#try to decode my thought process lol

[winterlogysblog]

CRAZY THEORY INCOMING

I think my brain just glitched...

Ok so... Camelot. Arthur made Camelot through the power of Chaos right. At first, I found it weird that Arthur even needed to steal parts of Britannia to make Camelot. Chaos is incredibly powerful, it literally made three powerful deities that made their own realms for their own created races. So... why can't Arthur just make Camelot on its own. Then, it was later established that these places and people in Camelot are made through the wishes and wants of the people, without it there's nothing. If Chaos is so powerful, why is Arthur limited through that? Then it clicked.

The Sacred Tree is still alive

The Sacred Tree is essentially an embodiment of Nature. Disaster, a power granted by The Sacred Tree to the Fairy Kings is an ability that grants control over life and death.

The 'people' within Camelot function like a physical illusion. They're 'alive' but not really. They're just there, fueled by a wish. They don't even grow old, they just stay like that because that's all they are an illusion, they're not alive because there's no life.

The Demon King's power is darkness. The Supreme Diety's power is light. The Sacred Tree's power is life.

Notice how unnatural-looking the Chaos monsters are. Almost demonic even. That, to me, shows that Chaos is unstable.

The Demon King and his Commandments and The Supreme Deity and her graces are somewhat of an extension of themselves, it's their power passed to others. If we correlate this to Chaos creating the DK, SD and ST as Chaos sacrificing parts of their power, that power is lost or weakened because they have it. But the DK and SD are no longer present and since they are created by Chaos, that power most likely goes back to it. That is my assumption at least. But the graces are still out there. Ludo, Sariel, and Tarmiel died with their graces so they'll just go back after a few thousand years with their graces so that part of the SD probably didn't even go back to Chaos.

I made a post way back and on that, I compared the Commandments and Graces to Disaster as all three are just an extension of the DK, SD, and ST's power, in there I noted how Disaster is different as all three Fairy Kings can use it even if they're all present, it's not like the Commandments and Graces that only one person can use it. So that is also interesting.

There is also a complete lack of Sacred Tree information and just now, in 4kota is literally the first time we ever step foot inside the Fairy Realm and we got more Fairy Lore which is really nice. Now, what if the reason behind the lack of information about the Sacred Tree is because of Chaos. Nakaba doesn't want us to know anything about Chaos up until the very end because of 4kota, because he wants to keep Chaos a mystery.

In Chapter 140, Tioreh told us about these giant mushrooms that grow on top of the Sacred Tree's roots that are called "God Seats". The DK and SD are the only ones primarily dubbed as Gods. So that part is also interesting.

This is the Demon King's last words to Meliodas.

"You will regret this..."

In Cursed By Light, before Meliodas and Zeldris beat the Supreme Deity, she says that the only way to maintain balance in the world is by continuing the Holy War.

Before Chaos is established, this is just nonsense. But now that we know... I have a feeling that the DK and SD sealing away Chaos has more to it than what we know. Also, isn't it fun that two beings born to be in conflict with one another worked together to seal Chaos? Now, we don't get to know more because they're gone but the Sacred Tree is still around... so there's that.

I have a huge feeling that Nakaba will give us some juicy lore about the Sacred Tree in the future. Either that or I'm high on copium.

[retphienix]

PHEW, what a mixed bag of an experience!

So, I finished my first living ship and lemme tell ya

This was relatively annoying all things considered lol, though not wholly negative by any means.

The catch this post up to speed, this quest is Basically "4 entire days of waiting" and that's not great!

That's not exactly what I consider worthwhile gameplay, or gameplay at all!

But, to give some leeway, it isn't like you can't play the rest of the game during that time- but to counter that leeway, there's not a single good reason for this quest to be formatted this way lmao

Good parts though:

I like how a couple of the early parts of the quest (before telling you "Alright, wait 24 hours before the next step 🙂") play off slight remixes of the basic mining and terrain manipulation loop.

I genuinely appreciate that, it's small, it's something 99% of the game doesn't remix on, and it emphasized how this living ship is "special" because it uses entirely foreign and mystical components using entirely foreign and mystical tools.

Good job 👍

I also (almost) REALLY like the final test of the quest (almost) (almost).

The final step being a round about riddle telling you to use a portal and input a special code is COOL AND I WISH MORE THINGS DID THIS.

The final step assigning new names to half the glyphs out of thin air.... not so much.

I wandered for a bit contemplating what the riddle meant, then when I went "A HA!" and rushed to a nearby portal, only to realize "Oh wait, I'm supposed to comprehend what these words equate to?" and it kinda fell apart for me.

I was able to figure some of them, Hunter being the bird made sense, Spiral I got, Star over the water I figured (I think I did at least), but Reflection is the face one because it's symmetrical? Alright, glad someone on the wiki figured that for me. The obscured companion is the fucking ECLIPSE? I mean, I can get the stretched definition in retrospect but at first glance?

The Anomaly is the hexagon instead of the atlas-adjacent shape, hmm. Oh my bad, the atlas-adjacent shape is the "rising sphere" sure sure sure I gotcha okay.

Yeah I figured like half the code then looked it up. ALMOST great and I'm sure some people went "OH HELL YEAH" and figured it out no problem- but I am not of that specific mental frequency and instead found myself annoyed to be handed a code with no prior ledger or hint to help decode it.

ANYWHO, then you have an awkward but apt no man sky moment where you absorb souls- thus damning some past travelers to being the dash of your new slick ride

which was weird but okay. I can't pretend I felt much shock or sparked much interesting thought because it was mostly out of left field- like I thought this was plenty interesting on its own as an ancient attempt of melding flesh and steel- soul and code to create a living ship- one that appeared to struggle to succeed in the prior creators hands as they couldn't resonate with the ship like we seem capable of- but then they are like "Oh and we can make it slightly edgy by saying you steal some souls to power it" like alright, whatever man lmao

And then I got hit by an annoying as hell bug trying to get my ship because my ship spawned in the exact same spot as some other player's attempts at the quest which caused the interact prompt to disable for both of us.

I ended up having to reset to the main menu like 3 times and turn on my VPN just for a chance at finishing the quest and getting my ship- and in the process I was checking the wiki for answers (got none) and disappointed myself by finding out if I was going to be in reset hell like this- if I would have saved a minute prior then I could be resetting for a better looking living ship- but I hadn't planned to save scum AT ALL- the game FORCED me to, but now the possibility was taunting me since I couldn't do it anymore and overall this was just a whole bother of a time.

BUT!

I GOT IT!

My 2 goals this last week or so of playing was to get an exotic I liked and to get my first living ship.

I finished both goals and funnily enough the living ship with its 4 days of mandatory waiting time was the longer goal to achieve :P

Since I'll "Probably" never have another reason to talk about this thing, lemme just say the following:

The quest is kinda bad, I like the portal part though (mostly).

The aesthetic of these things is pretty dang nice :)

And I like how living ships, like Interceptors, use different fuels (it's a small but satisfying shake up!). Between Inty's being fully stocked on all the fuel they could want from a single visit to a dissonance planet and /most/ of a living ships needs being sated by CARBON of all things, they really do give their respective ships a small nudge of identity that you can legitimately feel while piloting :)

-and I like how living ships have unique techs that accomplish what base-line ships require multiple techs to do in a single tech (like the economic + conflict scanner living tech I have :))

It's another small thing, but having unique techs that equate to "What if these 2 techs could be simplified to just 1 as a special bonus to this ship type!" is nice, I wish we saw more of it to give all the different ship types yet more identity and (minute) purpose :)

Also the internals are nice, I appreciate them a lot :)

Anyways, I'm reading now that after the first living ship you just buy following living ships for 10k nanites- thank god for that, if I ever want another that sounds far more reasonable than 4 days of waiting and a final quest step that bugs out if anyone else is doing the same quest lmao

[andromacheflints]

cactus, sage, edelweiss !! <3

cactus ⇢ something you’re currently learning (about)?

i'm…currently not learning about anything *runs away in shame* i've been kind of brain dead + only reading novels… (actually that's a lie I finished the immortal life of henrietta lacks last week but i don't count it as "learning about something" cause I don't intend to follow up on the topic…) I was learning finnish for a while before that but kind of let it fall of the side after returning from there, cause I don't know if I'll ever be back, (even though I'd really like to…) i should start finally reading those jstor papers i have saved lol. I just want to have a system for taking notes of what i read cause rn i put everything on a random paper and then lose it.

sage ⇢ what ‘medium’ of art (poetry, music, fiction, paintings, statues etc.) is the most touching to you? why do you think that is?

i think thats gotta be film, and to a lesser extent theater ig - although with theater I tend to have the effect of being hyperaware that I'm in a physical space and watching someone perform, while with film I become conscious of it more rarely… as for why i think thats the reason lol, in film its really easy for me to just 'lose myself' and think entirely emotionally… film people might look down at me for this but imo films just direct you to an extent no other medium does and its kind of overwhelming… especially when you're in a movie theatre, like this, ig, communal direction of our attention is something else!! it's very powerful to me. also honestly I have very little film knowledge so its just easy for me to be manipulated ig… like when i'm reading a novel i'm more aware of like trying to decode it and figure out what the author's thought process was, so I don't respond to it emotionally as much i guess…

edelweiss ⇢ how’d you think of your url/username? what’s it associated with to you?

she's an oc of mine :3 I made her in high school (middle school?) so shes changed a bunch of times and barely write about her anymore, but I still feel very soft about her… im not sure why i named her like that tbh, it just sounded cool to me and i guess it stuck? looking back i might have inadvertently named her after antigone funn of wooden overcoats fame… the story behind me changing my url is last year an irl texted me like "hey is your tumblr account [old url]" and i had to go like "noooooo" and then quickly change it to the first thing i could think of… but i kind of like it now, it feels like a canon url for a fandom of one. so yeah the association is the crappy scifi story i started to write when i was 15 fdfds

[cocolacola]

was walking to a pal about my thoughts on this so here are my integra/seras 'tism headcanons lol!!

integra

sensory avoidant. wears gloves whenever possible, even when doing menial tasks, and likes things to be as quiet as possible

has zero understanding of social interaction. got by by picking up on the conversational patterns of all the uptight rich men around her (she can come off as charismatic and slightly intimidating to them), but none of that really helps her in a genuine social situation

this woman could not tell a lie to save her life. her typical blank expression breaks if she tries to

"masking what's that" -sir resting-bitch-face

became much more prone to going through non-verbal periods during the early time skip years

if she doesnt wear the same predictable clothes with the same routine every day it bothers her. she has like 2 outfit options she likes. girl's closet looks like it's from the intro to the bee movie

went through 20 different eyepatches before settling on one that didnt give her a sensory nightmare

seras

LOTS of vocal stims, repeating phrases over and over

zero volume control, you could hear her having a conversation a mile away

a mix of sensory seeking and avoidant, hates uncontrollable loud noises and sometimes certain textures, but is charmed by anything visually stimulating. loves things with bright colors

a bit introverted but generally loves people. very kind and flattering but always acts a bit odd socially in a way other people cant pinpoint. only got worse with the whole not-being-human thing

struggles at picking up on humor and mockery (ex. the scene where she asks integra if pip is laughing at her)

speaks her mind with basically no filter, thinking out loud 99% of the time. usually her thought process is just her rambling

chronic overthinker. does not help that her master is incredibly cryptic with everything he says and is also Fucking Dracula. spends mornings trying to decode half the shit he says

[radioactive-butterfly]

— And then? That time, when I reverse-engineered the x86 architecture? It's fairly simple, after derivating and simplifying the Primes, it was just a matter of unstripping the piece of code.

— What code? Wait, did you mention stripe?

— Yeah, like in RNA or something. It's a dumb codification sequence, obsolete.

— Obsole... Wait, what is the stripe?

—.021505376344086

— That's it? What does it mean... I mean, how is it obsolete?

— Haha silly! My corporation works with π algorithms, not with your silly binary AC 8-based architecture! xD

— I thought π was an infinite irrational number.

— Well almost, if you use a decimal-based mathematical system to try to decode it.

— And... Of course, there are better methods.

— Yeah LoL! Like the one I used. I reduced π to a symmetrical stripe.

— That's imposs.... Wait. No, if it comes from you, it could work. How do you reduced it?

— Using my engineering algorithm. After some tweaking and a hammered down machinery (a machinery that shared many beautiful moments with me, I'd say) I got to the source code.

— You can't be serious...!? What is this source stripe, though?

— 31496693 | | 39669413

— That's... Not familiar with my database.

— Oh, this is because I've derived the infinity spiraling properties of π using a wavelength formula. Not much of a problem, for that isn't even the most simplified version of it nor even the full-length stripe code that I found on my old research.

— What's that double-space in the middle?

— I'm glad you asked! It's the exact divise betwixt timespace and spacetime, as of the reciprocal properties of time and space, when you expand the Theory of General Relativity to encompass also the properties of Black Holes — or as I like to name them — singularities; which stand inbetween both space and time, much like that old artifact of yours, the Hourglass.

— Are you telling me that there is a mirror world and that time is, in regards to space, as space is, in regards to time, in our dimension?

— Yeah! You get it! In spacetime, the more we move in space, the slower the timelapse gets, because space is the main referential. In timespace is the contrary: the more we move in time, the slower the space is, because time is the main referential. This is what happens when people meditate: they stay still in space to move in and throughout time!

— Is there a way to cross this barrier?

— Of course!

— Don't tell me it's godspeed.

— No, silly! It's gravity's hyperbolic curvature around any singularity.

— But we haven't got many dense enough substances to form a long-lasting black hole to...

— Hahaha! Black holes? Who need those? It's all about information and density of energy. Like an organism, such as that little flydrone you have over there. It can move really fast because it's dense in information processing capabilities, but still way subpar when you compare to the potential of the whole holographic fractal of the fourth density level of existence.

— You mean like an octave.

— Almost. Octaves are harmonic and musical in nature, but they are relative to an energy-matter density level, which, in turn, is relative to the net total amount of information processing capabilities of individuals in the system.

— What's wrong with my Teslian-Coiled Electric Ultimate Death Ray Megaman Anti-Gravitational Processor?

— It's electric and cost-inefficient.

— WHat!? Inefficient...!? (>w<*) *Sigh*. How dare you say that *(U_U)*?

— Well darling, organic-based electromagnetic devices can hold much more information because they can use hydrogen-based receptors, instead of only using electronics to do the job. So, anyways, I was also checking x64 architecture and I was astonished by its simplicity too!

— *sobs*

— Ohh honey, come here. Let me give you a hug! You need cuddles! ^-^

[captawesomesauce]

Thoughts ....

on being challenged mentally, not mentally challenged.... two very different things lol. 

W often asks me “What are you doing?” and the simple answer is, 9 out of 10 times, I don’t have a damn clue. I rarely know what I’m doing. No idea. Not a clue. 

I absolutely am in awe of people who actually know stuff and know what they’re doing.... that’s rarely ever me. 

More often than not, I tackle things that I have 0 clue about because I seem to enjoy the challenge and the learning and the process. I don’t really care about the end result, but more about being occupied mentally and physically.

Like today I saw an old tv that hadn’t been used in years... so I wanted to see what I could do with it. I had no “end goal”... I had no idea what i wanted to do, or try, or anything... it was just... “let’s fuck around”... and the fact is I know very little about this stuff. 

But, I was able to update it to the new digital standard by downloading some firmware to a usb thumbdrive and prying off a service/system port and flashing it. Then I managed to use an antenna I had repurposed for ham radio/scanning to then get the tv to search for digital Over-the-air atsc channels. 

It worked. It got stuff. 

I then had an idea and added a micro hdmi adapter to my tablet, and hooked it to the tv, and used a bluetooth keyboard with trackpad to control it and that worked too. I could go into both Cox and spectrum and watch live tv, go into hulu and acorn... I could browse the web and everything from across the room. 

Why would i want to do this? i wouldn’t.... but... I can now.

And I learned a lot doing it.

I also found an old WinTV-DualHD usb adapter and learned how to use NextPVR software to control it and the picture in picture function. 

Using that with the old tv, allowed me to have PIP on it!

Why would i want to do this? Dunno... but I learned about decoders, transcoders, codecs, and time skipping. I learned about different compression and how to install the LAV ones and the old Windows DVD to get those decoders. 

It was a process and I enjoyed it... and if anyone asked me what I was doing or why... I don’t know that, even now, I have an answer.

When I learned how to program computer languages, it was the same thing. I never really understood anything... but I could tinker and fiddle and figure it out. 

When I built stuff, I could problem solve and make stuff work.

I will spend hours working on radios to listen to stuff i don’t care about listening to... why... I don’t know, except... the challenge is fun.

I might build a raspberry pi machine soon and see what that will do. 

I like the challenge...

[paperclipninja]

NCIS post-ep ramble 17x01

I know it’s been days since the season 17 premiere and I had every intention of writing something earlier but just didn’t have time (plus I have been so caught up in reading everyone’s thoughts and reblogging all these posts and general flailing that honestly, who has the time for anything??) but I most certainly do have a few thoughts and feelings about the ep I’d like to get down.

For those who don’t know me that well, hi :) and also, I’ve always been rather partial to a post-ep ramble (which is basically me trying to process everything by dumping many words here) so I thought I’d throw a few words down because let’s be real, ‘Out of the Darkness’ was A LOT.

Ok, so can we talk about the opening scene, because it seemed like a classic NCIS ‘guys doing a dodgy deal but wait, the team needs the vehicle’ kinda moment but then FINGERS. Actual freaking fingers on that car dash and I should mention I was live streaming this episode on the train on my way to work and I was NOT chill at this point because it was brutal.

I was having so many feelings right from the get go, I mean Ziva is back and even through we’ve had months to process this it still felt so surreal yet like she’d not really been gone for that long, except that from the very first interaction with Gibbs in the basement, you could just see that she’s different. It’s subtle but it’s there. I love that the moment Gibbs’ basement starts getting shot up and both he and Ziva are out of ammo, they immediately default to working together to create the makeshift explosive thing, no words, just right into the groove of knowing what needs to happen without treading on one another’s toes.

Meanwhile Nick, McGee and Ellie are obliviously having a drink (lol @ McGee lasting less than two seconds not talking about work), for anyone into the Nick/Ellie ship there was a nice little moment and the three of them hot foot it to Gibbs’ place after after McGee gets the call to say there’s been a shoot out (seriously, can you imagine being Gibbs’ neighbours? The weird-ass stuff that has gone down there over the years, that’d be one house you’d tell the kids to skip for trick or treating). I am so into the follow through from the Ziva set up last season, Ellie feeling like the fabric was familiar was a nice way to bring it all together.

It’s funny, after so many years of watching this show then stepping away for a little while, I’m really not sure what I expected when I heard that Ziva was going to return. My shipper heart is really just locked on to Ziva and Tony finally getting some kind of happiness, but I was unsure what it would be like seeing this character on screen after so long, especially considering the way she was written out initially. Can I just say that the way Ziva has returned to our screen exceeded any expectations I did or did not have. I never in a million years expected this show to not just consider, but actively highlight the toll of all the years of trauma and struggle of Ziva David. A credit to the direction in this scene, but as Ziva began having the anxiety attack in the sewer pipe and we gained our first glimpse of her battle with this demon, it was unnerving to see this character who had always remained so seemingly in control, so vulnerable. But it was also wonderful (and heart-wrenching and sad). I am so grateful to Gina Lucita Monreal (who I Stan v. hard btw) for showing this side to this character because to me, it demonstrates not only the character’s journey, but NCIS’s growth.

Gibbs knowing that Ziva needed space and giving it to her but then finding her in a state that clearly caught him off guard was once again something I was not expecting and I was floored, yet again, when the pills Ziva stuffed back into her pocket were actually addressed and spoken about on the bus (I realise it sounds like I’m just constantly surprised but in the past, it’s the kind of thing that may get followed up about six episodes down the track, though I’m aware there isn’t the luxury of drawn out breadcrumbs with this arc and honestly, I’m grateful).

The scene between Ziva and Gibbs on the bus is quite possibly my favourite interaction between these two characters ever. And yes, I mean in the entire series. Hearing Ziva talk about Tali, explain the significance of the necklace and then put it to Gibbs that wouldn’t he do anything if it meant he could hold his daughter one more time, ugh my heart. The ONLY thing I disliked about this episode was later when Ziva said she wasn’t talking about Kelly. I understand the sentiment and I am here for her calling Gibbs out on giving up on her every day of the week, but in that moment on the bus, it absolutely was and should have been Kelly she was referring to because it was in that moment that she and Gibbs connected on an entirely different level - as parents. And more than that, as parents who know what it’s like to risk everything because of the love they hold for a child. So while I do love that Ziva put it to Gibbs that he abandoned her, I do feel it could have been brought up in a way that didn’t diminish the power of that conversation on the bus. Because when Gibbs reached out and touched that scar on her wrist, it may have been a small gesture but the meaning was huge and yes I did start crying and no, I did not care that I was on a train.

Of course we must talk about Odette. Sweet, old, possibly an assassin or some other kind of highly trained deadly human Odette. When Bishop asked her, ‘who are you, really?’, all I could think was, same girl, same. I am so into this character and I really hope she sticks around because her turning up later in the ep with a car load of weapons and then wanting to join in just upped my curiosity even more.

I really am such a fan of Ellie, I have been since the beginning, and I did feel for her trying to balance the wishes of Ziva and her loyalty to her team. McGee’s reaction to finding out that Ziva was alive and that Ellie knew about it was definitely warranted and my Tiva loving heart is trying very hard not to read too much into everyone’s avoidance of answering whether Tony knows (read: I am 150% reading too much into it and of course he knows because Ziva has obviously been leaving clues the entire time that she’s ok and it’s fine, it’s all fine, I’M FINEEE*)

*I am not fine

Nick is immediately suspicious after the awkward af conversation in Vance’s office where every time he mentions something from the crime scene at Gibbs’, Ellie and McGee very obviously downplay or dismiss it. Plus Ellie’s sweaty neck is apparently a dead giveaway and I love that Kaisie also mentions it because when this show does funny, it does it damn well. Aside from the bus scene, my other favourite scene of this episode was in autopsy when Nick ‘I don’t even know this ninja but this is like the biggest news of my life’ Torres has just learned about Ziva and Jimmy ’you said the thing about Ziva and my ears heard it and now I think I need to sit down’ Palmer also gets clued in and honestly, this entire sequence is absolute gold. I heart Kasie so hard and her discomfort with the ‘weird air’ just lent itself to making the whole thing wonderfully hilarious and the dynamic between all the characters was so on point. Nick and Kaisie really are stellar additions to the show, it just works.

Ziva’s determination to go it alone definitely wavers momentarily after Gibbs has spoken to McGee and asked him to decode the encrypted SD card (so many lols at Gibbs asking Ziva if she wants to talk to McGee then telling him she says hi. Again, the writing in this ep is just brilliant, being able to slot in genuinely light and funny moments between the dark and serious), there’s the ever-so-brief expression before Ziva gets into the car, as though she remembers what it’s like to have a team, her team, working with her. 

What is on the card of course leads Gibbs and Ziva to be standing in the man who uses phrases like ‘dope’ in front of his machete wall’s office and I have to say, his ‘what are these two homeless people doing in my office’ was accurate. The show then stabbed me in the heart with the necklace situation - either her heart or her albatross- and of course it all connects back to Ari (the parallel to Saleem ripping off her necklace was noted). We also get our answer as to why Ziva had those severed fingers in the opening scene which is still gross and brutal but also understandable and much better knowing that the dude was dead when it happened. But still gross.

One thing that really struck me was when McGee, Ellie and Nick see Gibbs and Ziva making their getaway and McGee and Ziva share their moment of locking eyes and her indicating for the team to stay put, it is Ellie who points out that, ‘she knows what she needs better than anyone else’. It was just really interesting to me that McGee’s initial instinct was to go after Ziva and Gibbs, despite Ziva clearly not wanting him to, and it is the woman on the team who points out that he needs to respect Ziva’s wishes and trust her. I have no idea if this was making some kind of larger statement but it felt significant to me for some reason. Plus I just love the respect Ellie has for this woman she has never met and I can’t even imagine what it must have been like for her to see Ziva in the flesh for the first time after harbouring her secret for so long.

We all knew Vance would find out eventually and omg Nick just cracked me up, ‘I’m the least guilty one in here, Bishop is the worst...’, he is just such a great character (in case I haven’t mentioned that enough times). I don’t know enough about Sloane at this stage and I’m a little confused about her role or position so I will catch myself up on that (or feel free to fill me in) but she also seems pretty cool. I think back to early days McGee, the nervous probie who was so unsure and then think of him in this episode, standing in Vance’s office defying orders and all I can hear is Tony’s voice saying, ‘I’m proud of you Tim’. I love that he’s backing Ellie and that he’s standing up for and trusting her and knowing Vance’s history with Ziva, it’s just all such a wonderful coming together of NCIS history and the present.

The final scene of course left us in a TBC moment as Gibbs’ attempt to arrest Sahar (or at least a woman I assume is Sahar but then it’s NCIS so who knows?) is railroaded by Ziva’s adamance that unless she is dead, Sahar will always be a threat. I can’t wait to see how it all unfolds, I’m just loving the speculations and excitement and most importantly, consideration with which the show seems to be bringing back these storylines and characters and really, I do believe we are in for quite a ride and if this episode is anything to go by, one heck of a payoff. 

[focusonspn]

The Fun Behind Conventions

Jensen x Reader x Jared

Summary: A few drinks after the Saturday Special Night lead Jensen, Jared and Y/N to a night that none of them will be able to forget.

Warnings: Let’s begin. 18+ NSFW. SMUT. PWP. Threesome. Oral (both receiving). Little (trust me when I say little) Gagging. Squirting. Slight Dirty Talk. Double Penetration (only vaginal). A Glimpse of Sparking. Fluff (bc why not?). I think that’s it, guys.

Word Count: 2373 (it was gonna be a drabble, so sorry)

A/N: IT’S MY BIRTHDAY! And I have been writing this for a while now so, I wanted to post this as a birthday gift from me to me and you as well lol. This is the first threesome I wrote so go easy with it, please. This fills my ‘Double Penetration’ square for @spnkinkbingo. Thank you so so SO much again to @tumbler-tidbits for this new beautiful header (the other one got flagged), I’m in love with it! This is unbeta’d. I hope you like it, guys. Enjoy! ♡

AO3

SPN Kink Bingo Masterlist - My Masterlist - Feedback Is Beautiful

Conventions weekends are the best.

The thought went through your mind as Jared’s callous fingers caressed the smooth skin of your thigh. His lips were tracing a wet path of bites and kisses further up the length of your other leg and towards your wet cunt as his beard stimulated every single one of your senses.

A choked moan escaped your throat at the feeling of Jensen’s mouth sucking at the pink bud of your nipple, as his huge hand kneaded the smooth flesh of your other breast. His beard was tickling your skin in the most filthy way, making you arch your back onto the mattress and against his warm touch. “You’re so receptive to us, sweetheart.” He flicked his tongue on your swollen nipple and your bit your lip, holding back a whine.

You weren't really sure how you three got here. All you could remember was Jared leading Jensen and you to his hotel room after the Special Saturday Night. The promise of more drinking was his excuse. A few drinks led to exchanged kisses, another drink led to the loss of clothing, and lips against smooth skin led to you under the touch of the most gorgeous men you knew.

Jared spread your legs open, revealing your dripping cunt to his pleasure view, and lift the back of your knees up to his shoulders. His hands went to your hips to keep them still when you arch your back. A thick thumb caressed through the slickness of your folds, easily finding your clit and playing with it.

“So wet and ready for us, baby girl.” His breath against your sensitive point sent pleasured shivers down your spine, ending in a puddle between your legs. You couldn’t help the moan that left your lips at the feeling of his tongue sliding between your slick folds and you cried when he pushed the tip inside, fucking you with his tongue.

In an attempt of grip at something, your hand found Jensen’s length; it was hard and ready for your attention and you wrapped your fingers around his shaft. Your thumb stroked its tip as you move your hand up and down the length, the slickness of his precum facilitating the job. “Oh, so good, baby. Keep going.” his praise made your skin break in goosebumps and you pick up the pace of your hand, his mouth sucking at your nipple in response.

Both men were playing merciless with you but even there and now, when you knew very well you all got a convention to attend the following morning, you didn’t care a little bit. The only thing it mattered right now was your favorite boys, pleasuring you and making you forget the world outside that hotel room. You squeezed your eyes shut and arched your back against their touch when you came. Your hand squeezed Jensen's dick as Jared's tongue licked at the juices leaving your body, Jensen eating your cries away in a heated kiss.

Jared pulled apart from you as cleaned his mouth and beard with his hand. Jensen kissed down your neck, taking more time at the pulsing vein there before continue his path south. His lips and tongue caressed the sensitive skin below your breast and deposited one last wet kiss over your navel. “It’s my turn to taste this tight little pussy of yours.” his fingers opened your folds and his tongue lapped at your cunt, his nose tip rubbing at your clit.

Jared, who now was next to you on the bed, leaned down and kissed you, forcing his tongue between your lips, which you accepted tangling your fingers in his hair. His opened hands traveled up your torso in soft touches, his fingers massaging your skin, to end up squeezing your already aching breasts. Letting your mouth go, his lips kissed your jaw and the flesh under it. “I want your sweet mouth around my cock, baby girl.” He breathed in your ear and nipped at your lobe. “Would you like that?”

You nodded, your bottom lip between your teeth. At your soundless answer, Jared threw a leg above your head and straddled your shoulders. There it was, his giant and hard cock in front of your hungry eyes and at inches from your waiting lips. Pushing out your tongue, you licked at the head, tasting the strips of precum dripping from the tip. Jensen pressed two thick fingers inside your warm pussy as his tongue worked up your aching clit and you choked a gasp against Jared's length.

Taking Jared’s dick deeper in your mouth, you grabbed a handful of his ass cheek as the other stroked the rest of the length you couldn’t fit in your mouth. His long fingers entangled at your hair as his other hand gripped at the headboard, supporting his body weight there. Taking a deep breath through your nose, you relaxed your jaw and allowed his dick deeper in your throat. His long locks were falling on his face, slightly hiding his switched features due to the pleasure he was feeling. He couldn’t seem more beautiful to your eyes.

Jensen skilled tongue sucked, licked and swirled on your pussy, driving you insane and making you gag on Jared’s dick as you came hard, gushing all over Jensen’s face and soaking the mattress and sheets under you.

Jared pulled apart first and Jensen followed him when you were calmer. They both stood at the bed feet as you sat properly on the mattress, allowing you to see their bodies in all glory.  Two gorgeous and huge bodies and their cocks standing and ready for you. “Now is time to decide, baby. Which of us would you want filling your pussy?” The charming smirk that Jensen showed you made you weak, and you would have fallen if it wasn’t because you already were sat down.

You thought about his questions, trying to make up your mind and give him an answer, but each option was the same as good and fascinating as the other. Jensen’s cock could stretch you out perfectly due to its thickness while Jared’s could reach deeper inside your tight channel. Each option was delicious and each option made you a puddle between your legs.

“I can't decide. I want both of you inside me.” You whined, your own indecision frustrating you.

Jared and Jensen shared a look, talking to each other without even saying a word and, when they looked at you again, you couldn't decode the mysterious shade in their eyes.

“You could have us both inside you, sweetheart.” Jensen proposed taking a step towards you. “I mean, literally have us inside you.” He emitted a wicked side smirk.

At first, you didn't get what he was trying to say, the idea just didn’t seem real in your mind, but giving Jared a look and going back to Jensen's face again, reality kick you on the face like a cold water bucket and you jaw almost fell to the floor. “Is-is that even possible?” You asked, a little unsure yet.

“We can try,” this time was Jared who spoke, stepping towards you too. “You can say no at any moment you feel uncomfortable and we'll stop immediately.” The sweet look plastered on his face eased your nerves a little and you didn’t even need a few seconds to be nodding at them. This would be something new you would try and you knew very well your favorite boys will take good care of you through the process.

Relax and something you could define as joy covered their faces when you nodded at them. Jensen, who was the nearest one at you, crawled on the bed towards you and took your face between his hands, pressing his lips on yours in a heated kiss. “You won’t regret it, baby.” He promised and pulled apart, laying down beside you. “I’ll go first. It will be easier this way.”

You took the hand Jensen was offering you and you straddled his hips. A moan left your mouth at the contact of his hard dick between your folds. Jensen closed his eyes when you ground your hips against his, lubricating his cock with your own arousal. “I can’t wait anymore, baby.” Jensen sighed opening his eyes.

“Oh, fuck!” Your cry echoed between the hotel room walls as you went down on Jensen’s dick. His was hands holding yours to help you to maintain balance as you felt him stretching your slit. He began to thrust slowly and deep, taking his time to open you up.

Jared behind you didn’t seem able to keep his hands to himself. He brushed your hair away from your back and mapped your back with smooth and wet kisses as his hand traveled up your torso and kneaded your breast flesh, taking the nipple between his fingers. His other hand was stroking his cock as his lips savored how your neck skin tasted like.

A few moments later, when you were adapted to Jensen’s length spreading you out, you felt Jared’s breath against your ear. “Bent over, baby girl.” He nipped at the lobe of your ear. “Let me see that beautiful pussy.” And you obeyed. Jensen received you with open arms, his hands going up over your back, brushing the soft skin. His fingers entangled in your hair and approached your face to his, eating your mouth out.

A third hand pressed on the small of your back as Jared lined himself and pushed inside your tight channel. A wave of little pain mixed with arousal made your body shiver and you choked a whine in your throat.  When Jared was completely inside you, he and Jensen went still, letting the three of you embrace the feeling of all of you connected. You felt a little aching but it wasn't compared at the arousal it was consuming you whole and all you knew was you didn’t want to stop feeling that way.

Not being able to hold back anymore, they started to move in and out, their big cocks stretching you out perfectly in a way you didn’t feel before, so good you could get addicted to it.

“Fuck, baby! You’re so tight for us.” Jensen’s lips went down your jaw, nipping at the skin where your jaw and neck met as his hand was tugging at your hair, ripping groans from the deep of your chest. Jared’s fingers were in a tight grip at your hips, helping like this his way in and out from your aching walls while his heavy body pressed you between him and Jensen, near to the point of suffocating.

They soon found the perfect rhythm, making you groan loud and high every time they went in and out, huge and hot, thick and wet. Their mouths were everywhere, his hands taking everything they want, kneading and squeezing, diving you higher and higher until you were exploding in pure bliss.

“Oh, fuck-fuck-fuck!” Your eyes rolled closed as the orgasm hit you, squeezing their big dicks together with your tight and aching slit. Your hands found the pillows beside Jensen's head, gripping tight at them as your head hid into his neck.

“Yes, yes, yes! Just like that, baby!” Jensen's praise sent more release waves through all your body length. Your body went jelly against his chest, the only force you had left, going out of your body with your climax. He came next, screaming your name in your hair as he spilled his warm seed inside your tight hole; his arms holding you tight against his chest in the desperation of hold on something.

Jared’s hips keep crashing against your ass cheeks, his fingers bruising your hips as he tried to find his own release. His thrusts started to falter and you could feel it, feel his thighs going shaky as he pulled out. His hand pumped his length a few times before he came, strips of sticking cum painting your back, mixed with your own sweat. You stayed there in Jensen's arms, his lips lazily trailing your jaw and neck, finding your sensitive pulse point and depositing sweet kisses.

Something soft caressed your back and, slightly leading your head to the side, you realized it was Jared cleaning with a towel his cum off of your back. Feeling you staring at him, he looked up at you, the corners of his mouth pushing up in a sweet and white smirk. Going back to his task, he wiped the few drops of cum that had landed on your ass and you let out a yelp when his palm connected against your ass cheek in a firm slap, making him and Jensen laugh softly.

Jared pulled your back against his chest and laid down on the mattress as he threw the towel to Jensen, who started to clean himself with the material. “That was the hottest sex I ever had.” Jared's words made you smile lazily as Jensen's joined you on the bed, approaching your face to his with his hand and kissing your smile.

“Agree. Never felt so filled before.” You snuggled more inside Jared's chest and he deposited a kiss on your shoulder blade.

“Yeah. But don't ya dare to think this’ goin’ to be the last time.” Jensen's voice affirmed as he dragged you close without pulling you apart from Jared's warm, your arm around his stomach as your head was resting on his chest. “We should get some sleep, we'll get fans waiting for us tomorrow.” He said after checking the clock on the nightstand and realizing it was passing one in the morning.

“You're out of your mind if you think I'll be able to don't think all day about what we just did.” You affirmed, starting to feel the little burn between your legs. “Sleep won't ease anything.” Your mind began to go buzzy as you went sleepier per minute.

“That's the thing, baby,” Jared whispered against your ear, his hot breath working better a song to sleep. “None of us will ever forget this night.”

And with those last words, you fell asleep.

There wasn't any doubt, Conventions were the best but it was nothing compared with the fun behind them.

Thank you so much for reading! Tell me what you think HERE

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[vrainsrewatch]

episode 18 thoughts

so i decided i wanted to watch this duel all in one day, so that’s why i wasn’t around yesterday~ tomorrow is the last day of my break before starting my new job, so hopefully i can work out a new schedule for this after i get used to it.

enough about that though!! this is one of my favorite duels in all of vrains, so i’m super pumped to be rewatching it! this one gets pretty heavy though, be warned lol

the episode starts out with akira explaining what he’s just learned...

and man, part of the reason i love this duel so much is because of how they absolutely nailed playmaker’s expressions. i won’t go into too much detail, but i’ve been in a...somewhat similar situation, where there was someone who for whatever reason believed they understood what i had gone through and should just let them handle everything, while not understanding part of my healing process was handling it myself. the idea of giving up my control over certain things was completely out of the question, and that’s part of what makes this duel was great to me. playmaker perfectly illustrates those thoughts and feelings.

i’m sure i’ll talk a lot about that throughout the next few posts, but i’ll stop myself there for the time being lol. 

anyways,

this was already hinted to us, the viewers, but not to any of the characters really, so i love how shocked kusanagi is. big businesses are generally pretty shady, but the LI is obviously in a different league lol. it makes sense that he was surprised.

and here’s one of my biggest reasons for disliking akira initially. i think he does grow as a character, but to be honest with y’all, i’m still not overly fond of him lol. i love his relationship with aoi, i appreciate his growth, but man.

the fact that he saw any of that data and was like, “nah, better not let the kid who was used for this project see any of the data. nvm the fact that he is searching it out on his own, so clearly it’s important to him, but he shouldn’t have to worry about this. i can do it” just. 

i’ve seen a few people say that they like akira for this, and i won’t disagree that it’s a realistic way to react. but playmaker is right. he has the right to learn what he went through. why he went through it.

then we get:

it’s still a bit weird to see everyone in vrains questioning this when i’m so used to the concept and to the characters being used to it, lol. but it’s nice to see that train of thought continued. they all have time to come to terms with it, just like we, the viewers, do. it’s cool.

but then akira continues to be an idiot:

and like, honestly. i don’t think he’s doing anything horrible. i don’t think he’s being mean. i think he’s being stupid lmao. he obviously does care, just... doesn’t know how to handle this kind of situation. he’s so used to handling everything, taking care of aoi, and even in his former position he had employees that worked under him, so it makes sense. but he’s not the only capable person around, and he needs to let others handle their own issues.

and also, is it any wonder why playmaker doesn’t let akira take care of it? besides all of the obvious, he’s just gotten confirmation that the company he works for had something to do with the lost incident, lmao.

seriously, people knock on vrains for a lot of things, and like, you do you man. if this show wasn’t your fave, that’s cool. not everything is gonna jive with everyone and there’s nothing wrong with that!

but vrains really, really does this right. i love and will always love how it handles yusaku’s trauma through the series, and i genuinely feel blessed that we got him as a ygo protag.

but on yusaku’s last point, they agree to duel:

i hate to break it to you, ai, but you’re in a ygo show. you don’t really have a choice LOL

i also really love how kusanagi is handled in these eps. he’s not a victim, not in the same way his brother or yusaku were involved, but he was still deeply effected. how could he not be? he basically gave up his life to become a hacker and try to figure out what happened to his brother so he could help him. he had to watch as his once sweet little brother became a shell of a person, and nothing he did could stop it.

but anyways, something sad in a different way for a sec:

i, of course, immediately thought of the final duel and how yusaku finished the duel with decode talker. that....really hurt to hear with that context lol. 

ow, my heart.

but at least ai’s also got some non-depressing lines to break things up a little:

seriously lmao what is duelsick??? i always wondered why it bothered him so much lol

but this episode is very depressing so that didn’t last long, whoops. we get to find out next about akira and aoi’s upbringing:

but here’s the thing: this is so, so different. it’s why playmaker and kusanagi get so angry and lash out. i am not at all denying that what akira and aoi lived through was terrible. they had it really rough, and it clearly hurt them both and changed how they view the world and live in general. 

but he literally just looked through the LI files he knows at least somewhat how different these situations are, in fact, he literally says that he doesn’t know the pain playmaker endured. 

my own personal feelings aside, this is a great look into akira’s character. just like with his own little sister, he has a hard time relating to other’s problems. he has a hard time understanding how they’re feeling, glancing at something and thinking he knows what’s best. it’s consistent with everything we’ve seen from him so far, and while it makes it easy for me to dislike him, i completely understand why people really liked him and his development. 

he was never a bad person. just a misguided person trying to help when he shouldn’t have, or should’ve done differently. his heart is truly in the right place, and yusaku even acknowledges that:

and it’s good to see that by the end of the series, he and aoi can finally fight together, understanding each other. and i’m really happy about that.

i really do love their relationship. they’re great siblings, even if they’re not related by blood. it’s really rare to see such caring step siblings in media, so i’m really happy we got them!!

but also, talk about a smack in the face. i won’t let this six year old be unhappy, he explains to the person who, as a six year old, was kidnapped and tortured for six months as he hides the explanation of that event from them. lmao. but this emotional investment i have is what makes this such a good duel for me! it’s so high stakes, and the voice acting is so on point. i love. 

obviously, though, neither kusanagi nor playmaker take that very well:

i remember sitting on my couch, watching this episode for the first time, and just being blown away by this scene. it’s so powerful. every time i rewatch this, i am still amazed and i can feel my heart pound lmao. it’s not very often we see playmaker get this emotional, which definitely makes this impact greater, but the same for kusanagi.

he’s a much more expressive character, but while he’s serious about his job of helping yusaku, he’s more laid back in every day situations. and even while he’s on the job, he often smiles. to see that kind of character in this kind of a fury makes for a really, really big impact.

i love this. it so perfectly sums up that feeling, why someone would get so angry in this kind of situation. i could talk all day about it, but i have a few other episodes of this duel and i’ve been writing this post for like 40 minutes lol

i wonder if this is also in reference to her own brother situation? i felt like that reveal... didn’t exactly come out of nowhere, most people had guessed it by the time they dueled -- as had i -- but it was definitely rushed imo. i liked their development a lot, don’t get me wrong, but i think it would’ve been cool if she’d like... mentioned it, a few times beforehand. i suppose this could be taken that way, though i definitely hadn’t thought about it that way before haha

also, the dueling in this episode is great. i love the pacing of this duel. even without all the emotional stuff that’s done so well, i think i’d still enjoy just watching this duel because it’s solid all around. 

that’s all i’ve got for this one, but i’m gonna start episode 19 in just a little bit!

[vincassidy]

STARTER FOR » @joliedebeauvoir​

WHEN: Friday, Nov. 22 at 7 p.m.

WHERE: Zinqué

This was no longer a French bistro; it was a dimly lit circus. 

That is, if a circus transformed into a restaurant with a flirty ambience. He kind of liked it.

No rainbow wig, big red shoe wearing clowns in sight so it wasn’t full circus; however, the round and rectangular tables normally adorned with small condiments, glossy fold-up drink menus, utensils, and a tiny potted plant in the center were now arranged in 4x3 lines bearing square curtains to section people off into little cubicles. There were balloons, and lots of them—paired with brightly colored paper streamers, not that he could actually see the vivid color in this lighting. As explained by the host at the entrance door, the women were to remain in their respective chair as the men would move to the next date. Move, as in, roll on a black padded stool with wheels. Apparently, the majority of women were already seated as to not be known straight away. Each date would go on for ten minutes before a double chime signaled its time for rotation. People were able to see just enough to navigate through the place, but not enough to sincerely distinguish faces. The whole scenario screamed mystery, to which Vince silently chuckled to himself as he recalled a moment. ‘I’m not going to even try to decode it. It would probably ruin the curiosity,’ she had said. ‘Ruin the curiosity—you dig the enigma? I need to get to the bottom of it,’ he had replied. Miniature desk lights were at everyone’s station with a pen and a tiny spiral notebook, which was supposed to travel along and serve as a written ice breaker as people put down a greeting, a question, whatever was hoped to serve as a first impression, and then each pairing would exchange their mini notebooks under the curtain to write a reply back before simultaneously pulling the three foot long curtain rope to reveal their date after a single chime. That made three minutes of secrecy, seven minutes of face to face interaction, then the page would be turned to the next blank one, along with a new person to meet. The environment itself wasn’t as silly as a circus, but Vince admittedly felt a tad silly for being present for the sole reason that he didn’t go to these things... in fact, he never thought about going to these things. 

That is, until he met her.

In the past few months of knowing Jolie, he found himself doing more. The male had been a natural risk taker when it came to matters concerning his job, except he couldn’t deny that she prompted him to be open with more opportunities he hadn’t thought of. A friendship presented light, excitement, thrilling challenges. It was fresh, real. When she had invited him to this speed dating experience to set him up, he initially was going to laugh it off with a ‘Nah, what? Nah,’ and quite shocked as it was something not of his usual interest, but he appreciated the considerate thought and in all honesty, it was too good of a suggestion to pass up. Since she was the one to play matchmaker he figured he better send a quick text informing of his arrival. The glow of his iPhone illuminated his face as he opened his messages, and while he was attempting to type, it was interrupted by a young male clearing his throat followed by a finger pointing to a nearby sign on the wall: 

PLEASE TURN PHONES OFF DURING THE MATCHING PROCESS. THANK YOU.

“It’ll be just a second,” Vince said. “Bro, it’s the rules,” answered the same young man, who had to be around his mid-twenties. Who let this dude volunteer at this speed dating shebang? As a person familiar with the law, rules, regulations, and doing things for justice and fairness, Vince was going to eventually abide by the no cell phone rule. The time wasn’t 7 p.m. yet, the rule didn’t have to apply immediately.

iMessage to Jolie (6:48 p.m.) : I made it here, Cupid de Beauvoir. 

“Bro, I don’t make the rules, I jus—” “—enforce them. Right,” Vince retorted, shutting off his phone before putting it into his pocket.  He sauntered into the circus, but not a circus, restaurant with no expectations. Just taking a chance. Trying something new. The first couple three rounds were... fine? Date #1 wrote him a riddle to which he couldn’t figure out on the spot in those three mysterious minutes, and when she revealed her face she bursted in a laugh and told him the answer. It turned out to be less funny and more offensive, which was an instant turn-off. Date #2 slid a simple ‘Hello, I can’t see you yet, but you look wonderful’ note under the curtain. Date #3 wrote, ‘please don’t be another loser I just saw my ex lol.’

For the last three encounters, Vince made a doodle of a cartoon dog. It wasn’t giving away his penmanship off the bat in case someone were to recognize him, and it wasn’t like keeping his identity a secret had been necessary anyway, considering his face would be revealed at every station. People spoke delicately amongst each other, probably in an effort to keep with the mystery and prevent surrounding ears from getting an idea of someone before having an encounter. Even with the calm, quiet voices, he could have sworn he heard Jolie’s from another corner of the room. He could make out the sound of her voice anywhere. Was she here? A detail he never got confirmation of because he didn’t know whether she was able to reply to his text or not, thanks to the rule. Was she supposed to set him up for this thing and let him stick it out as she chilled at home? What if she was watching him from the side, observing her matchmaker magic? Watching from a control room? Or was she not actually here, come to think of it, she did tell him to tell her about the outcome, which implied she wouldn’t be present. Was he just thinking of her in a room full of eligible singles? 

On to the next one, Date #4, he rolled across to the next column of tables, deciding to switch it up. The energy of Zinqué in that moment inspired him to get a little more creative. He kept drawing the same dog, but this time he wrote a question underneath the drawing, before slipping it under the curtain: If I were to meet an angel in this place, and we only have seven minutes, does that make this a game of seven minutes in heaven? 

[epiphanicwiring]

Question tag

Rules: answer the questions at the bottom, then make up 10 of your own for the next person to answer.

i was tagged by @krijgsonthaal, thank you!

1. What is your favourite emotion? This is a difficult one! I think that... Yugen is probably my favourite emotion. For those who don’t know what’s yugen: An awareness of the universe that triggers emotional responses too deep and powerful for words. A profound, mysterious sense of the beauty of the universe… and the sad beauty of human suffering. Also, the thrill I get from learning and applying knowledge, as well as gratitude.  

2. What is your favourite memory? My memory isn’t the best, to be honest. Usually I can’t remember anything other than academic achievements, which is not so sentimental and it can often alienate me. You know, to embody a mark or a certain type of success, so much that people believe your life success is guarranted. I don’t have a favourite memory since I don’t think of the past that much. Some fragments of my happiest moments in life: When my mother bought me my double bass for my 15th birthday, playing with my little niece until he felt asleep, when I travelled with my brother and I got to see how the sun rose in between the hills.

3. What is more difficult for you: looking into someones eyes when you are telling someone how you feel, or looking into someones eyes when they are telling you how they feel? Looking into someone’s eyes when I am telling someone how I am feeling. I feel uncomfortable when trying to convey my emotions in person. I’m generally not the person to tell how I’m feeling... I usually express my feelings better when writing them, so I can definitely talk about them with a friend, for example, since communicating via text is much more impersonal. Nevertheless, I still feel uncomfortable doing so. Imagine that whenever I encounter myself feeling something, I analyze it until there is nothing left to analyze, which is an exhausting process. After that, if I wanted to communicate my feelings, I would have to start a new process of decoding those feelings into words, and optimizing verbalization for maximum understanding, something that never happens. How can I explain something like weltschmerz without sounding like a pessimistic idiot? Also, expressing love... I almost never say “I love you”. Those words haunt me.

4. What is your opinion on rain? I love it, when moderate.

5. What is your favourite kpop song? Regardless of genre, I tend to separate songs by sonority/groove, relatability when it comes to its lyrics, and complexity in its composition/tight production. So that’s why I cannot simply choose one. For example, one of my favourite songs ever in korean hip hop is 花樣年華, because I can relate to the lyrics and the pain Yoongi exudes in his words. When it comes to overall sonority/good composition choices, I like Jonghyun’s and Taemin’s works. For example: Love Belt by Jonghyun ft. Younha. On tight production, my choice has to be Playing With Fire by BlackPink, it sounds massive. I have too many favourite k-pop songs, I really can’t choose one. Although I should make clear that my favourite k-pop group is BTS.

Currently listening to:

love - DEAN ft. Syd

Paradise - Millic ft. Fanxy Child

Come Back Home - BTS (original Seo Taiji & Boys)

6. Have you ever experienced a near dead experience? No.

7. Are you usually early, late or right on time? Depending on the case. When I’m meeting with friends, I’m usually late, being the first one and waiting alone makes me anxious. If that isn’t the case, I’m generally early or just in time. I love being early at university.

8. What is something you are really proud of? I know this sounds self-conceited but, I’d say my authenticity and determination. It gets callous, sometimes...

9. What is something (or someone) that makes you very happy? I don’t tend to attach my happiness to people or objects. I’m quite apathetic when it comes to that. I feel my happiest when, in no particular order: learning, planning, being with animals, listening to music, composing, helping, debating. 

10. Have you ever danced in the rain? (If not I recommend it lol) Hahaha. No, I’ve never done it. 

Questions:

1. What is your ultimate, all encompassing goal in life?

2. What is your favourite concept and why?

3. If you had to define yourself with only one colour, what would it be and why?

4. How would you define life?

5. What is your favourite quote?

6. What is your favourite “negative” emotion and why?

7. Which is your place in the world?

8. What is the biggest lesson life has ever taught you?

9. How would you define beauty?

10. Which are your thoughts on evil?

Tagging: @gravis-dum-suavis @amazoniansiege @dethnira @darkeyes14 @berna-di-angelo @ladyalleta and whoever wants to do it!

[diaryofababychristian-blog]

When God gives you gifts

     I started seeking the Lord more last week and tried to absorb the concept of fasting. But along the process, my patience to wait upon the Lord was tested when He felt that I'm too confident to follow my instincts and not His will. He sent me a bunch of reminders that it is Him that should decide and introduced "that answer that I don't like to acknowledge" a.k.a. God’s NO.       My mind was suddenly filled with questions like:  What if He says no? Why will He say no if I'm praying for something that will bring Him more glory? He said that when I ask, I will receive? And when I knock, He will answer, right?

    I've been throwing questions at Him but I never really seek Him for the answers. Not doing my devotionals, not reading my Bible, wasting my time scrolling this Facebook feed tab, name it. He saw that I’m not being really serious about it. (I’m such a stubborn head) No wonder these questions popped out of nowhere. Actually not nowhere... As I write this, I know that the enemy is trying to influence my thoughts and taking EVERY opportunity to ruin my focus on His faithfulness and goodness to me.

     Honestly, last week is not pretty good for me. I felt very discouraged, slightly lost my grip and patience.      But lo and behold, God continued to pursue me! After our Bible study and fellowship, blessings came pouring on me as if God is making “ligaw,” for me not to tampo with Him anymore. It is just the sweetest thing! <3

     He used three people whom i truly love, to hand me these gifts from the kindness in their hearts!  - Steno Notebook      Last Thursday, during our dgroup huddle, my sister, Rach, shared this strategy from our “Lowla” Nikki (Lowla since Nikki is the discipler of our discipler’s discipler. I know it’s hard to understand but imma explain this family tree in a separate blog maybe. This is just too complicated to tackle in one post lol.) The strategy is on the first column, you will write all the verses, devos, quotes, etc that you will encounter for a week. On the second column, you will write all your thoughts, worries, anxieties, etc. After that, you will connect the items from both columns to decode God’s messages for you.      This steno notebook was given to me so I could start writing and connect the verses to my thoughts. :) How cool is that? Thanks for this, A! - Nama Champagne           D told me that he’s taking a vacation in Japan. Royce Nama Champagne is one of my favorite-iest chocolate there is! I advised him to bring me home one, since Royce here in PH is waaaaay too expensive. Then I realized that I don’t have enough funds to pay him back so I didn’t remind him nalang to get me Royce. But he insisted and told me that I don’t need to pay him back! Oh the blessings, Lord! Thanks so much, D!

- Family & Finance Conference Tickets           I don’t really understand why I super want to go to this conference. Been wanting to attend this since last year and when they announced that they’re doing the conference again this year, I didn’t get the ticket in advance, hoping that someone at church would want to come with me and avail the “couple’s rate,” since it’s a bit cheaper than getting a single ticket. Two weeks ago, I passed by the booth at CCF Center and I intentionally looked away since I’m still waiting for other friends that are willing to come with me (even FB repost didn’t work lol).           But last week, my friend M messaged me when I was fellowshipping with my dgroup. He goes, “i have a gift for you.��� I thought, wait, it ain’t my birthday. So I replied to him when I got home and thanked him in advance. The rest is history:

      THIS IS BEYOND CRAZY!!! I literally cried because of overflowing joy because of God’s faithfulness in my life! Last Friday, M approached me and gave me the ticket... and the flyer! LOL <3 Super thank you, M!       I cannot thank the Lord enough. It felt that He’s really trying to cheer me up, and He did. :) I thought, “Oh God, You don’t really have to get me all this stuff,” but He wants to. Such a wonderful feeling to be loved by the greatest lover of my soul.

[decoding1432]

The post I promised...

*The anon submission. @ anon I apologise for not returning yesterday like I said. I had a lot of things to do, but there you go guys…

If you want me, I’ll try to post on the blog some of the videos included in the links.

Thank you anon for sharing. I’m figuring this would be spread on Twitter (if the April info got talked about, this certainly will too) P.S. Make sure to think before pointing at the girls. Keep in mind that first & second statement was written by their team (don’t be naive). BE WOKE. PLEASE  READ IT ALL, IT’S IMPORTANT.* - decoding1432

The FIFTH HARMONY PARTNERSHIP was created the 12/21/2015, three days later after Dina LaPolt posted the pic of LAND and she. C has been excluded from the deal since December 2015.

You can have a look at the documents searching here https://businesssearch.sos.ca.gov/

Anon: Hi, me again! (sorry for bothering so much lol) I forgot to add the meeting of LAND and Dina [https://twitter.com/dinalapolt/status/678311916150784004] next to 12/21/2015 and it’s kind of pissing me off because it’s important to contrast. Maybe you can edit it? Have a nice day!

Decoding: It is indeed relevant anon! Glad you sent it…

Anon: I went through hell to find all of this..

Decoding: I mean it’s public information but still I don’t know if I could be taken down for posting it. That’s why my friend, even though after you politely asked for me to keep your handle, I thought it’s better at this point to remain under anonymity… 

Anon: Hi again! I took some time to analyse what has been going on, this is a brief summary:

Decoding: Summary below WITH RECEIPTS…

VERY IMPORTANT. HAVE A LOOK AT THESE FIRST. Differences between trademark and registered trademark, explanations of legal terms:

-https://www.uspto.gov/trademarks-getting-started/trademark-basics

-https://www.uspto.gov/trademarks-application-process/filing-online/intent-use-itu-applications

-https://www.uspto.gov/trademarks-application-process/filing-online/intent-use-itu-forms

-https://www.legalzoom.com/knowledge/trademark/faq

-https://www.gerbenlaw.com/blog/how-long-does-it-take-to-register-a-trademark/

-https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-difference-between-TM-trademark-R-registered-and-C-copyright

-http://legalstreet.com/library/business/trademarks/trademark-statement-of-use/

-http://trademarkregisterfaq.com/retrievetrademarkdocumentstdr.html

ALL THE HISTORY OF FIFTH HARMONY TRADEMARK CAN BE SEEN HERE: http://tsdr.uspto.gov/documentviewer?caseId=sn86231141&docId=IUA20160511061232#docIndex=0&page=1

11/20/2015 - release of IKWYDLS, commercial success.

12/21/2015 - “FIFTH HARMONY MUSIC, INC.” (LAND) was incorporated as partnership. C is not included. The documents and the info can be seen here: https://businesssearch.sos.ca.gov/

04/12/2016 - [http://tsdr.uspto.gov/documentviewer?caseId=sn86231141&docId=IUA20160511061232#docIndex=10&page=1]

Extension of time to file SOU, “FIFTH HARMONY PARTNERSHIP” (aka “FIFTH HARMONY MUSIC, INC.”) appears as proposed owner.

Some basic info for understanding:

[1. Statement of Use/Amendment to Allege Use for Intent-to-Use Application

Use this form only if you have already filed the initial Trademark/Servicemark Application based on an intent-to-use the mark in commerce under Section 1(b). Before we will register a mark based upon a bona fide intention to use the mark in commerce (i.e., the applicant has not actually used the mark yet in commerce, but can claim in good faith that it plans to do so later), the applicant must (1) use the mark in commerce; and (2) file an Allegation of Use (Statement of Use/Amendment to Allege Use). The Allegation of Use may only be filed before the examining attorney approves the mark for publication in the Official Gazette (i.e., before the status of the application in the USPTO’s TSDR database changes to Approved for Publication); if filed at this time, the filing will be identified as an amendment to allege use; or on or after the mailing date of the Notice of Allowance (NOA) (i.e., a written notice sent to applicant after the mark is published and the 30-day opposition period expires, signifying that the mark could register after submission of an acceptable allegation of use that includes evidence that the mark has been properly used in commerce).  If filed at this time, the filing will be identified as a &#147;Statement of Use&#148; (SOU). The SOU must be filed within the 6-month period after the mailing date of the NOA, or within a previously-granted extension period]

[What does ‘Statement of Use’ mean? What does ‘Specimen’ mean? What is an ‘Allegation of Use’?

A Statement of Use is one form of An Allegation of Use, a sworn statement signed by the applicant or a person authorized to sign on behalf of the applicant attesting to use of the mark in commerce. (Since most trademarks are now filed electronically, this is usually an electronic signature.) With the Allegation of Use, the owner must submit: a filing fee of $100 per class of goods/services; and one specimen. A specimen is a sample of the use of the mark that acts as evidence that the mark has been properly used in commerce for each class of goods/services. See SAMPLE AAU/SOU FORM. The actual form for filing the allegation of use is available at http://www.uspto.gov/teas/index.html. Note that the type of sample appropriate for submission is different for a trademark (sales of goods) than it is for a service mark (sales of services). An Amendment to Allege Use (AAU) is another type of Allegation of Use but differs in the time period when it is submitted. See Additional Requirements For Intent to Use Application for more information.]

Lauren signed a trademark assigment as the “Asignee” of the partnership the 11th of April:

Normani signed the extension, requesting a six-month extension of time to file the Statement of Use, (in order to register the trademark in the future!).

05/11/2016 - [http://tsdr.uspto.gov/documentviewer?caseId=sn86231141&docId=IUA20160511061232#docIndex=7&page=1] They got the approval for the extension of time. FIFTH HARMONY PARTNERSHIP now figures as the onwer of the trademark.

08/29/2016 -  [http://tsdr.uspto.gov/documentviewer?caseId=sn86231141&docId=IUA20160511061232#docIndex=4&page=1]

Lauren signed the Statement of Use as a member of the partnership. The process for the registration has begun.

09/20/2016 - [http://tsdr.uspto.gov/documentviewer?caseId=sn86231141&docId=IUA20160511061232#docIndex=3&page=1]

ITU Unit Action, the approval of the Statement of Use is in process.

Some basic info for understanding:

[“What does ‘ITU Unit Action’ mean? This means that the USPTO Intent to Use (ITU) department is in the process of taking action on an Intent to Use Application. Actions include approving or disapproving a Statement of Use (SOU) or Alleged Amendment of Use (AAU) or approving or disapproving a request for an extension of time to submit a specimen of use.”]

11/15/2016 - [http://tsdr.uspto.gov/documentviewer?caseId=sn86231141&docId=IUA20160511061232#docIndex=2&page=1]

Notice of Acceptance of Statement of Use.

Some basic info for understanding:

[What does ‘Notice of Acceptance of Statement of Use’ mean? This means the Statement of Use has been approved for an Intent to Use application that has already been through its Opposition Period with no opposition and the trademark should register in 4-6 weeks.]

As seen in the 5H file: “The statement of use (SOU) filed for the trademark application identified below has been accepted. This acceptance means that the mark identified below is entitled to be registered. Accordingly, the registration will issue in due course barring any extraordinary circumstances.”

11/17/2016 - [http://tsdr.uspto.gov/documentviewer?caseId=sn86231141&docId=IUA20160511061232#docIndex=1&page=1]

TRAM Snapshot of App at Pub for Oppostn.

Some basic info for understanding:

[What does ‘TRAM Snapshot of App at Pub for Oppostn’ mean? This means the final review prior to publication has been completed and the application will be published for opposition. This document appears twice in an Intent to Use application even though the second time it is not going to publish for opposition again, it is just going to publish in the Official Gazette.]

12/20/2016 - [http://tsdr.uspto.gov/documentviewer?caseId=sn86231141&docId=IUA20160511061232#docIndex=0&page=1]

They got the Registration Certificate. “Fifth Harmony” is now officially a registered trademark under the FIFTH HARMONY PARTNERSHIP (“Fifth Harmony Music, Inc.”).

All trademarks of FIFTH HARMONY PARTNERSHIP can be seen here: https://trademarks.justia.com/owners/fifth-harmony-partnership-3300755/

Some basic info for understanding:

[What does Registration Certificate mean? This means the trademark has registered with the USPTO and a certificate will be mailed to the correspondent on record.]

[note: I’M NOT AN EXPERT, I JUST KNOW HOW TO LOOK FOR THINGS, CORRECT ME IF ANY OF THIS IS WRONG]

Anon: What do you guys think about all this?

Decoding: A quick thought (not really going for it deeply yet)… So apparently #they (mgmt) couldn’t lie on that second statement released (about getting told in November) but what if they knew since November 2015 she was leaving & C’s representatives made it official on Nov 2016?

[diary-iguess]

wahppn

J: nothing bad it was just really hot and i changed clothes twice

wake up 7 o clock for my interview, eat one piece a bread and some orange juice

ace di interview

dem tell me fi fill out the application twice

some yout try sell me a jelly candy

it cant open, but eventually does

Monique forwards

i meet her friend in the painting studio and we go get a box lunch

i sit down and eat the food

im sweating my life away

R: pepper?

J: before meeting the hustling yout, i left my portfolio in the hr office so mi did have to go back for it

no it's just hot af inna kingston

and i was wearing a long sleeve shirt

Paige seh him nah fwd fi di shoot

Thevrtistisjvmvicvn is sitting next to me, but i'm talking more than he

me a wonda how he can go school in full business attire and not become a puddle of sweat

Yanah appears and asks if she can have something nutritious

on campus

like a shake

Juice immediately says no dawg

Juice is working on a mythological drawing, but the paper he's using is trash and i tell him so

he says something about how it will still sharpen his skills and i said he needs watercolor paper if he's going to mix it with watercolor

is my story interesting?

i'm interested in telling a good story

R: I'm more interested in your friend's names

J: thevrtistisjvmvicvn said he wants to be a curator, but hasn't curated any shows yet

i tell him do that shit

lmao

R: Thevrtistisjvmvicvn, Yanah, Monique and Juice

I actually fucking love Juice

Now i know there are places I can't say that out loud

J: i ask my father if he can pick me up because Paige nah forward

he replies hmm

lmao have you seen the film?

my phone is dying and i have no credit because the tuck shop only selling $500 credit today

*back to the story*

i'm telling you this from my laptop

R: What parent says "hmmm"? was this a text?

J: yes

i knowwww

like

can't even K me

wtf

my shoes too big for me, so i stand on them instead of wearing them for a bit

Juice is playing music on his phone and one of the songs is from frank ocean's second project that he released the same time as blonde

my mind is blown

R: That must be some song

J: Yanah returns from the tuck shop with water still disappointed that there is no health food available

more mindblowing that he released two projects at once

i tell theartistisja that i like doing projects with many layers of meaning and process

i talk about my ananse storybook thesis and how i want everyone to know ananse is a deity and amina blackwood meeks taught me that

i say something like "yea, she's rad"

i talk about how the first time i met easton lee, i believed someone when they joked that he was 100 years old

and hoped that he didnt remember when i asked him if it was true

im dying laughing rn

my cousin invites me to sit and do work together at starbucks later

my father sends me a message "M is here, please call her through K-dollasign"

R: googled Easton Lee

J: lmao what did you find? he and my grandmother are friends

they're both legendary chinese-jamaicans

R: I can see he's definitely chinese-jamaican

J: yes and so is my grandma lol

R: author, poet

not bad

1931

J: but no doubt their swagger is enwrapped in their proximity to afro-jamaicanness

wow he's 87 this year

or 86?

M is my grandmother

i message K-dollasign

"i heard grandma M is here"

he replies "makes sense"

but intonates that he was not previously informed

i try to decode my father's message and K-dollasigns response

"makes sense"

he must be referring to Shutterbug's wedding

the same one i wasn't sure i was invited to

R: LOL

wow

are you going?

J: wait nuh man

R: lol

J: okay so i reach home, turn on my laptop

charge my phone

i frantically whatsapp my relatives

fb message uncle Macbook to get in touch w grandma

i try to search the internet for clues as to when this wedding will be

my sister says i should just ask Shutterbug if i can come

so i do that

uncle Macbook replies me with a different number to call, i call, get grandma

she says "no, no, no, you can't come to the wedding, the guests have already been counted and there's too many"

my heart sinks

i say, okay, well i can still see you today?

my cousin Carlton who wants to go to starbucks has arrived at my house

R: woooooooooooooooooooooooooooooow

J: i try to devise a plan with Carlton and grandma and my dad all talking at once to pick grandma up and she says something about not wanting to be stranded and i say we would never let that happen to her

the phone isn't working very well and at some point my father has the phone

i return to my whatsapp messages on the laptop and Shutterbug has replied!

"hey, we were overcapacity a few months ago, but there's some space now. if you can make it on sunday, please come"

i tell grandma what she said

"okay, but how are you getting there? and where are you going to stay?"

i had not thought of this second part

the wedding is in mobay

R: MUFUFUFUFU

on a beach

duh

just sleep on the beach and get dressed in someones room in the morrow

J: i quickly say "aunty Rose's"

and she has already said she's very busy today and the plan to see me nah work out

"see you in mobay then!"

okay bye grandma, i love you!

"i love you too sweetheart"

now i have to whatsapp aunty Rose and see if she will shelter me

and K-dollasign to see if i can drive with him

R: funny at points but not a bad day

J: Carlton still deh yah a try reach liguanea fi get some food

the story did not get resolved yet

lol

it wasnt a bad day just long af

R: wait what

J: let me try summarize

R: Well I mean, between Yanah's Healthy snack Crisis and the Wedding Snafu, I thought the day was sealed with you tryna get aunty Rose

J: I was also supposed to meet Pearl at starbucks for 3pm

when Carlton and i pull up to starbucks, Rose a walk up deh too

synchronicity

R: 'the hell? Starbucks is a spot now?

J: that's the culture of the company

im like baffled as to both my grandmother and father asking me if starbucks is an appropriate place to link and do work together

that's how they've been selling the place for at least the last ten years

i order a tall strawberry and cream frappe w coconut milk and Carlton is very excited to get a pumpkin spice frappe, no latte because he doesn't want to burn his tongue

yesterday Pearl showed me a video she edited featuring this black guy with ginger hair, Souffrant

Souffrant appears before us in starbucks and sits at our table

i'm supposed to edit my own video with Pearl's color correction advice, but i'm still trying to figure out my travel situation

before we went to starbucks, we walked to tastees and my mom replied to my frantic messages about grandma and the wedding with "ur not paying attention to what i tell u"

there's like a whole thing where i'm trying to get my cousin Jazz's number to ask if i can go from kingston to mobay with him because K-dollasign is unavailable.

aunty Rose says of course i can stay with her and of course she has Jazz's number

resolve dat, so mi have a place to stay and a drive

there are several unrelated phone calls that need to be made but mi still nah no credit, so i borrow Souffrant's phone

then the next chapter is me, Carlton, and Pearl trying to walk to sov after i finally finish editing my video.

i take some really dope shots of the sunset

pause for incoming illustration

R: i mean

sure

make hay

all of the birds with 1 stone

J: -picture of sov-

R: this is sov

dark

but its sov

J: it's the golden sunset reflecting off the walls

then we all go to kfc and then i try look for some shoes to wear to the wedding, but then mi nuh even know if it's really a beach ting, but never fear, my likkle sister is here to whatsapp me the link to the wedding info website the couple set up!

it's a garden brunch affair ting

so we think to go to lee's instead of payless and when we reach back in fronta payless di people dem close

so now i will go to the thrift store tmrw to cop a whole new fit from the dress to the shoes.

when i reach home my father is going to the airport and grandma (dad's mom, not the one i was tryna see earlier) asks me to come with them which i would have done anyway.

driving back from the airport, grandma's bajan soca music continues to play in the car, but it seems louder now without dad's voice. i try to talk to grandma about herself. i ask about high school. she says, "do you expect me to remember 50 years ago"

i'm like yes of course

she said

"well

i was head girl"

of course! i say

and she was also in charge of sports such as running

the drive back home is very slow because grandma cant really see in the dark

when we finally reach home and i lay inna mi bed, mi wonda why mi so tiyad

and now i know why

thanks for tuning in, this has been an appreciation for the life we live, by Jeana like jeans pants

totes forgot the best part where K-dollasign pulled up on Carlton and me in traffic when we walked back to the plaza to get to the car

then another man pulled up on us and Carlton cuss me jokingly bout how i know everyone and we probably see someone else weh mi know

#fabulous

R: like bloodcleet jeans pants

yea, cause clearly you're a superstar

beer people, links and visits

J:

[latestnews2018-blog]

There Were Zero Things Better This Week Than These Grandma Twins

New Post has been published on https://latestnews2018.com/there-were-zero-things-better-this-week-than-these-grandma-twins/

There Were Zero Things Better This Week Than These Grandma Twins

Welcome to Good Stuff, HuffPost’s weekly recommendation series devoted to the least bad things on and off the internet. 

The best thing I saw this week was this photo of two old women I’m going to assume are twins because they look exactly the same and are wearing matching pink outfits. If I’m wrong, sue me.

Why do I like it? I don’t know. I just do. Maybe it’s been a so-so week, but I can’t think of anything else that has brought me more joy. Look at their outfits! The shirts! The glasses! The hair! Are those called shorts or pants? Who cares! I love them!

My colleague Ashley Feinberg described this photo as “fucked up,” claiming “there’s no way you get to 80 and still keep buying matching outfits with your twin without something being extremely fucked up.” She is wrong. Sometimes two cute twins (presumably) are just two cute twins (presumably).

Do you know these twins? I would like to interview them. Thanks. ― Maxwell Strachan

Jonathan Chait’s BOFA Tweet

Twitter

On July 12, in the year of our Lord 2018, at 10:51 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time, persecuted white man Jonathan Chait tweeted three perfect words: “What is BOFA?”

BOFA, as any self-hating internet user knows, is “bofa deez nuts.” It is the “What’s ‘updog’” prank, only vastly stupider and consequently infinitely funnier whenever an unsuspecting target takes the bait. Jonathan Chait took the bait, and the result was more beautiful than any of us could have ever hoped to deserve. 

Jonathan Chait, however, deleted his tweet — the tweet in which he asked, “What is BOFA?” — and deprived us of our constitutional right to dunk on Jonathan Chait. Just one more example of illiberal deplatforming from the radical left.

Anyway, congratulations to the remarkably damp Jonathan Chait on giving brief, beautiful life to a perfect tweet. We should all be so lucky. ― Ashley Feinberg

Sweet Soccer Boys Sharing Gentle Hugs

ALEXANDER NEMENOV via Getty Images

This week I wanted to recommend hate-watching (or more like “confused-watching”) Fox’s nightly special “World Cup Tonight,” but my editor made me turn it into a standalone blog. 

Instead, I will recommend a more healing aspect of the World Cup spectacle: watching the beautiful boys of soccer comfort and celebrate with each other through emotional embraces. Jezebel’s Sheena Raza Faisal saluted these loving clinches in a very on-point post that features not quite enough images of man hugs ― check the comments for more, especially England manager Gareth Southgate soothing Colombia’s Mateus Uribe after Uribe missed a crucial penalty kick in a shootout against England.

Boy, it sure is dusty in here, etc., etc. ― Claire Fallon

Glynnis MacNicol’s New Book

Illustration: HuffPost/Photo: Simon and Schuster

After hearing Glynnis MacNicol talk about her new memoir, Nobody Tells You This, at the Strand in New York City, I’ve had this one sentence stuck in my head. When asked about the plight of unmarried, childless women and our society’s treatment of them as somehow other or incomplete, MacNicol hit back with a statement that resonates with me still: “We look at women as a problem in need of a solution.”

In her book, MacNicol draws attention to the ways strangers feel they have a right to women’s bodies and lives in service of the ultimate goal, motherhood. The shame around it all, the general lack of freedom or agency, is really frightening. Although I have yet to read Nobody Tells You This, I’m excited to. And I’m ready to recommend it as a refreshing take on what life can be like for women who choose not to do what is expected of them. ― Anna Krakowsky

The Birth Of Kulture

Kulture ❤️❤️anything else woulda been basic 💁🏽‍♀️💁🏽‍♀️💁🏽‍♀️Okrrrrr

— iamcardib (@iamcardib) July 12, 2018

Cardi B had the baby and her name is Kulture with a K. That’s self-explanatory Good Stuff. ― Julia Craven

When June Smacked The Shit Out Of Commander Waterford On “The Handmaid’s Tale”

In a moment when it feels like terrible men are trying to whittle away women’s rights on a near-daily basis, sometimes you just really want to see a lady righteously smack the shit out of a dude who deserves it. Enter the “Handmaid’s Tale” finale!

June (Elisabeth Moss), who has spent two seasons being psychologically tortured, raped and belittled by Commander Fred Waterford (Joseph Fiennes) ― a man who desperately wants to be powerful and desperately wants the approval of women he knows are better than him ― finally stops bottling up her rage and lets him have it, right across the face. I could watch this GIF on repeat for the next two years. ― Emma Gray

England’s Loss

WATCH: Mario Mandzukic scores the game winning goal in extra time to put Croatia in its first ever World Cup Final. #ENGCRO #WorldCup pic.twitter.com/dnRpjSNPHo

— Jurado (@JuradoNYC) July 11, 2018

It’s not coming home. LOL. ― Travis Waldron

The Enya Song In “Eighth Grade”

You know a movie’s good when an Enya song pops up in a pivotal scene. But even without “Orinoco Flow,” Bo Burnham’s “Eighth Grade” would be an indie masterpiece ― one you should definitely, totally, run to the theater to see.

It follows “Most Quiet” superlative winner Kayla (Elsie Fisher) during her last week of eighth grade, as she tries to come to grips with her social anxiety and lackluster lifestyle before high school. Behind her phone, she’s confident, even funny. But in real life, Kayla is quiet, a loner. Burnham allows viewers to study her every move in a tech-obsessed world while contemplating their own adolescent memories. It’s beautiful, raw and utterly sweet. ― Leigh Blickley

Megan Amram’s Emmy-Nominated Web Series

Please watch “An Emmy for Megan,” a hilarious and weirdly poetic exercise in doing the bare minimum, while remaining utterly extra. The concept is simple: Writer Megan Amram, best known for her work on “The Good Place” and Twitter, decides she reeeeally wants to win an Emmy Award. (It’s her favorite award!) So at the last minute, she decides to write, direct and star in a short web series about making a short web series to win an Emmy.

The six episodes, under 10 minutes each and created in the week leading up to the submissions deadline, use the constraints of the Emmy requirements like forms of meter and verse. There are tears and tantrums and alcohol-fused meltdowns and even a surprise MUTINY along the short (so short) way.

Amram’s feat is not only hilarious but effective. On Thursday, the series was nominated for two Emmys: Outstanding Actress in a Short-Form Comedy or Drama Series and Outstanding Short-Form Comedy or Drama Series. Don’t sleep on the most inspiring tale of our time. ― Priscilla Frank

A Podcast About A Cult

When I was a kid, my best friend’s name was Robin, which was kind of weird because my mom’s childhood best friend’s name was Robin. The difference between my Robin and my mother’s Robin (aside from their being entirely separate humans) was that the latter ended up in a “Wild Wild Country”-ish cult.

My mom told me the story of her friend’s descent into Cult Town, U.S.A., and the teen girl power rescue mission that boldly extricated her a million times. Everything about it fascinated me. For a while, I actually thought it was a cosmic inevitability that my Robin would end up in a cult from which I’d need to liberate her. Anyway, she didn’t. But “The Gateway” is a good podcast about a cult. ― Katherine Brooks

Road Trip Music

Over the past few years, there’s been renewed interest in the work of John Fahey, the instrumentalist who put American primitive guitar on the map. As the genre has surged in popularity, acolytes and like-minded explorers have come out of the woodwork. Specialty labels have reissued private-press recordings that had long since gone out of print. It seems as though every town had an uncelebrated devotee of these obscure, mystical tunings. Worshipful but questioning, celestial and homespun, primitive guitar uses repetition and drone to access the pleasures and enlightenment of devotional music.

In April, Fahey’s hometown of Takoma Park, Maryland (just outside D.C.), honored the genre he helped create with a multiday festival. Lauding his work, it also shone a light on others who followed a similar path, devoting years to decoding the light and limber picking of Mississippi John Hurt and replicating the primal thump of Reverend Gary Davis. It was only fitting that one of this generation’s best pickers showed up ― Marisa Anderson, a guitarist based in the Pacific Northwest.

Anderson recently released a new album, “Cloud Corner,” which should be her breakthrough. She does something that I think most Fahey followers miss. She captures his melancholy, favoring mood as much as speed and technique. Her songs put you in places and moments. One song off an earlier album, she has said, is a tribute to her favorite swimming hole in Kentucky.

The new record lands on weightier subjects like the Syrian refugee crisis while other tunes process Tuareg-style playing through her fuzzy, electric style. But mostly, the songs ring clear, notes hushed or plucked pure. The album is meant for one of the few modes of escape where we can all still worship in peace: the road trip. ― Jason Cherkis

And Finally, The Women Of Color Who Dominated The Emmy Noms

Noam Galai via Getty Images

Sandra Oh was nominated for her role in “Killing Eve.”

This week in Good Stuff for me was the plethora of amazingly talented women of color who got Emmy nominations for best and supporting actress, including Sandra Oh (the first Asian woman to be nominated for lead actress in a drama), Tracee Ellis Ross, Issa Rae, Zazie Beetz, Letitia Wright and my queen Thandie Newton. ― Zeba Blay

Get last week’s Good Stuff here.

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