphor kids dont NEED their parents/toys. the story doestn focus on real life for people. its just assumed that kids are taken care of , that they have food and a place to live. So its actually the ‘adults whos ENTIRE EXISTENCE revolves around being loved by a child” allegory that is at risk here

And see. in real life you have to accept like woody and andy that eventually even your most beloved kid will outgrow you. You have to accept like jessie that even before they grow up a child you love will no longer need you as much as you feel for them. That while you are important to a child if you get deployed, if you have to move away , if you are just at work all the time your child is home you can end up being ‘repalced’ by someone IN their lives.

 and Woody...thats whats happened to him. He’s there for Bonnie, bonnie cares about him but hes not her favorite toy. shes got this HUGE extended family and she gets enough love from her parents and her surogate parents (like dollie) and Woody is just one of dozens of ‘relatives” that help her out.

and So this LAST movie is about him finally learning that though loving a child is precious. that trying again is admirable. that when you love a child its about the CHILD not you, and that you WILL get hurt, but its WORTH IT. “this is what its all about” that helping create and nurture this kid is worth any heartbreak, of the kid outgrowing you, even the kid forgetting you.

BUT That its a choice and you can and SHOULD at some point CHOOSE to LIVE FOR YOURSELF. Woody has presumably spent all of Andy’s dad’s childhood, all of Andy’s childhood and a few years with Bonnie, raising kids, inspiring them. he’s existed for like 50 years. and He wouldnt trade those memories for the world. but He cant get that back. he cant relive the past. Its the past.

and so he decided to do what all parents should do, move on and find a fulfilling life for HIMSELF.

YOU DESERVE A HAPPY LIFE FOR YOURSELF.

and thats why it pisses me off that people are like “woody would never leave bonnie”

raising kids is great but you cant have a LIFE if you live only for that. You have to be your own person and EVENTUALLY even if you decide to dedicate your life to kids, EVENTUALLY you have to live for yourself