#to love in the 21rst century

[rosie-rosem]

okay now i’m back and that was so cute 😭😭😭🫶🏼🫶🏼🫶🏼 THE SONG REFERENCES WERE SO CUTE. HAD ME GIGGLING

i’m so excited for whenever you’re able to post the next one but i’m also scared about the endings cause i feel the angst SO DEEPLY

IM SO GLAD IT HAD U GIGGLING CAUSE IT HAD ME GUGGLING TOO. i was listening to it to get in the mood, i'll try to do that for each member!

i'll give u a heads up, three of the members don't have their "happy endings" but the rest do, niki being one of them!

i added my own touches to each fic so that it's not exactly like the song, but i hope i exceed ur expectations haha TT-TT

i would a say none of them got me in tears but everyone is different, we will see.

also, i'll try to get jay's out tonight too!!

[cynicalclairvoyantcadaver]

WHAT WAS CAMP HALF BLOOD LIKE IN THE EARLY CENTURIES?

Ok, ok, LISTEN. THIS IS IMPORTANT. I HAVE LITERALLY NEVER HEARD ANYBODY TALK ABOUT THIS, AND I WOULD LOVE IF EVERY PJO FAN COULD SEE AND TALK ABOUT THIS! Does ANYONE ever wonder what Camp Half-Blood was like in the centuries before the 21rst? What about the 15th or 16th century-where did they go then? The concept of a summer camp is very modern, so what was Camp Half-Blood like? Did more demigods stay there? Did more demigods SURVIVE to adulthood because there was no technology? Was Camp Half Blood a sanctuary of some kind-how many demigods stayed there for a full year? And what were the cabins like? Did boys and girls have separate cabins or something? How were Christians and other Abrahamic people affected knowing that the Greek Gods existed? What did girls and boys DO in the camp? How did Chiron manage all of them-how many children filled up the Dionysus cabin?

And Camp Jupiter, what was it like there?

Oh my god, please reblog this! I would like as many fans as possible to see this so we can discuss it! Thanks for reading, and I will DEFINITELY read ALL comments, so don't be shy!

[wolf-tail]

Since Love Never Dies is a glittering dumpsterfire, I'm taking it upon myself to write a halfway-worthy successor to Phantom since Webber clearly can't. And if he wants to use 21rst Century Fanfiction narrative cliches, I get to use historically accurate cliches!

That's right bitches, the play opens with Erik dying of tuberculosis!

[h50europe]

TK's "gaydar" wasn't so off then...

The pearl clutchers have a heart attack, given the development of Buck's sexual orientation in last night's episode of 911. And the homophobes are bashing away.

Breaking news: such things happen, in real life. I am experiencing it with a friend of mine. And I am happy for him. Especially since he is Buck's age.

Why is it anybody's business whom someone loves? Why does it matter if your friend is gay, lesbian, bi, fluid etc., when you have known him for ages and suddenly changed their sexual orientation? It's still your friend, still the same person.

A straight to gay (bi) plot is well-known in the world of writing but has never really been shown in a TV series. It would be groundbreaking. But god forbid, it's two men. Imagine it were two women... then many would call that sexy, but two men...

As long as two men kissing causes more uproar than a man beating a woman we are far from being tolerant. Let this story unfold and let them get together. They deserve it. They are already more than present in each other's lives.

If you have an issue with it, stop watching. Others will be happily tuning in. Reading all these homophobe remarks across social media platforms makes me sick. I tell those, GET A LIFE, ASAP.

Why is it even necessary to "out" people? Why can't we accept it? You don't have to "out" yourself as "het." It's ridiculous. We're living in the 21rst century but concerning sexual orientation, we're still stuck in the dark ages...

[darthkvznblogs]

So question have you heard of ark the animated series, ad if yes have you seen it since it came out.

With that would you consider it using that world not as part of the krypton verse, but more so a multiversal adventure crossover do to the nature of that setting?

Asking because there some champions in that world that might interest you from a 21rst century aboriginal Australian scientist woman to a 3rd century Chinese warrior woman from the yellow turban rebellion era.

And all those different backgrounds of people in the same place and time for interesting ideas for a story.

I heard it kinda surprise-dropped not too long ago, but now I'm wondering what on Earth Ark is about haha, that premise sounds wild. I love dinosaurs, so I might give it a shot, but it's not a priority.

Unfortunately, there's just no way I could take on trying to write a new series or even a new project within the pre-existing Multiverse the Kverse belongs to. It'll just be the Kverse from me for the foreseeable future haha.

Thank you for the suggestion, though!

[navree]

hey! before anything just wanted to say i love your meta, you always have super thoughtful responses :)

anyway just wondering, what do you think the portrayal of alicent making a window in the wall of her own prison/being a woman for trump etc? i really don't like how this played out on the show but i'd be curious to hear your thoughts

Oh thank you that's so sweet!!! Glad that there are people who like whenever I babble on about things <3

I'm gonna separate this into two different things, because the concept of "making a window in your prison" and "woman for Trump" are two very different things. I'll start with the latter, because making a comparison between Alicent and women for Trump is incredibly stupid and not supported by the text of the show. This one gets me kinda heated, cuz as I've said, I work in politics, so this isn't just an interest, this is literally something I am spending my life doing, and here's the thing: Women for Trump is a very specific political group. It is a political group borne of a very specific time in the United States of America, and you can't really make it analogous to one lady in a society modeled in Middle Ages England. And more importantly, even if you take away the actual literal Women for Trump group (which is a political group that's an offshoot of the American Tea Party movement that's mostly just a Tea Party lady and people she knows who support Trump) and refer to just women who happened to vote for Donald Trump, it still doesn't make sense.

The fact that there were women, in particular white women, who voted for Donald Trump in spite of their best interests, in spite of the fact that it would mean things like appointing anti-choice judges or just in general his horrible attitude towards women and his long history of sexual assault and harassment and abuse, is an incredibly complex topic. It's a mix of things like various other prejudices taking precedence over group self interest (willing to accept Trump's misogyny because you're super homophobic or racist and like his homophobia and racism), and just how politics specifically grew and spread in the American populace in the 21rst century. None of these various sociological and very specific factors apply to the situation of.........Alicent following the precedence of law for her kid? There's nothing in Alicent's story or what she does that supports this idea that she is operating against her own self interests due to much stronger societal prejudices and hatreds that have been present in her society for centuries (bastardphobia isn't a real thing) and because her own personal convictions (say, supporting anti-choice measures because someone personally is anti-choice) are stronger than the overall societal good (the fact that anti-choice measures are unpopular and incredibly bad and also affect so much more than just abortion access). It literally just doesn't make sense to me at all that it's a comparison being made, and I think it's telling that it's a comparison primarily being made by people who probably think that voting in midterm elections is a waste of time.

(also if the argument for it is "alicent's got internalized misogyny just like women who supported trump" then i'm gonna be honest imma need you to pull textual receipts for alicent's supposed internalized misogyny, because that is literally nowhere to be found in anything alicent's actually said or done in the entire ten episodes we've gotten so far)

Now that that's out of the way: Alicent making a window for herself in the walls of her prison. There's no denying Alicent's done that, she has and she herself seems aware of it in her conversation with Rhaenys where she brings it up. But, that's not a bad thing? Rhaenys implies that this is a sort of failing on Alicent's part, because rather than just be imprisoned she should have tried to "escape", and many people much smarter and more eloquent than I have pointed out why that's a ridiculous thing to say to Alicent, especially coming from someone as privileged and with as many resources as Rhaenys. The Shawshank Redemption is not based on a true story, ladies and gentlemen. If you're in a prison, literal or societally constructed or anything, the best thing you can do is just try to find the best of things for your time there until you're out. The idea that Alicent is in a bad situation, imprisoned in her marriage and by the role society has for her, and makes the best of that, finds the power she can wield where she can (participates in Small Council meetings, essentially becomes regent when Viserys becomes incapacitated) and helps who she can with her power (offers Dyana comfort and contraceptives and a way to start a new life and does attempt to discipline her son for his actions) and finds whatever happiness she can (in her love for her children and attempts to bond with them) is not a bad thing. It's kind of how the world works. I don't think there's anyone, anywhere, who hasn't been in a situation they haven't wanted to be in, however fleeting and however great or small, and hasn't just decided "let me find the things that are good in this while I'm stuck here". Monty Python wrote a whole song about it. No, I don't have any issue with the fact that Alicent, in a situation she cannot get out of, did the best she could and found contentment, if not happiness, where she could get it.

The issue I have with it is that the show seems to be leaning more towards the fact that this is some kind of flaw on Alicent's part. Again, as I've mentioned, I don't view Alicent making herself a little window in her prison as a bad thing, because that's all she can do with the tools she has available. She doesn't have dragons or armies loyal to her personally or a claim on any seat of power. Her power derives first from her husband and then later from her husband (along with her own authority and goodwill that she's cultivated during her queenship), and if, like Rhaenys said, Alicent is someone who wants power, it makes no sense for her to try and cut herself off from that by "escaping", rather than just making the system work for her. That's just what most people do and have done throughout the entirety of history. It is incredibly rare for someone to affect the change they want from outside the system unless you're talking about a sweeping societal issue, and even then that involves the system largely getting on board with the outside view and acquiescing to it. Alicent's doing the same thing everyone does, the same thing Rhaenys herself did, she's making the world she lives in and the confines of her gender work for her as best as she can, despite the limitations. It's not a bad thing, or an immoral thing, or a weak thing, it's just something people do.

And lastly, part of that view seems to come from the idea that Alicent is being cowardly because she does want ultimate power, but is choosing to stay confined to the gender norms of Westeros that refuse to give it to her, even while knowing that she's being disadvantaged. That's the entire impetus behind Rhaenys's line of Alicent imagining herself on the Iron Throne. But the show has never so much as hinted at the idea that Alicent wants the throne. There has been nothing to show that Alicent is power hungry and that Alicent would have taken the throne for herself if she had the opportunity. Alicent's involvement in politics is a combination of her doing her duty towards the realm as queen (a good queen counts the cost to her people, etc) and her genuine good nature that makes her want to try and be certain that things are going well not just for people she knows but for the realm at large. Alicent's motivations have never been about power, her motivations have been primarily about duty and love: duty to the realm and duty to her father and family but love for Rhaenyra and love for her children, and everything is borne of those two key concepts. We know Rhaenys wants the throne, because she was denied the throne solely on the basis of her gender in spite of the fact that Viserys was ill-suited and she would have been better, so it makes sense that she might view other power-grabs through that lens as well. But the narrative doesn't push back on the fact that, just because that's how Rhaenys sees the situation doesn't mean that it's correct, because Alicent has never expressed that desire. Then it becomes some shoddy writing that nobody tried to think about for longer than two seconds, because good line outweighs actually making sense. That's a problem that isn't unique just to this scene, it also shows up in the "now they see you as you are" thing which, baller line, makes no sense in context and is just bad writing.

TL;DR: Some of it is just bad analysis from people who don't understand narrative, the show, or American politics that does not hold up whatsoever and I refuse to entertain beyond a scathing critique, some of it is people taking a normal thing I don't have an issue with and I think is a decent part of Alicent's characterization and twisting it in bad faith for some reason, and some of it is just writing that wasn't thought through all the way.

[amarguerite]

These are all such fascinating points, thank you!! I’m… definitely going to keep reminding myself that this is a character that has a specific purpose and point in Emily’s artistic development as we progress in the series. And also try to bear in mind that Montgomery was very good at writing about unhealthy relationships between adults and children and pointing them out as significant problems on the road to an emotionally healthy adulthood and this is INDEED an unhealthy relationship that will no doubt lead to significant problems.

Also, thank you re: Daddy Longlegs ! I read Daddy Longlegs a couple years ago on a friend-of-a friend’s recommendation and while I loved the narrative voice, I felt really uneasy about romance in ways I could articulate and I think this makes a good point as to why I was Not Into It. I do get that the fantasy for early 20th century women writers was a husband who would support your artistic endeavors as well as support you generally and that was a sadly rare thing… but um. Maybe I just have to deal with the fact that this was the best case scenario for the times, but I think maybe I’m too 21rst century or a little too invensted in 19th century radicalism and thus want a little less realism and a lot more utopian socialists or o Barney Snaith’s emphasis on ensuring you have the freedom to do your own thing.

I got sucked into Emily of New Moon and read ahead and Dean Priest is… uh. Hm.

I don’t know how it would have been perceived in the early 1920s but it’s aged like milk. I can’t imagine it was supposed to be this creepy.

[usernamesuggestionsarefunny]

Speaking of the Romanovs, what are your thoughts on Rasputin? I really don't blame Alexandra at all for trusting him as much as she did.

 Me neither, if I put myself in her position it is understandable that she kept him around. If my child has a life-threatening medical condition and there is this one person who I have personally WITNESSED "saving" him countless times (Regardless of *if* or how he actually did it in real life, or whether they were actually coincidences), I will not care if people are gossiping about us and telling lies, I will put my child´s life first, that is what any mother worth being called one would do and very few people seem to understand this because they live in the future, know what happened, and think that means they would have obviously seen through Rasputin if they were in her position, which... idk man, seems convenient coming from someone living in the 21rst century with access to the internet.

Unfortunately, Alexandra underestimated how much those rumors ruined the reputation of the monarchy (Although it is dumb blaming the entire revolution on them, if the empire had peace, the minorities had rights and the economy was flourishing, no nasty rumors would have done anything).

As for Rasputin himself, I have mixed feelings about him, on one hand I am sick of people demonizing him just because he ~*looks* uhu~ creepy, or has “creepy eyes”, or because he was promiscuous (Nice slut-shaming, guys lmao). It is so superficial, shallow and basic. They never seem to care for learning who he truly was. Like, I love Anastasia Fox too but this has gone too far lol.

He was a religious peasant who thought he could heal people, one of the few common people to have contact with the family. Did you know he tried to warn the Tsar against entering the First World War? Did you know he adviced him to give stored food to the people when it started to become scarce during the last days? Did you know he actually spoke up to the imperial couple against anti-Semitic laws in the empire? Did you know many peasants were actually upset when he was murdered by a bunch of aristocrats because they were happy one of their own was close enough to the imperial family to tell them about their grievances?

Of course most people don´t, because they are too busy focusing on his “creepy eyes”. 

Also, he didn´t molest the girls guys, that rumor has no basis in reality because there was always someone else around whenever Rasputin visited the palace. Everyone who witnessed him interacting with the family said he was nothing but proper around them, so it makes Alexandra´s trust even more understandable. If there are fake rumors running around about you being lovers with a guy, but you know that is not true + he is nothing but a decent guy whenever you meet him, it is easy to see why you would take anything else said about that individual on the press with a grain of salt. I have read Rasputin´s daughters were also skeptical about their father being a promiscuous horndog.

On the other hand, there ARE rumors of him sexually assaulting other women, I don´t know enough about Rasputin to say for certain how much truth, if any, there is to it, but obviously there is no justification or excuse for that and if true, that would make him a horrible person regardless of the good things he tried to do.

[sonicenvy]

some concepts that more coherent me would like to explore with y’all later:

can i introduce you to a revolutionary new concept called “body neutrality”? the best answer to body hatred and the toxic, appearance--> moral value implications embedded in “body positivity” and “body love”. we exist in bodies yo and what we need to learn to do is accept our bodies as objects without inherent moral value that we need to learn to live in a balance with, understanding that physical form has needs that should be met and respected. we don’t have to love our bodies, we just have to sit in balance with them and decouple the acculturated moral value we’ve attached to the appearance of our meatsacks.

lets talk about how anti-curly/textured hair prejudice exists in all communities and is based in anti-blackness. i am writing a list of “curly hair” positivity picture books for my job (focusing on BIPOC hair especially). please recommend anything cute you know of. also everyone should be reading their child “don’t touch my hair”

what if we never said the words “i need to work off this food” “i feel guilty about eating this food” “this is a morally bad food”? again the moral value judgement attached to food is bad and we should stop that. food is an object with no inherent moral value -- the act of eating is a need that

skincare culture is the new, repackaged makeup culture for the 21rst century. here too there is moral value judgement based on physical appearance and expectations of performance of appearance that have standards that are impossible to meet meant to sell us shit we don’t need that can “solve” the problems they’ve created in our minds about our bodies.

why the “kid discovers they belong in new, secret world and have secret powers” narratives appealed so much to little me who was unknowingly: (a) queer, (b) bipolar, & (c) adhd. the idea of finding a place where the things that felt so different about myself were normative and had some greater meaning and purpose was somehow comforting, even as it conflicted with the ideas that i had about the day that the parts of me that i knew to be other without having names for them would go away and i would be free of them.

lets talk about how pandemic wfh has erased people’s work/personal life boundaries and made a lot of us put in way more hours of unpaid labour for our jobs (and our employers love this shit).

children should be allowed to set boundaries with the adults in their lives and expect them to be respect because they are people too, and establishing and respecting boundaries from a young age is an important part of developing healthy interpersonal relationship skills. so many parents have 0 respect for their child’s boundaries and needs as a little human and it shows... bad look y’all.

that history of anti-catholic prejudice in the united states (and how it relates in the white protestant culture and imagination to xenopohobia and, racism of conceptions of american nationalism, and how it has evolved as many tradcaths (uber conservative catholics) have made up with white protestant america (the pences, ACBs and kavanaughs of america for ex) by bonding over racism, xenophobia, male superiority, anti-abortion and homophobia gaining power and influence in a country where their (recent) ancestors faced prejudice (from people like ... the KKK, and the knownothings), and shifting the anti-catholic sentiment in the white protestant conception to face against Mexican, central and south american catholics who are immigrating to america in large numbers -- and specifically why the mysticism, aesthetics and practices of folk catholicism, saint veneration and specific regional culture practices in catholic communities make white american protestants deeply uncomfortable. also the fracturing of the church as its left and right leaning adherents and its white and non-white adherents are falling ever further apart and as the church has lost political power, money and adherents. also the centralist and structured nature with borders and land allotments that are part and parcel of the church clash with the decentralized and less rigidly structure lines of leadership in protestant denominations across america. basically the academic essay i wrote in my head this morning for absolutely no reason at all.

the rampant anti-semitism, and islamaphobia that exists in ex-christian atheist communities on the internet (specifically r/exchristian) and how these communities of individuals (rightfully) hurt by christianity impose their ingrained and culturally christian understanding of religion, faith and spirituality on other religions without any critical thinking. the conceptions of faith, spirituality and religiosity that exist in the popular (and even “secular”) cultures of the west are rooted in Christianity and the the christian imagination and worldview.

how queerness made me feel more comfortable in my womanhood and femaleness because it presented to me the view that my gender presentation and sense were mine and not something that was dictated from outside of me. the feeling of me, a cis being like ... im a woman, but also like .... gender hmmmmm 🤷🏻‍♀️

how understanding the bipolar disorder is, like, legitimately ... a disability made me feel less like blaming myself for having a “lack of control” and more gentle with myself

how i banished suicidal thought from my everday life so that cowardly bitchass motherfucker cowers in a fucking corner the 5 step plan complete with multiple stages of procrastination and avoidance -- usually flaws in my life, now utilised as a tool

the feeling of belonging and seen and comfort i get from m/f fanfiction because it centers itself on female desire, fantasy and the respect of women’s boundaries and desires and why that ROCKS

my journey with writing, fear, self-hate and academic struggle bus.

accepting and learning to do “bad” art because art is for me and me alone and is about the experience and process of creation and the joy of working with my hands to create an object.

why we really need to bring the joy of ART to children. let kids know that art is more than just, like, drawing and painting.

people who profess a dislike for reading are having one of the following problems (a) they have yet to find the kind of thing they like to read, (b) they have been shamed during prior reading experiences (c) they are having difficulty reading because they have not been provided the proper kinds of accessibility aide they need to make it a more comfortable/do ableexperience.

high schoolers reading “old” texts can’t find joy in these texts and hold good academic discussions about them because they haven’t been provided the cultural and historical context to understand, what is, essentially the “memes” contemporary to the text. also they have not been exposed to the fact that people have been writing and recording dick jokes since antiquity. people created writing and were like “hmmm i shall record my funniest sex joke”. the reading of “old” texts that are “problematic” is not about promoting them as a morally good text but about learning nuanced, educated and well thought out literary criticism skills that can be applied outside of lit classes to everything from new to internet discourse. “classic” texts continue to exist because they tell us something about the time and people from which they emerged, giving us windows into the past and presenting political issues that continue today.

[pandsiebo]

I wrote this while i had a Roblox tycoon running in the background. Efficiency

Day Five(Bonfire)

They weren't exactly sure whose idea it was, exactly. Just that it had started when Phobos complained that their little campfire was smaller than he'd wanted it to be, and they all began scheming.

    To be fair, they were all more than a little drunk, having been drinking beers for a while now while they hung out on earth. This made a ‘maybe-bad’ idea seem like a ‘wonderful’ idea.

    The plan was put into action as soon as the TWRP boys realised they could totally go through with it, dousing their little campfire and stumbling back to the ship giggling.

    Phobos plotted out over a dozen places they could buy firewood, adding twice as many more stops when Meouch suggested they split up to cover more ground.

    Havve and Phobos split off in the two cruiser ships, stopping in each place on their list armed with a written note to present to the store keepers:

    'We want to buy all', underline all, 'of your firewood.'

    Each time, the reasonably frightened night shift workers didn't question them, just ringing up every single bundle they had.

    Meouch and Sung had a similar experience, except the retail workers asked a few times if they were sure. They were.

    Halfway through, nearly two hours into the ordeal, Havve and Phobos needed to return to the ship, their cruisers too full of wood to continue.

    All of the firewood, in 21rst century money, was very expensive. But because of inflation and all that, TWRP had the money from the future. Easy peasy to acquire an absolute shit ton of wood for one of the biggest bonfires they could make.

    When they finally finished the whole list, The bundles were piled up in a significant amount of the ship, filling it with the smell of fresh-cut wood. 

    Starting to sober up, they started looking for a place to fulfill the final step of their plan. On earth, at first. It wasn’t until Meocuh had a sudden spark to sanity and suggested to maybe do it somewhere else, as Earth was flammable and already had enough bad things in the air, that they started looking off planet.

    They ended up in the same time, the 21st century, but solar systems away on a planet with an oxygen-based atmosphere that humans wouldn’t discover for over years and years.

    The planet was rocky and sandy on the land, and had a lot of water, plants in the water providing the oxygen to the air.

    They landed on the night side of the planet, ensuring them plenty of time to enjoy the huge bonfire they were about to make.

    They found their spot, a rocky outcrop with place to park the ship, and a very shallow indent to put the fire in. couldn’t have it spreading out everywhere and potentially hurting them. They weren’t that dumb.

    It took over an hour and a half to unload all the wood. They luckily managed an efficient system as they got even more sober, Meouch and Sung bringing the bundles out of the ship, Phobos removing whatever binding had been put on them, and Havve assembling the pile.

    When the tower was assembled, a stack of wooden logs twice any of their heights, Havve had the brilliant idea to retrieve earthen gasoline from inside the ship and pour all of it over the logs.

    Phobos had the honors of lighting it. He lit several taped together matches- seeing as using a lighter, that close, could be very harmful- and threw it at the pile.

    It practically exploded, the gasoline making a very good kindling to get it going. They’d all stood far back, and yet the burst of heat still hit them hard, leaving them all grinning like maniacs at the sight before them.

    Sung and meouch both let out a maniacal laugh when it exploded, and Havve fist bumped with both hands. Phobos grinned like a mad man. This was definitely what he had wanted from a campfire.

    Meouch and Sung had the brilliant idea to go back in the ship, grabbing a few six packs of beer so they could get drunk again while watching the monster that was their bonfire continue to grow.

    It certainly didn’t have the same cozy feeling as a campfire, seeing as the light was so ridiculously strong, but they were loving it nonetheless.

    They all silently agreed that this was 100% happening again. No more little campfires for them.   

[rosie-rosem]

lyn lapid's tlit21c with enhypen. - masterlist

to love in the 21st century...

"i'm not cut out to love in the 21rst century."

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if you would like to read them in order of the album it goes -- niki, jay, jake, jungwon, heeseung, sunghoon, sunoo.

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heeseung

the alternative - love is a risk, life is a risk, but what’s the alternative.

lyric vid - here

jay

pick your brain - are you gonna change my life? are you gonna waste all my time? can i pick your brain?

lyric vid - here

jake

keep me around - only time you’ll ever call me yours is to keep me around.

lyric vid - here

sunghoon

cross ur mind - do i cross your mind, much as you cross mine?

lyric vid - here

sunoo

ok with it - it’s the end and I’m ok with it.

lyric vid - here

jungwon

like you want me to - don’t want to string you along, i can’t love you like you want me to.

lyric vid - here

niki

poster boy - i know we just met, i gotta confess…i have a good feeling about you and i.

lyric vid - here

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© rosie-rosem

[steamedtangerine]

So, I was fascinated about this Starlog Magazine from 1982 that made mention of this artist named Deborah F. French who worked with Jim Henson on the Dark Crystal, and could find little on. https://steamedtangerine.tumblr.com/post/640587836720103424/so-i-happened-upon-an-old-starlog-magazine-from

However, a different Deborah, who had also worked on the Dark Crystal, had appeared that sent me down an investigative rabbithole:

Deborah Huglin was this very talented artist who opened an amazing shop in New York that was short-lived (too short-lived for Spy Magazine to catch upon) that specialized in a collection of robots.

I searched online and found this:

https://ephemeralnewyork.wordpress.com/2009/08/11/the-robotorium-of-mott-street/ with this image:

According to an early IMDB entry:

Along with production and acting, Debbie is a professional sculptor who has 21 years of formal art training under her belt along with degrees in Art, Sculpture, Humanities and Repatriation Archaeology. She does museum quality classical sculpture and portraits. She also works in Mid-Century Modern style, as she has since she worked with Sandy (Alexander) Calder as a kid in her home town where Calder was creating a bank building from the ground up. She is as comfortable making mobiles and stabiles as carving portraits or making large water features at country clubs. Debbie loved working with Jim Henson who had a great time at her robot store, Robotorium, Inc. on Mott St in Little Italy in New York City in the early 1980s. Debbie just got back on the puppeteer production wagon as Production Designer for The Teenie Tones, an in production children's marionette and music SciFi/21rst Century Mid-Century Mod series created by Emmy Award-winning producer, Barbara Valentine of Ravel Media Group. Stay tuned for the next exciting adventure!

Yet, the story gets more interesting and unfortunately tragic:

This blog entry- http://www.michaelgingrich.com/mytests/huglin.htm -describes Huglin as an amazing person gifted in arts and music, who was involved with work on Dark Crystal, Labyrinth, and Fraggle Rock, and in later life Huglin worked as an art instructor at Chuckawalla Valley State Prison in Blythe. As an activist in the American Indian community, she advocated returning Indian artifacts to tribal descendants. Once a month, Huglin and Vogel transported two life-size, work-in-progress sculptures of Kumeyaay women to the San Diego Art Institute's Museum of the Living Artist in Balboa Park. They brought tools and plaster so that visitors and schoolchildren could give sculpting a try.

The major sadness is that she went missing in March of 2008  while hiking around the San Jacinto Mountains, her body later found-no foul play suspected.

It was because of some obscure sci-fi article about a robot shop in New York that sent me off to find more info about this amazing person.

[wolf-tail]

Okay, people apparently do want to hear about my string bean wet kitten girl.

*ahem*

Thanks to rewatching a certain hbomberguy video, my artistic hubris peaked and I realized I could write a way better Sherlock adaptation than Moffat ever could.

Her name is Wilhelmina Sherlock Stacy Holmes. She goes by her middle name because she hates her first name. She hates her first name because it's atrocious. Who the fuck names a baby in the 21rst century "Wilhelmina"?

Anyway, Sherlock is a tall beanpole of a woman with warm tawny skin, uncombed curly hair, and freckles all over her pointy nose who refuses to leave the house without her favorite trenchcoat, because it's comfy and has lots of pockets. She very clearly has ADHD and the 'tism, but ritalin and caffeine can only do so much. Her apartment is a perpetual trainwreck. She loves mysteries, the trickier the better. The hyperfixation on specific cases gives her brain something to latch onto. She stims with music, mostly violin. The cops love/hate her. She does their job better than them and makes them feel stupid, and she has no respect for the law. Used to have a cocaine problem, she's not proud of it.

Entering the picture now is Dr. Jeanine "Jenny" Watson. She's 32 years old, short and chubby, and was an army doctor until getting shot in the leg earned her medical discharge. She narrowly avoided amputation, but now has a permanent injury that requires a cane to walk. Just as she comes back home to London, an old college classmate of hers reccomends her a roommate.

She meets this freakish weirdo woman using her own blood to test chemicals in the lab, and goes "oh i need to save her from her own nonsense, and I need to study her like a bug".

They move in together, solve lots of mysteries, and have lots of homoerotic tention.

Sherlock has an older sister in the British Cabinet, Clementine Mycroft Stacy Holmes. She also goes by her middle name, as their parents had a fondness for utterly abominable names. She's as lazy as she is intelligent, utterly no ambition to speak of. Her baby sister annoys the hell out of her but she is protective as fuck. Feels the need to keep her safe always.

Last and definitely least is that fuckwad Moriarty. He was sherlock's old professor when she was still in college before she dropped out. They also dated, because she was young and naive, and he's a creep. He has this perpetual need to feel smarter than everyone else in the room. He is decently smart, but not as much as he thinks he is. He's rude, nasty, talks down to everyone, and is a total control freak. He treated Sherlock like dirt because she was snarter than him and he knew it, and did his best to make her feel stupid and helpless. He became creepily obsessed with her after she dropped out and ran away. She started getting involved with drugs to help ease the PTSD he gave her, and to self medicate the ADHD.

Sherlock was able to recover from her addiction with the help of mysteries, reccomemded to her by Mycroft. She also does them to help her regain her sense of intelligence. It makes her feel smart and powerful, the opposite of how she felt with Moriarty. She's friendly and sweet, but rather blunt and has naturally low empathy. She has a soft spot for helping other women in trouble.

From Jenny's perspective, it's like living with a hyperintelligent traumatized shelter cat.

@krynnmeridia @undeaddream

Me realizing that people don't want to hear about a detective character's backstory bc detective stories are supposed to focus on the mystery, after working on my detective OC's backstory for hours:

[charlie-leau]

The Predator review - Chapter 6

Here’s my sixth review of The Predator by the very talented @runyxwrites. It’s still a mix of my reactions and thoughts, it’s still a mess, but it’s still hopefully funny and full of gifs (which do not belong to me, so credits to all the amazing gif makers out there, you’re life savers).

Happy reading.

Chapter 6 - Trailing

=> “Mainly I did this because Tristan asked me to.”

Okay, so Tristan who supposedly doesn’t care about Morana and her safety, asked Amara to get her to safety. You guys are seeing the same thing I’m seeing, right?

=> “A fifteen-year-old young girl facing horrors and refusing to succumb.”

I think Morana respects Amara’s strength, not only because she respects strength in general, but also because she relates to it, to her a lot. She too, even though she has lived a sheltered life, has faced horrors. She can only have respect for those who, much like her, have resisted them.

=> “That was the issue. Morana had absolutely no freaking idea what to make of him.”

=> “Thank you for taking care of me when I was vulnerable. I’ll not forget this kindness.”

Women supporting women. Women being nice to women. Women teaming up.

We love it.

=> “And her reality was alone.”

=> “She should have been more carefule.”

=> I just love how Morana keeps asking herself 100 questions as she tries to figure out Tristan. In these moments, we can really feel the genius in her, assessing the problem, taking in all the possibilities, all the data she has at her disposal and evaluating them, discarding them as she goes.

And as much as she is a cute rubik’s cube Tristan can’t really figure out, Tristan is this very sexy problem she can’t really figure out either. They complement each other so well in that aspect!

=> “No. No regrets. She’d done what she’d done and that was it.”

THIS. I really love this and it helps us understanding Morana a little better. She never looks back. Never regrets anything. In her world, it would mean her death so she just deals with the consequences of her choices. The weight of the past is too heavy on her shoulders for her to linger on it, something I think Tristan has much more trouble doing (but I could be wrong).

=> “She knew those forearms.”

Forearms. A very peculiar way to remember someone if you ask me. Also, Tristan is yet again playing the role of the black knight in bloody armor. And his trusty seed is a bike. Because it’s the 21rst century.

=> “No point in staying on the line if all I get to hear is creepy breathing.”

Also, I never pictured Tristan being into ASMR.

=> “Making sure the information in your little bag doesn’t fall into the wrong hands.”

=> “There was another reason why I followed you tonight.”

=> “No one gets to kill you, Ms. Vitalio. When it comes to death, you’re mine.”

Okay, let’s conclude with this chapter.

I have a strange feeling. Not much happened in this chapter, it felt shorter than the previous ones, yet, I feel like a lot happened! It’s so weird! It’s probably because Morana felt a lot in a very short span of time.

I do like Amara, especially since female characters are so rare in this world, and I’m curious to learn more about her.

Morana is still my baby angel. If anyone dares hurting her I’ll go full cavewoman on them (if Tristan doesn’t beat me to it, which he will. Ugh, so annoying.) Also, I think it’s a miracle that she has come out of her traumatic childhood the way she has. So much pain, so much solitude would have turned more than one into bitter angry cruel person. But not Morana. She truly is one of the good one.

As for Tristan he keeps getting layers, while still remaining a demanding and dramatic asshole. I love how he always oh so very quick to justify why he acts the way he does around Morana. I’m sure part of him does hate her as he claims so, but does he really hate her? Or has he convinced himself that he does? That remains to be seen. His last line was pretty powerful and impactful, yet in good Tristan fashion, it was also dramatic af.

I can’t wait to read more!

[dianapana]

SasuHina Month Day 2- Vampire

Hey guys, I'm back with day 2 woopwoop, i know they are kinda posted close one to the other, but i wanna catch up to the day that i should be at and as i said im on the road most of August so when i gind time and ok internet connection i wanna try to upload. Also fun fact, i chose May 26th cuz here where i live, Transylvania, that day is Dracula day so i thought it fitted nice with the prompt. ANYWAY i hope you enjoy ~Love Dia

♡•♡•♡

Every year on 26th May for the past 8 centuries people of Konoha go to the Hyuuga mansion to pray for the souls of all the lost. Not the dead, but those that are missing. They came to the mansion weep and tell sad stories about people that have mysteriously disappeared that year. They pray for those souls and ask the Gods to be kind to them in the following year. The tradition started when people of Konoha decided that all those people go missing because of a curse that started on the 12th century, the first missing person being the first Hyuuga princess of that time. This tradition happens of the anniversary of her disappearance.

In the Hyuuga mansion there is an glass coffin in the middle of the study room where the most life-like doll of Hinata, the Hyuuga princess lays. There is a small gold plate that tells the doll's story how it was made as a gift for Hiashi, the first king and Hinata's father for what would have been the girl's 21rst birthday, 7 months after she went missing. The doll is the oldest object in the whole village and also the most valuable one. Everyone always talkes about the doll, about its beauty and the sad story behind it and about the curse that it somewhat represents. But actually there are very few people that know the tale behind the “doll" and the missing people.

The Hyuugas do not know the truth, not even Hiashi was aware when he was alive all those years ago, they do have a but more information than the general public but they believe the doll to be the embodiment of evil since many of them have walked around the house in the middle of the night to find the glass coffin empty. These stories of the doll being haunted have not left the Hyuuga household in order not to panic the people.

The only ones to know the truth are the Uchihas, a clan so old and with such morbid past that the village do not dare speak their name. They all believe the clan to be dead, but the Uchihas live and thrive in the middle of the forest. They all know about Hinata and all the missing people over the past 8 centuries because they have been alive to see it all happen.

“It's may 26th today.” Itachi says looking over his shoulder toward his little brother. “it’s funny how we don’t have any grasp over time and days anymore but this day always stands out"

“Hn. It is different because it’s the only day all year round when Hinata is later than usually. The people buzz around her today like moths to a flame.” Sasuke grumbles. His eyes are closed and he sits on his back on the porch of their house. Itachi is in front if him watching two newbies beings scolded by Fugaku, his father. Itachi's back is to Sasuke but he turns his head to see his brother.

“Maybe its time for the doll to disappear. You both hate how she has to be there during the day. It has been 8 centuries. The first couple of hundred of years I understood she stood back to watch over her family and their children but now she has little in common with the Hyuugas nowadays but the name. The bloodline has been altered over the years, she no longer should feel responsible for them. Her close relatives lived and died, as did their children, and their children and so forth”

Sasuke gets up and runs both hands over his face “I know, but I’m not sure how to bring this up to her. She’s been doing it for so long, I know she still feels bad for the way her father broke down when she ‘went missing’ I think she s looking over the Hyuugas to try to make sure that no one here tries to turn or eat one of them.”

The day Hinata appeared in their lives is one none will forget, the soft spoken princess was pray to one of their newbies even if Fugaku instructed them all not to prey on royalty and bring unwanted attention to them. The fragile girl just wouldn’t die even after being almost drained of blood after that newbie failed to control his hunger. He brought her back to the house with very little blood in her system since most of it he had drank and a good part of it was on his hands and clothes. The said newbie was punished while the girl was saved by being fed vampire blood. She had woken up almost 3 days later in transition, after that she was treated like a new vampire and taught everything she needed to know. It took her barely 1 month to get used to her new way of being while most took over an year. The youngest Uchiha boy took a liking to her and in less than 1 month she became one of the only vampire that he tolerated.

5 months later, a few before her birthday she asked him to take her back to see her family and Sasuke helped her sneak into her old house only to find all her family in deep mourning over her. After returning to the Uchiha house that night she asked Sasuke to help her find a way to return home without rising any suspicions. That is how she became a ‘doll' that stays all day in the glass coffin in her old house. It began as a way for her to watch over her family but now after so many years its just her normal. Sasuke sometimes curses the day that he compelled a wealthy friend of Hinata's father to take her to him in her coffin as a gift for the wounded family on her birthday.

When Fugaku found out he was furious but the damage was done, the doll disappearing would do even more harm so he could not undo it. Hinata started spending most of her day there doing nothing, sitting in her coffin with her eyes open and not moving, listening and watching everything. The time they spent in those 8 months was more than they did in the past 8 centuries. When she is back at the Uchiha house she does basic and vital things such as eating, washing herself and sleeping.

The conversation between brothers changed to another topic since that one was of no use. Many hours later when Hinata finally returns to the Uchiha house instead of seeing Sasuke for a few minutes before eating she finds Itachi in her room looking tense.

“Itachi? Is something wrong?” her mind going staright to Sasuke, did something happen to him?

“I did something that needed done long ago.” The older Uchiha says and walks over to her to place his hands on her forearms, it started as a sweet genuine act but his hold soon becomes hostile and more powerful, it is borderline painful. “It's over Hinata. No more games. You are either here or you are somewhere else. The Hyuuga house is no longer an option”

Her eyes widens. “What do you mean?” When a few seconds pass and Itachi hasn’t answered yet Hinata whisperes again “What did you do?”

“I fixed the problem. You no longer have a reason to be there, and you being here just for a bit hurts my brother. You can choose to be here forever or not another moment. The glass coffin is broken. There is a man on the run that believes he has stolen and sold the doll. There are evidence that lead to him all around the ‘crime' scene. You are free to be here or to go. If you are still here in the morning it means you can never leave. I've allowed you for too long to string Sasuke along you either set him free by leaving, by rejecting him yet staying here or the two of you can go back to being how you were in the first 7 months of you being a vampire.” Finishing his speech Itachi left before allowing Hibata to say a word.

The next day Sasuke comes out of his room very disoriented, he doesn’t remember going to bed and he usually always talks to Hianta for a bit before that, even if it is one of those days in which she comes late. The moon is on the sky once more which meant he has been out of it for almost 24h. In the kitchen he finds his brother, eyeing Itachi suspiciously Sasuke wants to question him but a familiar laugh catches his attention from the garden. With no word to Itachi he followes the voice, not noticing his brother's smirk.

“Hinata? Why are you here? What about the Hyuugas?” he askes. She turns around, walks to him and wraps herself around him in a hug.

“It’s over. No more doll. I am here now and I will be forever"

[itafushikugism]

EARTH DAY: PLEASE READ!

hello everyone! happy Earth day 2020, aka 50 years baby!!

i understand that right now our focus and attention is to protect and support the vulnerable during the trying time of the ongoing covid-19 pandemic. 

once we have found a cure for the coronavirus (which, fingers crossed, will occur soon), global economies will reopen. this gives nations a chance to collaborate together to shape the 21rst century economy in clean, green, healthy, safe and more efficient ways.

our world is in desperate need of change and hope. if you, as an individual who should be practicing social distancing and is currently resting at home, are thinking that you are just one measly person with no real power, you’re wrong. you’re an individual, a citizen and a consumer. you yield the power to influence a community to unite for change.

with one voice, there are many others that will join. it’s time we held those accountable for their mistakes done to the planet and owe it to the natural world for it’s wonders, beauties and beneficiaries it has provided for humankind. 

we have proven time and time again that we can work together. the coronavirus pandemic is something we’re all fighting, alone but united as one. Earth day 2020 is what we might need for globalised collaborations on the advancement for the better for our planet.

every year, the Earth day organisation makes LISTS of things that you as an individual can do, and this year is no different. on Earth day 2020, join me and the organisation for a ‘24 hours of action’: an act that will drive actions big and small, give diverse voices a platform and demand bold action for people and the planet.

simply choose which speaks to you the most, pledge to take action, and you’re done!

remember, stay safe, practice social distancing, reduce, reuse and recycle. happy Earth day 2020, everyone. thanks for reading all the way through :)

ps. i’m very, very sorry if you have lost someone due to the coronavirus. i’m sending all my love to you and your family. if you have also lost something because of the pandemic, i truly am sorry. my love and prayers are with you, always. 💗