#they’re both aware of the other’s profession btw

[afterartist]

Helical Bros WIP (:

They have the healthiest sibling relationship out of all my AUs

Gonna cry for them they deserve so much better than what they get (,:

[rurpleplayssims]

📝Round Summary - Ellis/Cooper Round 2📋

Campbell Quay - Round 2 -Cooper/Ellis If you want to go through the posts of this round, click here.

We head back over to the Ellis/Cooper household and Zoey is researching her medical skills before she starts her apprenticeship at the hospital in the city.

Zoey thinks about her choices regarding pursuing a relationship with Tyler. Yes, she’d kissed him spontaneously at the park but since then, he’s not said anything to her or asked her on a date.

Zoey chickens out on asking him the next morning and Tyler heads outside to tinkering around with an old car he’d found abandoned on his morning runs around the remote land surrounding the town.

The phone rings and it’s Phillip who asks for Tyler. When he does, we’re not quite sure what they’re talking about as the phone call is one-sided. Tyler speaks about Zoey and not mentioning the kiss. Zoey heads off very early for her first day apprenticing in the city hospital.

After his early morning jog, Tyler works on his car again, even when it starts pouring down!

Phillip heads over and as Tyler is making lunch for the pair of them,

Phillip questions Tyler’s intentions in the politest way he can think of. He wonders if Tyler’s feelings or wants will be reciprocated by Zoey. Tyler reveals that he was aware of Zoey’s attraction to him, which she hoped she was discreet about.

Either way, we know Tyler is planning something involving Zoey.

Zoey returns from work, tired but feeling accomplished. She draws herself a bath and relaxes from her hard day at work. Tyler is snoring on the sofa, having fallen asleep waiting for her to come back.

The phone rings and Zoey hurries to answer it before it can wake him. It’s Roselyn, to her delight.

She tells Roselyn about her first day and that she feels good about her prospects and her own confidence in the profession.

Roselyn asks Zoey about renewing her own birth control which reminds Zoey that her own contraception has run out and she needs to get it sorted (foreshadowing btw).

Zoey decides on an early night as she has another early start. Tyler is so tired he is asleep on the sofa all night.

He wakes up just as Zoey’s getting into her carpool. He heads out on a jog as per his routine.

Phillip calls and Tyler mentions that he owes him money for something he bought for Tyler...? He confesses to being excited to kiss Zoey again.

Tyler dresses himself smartly and sits down to make a note in his journal, something he only does when he’s nervous about something.

He tidies the house, cooks and burns dinner before setting up some candles and cutlery. Then he waits for Zoey to arrive home and walk through the door.

Zoey walks inside and notices the changes in the room and Tyler tells her “Why don’t you slip into something more comfortable and can finally have a date?”

She agrees, gets changes and Tyler is immediately taken by her appearance and how attractive he finds her. They sit, eat and talk about cooking and Tyler proposes a toast to “the sexiest woman in town!” which only makes Zoey blush deeply.

Tyler suggests them becoming something more than just roommates which makes Zoey hesitate a little. Slowly, she takes his hand and they both fall in love with each other. (How I have no idea, these two hardly speak or know each other – yes that is MORE foreshadowing!)

They both roll the want to get engaged which isn’t so surprising for Zoey (if you discount how little she knows Tyler) but Tyler has the Dislikes Children and Commitment Issues traits! I should add that Tyler is ok with children in general, he’s not sure he’d make a great dad (and that point will be important later on folks.)

The soon become the second couple in town to woohoo.

In their post-woohoo mood, they lie down on Tyler’s bed and have a quiet moment thinking. Zoey reflects that she is not a girl to woohoo on the first date, so why has she done it now? Tyler is mentally prepping himself up to ask Zoey something.

Tyler goes down on one knee and proposes marriage to Zoey(!!!), who is very shocked!

Without a verbal response, Zoey takes the ring, slides it on her finger and proceeds to start Woohoo#2 proceedings. They fall asleep soon afterwards.

The next morning, they wake up slowly in each other’s arms. Zoey begins to doubt what she’s agreed to. Tyler senses that she’s quiet but she says she’s ok and that “everything’s perfect.”

After they dress and they’re waiting for Zoey’s carpool, she corners Tyler on why he proposed marriage to her, telling him bluntly that she’s a woman who wants children of her own.

Tyler confesses that his dad was “crappy” and that he’s scared he’d unconsciously follow his example and that’s why he’s ruled out having children for himself.

Zoey comforts him says they won’t actually get married (whilst remaining engaged) until he warms up on the issue, quietly hopeful that he’d would change his mind.

Zoey, again, feels the doubts but ignores it, saying they’ll “work through this together.”

After she’s left, Tyler invites Jasper and Phillip around and tells them the news. Both are pleased for the new couple and they agree a party would be a good idea to celebrate this event in town.

At the party Thomas is sat with Jasper, Emily and Althea. Jasper comments that they all dress up very good and Thomas takes the chance to compliment Althea’s appearance in a bid to ease her doubts about herself.

Althea clams up, feeling pressured and she heads outside to the solitude.

Emily, rather bluntly, orders Thomas to follow her and to not come back inside until he’s told Althea his feelings.

Thomas, feeling self-assured, agrees and heads outside to confront Althea at last.

Thomas doesn’t give Althea a chance to refuse as he confronts her and bluntly says she’s been avoiding him for over a month. He says they are both in pain and that he’s not having it happen any longer.

He confesses (at last) that he’s in love with her and what she stands for. He tells Althea that he knows she feels the same towards him and he wonders aloud if it was fate to meet her here in this place, at this time.

Meanwhile inside, Zoey is dancing with Tyler and he asks how's she is, hating the idea of her worrying. Zoey smiles at him and says she is as long as she’s with him.

Noah is reading, not much of a party person himself.

Henry is sat with Jed and notices how he’s avoided being in the eyeline of Phillip and Emily on the sofa behind him.

Back outside, no words are being said and Thomas feels the need to add to his earlier statement and says how he knows Althea reacted badly and tells her she shouldn’t have pushed him away and that he tried not to be offended by her assuming he’d reject her when he wasn’t that type of man.

Althea silences him with a kiss.

And just like that Thomas/Althea become the fourth couple in town to get together after Roselyn/Jasper, Emily/Phillip and Zoey/Tyler.

Althea and Thomas remain outside and Althea apologises for the way she handled things and that she knows she acted the wrong way. Thomas accepts her apology and they become each other’s partner officially.

Back inside, Zoey is less worried about Tyler and Emily is happy and content as she sits with Phillip.

Roselyn is sat with Jasper, Henry and Jed but she can see Zoey dancing with Tyler, glowing with happiness as she does so. Roselyn feels a stab of disappointment and acceptance that she will not tell Zoey how she feels about her and that it might be better this way. She’s not sure who for.

Jasper is thinking about marriage and if he should take that step with Roselyn or not. Either way, he needed to tell her what he really was as he’d earned her trust.

Jed has resigned himself to accepting what an idiot he’d made of himself with his shouting at Emily and whilst he doesn’t fancy her or want to be with her, he regrets his loss of temper and vows to become more patient.

Althea asks Thomas if her dream was too big to achieve. He tells her he’ll support her with her goal to make her town successful.

Althea tells Thomas that she loves him. Whilst he knew it, it was something else to hear her say the words so he pulls her in for a tender kiss.

One of Jed’s new officers arrives to break up the party as it was too loud.

The next few weeks progress happily for the newly engaged couple, neither of them considers the full implications or possibilities with constant woohooing at every chance they got!

Until...one evening when Zoey calls Roselyn and asks her to come over, whilst mentally berating herself.

Zoey hurries outside to greet her friend and bursts into tears as soon as she sees her. Roselyn, alarmed by the tears hugs her and asks what’s wrong.

“I’m pregnant Ros!”

Roselyn, heartbroken to see a woman she cared about crying her heart out, tries to comfort her whilst not getting too attached with being able to hold her close.

They head inside when Zoey manages to calm down and Roselyn reasons that whilst neither of them had planned children, Tyler and Zoey could be good parents.

Zoey is fearful that Tyler will blame her for not renewing her contraception, which she had clean forgotten about in the excitement of her new romance.

Roselyn plays devils' advocate and suggests that Tyler might not react badly, but he still deserved to know he would become a father.

Zoey tells her about Tyler’s fears about being a dad but Roselyn decides that Zoey shouldn't fully panic in case it was a false positive and to get herself checked out in the hospital by one of her colleagues the next day.

She repeats that she should still tell Tyler if she is pregnant.

Zoey is still fearful and Roselyn hesitantly says that Tyler isn’t worth her if he tells her to get rid of the baby. Roselyn vows to be there for Zoey through this all, despite her own feelings.

Zoey gets the news confirmed for her; she is going to have a baby!

She still does not tell Tyler.

We've completed round 2 and we now head back to Althea's for the start of the third round in town!

[shitsngiggles666]

I am not one to use social media, but this whole sh*t show is something I will not take sitting down. I’ve seen some messed up things on the internet, but the cyberbullying by the “Camily” is really disturbing me. Before I get to my criticisms and thoughts, I will briefly address Luke Deacon. The allegations against him are not without evidence, namely from a public social media account. One of these allegations is very serious, and can be considered “revenge p*rn which can actually lead to charges in the UK. I’m not sure if it’s the same in the UK, but in my country Luke can be legally labeled as a sex offender if convicted! This is all I know of the situation but since many of Luke’s fans are underage girls who are also fans of Queen and the Bohemian Rhapsody movie I don’t feel this issue can be totally ignored. I consider Luke “innocent until proven guilty”, as I am an inhabitant of Freedom Land. The first issue I will address is both of Cam’s parents, as I want to discuss them before the “Camily” as they’re not directly involved with the cyber bullying, at least to my knowledge. I admit that I have never met John or Veronica Deacon. I have no knowledge of the intimate details of their family life, and their parenting skills. I do have a fair amount of knowledge of John‘s time with Queen as he is my favorite surviving member of Queen. I find researching his life and trying to understand someone who seems an overlooked and complex figure in music. Yes, John is Cam’s father and to me he’s an interest, a subject I enjoy learning and trying to understand him like I do with other things I’m interested in. Meanwhile, to Cameron he is “dad”. I understand that it must be hard seeing people on the internet either make untrue statements or discuss aspects of one’s father that isn’t flattering. I get it, But Leopard (my nickname for the victim) made it clear when replying to asks that she doesn’t know things and addressed when discussions involved speculation or rumors. She also made it very clear that she didn’t like discussing John’s competence as a father and his children. These subjects made her uncomfortable but she still addressed them in a respectful way. John Deacon was a part of one of the biggest bands in the world. People are going to discuss him. Leopard didn’t do anything wrong. She admitted that John Deacon had flaws but was still sure to admit that she doesn’t know the whole story. I think her attitude is reasonable. I saw the stream the night Cam’s parents came on stream. At first I saw it quite humorous with a boomer bumbling in, ignoring his surroundings. He almost seemed senile. But as the stream went on things got uncomfortable and my attitude changed. Cam’s parents were doing the right thing as loving parents. They came over because Cam has a history of not managing his diabetes properly. His father (his mother explained) was becoming worried about his son’s glucose levels and tried to contact him. When he wouldn’t pick up his phone his father became worried and the two went over. Cameron was peeved and rude to them. I don’t think John cared about if people on the internet saw him. He was too focused on making sure his son wasn’t in danger and that his phone was charged. He only left when he knew his son’s levels weren’t too low and his phone was charging. He even mentioned off screen that he brought some treats (I have no idea what he said, and if it was a favorite sweet or what) from the store. I’m just making an observation of a stranger peeking in, but I think it’s clear John adores his son. Maybe the scant bit of interaction I observed of John Deacon as a person (instead of Queen’s bassist) was of a devoted father who was telling his adult son “I love you, I want you to be happy and I will be devastated if anything happened to you” without saying it verbally. People have different ways of showing their love. I know (per interviews with John) he experienced loss at a very young age when his father passed away. I don’t know John’s personal thoughts and relationship with Freddie Mercury and how his death affected him personally, but watching someone’s health decline due to AIDS is probably an upsetting and unforgettable experience. I bring these two examples up because this to me suggests Cam’s dad knows first hand how delicate and precious life is, wisdom that Cam seems blissfully unaware of due to his disregard of his parents’ anxiety. Cam obviously knows his father better than I can ever, but sometimes it’s good to have a different perspective. On to Mama Deacon. Yes, she was shouting at her adult son while he was live on stream. Like Cam’s father, she was completely in the right. When she said they were making sure Cam “wasn’t dead” and that Cam’s life was at stake, she was not being overly dramatic. If a diabetic’s blood sugar is too low their body can actually go into shock and than into a coma. If one doesn’t manage their diabetes this can happen and it can kill you. Diabetes is a life threatening condition. I’m not a diabetic, and I’m sure it sucks and isn’t easy to manage. Cameron is an adult at 27. His parents will not always be around to help him. If he wants to live by himself his priority should be learning to manage his diabetes without his parents’ help. His life literally depends on it. His glucose levels is far more important than his streaming career. Until he proves he can consistently manage himself to them his glucose levels are their business. Additionally, since they pay for his flat it’s technically their’s and thus can come over when ever they want. If anyone was being “inappropriate” it was Cam. His mother carried him for nine months, at age 43. For a woman her age, pregnancy can be risky and very hard on her body. She has cared for her son’s health issues, helped him through school and has loved him unconditionally. She seems to have done everything she can to protect Cam and pushed him to be the best person he can be. And this is only what I’m aware of. At her age, she should only leave her home when completely necessary to protect herself from Covid-19, for she is in the age group most at risk. Her son wouldn’t even leave his chair to greet her. Do you know how my parents would react to me if I acted the way Cam did Sunday? Most people can only dream about the privileges Cam has. Again, I don’t know everything about Cam’s life but what I saw was a mother and father trying to do what is best for their son. If Cam is so concerned about his parents’ privacy, why didn’t he turn off his stream? He could’ve even walked off to talk to his parents rather than continuing to play and yelling at them from his chair? This whole situation can be solved simply by Cam answering his phone, keeping it charged or even walking off camera to talk to his parents rather than barking orders from his screen. As I said earlier, to them their son seems more important to them rather than their privacy. Cam makes such a big deal over their privacy but I think he also has to respect his parents’ feelings and all that they do for him. Part of respecting them should include making a better effort to take care of himself. Five hours without food excepting a bowl of cereal could give me low blood sugar to the point of trembling and not being able to concentrate. Since Cam did just that, maybe his parents’ concern of his blood sugar is not without merit. Cam mentions his mental health issues and depression. One of the ways to help stabilize his mood would be stabilizing his blood sugar. The Camily should consider my words as they criticized Cam’s parents’ behavior. I have addressed the Mama and Papa elephant in the room, I will now focus mainly on Cam’s “Camily”. Due to time restraints, I will address the Camily in a later post. In the mean time, there is a difference between “haters” and critics. A hater says things simply to hurt or insult. A critic disagrees for a reason. If anyone thinks I’m a hater that needs to be “bunny blocked” go right ahead. I don’t care what strangers, many of them children think of me. I think bunnies are cute. Send me bunny emojis if you all think I’m spreading hate. This will only lend more evidence that the Camily is leading an internet harassment campaign. BTW I have been owned by pet rabbits since I was seven. Let me tell you, Mr. Bunny is unhappy to know his good name and image is being used as a symbol to bully. No, I am not jealous of Cam. I am proud of my family and wouldn’t trade them for any other. My dad has a profession I consider noble and was the one who raised me. The same goes for my mother. My extended and nuclear family includes firemen, a priest, nurses, teachers, librarians, a researcher studying cancer, a lawyer and engineers. None are famous but I don’t care. They are good people and it doesn’t matter how much the public knows about them or how much they earn. What matters to me is that they work hard and have a strong moral character. If you do wish to harass me, I ask of one thing. Show my post to Cameron Deacon and have him read my post (and any later ones I hope to soon put up) on his Livestream. If Cameron thinks I’m being a bully or am wrong about anything, please have him show this to his parents, the two people who love him more than anyone else does. If they think I’m wrong about anything or am bullying their son, have them PM me so we can discuss. Do not bully anyone who posts or likes this.

[musette22]

Hey Minnie! Feel free to ignore this if its too negative, I just have some thoughts and I wanted to share them with you. Sometimes it's easy to forget, since I spend most of my time in online queer-dominated spaces, how widespread heteronormativity and homophobia are irl. I was watching an old dubsmash of Hayley, Chris and the Jarvis actor where they're all in character and Chris (as Steve) kisses Hayley (as Peggy). And it was just like, no big deal? Normal? But then I imagined how it would 1/2

2/2 have been if it was Seb instead of Hayley. What if it was the exact same situation, where both Chris and Seb were in costume and in character, and they kissed in a video for fun? It would have blown up. It would have been all over the news. People would read wayyy into it and maybe call Chris and Seb perverts. Maybe tumblr would be supportive, but what about the general public? I feel like they wouldn't be. People my parent's age would be disgusted. Heck, most of my own classmates would (2/3)

stop supporting captain america, and they're huge marvel fans. Plus Chris and Seb could even lose opportunities. And it's a hypothetical situation, but the difference is astronomical. And I feel really sad thinking about it. (btw this is different from the almost-kisses we've seen behind the scenes btw chris and rdj, and chris and other cast members, I'm not that great at explaining) I'm rambling but I wish the world was just more accepting. I wish we had what straight people do by default (3/3)

Hello my darling! Thank you for sharing your thoughts with us ❤️ And I’m sorry to say that you are, of course, completely right. Homophobia is still rife in the world, and very much so in Hollywood as well. I know the dubsmash you mean, and it’s funny but harmless enough. I’m sure some people will have speculated about Chris and Hayley being a thing irl too, but overall men and women can do things like this without raising too many eyebrows. Now like you say, if two MEN (or women, although maybe to a slightly lesser extent because sexism/fetishizing) did something like that however, they’d absolutely be called slurs and derided by so many people. 

And even though I’m aware of that, objectively, it’s still always a shock to me when I encounter such double standards or outright homophobia, because I literally know nobody irl who has a problem with same sex relationships (I’m very lucky in that everyone in my direct circle is very open minded). But I know that unfortunately isn’t the case in many, many other parts of the world, and that however tolerant, accepting, or open minded Hollywood and similar environments profess to be, there is still a LONG way to go towards real acceptance and equality of people of all genders and sexual orientations. I really wish the LGBTQ+ community had what cishet people have by default too, honey, and it’s just not fair. Sending you lots of love, and always feel free to share thoughts like these if you need to get them out, okay? ❤️

[whenimgoodandready]

🎶If there's something strange in you neighborhood, Who you gonna call? Kwami Buster! If there's something weird, And it don't look good, Who you gonna call? Kwami Buster! Now let me tell ya somethin’, BUSTIN’ MAKES HER FEEL GOOD!��� Yeah, I went there! So what else is new? This wasn’t the only parody they did with this ep and I’ll tell you ‘bout the others right here!

*Kwami Buster-The first five minutes we got from this ep was a quick little “Tom and Jerry” scene (no joke! There was a cheese trap!) where Marinette and Adriens strict and grouchy science teacher, Ms.Mendeleiev, was trying to capture Plagg and Tikki via butterfly net! (Btw, if someone could add in the cartoons music, (ex.Benny Hills “chase music”) and put it up for that scene, I’d be so happy!). However, she had no idea what they were and luckily for the Kwamies, they can phase through surfaces and not be seen in film or photos. Phew! Unfortunately this caused her akumatization when she failed to prove it to others on tv where she was laughed at and humiliated, thus Kwami Buster!

Kwami Buster was a Ghostbuster like villainess that can capture Kwamies by sucking them out from the miraculouses, have them unable to phase through cuz of her magic vacuum sucking pack and leave our heroes exposed in their civilian selves, but they’re good with dodging/hiding, so as not to cause any reveals. This right here is where she’s a Mr.Crocker expy from “The Fairly Oddparents” both being “mean teachers who are obsessed with capturing magical creatures to prove their existence”. Heard a lot of jokes on that and at least Ms.Mendeleiev ended up dropping that character trait and not goin’ crazy like Crocker (or even doin’ that twitchy body thing). She learned her lesson just to protect Paris from Hawk Moth.

You remember how Marinette always has those elaborate plans to work out a situation like how to secretly plan a date with Adrien with help from her girl squad (“Gigantitan”). Well, in this cause, she takes it up to 11! Basically, she took all the Kwamies to use and just, OMG! You have to see those scenes a million times just to figure out what happens! Your brain will go 🤯. Seriously! She mostly used the mouse miraculous which the fandom was half and half right about it’s power being shrinking and duplication! Wow! (my money was on the latter) It was pretty much given away what with the name “Multimouse”! C’mon! It kinda sucked that most of the miraculouses we saw in use were the ones we already know of and not the others cuz the other Kwamies were just used for “mouth transport”. Long story.

As you read from that last paragraph, you’ll get the idea of how “Multimouse” threw Cat Noir off guard that Ladybug and Marinette are “not” the same person. Adrien/Cat Noir came pretty close since Marinette was the only person he knew not to see both girls at the same time (I think he figured out about the time traveling powers of Timebreaker). Both the heroes got the realization that they might go to the same school and they fixed that with overly complicated plans (Marinette/Ladybug) and the simple, but quick trickery (Adrien/Cat Noir) just like how they always work. Their classmates aren’t really surprised since a few know they might be one of their own (Alya and Nino know about each other and Chloe and Chloe just felt entitled and it’s probably why they were the only ones to speak out about Ms.Mendeleiev).

So apparently, Ms.Mendeleiev knows that Kwamies exist, but she doesn’t know that’s what they’re called nor has she displayed this kind of behavior until this episode! Why? Did the writers forget she was a character and realized they forgot to akumatize her? It’s Season 3! Fans always thought she’d be akumatized as either a mad scientist or a witch type of villainess cuz of her profession and appearance, respectively, but now they pull this kind of thing and make her out to be a conspiracy theorist nut! How long has she known about Kwamies? Mostly, she used camembert cheese (of all cheeses) to lure in Plagg! Hmmm, was she aware her classroom smelled like that ever since Adrien started attending public school and has seen Plagg and Tikki flying around without them noticing? When she tried to prove their existence, she made crudely drawn artwork of Plagg and Tikki and only Marinette and Adrien were shocked, but not the other students who most of ‘em have had Kwamies!? Granted, it was probably cuz those two are the most important ones to keep secret, but you’d think they’d react stronger to a vaguely drawn picture of a Kwami and not have them worry. Sorry fandom, but I’m afraid Cat Noir wasn’t the one that gave Marinette the mouse miraculous like you all assumed (the closest we got was in “Desperada” for Luka). I personally don’t care cuz I think it’s too risky that Adrien doesn’t get too close to Master Fu due to the fact we know who Adriens father is *cough*HawkMoth*cough*. So it’s a safer choice Fu chose Marinette as the future guardian of the miraculouses (which is what happened in the episode after it and this is the last mid episode so from now on, we’ll see the ones near the end). Something we learned in this ep, too many miraculouses can drain you of your energy! Damn! Luckily, Marinette managed to get the job done! (possibly cuz she’s young and healthy). I gotta tell you guys this, I had no idea that you can blend miraculouses together! I only thought it was the ladybug and black cat ones that can do that cuz they give you God-like powers! But it turns out, they all have that purpose! (the combo pack not the eternal powers thing). It just-just throws out the significance of the two most powerful miraculouses that’s all! Ugh! That is so lame😒. This was the third time someone pulled a “it’s not me” to throw off suspicion that they’re not a superhero/villain. Gabriel did that when the heroes (correctly) thought he might be Hawk Moth (“Collector”), Adrien did it to avoid getting captured using his doppelgänger fanboy (“Gorizilla”) and now Marinette with the many miraculouses. There’s no need to have second thoughts now. Just wait until all three are revealed and the biggest Whomp! Whomp! Whooooooooomp! noise sounds!😏. The thing I heard people discuss most about was the possible identity reveals of Ladybug and Cat Noir. We all know Marinette/Ladybug wants it to be kept secret whereas Adrien/Cat Noir doesn’t and thinks otherwise and Master Fu thinks it’s a bad idea cuz he’d have to take ‘em back from them. It seems pretty drastic, but he may have a point. We all saw how Ladybug and Aspik worked together during “Desperada” and that didn’t go well for two reasons; 1.) There was no Cat Noir and 2.) They were too distracted by each other cuz they were in love. If Ladybug and Cat knew each other’s identities (especially when they realize their relationship isn’t so “one-sided”) they’d go through the same thing (with the second reason), but the thing is they’ve grown to understand what’s best to continue to fight crime and save Paris with them becoming so trustworthy! Plus they’ve gained experience so Master Fu recruiting newbies would just be a disaster! Would they still keep their miraculouses if they knew? Would they be careful like Alya/Rena Rouge and Nino/Carapce? Would it be safe? Who knows🤷🏻‍♀️.

[atopearth]

Shall we Date? Wizardess Heart Part 15 - Mel Glover Route

How rude of Mel to just steal her apple and eat it!! I’d be so angry! Well, what a great first day for the heroine; she gets lost in the forest because she heard the voice of the tree, meets Mel, gets scolded by Leslie and then Sigurd comes to pick her up with Smokey, his flying magical beast! Now she doesn’t even need to walk back lmao.

Wow, what an honour for the heroine to be his buddy. Mel is so amazing to author textbooks, travel the world and be so knowledgeable about magical trees and plants etc. Lmao at their awkward interactions. Kate looks cool! Legit can’t believe the heroine is older than Mel, he looks so much older lmao. Loll at Mel’s eyes sparkling when he started thinking that the reason they lit up as buddies was to balance her childishness with his maturity haha and other theories. Awww his first impression of her was cute and interesting! I’m so surprised hahaha. Omg, it was so unexpected when Mel actually reacted with emotion and kindness when she said that he should sleep better otherwise his body will always be tired, and that she cares about him because they’re buddies, then he thanked her saying it was nice that someone was looking out for him! That’s actually really cute! I guess he’s always used to being alone so this made him realise that the feeling of someone caring about you is pretty nice.

Omg, honestly didn’t expect him to kiss her already lol. And to be when they were hiding under the podium too lol, so random. Not sure whether to feel happy or insulted that he kissed her because he felt that her heart beating really fast had influenced his heart to be the same, and that made him feel like kissing her lol. That’s wonderful, Mel🤨 It’s kinda funny how mature Mel can be but also how childish he can be at other times. It was nice of Mel to personally craft a new wand for the heroine since her one broke. I’m surprised the heroine so willingly gave the wand back to the magical tree and restore it when the wand was given to her by her parents. Guess it’s better to thank the wand and let it be useful to the tree than to keep it as just a memento.

Not sure why Mel doesn’t want to be her buddy anymore but he made her cry! That’s no good, Mel! Amelia is like the best friend ever btw. She lets the heroine cry her heart out, take her around the city to cheer her up, give advice and tell her that giving up so fast on Mel isn’t something she’d do and during all this, she somehow found the address of Mel’s master so the heroine could go visit and see what’s going on!? Dude, where can you get a great friend like this? She’s logical and understanding, I love her. I was just about to call Mel childish for running away after seeing the heroine, and then I remembered that he’s younger than her lol. But yeah, it was really cool and funny when she used the magic that he taught her to restrict his movements for a moment so she could catch up to him, she’s smart and capable haha! Only when she’s chasing boyfriends hahaha.

I always find it so adorable when a guy holds the girl’s hand and puts it in his pocket to keep their hands warm. Like, I’m not sure how big those pockets they have are since my clothes barely have any pockets, nevertheless, it’s so sweet and cute. Mel’s words can be blunt and hurt the heroine’s feelings but I think his self awareness towards this and apologising for it is very considerate. I’m glad he finally realised that the feelings he has towards the heroine is love. Took him a while but it was cute how their relationship progressed so I’m happy. It’s so cute how Mel says he’s a kid only when it’s convenient to him hahaha. I always forget that he’s younger though considering how mature he is most of the time. It was so adorable when they both didn’t want to leave each other, omggg. So corny but cute lmao.

For this season/arc, it’s a hard choice but I think I’ll have to choose Sigurd for the best route this time. Mel is a really close second though! And Leslie is a far off third lmao. Honestly, I think in terms of the story and progression, Sigurd’s route wins hands down, but in terms of romance, Mel’s was much cuter, sweeter and it progressed at a good pace. As for Leslie’s route, it just lacked in both areas and I don’t like Chica hahaha. Mel’s right though, they’ve kissed already and they’ll eventually be doing things that are even more embarrassing than him piggy backing her, so really she should just let him carry her since her ankle is like that loll. He’s so honest with his feelings and thoughts after he confessed lolll, the heroine is going to die from embarrassment🤣

I’m not sure why Mel is hiding things but I really wonder whether shooting an arrow with the Bow will really cure the magical tree that’s wilting? Kate seems kindaaa suspicious. And she is! She’s a bit frightening tbh… Was she jealous of Mel all this time? The preview for the next chapter was kinda sad though, Randy said Kate seemed like an evil person whereas Azusa said that from his perspective, she just seemed like someone overwhelmed with sadness, it made me think of Azusa himself and I guess he can really relate to that. I guess Mel wanted to protect Kate and bring her back to their side but it didn’t work.. I wonder why Kate is doing all this since she has the power to go through parallel worlds transcending time? You can see why she doesn’t like the heroine since she’s been thwarting her plans as the Sol Maiden in the different worlds aside from this one. So, the heroine getting together with Mel brings the world to an end? (Since Kate is successful this time around, hahaha)

I find it saddening that Kate is really doing all this because she feels so inferior to Mel since he can do anything, is super happy and has everything in life, whereas ever since she was abandoned as a child, she never had anything that was truly hers until she found out she had the power to transcend time, so now she wants to destroy the world and make herself the only living person so she can finally be special. It’s a terrible way to think about things especially if she succeeds, she’ll realise she’s not special at all because people are only special when they can be compared with someone normal. If she’s the only one alive, no one will recognise that she’s special anyway, so what’s the point?

I like that the summon was successful and that there’s more trouble to come but I honestly find Kate a weak villain especially since she was convinced so easily when she was so intent on destroying the world… It was cool to see the heroine’s clothes transform LOL, Sailor Moon moments hahaha, well gotta look pretty when you save the world from darkness I guess? Omggg when the heroine saved the world and all her friends and their familiars were thanking her, Taffy was sooo cuteeee when he jumped at her and clung to her saying he loves her omgg, I want Taffyyy! It was nice to see the heroine get to enjoy the festival this time around with Luca and everyone, sounds like fun~ She also delivered her part as the Sol Maiden well without any mistakes! The only sad thing was that Mel wasn’t there to share all this with her :( Personally, like the headmaster, considering the situation, there should be no reason for his licence as a magical tree doctor to be revoked since he did it to save the world, I don’t think anyone has the right to judge him for that!

Glad everything turned out well with Mel just being reprimanded and Kate being taken by the ministry, but with their master there to watch over her, so I guess now she can reflect but also get what she wanted most, which was the care of the master. Lmao when the heroine asked what Mel would do if she failed the academy judgment exam and he said he’d laugh hahahaah. He’s right though, regardless of whether she passes or not, that doesn’t change the fact that he loves her. I always forget that the story spans across only 13 days, so really, they met, fell in love, confessed, saved the world and then Mel proposed to her?! A lot of things really happened.. You could give me 13 years and I still wouldn’t be able to do those lmao.

I never considered the heroine becoming a magical tree doctor tbh since just because she can talk to them and cast the protection spell doesn’t mean she can become one too lol, but I guess considering how clingy both Mel and the heroine are with each other in this route, working in the same profession, travelling together and being together all the time would suit them. I love the engagement ring Mel made, it’s made with wood from the magical tree and it has a snow apple on it lmao. I’ll forever remember Mel eating her apple🤣 I felt it ended so nicely with Mel being able to fulfill his dream of attending school and it’s alongside the heroine~ Sweet!

Overall, I quite enjoyed Mel’s route, I guess it really helps to pick up on all the romance that Sigurd’s route lacked, but it was kinda to the point that the whole story was basically romance with a bit of plot hahaha. Well, it was good to finally see Mel’s perspective and how this event was related to Mel, but I think it was rather undermining and Kate was a meh kinda villain since her reasons and determination was rather flimsy. Anyway, if you want some more cute romance, then this is the one XD Overall though, I liked Sigurd’s route the most because I felt the heroine grew the most in that route and really became a strong independent woman that Sigurd couldn’t help but fall for eventually haha. Then I’d pick Mel since he’s sweet and I felt that he and the heroine grew together nicely in this route, where they learnt to rely and believe in each other and not just love each other I guess haha. Last is Leslie is because his route was really bland, I personally do like Leslie but his route just felt like nothing happened haha.

[buzzheadchick]

I made my gemsonas and their fusions in the gemsona maker and I’ve worked very hard on them.

So these are my babies, and I kinda see them as parts of myself. I actually wrote them as different parts of my personality. Left to right, they are Hackmanite, Schernikite, and Lonsdaleite. Lonsdaleite’s design is gonna be a little wonky going from pic to pic, I still don’t have their appearance down solid yet.<br>

Hackmanite’s role is a surveyor who has the ability to see a 4-D layout of the area she’s studying. I say 4-D because, much you can see inside a 2-D box because you are in 3-D space, she can see inside a 3-D space all at once. This shows up to her like a the grid of a clairvoyant sonar scanner. Her weapons are cleats, when she summons them they essentially form as spikes growing out of her feet. Much like certain types of irl hackmanites, she is dull in broad daylight, but practically glows under UV lights. In fact, she loves nightlife and dancing, and tries never to stray far from a blacklight. Her pants are supposed to be striped bell bottoms, I tried to make those the best I could on the game. I’m thinking of giving her a wide-collared shirt too, unbuttons several ways to let her gem shine. <br>

Schernikite is kinda hard for me to describe. She’s my second muscovite gemsona, and my first was originally going to be a Schernikite too, but I decided against it. I know she could possibly exist on Homeworld, since YD mentioned the “thinnest flake of mica” and I’m thinking Erni would be a rather fragile flake lol. Her gem’s on her lower back btw. I don’t really know what her role would be on Homeworld, hence why it’s hard for me to describe her. Personality wise, she’s very soft. I guess you could say she’s a lot like rose, but not as goofy, more contemplative. <br>

Lonsdaleite might be my favorite, they’re closest to my heart. Dale’s gem isn’t just on their neck, it’s a disc that separates their head from their body. If the disc was removed, their head would fall off before poofing. Now, the thing about lonsdaleites is that they are a natural stone harder than diamond. So I was thinking, what would their profession be? Well, if a diamond creates gem life with their sweat, and diamond IRL are used to cut other gems.... and executioner! Public executions would not surprise me for HW culture, after all they have to set an example. Diamonds create life, Lonsdaleites end it. They literally use their gems to shatter other gems. Dale in particular spins their disc throat and swallows the gem to be executed, where it is ground to a dust inside. Then, they blow out a cloud of the gem dust over the crowd as part of the specticle of execution... or spit it out for later HW use and feign the clouds with a fake dust. It’s all very morbid. Dale was the first of the three to defect from Homeworld. They’re very emotional, but try to detach themselves from it, instead choosing to focus on intellect. Still, dale is almost pure emotion, and it’s not hard for them to cry from sadness, or happiness, or stress, or anger, or<br>

Fusions:

This is a fusion of Hackmanite and Schernikite. Lepidolite has... good intentions, but tends not have a very good grasp on morals while leaning to a self-indulgent form of kindness. You know, the kind of helping mentor at a yoga retreat that actually turns out to be a cult, who has no problem being worshipped as an idol. She’s definitely unstable, in a sugilite kind of way (not physically, but emotionally).

The fusion of Erni and Dale is Desert Rose, and although probably the most stable of the fusions, not a lot of people like to be around her. She’s incredibly smart, and will show everyone just how much she doesn’t need their silly little problems. Although at a first glance it may seem like she has no extra limbs, when she opens her mouth, there is a second mouth inside, Alien-style. Both mouths can talk about two different things at the same time, often running just in an attempt to keep up with what’s going on in her head. It gets annoying and is very hard to understand. Oh, and when she gets upset... her crying usually consists of one mouth choking sobs, and the other wailing whines. It’s all very sad.

Ametrine is the most unstable fusion of the three, with three faces. How is this possible, there’s only two fusers? Well, one face has two eyes and a mouth, one face has eyes and no mouth, and one face has a mouth and no eyes. No matter what face they use, they are essentially blind to people’s emotions. The head rotated on the neck gem, whichever is facing forward is the one in use. The main face is boisterous and rude, often making dark jokes in poor taste, and commenting matter-of-factly on what she sees without regard for the social cues against it. The eyes are selfish, watching without people knowing they’re watching, just wanting to gather information. Wants to know things just to know them, not to do anything useful with them. Can often invade on people’s privacy. The mouth face talks and talks, but unlike Desert Rose who spouts of her thought processes and random facts, Ametrine’s mouth face will ramble on and on about her depressing thoughts and harsh truths, making everyone increasingly uncomfortable but not knowing when to stop.

Finally, the fusion of all three of them, Chalcopyrite! (Not to scale, obv.... and yeah, I know she doesn’t have any extra limbs, this is from an older image than my others and I didn’t know how to do that yet.) Technically more stable than any of the two-gem fusions because they all balance each other out. If she has Hackmanite’s passion, and Schernikite’s COMpassion, then I think she has Lonsdaleite’s... dispassion? Not quite... More like rationality, or even self-awareness. Her personality is like that of stereotypical Hollywood hotshot, except she actually cares about her actors. Quick thinking and a little detached, but ultimately hardworking and pretty excitable. Her feet are kinda like a second pair of hands, but not exactly just hands, more like elongated and opposable toes like some primates have. (If you’re wondering how this works with Hackmanite’s cleats, think claws.) Instead of an extra mouth like Lonsdaleite’s other fusions, Chalcopyrite’s hair rings work’s like a megaphone, or even just a speaker, sound coming out of all of them in unison when she yells.

So yeah, those are my gemsonas. I hope you like them. If you have any tips or questions, just message me or shoot me an ask or something!

[occupyvenus]

@doublehex replied to your post “Actual footage of aegony stans popping a bottle of champagne...”

You make it seem as if only J0nerys shippers bought into it. BryndenBFish thought it was a legit interview at first, and he was someone that has poured over most of GRRM's interviews. The way the interviewer wrote his responses were very cleaver. And it was written by no means a Jonsa shipper, because the Jonsa answer was just one small part about it. Get off your high horse and take a chill pill.

How about you get off my post and take a red pill that takes you back to reality? 

I do not make it seem like only J0nerys shippers bought into it. I specifically made fun of the specific group of people (mostly J0nerys shippers) who used this interview as “prove” to debunk Jonsa and celebrated the “death of the delusional crackship” before getting all their facts straight. Yes, while the Jonsa passage was only a small part of the interview, I made fun of the people who only cared about this “small part” and made a big deal about it. Weak reading comprehension, much? Would explain a lot of things. 

As a lot of other people, I didn’t dismiss the interview right away either, that would be just as biased as buying into it without any further questions. I thought maybe the “interviewer” had some personal connection to GRRM and he did them a solid by talking with them. I read the entire thing, while considering the problems that arise with automated translation and compared his statements with some he’s made before. I actually took my time to apply some critical thinking skills before forming a final opinion. The post was not directed at people like BryndenBFish (btw, what’s with the appeal to authority? People can’t think for themselves unless someone with supposed “higher credentials” gives them the green light to do so?) who did the same thing, who wasn’t sure about it’s legitimacy, but actually looked into it before drawing any final conclusions, but at the gullible, biased idiots who never learned to not believe everything they read on the internet. So what is your point exactly? 

Btw, I retain the right to make fun of the people who didn’t even bother to look into it before making hateful, condescending, snarky posts because there were so many things that should make everyone capable of critical thinking at least a bit sceptical: 

An exclusive interview with a high-caliber author is published on some random, unknown blog? 

Why didn’t a “professional journalist” sell that thing to some news media, actually making some profit with their supposed profession?

Why wouldn’t the author at least take one picture with grrm?  

One tiny little google session would’ve showed that this “interview” wasn’t picked up by any verified news outlet. 

Neither westeros.org, nor the asoiaf wikia picked it up either. They’re usually pretty fast with that. Most interviews show up a few hours after they were published. Maybe because the administrators have connection to grrm and his pr-team themselves and are aware of any upcoming interviews? 

The interview has no links to grrm’s blog, twitter, his official website and their was no mention of that interview on all these outlets either. 

The interview was ill-formatted and the blog itself looks rather shitty. Not a sign of professionalism. 

Why would GRRM agree to making interview that was only going to be published in Spanish? Why would GRRM agree to making an interview with such a low-profile outlet at all? 

Those were at least a couple of things that seemed fishy about the circumstances of the “release”. If that wasn’t enough to at least raise one of your eyebrows, there are couple of things about the content that an attentive reader could/should have noticed:

George is praising D&D? After politely redirecting any questions about them with neutral answers? After throwing some epic shade at them not two months ago? (Like, he has no time to watch “his own show”, but fangirls about another? Sick burn, george.)

GRRM has never outright denied any fantheories. Here he takes strong stances about Azor Ahai and Jon’s endgame romantic partner. This isn’t about me being a pressed shipper, it simply isn’t in line with his previous reactions to questions like this. Do you remember the dubious, unambiguous way he talked about S@nsan in the past? He didn’t confirm it, he didn’t completely deny it. He 

While we’re at the topic of the jonsa-passage, he contradicts himself numerous times here alone, for example: Well, in my books Jon Snow is dead ... but to find out about his possible relationship with Dany you have to keep reading. Any romantic relationship is very unlikely, because they only share a siblingy bond ... but Jon and Sansa don’t even have that. Like, what? Sounds awfully like a rehash of your usual anti-jonsa arguments, don’t you think? The creator of the whole series has no more to say than your average redditor? 

Btw, Grrm honestly reacting to a question involving his original outline? When has that ever happened?  

I remembered that Medusa interview, I don’t remember any news about it being fake. But in this interview it’s presented as fact and common knowledge?  

GRRM answers a question about Arya by talking about how she isn’t like Sansa? Sounds less like him and more like your typical reddit douchebag. 

Btw, he talks about revenge and it’s downfalls, but doesn’t bring up Lady Stoneheart? A character about whose non-inclusion in the show bugs him so much, he talks about her significance to the narrative every chance he gets? 

At one point he emphasized that Jon is dead in the books, but later doesn’t correct the “interviewer” when she calls Jon a king? How is Jon a king in the books, btw? Or would GRRM really confirm in an interview that Jon will become KITN in the books too? Seems like an obvious mix up of book and show canon to me. 

Another instance of this is him taking Cersei as an example that women can rule in Westeros, when talking about Asha. In the books, Cersei does not rule in her own right, she rules through her son. This is no correct comparison to Asha becoming queen of the Iron Islands, at least not for current book-canon. And Goerge doesn’t discuss show canon. 

Just in general, many, many answers don’t hold up to the usual intellectual level displayed in his interviews.  

He says Jon Snow isn’t a hero, that every question about right and wrong depends on which side you are own, - which sounds a lot like him - but “regarding Dany, deserving something because you're a good person doesn’t mean you will obtain it?” Biased, much? 

GRRM confirms a couple of characters as bisexual, some very surprising candidates included, but doesn’t mention those who have relationships with both men and women in canon like Ellia, or even Jon ?

George names a rather specific release date for Winds of Winter? 

Those are only a few things I remember. If I went through this glorious clusterfuck one more time, I’m sure to find more. There are so many things in this “interview” that stick out, but in the name of fairness, let’s look at some of the things that seemed convincing:

Some passages successfully copied Grrm’s way of speaking. 

Some statements were in line with grrm’s usual style of answering spoilery questions. (You have to keep reading, the show is the show and the books are  the books etc)

No one could be batshit crazy enough to seriously fake an interview with GRRM. 

Sry, if all these red flags didn’t lead you to even do a bit of investigating, if instead, your first reaction was to make petty posts about “jonsa being dead” and “grrm killing jonsa” you deserve to be made fun of. Should I give you a pat on the back for focusing solely on the few things that seemed legit, while completely dismissing everything that pointed to the opposite?

Sry not sry, but after being called “delusional” for shipping Jonsa, despite bringing up a bunch of compelling arguments, while your strongest argument against it is screaming DELUSIONAL!!!,  after being told “to seek professional help” thousands of time, I have absolutely no problem with pointing out the mass delusion that these assholes suffered from the last day. Payback’s a bitch. I actually made another post about why this whole surreal situation is so endlessly funny to me, and it has nothing to with people “who AT FIRST thought this as a legit interview”, before taking a closer look and realizing that it’s most likely forgery (like your weak argumentative shield BryndenBFish did). 

It’s because of the sheer hypocrisy and the delicious irony: 

J*nerys-stans and co were so desperate to discredit us “delusional crackshippers” that they took some random interview on some random blog with  zero credentials, something that seemed fishy to anyone who took 5 minutes to clearly think about it, but instead they just swallowed it like a bowl of dramatic rice, because they were so excited about proving that other people are “delusional” and I just can’t. This morning there were dozens of posts celebrating that the “delusional jonsa stans will finally shut up about their delusional crack ship” and now they’re the ones whining about being called delusional and how unfair and inappropriate that is and, fuck, payback’s a bitch. Like, you gotta appreciate the fucking irony of the situation.

Never forget the blessed Halloween of 2k17 when antis got a taste of their own medicine. The dramatic rice remember.

Now pop in the blue pill and go back to the matrix where jonsa-shippers are the “delusional” ones, who only see what they want to see”. That’s the only place where you people can still pretend that jonsa-shippers are the ones who lack critical thinking skills. I’ll be enjoying the view from my high horse, thank you. 

Actual footage of you, thinking you can get one over me with that weak ass comment.

[wellesleyunderground]

WU Reviews: The Problem With Apu by Shelly Anand '08 (@shellypolitik) & Shloka Ananthanarayanan '08 (@shlokes)

(Source)

Hari Kondabolu is a New York-based stand-up comic. He is also of Indian origin and therefore has a long-standing gripe with the character of Apu in The Simpsons. His hour-long documentary, The Problem With Apu, features conversations with South Asian actors, Simpsons writers, and people on the street, some of whom were genuinely flabbergasted that their favorite character on The Simpsons is voiced by a white guy (Hank Azaria, who refused to be a part of this documentary).

‘08 alums Shelly and Shloka are both Indian women living in America but with very different backgrounds. Shelly was born and raised in the American South (what up ATL alums) while Shloka grew up in Bahrain surrounded by Indian immigrants and only moved to New York when she was a teenager, where she went to an international high school. Below are their takes on The Problem with Apu, which are only two of the myriad reactions people across the South Asian diaspora may end up having to this documentary.

Shloka:

I already knew what I was getting into when I started watching this documentary. I’ve seen some of Hari Kondabolu’s stand-up so I was fully aware of the premise. What startled me was his personal story of why he hated Apu so much. Turns out, as a kid growing up in America, apparently people would just yell out “Hey Apu!” or “Thank you come again!” if they saw a brown person? I never experienced that kind of overt racism growing up (also The Simpsons wasn’t particularly big in Bahrain), so while I’ve personally never really cared about that character, this documentary made me much more angry on behalf of all the brown folk who did face discrimination because of Apu.

Shelly:

I am a big fan of Hari and was excited for him to tackle this topic in a documentary; I had seen him first address the problem with Apu on W. Kamau Bell’s show Totally Biased a couple of years ago. I definitely related to what Hari and the other featured South Asian actors and comedians had to say about growing up with the Apu stereotype. I do recall being asked if my parents owned a gas station or a 711. When my father became CEO of a company in his field (electrical engineering), a manager came up to him and said something along the lines of he thought Indian people only worked and/or owned Dunkin Donuts, to which my father responded “I’d be happy to help you find a job there.” (Go Papa!). #radbrowndad

We dealt with a lot of racism living in the South. People were always making fun of my mom’s accent--from her patients (she’s a psychiatrist) to clerks in stores--and she still deals with this racism to this day. My dad felt the pressures of assimilation and actively got rid of his accent by impersonating radio djs. People at times think he is second generation like me because he no longer has an accent and now has lived here for most of his life. The only time it comes out is when he is code switching, sitting with family and friends, in a safe space where he can be his true self. I wish I could say that “The Problem of Apu” was a thing of the past but it has gotten worse in the post-9/11 current Trump world. Even today, I have had people do the Indian head bob or do a fake Indian accent thinking it is funny. Of course, the accent and head bobs are just one of many issues South Asian kids face in the U.S. Having non-Christian religions (Hinduism, Jainism, Sikhism, Islam, to name a few) made us subject to ridicule and still does to this day. And Indian food and yoga weren’t so cool when we were growing up. Our whole identity and culture was under attack. It still is today, with Islamophobia, continual ignorance over non-Western religions (Sikhs and Hindus being subject to Islamophobia because we’re brown and have turbans), and cultural appropriation of food and religion (ahem, YOGA and that chicken tikka masala bullshit, oh and don’t get me started on “chai tea”). I am excited to see not only more representation of desis on American film and television, but am grateful for folx like Hari that use their platform to address the issues us desi kids faced growing up.

Shloka:

The Problem with Apu addresses a number of problems. First, there’s the idea of how this character even came to be. There are conflicting stories about whether the writer thought that an Indian store owner was a complete stereotype, but had to concede when Hank Azaria came out with the voice and a room full of white guys laughed. Azaria himself didn’t take part in this documentary and continues to do the voice all over the place, despite a half-hearted attempt at acknowledging its racist undertones in an old HuffPo article. Then there’s the problem of representation. People argue that The Simpsons has broad stereotypes of Italians or Scottish people, so why be so fixated on Apu? 

Kondabolu’s rebuttal (of course) is that there are nuanced portrayals of Italians and Scots all over TV and movies. Whereas for the longest time, the only representation of an Indian in American media was this servile store clerk who bought into every stereotype under the sun. Kondabolu proposes a number of ways The Simpsons could redeem themselves - have a brown actor do the voice, add some new South Asian characters who demonstrate other aspects of the diaspora, or just kill off Apu and be done with the whole mess once and for all. Sadly, I doubt any of these will come to pass. When he interviews his own parents, they have a weary sense of resignation - they came to this country and did what they had to do. They think Apu is a terrible portrayal, but to them, they have fought many other battles and this question of media representation pales in comparison to their real journey to buy in to the American dream.

Shelly:

It definitely seemed like the goal of the film was for him to go head to head with Hank Azaria. I don’t know if the problem of Apu can really be resolved with respect to the show. It’s been, what, almost 30 years since the show was started? Does anyone ever watch the Simpsons anymore? The Problem with Apu isn’t the Simpsons itself, but that it started this trend where it was acceptable to mock and ridicule South Asian people for the way they talk and their professions. The film discusses how the Apu caricature made it really really difficult to be an South Asian actor in this country; most of the actors and comedians Hari interviews talk about how they  have been expected to audition for roles (btw Aziz Ansari addresses this issue really well in Season 1 of Master of None). I learned about the term “patanking” for the first time, which is the stereotypical accent, head-bob, caricature South-Asian actors are often asked to portray when offered miniscule roles (like taxi driver, 711 owner etc.)

However, I wish there was more discussion of how the caricature of Apu effects South Asian immigrants like our parents. There are many South Asian immigrants who own and/or work in gas stations and hotels. How does the Problem of Apu impact them? I know here in Georgia, there are a number of South Asians who own gas stations in rural areas and many of their lives have been threatened because of xenophobia. While the actors complain about playing gas station owners and taxi drivers, they don’t complain about the stereotype of the model minority myth, playing doctors, lawyers, tech startup bros, etc. There is an element of classism to all of this. We are fine with the model minority myth (that we are successful immigrants) but not with the prospect of someone assuming that we are working class.

I did appreciate how the documentary placed Apu in the historical context of ridiculing and mocking people of color in the United States specifically with respect to Blackface. Whoopi Goldberg is interviewed and talks blackface in Hollywood at the turn of 20th century. At one point Hari asked Whoopi if Apu could be considered blackface and she confirms that it is. I remember a couple of years ago, Popchips did a commercial with Ashton Kutcher, who literally painted his face brown and did an indian accent. I know when I was growing up, something like that would have been seen as acceptable, but celebrities like Himanshu Suri (of Das Racist and Swet Shop Boys fame) called it out and I believe Popchips ended up pulling the ad. That was really affirming for me.

Shloka:

This documentary is only an hour-long and I can see why. There isn’t really much meat to this story and after a while it does get a bit repetitive and seems to be stating the obvious. But again, I’m a liberal brown person. The people who really ought to be watching this are the ones who never will. I think it would be eye-opening for a lot of people who are oblivious to the challenges minorities face in day-to-day life. While I found myself growing bored of the Apu premise, I loved how many South Asian people from all walks of life were interviewed in this movie, from the former Surgeon General, Dr. Vivek Murthy, to comedienne, Aparna Nancherla. And this speaks to my ongoing thirst to see more brown people on TV. I don’t watch The Simpsons and I think Apu is a ridiculous character. But as more South Asians emerge on screen in shows like The Mindy Project or Master of None, they are filling a void in the media landscape that I never acknowledged before. 

While I’ve never been openly discriminated against, I’ve had moments when people made assumptions about me because I was brown or were shocked that my “English is so good.” Sometimes their assumptions are right, but sometimes they’re wrong, and it is frustrating as a minority to not be given the privilege to be my own person instead of immediately being put in a box. When I talk to a white person, I treat them like an individual being and don’t categorize them right off the bat, because I have seen thousands of different representations of white people in the movies and TV. But when a white person is talking to me, are they immediately thinking I might be like Apu and I have to convince them otherwise? What a terrifying prospect.

Shelly:

It was definitely repetitive and it also focused on just one small facet of the myriad of issues South Asians and South Asian Americans face with respect to discrimination in this country. Not only are our [assumed] accents ridiculed, but our lives are threatened because of religion [either real or perceived] and because we are from non-European immigrant community. I can’t tell you the number of times my mother has heard “go back to your country.” Hell, I was called a “foreign dyke bitch” in North Carolina in a grocery store parking lot (what a trifecta!). The mockery of the accent is indicative of a larger theme that many of us in the immigrant community face: you don’t belong here. I wish that was addressed a bit more. We also have our own dirty laundry in the community-- shadeism and anti-black racism. Not that we need to do a documentary airing our dirty laundry but identity is a complicated beast (not to mention others like caste, Islamophobia from non-Muslim South Asians etc.).

Overall, I am happy the film exists and happy that the caricature of desi folx has been placed in the context of other discriminatory caricatures like black face -- I think that link is critical to helping the desi community build foundations of solidarity with the black community and other communities of color in the U.S. I see Hari’s film as the tip of the iceberg and I’m excited to see more.

[writingwithcolor]

Writing Harry Potter fanfic without reinforcing unconscious antisemitism when you write goblins or Snape

Hi, I have a question about writing fanfic of source material with questionable/ offensive aspects. I’m writing Harry Potter fanfic and am unsure how best to deal with antisemitic undertones in both the goblins and in Snape (esp his physical appearance). I’m not jewish.

I tried researching goblins in general, and the approach I came up with so far is to remove the connection of the harry potter goblins with gold/ gringotts. In my fic they have other jobs, professions and roles besides that, and humans work alongside them in the bank. I got rid of negative descriptions like “swarthy”, untrustworthy etc, and while not really going indepth (they’re not the focus) hinted at them having their own culture not revolving around gold or treasure, but with their own traditional clothing and art.

I wonder if this is a good approach, if there are other things to be aware of or pitfalls to avoid. I’m not trying to portray goblin culture to resemble jewish culture in any way btw, but will rather have human jewish characters. 

The second thing I’m struggling with is Snape. I don’t think Rowling intended either him or the goblins this way, but he comes across as a negative jewish stereotype and I feel unsure of how to change this. Since he is such a central character, I feel less like I can completely disregard canon or make him unrecognizable. I also don’t feel like just changing his physical appearance would help at all? Doing that might only reinforce the idea that there’s something ‘wrong’ with his features. So far the only thing I could come up with is not to portray features like his hooked nose or oily hair in a negative way or as a sign of bad personality traits. I’m honestly at a loss though. – Sorry this got so long!

First of all, for anyone who isn’t aware of what OP is talking about, it’s not that JKR deliberately set out to poke us in the eye with her money-babysitting goblins and hook-nosed Snape. It’s built into English folklore this way, so much so that she most likely didn’t realize why her knee-jerk idea for what those characters should look like was informed by centuries-old garbage. So I’m not blaming her, and this is a warning that you don’t have to be deliberately racist to accidentally perpetuate harmful tropes.

Moving on to the answer: 

>> the approach I came up with so far is to remove the connection of the harry potter goblins with gold/ gringotts. In my fic they have other jobs, professions and roles besides that, and humans work alongside them in the bank

I have a question for you. Why was it easier to create entirely new goblin canon than distance them from Jewishness ? I mean, I don’t know about you, but even if goblins are upstanding citizens who save puppies and help old ladies cross the street on the daily, always do the dishes after every meal, and never misgender their friends, the word ‘goblin’ is not something commonly thought of as beautiful or heroic. It’s a GOBLIN. So if this were me I’d move in a “goblins are not Jews” direction instead of trying to turn them into ugly little heroes. (This is advice specifically for gentiles, by the way. I know several Jewish fans who like to try to reclaim, for example, Tolkien dwarves. It can be very validating–from within. And for people who aren’t me. :P )

Ways to distance goblins from Jewishness and anti-semitic tropes in general:

First of all, fix the noses. We as a society decided that having your nose turn down at the end makes someone monstrous and unhuman. Can we not? That’s just silly. So give the goblins either all kinds of noses including snub noses and pointy noses and uninteresting noses, or give them something totally inhuman like a Pinocchio nose.

If they follow polytheism in any way that’ll help drive them away from Jewishness. A goblin pantheon, etc.

Having human Jews in the story is the best way to make it clear your goblins aren’t Jews, IMO. Especially if they have the same “meh” reaction to them that the gentile human characters do.

I mean, trying to make them independently cool is not a bad goal, I’m just saying that it doesn’t necessarily make them seem less Jewish because let’s face it, tiny and ugly is one of the negative tropes about us even when we’re awesome and I just plain don’t want to feel ugly when I wake up in the morning!

>> will rather have human jewish characters.

GOOD :)

By the way, if this seems like way too much work – if you leave goblins out of your fanfic entirely the fact that JKR uses them won’t make your fanfic antisemitic. Does that make sense? Like, yes, the source material is problematic, but it’s also okay to completely ignore the goblins entirely within the scope of your fic. Unless you really need them there for plot reasons.

>>  Since he is such a central character, I feel less like I can completely disregard canon or make him unrecognizable. I also don’t feel like just changing his physical appearance would help at all? Doing that might only reinforce the idea that there’s something ‘wrong’ with his features. So far the only thing I could come up with is not to portray features like his hooked nose or oily hair in a negative way or as a sign of bad personality traits. I’m honestly at a loss though. 

The Snape answer is easier.

Don’t talk about those particular physical features. Does anyone reading HP fanfic not already know what Severus Snape looks like? There really isn’t a reason to mention his nose in a fanfic.

If you also show him being his usual douchecanoe self to Jewish students in addition to all the gentile MC’s, that would be cool–and another thing you could do is have him deliberately go out of his way to be a douche to a Jewish student in an antisemitic way like, if a muggle from a more observant background is ooked out about having to touch pig parts for a spell he could make fun of her and she could defend herself or one of the others could reassure her she’s okay and he’s just an ass to everyone. I mean that would make it super obvious he’s not us. But you don’t really have to do that.

~Shira

[8ami]

So, hey peeps, I’ve seen some people struggling lately (myself included) with mental health issues and I just wanted to share some information and provide some options for people. I have theoretical, practical and personal experience with mental health, however I am not a medical profession (hopefully sooner rather than later) so just be aware of that. A common issue I see on here is people dealing with depression. The first thing you need to know is that depression isn’t an overwhelming sadness. It’s a disassociation with your own life, other’s people’s lives, and how they interact with each other. There’s a sort of disconnection or a void-like feeling to you. Some people feel heavy or physically weighed down. Agitation, memory loss, sleeping problems, attention problems, lack of motivation, lack of energy, and anxiety are all tied to depression. For example, I actually tend to be really angry (which is just fear and sadness combined) a lot with myself and others.

The second thing to know is that depression can be the primary disease or it can be a symptom. And this distinction is a difficult one to make and not always something you, yourself can determine on your own. In my own cause my depression is the primary disease and my anxiety and ADD stems from my depression.

Third, there are a few different ways of classifying depression and I find one of the easier ways is this - situational, episodic, and clinical. Almost everyone in the world will at one point in their lives experiences situational depression this is generally the emotional response to a stressor in one’s life like a break up, the lose of a job, the lose of a love or any other event in which an individual loses something. Episodic usually starts off as situational as once you experience a depressive episode then you’re more likely to experience another episode if you are genetically predisposition to depression. Normally these episodes are triggered by something and it is a good idea to try and isolate what the triggers are (a way to do this is to kept an up to date  journal of things you do, people you see, etc and when you recognize an episode either after or during review what’s written in your journal for the time leading up to the episode). Note this is not Bipolar Disorder as that tends to be characterized by extreme lows and highs where as an individual with Episodic depression experiences lows and then times when they are ‘normal’. Depression and Bipolar Disorder also effect the brain different and are generally treated by different drug types because of it. Clinical depression is one of many terms to mean you experience depressive tendencies all the time and for extensive periods.

Finally, there are natural and pharmaceutical ways of dealing with depression and if one the ways work better for you than the other then use it. Don’t cheat yourself of something that could help - you deserve to be healthy. However, generally depending on the type of depression different therapies have a record of helping more than others. For example, clinical depression is best managed with antidepressants where as speaking with a counseling is best for situational depression. But again find what works best for you and use it.

I feel it’s important to note as a lot of primary doctors tend to miss this in talking to their patients is that antidepressants take time. It is normal practice to give a specific drug and dosage three months time to take full effect unless there are side effects that need managing right away (and if there are any side effects that you’re worried about bring them up with your doctor sooner rather than later). And if that particular drug or dose works for you then it can be another three months of the same drug but with a different dosage . What I’m saying is don’t give up on a medication if the first one doesn’t work out, or the second one, or the third. Personally, over the last three years I have been on four different medications with one or two dosage changes with each one. Another thing is you really do have to take it every day if you want to really experience the benefits. The drug is changing either the production of a particular chemical or the uptake of a chemical in your brain because your brain doesn’t do it on it’s own. I know the idea of being on medication is daunting both because of stigma involved and because it’s incredibly frustrating to need medication, especially every day but you deserve medication if it helps you.

Medication is a pretty biological way to help yourself. Some other biologically ways to help is to eat well and consistently even if you don’t feel like eating as well as sleeping to a schedule. One of the benefits of sleep is improved memory (while we sleep plaque build up that is linked with troubled memory is removed from our brains). Problems with memory is generally a side effect of depression. Exercise and touch therapy (animals and human) can help as it does release endorphins. Get out of your head as well as your home when you can - interact with other people even if it’s just sitting in a room with other people like at a coffee shop.

Here’s some psychological aids you can use - particularly helpful if you don’t have access to medicine. One of the best ways (and for me one of the hardest ways) to manage depression is by challenging the way you currently think. Normally a depressive mind is rather negative, especially about one’s self, so one option to change that type of thinking is to work affirmations into your daily routine (ie, I deserve the time in order to heal or I am a strong person or I am loved). You don’t have to believe these statements - think of them as goals or things you would like to be true and say them to yourself whenever you’re struggling. The human mind is kind silly in the fact that if you tell it tell it something enough it will begin to believe it (check out the placebo effect  which btw works even if you know it’s the placebo effect).

Countering negative or intrusive thoughts also might help. This is whenever you are experiencing a negative thought you following it up with a positive thought. I often think about how unimportant I am to other people. I can challenge this thought wit, “Well I did help that old woman with her groceries once. I mattered to her for that moment,” as well as, “I’m pretty sure I’m the most important person in my dog’s life and he’s thrilled about that.”

I also really emphasize good things in my life and accomplishments I’ve done to myself. Even if that accomplishment is just getting out of bed for the day. You can ask my brother I wallow a lot but sometimes I make it to the couch and wallow there instead of my bed and that’s an accomplishment I allow myself to feel proud about. This can seem a little silly sometimes - I mean walking ten feet seems kinda small but it’s not with someone with depression or your head might bring up all the times you didn’t do something along with the time you did do it like get out of bed for the day. That’s normal - it sucks and it makes it hard - but it’s normal and this is why - our heads are designed to remember the bad things in our lives and not so much the good which is why you have to make the effort to emphasize the good things and you just kinda remember the bad, and this is due to evolution. If I scratch myself on a rosebush then that situation is imputed into my memory through several different senses which makes the memory stronger and more likely to be saved to long term memory. And our brains wants that situation saved to our long term memory because if I remember getting scratched I’m less likely to do it again by either avoiding rosebushes or by wearing gloves. This learning allows me to survive by avoiding the danger. Now, unfortunately for someone with depression this mechanism results in a steady stream of mishaps and other incidents that can be used to justify intrusive thoughts.

My therapists often has to remind not to talk for other people - don’t decide how someone will react without giving them the chance to actually react. She tells me this because I have a tendency to keep things to myself because my friends and family “don’t care”. I don’t ask a friend to go see a movie with me because they won’t want to go with.  Those things are not necessarily true as I put those words in their mouth. They have never told me such things and have in fact said the exact opposite to me at points in my life. Basically, give people a chance to show they care about you because they’re normally waiting on you to reach out with a hand as much as you’re waiting on them to offer you a hand.

And more than anything know that you deserve to be healthy and happy.

You are worth the effort.

Well, this was suppose to be brief and I was suppose to go into other issues like anxiety but this kind of got away from me. I guess if it helps at least one person it’s worth typing it all out. Maybe if I’m feeling good I’ll write out some other things later. Take care of yourselves lovelies.

I’m going to leave with this quote, “You all have a little bit of, ‘I want to save the world’ in you and I just want you to know that it’s okay if you only save one person, and it’s okay if that one person is you.”

[cafsunwoo-blog]

hello~! it’s ur stressed 2 the max,, sleep deprived girl here !! my name’s haylee ( she/her ), nd one time i drank 4 americanos during a shift at work ( it was near christmas ok ) ,,, 3/10 do not recommend. i’m trash at introductions, but below u’ll find some quick info abt sunwoo ! he’s a work in progress so pls be kind 2 both me nd him ;; we’re trying our best ! also i don’t have a bio / connections page set up yet, but they will b very soon ! still feel free to hmu if u want 2 plot ok,, chances r i’ll lov u forever if u do. okok [ jimin vc ] gOODbye

biography related ; tw mentions of nsfw stuff,, ( he’s a camboy oopS )

sunwoo was born in san francisco !! he grew up alongside his older brother -- they’re three years apart. his parents were relatively conservative, but for the most part they let sunwoo do his own thing ! they actually put more ‘ effort ’ into raising his older brother, and with his success, anything sunwoo did kind of went unnoticed. sunwoo realized this rather early on, n he decided life was too short to try living up to all that his brother was doing, u know ? it wasn’t like his grades were terrible n he was a bad kid -- his grades were average n he snuck out only a few times ! he was a ‘ typical kid™ ’

when he was seven, sunwoo had his first asthma attack ; it scared him bc before then, he wasn’t even aware he had asthma ?? he just thought he was a healthy kid. he remembers his chest feeling really tight nd coughing a lot n looking v pale -- he was trembling when his friend took him to the school nurse, but that’s about all he can recall. he was taken to the doctor’s and was diagnosed with asthma and due to his forgetful nature,, sunwoo didn’t often take his medication, n his condition worsened :// he uses an inhaler now, n goes out of his way 2 avoid things that trigger his asthma bc he’s smartened up a bit 

sunwoo had trouble holding down jobs tbh,, n one night when he was scrolling through random websites,, he stumbled across a cam site ( don’t ask him how ! ) nd he ended up becoming really fixated on the idea of performing in front of a camera,, pleasuring not only himself but giving pleasure 2 others -- just through a screen. he managed 2 set up his laptop in a way that he only filmed his body, nd before he knew it, sunwoo was performing his own show 4 a small audience ?? ( he was eighteen at the time ! ) he made sure 2 keep his face hidden -- tho as he grew more comfortable,, he switched from hiding his face entirely, to wearing a mask that concealed the lower half of his face !! that allowed 4 a more personal experience in his opinion ?? soon enough his audience grew, nd he’d be lying if he said the praise didn’t please him ! that nd the money’s wonDERFUL ? 

his family moved 2 south korea when he was nineteen ( v close to twenty ! ) basically bc his mother’s sister fell gravely ill, nd they wanted 2 be around her nd spend time with her while the could. sunwoo didn’t mind, he wasn’t in school at the time n he skypes his friends all the time anyway, so he adjusted fairly quickly. he just struggles with the language a lot,, but he’s learning !! he did start attending school when he moved to korea tho, nd is currently majoring in astrology ! his brother was the only one who didn’t move to korea btw,, he’s still attending uni in the us -- he’s training 2 be a doctor bc he wants to save people ! 

personality related 

they’re super friendly nd love talking 2 people nd making friends ! they can b a little cocky tho, so pls feel free 2 put him in his place !! 

he likes 2 sleep in a lot, and drinks a LOT of coffee -- his blood’s probably made up of caffeine rn ? but he HATES the taste of black coffee,, he needs a loT of sugar in his coffee 2 make it taste good 

he keeps his cam job a secret ; so far no one’s caught on / brought it up in public, n he intends to keep it that way !! 

he’s lowkey jealous of his brother but won’t admit 2 it,, at least he won’t admit 2 it seriously !! he’ll say it out loud but in v mocking ways 

his aesthetic consists of a lot of plaid, roses, ripped jeans nd rings 

also plots / connections dont have 2 be smutty just bc of his profession,, if anything, he’s a lil awkward n unsure of himself sometimes,, n doesn’t really hook up w ppl often ?? he’s the type that wants 2 get 2 know people beforehand ! tho he’ll say pick up line after pick up line bc he thinks he’s reaL funny ( he’s basically aLL talk u feel ? )

[btwthemes]

WordPress Blogging Tips to Help You Get Started -BTW-

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WordPress Blogging Tips to Help You Get Started -BTW-

If you wish to begin a weblog, WordPress might be the best and most person pleasant utility you need to use. There are even easier choices -such as utilizing a free on-line running a blog service akin to Blogger.com, however then you definitely actually haven’t got a lot management over your individual website.

With WordPress, you get the most effective of each worlds -an simple to know platform and limitless options that allow you to develop your weblog and add bells and whistles as you be taught.

WordPress.org vs WordPress.com

First, I ought to level out that there are two WordPresses. They’re run by the identical firm, however WordPress.com is a service that hosts your weblog for you -like Blogger, Tumblr and different third celebration websites. These are sometimes known as Net 2.zero websites. There’s nothing unsuitable with creating your weblog this fashion, nevertheless it does restrict you in some methods.

Whenever you use WordPress.com or any Net 2.zero website, you do not personal the weblog. You might be merely renting house on it. Which means the host can delete your weblog at any time. This occurs in case you are deemed in violation of any TOS (phrases of service). It is surprisingly simple to do that, even with out that means to.

For instance, WordPress.com doesn’t assist you to make your weblog industrial in any approach. So if you wish to begin a enterprise and even make a number of further each month, this isn’t the way in which to go.

One more reason why WordPress.com and different such websites will not be superb is that you’ll have a tougher time with website positioning and producing site visitors than for those who owned the weblog. That is as a result of many of the “hyperlink juice” generated by your article will go to the host fairly than your particular website.

That is why WordPress.org is what I will concentrate on right here. That is while you purchase a website, get internet hosting and begin your individual weblog.

Selecting a Area and Net Host

Your area is your URL -the deal with of your web site or weblog. If you have not chosen one but, you’ll have to do that first. If you do not have hosting both, additionally, you will want this. You’ll be able to mix these if you’d like. Many hosting firms give you a free area while you join internet hosting.

When selecting a hosting firm, it is good to select one which has plenty of expertise with WordPress. When you actually wish to make certain of this, you would possibly go along with WP Engine, an organization that makes a speciality of WordPress. They’re, nonetheless, a bit of dearer than most net hosts.

If you wish to get monetary savings, you may nonetheless discover a good net host that may help your WordPress website. Bluehost, for instance, is very advisable for this. They’re even advisable by WordPress itself.

One suggestion I’ll make right here is that, no matter net host you select, attempt to choose a plan that offers you limitless domains/web sites. Typically one host will supply a number of completely different plans. The distinction in value is normally just a few monthly.

The purpose is that creating WordPress blogs might be addictive! You’ll most likely not wish to cease with one. So chances are you’ll as properly have a internet hosting plan that allows you to create as many as you need.

When selecting a website, attempt to hold it brief and easy. If you need your weblog to rank properly in the various search engines, select some good key phrases within the title. These are phrases that individuals will truly seek for when on the lookout for info.

In case your area is one thing like Bobsblog.com or Marysblog.com, you’ll have a personalised title however not one that’s seemingly that will help you with website positioning (SEO). That is of explicit significance for those who intend to promote one thing. When you solely desire a weblog to share with your pals, relations, co-workers, and many others. then it isn’t necessary.

Methods to Set up WordPress

Putting in WordPress is kind of simple with most main hosting firms. You normally use a script installer akin to Fantastico or Softaculous (your net host most likely has one in all these -look in your management panel). You’ll be able to then set up WordPress in a number of clicks.

I do not wish to waste an excessive amount of house right here describing the steps of putting in WordPress, as a result of you’ll find this at your hosting firm. There are additionally quite a few articles and movies on this subject.

What Ought to You Weblog About?

This does not appear to be it ought to be an issue, however many individuals expertise “blogger’s block” after writing a publish or two. I am assuming that you’ve got already chosen your subject. In spite of everything, if you cannot even consider a subject, it is not likely a great time to begin a weblog but!

However even when you’ve a subject that pursuits you, it may be difficult to consider precise posts to put in writing. For this, chances are you’ll want to perform a little research for inspiration. Listed here are some concepts.

Set Google Alerts -You may get emails from Google that may ship information to your inbox based mostly on some key phrases you select.

Amazon -Take a look at what books are standard. Additionally try their journal part!

Different Blogs -check out Google Blogs and see what others in your area of interest are writing about. You do not wish to copy them, however chances are you’ll get concepts you may put your individual spin on.

Offline Books and Magazines -Go to the library, bookstore and journal part at Barnes & Noble (or wherever magazines are offered). Learn newspapers. These are all nice sources for concepts.

Consistency is the Key to Success

You probably have a weblog, you need to write weblog posts! That is actually an important “secret” to having a profitable weblog, consider it or not. You hear loads at the moment about “high quality content material,” which is, in fact, necessary.

In case you are populating your weblog with auto-generated or spun content material (if you do not know what that’s, don’t be concerned about it -you’re higher off!) you will not get very far. The major search engines are fast to acknowledge this as low high quality content material. Nonetheless, you do must generate posts regularly.

Forgetting about the various search engines for a second, when a customer sees weblog hasn’t been up to date in months, she or he is more likely to conclude that it’s not very energetic or related. You most likely do the identical if you end up trying up new websites on-line.

Search engines like google additionally love blogs which might be steadily up to date. It additionally provides you extra content material for them to index. For instance a number of phrases about website positioning, so long as we’re on that subject.

The Huge Universe of WordPress Plugins

When you get extra aware of WordPress, chances are you’ll wish to begin trying into extra superior options. This usually means including plugins. These are instruments that you simply add to your WordPress website to carry out quite a lot of capabilities.

Plugins can be utilized for safety, website positioning, to create boards or membership websites, to position contact kinds in your website or tons of of different issues. Plugins provide the skill to perform many duties that may in any other case require superior data of coding.

There are such a lot of plugins for WordPress it could be inconceivable to maintain up with all of them. At first, chances are you’ll not assume you want any plugins -and that is true. But it is really easy to make use of them that you could be as properly get your ft moist and set up some primary ones.

You’ll be able to entry the plugins settings out of your WordPress dashboard.

Akismet -This anti-spam plugin is already included while you set up WordPress, however you need to get an API key to activate it. There are directions on how to do that.

Google XML Sitemaps -This makes it simple for Google and different search engines like google to index your posts and pages.

W3 Complete Cache -It is a nice plugin to assist your website load quicker and function extra effectively. It does this by caching posts, pages, databases, scripts and different parts that take up house.

BulletProof Safety -Helps hold your website protected from assaults. That is necessary, as hackers usually goal WordPress websites.

WordPress website positioning by Yoast -Makes it a lot simpler to optimize your website for the various search engines.

The above is a really abbreviated checklist of what you are able to do with plugins. You probably have any explicit wants or concepts for particular options to your weblog, chances are high there is a plugin that may make it easier to obtain this.

WordPress: The Good Place For Your Weblog to Evolve

What makes WordPress so wonderful for bloggers is that it could make it easier to at any stage of your running a blog profession. For rank newbies, it makes it simple to arrange a barebones weblog. Superior customers can play with all of the configurations and plugins.

But WordPress continues to be only a device. It is as much as you to give you superior content material so individuals have a motive to go to your weblog!

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