#Question papers of 2014-2024

[sagarrachnagrp]

Rachna Sagar’s ‘Together with’ PYQ Economics Class 12 2025 board exam preparation

Together with CBSE PYQ Class 12 Economics includes Previous 10 Years Question papers of 2014-2024. Chapter-wise Mind Maps & Self-Evaluation Tests included in PYQ Class 12 Economics for full-fledged practice. Latest Examination Paper 2024 given in 10 year solved question bank 2025, gives best knowledge of the exam pattern as per the latest trends.

[borzoilover69]

Jake Writing Guide : 2024 Colourised!

Ok well, this isn't the prime year 2014 but I really wanted to make a concise and easy to consume guide for how to write Jake accurately since he can be quite the fussy tosspot if you dont know where to start. [ WARNING ITS A BIT LONG I INCLUDE JAKE DIALOGUE TO HELP WITH UNDERSTANDING WHAT IM SAYING. ] First off: drop the commas, and the apostrophes. He uses largely run-on sentences and has a sort of rambly sense of words. He does however use "these" every now and then and just as it strikes him tends to *Drag out the ole roleplayisms.* when it suits the situation.

Jake doesn't really tend to use old-timey slang but he does have rather antiquated ways of speaking, with a pension for more articulated language. He only REALLY breaks out the old timey words when particularly impressed or exasperated for emphasis. Usually, these words are british slang.

Note how he goes on a ramble that is slightly self-centred. He also spins stories similiar to how Dirk does, but without the ice-cold deal. Tossing in his own spin with his own words.

This one is just really fucking funny.

When hes particularly exasperated he leans into it MORE. Just really spreads it on thick. Like if he continues to say funny words you'll forget everything else and be distracted by his whimsy.

Jake is FAR more socially aware than people give him credit for but prefers to avoid tricky subjects hes not too comfortable with until he feels suitably ready for it, prefers battles he knows he can win so to speak. He also tends to think hes overthinking it and backtrack into ignorance. He overcomplicates things same as dirk does but rather than doing Dirks "yup thats a me problem. Im going to quietly stress about it now!", jake brushes it under the rug and tries not to think about it like a college student trying not to think about their outstanding academic paper and the promise of "Yeah, I'll do it later" (doesn't)

Note his more genuine understanding of why Dirk functions the way he does, well aware of the pros AND cons of having something like a combat machine hunting him.

His awareness of Janes crush and reluctance to deal with it:

Subsequent backtracking and denial of said premonitions, brushing it under the rug. Again, stating his reluctance to get into it because it's a situation he's not wellversed. Jake doesn't like being put into unpredictable situations, he prefers the easy road that won't inconvenience him much.

Also his desire to be seen as seemingly perfect and not have to dwell on others intents. Now this is something I don't see touched on as MUCH on writing guides for Jake English (then again the majority were made in 2014 so who can blame them.) But when Jake touches on what he views as MORE TABOO feelings aka ones which compromise the go-getter Adventurer image that arent BRAVE and GUSTO and GUNS, such as weakness, hesitation, he tends to pose back to the asking party as a question and reconsider his thought process. Like: Do YOU think its ok for me to feel this way? Why do you think that? Could you imagine me thinking something like that? He cares a LOT about his image and whats acceptable for him to be and to mask his difficulty in some social situations.

He doesn't like acknowledging that which might be sort of difficult for him to come to terms with, with the ye olde character trait of repression that him and John share, believing if he keeps his feelings buttoned up, they don't need to feel embarassed (aka: avoidance)

Hes also a fair bit more snarkier than fanon gives him hooks for. His subconscious takes the form of his best friend, but its commented as being “like hal, in terms of snarks”. Jake can also be the snarky customer to Dirk AND Hal, and Caliborn too. He's a gentleman to ladies (TO A DEGREE) but with guys he's not afraid to be more cutting with it. I am begging you on your hands and knees to drop the woobified jake english and make him slightly snarky and a bit offputting and weird. Jake grew up in the middle of a jungle and burned his grandmother.

Also he seems to be slightly aware of outside forces, note him calling attention to the fact he knows things he shouldn't canonically even be able to know.

Because Jake IS a little freak. He thinks corpse puppetry is funny. He punches what he thinks is fish hitler while ranting about movies. Hes funny as fuck. Hello.

However, with all of THAT out of the way, lets focus on some of the more ABRASIVE parts of his personality. While Jake is funnily charming with his old lingo and tendency to ramble, he has issues! One HUGE one is reluctance to fully FACE things he doesnt feel he has a full grasp on. He DOESNT like going out of his comfort zone, he DOESNT like talking about his emotions to people he really cares about or thinks has fallen for his manic dreamboat pixie persona, He's well aware people fall for it. He works hard to make sure people DO. But it sort of restricts him to that persona, he can't grow from it as long as he holds onto the idea that this persona hes chasing is the only way he can BE without being vulnerable.

Jake can be OVERBEARING, and not just that, painfully unaware when he's up his own ass! This critic he gives to Dirk applies to himself! The reason why he doesn't like brainghost dirk is because GOD forbid the man self-reflect juuust a little and find something that upsets him. Nope! Not going to deal with it. Just as quickly as he is to switch the thought that everyone loves him, he is just as likely to switch to think that everyone doesnt.

Anyways, I think thats all I have to say, Jakes words speak a LOT about his character, and I genuinely love him a lot. He has some words i think about a lot and hes genuinely such an awesome guy. I'll let a few choice pieces of dialogue from Jake himself close this out for me.

This was one of the last conversations we see with him. And I still think about his words a lot.

I'll probably edit this when I get the energy. But I think i covered most of it. Happy writing!

[tanadrin]

just in time for ongoing recriminations about "what did the democrats do wrong in 2024," Hall & Thompson post a major correction to their 2018 paper that found more extreme candidates lose significant vote share in general elections. Among their takeaways:

"The evidence in our sample from 2006–2014 that more-extreme nominees cause large changes in a party’s vote share or share of general-election turnout is far weaker than we previously thought, and should not be relied on."

"For the question of whether the relationship between candidate ideology and electoral outcomes is changing over time, the primary RD with its need to average over many years of elections is not the right tool, and Hall and Thompson (2018) should not be thought of as offering any evidence that the penalty to more-extreme nominees has remained large in more recent elections."

The substantive question of political science aside, I really respect the nature of this note--"we were completely wrong" is a hard thing to admit.

[salvadorbonaparte]

2024 in Films - Part III

I watched a lot of stuff again, some even for grad school.

August

Lola Rennt (1998) - banger soundtrack and editing

Vertigo (1958) - the most boring of the Hitchcock films I've seen so far

A League of Their Own (1992) - makes me want to watch baseball

White Men Can't Jump (1992) - did not expect jeopardy to be so important in this film, also loved the fashion

The Fall Guy (2024) - my mum loves the original series so we had to watch this and I had an amazing time

Blinded by the Light (2019) - the dialogue is strange at times but a banger soundtrack (obviously) and some amazing editing, very uplifting and I watched this on my flight to the US btw

Good Will Hunting (1997) - I watched this during my first week in Massachusetts before starting grad school here

Alien3 (1992) - this film says so much about gender, actually

Deaf Smith & Johnny Ears (1973) - taking lots of liberties with Texan history and also surprising homoerotic subtext

September

Causeway (2022) - a film that I originally only found meh but then kept thinking about all the time

Nosferatu the Vampyre (1979) - equally blood libel as the og with an added bonus of cycle of violence, might write an essay about this

Sleepaway Camp (1983) - another horror film that says so much about gender and I could write an entire essay about it

My Best Fiend (1999) - Werner Herzog must be studied under a microscope

We're All Going to the World's Fair (2021) - not as good as I saw the tv glow imo but asking some important questions about online communities and reality

Jacob the Liar (1974) - the film felt a little too empty but I also don't want to say something negative because I am still angry about a bad review I saw

Chris Grace: As Scarlett Johansson (2024) - absolutely transformed the way I think about stand up comedy

All Quiet on the Western Front (1930) - the old lie dulce et decorum est pro patria mori

The Shock (1923) - as ableist and racist as you expect from the 20s but with a great performance from Lon Chaney

Trap (2024) - I actually really enjoyed this, even though I was waiting for an even crazier plot twist

Don't Think I've Forgotten: Cambodia's Lost Rock and Roll (2014) - a documentary that nearly made me cry

Hudson Hawk (1991) - technically a rewatch but I need to speak my truth and it's that I like this film

All Quiet on the Western Front (2022) - I have so many issues that this would take an entire post or even conference paper

The Russians Are Coming! The Russians are Coming! (1966) - had me in stitches half the time, I love a good cold war comedy

The Bone Collector (1999) - spooky!

Monkey Shines (1988) - also horror and gender but also silly

Death in Venice (1971) - boring :/

October

UPSIDEdown (2013) - I watched this one twice, once with the director, also had lunch and coffee with him, I had an issue at first with how child protection service is portrayed but that part is apparently real, also he cast a neurodivergent kid, which is awesome

The Master (2012) - I love when men are also poorly trained attack dogs, also can you imagine sending that guy to the cult from Midsommar? Also still haunted by Philip Seymour Hoffman

Like Stars on Earth (2007) - neurodivergent kids need neurodivergent role models!!!

The Lost Honor of Katharina Blum (1975) - I have so much to say about this tbh

Farewell Disco (1990) - at first I found this kinda boring but then I was also enchanted by the inclusion of Sorbian culture

The Kangaroo Conspiracy (2022) - just read the books

November

Srikanth (2024) - fairly standard biopic, meanders a bit but solid soundtrack and performance

Innocent Witness (2019) - this one impressed me so much I recommended it to multiple people, also I'm an autistic person who is besties with my lawyer so bonus points for that, I could talk a lot about this too

Hunt (2022) - Probably less confusing if you know more about Korean history, fun plot twist and imo some homoerotic tension

Scarlett Innocence (2014) - tbh I didn't even watch the whole thing because I don't go for erotic thrillers, I just watched the scenes where Jung Woo Sung is a poor little meow meow

Inseperable Bros (2019) - some dialogue was a bit awkward but that might have been the translation, I like that this was about interabled platonic relationships

Remember You (2016) - the first plot twist is predictable as hell but the second one hit me in the face like a brick

The Childe (2023) - Kim Seon-ho has the range (creepy and babygirl) (covered in blood and coughing up blood)

The Good The Bad The Weird (2008) - not only the best western I've ever seen but also one of the best films I've seen this year at all

Sympathy for Mr Vengeance (2002) - very unsatisfying, but in a good way

As We Were Dreaming (2015) - the German answer to banlieu films, a film about the reunification of Germany from a different perspective than you're used to, despite living decades later and in the west I feel like I know these characters

Transit (2018) - the anti Casablanca, a double exposed picture of past and present, a Kafkaesque limbo of bureaucracy and loss of identity

Berlin Alexanderplatz (2020) - long, confusing, too smart for me and I still couldn't stop watching it. There's something very queer about this film too.

Wicked (2024) - I haven't seen the musical but went to see the film with my friend (and her family) and physically went 👀 to her every time something gay happened. I'm sorry I doubted you Ariana Grande.

December

Fly Me to the Moon (2024) - I watched this on a terrible transatlantic red eye flight and it entertained me. Unique concept but predictable execution

Debbie Macomber's Dashing Through the Snow (2015) - shout out to the Jewish biker guy handing out free puppies

Round and Round (2023) - Actually a really fun Hallmark holiday film?? And a nice twist on the time loop genre??

Wicked Little Letters (2023) - Very fun to watch on new years eve while tipsy

[brian-in-finance]

So checks notes!! … show promotion Outlander, events, panels etc etc

Lots of laughs ✅ corny repetitive questions✅ flirting✅ innuendos✅ hugging✅ touching✅ posing✅ joking around✅ teasing✅ drinking✅ audience oohs,arrs and cheering✅ cast bonding

Oh that’s right notes are from 2014; correction 2015, and 2016, oh and 2017, 2018, + 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024!!

But doesn’t all that behaviour mean they are ‘so married’ Alas we continue to wait for that infamous marriage certificate (just ignore that other one, it can’t possibly be real) and sightings of the brood. Oh well maybe 2025!! Or even 2026😜

It’s just so close…..🤭🤣

Thanks for the message, Anon. 😃 Your ✅ list is quite thorough, but, to be fair, there were no premiere/promo periods in 2019 or 2021. But there was a Tait wedding and a Tait birth… coincidence? 😝

It’s almost like filming has ended and co-stars and colleagues who’ve seen one another regularly for the past several years are going their separate ways. It’s almost like there’s no reason for sentiment or affection beyond romantic coupling. It’s almost like a streaming service whose TV show hadn’t presented a new episode for 469 days is pushing what attracts mosts of its subscribers.

Despite an often-repeated report and many opinions to the contrary, the green paper is indeed real. As to waiting for an infamous replacement, 55.6% of respondents from a recent survey think Season 8 will premiere in 2026. The timing might be significant. (Typing while laughing to the point of tears is most challenging. 😂😂😂)

It seems you’re not one from Mordor who is panic-stricken or triggered or shook or rattled or nervous or scared by revelations from the Taylor Swift concert and Season 7B promo? Cool. Neither am I… nor anyone else I interact with here. 🤷🏻‍♂️

What I am concerned about is the refund policy offered on billboard reservations in Indiana and Texas.

Flaticon

Remember… it’s like watching a film you’ve already seen with someone who hasn’t, and listening to their confidently predicting the ending… and knowing they’re wrong.

[eaglesnick]

“Taxation is the price which civilized communities pay for the opportunity of remaining civilized.” - Albert Bushnell Hart

Right-wing media outlets and the right-wing press have all been bemoaning the fate of the British economy because of its failure to grow. What they don’t tell us is that British companies are still making sizable profits – profits that are several percentage points above private sector wage increases and way above public sector wage rises.

The Office for National Statistics in their paper “Profitability of UK companies: April to June 2024” has some interesting information, information these right-wing commentators are reluctant to reveal.

First, profits for private non-financial corporations have been falling from a high of 13% in 2014 to their current rate of 8.8% in 2024. During the years of Tory Austerity under David Cameroon and George Osborne companies were making substantial profits yet public services were starved of funds while private shareholders raked in the millions.

Second, even though the 8.8% 2024 increase in profit is not as good as the 2014 13% increase, it is still much higher than the increase in wages, especially in the public sector. In 2014, when profits growth was at 13% for non-financial corporations, wage increase for the same period was only 2.1% while public sector workers saw a wage increase of only 1%. (www.oms.gov.uk.)

In short, while UK business was making ever-higher profits their workers were having their wages suppressed and the country as a whole was subjected to Tory austerity measures. Wage rises have increased in the last year but for the period 2022/24, while non-financial corporations increased their profits by 8.8% workers were only averaging a 5.4% wage increase.

The point I am making is that workers are not getting an equitable share in the increase of company profits. What is more, the emphasis on growth is misleading. You do not need to keep on growing to be profitable. If a company makes £10bn profit this year and £10bn the following year, profit growth is zero but the shareholders will still be £10bn better off than they were last year. So when media pundits and politicians bleat on about sluggish growth they are not really being entirely honest with us when they claim the country cannot afford investment in better public services until we have better economic growth.

The falsehood of this argument was exposed last night on BBC’s "Question Time". Interestingly, the counter to this argument came NOT from the Labour government representative but from the successful businessman Dale Vince.

Dale Vince OBE, a British green energy industrialist, in answer to the question "Can the economy grow while increasing business costs?” was quite emphatic that it definitely could.

He pointed out that businesses pay the lowest tax rate of anybody in our economy. Corporation tax is around 24% but only paid on profit. National Insurance payments, wages, investments, material costs, rents, etc etc can ALL be claimed against tax whereas ordinary individuals just pay tax on earnings, higher earners paying 45% tax, a rate that is almost twice that for businesses.

He also pointed out that shareholders pay less tax on their dividend payouts than ordinary working people pay tax on their wages, claiming that if the tax system was made equal for ALL citizens, then an additional £12bn could be raised in revenue that could go towards public services. Also, if a 2% wealth tax were introduced for those with assets above £10m, which would only affect 20,000 people, then an additional £24bn could be raised in tax.

In short, we do not necessarily need growth to improve public services. Not only is the emphasis on economic growth misleading, but by focusing solely on growth, the pundits direct our attention away from those who could and should be paying more towards the economy – successful businesses and wealthy individuals.

Note: Some of the companies operating in Britain who made record profits for period2023-2024.

Boots tripled profits: Crown Estates made a record £1.1bn profit; HSBC saw an 80% increase in pre-tax profits: BP reported second highest annual profit in a decade - £13.8bn; Tesco profits up 12.7% to £2.86bn; AstraZenica profits up by 14.61%.

[beardedmrbean]

A new marriage law set to go into force in Thailand on Thursday will grant full equality to same-sex couples, including legal, financial and medical rights. Only two other places in Asia — Nepal and Taiwan — have similar laws in place.

The struggle for marriage equality in Thailand has lasted decades.

Plus and Gaye, a lesbian couple who preferred not to give their full names, told DW that the new law "gives us the courage to look toward a future beyond relationships."

After being together for nearly 20 years, they are now eligible for tax deductions, health care consent and joint property management — rights that were previously reserved for heterosexual couples. 

The bill grants "basic human rights to the LGBTQ community," said Mookdapa Yangyuenpradorn, human rights associate for Fortify Rights.

But she questions whether the law will be implemented properly.

"Officials need to be informed and trained to avoid discrimination," Yangyuenpradorn said, "whether it is when the couples register their marriage, sign medical consent forms or adoption papers."

It is also telling that gender-specific words, such as "husbands," "wives," "men" and "women," have been replaced with gender-neutral terms, but lawmakers did not include the word "parent" in addition to "father and mother."

What's next after Thailand's marriage equality bill?

Thailand has long been hailed as a haven for LGBTQ+ people. But Yangyuenpradorn doubts the country will build on the momentum of its marriage equality law.

"When the marriage equality bill was discussed in public, some would say: 'They [same-sex couples] just want to love each other, leave them be,'" Yangyuenpradorn said.

If the focus shifts to things like the gender recognition bill, which would allow people to obtain legal documents reflecting their gender identity, then it becomes apparent that "transphobic attitudes still exist."

"Some people are against allowing the LGBTQ community the option to amend gender markers due to entrenched fears of (gender) identity falsification," Yangyuenpradorn said.

Vietnam: Population backs marriage equality, laws lag behind

Support for same-sex marriage varies across southern Asian.

A 2023 Pew Research Center survey found that 65% of people in Vietnam are in favor of allowing same-sex couples to marry — more than anywhere else in Southeast Asia. 

Despite this level of public support, same-sex marriage seems a long way away in Vietnam. The country only stopped defining being gay, bisexual or transgender as an "illness" in 2022.

The current Vietnamese Law on Marriage and Family was amended in 2014 to allow for symbolic weddings that are not legally recognized. The law was due to be revised in either 2024 or 2025, yet it is nowhere to be found on the parliament's legislative schedule. Backers of same-sex marriage also face an uphill legal battle in Singapore. In November 2022, the parliament overturned a law that criminalized sex between men, but the lawmakers also amended the constitution to block full marriage equality.

LGBTQ+ people tread carefully in Muslim-majority nations

Support for same-sex marriage in Muslim-majority Malaysia and Indonesia is the lowest in the region, with only 17% and 5% of survey respondents in favor, respectively. "Muslims report the lowest support for same-sex marriage of any religious group in any place surveyed," according to the Pew Research Center.

LGBTQ+ communities face diverse issues within Muslim-majority nations, as well. Same-sex relations are not outlawed in Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim-majority country, except in Aceh province, where Sharia law is enforced.

"It is possible to live (closeted) lives in Muslim communities [in Indonesia], provided that people are extra careful," Dede Oetomo, a campaigner for LGBTQ rights in the archipelago, told DW.

In general terms, Oetomo said, "it is a war out there."

"From time to time, there is news of raids of gay gatherings or venues, disruption of pageants, or persecution of individuals by family or community members, sometimes by state law enforcement people," Oetomo said.

Brunei's laws call for stoning of gay men

Oetomo said there were reasons for hope — the number of faith leaders and communities supporting LGBTQ+ causes is increasing, which has helped introduce "a counternarrative of religious discourse."

"In some Eastern Indonesian cities," Oetomo said, "there is an attempt by LGBTQ organizations and intersectional allies to have anti-discrimination local ordinances, with some success in Ambon and Kupang."

Despite more people being in favor of same-sex marriage in Malaysia than in Indonesia

, there is still a legal ban on homosexuality in Malaysia, with violations punishable by a 20-year prison term. In 2023, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said Malaysia would never recognize LGBTQ+ rights.

But nowhere in Southeast Asia is the intolerance as severe as in Brunei. It is one of 11 countries in the world that still has the death penalty for homosexuality. In 2019, Brunei introduced new laws that make sex between men punishable by stoning to death, although this was suspended after international backlash.

Philippines, Singapore still struggle with laws

Across the Philippines, regional authorities have passed a slew of local measures to protect LGBTQ+ communities from discrimination.

But, at the national level, an anti-discrimination bill based on sexual orientation, gender identity, and expression is still blocked after more than two decades of debate in parliament.

Meanwhile, in Singapore, the government recently passed its first workplace anti-discrimination law, which is expected to come into effect in 2026 or 2027. However, the bill does not cover discrimination over sexual orientation and gender identity.

Andrew, a 30-year-old Singaporean who asked that his full name not be used, told DW that this is a "massive" missed opportunity to discuss gender and sexuality issues and shift attitudes toward the LGBTQ+ community in the wealthy island state. He said removing media censorship of positive or neutral LGBTQ+ content would help move the nation toward more acceptance.

"It is disheartening to see that Singapore media still has not changed over the years," Andrew said, adding that gay characters are portrayed as "perverts or mentally disturbed."

"I think that just really fits the whole narrative that people in the LGBTQ community aren't good for society because that's what people see and that is what the older generation would then internalize," Andrew said.

[ggukkiedae]

COOK WITH ME, YEAH? EP. 2 || my best friend for almost a decade 

uploaded on january 22, 2024 to the bangtantv youtube channel and weverse. dialogue in italics are spoken in english

content warning: briefly touches on the sopa incident (which you can find in the yoonmi.dreamies tag) and growing up as a child in the entertainment industry

Click Below to See the Video

miya: “hi everyone! it’s the second episode of cooking with miya, and i thought it was just about right, since last episode was with my other half, that i would bring in probably my closest other best friend outside of bangtan in today.”

she pulls out a jar from her fridge and plops it on the table, a heavy thud sounding out 

she then opens the freezer and takes out half a pound of pork belly. 

miya: “this friend, we’ve tasted each other’s cooking, but we have never actually cooked together despite us being friends for almost a decade now—“

she was cut off by the sound of beeping and someone yelling “i’m here!”. she laughed and shouted 

miya: “i’m in the kitchen! looks like he arrived just in time.”

a figure in a hoodie and a coat popped into view, initiating a handshake involving foot taps and spinning her around as well before they ended it in a hug

she laughed and made him turn to face the camera

miya: “everyone, it’s donghyuckie oppa! but you guys know him better as nct’s haechan!” 

haechan: “hi, i’m nct’s haechan! hold on, i’ll just hang my coat up” 

the video cuts to them standing next to each other, haechan has his hands behind his back

yoonmi excitedly looks at him

miya: “you came earlier than i thought! i only started to defrost the pork belly now” 

haechan: “knowing you and me, we’ll get distracted long enough while doing food prep” 

miya: “true” 

haechan: “i brought you something”

he takes his hands from behind his back, and offers her a paper bag. she looks inside and laughs 

haechan: “what? why are you laughing at my gift?” 

miya: “you brought me soju and beer?” 

haechan: “you said we’re making a korean dish today!” 

miya: “i’ll get the shot glasses”

she pulls two shot glasses out of the cabinet before filling them with soju and placing the the rest of the paper bag’s contents into the fridge

they clinked their shot glasses together before downing them and setting the shot glasses aside next to the bottle

miya: “have you ever drank while cooking?” 

haechan: “i can’t say i have. what are we making?” 

miya: “kimchi jjigae!”

haechan: “really?” 

miya: “yeah, do you wanna cut the meat or the kimchi?”

haechan: “you don’t like handling meat, so i’ll do that”

miya: “oh? oppa is acting nice for the camera?”

haechan looks into the camera with a playful smirk, making her laugh

cut to them on the dining table, yoonmi has tofu, a bowl and a large container, haechan is next to her, but his side of the table has a chopping board, a bowl, some vegetables, and the meat

miya: “you can cut the meat however you like, just marinate it in rice wine later after” 

haechan: “the point of that is?”

miya: “flavor and defrosting” 

haechan: “right. is this the part we answer questions?”

a caption appears: cooking with miya invites miya’s friends over to bond with her while they look back on their friendship using questions initially suggested by army and questions miya herself found most frequently on social media posts of them together

she laughed as they both started on their tasks. the very first question popped up

when did you meet and what were your first impressions of each other?

haechan: “we met in 2014” 

miya: “that’s right, jinki oppa introduced us! i think that was around january?” 

haechan: “january 22, you were such a baby back then!” 

a caption appears: coincidentally the day this video is uploaded is their decade as friends

miya: “so were you! i remember that day, we had lunch, then we ended up talking until late after dinner”

haechan: “i still remember jin hyung herding you into the car like a baby sheep”

she laughs before focusing on lifting the kimchi carefully and cutting it into pieces

haechan leaned back a bit and thought for a moment before leaning back forward and mincing garlic and while speaking

haechan: “i think my first impression if you was ‘wow, she’s a lot shyer than she seems’ because i knew you as an idol before i knew you as a person”

miya: “you knew me?”

haechan: “you were the first girl in a boy group ever, and you were known for being a shawol, of course i knew you” 

he looked at her like he was offended, before grabbing the scallions he was going to cut up next and whacked her with it, making her scrunch her nose and shake her head at him

 she dipped her gloved hand into the kimchi container and smeared it on his cheek before she grabbed an extra bowl to scoop kimchi juice into 

he yelped and gave her an appalled look while she just laughed

the video cuts to them properly working

miya: “okay, okay. as for you, you seemed like a very funny guy from the start! that didn’t change, you’re still funny, but you’re also pretty sweet”

haechan: “of course i am” 

miya: “oppa, you’re just playing the of course game at this point”

what are your names for each other in your cellphones?

miya: “hyuckie oppa with a sun emoji”

haechan: “princess yoonmi with a wave and a crown emoji”

miya: “wait, really? not hannah unnie?”

haechan: “yeah, you’re one of the three princesses in my phone”

miya: “me, hannah unnie, and your sister”

haechan: “exactly”

describe each other in one word

she started opening the tofu pack to slice it

haechan, who originally started slicing the meat once done with the vegetables, paused to look at yoonmi

he tilted his head in thought

haechan: “i think in one word yoonmi is sea” 

miya: “what? why?”

haechan: “the sea is calming, mostly, but also because the sea can be both gentle and rough. it cannot be held back, and neither can you”

she looked at him, eyes looking a little more hydrated

he didn’t meet her eyes, so she smacked his arm with the back of her hand

miya: “… i’m never forgiving you if you make me cry in the middle of food prep with only one shot of soju in my system”

he cried out in false exaggerated pain, making her laugh

haechan: “crybaby. what about me?”

miya: “hyuckie oppa is the sun”

he raised his eyebrow at her

haechan: “you couldn’t be any more original?”

miya: “no, hear me out! yes, you’re a ball of energy and a warm person, but remember that the sun constantly shines, even during the night when we can’t see it. you’re just as great and hard-working even in moments when nobody is there to watch you, and i admire that”

haechan: “no wonder you’re a really coveted lyricist” 

she hits him on the arm once again before the video cuts to them on her couch, another shot of soju being taken 

the caption indicates they’re waiting thirty minutes for the meat to marinate before starting

what’s your favorite memory together?

she sat up excitedly, making him jump in surprise

miya: “i know mine!” 

haechan: “already?”

miya: “yeah, oppa, do you remember that time in junior year when we were assigned to work together?”

haechan: “you mean the whole year?”

she gave him a pointed look for his sarcasm, making him laugh

she put her shot glass down and crossed her arms at him, so he chuckled and patted her knee

haechan: “go on”

miya: “it was the music theory class”

haechan: “right, we did a presentation on the utilization of negative space in music, but you were on tour while we were preparing”

miya: “i think i video called you more than i did my boyfriend back then because of how stressed we were”

he snorted at that, grabbing the bottle and pouring them another shot each

she opened a bag of chips, offering some in exchange to him handing her the shot, which they both downed immediately

haechan: “why’s that your favorite memory?”

miya: “i think that’s the time that i realized that, aside from spemding time together as friends, i like working with you in both career related and non-career related things”

he ruffled her hair, making her yelp and fix her hair while pouting at him

haechan: “awww you love me”

miya: “sure, let's go with that. and what’s your favorite memory?”

haechan: “easy. shinee world iii. i think that’s what solidified our friendship when we watched the shinee hyungs together. before that, i kinda thought you were just being my friend for the sake of not disappointing onew hyung”

she looked at him surprised, and he just gave her an apologetic smile

she turned her body to face him more, eyes wide in surprise

miya: “what? no way, i was just shy!”

haechan: “i know that now, but not then, so that’s how i felt! but we had a lot of fun, and we even had an impromptu dinner after both nights, so that was when i was assured that we were genuinely friends for real, and i knew we’d continue to be friends”

he filled their shot glasses while he was talking

she opened her mouth to say something, but closed it again, taking the shot

he gave her a look before taking a bit of chips for himself

haechan: “say it”

miya: “i said this in the intro, outside of bangtan, you’re my best friend”

haechan: “me? not haeeunie? or mark? or jisung?”

she rolled her eyes while he looked at her in fake surprise

miya: “oppa, you know this, we talked about this! hannah unnie is like a sister, and mark oppa’s my boyfriend, that’s different! but, if we leave mark oppa out of this, i’ve spent more time with you than i have any of my other friends, especially since we were classmates for two years and always put together for group projects”

haechan: “that’s good because you’re my best friend outside the group as well, especially after everything we’ve been through together”

yoonmi nodded, and pictures of them through the years appeared on screen

what was it like growing up together?

yoonmi snorted and looked at haechan

he looked back at her tilting his head

haechan: “what?”

miya: “i don’t think either of us grew up for a while”

he laughed, but nodded in agreement

haechan: “it feels like we stayed fourteen and thirteen, right? mostly because i started training at fourteen and you debuted at thirteen”

miya: “twelve and eleven if we go by that logic”

haechan gave her a look, but she just shrugged and looked at the camera

miya: “international age and before our birthdays”

haechan: “wait, you were eleven internationally when you debuted? that’s crazy!”

miya: “i was a mature looking kid”

haechan: “but you look exactly the same now”

she smacked him with a pillow, he laughed while defending himself

the video cuts to them sitting more calmly

haechan: “what was i saying? right, we were thirteen and twelve for a long time, then suddenly it just felt like we were mentally both teens and adults, just ageless, in kids’ bodies, didn’t it?”

miya: “it did. it's like a limbo of some sort"

haechan: "i've been told often... this actually goes for both of us, it's a topic we talked about just the other day, but i've been told i have a mature mindset despite having a childlike personality"

miya: "that's right, we get that a lot. although we are maturing now, there are just some things that don't change, and somethings that do. it comes with experience. you can't go through as much as we have and not have some sort of change or growth in the way you think"

haechan: "exactly! when you see the world, as cheesy as it sounds, and get put in multiple situations whether good or bad, your mind adapts and learns, changing the way you think. yet, we both started work at very young ages, which did cut our experiences of normal childhood quite short. that's what makes it feel like we're exactly the way we were back then"

miya: "taemin oppa, he was the one who warned me about how this would feel, but i didn’t think it would be that prominent. it’s different with kookie oppa, you know? he was like the big brother i was in it with. with you, and the other dreamies, actually, it just felt like there were finally people who got almost exactly how i felt”

haechan took his shot then poured them another one

she leaned back, seeming like she was reminiscing

haechan: “you were also the only person aside from haeeunie who never got annoyed with me in the early stages of our friendship”

miya: “and you were the first to see me as an equal and not as a little kid… even somi and daehwi thought of me as a baby back then”

he raised his shot glass to her

they clinked their glasses together and threw the shot back

haechan poured her a glass of water while she looked at her phone for the time

miya: “time to cook”

the scene cuts to the montage of them actually cooking  

haechan fries the meat a little while yoonmi fries the kimchi

he pours the meat into the kimchi, considering the kimchi was in the bigger pot

they add in water and all the vegetables 

the montage ends with a cut to them standing by the counter, waiting for it to boil before the next step

she reaches into the fishbowl of questions for the next one

are you guys okay after the sopa incident in 2017?

haechan: “put it back in the bowl”

haechan was quick to joke by holding the fishbowl of questions back towards yoonmi

she just laughed and placed the question on the counter

miya: “honestly, going through something like that isn’t just going to disappear from our memories”

haechan: “i like to think i’m mostly better now, but i’ve become really cautious and always double check with the people i’m with if the other people around us are who they’re supposed to be”

miya: “me too, and i get nervous if can’t find something that i know should be just there” 

they look at each other, yoonmi dropped her head

haechan: “then we both had an eventful last quarter after that”

miya: “i think we traumatized our therapist”

they laughed and decided to take another shot

haechan: “but we’re mostly okay now”

miya: “we are, yeah. thanks for sticking with me then, oppa”

haechan: “thanks for staying friends with me, yoonmi, really”

he picked the next question and read it out while she added the kimchi juice to the pot

will you two ever release a song together?

haechan snorted and looked at yoonmi who just smiled with a sigh

he took over and added some gochujang and ssamjang into their soup, stirring them in while yoonmi took a step back

haechan: “we want to, but we haven’t actually talked about it, right producer and composer-nim?”

miya: “it’s always been an idea, but we’re either always busy or just not thinking about work when we hang out”

haechan added some soy sauce into the pot while yoonmi added in a small amount of fish sauce

haechan: “but it would be nice. you saw those videos of yoonmi working with dream that one time, right? it’s been almost three years since then, i wonder how her recording style changed. jungkook hyung said she’s stricter now”

miya: “so maybe i am just a bit more of a perfectionist now, but so are you!”

he laughed at her, pointing at the fishbowl

haechan: “our collab is to be determined. last question?”

if you could go back and tell your younger selves on mmc anything about your friendship, what would it be?

haechan: “keep sweets on hand at all times. not only does she crave sweets like a monster, but she needs it for her blood sugar”

miya: “hey!”

haechan: “i’m right, you know i’m right!”

miya: “… little me, be prepared to fight for your life with this one”

the doorbell rang, and there’s a sound of a door opening. yoonmi smiled and walked off camera, making haechan wrinkle his nose at what he saw. 

haechan: “lee mark just kissed yoonmi”

she popped back into frame, mark with her, and jisung and hannah making her way to haechan’s side

hannah: “at least you were a distance away”

yoonmi laughed before making the three introduce themselves to the camera

haechan and yoonmi then cheered before he spoke

haechan: “we invited these three today to try our kimchi jjigae, and they’ll enjoy it if they know what’s good for them”

the scene then cuts to a montage of the three guests setting the table while yoonmi and haechan prepared the side dishes and the presentation of their kimchi jjigae

once the cut of the jjigae being placed on the table is taken, it goes to a wide shot of the five of them clapping and cheering

jisung: “i don’t think i’ve ever seen you two cook together before”

haechan: “we haven’t, this is a first time thing”

hannah: “it already looks better than when yoonmi and i tried to teach mark to cook”

mark: “hey! in my defense, i was distracted”

hannah: “by what?”

mark: “i’d rather not say”

haechan: “yoonmi, 100%”

jisung: “true”

yoonmi shakes her head and just claps once to get everyone’s attention and to save her boyfriend

miya: “okay guys, get your fill and try what hyuckie oppa and i made”

everyone happily fills their small bowls with the stew before trying it

sounds of approval fill the room

jisung’s eyes widen as he looks at the two cooks, mark pats their heads, and hannah is just happily eating her food

mark: “it’s amazing, you guys”

jisung: “hyung’s right! i think the others will like this”

hannah: “i don’t expect less from you two, this is great, this is a perfect from me”

haechan and yoonmi laugh in delight and high five before she turns to the camera

miya: “that brings an end to episode 2 of cook with me, yeah? thank you to my lovely boyfriend mark oppa as well as two of my closest friends hannah unnie and jisungie for coming over today to try our food. thank you to my best friend haechan oppa especially for cooking with me today. if any one of you would like to try what we made at home, the recipe will be in the description! see you next episode!”

the five of them wave to the camera, then the video cuts to black

after a few seconds, the screen is split into three, each showing mark, jisung, and hannah in once again what looks like yoonmi’s home office with a question along the bottom of the screen

what do you think of miya and haechan’s friendship?

jisung’s answer is shown first

jisung: “haechan hyung and yoonmi are interesting. hyung is loud and very full of jokes. he’s mischievous. yoonmi, is more on the quiet side, she’s a lot more reserved than hyung, but it works because they balance each other out. if i’m being honest, they are beneficial to each other in the way hyung brings yoonmi out of her shell while she helps him relax and ease his tension”

hannah is shown next

hannah: “honestly, those two are closer to each other than i am to yoonmi, which would surprise most people, but it makes sense to me. they’ve been friends longer than any of us have even known yoonmi, and both these sunshiney people who make the people around them endeared by both their friendship and their individual personalities. it makes me happy to know my twin flame gets along with someone i see as a sister”

last is mark’s cut

mark: “i actually really value their friendship. i like seeing them interact because i know from that that they have each other’s backs. i’ve known them both for so long, and i’m glad to say they have another person to turn to when they need it. it’s nice, you know? yoonmi deserves all the good things in the world, and, if for some reason the i’m not there to give it to her, there’s someone else i trust with my life to be there with and for her. haechannie, on the other hand, drives himself forward so much, so it reassures me to know he has someone to remind him to sit back for a bit and just live”

-end-

taglist: @sunflower-0180 @seaoffangirling @yourwonderbelle @1-800-enhypennabi @kamiiyou @strwberrydinosaur @uraveragefangirlsposts @caratinylyfe @1-800-minji @one16core @kimhyejin3108 @chansols @akshverse @toriluvsfics @billboard-singer @stopeatread @allthings-fandoms @jammingjaem

drop an ask or a dm if you wanna be added or taken out of the taglist 🥰 requests are also open!

[j0vrn4l-0f-4-d34dw4nn4b3]

some sort of introduction if you will

I don't proofread my posts.

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★

hi, I'm zakariah, I'm 17. don't question the url. my tumblrs are immune to not being edgy. @evry1h8s-me @k1llm3qv1ck are my other accounts. not really active as of now.

I struggle a lot mentally, and I have since I was a very small child.

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★

what exactly? you may ask. well, I'm diagnosed with depression and anxiety. it's possible I have a mood disorder. I most likely have autism, obsessive compulsive disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder. I might involuntarily age-regress, haven't really told anyone about that because i feel embarrassed and also stupid. I've struggled with binge eating disorder in the past, anorexia now, and i self-harm. i also have alcoholic tendencies and an addictive personality. I have abused substances.

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★

life is a bitch, I just want to get through it. my brain is fucked up and even though I've been attempting to understand and heal parts of me it's really fucking difficult. I'm in therapy [5th times the charm!] and I've always been uncomfortable truly sharing what is on my mind and how I'm feeling. I've tried to force myself to talk, to find the words and speak what gets caught in my throat. I'm hoping that sharing things here and allowing people to see what I'm thinking and how I'm feeling as well as the processes i go through when feeling and thinking that maybe I could be more comfortable to share them with people I should share them with. I truthfully want to get better, for myself if no one else. I'd also like to share these deep parts as it may inspire others to look deeper, make them feel less alone with thoughts, feelings, and experiences, or help them reach out if they feel down. feel free to ask questions if you have any, shit can be confusing as fuck.

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★

sometimes I write on paper and transfer it here. they are more likely to be thought out and actually follow some sort of theme. that will be tagged #papercopyofadeadwannabe

sometimes I type shit out on the spot. its more likely to be in the moment thoughts and feelings. less thought out, more jumping around. it will be tagged #deadwannabeonthespot

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★

major life events. I'm trying to build a timeline.

october 2007 -> my birth

2012 -> broke my arm? met my best friend

2014? -> dad went to jail because of a meth lab

2015? -> grandma kicked my mom out. we moved to New York City

november 2016 -> little sister was born

february 2017 -> moved in with my grandparents in foster care

2018 -> drank alcohol for the first time? vaped for the first time? my first nephew was born. tried to run away with our parents?

2019 -> my mom's best friend died. my dad died. my great grandma died. smoked weed for the first time

2020 -> got to live with my mom again. covid. came out as trans

2021 -> started self-harming? house fire. lived with my best friend for 6 months. moved into a new house.

2022 -> anxiety at an all time high. stopped smoking weed

2023 -> developed anorexia. got addicted to nicotine

2024 -> got groomed. started drinking heavily. attempted suicide. got diagnosed with depression. mom went to jail for meth possession and felony dui. got groomed again, LOL. got into a relationship. starting abusing benadryl

2025 -> mom got out of jail. nephew #2 was born. mom's other best friend died. broke up with my boyfriend

I feel as though I am forgetting things so I will most likely update this time-line. and the question marks are because I'm unsure if it's correct.

[foxes-that-run]

I do think reptv vault songs that are haylor are gonna be scathing like IION and will get one extra sad song about the bbmas night that'll parallel Question in some ways. And probably one song about CH and the rest about snakegate

There’s a long period it covers. IION was written a full year+ before the end of Haylor and Calvin, So it Goes, Style etc, are is in that period. In mid-2016 Taylor said she’d stopped writing, but we don’t know when. This also includes the time MH said dating her was emasculating- I’d love if this Maylor thing gets put to rest by addressing that.

I expect to be surprised like we were with the 1989 vaults when everyone was like “my goodness she cared more than we know” I expect more of that, maybe some break up songs for early 2015 and 2016, IDWLF is the only one we got. In late 2015 she was going through it, Calvin allegedly cheated, she first posted the breathe by Hillary Duff after a summer of them both in Europe when Harry posted some colour photos. She’s referenced that song in getaway car, paper rings, labyrinth - but no song from when she posted it.

Then there’s a missing part of the story between February, April and June 2016. Including Yachgate, the lead up to April 29 (though that may be gorgeous and delicate). And a bunch of reputation got new Joe-bridges, she might drop some original lyrics like she did with the 1989.

So I think break up songs, probably love lost, lusty songs, and yeah more snake drama.

[religion-is-a-mental-illness]

By: Christopher F. Rufo and Luke Rosiak

Published: Apr 22, 2024

Recent headlines about UCLA School of Medicine suggest that the institution has lost its focus. Instead of brushing up on organic chemistry, its students were subjected to lessons on “Indigenous womxn” and “two-spirits.” Future doctors had to take a class on “structural racism” and were led in a “Free Palestine” chant by a Hamas-praising guest speaker. The school made plans to segregate students by race for courses on left-wing ideology, and two of its psychiatry residents championed “revolutionary suicide.” 

Why has the school charted this course? One reason is its commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion ideology. UCLA has a DEI program called “Cultural North Star,” and at the medical school, it is led by Natalie J. Perry, whose official title is Cultural North Star Lead. Her UCLA biography says that her job is to “embed our aspirational Cultural North Stars [sic] value [sic] in our organizational DNA.” UCLA honored Perry last month for teaching students to “do what’s right,” saying her “empathy and radical listening” are to thank for her “success as an educator and a leader.”

According to a Daily Wire and City Journal investigation, however, Perry’s academic career is based on fraud. Perry published her Ph.D. dissertation in 2014 at the University of Virginia about college diversity programs. An analysis of the paper found it ridden with the worst sort of plagiarism, reproducing large swaths of text directly from several other authors, without proper citations. The scale of the plagiarism suggests that Perry lacks both ethics and competence and raises questions about academic programs that push DEI.

Perry’s dissertation lifted passages from ten other papers. In key portions of her text, she copied almost every paragraph from other sources without attribution. She fails even to mention at least four of the ten plagiarized papers anywhere in her dissertation.

Let’s review some examples.

The first three pages of Perry’s paper, “Faculty Perceptions of Diversity at a Highly Selective Research-Intensive University,” suggest that she did not even bother to read beyond the first page of papers from which she stole. Her dissertation’s second sentence reproduces verbatim part of a sentence on the first page of a paper by Adrianna Kezar, Peter Eckel, Melissa Contreras-McGavin, and Stephen John Quaye. Her third paragraph, without citation, lifts more than 100 words from the first page of a paper by Angela Locks, Sylvia Hurtado, Nicholas Bowman, and Leticia Oseguera.

Each colored portion of the below text was taken from a different author:

In some cases when Perry did include parenthetical citations, she wasn’t citing the papers whose text she had lifted. Instead, she simply reproduced the citations included in those stolen excerpts.

Take the above paragraph, which ends with “(Bernard, 2005; Bollag, 2005; Munoz, Jasis, Young, and McLaren, 2004; Williams, Nakashima, Kich, and Reginald, 1996).” Perry was not synthesizing those authors. Instead, the citation was part of Adalberto Aguirre and Ruben Martinez’s paper, from which she apparently copied and pasted, without attribution.

A core part of Perry’s dissertation involved summarizing work done by professors Robert Quinn and John Rohrbaugh. Instead of citing them directly, however, Perry cribbed summaries from other academics. Perry copied and pasted almost all of a nearly thousand-word passage from a paper by Chad Hartnell, Amy Yi Ou, and Angelo Kinicki, without quoting the authors.

Consider, for example, the following excerpt from Perry’s dissertation. The italicized portions were taken verbatim from Hartnell, Yi Ou, and Kinicki’s paper:

The CVF is widely used in organizational literature (Ostroff et al., 2003). Measures of organizational culture that directly or indirectly assess the CVF have been administered in over 10,000 organizations globally (Cameron et al., 2006) within the following academic disciplines: management, marketing, supply-chain management, accounting, social services, hospitality, and health care. Further, the reliability and content validity of Cameron and Ettington's (1988) measure of the CVF has been empirically supported in studies utilizing multitrait-multimethod analysis (Quinn & Spreitzer, 1991), multidimensional scaling (Howard, 1998), and structural equation modeling (Kalliath, Bluedorn, & Gillespie, 1999). Surprisingly, prior to 2011, there had been limited assessment of the theoretical foundation of the CVF despite its reported content validity and widespread use in research and practice.

The rest of Perry’s analysis of Quinn and Rohrbaugh’s work is largely copied, unquoted and unattributed, from a 2003 paper by John Smart. Below are pages 13 and 14 of Perry’s paper, outlining its “Theoretical Framework,” with the italicized text coming directly from Smart:

To develop this theory Quinn and Rohrbaugh (1983) asked a panel of distinguished organizational theorists to evaluate the similarity between every possible pair of 39 indexes of organizational effectiveness derived from Campbell’s (1977) exhaustive synthesis of criteria used to assess the performance of organizations. The results of this analysis revealed three basic dimensions underlying the judgments of respondents. The first dimension is organizational focus, which distinguishes organizations that have an internal emphasis on the development of people from those that have an external focus on the development of the organization. The second dimension is organizational structure, which distinguishes between organizations that have an emphasis on stability and control from those that have an emphasis on flexibility and innovation. The third dimension is organizational means and ends, which distinguish between organizations that emphasize processes such as planning and establishing goals from those that emphasize resulting outcomes such as productivity and efficiency.

In a section titled “Positioning Diversity Leadership in Higher Education,” Perry copies almost every sentence from one of several other papers. In no case does she credit the actual source:

Finally, in a section on organizational culture, Perry duplicates language from a variety of other authors:

Perry presented her paper as “qualitative” research because she chatted with what appear to be ten members of her colleagues at the University of Virginia who sat on the faculty-retention taskforce and counted their musings as “data.” But when the paper gets to this section, where plagiarism wasn’t possible, Perry includes the following jumbled passage that includes a glaring spelling error:

The positionality of the participants informed the perspective on the origins of the commission. /in response to the needs of the varios [sic] stakeholders within the university, the commission addressed issues of diversity on the faculty, undergraduate, graduate, and university level.

The section of original text suggests that her plagiarism could be used to mask glaring academic deficiencies. Moreover, Perry in her references section fails to list some of the papers that she cites parenthetically in the body of the dissertation—a telltale sign that she had simply copied those citations from somewhere else. Legitimate academic inquiry would not excuse such shoddy work.

Perry and UCLA did not return requests for comment.

Entrepreneur Mark Cuban recently argued that DEI policies don’t necessarily lower an organization’s expectations. But for Harvard, UVA, and UCLA Medical School—where Perry earned her master’s, Ph.D., and DEI position, respectively—this is evidently not the case. These institutions have dramatically lowered expectations for favored groups and pushed a cohort of “scholars” through the system without enforcing basic standards of academic integrity.

Ultimately, Natalie Perry is to blame for her misconduct. But these institutions of higher learning share some fault for permitting such shoddiness to stand unchallenged.

==

These are the same people who want to lecture us how much more morally enlightened they are than we are.

[not-poignant]

Merch Tier Revived!

As of this month, I've officially revived the Vexteria tier on Patreon and Ream as a Merch tier :D

This is the one you're looking for:

Memberships at Ream

Memberships at Patreon

I've been thinking about it for like a year and I've finally figured out a way to do it without breaking my brain (or the bank) and handling overseas postage.

While there are other bonuses in this tier, I've finally figured out how to get around overwhelming postage costs with twice-yearly drops of merch to those who subscribe for 4 consecutive months in the Evan & Vexteria tier within that period.

This is what shipped out to followers in the second half of 2023!

x 2 notebooks (lined) + postcards (with recycled paper envelopes) + vinyl stickers + a signed personalised individual letter. In this first instance, I am also the artist of this merch.

Here's me preparing everything :D

Each merch shipment will be different items and different themes - sometimes fanart, sometimes quotes, or focuses on different stories. The items can individually change too. It might be journals, more varied stickers, other forms of stationary, enamel pins, and more.

What do you get in this tier?

In this tier you get access to everything. All the early access, the merch, you get credits in all future books (which, with publishing hopefully kicking off in 2024 means seeing your name in print a fair bit!), and see any other extras I choose to share.

Why 4 consecutive months to be eligible for that 6 month drop?

To cover overseas shipping costs, which start at $20, and to also cover the raw cost of the merchandise, and also still be able to make an income off Patreon or Ream in this tier.

I like the look of an older merch bundle, can I get that instead?

Only if there's stock left over for that! And you can't get both at the same time, so if I can make a bundle based off past merchandise for you, it will be in lieu of the current bundle.

How is it shipped? How long does it take?

It's all shipped super safely. Before I worked as a writer, I worked as an artist selling fragile traditional art pieces. I've shipped over 500 worldwide. Your merch comes in a water resistant plastic sleeve that is sealed and very durable, and that goes into a thick envelope that has bubble wrap incorporated into it to make sure everything arrives safe and sound, even in inclement weather.

Because I'm shipping from Australia, items can take 2-6 weeks to arrive.

Could you ever send merch more often?

Not at the current price/s of this tier! Many overseas / non-US writers don't actually offer merch drops like this at all, and offer digital items, or only do Print-on-Demand which means nothing can be as personalised as writing you a letter of gratitude and celebration of your awesomeness.

Doing it this way means I can put a personal touch in there, and bundle everything, and know that everything's shipping safely with materials I really trust. :) It also means I can inspect every single item personally to make sure it's up to my standards before it goes to you!

Where do I check this out?

Go have a look at the memberships over on Patreon and Ream! You want the Vexteria & Evan tier. :D

Memberships at Ream (You can join for free here and follow me here without subscribing and just get a feel for it first!

Memberships at Patreon

--

A huge THANK YOU to the people who have been on this tier for ages even without these kinds of rewards. Your support is so incredibly invaluable, and I can't wait for you all to receive the first Augus & Gwyn themed merch drop. :D Y'all made this possible, and I appreciate you so much.

--

If anyone has any questions, hit me up! I'm super hyped for this. I fully understand if it's not something folks can afford, and I'm hoping to find a way to make merch more widely available in time, so that folks don't have to miss out, but until then, we have the Merch tier back up and running for the first time since about 2014!

Things like this keep the lights on, and keep the stories coming out to you over time, and more than anything, y'all have no idea how much fun I had writing individual letters to the folks in this tier, celebrating what I really loved / thought was awesome about them.

All right, thanks for your time, I'll get back to posting chapters now :D

[forgotten-mem0ries]

Entry #1

4:56 PM June 16, 2024, Father's Day

Father’s Day has always been frowned upon by me. It felt like a chore. I would wake up, be nice to him no matter what look I got in return, and go to sleep. My dad would always have a series of questions that day, different year by year. But always the same one stuck: What's my birthday?

And every year since the age of five when I could remember the date, I would answer confidently: November 1st, 1975. He would give me a civil nod and a pat on the back and walk away, preparing his next question that he would ask a couple of hours later at breakfast. 

This year, the question was: What's my job? 

Both Remy (older brother) and I (Dakota) looked at each other with confusion. After a few moments, Remy uttered the simple four words, ‘To be our father’. 

My parents created a rule when we were younger that we couldn’t ask them about their jobs or anything relating to work. We never knew why, but we followed the rules. It was easy enough to do. 

I wouldn’t say I had the best relationship with my father. I would come home from third grade, having made a finger turkey on a piece of printer paper in homeroom, and give it to my dad with a smile plastered on my face. He would grunt at it, break a small smile, and tape it to the fridge. I would wake up the next morning and it would be in the trash. Guess he didn’t like the art. Too mundane for him.

But as time went on, everything was too mundane for him. The only thing he got excited about was family drama between his siblings. The last time I saw the whole family in the room was in 2014. Nine years old and the last time I saw every family member together. But hopefully, it’ll happen three days from now.

He died five hours ago, at approximately 11:43 am. I thought he was playing a stupid joke or something, but when I shook his shoulder, he didn’t move a single muscle. His body was limp but still slightly warm. I called for my mother and she came running from the backyard, weaving her way from the backdoor to the living room. 

I think it was the first time I had called him dad in years, repeating the words that hadn’t escaped my mouth in front of him since I was 13. My mother felt for a pulse, putting her fingers to the side of his neck. This was the first time I had cried in front of my mother in years as well. I had rested my forehead on the top of his right hand, begging for one more stupid turkey drawing to make it into the trash. One more moment with him, whether it was good or bad.

Remy had walked through the front door, rushing over to my side as the bags of groceries dropped by the stairs. He crouched down next to me, pulling me into his arms as I sobbed into his shirt, letting out all of the tears that I had held in. My dad hated it when I cried.

My mother had called the ambulance minutes prior as she felt for his pulse. He was pronounced dead as the EMTs came into the house and checked him out.

They took his body away on the stretcher, covering it with a thin white sheet, the straps holding him down. The man who was once known as my father, David Watson, was now a corpse. 

[cryptidsurveys]

Friday, October 4th, 2024.

Cattery? You're looking for the cattery? Sorry sir, no one here but us bats! ;D

Describe your most recent purchase: Various groceries and toiletries.

Did you enjoy the last movie you watched in theaters? I went to see Wild Robot with my mom on Wednesday. The trailer alone had me choking up during previous theater visits, so I knew I had to see it and I'm so glad I did. Out of all the movies we've gone to over the last year, that one has to be my favorite. Also, I've been thinking about how "children's movies" hit so much harder when you're an adult. Sure, as a child, I could understand the broad strokes of sadness, but now that I'm older and have lived something of a life, movies like that absolutely emotionally destroy me. Inside Out 2 had a big impact on me too, but that one was more like an intense therapy session.

If you make surveys, where’s the last place you saw a survey made by you on another person’s site? Sometimes I run across old surveys of mine while looking for something to take, but I don't stop to see how recently they were taken. Then there are surveys that make me think, "Hey, wait a minute. Did I make that, or--?" Some of the questions seem so familiar, like something I would ask, but then there are those few that make me doubtful. I took one just the other day that had me wondering, but I don't recall who I snagged it from.

Do you take the subway train often (if your city has one)? I've never taken a subway before. I guess the closest equivalent would be the trolly we took while visiting San Francisco.

What shoes did you wear today? Black and white slip-ons.

Does your sibling have a significant other? Last I knew, they do.

Have you ever cried at a real wedding? I think I might have cried a little at Steph and Shelly's wedding back in 2014.

How would you feel if a girl asked your boyfriend out for a drink? I'm not in a relationship. I'm also not a straight woman, so…I think a lot would depend on the context. Obviously, if there seemed to be a romantic/flirty connotation, then I wouldn't be comfortable with it.

Do you live in an apartment or a house? A house.

Do you use Skype? I've never used Skype.

What do your flip flops look like? N/a.

Any idea what you want for your next birthday? I don't really want anything gift-wise. I would love it if it was snowy, though.

Are there any gadgets of yours that need charging right now? There's nothing that needs charging, but the little thermometer on my desk needs new batteries.

What’s the name of your nearest grocery store? Big Lots has some groceries and I think Target has a small selection as well, but as for "real" grocery stores, Walmart and Vitamin Cottage are about equally close.

What do you use to remove makeup? I don't wear makeup.

Which awards show would you wanna go to the most (e.g Oscars, Grammys etc.)? None. That sort of thing doesn't interest me whatsoever.

Any idea what time you’ll be going to bed tonight? I'll most likely be in bed around 7:00pm, but I probably won't actually fall asleep until sometime closer to 8:00-9:00pm. Gotta continue working my way through a 6 1/2 hour Mythillogical Loch Ness Monster episode from The Histocrat.

Do you think George Clooney is hot? I'm kind of indifferent. I don't think he's ugly, though.

Have you ever participated in local magazine cover girl searches? No.

What colour is your keyboard? Black with white letters/etc.

Do you keep the plastic/paper/whatever bags after you buy stuff? We used to keep the plastic ones for kitty litter, but Walmart switched over to reusable bags some while ago, so we've just been using those instead (not for litter, lmao, but in general - just in case that wasn't clear).

Do you own any high waisted pants? No.

Do you know anyone who has two different coloured eyes? There was a kitty named Claire at the animal shelter who had two different colored eyes (one blue and one gold), but I've never met a person like that.

Do you wanna be a pirate or an elf? An elf. You'll never catch me sailing the high seas.

Have you ever purchased anything online? Yeah.

Gold or silver accessories? Gold.

Have you ever been called a skank/slut because of the way you dress? I don't think so.

Have you ever ridden an elephant? I might have when I was a baby. I have very vague memories of doing so, but I could be mistaken.

Are you a fan of acrylic nails? I was in the past. Or just longer nails in general. Now I work with my hands too much for them to be anything more than an annoyance/hindrance.

[coochiequeens]

How the fuck does a woman go from being the first woman be Deputy Prime Minister to not understanding that even if a man does get SRS he's still biologically a male?

By Reduxx Team February 24, 2024

Canada’s former Deputy Prime Minister is under fire by users on social media after repeatedly denying that biological males who identify as “women” have “male anatomy.”

Sheila Copps first entered politics in 1981 after being elected to serve as the Liberal Party Member of Parliament for Hamilton Centre. In 1984, she was elected Member of Parliament for the riding of Hamilton East and was re-elected in five successive elections.

Copps was the first woman to ever hold the position of Deputy Prime Minister and served for ten years in the federal cabinet, both as Minister of the Environment and Minister of Canadian Heritage.

Though her political career ended in 2004 after a messy nomination loss in which she accused another Liberal Party member of electoral impropriety, Copps continued to be a prominent figure in Canadian politics. In 2014, she revealed she had been the victim of two sexual assaults in her life, once while a young politician, in an effort to call attention to the lack of resources on Parliament Hill for survivors.

While Copps has been well-regarded as as staunch advocate for women’s rights, her latest comments have sparked backlash from Canadian women after she defended trans-identified males being able to access female-only spaces.

Controversy first erupted on February 22 after Copps slammed Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre after he announced he would seek to enforce sex-segregated spaces if elected Prime Minister.

“He has taken a ‘tough’ stance on transgendered women who want to use women’s washrooms. How courageous,” Copps sarcastically wrote on X.

Her replies were quickly filled with women supporting Poilievre’s sentiment, and questioning Copps’ understanding of the issue.

“Sheila. Sheila. The parents of Canada do NOT want their daughters/granddaughters experiencing the anatomy and more, of biological males in the women’s wash/change rooms. Changing in and out of their bathing suits. Read the room here,” political commentator Patrice O’Hamilton wrote.

Copps quoted the user, bizarrely claiming “transgendered women do not have male anatomy.”

Canadian women’s rights advocate Meghan Murphy replied to Copps: “You should know that men can identify as women without any surgeries or hormone treatments at all. I am baffled at how you can have been in your position with the government for so many years and not know this. Bill C-16 was a Liberal Party bill. Have you not been paying attention at all?”

Others noted that an exceedingly small percentage of trans-identified males have surgeries to construct the superficial appearance of a vulva.

According to a 2019 academic paper published by researchers from New York University, only 5-13% of males who identify as “women” have had “bottom surgery,” with the number being a scant 1% for males who identify as “non-binary.”

Vaginoplasties involve the removal of the scrotum and testicles, and the re-configuration of the penile tissues, sometimes with supplemental tissue from the colon, to create a shallow “canal.” The canal then has to be dilated for the remainder of the individual’s life, as the body will try to close it. The underlying male anatomy is not transformed into female anatomy.

While Copps appears to be under the impression that only postoperative trans-identified males have been permitted to enter women’s spaces, Canadian legislation provides broad protections on the basis of self-declared “gender identity” and does not require an individual to have undergone any medical transitioning to be treated as the gender with which they claim.

Copps’ former political party, the Liberal Party of Canada, was instrumental in pushing through legislation which amended the Canadian Human Rights Act and Criminal Code to include “gender identity” and “gender expression” as protected characteristics. The amendments granted men access to single-sex female spaces like washrooms, changerooms, prisons, and rape shelters on the basis of their identity.

While the Canadian government claimed the bill had been assessed for its impact on women prior to approval, it has refused to release any details of the assessment’s findings. In 2020, a copy of the assessment was given to journalist Anna Slatz via an Access To Information Request but was 96% redacted.

Since Bill C-16 was enacted in 2017, a number of disturbing incidents have been reported involving males being protected in their access to women’s spaces.

As previously reported by Reduxx, a man who raped a baby was transferred to a women’s prison after identifying as a “woman.”

Tara Desousa, also known as Adam Laboucan, sexually assaulted a three-month-old baby boy in Quesnel, British Columbia in 1997. The infant was so brutally injured by the attack that he had to be flown to Vancouver, 410 miles away, to undergo reconstructive surgery. After declaring a transgender status, Desousa was transferred to the Fraser Valley Institution for Women, where he is one of multiple trans-identified males with a history of sexual violence at the facility.

In addition to males being transferred into women’s prisons, Canadian women have reported incidents involving “obvious males” in women’s changing rooms across the country.

In February of 2023, parents in the oceanside community of Nanaimo, British Columbia sounded the alarm about a man who claimed to identify as “female” behaving in what they say was a predatory manner while using the women’s facilities at the local Aquatic Centre.

One mother who complained to the Aquatic Centre’s staff was threatened with arrest, with both the male and staff asserting the man had a “right” to use the facilities.

[arino4u]

oh no guys, oh no! my cheeseburger price was once 3 dollars and 95 cents, and now it is 4 dollars and 10 cents. what am I going to do now that it costs 15 extra cents... what am I going to do guys?!?!

So this article obviously exists to play into the whole conservative talking point that "we can't raise the minimum wage because then prices would go through the roof!", which is a point I've always just found really silly.

While it is true that a minimum wage increase would cause prices to go up, pointing that out as if it's unique to this issue is a blatant obfuscation of the truth of how these corporations operate.

These types of arguments force us to imagine a world wherein fast food chains offer us delicious and tasty burgers at very low and affordable prices, and the glue holding this entire operation together are the low wages they pay their employees. After all, they have to cut costs somewhere, and at the end of the day, these jobs are just paid summer camp for teens, right? Who wouldn't want to get paid to flip burgers and have fun with other cool teens!? but this just isn't the case.

The reality is that the relationship between fast food prices and fast food workers isn't nearly as linear as these arguments make them out to be.

If you look at this graph, you can see that fast food prices have skyrocketed over the past decade, outpacing even the rate of inflation by an extremely hefty margin.

Meanwhile, the state average minimum wage from 2014 to 2024, when adjusted for inflation, has only increased from $9.54 to $10.69.

While I'm not trying to make any claims as bold as "10 dollars is not more money than 9 dollars", I do believe it's fair to say that it's not enough more dollars to warrant having to increase your prices by 100%. I uh- I think that's a pretty agreeable thing to say, probably.

So all that is to say that reality just doesn't align with the claims made those who use this talking point, but that leads to the question of if the people who say it really even care?

I can sit here and point out the flaws in these paper thin arguments all day, and I'd have a fantastic time to doing so, but I don't honestly think it would matter to a conservative at all. I think there's a sort of blunt and simple logic to their reasoning that seems really appealing.

"Fast food prices are low because wages are low, and it's ok that wages are low because the people who work at these jobs are high schoolers who don't have to worry about bills. Why do they need a living wage, if they're not even responsible for their own well being?"

It's that gut feeling, that "and that's just how things aught to be" mentality that conservatives revel in, and I'm truly not confident there's any amount of statistical evidence to convince someone who thinks that way to try and look at something in a new light.