#ye ok this isn't the “true of design” but it was the first one called acara which overnight replaced the tigrens which looked sikly qtπ

[worthlessdumbasspieceofshit]

for anyone who is confused. this is what I mean when I say I want old neopets back:

reject modernity

return to tradition

[theatercatklio]

OC Intro - Klio

(click image for better quality)

"I'll change this world for the better. Doesn't everyone want to live in a fairytale?"

RARITY: ✦✦✦✦✦

⭒♬ Titles/Aliases⭒› Lady of the Theater, High Court Magician, Patron of Heros

⭒𝄞 Path⭒› Emanator of Enigmatia

⭒♫ Faction⭒› The Grand Promethean Theater

⭒♬ Combat Info⭒› 5 Star, Fire/Harmony

⭒𝄞 Species⭒› Grimalkin (species info to be added)

⭒♫ Planet⭒› Bacharach - Laurel Wreath Galaxy (planet info to be added)

@miscellaneouslibrary @raven-starlight hope you don't mind me tagging you two, but you both seemed interested in knowing more about her :D

COMBAT:

pretend XX is a number I'm too lazy to figure out what it would realistically be T-T

⭒𝄞 Basic ATK⭒› Cutting Words

Deals Fire DMG equal to 50% of Klio’s ATK.

⭒♫ Skill⭒› Lights, Curtains, Action!

Increases the ATK of a single ally equal to XX% of Klio’s ATK for two turns. At the same time, Advance Forward the targeted ally’s action by 20%

⭒♬ Ult⭒› Final Bow in a Full House

Creates a field that lasts for two turns, decreasing by one at the start of Klio’s turn. While the field is active, increase DMG done by allies by XX%. Additionally, while an ally’s energy is full inside the field, gain Patronage, lasting until the Ult is cast. Ults cast while Patronage is active use up less energy and deal increased damage.

⭒𝄞 Talent⭒› A Tough Act to Follow

After a character uses their Ult, their next attack deals XX% more DMG 

⭒♫ Technique⭒› Shifting Stargazer

....I'll figure it out later its late and I'm tired

LORE

Introduction

A playwright and Emanator of Enigmata who wants to make the world more like one of her shows (really taking the phrase "all the world's a stage" literally huh) She's revered for her storytelling and her status in high society as a patron of heros.

Personality

Eccentric and dramatic, Klio usually follows her heart over her head. She's very emotional and rarely seen being calm or serious. At worst, she's childish with a dangerous amount of power at her fingertips. At best, she's playful and happily uses her status to uplift others.

Character Stories

(to be added)

Voicelines

Voice Claim - ok imagine Furina's voice but 1) slightly deeper/mature and 2) slightly Italian boom done

First Meeting: "I've been keeping up on your journey, Trailblazer. If you ever want a stage adaptation, you must let me know at once!"

Greeting: "I've been running into you a lot...hey, this isn't a ploy to get free tickets, huh?

Parting: "Leaving already? Well, if you must leave so soon, make sure you come to see my next show!"

About Self - Book and Pen: "The book records and the pen rewrites- it's simple enough."

Chat - Intelligentsia Guild: "While the Genius Society is too busy to focus on me, and the IPC likes me enough to leave me alone, some members of the Guild have nothing better to do than bother a lady on her rest days- the day they stop messing with me will be the day I keel over dead!"

Annoyances: "Too often I have to wake up early for events- why can't they set them for later in the day, when people aren't asleep?"

Hobbies: "In addition to writing the scripts, I compose the music for my plays as well. It's rather relaxing, you should try it sometimes."

About Mr. Reca: "We disagree on some points, but I can always count on him to give me good feedback- that's why he always gets the first invite to my premieres."

About Dr. Ratio: "What was it he called me? Ah, yes- "a hedonistic fool who delights in obscuring the truth." Well, I was made an Emanator, and he hasn't gotten so much as a glance- let me ask, which one of us is the true fool?"

About Argos: "She's an inspiring hero and a fitting representative of The Promethean Theater. I can't wait to see what she'll accomplish in the future!"

Trivia/Fun Facts

⭒› She was originally designed to be a Masked Fool who was Elio's sister, and her first design was purple and black instead of red, white, and gold

⭒› VERY picky with her food, she's very gourmet and dislikes processed food. Her favorite food is sweet crêpes.

⭒› Despite being powerful magically, she's a coward, squeamish, and bad in physical combat. No wonder she gets other people to fight for her!

⭒› Her last name is Vittorio, meaning winner or conqueror. She picked it out for herself after seeing it on the inside cover of her book.

⭒› Her and her planet are based on the Baroque period, specifically Baroque Italy/Rome, France, and Germany.

[vikenticomeshome]

Cyberchase - An Interview With The Hacker by Reporter CyBob from "Cyborg Life!"

Sometime in 2003, the "Meet the Cybersquad" section of the Cyberchase section of the pbskids.org website was updated with more Hacker lore. This is an interview between the reporter CyBob from a publication called "Cyborg Life!"

I will transcribe the interview and give my thoughts at the end.

Foreward: He's the rascally cyborg about town, the virtual man with a a plan to rule Cyberspace. CYBORG LIFE! is proud to present the first and only interview with The Hacker, the wily villain of CYBERCHASE! Our intrepid report CyBob, met up with The Hacker in a scluded chat room over lattes to learn more about this ambitious rising star in the Internet firmament.

Cyborg Life!: Your exploits are the buzz of Cyberspace. You threw the symmetrical world of Symmetria into chaos, pilfered pods in Poddleville and nabbed an irregular area in the Sensible Flats land grab. You're a true man of mystery -- a celebrity. And our readers want to know more. Can I call you Hacker?

The Hacker: That's "THE Hacker" to you!

Cyborg Life!: THE Hacker, OK. How about just "The." But seriously, people everywhere want to know more about your outrageous quest to take over Cyberspace. What inspired you to take on this fascinating challenge?

The Hacker: Well, I'm glad you asked. As you know I have an extraordinary mind. My designs and prodigious programs helped build Cyberspace. Yet, Motherboard always took the credit. -- Would you mind taking your feet off the table when I speak? -- She lacked the villainous vision to bring my fantastic plot to its final fruition. I could see the potential in her operation. But, oh, how she squandered her power.

Cyborg Life!: It's not easy being in middle management I guess. But isn't Cyberspace Motherboard's domain? And isn't the renowned scientist Dr. Marbles the great innovative mind behind its most outstanding inventions? It says here that Dr. Marbles built you as an assistant to Motherboard, sort of a glorified techie. And that he later banished you to the Northern Frontier when you tried to stage a coup?

The Hacker: I was laid off! Marbles knew that with my considerable cranial talents I would soon be running all of Cyberspace. That's why he tried to get rid of me. But I would not be ignored.

Cyborg Life!: So you hatched a plan.

The Hacker: Yesssss, a plan. I created a nasty little virus to disable Motherboard causing her to lose much of her memory and functions. Now the virtual universe is in jeopardy! And I intend to step in to claim my predestined place as the rightful ruler. hen it will be all chaos and caviar for me!

Cyborg Life!: But something keeps getting in your way. Three things actually -- those three Earth kids -- Jackie, Matt, and Inez. You know, the Cyber Squad. Some people are calling them heroes.

The Hacker: heroes? Those insignificant insects can't stop me. Those diminutive gremlins are just a trio of white hats. They think they can hack THE HACKER?

Cyborg Life!: So, how does one get into a career as a supervillain?

The Hacker: Once I left Motherboard's operation, I began my own sinister start-up. There in the icy north, I built my awesome ship -- The Grim Wreaker -- as my vehicle to bring chaos to all of Cyberspace. Finally, I created my humble assistants, Buzz and Delete, a pair of tin plated duncebuckets though they may be. But together, they are almost competent enough to carry-out my most dastardly deeds. Of course, there's that cyber-stool pigeon Digit.

Cyborg Life!: Digit, isn't he with the Cyber Squad?

The Hacker: Yes, that supercilious cyber-turkey didn't have the stuff to make it as one of my henchman, so he flew the coop. Now he helps those three pre-teen terrestrial termites in their attempts to thwart my victories. That disloyal dodo will rue the day he ditched me and ran back to Motherboard. But let's talk about me. From the moment I first felt current flow through my circuits, I have craved power. Yes, power, power and more power. Dr. Marbles thought I would be content punching keyboard like some hackneyed pawn. Look at me, I am regal personage with a fine purple cloak and an elegant pocket protector. I am the one and only true leader of the virtual realm. I am THE HACKER!

Cyborg Life!: So, what are some of the highlights of your solo career?

The Hacker: Ah, yes, There was the time I set my sights on the Sunisphere of Solaria. With the Sunisphere in my grasp, Solaria was transformed from a sunny resort into a doomed winter wonderland and an unlimited source of energy was mine.

Cyborg Life!: Well, that's just fascinating. Here it is in my notes. But it seems those Earth kids and Digit managed to return the Sunisphere and restore Solaria to the tropical paradise it once was. and, let's see -- I know it's in my notes. Yes, they did it by -- er -- estimating? Is that right, they got the Sunisphere back on its perch by estimating?

The Hacker: Come on, it was a lucky shot. Then there was the time I joined forces with the Wicked Witch to capture the kindly king of Happily Ever After. An odious little site where fairy tale creatures amuse themselves with their annoying rhymes and songs. We were to capture the kingdom's stash of golden eggs, but Witchie tried to double-cross me. She case a spell on the sorry citizens of Happily fracturing their ability to count this preventing them from paying the king's ransom. But I was ultimately paid in full, enough goald to finance my hostile takeover of Cyberspace.

Cyborg Life!: Well, once again my notes seem to indicate that it was the Cyber Squad that taught the fairy tale folk how to count by tens and hundreds to meet your demand. And then they coaxed the Witch back to their side, and she took back the entire stash of golden eggs. is that true?

The Hacker: Excuse me. I have come here to tell you about my wondrous personage. Not for you to fawn over those thorns in my glorious side.

Cyborg Life!: Wow, what a story, brainpower wins the day. I have to make a note to my editor to do a piece on them.

The Hacker: That's enough! This interview is over. Goodbye!

Cyborg Life!: Wait Hack! Can't you tell me more about these smart kids and their friend Digit and all the clever ways that they one-up you all the time. Hackie, come back! Does this mean the press junket on the Grim Wreaker is out?

That is the end of the interview.

So, what do I think of it. I admire the balls on this reporter to meet The Hacker, the biggest villain in Cyberspace, in a secluded place for the interview. I also admire the balls on this reporter to setup the interview in a way that asks the important questions, even if it takes the interview in a direction that he Hacker doesn't want to go. Remember, that this is 2003 Hacker. His villain decay, and his plans centering on rehabilitating his image, largely hasn't happened yet.

It's interesting to see The Hacker's attempts at historical revision regarding the creation of Cyberspace. I think there is fan-fiction potential, which some people have already noticed, with the idea that The Hacker wasn't lying about doing the lion's share of the work to bring Cyberspace online.

I'm not sure what the "press junket on the Grim Wreaker" was supposed to be. They may just be using the term loosely here. A press junket is a term that is normally used in the film industry to refer to a period of interviews used to advertise the product, such as an upcoming film. I assume The Hacker isn't selling the Grim Wreaker himself, but then, what is he selling?

[yourlocalsimpsonsandsanriofan]

💫A goofy AHHH review💫

hey guys it's ya boi Rusty here again!! and I'm here to review:

Yes yes, I can hear y'all now saying "but it's made for kids" "bro why are u watching this" 🤓☝

Stop right there, bud. ✋

This show is pretty good so far, all things considered! I decided to watch it for the nostalgia (and for mah boi Smee ofc!)!! I watched this show a little bit when I was younger, so I remember it fairly well. I was pleasantly surprised to find that it isn't cringe! (Well, some parts are a little iffy but we'll get to that in a minute.) It's actually tolerable and even made me laugh at some parts!

💫The songs💫

The songs aren't that good, in fact their kinda cringe. (But ofc I gotta go easy on this show cuz yes, it is intended for little kids with no brain cells.) At the end of every episode (wich usually consists of two episodes ranging from 15 minutes long each, making up the 30 minute mark.) There's these two ideots called Sharky and Bones who sing a song, and it's cringe. The lyrics arent funny, and their singing isn't even that good. I get that the humer is supposed to have zero brain cells, but come on guys. U gotta try a bit harder than that. The background music for the episodes is ok, nothing I would casually listen to though.

💫The characters💫

We have a few new characters to add to the Peter Pan universe by the names of Jake, Cubby (WHY ARE THEIR TWO CUBBYS?!), Izzy, Skully, Sharky and Bones. (And Captain Hook and Mr. Smee of course!!) The character designs are good, they work well for everyone, except Hook. Hook just looks weird in this art style honestly. And at first I didn't like Smee's design in this, but it grew on me. (The og is still better though!) In fact, he might even look kinda cute! :D

The voice acting for them is great too!! Its very expressive and something you wouldn't normally get from a kids show. The new voice actors for Smee and Hook almost sound IDENTICAL to the og's! There are some minor differences, but nothing to really make me get annoyed at. The animation is smooth and fluid too! I can tell that they used computer Riggs, but it's barely even noticeable! Which from what I heard, computer Riggs are pretty hard to do. So thats honestly impressive!

💫The insecurities of Jake and The Neverland Pirates💫

First off, I wanna talk about how Smee is portrayed. In the og movie, he's supposed to be a bumbling ideot (but a lovable ideot imo!). In this series, he seems to have a few brain cells, which I dislike. They didn't stay true to his character! Neither did they with Hook. He isn't that goofy anymore, neither is he evil, but he's in between. I can't really describe it, but something is off with his personality.

Like I said before, the music isn't very good, and neither is the pacing of each episode. It's inconsistent and feels too slow at times. The plot points for each episode are predictable too. The kids find something to play with, and Hook wants whatever it is and steals it and they take it back etc etc. The dabloons make no sense either! They collect dabloons each episode for their chest, but why?! What does it accomplish?! Maybe Im not smart enough to understand but that makes no sense to me. It's repetitive too, but not to the point where u want to shove a gun into the side of your head and call it quits. Like I said, it's tollerable! It does feel like Micky Mouse Clubhouse though (I HATE MICKEY MOUSE CLUBHOUSE.), but with Peter pan 💀

💫Conclusion💫

I like this show, and I think it's cute! It has potential!! Maybe just get rid of the repetitiveness and the cringe songs and it could be good! I reccomend this is you want the nostalgia from your chilhood (well technically I'm still a kid but whatever LOL)!!

That's my thoughts on this show! I haven't finished the first season yet, but maybe my views will change, but well see. But when they do, I'll keep u posted!! Thanks for reading this and I hope you have a spectacular day/night!!! I love you :D❤❤

(Oh yeah one last thing I gotta note is that Smee actually referred to Hook as "your greatness" 🤨 idk man..)

[undisputed-queer-a]

Let's talk about the Diva's Title

I said I'd do this so...um yeah that thing. Once again I'll try not to reiterate ground that has already been beaten to death. Seriously it looks so sh*t. It looks like it's sold at Claire's, if your not British let me translate- it looks like sh*tty jewellery for 13 year olds. But yes it looks terrible but instead of just saying that in 50 different ways how does it compare to other women's title's at the time.

(From left to right: TNA's Knockouts World Championship, Shimmer's Shimmer Championship, Stardom's World of Stardom Championship, WWE's Women's Championship, Ice Ribbon's ICE Cross Infinity Championship and WOW's WOW World Championship)

In my opinion the most important thing for a wrestling title is that it looks like an accolade, that it looks like something people would want to win. And I think that all of these belt fit this criteria with some excelling but then again good looking championships are subjective (Knockouts Championship my beloved) so the important bit is that they look important and like well championships. The Diva's Title doesn't look like a championship, it looks like a really bad accessory.

Ok let's zoom in for a second and compare the diva's title to one of these other title, and because I have the most history with it, let's pick the TNA's Knockouts Championship. Okay first off while I know that cagematch isn't always the best place, I'd like to mention that it rates the Diva's title at 2.62 and the Knockouts one at 7.91. And now let's compare some reviews of these belts.

"Not as good as the women's title and division and never liked the look of the diva's belt. The division is too much about eye candy and not enough hardcore action. There are no true HC matches such as ladder, cage, TLC or no holds barred matches. Also tired of seeing the black divas used as jobbers and think Naomi should have a reign as divas champ and Alicia should have a second reign. Only one black woman has held the title so far in it's history which is not right in my view."

"A very poor championship. The very design of the belt itself represents inferiority and relegates the belt and all who hold it in limbo. It's not a representation of a true women's belt and has been designed more for a pr teen or adolescent. As the design of the belt is that of a pink butterfly. Nothing against butterflies per say but it seems to have purposely over feminized in such a way as to make it seem worth much less then every other belt on the roster. I actually find the belt somewhat offensive and do not take it seriously. There have been a lot of great women's wrestlers that have held the belt but they and the belt are so-called Divas which in my opinion marginalizes them and the title itself."

A scathing admonishing of this belt, it's role in the company and the treatment of it's women. Now compare.

"While a lot of dumb things - lockboxes, hypnotism, ect. but it is still a bright spot, especially during the 2000's period where only TNA and places like shimmer cared for woman's wrestling, and there have been plenty of fun matches for this title, still a good title, just needs some for focus on the title."

I think that the KO Belt has a higher batting average of good feuds and good matches.

Ok fun game time, Name a good Diva's title match.

Ok sorry that was a bit hard, Name a good Diva's title feud.

Maybe you could, but I couldn't. And that's part of why this Title was sh*t (wow I've said sh*t a lot in this post) I can't name a single good thing to come out of it...maybe Paige Vs AJ...maybe Paige Vs Charlotte excluding the really uncomfortable reference to Charlotte's dead brother. Also it's design and name do a lot of work to undermine the women who held it, but I think you knew that already. It's important to mention though. They didn't call them 'women', they f*cking called them 'divas'

In conclusion, I have talked about the Diva's title for far too long and would like to stop. At least things are a bit better now. A bit.

This has been Undisputed Queer-a.

Slay The System, Shock The Cis-tem, and see you next Monday.

[thephoenixandthecrocodile]

Title Announcement

Big news! Kingsley aka the Queer Croc WIP has an official title!

I’ve been working on this book for ten years and I had a title for a while, but then it didn’t work anymore and I settled on Kingsley as a placeholder. I actually considered just calling it Kingsley but Kingsley by Kingsley Montivelo sounded and look weird. After that failed, I was this close to just calling it the Queer Croc Book and move on. Then last night I had an epiphany. So, without further ado the official title is *drum roll*:

Say That I Slew Them Not

Origin of the Title

The title comes from William Shakespeare’s play Richard III (one of my favorite plays). Richard is trying to woo Anne, who’s father-in-law he just murdered. Oh, and he’s trying to woo her over her father-in-law’s corpse because he’s such a nice guy, haha. During the conversation, Anne calls Richard a murderer and he says:

RICHARD  Say that I slew them not.

ANNE  Then say they were not slain.

But dead they are, and, devilish slave, by thee.

While I love Richard III, this line sticks in my memory mostly because Robert Jordan, the lead prosecutor at the Nuremberg Trials, used it in his closing statement. He argued that the Nazis claimed they committed no crime because they followed the law. Similar to Richard III, they were asking their victims and the world to declare them innocent. Jordan claimed:

“They stand before the record of this trial as blood-stained Gloucester stood by the body of his slain King. He begged of the widow, as they beg of you: 'Say I slew them not.' And the Queen replied, 'Then say they were not slain. But dead they are,' If you were to say of these men that they are not guilty, it would be as true to say there has been no war, there are no slain, there has been no crime."

Why This Title?

You’re probably thinking, ok great, but how does this connect to a book about queer anthro crocodiles? 

First, the Nuremberg Trials and the concept of international law are a huge source of inspiration for the Nothing but Glory series as a whole. One of the biggest takeaways from Nuremberg is it’s nice to think we can create a system that holds each other accountable, but how can we when that very system is built on the destruction of others/the system cannot or refuses to apply the law equally to all perpetrators of war crimes. My own country, the United States, being one of the biggest culprits that has never been held accountable. 

That is the true heart of the book Say I Slew Them Not. Yes, Kingsley is a rebel leader who is trying to prove that he’s not as bad as he claims, but the true question isn't whether Kingsley is a terrible war criminal or not (he is). The real question is why is Kingsley the only war criminal being put on trial when other pardoned war criminals testify against him and/or hold positions of power within the government and international system. Additionally, those same pardoned war criminals made the political, economical, and social decisions that drove Kingsley and others like him to commit acts of great violence. When only Kingsley is held accountable for his actions, is it true justice or is it an act of political power or theater? Is there any point in holding individual people accountable when it’s the system that is designed to reward certain behavior?

So I really like the connection between Kingsley’s trial (and the concept of international justice in my world) with our own international justice system. 

I also like the connection between my book and the scene in Richard III. Kingsley is responsible for a lot of deaths and betrayals, like Richard. In the Shakespeare scene, Richard’s attempts to woo Anne can be read as manipulative (and same goes for Kingsley), but it could also be read as a moment of true vulnerability with Anne in order to win her over. Still manipulative, but the emotion can also be real, which is also true for Kingsley. I could have made the title stronger: I Slew Them Not, but the conviction is wrong. Kingsley claims he’s “innocent” but he knows what he’s done and I think he is looking for some sort of validation: “Tell me I didn’t kill them all. Tell me I, alone, am not responsible for all this horror”

There is also a sarcastic twinge to the title, because the Hevians, the people who Kingsley rebelled against and are trying him for war crimes, constantly deny they ever did anything wrong ever. Heva, the colonial democracy who stripped Kingsley’s people of their home, their rights, their language, their religion, etc., who purposely poisoned Kingsley’s homeland, and a bunch of other horrible things. They pretend none of those things ever happened. They are “innocent” either because they are truly disconnected from reality or because it’s Hevian law to treat their colonial subjects like trash and so there was no crime. And so, by calling his memoir about Heva’s crimes: Say I Slew Them Not, he’s making fun of them and their ignorance. 

It’s that train of thought that convinced me this was the perfect title. In the United States we have a growing movement of white supremacists who are rewriting, erasing, and suppressing the truth so they can claim that “there was no crime”, but the history of the United States is full of crimes against humanity and acts of genocide. Just like the Hevians, we as white people can no longer claim the horror didn’t happen. We can no longer ignore that it's still happening. 

It’s something my characters and us in the real world must grapple with if they, and us, want to build a progressive, loving world. 

[cryptometaphor]

(incel stream turns quickly into crypto stream)

Me: I invited some people, hope you don't mind Axel and Dr Proof

Axel: Crypto-bros? Really?

One of them: You should be happy. Jim's a nice guy and would probs hire his friends for his business.

Dr. Proof: He doesn't actually have a business lol

Me: Actually I do. I got an appointment in the morning to discuss producing a card game that incorporates ai generated art with QR codes to battle other cards and ante crypto. Hence I'm asking the crypto bros some questions.

Doge silver: Like honestly this benefits us too. Your idea if it works, not only normalizes crypto, but turns it into the next fantasy football. Like, normies don't know shit about investing, but they do understand gambling.

Axel: Wait wait wait. So is this a card game or a gambling operation?

Me: Both. It's a card game, that gambles crypto.

Axel; And the cards themselves...

Me: Are QR encoded so as to reward Blockchain technology and installing a wallet.

Dr. Proof: OMGGGG everything about this sounds like a scam.

Axel: It's like one of those cheeseburgers you see on a food challenge where it's like grotesquely big. Like if this was the 90s, Jim would be saying "let's make candied pogs! Kids like candy, kids like Pogs! Give them diabetes and fucking die!"

Me: Yes. Not even yeth just unironically yes and this is gonna make me as rich as Jeff Besos and...

Dr. Proof: You will not be as rich as Jeff Besos.

Me: Ok fine, Duane Johnson.

Axel: I wish I had Jim's confidence. I swear I might actually have sex if I did.

Dr. Proof: Does Sarah know about this?

Me: Well sort of... She knows OF THE plan. I've theorized it before.

Dr. Proof: So she doesn't know.

Axel: "Your husband made candied Funko pops and increased gambling addiction by 200%!"

Me: Hey, it's something to be proud of. It's like being the CEO of a brewery. Imagine if I became chief financial officer for Hennekein beer. Like sure, alcoholism is bad, but...

Sarah: You're really gonna compare online gambling and card slop too beer? lol

Me: Oh hey honey!

Doge silver: The fear in Jim's voice.

Axel: Call Jim a narcissist, a schizo, an autist, it rolls off him like water off a rain-coat. But call him a bad boyfriend, and watch as he recoils, sinks, and says "I've been found out!"

Dr. Proof: Jim wants to be a Jew so bad lol

Sarah: I heard like the tail end of the scheme. Babe, really? Pachinko machines?

Me: But with cards! (I make up a Pokemon song)

Me: I gotta buy buy buy POKE-EE-MAN CARDS! (She giggles)

Sarah: Corrupting our first moments! Wait why am I surprised? You literally did try to screw me out of a trade when we first met because you didn't know what cerebral palsy was and thought I had downs syndrome

Everyone: DAAAAMN

Axel: I couldn't get away with that

Me still singing: and with the profits I make... With poke-eee-man cards. I could buy us a house, for my retard

Sarah: I will hit you lol

Dr. Proof: So how does the game work? (Explains it)

Axel: That's lame

Me: This isn't magic the fucking gathering. It's a simple script anyone could cold blind folded. One indian could run the entire project.

Sarah: Babe you're not gonna say that tomorrow are you? "ONE INDIAN is all it'll cost!" Like you were selling paper mache pyramids "ONE NEGRO"

Axel: It's a good unit of measurement for costs...

Sarah: No don't encourage him lol. I am torn as I do want that house and lots of babies. BUT you know this is only gonna feed into your arch nemesis Konami right?

Me: How so?

Sarah: Did you forget Konami is first and foremost a gambling company? Who makes a shitty card game that is a front for just casino bullshit? Who do you think is gonna start investing heavily in it if it takes off so there's no gacha competition?

Me: hmmm that's true

Dr. Proof: "imagine if the roles were reversed!"

Me: Well what I hate about the Yugioh card game isn't even how atrocious the design elements are. It's the toxic fans thirsty to win and the gooning

Sarah: Hmmm... HMMMM who wants to win more than a gambler?

Me: ehhh...

Sarah: May as well make little girl cards to seal the deal of a nefarious

Me: Ok yeah I'm evil. But I'm evil for us. (Sings) LET ME DO IT FOR YOU... KERMIE...

Sarah: LOL

Dr. Proof: How does that fucking work?

Doge Silver: I gotta admit. Even impressed by Jim's rizz like it's just a salad bowl of cringe memes and silly voices but she got it baaaadddd

Axel: It's the jawline

Dr. Proof: Nigga, Sarah hasn't seen Jim in like 20 years

Axel: He's got a jawline NOW

Doge Silver: I mean at least we're finally on the discussion of inceldom instead of how fucking great Jim is

Me: I am great

Doge Silver: You're just conceited and always find a way to weasel out of accountability

Axel: Jim is out secret weapon. A woman with a brain... (Plays better, faster, stronger for stream and everyone starts donating like crazy)

[castle-dominion]

Starting with Hedge Fund Homeboys to ease myself into the earlier episodes (rather than getting whiplash from going straight from the s3 finale to the extended pilot).

c1x4 tho technically I think it is 1x3...?

I have 45 minutes & I need to watch a 45 minute episode. I recognize that from the intro, I love that abt these. Coffee <3 Whose dad is in what? Rehab? Grams had a party? Oh it was cinqo de mayo nvm. Love the music

Senieh? Lanie <3 I prefer esposito's hair here compared to s3. I was literally thinking about viking burials, mostly bc of unus annus.

Hold on I saw those chairs & I thought they were viking celtic shields lol. Ah yes, I remember the good old castle sherlock moments. I also really prefer beckett's hair & character design. Nice scarf, nice jacket. Who had the money to send rick to all those different schools & how did he get kicked out?

Amanda, Romy, Brandon, Spencer, & Max. Really 2009 isn't it. lmao what a bad video. They're lying True, he can't get in trouble he kind of got into drugs?

Goat song...? Casually twists his ear lol.

Love how she just lies abt going to york.

Ah, I hadn't heard mention of it much at all in s2 when I first got into the fandom, I heard from the fandom that ryan used to be a narcocop but I hadn't heard it from the show. I see now. It was season one. KR: During my narc days, this area was pretty much an open bazaar, especially at night.

Castle sherlock moments Drug dealers can have hobbies ms panizzon.

Hey, Detective, get over here! You see someone you recognize, Mrs. Falcigno? No, I miss your sparkling personality. Yeah!

RM: It's not about putting him on his heels. This is about building a case for the DA. RM: Watch this. Watch her now. KB: Maybe you can drop me a line in about twenty-five years. Scoville: Coupla dudes. Coupla chicks. One was Asian. Kinda hot. XD ok bestie

y'all should get your story straight (but not too straight) Having seen it twice I'm starting to think they DID have a straight story. & I can so so easily see the stuff going on.

They could let Romy into that room first to see that they can indeed not see her. If Ryan can hear beckett why can't the numbered fellows?

Just straight up asks her "do you do drugs" & I love these two & their relationship. Tailor, Kelsie, Paige. We know their names & I remember they show up later. This is me & my mom. Well i'm actually a bad kid sometimes & alexis is an angel but other than that. I love & trust my mom so much.

Gentlemen gentlemen!

I like all the purple & at least Ryan looks somewhat normal (so I'll be able to ease into the pilot without whiplash) Ryan just walking around with a rick castle book under his arm lol; kate really did get him into those books

Yankman & his emo lookin hair. Yeah rich kid rebels. ngl I kinda like yankman Lol the knicks game with montgomery, castle, & the mayor. ha, castle but acab

Becks wow kinda rude in front of the parents. "we did it all the time" is crazy & not a good cover. Wow gun laws in the usa huh... Murder not manslaughter? Why did they call ryan to talk to beckett That ought to be fun to explain /s

I love the "you should be writing" screensaver Girl fare dodging isn't even a crime. Public transport should be free. Ok good for you, you swiped your card the next day w/o riding it & that is justice. You lied to him but then you told him & that is also justice. Lmao ice cream for breakfast "after the DC trip" RC: that's my girl!

Yeah...

I love Lanie & her hair WOAH THAT IS HELLA DRUNK But who would move the body & then frame someone looking guilty? Unless! they moved the body first & then when they realized they'd get caught THEN they killed/framed max!

lol zen koan one handed clapping

KB: If by screwing around, you mean intentionally putting a bullet in a chamber, knowing that Max was gonna shoot Donny, then yes. You and I are in total agreement. Not a good line imp

Kid's lying Mad respect to these kids for their crime genius stories straight.

This video is not proof of where you were last night like it sounded like you said. Gosh they just.. filmed it.. Except that one time pendrick accidentally broadcasted a murder

Already finishing each other's sentences

Amanda has a great aesthetic. r/whyweretheyfilming Beautiful green shirt on beckett. I bet he did. Oh her face as she realizes.

Brandon is insane. Ew u'r a high schooler. idc if you have a nice jacket, you're a dickwad.

Not yet. But one day I'm gonna write it. RC: Funny thing is, if he did, Brandon would've known. It would've popped up on his shared folder as soon as their phones... *gestures really funny* Is there a record of syncing???

...Fun? Suck a lemon little man? I confess... that I'm dying to cop a feel under your cop blouse. I hate him sm

It took me a while to finish this bc I had to go away for the weekend but finally I'm finishing this.

Castle is using his dramatic writer skills to get into this kid's head

Rick going with Alexis <3

Martha... Martha...

I LITERALLY HAD THAT MUCH OF THE EPISODE LEFT FML

[nightswithkookmin]

Jimin is a pretty bOY

This is a continuation of our discussion on my last post. Thanks for sharing your thoughts with me, I think I agree with all of it.

Not sure how I feel about the calling eachother out bit or near scolding of others in the comments. Please let's be welcoming and respectful of others's thoughts regardless of whether or not we agree with it. It's ok to hold diverse views. We do after all come from different backgrounds and have accumulated different experiences and I think it plays out in how we see things. Everyone's opinion is valid. Plus, I purple yall.

Now, do I think he is trying to pack on muscles........? Yes. He said so himself in Festa when he said he would rush to the mirror when he thought he had gained some muscle only to find out his biceps looks like a muscled kindergartner.

He also said lately he's into exercising and staying in shape which is true because for quite sometime now since early this year he has been talking about how "weak" he is in their Vlives and have even given instances of him not being able to do certain things- certian simple and easy tasks- which is typical of him I'd say. He's always talking about how "weak" he is especially around JK and juxtaposing that with "but JK is so strong" which I'm sorry but I have to smirk at right now cos it's such a typical gay pick me simp thing to do. We've all been there.

Do I think he's trying to be a muscle bunny or revert back to his body shape around debut? Absolutely not. But I do think he is straddling the line of toxic masculinity which is what the conversation is about.

I don't think there's anything wrong with wanting to stay in shape or even enjoying work outs. Last night I ran downstairs because I had left my stew on the stove and now this morning I called renew my gym membership because I discovered running can be actually fun to do... No. No it's not. The gym instructor would have to come for me kicking and screaming.

RM have said even though JM looks skinny and fragile he is one of the strongest within the group. Besides, this is not the first time he's expressed interest in working out and building his body- hello, on Era?

I remember people complaining he looked too buffed up in that period on SNS and PJMs quickly jumping in to clear the searches for it. The choreo for On required agility and endurance and required the members- not just JM build up some definition in their muscles.

We've seen them go through all that. So it's not simply a matter of black and white staying in shape or doing it because he feels pressured to do so. Especially, when you consider that he's undertaken some pretty unhealthy measures in the past in attempts to lose weight or soften out his body post these muscle building, weight gaining periods and we've always chalked it up to his dance and how as a contemporary dancer he has to look a certain way or this or that to try to justify and make sense of it. Next you, know there are six chapters of break the silence of him talking about all the dark places he's been, the pressures to look his best for his fans or for his job and all these other painful stories he's shared with us over the years. And it's like, but why? Why do this to yourself?

I'll never forget the look he gave JK when JK was talking about wanting to build muscles in one of the interviews for the promotion of Be- I think I made a post on it. When JK noticed JMs disapproving glare he backtracked saying he would want to stay skinny after gaining all that muscles.

I mean if I'm to be honest, he was bound to crack at one point. The signs were there being surrounded by all these men who adhere to the traditional aesthetics of a masculine body- from Namjoon to Taehyung.

I wish y'all will steer the conversation in this direction and make it more about gender norms and expressions and breaking stereotypes and diversity in the body aesthetics of men.

Jimin is a man too. He just isn't what people traditionally will label masculine. Androgynous is more an apt word in my opinion. How many times have I said, I think Jungkook hetero passes because his body aesthetics is quintessentially what most associates with a masculine man?

Breaking gender barriers is not just about embracing feminine apparels- that teeters on cross dressing quite frankly and can be a bit performative and baity. Then you have to consider their culture in itself has an inherent pro gender diversity feel to it.

Now, let me explain my problem with the Klout ad campaign a little bit.

Do you see how Tae stands out? And I'm not saying this to fuel the "Tae was their fav" debacle. It's the 007 feel... I'll explain in a bit.

Most often, alcohol advertisers as well as most advertisements intended to sell to men often try to appeal to men's internalized ideals of masculinity or try to shape and define what a man or masculinity should look like. These ideals are so often toxic and detrimental to men and mostly women too.

Take a look at these ads for example. All I had to do was google search ads for men.

Real men drink milk and look at the image they present as real men. This blatantly implies if you don't look like this, if you are not a strong cliff climbing man with abs you are not a real man.

The second image is subtle. I call it the 007 slash Kingsmen-esque ideals of masculinity. It portrays men as sexy cool badass- works out but isn't too buff, filthy rich or middle class, wears Rolex, designer clothes, is kind but has a mean exterior and is every 13 year old wattpad girls's dream of a man. In fiction, you see this kind of masculinity in characters such as Edward cullens to Christian Grey. And a lot of ads for men alternate between these two ideals of masculinity.

Do you see how they modeled Taehyung in these ads after this kind of masctheme? Tae looks the same in almost all the ads. 007 sexy cool badass.

Now, I may not be a makeup beauty guru or MUA or whatever, but one thing I've picked up on especially when it comes to makeup for men- BTS and Kpop idols mostly is that, they soften out the harsh features on their faces and make them appear more androgynous or effeminate to suit the Kpop look and they ditch it entirely in different settings.

So for instance, Tae and Kookie's natural hawkish eyebrows tend to get softened around the arch and edges- don't know how the fuck they do that- but it appears less in your face intense most times when they wear make up in kpop related contents.

However, in certain other contents that lean towards a certain gender theme those features are emphasized. Not to say hawkish features are masculine features. Just saying in men, Kpop idols, my observation is they soften those features out with makeup or surgery.

Now, take a look at JM in these ads and look at everything from his posture, make up, hairstyle and brows. It's as if someone took an eraser to his androgynousity and erased his feminine side. Take a look at his photo above and compare it to the ads.

I am not a man. But I feel the gender look they went for, intended to appeal to men, tapped into a rather outdated stereotype of what man and masculinity should look like.

What is a man?

What should a man look like?

What aesthetics of masculinity is Jimin gravitating towards now? And I'm not talking clothes, I'm talking the expression of his gender. Time and again, he's talked about how looking a certain way made him uncomfortable in the past because he was constantly fighting his feminine side. He is androgynous. Sometimes he leans more into his feminine side. Other times he leans more into his masculine side but this is the only time he's leaning into his masculinity that makes me uncomfortable to watch because like I said it bothers on toxic masculinity.

He's said whoever he was, the version fighting to look masculine, that wasn't him. So forgive me if I worry whenever i see him suppressing his feminine side and acting like 'one of the boys.' Him staying in shape is not synonymous with him erasing a valid part of himself or suppressing it. He can stay in shape, celebrate his masculinity and still be FILTER.

What I'm saying is, this not a conversation about him exercising. This is a conversation about an ad erasing his feminine side and boxing him into a narrow expression of his gender and how that might be affecting his view of himself especially in the way he's been gravitating towards a certain masculine aesthetics and how that could be toxic.

Tae has said the same thing and BTS have agreed the JM as of 2019 was the real JM according to them.They said he was that way- suppressing his feminine side, because there weren't much songs and choreos that suited him and so he had had to bend himself to fit with the others.

And so when I see him leaning a certain way I tend to wonder if his exterior environment is playing a role in that. I hope you can understand that.

He is a contemporary dancer and strength and flexibility are prerequisites for his craft. The company go out of their way to incorporate contemporary dance in their choreos for JM's sake which helps solve that problem of him trying too hard to look a certain way.

May be I'm projecting. May be my little brother is effeminate and I've always recommended Jimin as a role for him to tell him not to try to look different just because other boys look different. May be I've seen him try one too many times to kill himself in the gym trying to build on muscles and getting frustrated with himself because he ends up looking like someone else. You can't gym the queerness away. Society will never let you be who you want to be so you might as well flip it the middle finger.

These boys are being shaped by their environment. I hate to say this but the environment they are in isn't exactly progressive and the longer they stay in there cut off from the outside world...

Flying out helps. Meeting different people and being exposed to different cultures and conversations on gender expression helps.

Anywho, these are just concerns I have. Will have them till I see that's not where he is headed towards. But let's not act like these ad campaigns do not and can not psychologically impact these boys especially as these advertisers are not looking to tap into their own definition of gender and masculinity but shape it and redefine it to appeal to the demographic they intend to market to.

I think this is just a grey area for me. Rather than try to change JM to look a certain way in order to sell alcohol. I think the ground breaking thing would be to have a man who looks like JM show us how someone like him would sell a can of drink. I think that would be revolutionary.

Signed,

GOLDY

[loan-hh]

Ranking the Madrigals

I'm going to preface this by saying that if I could put everyone in the first place, I would. But then it wouldn't be a ranking so what would be the point. Obviously this is entirely subjective, if you disagree with anything feel free to comment I'll be happy to discuss since I'm not too sure of some of the places myself.

1. Mirabel 🦋

This is unusual since I always end up caring very little about the main character but she is genuinely so well done

Honestly I just relate to her a lot

Waiting on a Miracle has become one of my favourite songs and I don't think I'm able to listen to it without crying

Expresses the neurodivergent experience wonderfully, whether intentionally or not

The part when she sees herself in the vision breaks me :(

Love the fact that she decorated her whole dress

I'm constantly changing first place because I just can't decide between her and Bruno, this is technically illegal but they should share first I'm sorry

2. Bruno ���

Relatable AND funny AND well developed AND adorable AND has apparently neurodivergent traits? king

We all know why he is this high I just want to hug him

Love how he has nothing to do with the expectations built around him

I've said it before and I'll say it again: Jonathan Sims but his stupidity makes him cute instead of messing up everyone's plans

I, also, want to disappear and become a cryptid that lives with animals and mumbles nonsense to his imaginary friends

Not meaning to make this personal but like, the fact that he thinks his family is better off without him is such a mood

Eye horror mmmmm

Also a creative mind

Green is my favourite color :)

And Bruno is one of my favourite names I literally would have named myself that if it wasn't for the fact that I already knew someone with that name in my social circle

The rats are a plus

3. Alma 🕯

Alright, I know this one will probably be a bit controversial

She's one of the most complex characters in the film and I appreciate that so much

I don't like when people villanize her. Yes she obviously made huge mistakes but the whole point of her arc is that she realizes this and changes for the better

She isn't evil, everything she does comes from a place of fear from past experiences

When I think of her I think of her younger version because during the whole first part of the movie her present version is made to look like an antagonist, which is fine, it's how stories work otherwise there would be no arc or it would be meaningless

The image of her screaming brings me to tears everytime, everything Mirabel says about her at the end is so true. She went through so much completely on her own

And everything she does is to protect her family, even if she had to realize that it was doing the opposite.

4. Antonio 🐆

Cute but competent

Has the best gift and the best room

Honestly I just envy him. So much.

Extra points for being the kid™ without being annoying or just a brainless prop and actually having a role

5. Camilo 🎭

Killer dance moves (like everyone in the family but he is just extra expressive)

Funny

Love his singing voice

Also got the best verse in the entire film, or he made it the vest verse

I just like his design ok

Reminds me of my actual cousins

His gift is cool but I would rank him higher if he had more development

sEVEN FOOT FRAME RRRRATS ALONG HIS BACK-

6. Luisa ⚖

Overwhelmed gifted team

She's only here because of how much I relate to her internal challenge bc until I saw her song I honestly didn't care much

I think the fact that every time she is upset it's portrayed mostly in a humorous way makes me feel a bit more distanced compared to other characters

7. Agustín 🎹

I have no arguments for this I just really really like him

Dumb (affectionate)

He's so genuinely supportive I love him. I think he's the first who actually tries to make Mirabel feel understood since he puts himself in her place through his own experience

Also I just love the fact that he is called Agustín? like that feels like such a common name here but at the same time I would have never expected to see it in a piece of media. Honestly I think if it wasn't for this film I would have thought it was just an Argentinean name

Sing me a song piano man aw yeah

8. Dolores 🔔

Love her voice and how she sort of whispers when she sings

Also has an awesome verse and I love her dance in the wood step thingy

Would have liked to see more of her arc as well, so much potential

I love me some pining

I just feel like she is super gentle and understanding yet it isn't her whole purpose so she isn't just reduced to an attempt of a perfectly kind character and is actually fun and flawed

9. Pepa 🌦

Again. Please give me more development

There is just so much implied struggle with how she has to constantly repress her emotions and I really wish that had been explored the same way it was with Isa and Luisa

So expressive. Star aunt potential

(Star aunt is what I call my favourite archetype for female characters, examples are Natiqa from The Arcana and Kyra from Our Life)

10. Isabela 🌺

I have to admit that I straight up disliked her, maybe hated her until What Else Can I Do, because she was mean to Mira and I felt super defensive over her the first time I saw the movie

Obviously I like her final version a lot more

I also didn't care for her power at first because it seemed to be focused only on the flowers but damn the carnivorous plants yes please

Reminds me a bit of Nadia from The Arcana but that is partially because a friend of mine is obsessed with both of them and it led me to make that connection

11. Julieta 🥟

(I know that's a dumpling just pretend it's an empanada ok)

So loving so caring so competent

Love the fond exasperation when helping Agustín

I just feel like she was made to be a perfectly caring protective figure and doesn't have space for complexity outside of that

12. Félix ☀

Sorry king someone had to be last

Definitely feels like an uncle I could have

Such a good husband his dynamic with Pepa seems so fun and real

Honestly I just don't have much to say, there's a reason I left him for last

[deltaengineering]

Spring Anime 2021: Embarrassment of Riches

So this current anime season absolutely stinks, which just makes the last one look even more impressive. Well, maybe not all of it...

Zombieland Saga Revenge

First off, you don't need to tell me that the following is a severe outlier opinion. We good? Ok. ZLSR is, in a word, subpar. I liked S1 back in the day, but it was already in the process of getting lazy towards the end. S2 continues this trend and is basically just another idol show. And as someone who actually does watch other idol shows I have to say that it's not a particularly good one of those either. The zombie gimmick has mostly stopped mattering and we're just doing what every idol show does, only with the odd occasional sight gag. The alleged subversive qualities mostly amount to a flashback for Yuugiri, which is admittedly the best part of the show but feels like it barely has anything to do with anything. Apart from that, it's a bunch of generic idol plots, rehashed character beats, shoddy attempts at twists (while not connecting to any setups from S1), and the obligatory "idols give us hope" ending, which is terribly hackneyed and flat out bad. Tae gets further memed into the ground, because of course she does. And there's stuff that was simply never good to begin with, like Kotarou and his comedy schtick, which gets truly insufferable now that there's no qualities to distract from it. It really makes me think that S1 wasn't even all that good to begin with and seems like an attempt to turn this surprise success into an easy money longrunner with no edge and no ambitions. "The idol show for people who don't watch idol shows" indeed, but not the way you mean it. 4/10

Bakuten

But not to dwell on the failures, with the second show we're already above the cut — barely. This one got my attention with its really impressive performance scenes early on and it totally sticks to that, which is even more impressive. But besides that? Well, this is by far the most predictable show in a season where I watched an unambitious Kiraralike and put ZLS on blast for having no ideas. The characters are a mixed bag, some are cool (Shida, Asawo), some are very annoying (Mashiro), but those are the supports. The main cast is extremely one-dimensional, which is fine until they try to heap a ton of pathos on their lead, which doesn't go well. But I guess execution matters, and Bakuten is slick enough to get by. Writing this down in stark daylight I feel like I overrated this show somewhat (I actually put it over the next one originally, which definitely doesn't hold up when thinking about it), but I was indeed mostly entertained. 6/10

Yakunara Mug Cup mo

Yeah. Of course Mug Cup definitely doesn't invent or subvert anything either, but it's a pretty good Kiraralike that's always entertaining to watch. Explaining the qualities of such a nothing genre is as difficult as ever, but it mostly comes down to me liking the characters and it having nothing to annoy me. It's shorter than normal, which is a plus for slim shows like this. And yeah, you can make an excessive amount of dick jokes with the clay fondling. That helps too. Looks are just fine, pleasant but nothing out of the ordinary. Comfy low-effort anime. 6/10

Vivy: Fluorite Eye's Song

This one is decent, but sadly still a major letdown. Because the first few episodes of Vivy were excellent and kicked ass, but then it became increasingly clear that the writing can't cash the checks the ideas wrote while the action starts running into severely diminishing returns. Vivy just keeps slowly getting worse and worse as it goes on, not by a huge amount each episode but by the end there's a pretty sizeable gulf between potential and result. Going into detail would probably be a little much for this venue because there's a lot, but from the top level view the issue is that while Vivy has good fundamental ideas and steals at the right places, it just isn't a smart show — it's schlock, and by the end, poorly thought out schlock that tries to smooth out every problem with liberal application of the big feels hammer and le epic twist at that. Yeah, couldn't tell that the Re:Zero dude was aboard here, for sure. That said, it still works pretty well as entertaining schlock that is not to be taken too seriously, and the characters are generally just very fun to watch even when they're doing stupid things. Still, I can't in good conscience rate this higher than Beatless, a show that looks like butt but properly executes on its ideas. 6/10

Super Cub

So this is 100% a Honda commercial, and I got really mad a Yuru Camp last season for being a blatant shill. Yet I'm feeling this, what gives? I think the main difference is that Super Cub is specifically a commercial for one product (and a very iconic product at that), while Yuru Camp is so all over the place that it ends up mostly a commercial for consumerism in general. And when Super Cub goes too hard on the product (which it does), it's at least pretty entertaining. That's something about Super Cub in general: It goes hard. Your regular Kiraralike this is not, because it's uncommonly slow, focused and moody - yes, it almost measures up to Yuru Camp at its best and demolishes it at its worst. Also, it's just extremely amusing to see sadblob Koguma grow a huge grizzly biker beard and become a badass outlaw dad to her goofy wife and cute daughter, all thanks to the power of afforable personal transportation. Needless to say, that can get unintentionally silly, but Super Cub has so much charm that it doesn't matter — it's great when it's good and still funny when it's not. 7/10

Shadows House

Shadows House turned up with a lot of potential, and I have to say it at least delivered on most of it. It has some problems; notably I'm not a fan of how the entire middle turned out to be a tournament arc of sorts that seems curiously inspired by Resident Evil memes, crest-shaped intentations and boulder punching included. I also think that this is a show that would be perfectly fine without explaining much, but I guess it is a shounen manga after all so we got dumped on eventually anyway. At least that came late - close relative Promised Neverland didn't show that much restraint. Shadows House is generally well written though, with great characters, interesting interactions and a great hook. But what really makes it memorable is that it's exceptionally good at the cute/creepy contrast, something that is often tried but rarely works as well as here, with great character designs and very appropriate production. I hope this gets a sequel, because it seems like it's just getting started. 7/10

SSSS.Dynazenon

Coming in with a fondness for Gridman, Dynazenon didn't have to do much to convince me. The surprise though is that it's not a rehash even if it's basically the same show, a character drama where occasionally huge and goofy fights break out. Dynazenon is Gridman done better, and the interesting part is how it accomplishes this - mainly by being far more conventional. I do appreciate that Gridman went for something weird and almost experimental, but that only really paid off towards the end while most of the show was a distraction/holding pattern. It just didn't feel like there was enough material for a full series there, more like a movie maybe, if even that. Dynazenon fixes this by just being a TV show, with an actual cast of characters that each have their own arc. And by spreading the material this way, Dynazenon ends up having a lot more nuance than its intensely focused predecessor, while having the same themes and not actually being any deeper. In a way, Gridman ends up looking like the spinoff in retrospect, while Dynazenon is the full package. 8/10

Thunderbolt Fantasy S3

So how good was this season? So good that Thunderbolt Fantasy doesn't end up at the top, that's how. And all the elements that made Tbolt such a sure thing are still there, big hammy puppets doing stunts and scheming never gets old. However, I do have to note that at this point, the writing appears to have gotten too comfortable. I don't expect it to ever top the amazing S1 ending, but at this point it's like Tbolt has stopped trying to deliver on endings at all and seems in the process of retooling itself into a longrunner instead. Barely anything gets resolved in S3 (the climax is that the climax of S2 is resolved again, for good this time... maybe), and everything else is just setting up plotpoints for the next season. Tbolt is truly lucky that it doesn't actually need to resolve anything to be a great time, but at this point I have to say that I'd appreciate it if they wrapped it up with S4. 8/10

Nomad: Megalobox 2

Speaking of sequels to shows I liked, Nomad doesn't so much improve upon its predecessor but steamrolls right over it. This is a tall order, since Megalobox was surprisingly good for a sports shounen and had a real nice, heartwarming ending that Nomad instantly negates for purposes of drama and everyone being extremely miserable. That sounds like a pretty terrible idea - and it would be, if Nomad wasn't as excellent as it is. To call it not the same show would be an understatement, because it's a true sequel, not just the same characters doing their thing some more, or new characters doing the same thing as the old ones did. Indeed my biggest problem with Megalobox was that it still closely adhered to its genre template and was very predictable; Nomad fixes this issue thoroughly. Nomad is about questioning what being a hotblooded shounen protagonist eventually leads you to, and how to fix everything you screwed up by being one. You could call it a deconstruction, but that term has been so abused for cynical, edgy "thing you like actually sucks" takes that I feel like it doesn't really fit here. Nomad isn't cynical at all, it's just a character drama about some boxers past their prime, and it being a sequel to a show that is indeed rather formulaic just enhances the experience. My biggest issue with it was that I really like what they did with Joe in this story, so the big focus on Mac's backstory felt like a distraction for a long time. But in the end that turned out to be absolutely necessary to make the ending work. The ending's just great, by the way, and I shall say not more about it. 9/10

Odd Taxi

Yeah boy, here's the show that has apparently become somewhat of a "greatest show you didn't watch" meme, which I can feel smug about because I don't need YouTubers to tell me what's good and followed this from day one. Anyway, Odd Taxi is indeed great, the greatest show in a few years even. What starts out as seemingly a relaxed hangout show in the vein of Midnight Diners quickly turns into a psychological murder mystery while never losing its quirky humor. The character writing is outstanding, with even small bit players being on a level that the average anime wishes it could have for leads. And the rollout of the mystery is exemplary, with answers given and new questions raised every episode with a satisfying and logical payoff in the end. This is also the rare anime that has rock solid production from the first to the last second; it's never really flashy but excellently done and highly consistent nonetheless. And the music just owns. I have a few complaints, mainly that there's a few logical weaknesses in the story (which wouldn't even register in a lesser show, but sticks out here since the rest is so immaculately constructed) and that the ending overextends on the emotions when the rest of the show is so reserved and dry in comparison. But those are only the reasons why I didn't give it perfect marks, and I almost did that anyway. 9/10

[racewinnerlandonorris]

I've been thinking a lot about your last "Lando sucks 😡" anon and I need to talk about something. I'm a member of a huge McLaren group on facebook, it has over 40,000 members. It can be categorised into three groups: McLaren fans, Lando fans and Daniel fans. I'm part of the first two, and as a McLaren fan I want Daniel to do well. I don't go out of my way to look for gifs of him or spend hours watching anything DR related on youtube, like I do with Lando 😅 The past couple of years were a lot of fun in this group. There were a lot of Carlos fans that migrated back in 2018 but everything was civil and the atmosphere was great. Fast forward to 2020 when DR fans migrated over and the group is a war zone. People make posts legitimately criticising DR and they're slammed as disgusting fake fans (some of the posts are def too much but those are called out by everyone). No one can post anything about Lando without being told they're plastic fan girls who don't support the whole team. 50% of the comments on Lando posts are: "Danny will wipe the floor with him when he gets used to the car" (Is this the only phrase they know?), "The car is designed for Lando, ofc Danny is having a hard time", "Danny has won SEVEN races, talk to me when Lando has won anything" (Just for comparison it took DR 4 seasons to get his first podium which also happened in a Red Bull which was a top 2 car through his stint there. With this I'm def not saying he wasn't real good back then because he was. Red Bull Danny was top tier imo), And the new favorite of the group, with 5 articles being shared every hour is ---> "Lando is a pay driver. His dad pays him so McLaren doesn't have to. That's why he's at McLaren, because it's cheap for them. He wouldn't even be in F1 if it wasn't for daddy dearest. He couldn't even win in F2, Russell is much better than him" (and they always manage to bring Russell into it like??? ok? and has he not grown since then?? is he not a better driver now than he was in 2018?? Russell won F2 and Lando is currently doing better in F1, can two things not be true at the same time? George had the better car in F2, Lando has the better car in F1 🤷‍♀️) "McLaren are giving Danny a much worse car than Lando, they're sabotaging him!!!!" Like sir or madam, you think a team is paying DR £15,000,000 just to put him in a worse car so a 21 year old gremlin (who is allegedly being paid £2,000,000!!?) can one up him? Isn't it possible, even just slightly possible that yes Lando has been in the car longer, and yes he's helped design it but that also he's gotten better? That he has the drive and desire to become the best he can? That the thought, and reality, of having DR as a teammate actually made him push himself more? Or maybe, god forbid, he's actually better than DR? Let me tell you, I've learned to spot an Australian a mile away in any comment section, and they're not as laidback as they'd like you to believe, at least not F1 fans. Oh, and the newest thing (and it's on twitter and tumblr also) is that DR is being emotionally abused and exploited by the engineers and the social media team. I'd be more concerned about Checo and the way he's being treated at RB than DR any day of the week.

This really turned into an essay, I should've bought a diary instead 😭

yeh ive always found that dan fans seem to be the most argumentative and rude if you even say one negative thing about him. or even if you just compliment lando without even mentioning dan they get offended, i constantly have anons come to my inbox telling me how much better dan is than lando but unfortunately for them they can waste their breath as much as they want the talking is done on track as all the drivers like to say. and while lando is barrelling down the road screaming dan is listening to classic fm driving like my nan.

i always find it a stupid argument to be like oh well dan scored 7 wins over 10 years so he’s clearly better than lando who has never won but only been in the sport 3 years even though dan has had 2 podiums the past 3 years and lando has had 4, 3 of which have been while dan was his teammate. like they pick and choose when they want the argument to be valid.

the whole mclaren sabotage thing i just find hilarious because as you say the team spend so much money on him and for what just do they can sabotage and lose more money and get lower in constructors cause yeh that makes a lot of sense. i reckon part of the reason lando has improved so much on last year is because of the fact dan came to mclaren and not in a “the teams favouring him” way but because EVERYONE thought dan would beat him so he got his head down over the break and during game the season and worked hard so that he could be the best he’s ever been.

also last year carlos was beating lando in the same car that dan can’t and i know drivers have different things they like on the car but the mclaren isn’t only drivable by lando which is what lots of people try to make it out to be. and it’s always “when dan gets used to the car” as if it’s not been 11 races already and then “oh he’s back on form” when he scores a p6 or higher which is mad to me cause like that’s not the “on form” dan that his fans seem to constantly go on about since he’s future wdc but then they think p6 is his “on form” which makes zero sense. and then he’ll go back to being “off form” and it’s “oh mclarens sabotaging him” “he could have won if xyz didn’t happen” they’re all just delusional with they’re arguments most of the time too

also i wanna clear up i’ve never once sat here and said dan’s a shit driver cause that wouldn’t be true but dan fans are stuck still believing dan’s in his prime when it’s just not true anymore. they need to realise that other drivers are coming into the sport and with that dan needs to grow as to not just be a midfield driver who’s past his prime.

[siren-virus]

Ok, first question about Luckyboy!AU, Rook has a girlfriend? As far as I know in cannon he doesn't even have a love interest? thought that might be my fault since it's been years since I've watched any Ben 10 series (really have to rewatch some eppisodes here :P) Who is she and what is she like? Has Rook ever taken her girlfriend in a date to the coffee shop? How much of a tease is Ben with Rook when he isn't on a date? And how much of a wingman is he when he is in one?

How is Ben's social life outside his Nekomata persona by the way? I imagine he still has some friends since he's a charismatic extrovert, but with how different everything is here compared to the prime timeline, I can't see who he might be friends with besides Julie.

Now, let's make some questions that aren't about Ben :D With the amount of invasions that Earth has had over the years is the general public privy of the existence of aliens as something more than just tourists that one almost never sees, or do they know but only aknowledge it when they see an alien in person? How is the general people view of aliens regardless?

Also, does Gwen 10 have good or bad public relations? Like, does Will Harangue berate her and turn the public against her, or is she lucky enough that he's focused on Nekomata and not her? How do the humans see her, as a hero, a child soldier, a menace, a necessary evil?

Also also, how do the Plumbers play in the whole PR thing? Do they manipulate everything so the humans have the view they think is the healthiest between humans and aliens? Do they only play damage control whenever alien activity is reported to the public? Are they known or are they still an underground organization? How does the public view them as, considering they're basically intergalactic police that aren't the most competent, specially considering that some countries have beef with their own police forces?

Now, to leave all of the political and heavy talk behind, how often does Ben play with Ship and Julie? Like, they're friends, obviously Ben gets petting privilegies and becomes a pet sitter whenever Julie has to go on a tournament and can't take care of them herself. PET SHENANNIGANS MUST ENSUE THERE, AND YOU CAN'T CONVINSE ME OTHERWISE XD

Also, I imagine a scenario where Kevin and Gwen enter the coffee shop unaware that the other is in there and Ben does everything in his power to force them to sit on the same table, reminding both of them that this is a true neutral zone and "Please don't break anything here and remember to play nice, if you manage to get through this without punching eachother I'll give you a discount on your next coffee", which is a very good offer if they think about it. Meanwhile Argit is waiting at the bar watching over the situation "Bet you 10 bucks they'll be shouting over eachother in 5 minutes" "Bet you it takes them 10 minutes"... It takes them 7 and a half minutes exactly and they can't decide who wins the bet. "There's no way they're getting out of this hating eachother any less" "As long as they don't break anything and don't bother the other clients, I count it as a win"

So Rook had an established relationship in Omniverse with Rayonna, she was introduced abit later in the series when Ben and Rook with to Revonnah. It was a very 2D relationship, just put there maybe cause of the whole shipping fiasco between Ben and Rook(?) don't take my word for it ;;

For the Lucky Boy! AU, they're together, but it's been years since Rooks been to Revonnah, crime never takes a break, neither does he. So his relationship with Rayonna is very flakey, they're on the verge of breaking up, buuut due to Revonnahgander traditions, they're together still. (pulling this out of my ass ;; )

Rook ends up mentioning he has a girlfriend at some point, it was just a casual thing, Ben won't bring up the topic because the way Rook talks about Rayonna makes him feel a little bit iffy towards the subject.

Outside of work and the Nekomata persona Ben's a little awkward in the social circumstances. At that point his social battery's almost completely clocked out. So unless he's dragged out by his friends, Julie, his old soccer mates - although it's happening a lot less now, since school finished a while ago and they're moving on with their own lives- (i refuse to call it football), Alan, if they both end up clocking out at the same time. OR, Rook. Sometimes Max if he's around will invite Ben for lunch or an afternoon snack run. (Mr smoothies, with a "healthy" dose of chillie fries. Best way to lure Ben out.)

Hell yeah, let's get down to the world building buisness, my favourite cup of tea.

Humans are very knowledgeable about alien existence, you'd have to be pretty ignorant to not believe in aliens. (I mean, lets face it, in the world we live in today, I bet, that if aliens did show themselves, some group would just say they're government actors, or russian/chinese spies. Comical, but sadly a realistic scenario...)

With the amount of invasions that have happened, and the daily attacks- normally done by humans with access to alien tech- Humans are quite fearful of them. Which has urged the plumbers to keep the aliens that live on earth down underTown.

It's not all humans of course, just most. Media influence has also pushed the feardar way up.

Will Harangue, surprisingly uplifts Gwen 10 to the eyes of the public, he's also much more focused on Nekomata. (bad news= views= good news). In Harangues personal opinion though, he'd prefer no aliens at all. So he does let his badmouthing of Gwen slip sometimes.

They do a lot of damage control, their original goal was to keep alien life hidden from the public until they(the people) were deemed ready, however, not so easy when an invasion happens nearly once a month. At least it's all limited to Bellwood. For now...

The plumbers are known to the public but aren't like your typical police force- you can't just call them. But they're always around on patrol. The police aren't exactly fond of them cause "They're terking our jerbs". But they have a joint thing going on, the police handle the human crimes, unless alien tech is involved, and the plumbers handle the alien crimes.

The public views them as an iffy subject, not exactly hailed as heroes, but more of a neutral, they're here to stay I guess, kinda thing. The focus is on Gwen mostly, as the poster child(adult) of the plumbers. (this is where I really wanna separate reality and fantasy, cause like, the issues with the police at the moment is major sooo, eh, it's a touchy subject matter)

Yes to this one. When Julie's away Ben and Ship play. Ben and Julie don't meet up often, work and the vigilante life make Ben way too busy, buuut when they do meet up Julie will pop by Bens apartment - Ben makes sure nothing incriminating is around if that's the case - , or they'll hang out at the dog park, and watch the dogs go ballistic around Ship.

For the pet scenarios, visualize them to your hearts content. I got some cats laying around for my reference... even though they mostly sleep- lazy bastards.

Yes to this too! Argit and Ben would totally make bets- Ben being an anodite can sense Kevin and Gwens emotions and when they're gonna break out into a fight- So he always wins the bets. Argit has learned to not bet too high when it comes to that- if he actually forks up in the first place- .

In the case Kevin and Gwen had broken out into a fist fight, Kevin obsorbing the marble counter, Gwen turning into fourarms. Ben nearly broke his cover trying to prevent any fights, until a coworker had stepped in and promptly kicked them both out. (maybe I'll design some coworkers)

Now to get me some mint tea, cause my fingers are about to freeze off ;;

[robyndehood]

My Son's Story (pt. 1)

DISCLAIMER: I Know it's a bit of a long read, but it's important. Please read. I promise it isn't boring. Thank you!

Hi Everyone,

Intro

This is my first real attempt at Tumblr. Please contact me if anything I post violates a rule or is not considered appropriate. Anything I post, I truly mean no harm nor offense to anyone. But I need to write daily again to regain my gift and share it with the world. I have been working on my version of the "great American novel" for years. As a child, I was well on my way to becoming a successful author, but people had other ideas for my career path - and to put it bluntly - my contribution to society. Writer's block set in and then what was second nature to me - creative writing, became a lost skill. Or maybe a distant memory. Writers know that half the struggle as an artist is the dilemma of our own aspiration towards perfection. But nothing is perfect. It is a social construct and the antithesis of true beauty.

The Ultimate Birthday Gift

So, that said, let's talk about my son. He's three - he's actually turning four in December. He was born on my birthday and has been the greatest gift that I have ever received. I won't pretend that he is perfect or even generally compliant with my directions. But he's loving. He's empathetic. He's brilliant. He's beautiful. And most of all, he is the sweetest person I have ever met.

I am going to go slightly off-topic for a bit; just to paint the full picture. I don't want to ramble and I am definitely a believer that a short and to the point message is almost always far superior to a long and complicated message. But bear with me because this snippet of the backstory is essential. And my son's story is important.

Appalachia

We live in Pittsburgh, part of the Appalachian Mountain Range. There is no other way to say it than the unadulterated, ugly truth of it - Pittsburgh is racist. Very racist. Beyond that, there is a general lack of common courtesy to outsiders, customers of businesses, other patrons in stores, etc. And the rudeness, is actually pretty much unrelated to the racism. It sounds strange and surely, minorities who are on the receiving end of it would certainly assume that racism was the reason why they said "excuse me," "thank you," etc. and about half the time are ignored like they're a ghost. But don't get it twisted - there are many times the aforementioned behaviors by many Pittsburghers IS induced by racism AND a lack of common courtesy and manners. You see, their deep-seated tribalism is indoctrinated into many Pittsburghers so completely from a young age that they know no different. It would be difficult for them to understand this article and I'd bet anyone ten bucks that if enough PIttsburghers read this post - they will attack my analysis of Pittsburghese culture as though the post itself is a blitz on the entire city.

Brown or White?

I am latin and there aren't many latins in Pittsburgh. But when we moved to Pittsburgh when I was in seventh grade, people knew my last name. Summer had just passed and I do get brown. I can get brown very quickly in the right type of sun and I get brown eventually in the sun that exists in cloudy and northern Pittsburgh. In seventh grade, some boys decided it would be funny to call me "estupido," and up until two years ago, I avoided sun exposure that would reveal my "brownness" like the plague.

Subversive, Subconscious, and Secret Racism

So, not long after I started that strategy, I was treated as white. (Side note: latins can be any race; but it seems that societal constructs are seeking to change this long accepted designation and categorize latins as some in between, brown race and not an ethnicity. To be honest, I am ok with that and now proud to be latin.)

The reality of being treated white in Pittsburgh for many years was that I learned what white people actually said when they were only with other whites. The most common thing that was said was one white person mumbling to other white people that someone was a "dumb n******" or a "dumb monkey." I've heard white adults refer to children who were black as "n***lets." But it was always this crocodile smiling through their teeth behavior. They'd never dare say it to a black person. Instead, they'd just indirectly discriminate against them.

I do have to mention that by no means do all Pittsburghers behave this way. It's just too many of them. I don't know the percentage, but if I had to guess I'd say - 50% plus.

Yes, Racism Happens All The Time Even if You Don't See it Happen

Many white people will tell you that racism is gone because they don't ever observe it and Obama was president - a black president. Therefore, everything is now over. I can admit that I have experienced my share of discrimination when my skin darkens. But I had no clue how bad it was for black people out here until my son became the recipient of the ugliness of it all. To me, racists are by definition ignorant cowards; so it makes sense they'd pick on a small boy whose only family is his mother.

Evil Always Starts Slowly

If one reviews history, every evil dictator or regime began slowly chipping away human rights. By the time the citizens realized the dire state of their country, it was too late. Their freedoms were already taken away and mechanisms to fight back had also been methodically erased.

When my son was born - a boy who is half African (his father (if you want to call him that since he is basically not involved) is from Ghana); no issues arose for the first two and a half years. But then the indirect discrimination started. The same rules that applied for white children didn't apply to him. I could give so many examples. But let's just say, as a rambunctious boy, if my son mimicked a white boy's same rambunctious behavior, we were confronted and the white family was not confronted.

One day I made an appointment for my son's hair to get cut at Philip Pelusi. They made the appointment knowing that he was only two and a half. The receptionist let me know that the stylist was a "Grade A Stylist," so I would have to pay more. I was fine with paying more; cool. After the appointment was made, I mentioned to the receptionist that my son was mixed race. We ended the call and I began to get my son ready to leave. Within ten minutes, the salon called back and informed me that they didn't/wouldn't cut my son's "type of hair." I promptly returned the call and explained his hair was curly, that's all. They blatantly lied and told me that the stylist doesn't cut ANY curly hair. Right. So, if a white lady came in with curly hair she would be turned away? I doubt it. Either way, the stylist is "Grade A." She is also licensed to cut hair by the state. Shouldn't a requirement for state licensing require one to know how to cut all "types of hair"?; I saved the recording, by the way, and still have it.

As months progressed, little by little wherever my son and I went in "white areas," we felt hostile vibes. Other incidents occurred that couldn't be proven as racial discrimination, but I knew. Whites behaved as though my son didn't deserve to be around them.

Southern Hospitality

We traveled down south a few times in the past year. Yes, some of the south is very racist still to this day. But not where we drove. Suddenly people responded when we said "excuse me," "thank you," etc. No white families prevented my son from playing with their children. No one told me my son was a nuisance or put out that vibe.

The Lesser of Two Evils?

But we had to come back each time because we live here and I've been working my way out of the projects that I have lived in for four years. Shootings. Open drug use and sales. The smell of crack in the hallways. Infestations in other apartments that come our way no matter what we try. People peeing on the hallway floors. Yes, seriously. Young children being encouraged to bully and beat up other kids. Children stealing or attempting to steal my son's toys because their mothers buy them none. Gamgmembers as young as twelve.

So, I concluded: "yes, we will move, but until then, we only sleep in our apartment and we do not play at the projects' playground." I figured IF I saved a certain number of money since I have a car that I saved for and bought last year, we would make it in our new, chosen city (Tampa or Jacksonville).

But then the racism against my son in the "white playgrounds" became worse. One day he was playing with a five year old boy at an indoor playground. The mother had no issue with it. The father of the boy arrived half an hour in, promptly scooped the boy away from my son, and told his son that he had told him he was not to "play with n*****s." My son couldn't understand why he could no longer play with his new friend and kept calling to him, "friends again!" while sobbing because he thought he had upset the boy. I had to leave with my son because of it.

Another time, a ten-year-old boy taunted my son on an outdoor playground and called him a "dumb monkey." My son first attempted to yell, "I NOT DUMB MONKEY," a few times; but the boy persisted and even smirked in my direction. My son ran to me and asked me to make the boy stop. No parent in sight and again, I just had to leave with my son.

Enough is Enough

Finally, last month or so, my son and I were at our usual laundromat doing laundry. We had finished. My son skipped a few steps in front of me and tried to open the glass door but couldn't push the bar to open it because of his height. He placed (yes, placed..lightly) his foot on the door to try to give it a bit more of a nudge. I was a few seconds behind him so just pushed the door open and we went to our car to load our clean laundry into it. In retrospect, I saw an older white male go next door to the beer store right after we walked out of the laundromar. The beer store employee approached us as I loaded my laundry into my car and then intended to leave.

The beer store employee told me he was getting "reports that kids were kicking glass." He said kids. Plural. And what he said made me envision a bunch of grade school kids kicking around broken glass on the sidewalk or parking lot. I responded calmly that "I have one kid and he's been with me the whole time. He wasn't involved." The beer store employee wanted drama to transpire. It was obvious. He said in a threatening manner: "Just so you know, I have cameras." My son and I exchanged glances because we were confused. What kids? Kids were kicking glass. Where? What glass?

Again though, I calmly responded that my son wasn't involved and he should check his cameras. He told me he was calling the cops. So I got my three-year-old son in his car seat and set a time limit of ten minutes to wait. We weren't running when he didn't do anything. The cops of course showed up about a minute later. It's ridiculous because in our projects (different police department than the laundromat police department), there have been shootings where children were outside playing when several clips were emptied into crowds and the police station is a block away. I know people called and it took an hour for them to arrive on scene.

Long story short, the laundromat cops knew it was a bullshit call. The supposed "kicking glass" was because my son placed his foot on the door to try to open it when we were LEAVING. The police eventually informed us that was the alleged "kicking of glass." There was no kicking that happened. The door wasn't even dirtier, let alone damaged because my son tried to use his foot to open the door. Lightly, by the way.

Even though the police were kind to my son, for the next week, my usual gregarious child was terrified to go anywhere. He eventually told me it was because "the cops will chase me and take me to jail because I bad guy now."

He's over it now. Mostly.

But we still have to pick between the craziness of playing at our aforementioned projects or going to a "white playground" and risking my son being rejected. It's usually a 50/50 shot that he will be rejected. If he gets rejected, he gets very upset.

Again, these are problems we never faced on our travels down the southern eastern seaboard. We didn't get treated like this at the destinations or on the journey by car to and from the destinations.

I knew we were living in an extremely racist and rude area, but one day I found this. It's a map delineating the results of a study conducted by Google and others regarding the level of racism in different parts of the country.

I already knew this much. But it's good to know I'm right that we are in the worst part of the U.S. for racism and the kindness we received traveling to those certain southern states was no illusion. And I did ask locals before I found this map if I was right that people are kinder to all colors in whichever given area.

Not the Worst Thing That Happened But the Last Straw

People talk a lot about Karens these days. This lady looked like she jumped right out of a Karen meme. My son was two feet away from her while we waited in line and she said as obnoxiously as possible: "Can you handle this? Please get him out of MY space." Yeah, I didn't let it go. At all. Her argument was that she said "please" so it's OK to make my son feel like a "this" and not a little boy. I held him while he sobbed. Long story short, I decided right then anywhere has to be better than this.

It isn't me just knowing people are being nasty to my son and I'm upset. He understands. He had an evaluation for something and he tested very well. He cried about each of these incidents. He just wants to make people smile and make friends.

So, next month we are going for it. I'm no where close to the aforementioned goal. I have some savings. We may end up in shelters at first after savings dry up in a few weeks. But we cannot survive up here. Nor can we advance here.

Side Note

I wrote this mostly to inform others of the status quo and reality of racism and the real effects it has on one tiny boy. And I know it will just get worse if we stay since it's this bad already.

But if you anyone knows of any resources to help us get on our feet in a month in Tampa or Jacksonville (Tampa is my first choice, but either one.) I have applied for housing, even though I didn't and don't want to go back to projects; but I'd take one down there over watching my son endure so much pain any day of the week.

Ok, so final part: I'm going to say upfront I feel extremely awkward with this paragraph because this isn't my way (years before my son was born I was homeless for a stint and never sat with a sign or a cup. Just couldn't do it), but for my son, I'm going to drop my cashtag here. Everyone is struggling and I know there are people with much worse problems. I appreciate anyone who has read this far and can help spread the reality of what I wrote about. That's the reason for the article; but if help is received at all because of it, we would be grateful but it's definitely a far second most important reason for the post. Here it goes, for my baby, in case it'll change his life and give us that better foot up, here it is: $RobyndeHood

[ohnonono18]

White

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"Okay, so shoes. What shoes?" Sam asked as I led her and Helen to a shoe store.

I told them the heel's height, the shoe size and that the color should be white.

"What's this for again?" Sam asked as she looked around the store.

"It's for a shoot." I replied as I browsed some shoes at a corner.

"What's the theme?" Helen asked.

"Wedding theme." I replied and I could see Sam's eye widen when she looked at me.

"Who's the groom?" Helen asked.

"Did I say that there was a groom?" I asked.

"Of course. In a wedding shoot, there is a bride and a groom." Helen started to explain.

"I wonder who's the groom." Sam said. "Just in case I need to put your boyfriend in a room so he wouldn't go berserk during your photoshoot."

"Actually, it's just him who's going to be the groom." I finally gave in and told them.

Helen gave Sam a look. Sam was confused for a moment before she opened her mouth and she slowly nodded.

"Sam, stop that." I said. "Close your mouth. I can see something else."

Sam closed her mouth and she raised an eyebrow.

Helen laughed. She probably got the reference.

"Ah, let's just get this over with." Sam said and she took a pair of shoes off a table. "Here."

"Oh, this is nice." I commented as I observed the shoes. "But I don't think it's going to be all that comfortable."

"How about this one?" Helen suggested as she showed me a pair.

"Um, I don't like the style." I said after I observed it.

"How about this one?" Sam asked with a mischievous smirk on her face as she showed me the most weirdest looking shoes I have ever seen.

"Sam!" Helen laughed as playfully smacked her on the head.

I smiled at them.

This is going to take a while.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"Guys, I think we better go back to the dorm for a while. We have practice soon." Sam said as she looked at her watch.

"Yeah, we should." I agreed. "Iris and Nicky must be finished recording."

I could see Sam bite her lip in an attempt to stop laughing.

"I'm sorry." She said when she laughed out loud.

"Hoy! Don't underestimate Nicky." Helen said, seriously. "She's good at rapping."

She laughed at her own saying and Sam just laughed along.

Aish, these two. Why are you teasing our leader?

"But in all honesty though," Sam said when she finally composed herself. "I love Nicky. In a friendly sisterly way. Cause she's the best!"

"Even if she teases you a lot?" I raised an eyebrow at her as I remembered every innuendo Nicky says about Sam.

"Well," Sam said. "I'll always find a way to get revenge."

She laughed away, it was almost as if she was a villain. Evil, evil laugh.

"Hah, this is why we shouldn't leave her alone with Ilhoon." I muttered.

Two maknaes. Two evil maknaes.

Sam's not evil but she can be, besides it's Ilhoon.

It's gonna get chaotic. I just know it. Deep, deep, deeeeeeppppp down inside.

"Guys, let's go!" Helen said and we all went back to the dorm.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"Okay, how about this one?" Iris asked as she showed me a pair of shoes.

After practice, we all went to find me a pair of white heels for the shoot again. This time with Iris and Nicky.

"Hey, that's good." I took it and examined it more.

"Well, there's only like two white heels in this one." Iris said. "The rest are silver."

"Hah, Silverlight!" I teased Sam and she just rose an eyebrow before she smiled.

"Wow, no reaction today?" Helen asked.

"Eh," Sam walked away and took a pair. "What about this one?"

When I saw it, I kind of liked the way it was designed.

"Try it on!" Helen said.

Actually, I tried on a lot of shoes before I finally brought one.

"Hmmm. . ." Iris said thoughtfully. "Maybe I should buy one too."

"Yeah, me too." Helen said.

"I think all of us needs one." Nicky said. "Sam needs one since you're gonna be a host in an event, right?"

"It's just a cosplay event, no biggie." Sam shrugged.

"No biggie? Who's the character you're gonna cosplay?" I asked. "The shoes depends on that character, right?"

"Yeah," Sam said. "I'm going to cosplay as Judy Hopps! From Zootopia!"

"Good luck then!" Iris said. "She doesn't really wear heels, right?"

"Yep, and my co-host is Liui Aquino and he's gonna be Nick Wilde. You know, the fox." Sam said.

"Ha, good luck. Don't let Eunkwang jealous." Nicky teased. "I heard that Liui is a really handsome guy."

"Eh, we're just good friends." Sam said. "Eunkwang knows anyway."

"Ok," I nodded. "Good luck to all of us then."

All of us has stuff to do.

Nicky is going to be featured in a talk show in a few days so I can understand why she thinks she needs a new pair of shoes.

Helen is going to be a judge in a dance show, the details are still a little rough around the edges and she's not sure if she'll take it but that doesn't mean that she shouldn't be prepared to look good whether or not she'll take the job.

Iris? She seems to be having a photoshoot too in a few days for her solo album after she finishes the recordings.

Sam is going to host a cosplay event with Liui Aquino. A host should always look good but her's is like a Halloween costume party, accuracy of the character is what she craves.

And then there's me with the wedding photoshoot with none other than my boyfriend, Lee Minhyuk, as my groom.

We all need luck.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"There! You're ready!" The make-up artist said.

"Thank you." I smiled at her before I saw her go get the first gown I was going to use.

I looked at myself in the mirror and sighed.

Relax

It's gonna be fine.

"Let's change into your dress?" I heard her ask and I nodded.

She helped me into my dress and after that she placed the veil on my head.

"Well, you're ready!" She said with a satisfied smile before she left to inform the photographer.

I looked at myself in the mirror and took my reflection in.

The gown was beautiful and veil just made it look gorgeous. I really felt like a real bride.

I could almost feel myself tear up but I stopped myself because I don't want to ruin the make-up artist's effort.

"Ah, she's having a moment." She nodded. "Maybe you should wait for a while."

I looked behind me and I saw her and Minhyuk at the doorway of the dressing room. Minhyuk had a bouquet of flowers in his hand and his other hand was in the pocket of his pants. He looked really charming in his tuxedo.

"Well, looks like she's done." Minhyuk said and he walked towards me to give me the flowers.

"You look beautiful." He whispered in my ear.

"Don't flatter me." I said as a warning but he just smirked.

"It's the truth." He said and he held out his arm for me to loop in. "Let's go attend the wedding?"

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"Okay, look at her like she's your whole world." The photographer said and Minhyuk did what he was told.

He looked at my eyes with love and I looked back at him with the same emotion as the photographer took some pictures.

"Okay, now get closer with each other. Hands on her cheeks, Minhyuk. Okay? Look down at her lips like you're going to kiss her. You look at his lips too." The photographer said.

We did that but I can't help but think.

Did I tell you that we haven't publicly said me and Minhyuk are together? Well, now you know. And this is a very tight situation we're in. I hope Minhyuk doesn't do anything overboard. I hope I don't do anything overboard.

"Good, good. Wow, you two have so much chemistry." The photographer snapped more photos. "Now, how about a kiss?"

I looked at the photographer surprised.

What?

"Hey, isn't that a bit too much?" Minhyuk said.

At least you have the initiative to stop him. Thank you.

Because you know how we cannot control our kisses yet.

Long story, don't ask.

"This is a wedding themed photoshoot. In a wedding, there will always be a kissing scene." The photographer said.

"But isn't it going too much out of her boundary?" Minhyuk asked.

"You are an actor, you kissed a whole lot of girls onscreen. What makes kissing her any different?" The photographer asked that made my blood boil. "Unless?"

"Unless what?" I snapped. "Did you even ask me what I would feel kissing this guy?"

They both looked at me surprised.

"Look, we can just find another pose." Minhyuk tried to bargain.

"I'm sorry but I was given a list." The photographer said. "Besides, if you didn't want to get kissed in this shoot then you shouldn't have taken the job in the first place."

I sighed.

"Also, why are you even so concerned about this?" The photographer asked Minhyuk.

Well, this escalated quickly. We need an escape route fast and not let anyone know.

"Okay, okay." I said before Minhyuk can reply. "I'll do it."

I nodded and looked at Minhyuk.

"We'll do it."

Minhyuk bit his lip before he nodded slowly.

"Okay, then." The photographer nodded. "Just take your time, indulge in the moment."

Minhyuk cupped my cheek and looked directly at my eyes, he looked a little worried.

"You sure?" He whispered and I just nodded.

Let's get this done.

He kissed my lips and I could hear the clicking of the camera.

Be satisfied, Mr. Photographer! Because I am not doing this again!

I started to kiss back and I could almost feel it becoming heated.

Oh, his lips.

"Okay, okay!" The photographer called. "Break it up, lovebirds!"

I opened my eyes and I pulled away.

"Thanks for the great poses." The photographer said. "Dismissed!"

I sighed.

Yes! Finally over!

I started to walk towards the dressing room and I started to put on my normal everyday clothes to meet up with the girls.

But before that, I checked my phone for a while and saw that Sam has a text message: I kinda have a weird feeling about this photoshoot. Be careful!

Aigooo, this kid and her sixth sense. But somehow they always end up true, you know? I think I'll just be careful.

I put my phone in my bag and was about to leave the room when the door opened and Minhyuk went in.

"Sorry about awhile ago." He apologized.

I nodded a bit.

"It's okay, I'm sorry for almost losing my temper." I said with a sheepish grin.

He touched my chin and made me look up at him before he placed a kiss on my lips.

When we pulled away, we smiled at each other.

"How would you feel about announcing our relationship to the public?" He asked.

"Hah, you're so daring." I chuckled. "But it would be great that we can stop this charade with people already if we do announce our relationship."

I took a deep breath.

We should really stop this.

"Well, not right away." He suggested. "We'll think about it then maybe plan it. Ask advice from our managers and our members."

I nodded and I hugged him, he hugged back and he gently stroked my hair.

"Yeah."

"Yeah."

We stayed like that for a while like the world stopped for us.

I wish when we finally reveal it to the public it would turn out like the white satin fabric of the gown: pure and almost faultless. Nothing to hide finally.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

The End

[tumblunni]

DR SNAP I LOVE YOU AAAAA

guys I just heard about a NEW SCIENCE GRANDPA *slams fist on the table* FUCK YEAH I will hug all the this one specific character type until the end of time

What's even better is that he seems to straight up actually be Nice Hojo, aka the first science villain I ever liked and then was Incredibly Betrayed By when he turned from funny sassy sidekick guy to child abuse fetal experimentation super duper ultra murder potentially-rape-potentially-domestic-abuse man. And then incredibly confused when his final boss fight tried to be all feelsy and sad and I was just like ok so we are backpedalling to what I wanted him to be but it is too late sorry!! Still the best boss fight ever tho, fuckin punch him in the face three times in increasing monsteriness for not living up to my cute gramp hopes. ALSO HOW DARE YOU BECOME A COOL MONSTER TOO, YOU DONT DESERVE SUCH A NEAT DESIGN

So yeah

This dude

IS CUTE GRAMP AND ALSO ALMOST EXACTLY THE SAME MONSTER DESIGN???

Underappreciated man Dr Snap from Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker 1! Also his monster boss form is called Dr Snapped and I'm just like mmyes gud pun, thankyee

He is still a mad science villain yes, but he is very polite and endearing and round and soft!! And has a spooky final boss form that's even more terrifying than Helletic Hojo and has a cool aesthetic with the floaty orbs and also lil skittery centi-legs. Pretty much the only thing I don't like here is the weird jowls, I dunno why but that creeps me out the most. I guess just cos it looks close to a normal human face but like if the cheek meats were all sliced up and melting. Thankfully the game doesn't seem to indicate that he's in pain in any way, so that's a relief. He' like WEIRDLY POLITE AND CHEERFUL ABOUT EVERYTHING INCLUDING BECOMING A HELLBEAST

Good boy. Soft mans. Sweet grampe.

"oh whoopsie doopsie I appear to have dropped my arms and earlobes, sorry about that sonny"

Srsly he's not going "I'm a monster"in horror here, his next line is basically "yay this wasn't part of my plan but this is even better!"

His entire villain plan is just cos he loves and cherishes monsters too much, and embodies all the virtues of a monster tamer to a dangerous extreme. He thinks monsters are more pure and good than humanity and the only way to truly get humanity to live with them in peace is to let monsters take over the world entirely. And he's like "oh golly gosh my dream came true" when he becomes the world's scariest goddamn Frankenstein centipede, and is happy that he can fix the world even more super duper double much by making everyone become monsters too! It'll solve all problems!! Somehow!! The key to eternal peace is becoming cute abominations like me, yay!!

Srsly wtf he's so endearing I absolutely adore him AND ALSO HIS PHILOSOPHY IS BASICALLY THE SAME AS ME WHEN IM PLAYING ANY GAME WHERE I HAVE TO FIGHT MONSTERS. Like I was excited about this joker game in the first place cos I always feel sad having to kill all those cute designs in the dragon quest series!!! I wanna be their friend!!! It's a shame that this came out before dqix tho so it doesn't have that cute cow pattern vampire bat thingie or the slug with lips. THEY WERE MY FOREVER FRIENDS

So yeh I'm kinda sad that from what I've heard the game isn't sympathetic to Dr Snap at all despite making him FUCKIN ADORABLE and his entire motives being exactly the same as yours, just corrupted. I would have expected some sort of ending where you can convince him he's wrong and have a big speech about a better solution and stuff, and it's all motivational? Cos srsly it just seems like he somehow lost faith in humanity and felt like this extreme solution was the only way to achieve peace. I wonder if he had some sort of sad backstory where he saw a forest of monsters killed by humans polluting the environment or something. Or lived a sad childhood and his only friend was a pet monster that died defending him from his abusive parents. OR BOTH. Srsly I just feel like it takes a big trauma to lead to a guy being this messed up cos I know my own "humans suck, I will always side with the monsters detsroying humanity" feels come from being abused as a kid.

BUT NO

JUST

HE BAD HE DIE

Also the damn weirdness of your own monster partner saying "he's no longer human so we have to kill him"

I never fuckin understand "being non human in any way equals automatically evil and no human rights" as a morality. Morality should always be about what you DO, not what you are! This dude is still 100% sentient and going golly gosh all over the place but now it's okay to murder him without even trying to talk him down???

Apparently you can actually unlock his monster form as a playable party member in the sequel, but it's not actually him and just like.. same species, by merging some other species together.

But no I choose to reject that reality and instead believe that we motivational speech'd him and restored his faith in humanity and ended the fight without a murder, and he stopped his plan and just went home with us to be our wonderful new eldritch grandpa forever. And now he works hard to make up for his sins, and also do research on monsterness from the monster perspective so we can find even more ways to bring friendship and peace to the two worlds. And someone sewed him a new cute fancy labcoat to fit all his extra tentacle arms!! And little glasses with sticky pads on the nose bridge so they stay on even though his head is kinda indented in his torso now. Also he can hug twice as many baby Slimes with all the extra limbs, yes!!!!! MY ELDRITCH GRAMPS BAKES ELDRITCH COOKIES AND THIS IS THE ONLY ENDING I WILL EVER ACCEPT

So uhh yeh anyways this has been bunni accidentally stumbling upon the ending to a game they've never played via pixiv and now being filled with the strongest fire to play it

I MUST SEE THE WHOLE STORY OF GRAMP...

Also thank u to pixiv user [D.J] who makes many fanarts of obscure sad science villain grandpas getting cuddles and happiness. I feel like my goddamn soul twin is living on the other side of the planet where I can never tell them how much I love their art :(