#fresh from circa 2014

[rebeccathenaturalist]

Well, looks like it’s time for another round of spambot Whack-a-mole. Every so often I’ll get absolutely inundated with spambot follows, and this week seems to be serving up a fresh batch. Today it was only about 75 (I get 2-3 of the above emails every day when it's really bad). The past few days it's been over 100 every 24 hours.

And yes, I go through the effort to report and block every single one. First of all, the last time I messaged Tumblr about this they said that this was the best way to help them, since it lets them know what profiles to check out. Moreover, I want to have an accurate idea of how many followers I have, and this is the only social media profile I have that gets such onslaughts of fake profiles. So I painstakingly go through and delete them every day—even on a quiet week there are usually at least a few. (I really wish Tumblr staff could figure out a UI that allows bulk blocking, instead of having to click on each one individually.)

A few observations under the cut:

--I’ve gotten to the point where if the username is a string of nonsense words, there’s no profile pic, and the tagline is “untitled” in one language or another, it gets instantly blocked. I am trying to be really careful to not just go on autopilot and block every single new follow without paying attention, because I am getting actual people following me in the midst of this spambot storm. I’ve probably blocked a few actual profiles from newbies or people who just never got around to customizing their profile, but I’m not going to click through to every one of several hundred profiles over a matter of days.

--Even if there’s a PFP, if the tagline is still untitled or if they have one recently posted/reblogged post that doesn’t say anything about them, and if they’re missing a bio, that’s a block. (If they have only one post but it’s from five years ago, I let it slide, because I doubt any bot is going to commit to the bit that long and it’s more likely someone who remembered that they actually have a Tumblr.)

--If someone went through the trouble to put together a custom blog theme, they’re probably not a bot.

--Profiles that are obviously pr0nbots/spammers/AI? Also blocked. (This week’s themes seem to be real estate scammers and automated reposters of spammy medical/science YouTube videos. One time a while back it was cannabis and psilocybin dealers, probably because a post I made about culinary mushroom foraging went mildly viral.) Sometimes a profile will have the PFP and banner and a bunch of posts, but they’re all advertising something, with no self posts, random reblogs, or other posts to suggest an actual human being with varied interests.

--I hate that I’ve had to block so many pr0nbots that my first inclination on seeing a PFP that is a conventionally attractive young female-presenting person in a cute outfit is to just block them because most of the time I’m going to click through to their blog and it’s going to be photos and/or videos of their naked, variably bouncy fleshy bits everywhere, but I have to remember that there are also still people who are conventionally attractive who just want to share cute photos of their outfits with no intent of also taking pictures without said outfits. (And sometimes blogs full of nekkid people are just curated by actual humans who enjoy pictures of nekkid people.)

--While some of the usernames are random strings of words and sometimes numbers, other times I think Tumblr may be recycling the usernames of deleted accounts, because they seem like the kind of thing a Tumblr user would come up with circa 2014.

--I have to wonder how many people who claim to have however many thousand or million followers on whatever social media platform have their numbers inflated with terrifying numbers of bots, and it’s now made me kinda skeptical of high follower counts, not just here but on other platforms. Like are all 807,168 of your followers actual people? Your social media follower count has become increasingly important in getting things like book contracts, music deals, etc., but no one ever asks whether you cull the obvious fake profiles.

--Oddly enough, the spambots who leave spammy comments in replies to my posts rarely ever follow me. They still get blocked.

--Sometimes there are so many spambots that I end up having to use the actual real people profiles mixed in as milestones along my path of mass-annihilation-via-report-and-block. Like “Oh, wait, I remember that name, they followed me in between yesterday’s Spambot #89 and Spambot #90. I must be at the end of the most recent bot-salvo.”

--I probably missed a few bots who managed to slip through the above filters and convinced me they were real people. But hey, I'll take a few over thousands cumulatively over my tenure on Tumblr.

[cosmichaa]

𓇼 YOUTUBER DR : MY HAIR THROUGHOUT MY CAREER !

✷ CIRCA 2012 — 2014

THE years of the rainbow, scene haircuts and experiments: if there was one thing you could count on from micha ( then know as dragonspawn or simply dragon ) it was that they were always doing something new, colourful and fresh with their hair.

✷ CIRCA 2014 — 2016

MOVING away from the full rainbow, a vibrant, minty tone became a micha staple. although more often than not mixed in with some other colours, this was the beginning of their strong association with their signature blue dyed hair.

✷ CIRCA 2017 — 2019

TRULY what they are most known for, by early 2017 micha had moved away from the vibrant colours of the past and into a softer, full head of blue. this was also when they began cutting their hair to about shoulder length, something that would stick for the foreseeable future: the iconic micha look.

✷ CIRCA 2020

2020 brought lots of change, including micha briefly sticking for a more natural look for their hair. soft curls and faun brown hair; their fans either adore this look, or hate it, no inbetween. micha themselves, however, quite enjoyed this small break from the usual colours and constant hair appointments, though if you asked them they would tell you it didn’t really feel like ‘them’ anymore.

✷ CIRCA 2021 — 2023

BACK again was the classic fully blue hair, this time darker and more vibrant than in the past. between their constantly short hair and it’s colour, the comparisons to coraline were endless. a personal favourite of micha, and many fans.

✷ CIRCA 2024 — 2025

STEPPING away from their usual beaten path for 2024, on the first week of the year during a fit of impulsive need for something different, they decided they would dye their hair lighter and grow it out longer than they had ever done before. and so, they landed on a light blue ( almost minty green in certain lights ) and have stuck with it for around a year and a half.

[siphersaysstuff]

MONTH OF THE YEAR OF THE DRAGON!

January's Patreon-backed @tfwiki toy pictures update is all dragonoids, because... well, it's kinda obvious, isn't it.

Let's start with Cybertron's SCOURGE, brutal dictator of the Jungle Planet!

One of the weirder releases in a "normal" Transformers line, the Beast Machines "Beast Rider" MECHATRON is a minimally-transforming battle chariot with pullback motor and gear-driven action. It was released first in Megatron's red and blue, then later in this fetching purple and yellow.

One can argue Deathsaurus is more a kaiju than anything, but the Combiner Wars iteration (dubbed DEZARAS) is certainly dragonoid enough for me for this. A retool of Sky Lynx, he now forms the torso of Liokaiser, replacing Leozack & Jallguar, thus his colors being more theirs.

The Prime: Beast Hunters toyline was heavy with dragonoid Predacons. And the Kre-O version of the line had its share. This brick-built version of SKYSTALKER came with the "Battle Net Bumblebee" set. Unnamed on the packaging, promo material called him "Stormrazor", Skystalker's pre-release name.

Some Hasbro employee circa 2014 *really* liked Doublecross. The Tiny Titans figurine, now called TWINFERNO (awesome), was the first of several toys of, or based on, the twin-headed dragon Monsterbot over the next few short years. Dig that RID'15 style art on the card!

Speaking of RID'15, WINDRA comes from Takara's version of the line, Adventure. A redeco of Dragonus, this Torpedo Mini-Con was part of the only wave of single-pack Mini-Cons in the line. He also gained a 5mm post on the tail so he can attach to non-Torpedo-launching toys.

The Last Knight put a lot of knight/dragon theming into all Transformers, including the preschool-aimed Rescue Bots line. The "Knight Watch" Bumblebee toy came with the twin dragon Mini-Cons FREEZER BURN and WINGBLADE, who turn into battle axes with a single step.

You didn't think you were NOT going to get some BotBots images, did you? The Fresh Squeezes squad has two dragons most bots avoid: ADAY because she's a snappy super-tart apple, and SMERG THE SAD just because he's spinach. Poor guy.

If you like these themed updates and want to make me do more every month, you can support me at Patreon, at

patreon (dot) com / gregswikipics

Every little bit helps, and at the higher pledge level you can pick a theme!

[cant-get-no-worse]

helllooo

what are your thoughts on scaloni having doubts about his future in the national team ? what do you think is going on ?

love your takes they’re always so well put together

Hii Ro 🫶In the 7 hours it took me to answer, a plethora of information more or less clearing up what happened appeared on twitter sooo... but since I had 2 or 3 other asks about it I'll take the opportnity to round things up briefly for people unaware of the general situation! I'm in no way an expert btw, this is just what I understood/lived as an expat arg and got from my arg side of the family.

So as per Gastón & other news outlet, Scaloni (perhaps some other members of the technical staff of the Argentine NT as well) has had a problem with the AFA for some time now. If we had to resume state of affairs :

The AFA (Argentine Football Association) show

Governing institution of football in the country which would deserve a fourth star of its own for its spectacular dedication to worsen itself by the years. A true marvel of corruption and incompetence display. Its first chairman had presidency from 1979 to 2014, and after he died things went a bit avok (not to say he hadn't already himself some corrupt payments scandals to his name). But essentially, before there was one mogul-in-chief who ran things, whereas after people started to mess it up even more.

For a quick and famous example of how things were (are) run there, the 2015 presidency election opposing Luis Segura to Marcelo Tinelli saw them tie at 38 votes each. There were 75 voting members in the comity.

Anyways what does it matter eh, Segura (elected) lasted two years before he was forced out for "aggravated administrative fraud" (fancy terms they have).

Evidence of discontentment from the players can be found in press comments and some Messi's instagram posts circa 2016 where he highlighted AFA's "disastrous" way of running things. It was also made public by a security agent that they had to come to Messi amidst an internal dispute with AFA to ask him to do something about their 6-months due salaries — quite maddening if you think about it. Regular informations of coaches and staffs not being paid for the competition they'd worked in would come out.

Precedents beefs

Amidst all those organisational/financial/political corruption issues, it's no surprise then for there to be precedents of players, employees and coaching staff beefing with AFA. Tata Martino and his entire team resigned in July 2016 following disagreements.

Tapia

AFA current chairman Chiqui Tapia (in place since 2017) is quite a controversial figure, drawing wide support & affection one day and outrage the other. A few time ago he was praised for having relocated a U-I-Forgot world cup in Argentina, allowing our evicted team to come back to the competition (only to lose again lmfao). Recently tho, it was more outrage that prevaled for how AFA passed a regulation stipulating that the Argentine first championship wouldn't have a three-places relegation anymore. Many pointed it as the death of an otherwise already wobbly championship. He's also branded with various nicknames such as Chiqui Mafioso, pointing at his meddling with politicians (including former Economy Minister and 2023 presidential elections runner-up, Massa) and other shady stuff.

So what's up with Scaloni ?

So now here are a list of stuff people/journalists have come up with over the day regarding the potential reasons for Scaloni's declarations + some own thoughts :

6 days ago - still in the middle of Argentine's presidential elections - a journalist asked Scaloni in a press conference about the clubs' privatisation - a tumultuous topic that has been thrusted on the hands of politicians for more than a decade now. Some think the journalist was mended by Tapia or others to get Scaloni - coach of the National Selection, fresh out of a treble and thus getting lots of media attention and support from the people - to publically stand against the privatisation of the clubs and thus directly or indirectly to give support to presidential candidate Massa, supported by, as I was saying earlier, Chiqui Tapia.

Still on the political, journalists report that last week Massa asked, via Tapia, for a photo with the national team's players who refused : Tapia thus tried to pressure Scaloni in persuading them to do so.

General weariness of the way things are ran at AFA - who apparently have not taken their three peat as a hint to professionalize a bit and have still not paid the coaching staff or players for the WC win in Qatar. They also have been running up and about the globe to face really lower-ranked selections in order to bring cash in which not only tires everyone due to travel but is not to the taste of Scaloni as he'd want to keep playing against levelled opponents in the perspective of the 2024 Copa América and to find an actual usefulness to the games instead of pure exhibition for money.

So all of this = could be a way for Scaloni to publically put pressure on AFA during the break before the next international break in March, to see how they are going to react and let him time to decide if the issues have been fixed or not for him to continue as head coach.

It's worth noting apart from the political turmoil that Scaloni has also been head coach of a national team for about three years now, experimenting immense pressure which is of course at its culminating point now that they've won everything and are expected to continue to do so. A lack of motivation, a feeling of being overwhelmed by the pression can be factors for his statement. In this, I'm dabing a bit into personal experience as I'm recalled of Pep Guardiola's similar situation with FC Barcelona. Once you're on top of the world, with world-class/heavy names players filling the locker room, in a place that puts football above much things, you're bound to take a pause and look around to figure out what the sweet fuck you're going to do now. As they say it's not the destination that counts, it's the journey : the motivation can drag you for one, two, three years to every culminating point you see shining, but once you've conquered all those peaks, you can be left quite empty-handed and disoriented cause you have to find a new hunger to hit a new road again.

So here's a resume + my take of whatever's happening at the moment! I think that it could go either way, although I would be surprised to see him go before the Copa América. Whatever he does, honestly, and even though I'd be truly fucking sad and bitter to see him go, I wouldn't say a bad word about his decision, whatever it may be. How could we say anything about the guy who ended several decades long drought of trophies, put a team as close as a family together and led them to win us three trophies in the span of two years? I love him very much and whatever he does, I'll just be thankful. but yeah aimar do your job omg keep him until june for gods sake

[pastedpast]

Found it! Complete with excellent bookmark! 2014 - I had my own little patio of all-pink plants and flowers that year. I do love a good memoir; they are easy to read. Page-turners. "Just one more chapter before I go to sleep..."

'Clothes, Clothes, Clothes, Music, Music, Music, Boys, Boys, Boys’  by Viv Albertine, featuring lots of stories about the punk scene in London in the 1970s, sandwiched between her life before and after. "Viva la Viv", I remember writing somewhere on social media soon after I'd read it. I'll be reading it with fresh eyes this time, having learnt so much more about her in the second instalment of her memoirs (see earlier post).

POSTSCRIPT

Gosh, I see the book contains a photograph of her parents. Not as I imagined them at all. They look handsome and happy. Lucien (Albert) Albertine and Kathleen Ruth van Bausch. They began courting in 1944 having met at an ice-skating rink in London, married five years later but ended up having the most awful relationship, finally divorcing circa 1968. The backstory about how her father came to live in England is interesting. He was sent to jail for a year on British soil because he refused to join the Free French Navy during the Second World War and when he was released, he stayed on, having become an ardent Anglophile. I remember from reading the first book that he eventually returned to France, which is where he died. It was there, in a dirty, litter-strewn apartment, (her father was "a hermit and a hoarder") Viv Albertine discovered his diary.

[jocedotcom]

my thoughts on basic pop music...

Hi, I’m a music journalist and DJ and I listen to Ed Sheeran. 

Dominic Fike was my top artist last year. Multiple Panic! At The disco songs often find themselves in my Spotify wrapped. I was disappointed when I didn’t secure my Olivia Rodrigo tickets and I went to a Billie Eilish concert last weekend.

I have always had a soft spot for popular music. I’d like to blame working in the restaurant industry since I was 16. Maybe I’ve Stockholmed myself into the Billboard’s Top 100 after hearing the same 12 songs on rotation on a double shift. Tuning into “Mercy” by Shawn Mendes blasting over the loudspeaker while tuning out the baby whining at table 16 is seemingly justifiable. 

But I know the restaurant isn’t the only reason I keep those songs in my back pocket. Going out of my way to open my own Spotify, search, queue up, then listen to it from the beginning to end might be a slight indication I just like the song no matter how I spin it. 

Apparently, though, if you want to be cool ( not that’s something I’ve EVER thought about ever!!! or considered … ever… cause that would be so uncool of me……..), carrying those songs into your personal music repertoire is frowned upon by everyone else who’s screen time is 7 hours and 6 of them are on Pinterest. 

But in a moment I can only explain as immaculate and holy, I pushed forward on my typical Friday morning expedition which is rush-waking to my 9:45 a.m. Finance 365 class at 9:47 a.m. I put on my beloved “joce dotcom” bedazzled headphones and pressed play. “You wanna play, you wanna stay, you want to have it all” flew into my ears so abrasively I almost fell over. There was no way I could have predicted that 2014 hit “Really Don’t Care” by pop-sensations Demi Lovato and Cher Lloyd was going to play but this reality was made possible by the remnants of a classic college Thursday night. The “ULTIMATE BAD B****** PRE GAME” playlist pulled from the Spotify search results blessed me with this opportunity 

As I nearly skipped along to class clearly enjoying myself and the song playing the impending doom set in as I realized this was going to be spotted on my AirPods. 

The thought alone is silly enough to send my ancestors rolling in their graves. Bloodlines survived wars, oppressions and setbacks, for me, Homo sapien circa 2004, to be worried about “Earbuds”. 

So, as Demi and Cher said, I really don’t care. And you shouldn’t either. Let the others restrict themselves from belting out all the lyrics at the house party, from other people singing along to their Wingos karaoke pick, and from not being able to just like a song just because they like it and not because someone else told them it was cool.

You do not have to feel bullied by the cigarette-toting, Marni-wearing Brooklyn micro-influencer you met at a party that one time last April to share your Spotify Wrapped knowing they will immediately call out that more than 7 people and the local rodeo horse listen to the songs you listen to. Next time someone laughs at your music taste on a first date, get up and leave! If your partner tells you they would break up with you if they caught you listening to Taylor Swift just break up with them first! Trust me, do the things I was never strong enough to do. 

Take it from me, I scout at a company focused on magnifying new voices in the music industry and i’m the DEI director for WVAU where part of my job function is to make sure our music sounds “fresh” and diverse. You would assume I have a diversity quota to fill with the amount of songs I listen to with less than 1k listens but that doesn’t change that “Drops of Jupiter” by Train is a good song. 

Free yourself, listen for the sake of listening 

– jocedotcom

[pixavix]

[gremlinmochi]

tonights cr episode felt very short, maybe because i actually had something to do with my hands for once so i wasnt adhding all over the place, thus: a gorl, accidentally two stitches fatter than she should be

im gonna turn her into a patch for the battle vest im making my sib and i shall use this newfound power for making excessively dumb exandria themed patches to kit out the punk hells cosplay group I'm determined to harass all my friends into doing with me

[popculty]

52 Films by Women: 2020 Edition

Another annual challenge complete!

Last year, I focused on diversifying my list. This year I kept that intention but focused on watching more non-American films and films from the 20th century. Specifically, I sought out Agnès Varda’s entire filmography, after her death in 2019. (I was not disappointed - What a filmmaking legend we lost.) 

I also kept a film log for the first time and have included some of my thoughts on several films from that log. I made a point of including reviews both positive and negative, because I think it’s important to acknowledge the variability and breadth of the canon, so as not to put every film directed by a woman on a pedestal. (Although movies directed by women must clear a much higher bar to be greenlit, meaning generally higher quality...But that’s an essay for another day :)

* = directed by a woman of color

bold = fave

1. The Rhythm Section (2020) dir. Reed Morano - Not as good as it could have been, given Morano’s proven skill behind the camera, but also not nearly as bad as the critics made it out to be. And unbelievably refreshing to see a female revenge story not driven by sexual assault or the loss of a husband/child.

2. Cléo de 5 à 7 (1962) dir. Agnès Varda - If you ever wanted to take a real-time tour of Paris circa 1960, this is the film for you.

3. Little Women (2019) dir. Greta Gerwig - Still my favorite Little Women adaptation. I will re-watch it every year and cry.

4. Varda by Agnès (2019) dir. Agnès Varda & Didier Rouget

5. Booksmart (2019) dir. Olivia Wilde - An instant classic high school comedy romp that subverts all the gross tropes of its 1980s predecessors.

6. Girls of the Sun (2018) dir. Eva Husson

7. Blue My Mind (2017) dir. Lisa Brühlmann

8. Portrait of a Lady On Fire (2019) dir. Céline Sciamma - Believe the hype. This film is a master thesis on the female gaze, and also just really effing gorgeous.

9. Belle Epine (2010) dir. Rebecca Zlotowski

10. Vamps (2012) dir. Amy Heckerling - With Krysten Ritter and Alicia Silverstone as modern-day vampires, I was so ready for this movie. But it feels like a bad stage play or a sit-com that’s missing a laugh-track. Bummer.

11. *Birds of Prey (2020) dir. Cathy Yan - Where has this movie been all our lives?? Skip the next onslaught of Snyder-verse grim-darkery and give me two more of these STAT! 

12. She’s Missing (2019) dir. Alexandra McGuinness

13. The Mustang (2019) dir. Laure de Clermont-Tonnere - Trigger warning for the “protagonist” repeatedly punching a horse in the chest. I noped right out of there.

14. Monster (2003) dir. Patty Jenkins – I first watched this movie when I was probably too young and haven’t revisited it since. The rape scene traumatized me as a kid, but as an adult I appreciate how that trauma is not the center of the movie, or even of Aileen’s life. Everyone still talks about how Charlize “went ugly” for this role, but the biggest transformation here isn’t aesthetic, it’s physical – the way Theron replicates Wuernos’ mannerisms, way of speaking, and physicality. That’s why she won the Oscar. I also love that Jenkins calls the film “Monster” (which everyone labels Aileen), but then actually uses it to tell the story of how she fell in love with a woman when she was at her lowest, and that saved her. That’s kind of beautiful, and I’m glad I re-watched it so that I could see the story in that light, instead of the general memory I had of it being a good, feel-bad movie. It’s so much more than that.

15. Water Lilies (2007) dir. Céline Sciamma – Sciamma’s screenwriting and directorial debut, the first in her trilogy on youth, is as painfully beautiful as its sequels (Tomboy and Girlhood). It’s also one of the rare films that explores the overlap of queerness and girl friendships.

16. The Trouble with Angels (1966) dir. Ida Lupino – Movies about shenanigan-based female friendships are such rare delights. Rosalind Russel is divine as Mother Superior, and Hayley Mills as “scathingly brilliant” as the pranks she plays on her. Ida Lupino’s skill as an editor only enhances her directing, providing some truly iconic visual gags to complement dialogue snappy enough for Gilmore Girls. 

17. Vagabond (1985) dir. Agnès Varda – Shot with a haunting realism, this film has no qualms about its heroine’s inevitable, unceremonious death, which it opens with, matter-of-factly, before retracing her final (literal) steps to the road-side ditch she ends up in. (I’m partly convinced said heroine was the inspiration for Sarah Manning in Orphan Black.)

18. One Sings, The Other Doesn’t (1977) dir. Agnès Varda – Probably my favorite classic Varda, this film feels incredibly personal. It’s essentially a love story about two best friends with very different lives. For an indie made in the ‘70s, the diversity, scope, and themes of the film are impressive. Even if the second half a drags a bit, the first half is absolute perfection, engaging the viewer immediately, and clipping along, sprinkling in some great original songs that were way progressive for their time (about abortion, female bodily autonomy, etc) and could still be considered “bangers” today.

19. Emma (2020) dir. Autumn de Wilde

20. Black Panthers (1969) dir. Agnès Varda

21. Into the Forest (2016) dir. Patricia Rozema - When the world was ending (i.e. the pandemic hit) this was the first movie I turned to - a quiet, meditative story of two sisters (Elliot Page and Evan Rachel Wood) surviving off the land after a sudden global blackout. Four years later, it’s still one of my favorite book-to-screen adaptations. I fondly remember speaking with director Patricia Rozema at the 2016 Chicago Critics Film Festival after a screening, her love for the source material and desire to “get it right” so apparent. I assured her then, and reaffirm now, that she really did.

22. City of Trees (2019) dir. Alexandra Swarens

23. Never Rarely Sometimes Always (2020) dir. Eliza Hittmann - To call this a harrowing and deeply personal journey of a sixteen-year-old who must cross state lines to get an abortion would be accurate, but incomplete. It is a story so much bigger than that, about the myriad ways women’s bodies and boundaries are constantly violated.

24. Paradise Hills (2019) dir. Alice Waddington

25. *Eve’s Bayou (1996) dir. Kasi Lemmons – I’ve been meaning to watch Kasi Lemmons’ directorial debut for many years now, and I’m so glad I finally have, because it fully deserves its icon status, beyond being one of the first major films directed by a black woman. Baby Jurnee Smollett's talent was immediately recognizable, and she has reminded us of it in Birds of Prey and Lovecraft Country this year. If merit was genuinely a factor for Oscar contenders, she would have taken home gold at eleven years old. Beasts of the Southern Wild has been one of my all-time favorites, but now I realize that most of my appreciation for that movie actually goes to Lemmons for blazing the trail with her story of a young black girl from the bayou first. It’s also a surprisingly dark story about memory and abuse and familial relationships that cross lines - really gutsy and surprising themes, especially for the ‘90s.

26. Blow the Man Down (2019) dir. Bridget Savage Cole & Danielle Krudy - Come and get your sea shanty fix!

27. Touchy Feely (2013) dir. Lynn Shelton - R.I.P. :(

28. Hannah Gadsby: Douglas (2020) dir. Madeleine Parry - If you thought Gadsby couldn’t follow up 2018′s sensational Nanette with a comedy special just as sharp and hilarious, you would have been sorely mistaken.

29. Girlhood (2013) dir. Céline Sciamma

30. Breathe (2014) dir. Mélanie Laurent

31. *A Dry White Season (1989) dir. Euzhan Palcy

32. Laggies (2014) dir. Lynn Shelton

33. *The Old Guard (2020) dir. Gina Prince-Bythewood – Everything I’ve ever wanted in an action movie: Immortal gays, Charlize Theron wielding a labrys (battle axe), kinetic fight choreography I haven’t seen since the last Bond movie…Watched it twice, then devoured the comics it was adapted from, and I gotta say: in the hands of black women, it eclipses the source material. Cannot wait for the just-announced sequel.

34. Morvern Callar (2002) dir. Lynn Ramsay

35. Shirley (2020) dir. Josephine Decker

36. *Radioactive (2019) dir. Marjane Satrapi – The story is obviously well worth telling and the narrative structure – weaving in the future consequences of Curie’s discoveries – is clever, but a bit awkwardly executed and overly manipulative. There are glimpses of real brilliance throughout, but it feels as if the director’s vision was not fully realized, to my great disappointment. Nonetheless, I appreciated seeing Marie Curie's story being told by a female director and embodied by the always wonderful Rosamund Pike.

37. *The Half of It (2020) dir. Alice Wu - I feel like a real scrooge for saying this, but this movie did nothing for me. Nothing about it felt fresh, authentic or relatable. A real disappointment from the filmmaker behind the wlw classic Saving Face.

38. Mouthpiece (2018) dir. Patricia Rozema - I am absolutely floored. One of those films that makes you fall in love with the art form all over again. Patricia Rozema continues to prove herself one of the most creatively ambitious and insightful directors of our time, with this melancholic meditation on maternal grief and a woman’s duality.

39. Summerland (2020) dir. Jessica Swale - The rare period wlw love story that is not a) all-white or b) tragedy porn. Just lovely.

40. *The Last Thing He Wanted (2020) dir. Dee Rees – As rumored, a mess. Even by the end, I still couldn’t tell you who any of the characters are. Dee, we know you’re so much better than this! (see: Mudbound, Pariah)

41. *Cuties (2020) dir. Maïmouna Doucouré – I watched this film to 1) support a black woman director who has been getting death threats for her work and 2) see what all the fuss is about. While I do think there were possibly some directorial choices that could have saved quite a bit of the pearl-clutching, overall, I didn’t find it overly-exploitative or gross, as many (who obviously haven’t actually watched the film) have labeled it. It certainly does give me pause, though, and makes me wonder whether children can ever be put in front of a camera without it exploiting or causing harm to them in some way. It also makes one consider the blurry line between being a critique versus being an example. File this one under complicated, for sure.

42. A Call to Spy (2019) Lydia Dean Pilcher – An incredible true story of female spies during WWII that perfectly satisfied my itch for British period drama/spy thriller and taught me so much herstory I didn’t know.

43. Kajillionaire (2020) dir. Miranda July - I was lucky enough to attend the (virtual) premiere of this film, followed by an insightful cast/director Q&A, which only made me appreciate it more. July's offbeat dark comedy about a family of con artists is queerer and more heartfelt than it has any right to be, and a needed reprieve in a year of almost entirely white wlw stories. The family's shenanigans are the hook, but it's the budding relationship between Old Dolio (an almost unrecognizable Evan Rachel Wood) and aspiring grifter Melanie (the luminous Gina Rodriguez) that is the heart of the story.

44. Misbehaviour (2020) dir. Philippa Lowthorpe – Again, teaching me herstory I didn’t know, about how the Women’s Liberation Movement stormed the 1970 Miss World Pageant. Keira Knightley and Gugu Mbatha-Raw’s characters have a conversation in a bathroom at the end of the film that perfectly eviscerates well-meaning yet ignorant white feminism, without ever pitting women against each other - a feat I didn’t think was possible. I also didn’t think it was possible to critique the male gaze without showing it (*ahem Cuties, Bombshell, etc*), but this again, invents a way to do it. Bless women directors.

45. *All In: The Fight for Democracy (2020) dir. Liz Garbus and Lisa Cortes – 2020’s 13th. Thank god for Stacey Abrams, that is all.

46. *The 40-Year-Old Version (2020) dir. Radha Blank – This scene right here? I felt that in my soul. This whole film is so good and funny and heartfelt and relatable to any artist trying to walk that tightrope of “making it” while not selling their soul to make it. My only initial semi-note was that it’s a little long, but after hearing Radha Blank talk about how she fought for the two-hour run-time as a way of reclaiming space for older black women, I take it back. She’s right: Let black women take up space. Let her movie be as long as she wants it to be. GOOD FOR HER.

47. Happiest Season (2020) dir. Clea Duvall - Hoooo boy. What was marketed as the first lesbian Christmas rom-com is actually a horror movie for anyone who’s ever had to come out. Throw in casual racism and a toxic relationship treated as otp, and it’s YIKES on so many levels. Aubrey Plaza, Dan Levy, and an autistic-coded Jane are the only (underused) highlights.

48. *Monkey Beach (2020) dir. Loretta Todd

49. *Little Chief (2020) dir. Erica Tremblay – A short film part of the 2020 Red Nation Film Festival, it’s a perfect eleven minutes that I wish had gone on longer, if only to bask in Lily Gladstone in a leading role.

50. First Cow (2019) dir. Kelly Reichardt – I know Kelly Reichardt’s style, so I’ll admit-- even as I was preparing for an excellent film, I was also reaching for my phone, planning on only half paying attention during all the inevitable 30-second shots of grass blowing in the wind. (And yes, there are plenty of those.) But twenty minutes in, my phone was set aside and forgotten, as I am getting sucked into this beautiful story about two frontiersman trying to live their best domestic life.There is only one word to describe this film and that is: PURE. I’ve never seen such a tender platonic relationship between men on screen before, and it’s not lost on me that it took a woman to show us that tenderness. Reichardt gives us two men brought together by fate, and kept together by a shared dream and the simple pleasure of not being alone in such a hard world; two men who spend their days cooking, trapping, baking, and dreaming of a better life; two men who don’t say much, but feel everything for each other. The world would be a much better place if men showed us this kind of vulnerability and friendship toward each other. Oh, and it’s also a brutal take-down of capitalism and the myth of the American Dream!

51. Wonder Woman 1984 (2020) dir. Patty Jenkins - My most-anticipated film for the past two years was...well, a mixed bag, to say the least. Too many thoughts on it for a blog post, so stay tuned for the upcoming podcast ep where we go all in ;)

52. *Selah and the Spades (2019) dir. Tayarisha Poe

I hope this gives you some ideas to kick off your new year with a resolution to support more female directors!

What were your favorite women-directed movies of last year? Let me know in the tags, comments, or asks!

[bogwitchbooks]

SO I finished Six of Crows, and I’m a bit of a mess right now but I will give my thoughts:

POSSIBLE SPOILERS AHEAD

-First of all, I think I loved almost every single character in this book. I honestly love books with shifting POVs, it brings a fresh, non-hegemonic viewpoint and feel

-the last time I read a book in the Grishaverse was when I read the Shadow and Bone trilogy circa 2013-2014 (aka right when the trilogy was completed) and I’m surprised that I remember almost everything about the world that it takes place in despite finishing Ruin and Rising almost 8 years ago. I liked the focus on characters who aren’t Grisha (save Nina and Jesper). It made the characters seem more relatable somehow, and easier for me to become attached to. (I LOVED following Alina’s journey but it was refreshing to see the regular humans in the Grishaverse who can’t rely on their own powers).

-Inej is such a breath of fresh air among YA heroines??? Like, I love Kaz and Inej together but I LOVED when she said “I will have you without armor, or I won’t have you at all.” I’m used to YA heroines being the ones to “fix” their male love interests in terms of trauma and psychological problems, and that just being a subconscious and unsaid duty that all of them just don’t question, which sends the wrong message to certain young female readers (not always toxic, just thinking of a few examples). Inej clearly has feelings for Kaz and WANTS to stay with him on some level, but she isn’t going to settle for someone who she must do all the emotional labor for. Queen behavior

-I just want to protect Wylan, he deserves so much better. I really got emotional when they mentioned that he couldn’t read, despite all the tutors in the world and enormous wealth, because he CLEARLY has some sort of learning disability. He’s so smart in math and science but can’t read. It’s so hard to find accurate portrayals of learning disabilities in literatures. It’s so often portrayed as a caricature or misconstrued.

-Kaz’s backstory is so fucking sad, and I think he’s one of the best-written characters I’ve encountered. But please go to therapy sir.

-I love Nina and Matthias 🥺🥺🥺

-bitch I fucking knew Van Eck was up to SOMETHING FROM THE VERY DAMN BEGINNING!!!! I smelled something fishy

-Matthias’ character development though!!!! I loved the scene where he realized his own prejudice and hatred was creating a superiority complex and only causing more pain.

-every time Alina was mentioned, I squealed. That’s my bitch

[dankmama]

So third times a charm, right?

I started blogging about 10 years ago.

My first experience came in the form of an unexpected job - looking back on it that wasn't an awful first job for a 17 y/o. I was a co-host on an internet radio show and to boost our online presence we were told to take up blogging, so we did. No prior interest and hardly any instruction, we were dropped right into the vast world of entertainment blogging. In the most bratty, teenage-way, I groaned, complained, and half-assed the whole time but I knew it was good for me.

The second time, I was amped up and ready to make my mark on the world as a writer/editor. I figured I had the experience so it would be a breeze to build a blog from the ground up and monetize. I had all the answers and knew every step to take...except that wasn’t the case at all. I knew nothing and was completely lost. *deep sigh*

Now, here I am again. My third attempt. To be honest, this time I just have a lot of shit to say and don’t want to talk my friends ears off. Oddly enough, I feel like this is exactly where I should be.

Here's a quick walk down memory lane:

Pictures circa 2010 when I was part of the trio, Three Girls & a Mic. Fresh out of high school, we had our own podcast dishing out all the gossip and life advice on boys, jobs, and friendships. We were bold but totally naive.

In 2014, I started The Girl Spot Blog with my best friend, Kiara. All at once I became an editor, event coordinator and company owner. It was A LOT to say the least but I learned so much about myself as a woman and entrepreneur. It was the first time I ever had to push myself for myself...no professors, no boss, not even a paycheck. I tapped into my passion during this time and that was life-changing.

This is me now. Motherhood in full effect - 24/7! Sometimes it's so easy and it feels like this is exactly what I was made for. Other times...it's just the opposite. Between working, parenting, being a wife now, relationships with friends and family it never seems like there's enough time or enough energy. Somehow I muster the strength and keep going though. I always remind myself that I'm not the first or last mom to feel the way I do.

Well, welcome to my blog. I promise not to complain too much but to always keep it real.

- Briana M.

[omniversalobservations]

How the MUGEN community built the ultimate fighting game crossover

The question, "Who would win in a fight?" is the root of many fierce debates throughout the history of pop culture. The notion of pitting characters from different properties and different media against one another is exciting to discuss. And when it comes to letting fans live out these arguments, there are few better outlets than fighting games.

Even within a genre known for character-merging crossovers, there's one two-decade-old game that reigns supreme when it comes to pitting a wide variety of characters against one another. That program is MUGEN, derived from the Japanese word for "infinite," which is an appropriate name for a program that provides near limitless potential for players to create new fighting games and characters.

MUGEN began life just before the turn of the century as a PC-based side-scrolling shoot-'em-up title, created by a small company called Elecbyte. The team was originally experimenting with creating an engine to handle the rigors of so-called shmup games but found that it just wasn't living up to what they had hoped to create. Taking inspiration from a PC Korean Street Fighter 2 hack known as SFIBM, Elecbyte decided to change course from a shooter to a 2D fighting game engine.

The first public MS-DOS beta release of MUGEN came on July 27, 1999. This early release differed from most fighting games, though, by offering only one "official" character, Kung Fu Man, and a single stage. Everything else, from additional characters to even title-screen art, would have to be supplied by the users themselves, most often through files shared via Internet communities. For the first time, fans of fighting games weren't just allowed but expected to create their own fighters and matchups.

Though you don't need programming knowledge to create a MUGEN character, the process can still be time-intensive, especially if you're creating your custom art. Over the years, fighter-creation software like 2005's Fighter Factory has popped up to help facilitate this process. These third-party programs allow creators to import either their own hand-drawn sprites or images ripped from existing sprite-based games (making good use of the various sprite sheets that littered the Internet even since the late '90s). With art in hand, Fighter Factory let users tweak values, line up the sprites for animations, and make everything feel just right before exporting the generated files to create fully animated MUGEN characters.

Players have also tasked themselves with MUGEN's core logic and gameplay. In the early years, the AI for MUGEN's computer-controlled opponents was rather simple, akin to a new player just button-mashing different commands at random without any coherent strategy. In the decades since the game's launch, the community has dived deeper into the program's potential, programming more robust and intricate behaviors for the AI and leading to far more exciting and difficult matches with the computer.

[...]

While the fan community has kept MUGEN thriving over the years, the game's original creators have had a much spottier history with their creation.

MUGEN saw regular updates from 1999 until April 2002, when Elecbyte released a new version of the game's Linux build to fans. At the time, though, no one suspected that this release would be the last that Elecbyte would put out for seven years. Elecbyte's website shut down for good in 2003, disappearing without a word and leaving the game's nascent community in the dark.

The abrupt halting of MUGEN updates was especially upsetting to fans who had been waiting for a Windows version of the game to go along with the 2001 Linux port. Elecbyte's existing work on just such a Windows port would eventually reach the community, though, when a suspected private beta of the WinMUGEN project was leaked in 2004.

This beta version, rumored to have been originally offered only to a select number of private donors, was quite restrictive compared to previous MUGEN editions. The character selection was locked to only two slots, and some of the usual game modes were unavailable. But it didn't take long for the community to develop hacks that fixed the bugs and missing features in the WinMUGEN beta. An enhanced hacked version, going by WinMUGEN Plus, arrived in July 2007. Crucially, this version updated the circa-1999 original with the ability to use higher-resolution stages and assets.

Then, as suddenly as it disappeared, Elecbyte made its surprise return in 2009 with a fresh new website and a new build of its MUGEN engine, known merely as MUGEN 1.0 RC1 (standing for Release Client 1).

On a new developer blog on the revamped site, the team members said that their lives had simply split off into different directions before the 2003 shutdown. The original developers added that they held no ill will toward those who had developed new hacks and versions of WinMUGEN in the intervening time. In fact, according to the team, they took it as a clear sign that the users wanted new features in the engine.

In the years that followed, Elecbyte would provide eight different RC revisions of the MUGEN engine, as well as new and consistent updates to its developer blog. On January 18, 2011, after eight different RC revisions, Elecbyte officially released Version 1.0 of MUGEN.

The MUGEN community now had an engine with backward compatibility, new resolution options (HD included), an auto-scaling camera, support for new file formats, and improved AI. A public beta for version 1.1 would be released two years later, which saw a complete overhaul for the engine, adding compatibility with more complex art assets to be used and a frequently requested sprite zooming feature.

The last official post made by Elecbyte, posted on February 26, 2014, alluded to another MUGEN beta release slated for the next few months.

But this release would never come to be. As in 2003, Elecbyte disappeared again, leaving the community confused and curious. Elecbyte's website was shut down completely sometime between August 2015 and April 2016, and it currently only shows an "Access forbidden" screen.

While some MUGEN fans unite to build their dream fighting games, others build on that work to stage computer-controlled matches for the benefit of streaming audiences.

Scrolling Twitch these days, you're bound to see an image of Tom Hanks with Goku in the background, MUGEN's signature thumbnail. The majority of MUGEN viewers will all be found in a single channel, SaltyBet, which has turned the spectacle of MUGEN into an online virtual gambling powerhouse. Taking advantage of MUGEN's CPU vs. CPU feature, SaltyBet viewers can wager fake currency on which fighter they think will win the round.

Fighters can include anyone or anything, from characters in popular fighting games like Guilty Gear or Street Fighter to anime heroes and hand-drawn stick figures. The stream is live around the clock with hundreds of viewers tuning in regardless of the time of day.

Like any sports-betting setup, each round has odds that will affect your overall payout should you win. But while initial odds for traditional sports are based on previous performance, both fighters in a SaltyBet match start with even odds. As participants put their fake money behind one character or the other, the odds will shift in response.

When two of these utterly unbalanced, incredibly overpowered characters are paired off against one another, who will come out on top is anybody's guess. Longtime viewers may have a slight advantage if they may have a better idea of the competitors' movesets, but who will win mostly comes down to luck.

For many members of the SaltyBet community, the main appeal doesn't come from the simulated gambling anyway. Instead, many come just for the ridiculous matchups and the sense of community. "I enjoy the crossover of characters from many different franchises, especially those I grew up with." Twitch user Lestaroth told Ars. "Even unexpected characters. And then, it's all in good spirit—you never hear people insulting each other and so on."

Longtime SaltyBet Twitch viewer ARobotFromTheFuture1 expanded on the same sentiment. "I have to say [one] appeal to it is the insane matches that can happen as well as the matches that get you to the edge of your seat," he said. "I really enjoy the dedication the MUGEN community has even to this day making great and goofy characters."

Despite years of neglect from its original creators, a wealth of talent and creativity has carried the dream that MUGEN represented in its first beta 21 years ago. Authors have taken up the reins to work out solutions to circumvent restrictions and released patches of their own to address bugs and issues left over.

Whether you are an artist, coder, player, or watcher, this near-unlimited potential that MUGEN began will keep evolving and growing for years to come. Even if Elecbyte never returns, what it created back in 1999 lives up to the "infinite" name the company gave it.

Source: Ars Technica

(image via YouTube)

[purplesurveys]

713

Have you ever read the Hunger Games series? Nah, that was put out when I started to not read anymore. I did see the first movie though since it was always being aired on TV. When was the last time you ran into something? Haven’t been doing a lot of running these days being stuck at home... but uh probably my dog? He’s always scattered in the most random spaces around the house, it’s so easy to literally stumble upon him. Do you enjoy dressing up? I don’t get to do it a lot but yeah sure. Do you live in the city or a rural area? I live in an urban area. Rizal is technically a province but it has some urban, more city-like parts – I live in one of them. The way provinces are in the country is generally nice for staycations but I can’t see myself living in them for good; there’s hardly any phone signal, they have none of the stuff I’m used to having in the city like malls and coffee shops, and there’s much less coverage for internet connection. Would you say you have a sense of style? Pretty much. I think it’s distinguishable enough that people can pick clothes they think I’d like off a rack.

What's your biggest fear? Cockroaches, failing, being publicly humiliated. Have you ever been bitten by a wild animal? Nope. Add that into one of my biggest fears. Are you close to any of your cousins? I’m closest to my Kuya, the eldest cousin on my mom’s side. I used to be close with my cousins on my dad’s side but since we’ve always lived far from each other we ended up getting awkward when we were teenagers and we haven’t moved past from that ever since. All my other cousins are too young for me to be close to. Have you ever been lost in the woods? Nope. Where did you last travel? I think my last out-of-town trip was when I went to Nasugbu with my friends as a last hurrah before the semester started last August. Do you enjoy driving? I would enjoy it more if traffic wasn’t so congested all the time, but generally I prefer knowing how to drive than not at all. I find it really convenient and I like being able to move at my own time, at my own pace. What song did you last listen to? Hahahaha don’t even be surprised anymore – it’s lofi city up in here, dude. If you have a job, how often do you work? What time do you normally go to sleep at night? These days, very late; my body clock has been beaten up bad (by me, lmao) in the last month. I’d normally turn in from 2-4 AM. Do you watch a lot of movies? I used to. Watching new movies was all I ever did circa 2014-2016, but life got a bit more hectic and my time for watching movies waned until I was never able to get back to my old routine and I just stopped watching altogether. These days I’m only able to watch new films if Gab asks me to tag along with her, like what happened with Midsommar, Knives Out, and Portrait of a Lady on Fire. Do you like Tom Petty? I only know him by name. I don’t have an opinion. Would you rather have snow or rain? I mean I’m just stuck with one of the choices anyway, so rain it is. Do you own a lot of sweaters? Nah I own zero. The only one I have belongs to my girlfriend. Have you ever tried rock-climbing? I’ve tried mini rock-climbing walls, but nothing too high or that required me to put on a helmet and harness. Ever ridden in a police car? Nope. Favorite decade of music? Idk I’ll have to go with the most recent one, 2010s. It was a period when I got old enough to 1) connect with the music coming out and 2) discern what to me sounds good and what doesn’t, and it was also a time where I got to establish what my general music tastes are. The 2000s to me mostly offers nostalgia but nothing outstanding, and I feel too detached from the other past decades for them to be my favorite. Have any of your best friends been your best friend longer than a year? I’ve had best friends I’ve kept for 15 years and 8 years. Ever witnessed a murder? No, but I came so close. One of our first news assignments was to cover a crime story, so on the first night a friend and I spent the night over at a local police station to wait for leads. There wasn’t any and on the second night, another pair of groupmates were tasked to wait at the same station to wait for reports – they were the pair that got a tip and they got to see a fresh crime scene :( which I know should be nothing to be envious of sksksk but still. If I remember correctly it was a stabbing incident and someone did die from it. Do you care what people think of you? I try not to but some opinions that reach me will still get to me, especially on rougher days. Does your room have a ceiling fan? No, just a standing electric fan. Would you consider yourself poised? Eh, it’s not the first word I’d use to describe me. If I’m feeling antsy you’d know it, because I would show it. Have you ever tried blogging? I have tried blogging, as early as when I was 10. I mainly used Blogspot as a diary, but it didn’t last long because 10 year old me just couldn’t keep the blog up and running. I discovered Tumblr when I was 11 and since then it’s been my main website for if I wanna blog (or in this case, microblog) about my interests. Favorite television channel? I haven’t watched TV in a looooooooong while. Have you ever lied under oath? I’ve never had to be under oath. What are your religious views? None. Are you a romantic person? Yeah but mostly in secret; I don’t like being too public when it comes to being expressive. Like I’d swat my girlfriend’s face away if she tries to kiss me in public lmaooooo but when it’s just the two of us I’ve gotten her love language down to a T and I know exactly what to do to make her feel loved. When did you last change your bed sheets? A few weeks ago. My eye started getting irritated whenever I was anywhere near my bed, so I chalked it up to having sheets that needed to be changed. Would you consider yourself a flirt? That would be the literal last thing to describe me. At what age do you plan to be married? Somewhere between 27-29. Do you eat a lot of junk food? Meh not really these days. I’m old enough to start feeling how unhealthy they are whenever I eat them and they no longer feel filling to the stomach either. When did you last go on vacation? Half a year ago. We haven’t been able to go on vacations this year because of coronavirus obviously, so our last trips have been on my dad’s last break at home. Are you resilient? I’d like to think so. I’ve been through so much shit and of varying degrees all my life but I’m still stubbornly here. Have you ever failed a subject before? I’ve never failed an entire class but I’ve failed exams, mostly math-related ones. If so, what was the class? My first failed class was math in Grade 4 (which was when we started learning super super super basic algebra), then I failed a number of algebra exams in 1st year, and then advanced algebra and geometry, and I think even chemistry and calculus, as the years went on. Do you wear more bright or dull colors? I used to wear duller colors, but I’ve recently been so bored with how my wardrobe has been mostly black and white throughout my stay in college that I started to make an effort to buy more colorful stuff so I can look livelier. Do you know anyone who has attempted suicide? I know a number of people. What's your favorite quote? I don’t really have one but one of my favorite movie lines is “How you like them apples?” from Good Will Hunting, if that counts. Would you consider yourself mature? Sure. I like taking on a motherly role in all my friend groups. How many clocks are in your house? I only regularly encounter the one in our dining area but I dunno if any of the bedrooms have clocks as well. Do you play any sports? Table tennis. What is your biggest life regret? Eh I say this a lot but only because it’s my one big regret – I wish I didn’t have such a hard time adjusting and spend so much time wallowing in self-pity in my first year (and part of my second year) of college. I spent all my days crying in my car because I had nowhere to hang and no one to talk to, and I was feeling worse by the fact that everyone else seemed to settle in with ease. I wish I had just said ‘fuck it’ earlier and just joined orgs and talked to people. Now I don’t really get to say that my entire college experience had been one of a kind, because I was mostly only trying to keep myself alive for nearly the first half of it. Have you ever been injured in a car accident? Nah not injured, but I’ve been caught in a couple of accidents. If you could be anywhere in the world right now, where would you be? I would love to be in a Tim Hortons right now, studying while having their coffee and one of their wraps. Have you ever had highlights in your hair? Never. I’m not allowed to, which is fine because I stopped wanting to dye my hair. Favorite fast food restaurant? KFC has the best fast food but not the best restaurant. I don’t think I enjoy eating at any of the fast food restaurants we have because they all smell like a bunch of people have come and gone in the place D: In what country were you born? Philippines. Born and raised. Are your eyes more than one color? Nope. Have you ever caught something on fire? No but I’ve seen someone else get something on fire – back in Grade 4, my science teacher was showing us how a Bunsen burner works and a classmate (and tbh the class troublemaker) named Kressel tipped it over while the teacher wasn’t looking. We were too young to know what to do about it – and we were also all panicking on the inside and none of us could move – so we just watched part of the table getting burned away. What would you consider your biggest flaw? I’m very sensitive and I take a lot of things personally. What do you think your best quality is? Kinda conneected to that. I can read people quite well and can tell when they’re feeling too sensitive, if a joke has gotten too far for them, or if they’re starting to feel uncomfortable in a group setting. Do you enjoy listening to others' problems? *Enjoy* might not be the right word for it – I don’t derive pleasure out of hearing the things making my friends stressed out. I do like being the person they turn to; I like knowing they trust me.

Do you keep any plants in your house? My parents do. Sometimes they’ll ask me to water them, but I don’t claim any of the plants as mine. What is your mother's occupation? She’s confidential secretary to one of the higher-ups in her workplace. Do any of your friends like your musical style? I’m not the first person they’d go to to ask for song recommendations. My taste is admittedly a bit blah and basic, so I don’t blame them haha. What are you most looking forward to? I wanna say this quarantine ending, but I know resuming life in the real world would also be making me anxious when the time comes. I guess I’m most excited for seeing Gabie again, because I haven’t seen March 7th. What was your favorite television show as a child? My first favorite show ever that I was also super attached to was Hi-5 with the original cast – this was for kindergarten days. When I got a bit older I loved Spongebob, then when I got even a bit older than that I started liking Drake and Josh, The Suite Life of Zack and Cody, That’s So Raven, and Hannah Montana. My first favorite that didn’t come from a kids’ channel was probs Breaking Bad. Are you afraid of insects? Yeah, most of them. Are you cold-natured? Idk if this wants to ask me if I’m snobbish or if I get cold too quickly, but I’m gonna go right ahead and say I can be a bit of both. How old were you when you got your first pet? I was 5 or 6 when I got my first few goldfish. Our house back then was very crowded and wouldn’t have been conducive to pets that would walk around, plus I had never owned pets before, so my parents thought it would be best for me to start off with fish. Did you / do you enjoy high school? It was okay for the latter half. What would you say was your favorite age? 16, which also happened to be the start of the second half of high school. There wasn’t a single low point that year and I had great friends, great grades, and an overall great time in junior year. What annoys you most about social networking? Ehh there are different annoying things for each of the big social media sites. Twitter sucks for its cancel/public shaming culture; Facebook suffers from fake news and troll armies, and conservative relatives are often there to gossip about your posts or your stances (at least for us Asians, idk if family in other cultures can be just as nosey); and Instagram is just unbelievably fake to me that I’ve never even tried joining there to socialize.

Are you the center of attention most of the time? No. Whenever I feel like I am I always shift the spotlight to someone else. What are you currently reading? I’m not reading anything at the moment. When did you last go to the library? At the start of the year, when I had to borrow a book for my Rizal class. Are you ill at the moment? Nope, and remaining not ill would be the best situation for now given the current circumstances. Do people tease you about anything? My friends know I’m a little sensitive so they’re careful about making me the butt of their jokes for too long, but I do get teased for my lack of street smarts which I’m fine with because it’s true hahahahahaha. How late did you stay up last night and why? Not too late considering how late I stay up these days – just around midnight. My left eye acted up again, was tearing up like crazy, and I could barely open it without starting to feel pain so I just went ahead and got some sleep. Have you ever written poetry? Only when we had to in English classes or if we had to submit entries for my org’s literary folio. I’ve never voluntarily written poems. Curtains or shades? Shades. How many people have you spoken to in the last hour? Six, I think? - my dad, sister, cousin, Gab, Andrew, and Angela. Do you tend to text a lot? These days no because I haven’t had (and needed) cellphone load in the last month lmao. Normally though I do. Ever lost a great best friend? Yeah. Sofie and I drifted apart when we started college and the time apart made me realize that we simply had two entirely different personalities and there was no way we would have kept up the friendship considering how far we would be from each other once college started. But it was a nice couple of years that we had being best friends and I don’t regret the antics we got into together. What is your favorite kind of flower? Peonieeeeees my god his question is everywhere. Do you own any guns? No, and I can tell you people where I’m from generally find America’s gun fixation really weird. What would you say is your favorite book of all-time? I think it’d be unfair to tag something as all-time favorite when I haven’t read enough books... but I remember really enjoying Without Seeing the Dawn by Stevan Javellana. Never mind the fact that it was required reading for school; I genuinely loved the whole book and ate it up pretty quickly.   Do you think you're living a good life? I guess, but I’d much rather call it ‘fortunate.’ What's your least favorite part of the day? On a normal schedule that would be once my alarm hits and I know I have to get out of bed and anticipate the traffic I’ll be stuck in.

Are you an over-achiever? Not in the sense that I like joining competitions and winning every single one of them, but I like calling dibs on a lot of tasks no matter how booked I am, and even doing the tasks of others if I sense that they’re not moving. Have you ever won an award for a speech? I haven’t, but I’ve been in a public speaking competition. I let my anxiety get the best of me that day and I ended up rambling midway into my speech, so now thinking about it is something that makes me wince these days because I know I could have done a lot better. Do you tend to curse a lot? Not as much as when I was a teenager but I’ll still slip some shits and fucks in my sentences every now and then. Have you ever played on the Ouija board? No. And I think that if it does happen, as much as I love the concept of Ouija boards, I’ll be too scared to join the session haha. Do you sleepwalk? Nope. Have you ever slept on the floor before? I’ve never slept on the FLOOR floor. I’ve slept on floors but there was always a mattress to lie on to feel comfortable, ya feel. Are you a fan of public displays of affection? It’s easy not to mind simple acts like holding hands or forehead kisses, but it can get uncomfortable if a couple is clearly in the moment and is like literally making out on the escalator or talking like babies to one another but loud enough for others to hear. Either way though I wouldn’t call myself an active fan. When did you last attend a yard sale? Idk dude, 12 years ago I’d say. Do you wish your life were simpler or more interesting? More interesting. What goals do you wish to accomplish tomorrow? None. I just want to care for myself these days dude. And remind myself that it’s okay to not feel like being productive. When is your birthday? Exactly a week from now – April 21st. Which is worse: going blind or deaf? Blind for me. There’s a lot of stuff and places I have yet to see and new experiences that I wanna be able to digest by seeing them, like getting to the top of a mountain or seeing my future kid.   What was the best part of today? Eh, today’s been uneventful at best. Do you attempt to stay away from drama? I don’t want to be the subject of drama but if there’s drama involving other people and my friends got a hold of it, I would honestly find it hard to ignore it. What liquid did you last drink? Water. Do you ever prefer to be alone? I have moods where I’d want to be alone, but it doesn’t happen all the time. I still like being around people because it keeps me from being alone with my thoughts. Have you ever had a deadly animal as a pet? No. Favorite Disney movie? Toy Story. Tangled comes at a verrrrrrrrrry close second. Have you ever been to the beach? Yes. I think since 2009 we’ve been going to the beach at least once a year. If you have, how many times have you been? ^ Considering that estimation I’ve been to the beach a minimum 11 times, but it’s definitely a lot more than that since there’ve been times where we went to beaches multiple times in a single year. What was your dream occupation at age ten? I wanted to be an author then. Are you terrified at the idea of weight-gain? No. I’m a little underweight so I'm okay with welcoming a few extra pounds. Do you drink a lot of water? I don’t take eight glasses a day but I still drink relatively more than my friends and relatives do, who seem to like iced tea and soda more. Does your room have carpet or hard-wood floors? Hardwood, as with most (maybe even all) Filipino houses. Do you take naps daily? No, not daily. I probably take 3-4 afternoon naps every week.

Who were you named after? My parents say I was named after the Swedish singer Robyn, but they also tell me a conflicting story in that they just liked how the name sounds and went with it. Do you plan on traveling this spring or summer? In the current state of the world? No can do chief. I wanna be able to travel once this shitstorm is over though. Do you know anyone who is colorblind? I don’t think so. Have you ever been a teacher's pet? For some classes, but they’ve been very few and far between. I don’t consciously make myself the teacher’s pet in all my classes. What is your absolute favorite hobby? Eating out/trying new food! How many times a day do you brush your teeth? Once or twice. Ever been to a tanning bed before? I have not. I don’t need to. Are you satisfied with your financial stability? I don’t even have finances sksksksksksksks Who is your favorite actor / actress? Kate Winslet. Are your nails painted? Nope. What's the meanest thing you've ever said to someone? I make it a point not to say mean things to anyone because words stick. I learned that from a young age which, aside from how fucked up that is, is still a good thing, because it taught me early on to be careful with my anger. Do you ever accidentally talk to inanimate objects? I don’t do it accidentally lmao I just apologize to most of the objects I bump into. What's your favorite flavor of ice cream? Cookies and cream. Have you ever kissed someone of the same gender? Regularly. Do you receive any hate mail? No but that’s because I actively avoid having outlets for that. Anonymous hate would only make me paranoid and will probs drive me madly insecure in the wrong run. Have you ever sent a letter in the mail? Nope. If you could, would you have a pen pal? Meh, I’ll pass. I find instant messaging a lot more convenient and I doubt I’d have the patience for keeping a pen pal. What color are the pants you're wearing? I have brown shorts, not pants. Have you ever had a stalker? Nope. What is your life philosophy? You don’t have to be blood to be family. Who last sent you a goodnight text message? Gabie. Do you own any clothes that are your favorite color? Very few, because pink actually doesn’t suit me. Have you ever been in a hot tub before? Sure. What's your favorite comedy movie? White Chicks. In which year were you born? 1998.

[biglisbonnews]

Tim Hortons No. 1 in Hamilton, Ontario When National Hockey League player, Miles Gilbert "Tim" Horton, opened this first branch of his first eponymous restaurant in Hamilton, Ontario, on May 17, 1964, no one would have imagined that his name would become as synonymous with Canada as maple leaves, poutine, and hockey itself. Today, the franchise has grown into Canada's largest fast-food chain, with over 5,000 locations in 15 countries.  Horton was a Canadian ice hockey defenseman who played professionally for the Toronto Maple Leafs, New York Rangers, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Buffalo Sabres. After a brief attempt at hamburgers, Horton founded the fast-food coffee and doughnut chain with business partner Jim Charade.  The very first Tim Hortons shop remains at its original Hamilton location. In 2014, the building was entirely rebuilt in recognition of the restaurant's 50th anniversary. The renovation included the addition of a second floor to house a museum of the chain and its founder. Lest there be any doubt as to the location, the building's signage proudly declares, “First Restaurant Opened Here May 17, 1964.” Graphics on the retro sign include a cartoon likeness of Tim Horton shooting doughnuts with a hockey stick. Completing the renovation was the addition of a larger-than-life bronze sculpture of Tim Horton, in full hockey gear, in front of the store to greet visitors. The second-floor museum has six rooms representing different decades of the restaurant’s history. The first room is a reproduction of an original Tim Hortons dining room, circa 1964, complete with a vintage cash register and Formica counters. Racks of doughnuts from the chain's past fill the display cabinets, including replicas of two of the ever-popular original doughnuts, the Apple Fritter and the Dutchie.  The museum contains furnishings, tableware, ephemera, uniforms, paper products, and memorabilia from Tim Hortons of yore, as well as mementos that highlight Horton's Hamilton roots and his Hall of Fame hockey career. Best of all, one can enjoy the displays while munching a fresh Honey Dip and sipping a Double-Double. https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/tim-hortons-no-1

[the-colony-roleplay]

I first want to say that this roleplay is a breath of fresh air. I have been away from the tumblr roleplay community for sometime now, and when I decided to make a return I for the life of me could not find any active literate roleplays (like from the golden days, circa 2010-2014). So when I stumbled across this lovely piece, I was ecstatic. I found a character I resonated with, however before applying I was curious if FC changes were allowed. More so, Samuel's FC from Daniel Craig to Tom Hardy.

Wow! Thank you so much for the kind words!! I do think we’re kind of known to have a somewhat more old-school approach in our roleplaying style (hopefully keeping the best parts from the ‘golden days’ as you put it), so I’m pleased to hear that shines through to you.

In regards to the FC, we accept changes on a case-by-case basis, depending on the character. That said, Mod Ro and I both love Tom Hardy, and think he would definitely be acceptable as Samuel! He’s quite a bit younger than Daniel Craig, so perhaps picking out a few older back ups that fit the age range (Samuel is 44) would also be a good idea, just in case. You can feel free to list any others you might find in your application if you choose to apply—which we really hope you do!

If you have any further questions, please don’t hesitate to ask!

<3 Mod Lottie

[reallyliteral]

sat into sun ☀️ I’m a serial outfit repeater pretty much on a weekly basis & the weekends are no different. But the shoes & accessories often change. I do it up extra on Saturdays w my heels on & brows done while I keep it casual on Sundays w a cute hat & sandals. Remember an outfit can be styled in various ways to keep it feeling fresh & new! #nonewclothes 🥝 hubby’s bucket hat 🪣 made from recycled poly & organic cotton 🪀 by Dan @corridor in queens, ny via @platform_la 🐚 vintage criss cross top 🥨 made from cotton ☁️ by @carven circa 2014 in france #slowfashion #ethicalfashion #locallymade #localartist #sustainablefashion #ecofriendly #circulareconomy #vintage #buyvintage #sustainablebloggers #sustainableliving #slowliving #locallove #shopsmall #handmade #carven #tevas #corridornyc (at Los Angeles, California) https://www.instagram.com/p/CQwV1w1Ma7I/?utm_medium=tumblr