#or 1 is necessary and 1 is unnecessary is stupid af.

[krogans-give-the-best-cuddles]

I generally think that the advice that if you want to make x thing you have to exist in x spaces is true... like if you make a movie but don't watch movies that would be shit, and the same with original fiction.

But I am tired with the disdain that goes both ways in the fiction/fanfiction spaces. Like I will see people be like "you won't get better at writing until you start reading og fiction" which is like. 1. Are they trying to write og fiction or fanfiction? Bc if it's fanfiction. A genre in its own right. By the logic of if u want to get better at x then you must participate in x, then they really only need other fanfiction 2. Not everyone wants to make original fiction. There's nothing wrong with that. The sort of disdain that treats fanfiction as training wheels is so annoying

Plenty of kinds of fiction rely on already created characters, and thinking that the only valuable stories rely on entirely original characters is foolish. Mythological retellings, Sherlock Holmes retellings, and comic books often have existing characters one is adapting. That's a different skill set one needs than the one for completely original fiction, just like fanfiction has.

And when people who exclusively read fanfic act like og fiction has nothing to offer, isn't diverse enough, isn't xyz, they're also being condescending and wrong. Like. Og fiction has everything you could want from fanfic. Except you gotta meet the characters the first time.

Everybody needs to get off their artistic high horses and come down in the dirt and just start learning and creating from one another, as is just.

[l3vi4than]

NGL ID BE FUCKING HAPPY TO TEACH MATH IN SCHOOL/UNI IF IT WOULDNT HAVE TO BE CHARITY BASED HELL TORTURE JAIL

seriously the amount of money you get as educator in any non-private education facility is laughable, while the responsibility and the amount of unnecessary paperwork is ridiculously abundant

also I want to teach HOW I THINK IS RIGHT not how some dude from the ministry told his secretary to interpret a century-old book on teaching monkeys use abacus. I spent a fucking decade learning and researching this, and you still don’t trust me to do this job??? Why you even funded my education then??? Why you bothered to issue me a PhD degree if you don’t trust I’m able to think independently? Why you specify you need a person of my qualifications if you actually want someone to just blindly follow a stupid rulebook???

because I refuse to ignore that different kids/adults inevitably have different learning needs and paces, and that the current math education is just stupid “learn by heart this table” nonsense with zero underlying context and concepts explained that is only focused on passing the following assessment and lacks the necessary applicability training

It breaks my heart to watch people claim they have dyscalculia and being unable to do math just of sheer fear of being called “stupid” all while they are easily manipulating large table data and performing complex matrix analysis in mind when it comes to video games or cross stitch or whatever their hobby is. Like, girl, dear, you’re not stupid and you don’t have dyscalculia, you’re traumatised and scared af of even trying to touch something that reminds you of your school math.

And I get it, it’s valid, but I promise it doesn’t have to affect your quality of life, math isn’t evil and you can still learn it easily enough and im here to help if you need it. You struggle with percents not because you’re dumb, but because you lack the context that it is just a different way of writing down a decimal proportion.

Now, what was it about that cookie dough you were so proud about yesterday? You said three cups of flour and one cup of milk right? I don’t have a cup, im gay, I have only this tekila shots, but ten of these is a cup I guess. So uhhhh how do we do this…

it’s 3:1 proportion right? So if I have three shoots of flour and one shot of milk it’s correct but won’t be enough for even a single cookie. But if I do this again (making it now 6 shots of flour and 2 shots of milk) it’s still the same proportion but amount is doubled, so it’s enough for a cookie now!

So, let’s do this again while we still have milk I guess haha… now it’s 75 shots of flour in this bowl and here is 25 shots of milk here. Yeah, looks good? Cool, it only took 100 shots to make this dough, less than an orgy and 25 of them were milk. So I guess your cookie dough is 25% milk huh?

See, it’s not that scary, you actually use it every day. Now, it wasn’t about the cookies, im sorry, we were actually mixing up a margarita, so slaaaaay queen and let’s proceed to the statistical analysis, so as you know already the Lebesgue integrals are-…

assume for the sake of this poll that the ubi is a comfortable living wage and that you can get a job in any field you’d like.

also if you picked ‘for another reason’ pls put why in the tags/comments im curious :]

[dzthenerd490]

File: Five Night's at Freddy's

SCP#: ADF

Code Name: Animatronic Nightmare

Object Class: Keter

Special Containment Procedures: Any and all products owned by Group of Interest: Fazbear Entertainment are to be monitored by MTF Command Staff whenever possible. Activity and behavior matching the description of SCP-ADF instances are to be reported so that Mobile Task Force Dionysus-3: "The Party Package" can be deployed immediately. They are to also be given amnestic pills as well as amniestic darts should the reported SCP-ADF instance be active in a public area.

If a purchased Fazbear Entertainment product or toy that has reported to be an SCP-ADF instance, MTF Dionysus-3 units disguised as police investigators are to be deployed and apprehend it. If strange murders at a Fazbear Entertainment mascot restaurant are reported Dionysus-3 units disguised as engineers are to be deployed. As they attempt to find the SCP-ADF instance, they are to expect resistance from both the SCP-ADF instance as well as brainwashed employees. After the SCP-ADF instance is contained, any captured brainwashed employees are to be sent to the nearest Foundation Area for interrogation, treatment, and if necessary, termination. 

All SCP-ADF instances are transported to a Foundation site in accordance with what category they fall under.

SCP-ADF-Α instances are contained at Site-AD within 6x6 meter containment cells. The walls made up of several layers of different metals, each being 1 inch thick and consist of Zinc, Copper, silver, aluminum, and tin. The SCP-ADF instances are also be contained with an inhibitor device that is attached to their being. This device is designed by Dr. Wicked to nullify any anomalous paranormal they may have.

SCP-ADF-Β pose an unnecessary threat to the lives of MTF Dionysus-3 units but are also unremarkable by anomalous standards. Containment is not deemed necessary for these SCP-ADF instances, neutralization is considered the best alternative.

SCP-ADF-Γ are sent to Site-AF and contained within 10x10 meter containment cells with childlike, colorful, and therapeutic decorations. They are to be given weekly psychological, emotional, and intelligence tests. at least one MTF Dionysus-3 unit is to stand guard during any testing with these instances.

SCP-ADF-Δ: By order of the O5 Council these SCP-ADF instances are to be sent to Site-AK for [data expunged] purposes. [data expunged]. there are no exceptions.

SCP-ADF-Ε: Contained within 4x4 containment cells at Site-AA with whatever they need to remain capacitated, whether it be music recorders or strobe lights.

SCP-ADF-Ζ: Contained in the storage unit at Site-AF and often used by Foundation staff for robotic and AI experiments as well as basic servitude. 

SCP-ADF-Η: If these SCP-ADF instances are ever found MTF Dionysus-3 is not to be deployed, instead MTF Tau-5 is to be sent in. They are contained at Site-[data expunged]

Description: SCP-ADF instances are animatronic mascots created by Group of Interest: Fazbear Entertainment. Their anomalous properties are the result of experimental mascot technology created by Person of Interest: William Afton. Whether it be by accident or pure stupidity, the animatronics he created became SCP-ADF instances after either a glitch in the programing making them become unstable or the mascot becoming possessed by the souls of William Afton’s murder victims. Because of the randomness of their origin, no two SCP-ADF instances look the same nor do they have the same anomalous nature; as such, they have been separated into 7 categories labeled SCP-ADF-Α through SCP-ADF-Η.

SCP-ADF-Α: Display great psychic/ paranormal abilities. Unlike ones in other categories these SCP-ADF instances do not display much or any emotions or sentience at all. Though they are always the result of the souls of murdered individuals' possessing SCP-ADF instances. Their anomalous properties include illusion projections, object levitation, and/ or teleportation which happens spontaneously and without order probably due to the confusion and fear of the victim’s soul trapped inside.

SCP-ADF-Β: Hostile to all human life, except Fazbear Workers. They seem to be used a defensive force for Fazbear Entertainment as their production has increased since the Foundation and Global Occult Coalition has started our secret raids against the GoI. More often than not, they're reasoning behind the anomalous behavior is due to level 2 or lower AI being programed into their systems. As such the O5 Council has not deemed it necessary for Dionysus-3 units to risk their lives attempting to contain these instances. Termination is both authorized and encouraged. The only exception is on the rare occasion these instances rebel and turn on Fazbear Entertainment, regardless of reasoning. 

SCP-ADF-Γ: Displays great intelligence as they manifest from either evolving AI or the spiritual possession from someone who has died in the area of a Fazbear mascot. These instances are the mistakes of the company, and become threats to the Foundation, the civilians, and Fazbear Entertainment. These instances are to be considered neutral on first encounter and only seen as allies when they have confirmed to value human life, otherwise they are to be subdued and contained with force.

SCP-ADF-Δ: Is comprised on multiple souls and/or multiple mascots fused together into a single vessel, one of the rarest and most disturbing SCP-ADF instances to manifest. These instances are considered quite dangerous not just because of their beast like nature as well as their abnormally high intelligence. Their main threat is rooted in the possibility of them evolving overtime to either become more dangerous or transform into an entirely different anomaly. By order of the O5 Council these instances are to be used in experiments involving [data expunged].

SCP-ADF-Ε: Friendly to children but hostile to adults. Can be unpredictable but can be incapacitated with music or flashing lights. Often these instances are confused with SCP-ADF-Β instances. The easiest way to tell the difference between the two instances is their behavior in the morning during work time. SCP-ADF-Β instances will normally act like normal toys and mascots in the morning while SCP-ADF-Ε will only act normally around children but will stare menacingly at adults.

SCP-ADF-Ζ: another rare manifestation as they are friendly to all human life but hates Fazbear employees. Often these instances are simply AI that have evolved beyond what is normally possible and have grown to resent GoI: Fazbear Entertainment for their inhuman experiments and exploitation. The main anomalous properties of these instances is that they either start off with or somehow develop anomalous technology such as mechanical and insectoid like appendages, the ability to command living toy slaves, and are able to tear themselves apart and reassemble on command without consequences. Though these instances are mainly hostile to Fazbear Entertainment they do not always know how to tell the difference between regular adults and Fazbear employees. 

SCP-ADF-Η: Capable of [data expunged]. Usually the result of [data expunged]. Naturally because of these unfortunate circumstances they are extremely unpredictable in capabilities, personality, intelligence, and anomalous properties. Thankfully these instances can easily be identified as they are actually [data expunged]. Should Dionysus-3 units identify an SCP-ADF-H instances they are to retreat and allow MTF Tau-5 to handle the instance. Because of their extremely anomalous nature these instances have the highest priority of containment. Only [data expunged] are known to exist.

The first of the SCP-ADF instances was discovered in 1983 when an unexpected and gruesome murder occurred at an establishment owned by Group of Interest: Fazbear Entertainment. Originally this was thought to be a freak accident and nothing more but one agent wasn’t convinced and did a thorough search into Fazbear Entertainment to confirm. Later Fazbear Entertainment was recognized as a Group of Interest due to the agents discovery of the technology within the mascots being much more advanced than what was considered normal in 1983. However, by this time it was far too late as not only had the brand of Fazbear Entertainment exploded in popularity and thus expanded across the US, but hundreds of SCP-ADF instances had manifested throughout these establishments.

It is unknown if Person of Interest: William Afton, the creator of Fazbear Entertainment had intended for the SCP-ADF instances to exist as monstrosities of both out of control AI and souls of the damned trapped within harmless looking animatronic mascots. It is also unknown if William Afton’s overall goal is to make the most fun and advanced animatronics by any means necessary or to simply create the most sadistic and horrific abominations and pass them off as toys and mascots for the sick joy of it. What is known is that William Afton is the complete psychopath and will do anything to avoid the consequences of his actions weather intended or not.

How Person of Interest: William Afton was able to create such advanced technology is unknown as he seems to have no relation with any known Persons of Interest or Groups of Interest outside of rumors. In addition to these rumors, there is one in particular stating that the reason William Afton has escaped Foundation capture is due to him turning himself into an SCP-ADF-Η instances, possibly the most powerful one to date. If this is ever confirmed true, then William Afton will be able to both live forever and hide in plain sight, being able to control Fazbear Entertainment from the shadows ensuring his vile experiments never stop.

.

SCP: Horror Movie Files Hub

[home-working]

The One Where I Become a Product Reviewer

Hey there, fellow kids! Jumping on the already-parked annual back-to-school bandwagon, I bring to you an AWESOME new blog post highlighting my FAVOURITE 15″ LAPTOP BACKPACK PICK! Get ready for at least 145 paragraphs of preamble before I reveal this NUMBER ONE TOP 100% BEST 15″ LAPTOP BACKPACK PICK and DIY BACKPACK HACK!!

I also realised I needed a post in my “lifestyle blog” repertoire that might convince people to send me free products? So this is that post. Search engine optimization.

Backstory

On February 19, 2019, esteemed letterer and all-around Creative Professional Jessica Hische tweeted out that she was looking for a new, fashionable laptop backpack and wanted suggestions. I happened to see this tweet that night and thought, “Maybe I, myself also a Creative Professional, need a new, fashionable laptop backpack as well?” I read through the mostly terrible (???) suggestions from her followers, saw one I liked, and then, with the quick late-night text approval of my probably-drunken sartorial consultant T, impulse-bought a $235 backpack.

The Arrival

A week later The Backpack arrives. It’s partially leather! It smells very new! It’s literally made by a Creative Professional for Creative Professionals! It’s so nice that I’m already worried about ruining it with thoughts of biking or commuting. But the straps are kind of stiff and uncomfortable on my delicate mammary glands. And did I say it’s pretty expensive?!

It’s the kind of backpack I’d be happy to keep if it were, say, $79. Maybe even $89. But $235?! For a backpack that’s not even some sexy upscale Creative Professional household brandname?? My lower middle-class upbringing prevents me from committing to such an expenditure on which I’m only lukewarm. What to do?

The Virgo/Libra Cusp Solution

Obviously I go out and buy two more backpacks.

All my children.

On Being a Virgo/Libra Cusp-er

I’m on the Virgo/Libra cusp which makes me the perfect person to review anything because I’m really picky and really indecisive. This means that if I’m forced to make a decision about anything, I generally change my mind multiple times and lose sleep in the process of over-thinking every minute detail, what fun! (For the record, I’m also strictly adhering to the deeply-scientific, back-of-your-local-free-weekly astrology column definitions of these signs. [Also, unnecessary childhood trauma story, I never really knew how to astrologically-identify growing up because as a cusper my sign categorization changed from paper to paper? The struggle was—and I cannot stress this enough—real.])

Laptop Backpacks: Necessary?

“Why does one need a special laptop backpack?” you might ask. Obviously, you don’t. No one needs anything. Why do we buy things, to feel a brief sense of happiness or accomplishment in our lives? Does it work for you the way it definitely and always 100% works for me? Leave your response in the comments!

But also I’ve never had a bag that was made for a laptop, so I figured I should probably get a backpack that's actually functional and isn’t painful to carry heavy shit around in all day?

Criteria

In order to be considered for this review, a potential backpack had to meet the following criteria:

Must hold a 15″ MacBook Pro

Enough padding to protect that laptop without a case

Must be comfortable to use while biking

Unisex design

Is black/screams “Creative Professional”

Bonus points: also screams “... who deserves a large salary”

In addition to my a laptop, I assembled a weight/capacity testing control group with the following everyday accessories:

Work essentials: mouse, laptop charger, Moleskine notebook, pencil

Life essentials: overnight kit, moisturizer, deodorant, underwear, sports bra, water bottle

Um, glasses and some other crap: eyeglasses & case, dirty socks, folded blanket, Le Creuset 18cm cast-iron pot

🎒🎒🎒🎒🎒🎒🎒🎒 The Backpacks 🎒🎒🎒🎒🎒🎒🎒🎒

Bag option #1: The ISM Backpack

The ISM retails for $235 USD; it’s only available online but comes with free shipping and returns in the USA. It ships in a pretty box with a pretty branded dust bag and a bunch of tissue that smells of “Instagram unboxing moment”.

I wore this bag out in public a few times: to the work lounge at the Public Hotel (a hotspot for “cool-looking people” working remotely), to pay a visit to my old MoMA office, and to a job interview. Did I feel like a Creative Professional? You bet I did! But then my former coworker commented that the bag made me look like a “techy person”, which ruined everything it had going for it. (There is a fine line between Creative Professional and Startup Chic that I refuse to cross. It involves hoodies.)

Left: fancy regal satin lining, to remind you that you’re the millennial queen you are. Right: full bag, with front pocket that is great for fitting flat stuff and maybe only flat stuff.

It fit everything in the “capacity” control group, albeit quite snugly, but its real downfall was the straps: although they were quite hearty, being both wide and well padded (which would be great for those with flat chests), their stiff sturdiness meant they were very inflexible, and basically cut into my breasts any time I raised my arms together, as one would if biking:

MEINE POOR BOOBS.

ISM owner/designer Justin emailed me after I returned the bag, and explained they were working on a smaller version for 13″ laptops. I explained this doesn’t help people with mammary glands who own 15″ laptops. Per Justin:

I feel what you mean Christy, a bag that fits a 15" laptop and is unisex has been a tough design challenge given the size difference between males and females. We have been able to shorten the straps to accommodate though.

I get it. Designing for the fact that 50% of the population has boobs is hard! Did you know that basically everything is designed around men and their stupid bodies?? It's also subsequently a prime example of how e-comm genders backpack sizing: you’ll find that 15″ laptop bags are generally only found in the “Men’s” section of websites. I need a drink.

Pros

Looks and feels fancy

Separate laptop pocket from main compartment

Water and weather resistant

Good amount of padding everywhere

Real leathurrrr bottom

Bitches be loving gold zippers

I am weirdly very into the simple strap adjustment design (not pictured but trust me that it’s nicely done)

Cons

High price point for my feeble income

Cut into my boobs

Front pocket is pretty difficult to put stuff in due to being so flat

Makes me look like a tech bro

Did not get the job I interviewed for while using it

Rating

Comfort: ★★☆☆☆ Creative professional-ness: ★★★★★ Female compatibility: ★☆☆☆☆ (one star for gold zipper) Value for monies: ★★★★☆ (if you don’t bike or have boobs) Overall: ★★★☆☆

🎒🎒🎒🎒🎒🎒🎒🎒 Bag option #2: MUJI Water Repellent Backpack

I bought this bag at the MUJI store for a very reasonable $49 USD. Like everything MUJI, it’s pretty decent quality both in materials and design, and feels like it’ll last a while.

Unfortunately, I didn’t end up testing this “in the real world” because, whoops, it only comfortably fits a 13″ laptop. But I did uncomfortably fit my 15″ laptop inside, really stretching the limits of the side panels, and then managed to cram the test “capacity” content on top (with room to spare!). I then did a “hunch test”, folding myself over as one would on a road bike, and found that there was barely any padding on the back panel, and my spine was knocking against the hard surface of my computer. Not cool! Plus the back did not have a mesh surface, literally making it not cool on a sweaty back.

Yes I get it, I have a big stupid computer.

Pros

Nice quality

Large capacity

Water repellent

Has a secret little back pocket you’ll probably never use

Has those tacky side pockets for water bottles which are surprisingly handy for sunglasses or pocket chargers

Cons

Made for a 13″ laptop

Non-meshed back

Not enough back padding

Rating

Comfort: ★★★☆☆ Creative professional-ness: ★★★★☆ Female compatibility: ★★★★★ Value for monies: ★★★★★ Overall: ★★★★☆+

🎒🎒🎒🎒🎒🎒🎒🎒 Bag option #3: UNIQLO Water Repellent Backpack

Right after purchasing the MUJI bag I walked across the street and picked this up for $29.90. YOLO!

Realising that is was yet another bag made for 13″ laptops, I could immediately tell that the quality was much lesser than MUJI’s: it was much lighter in weight, and the fabric thinner. Look at those ugly shoulder straps where the fabric is bunching. The front pocket’s structure is so weak that it sags. Sad!

But: pretty good akshully?!

I again force-fit my behemoth laptop and belongings into the small frame, yet, contrary to expectation, this thing was comfortable AF?! And even had room to spare. The straps were super soft and cushy and malleable around my boobs, and the “hunch test” revealed amazingly thick layers of padding on two sides of the back panel, with a thinner center panel that relieves any pressure on your spine. What kind of ugly genius is this?

Pros

Stupidly comfortable

Large capacity

Water repellent

Again, tacky side pockets, this time with an angled top hem

Cons

Made for a 13″ laptop

Pretty cheap and ugly looking

Pretty cheap and ugly feeling

Rating

Comfort: ★★★★★ Creative professional-ness: ★★☆☆☆ Female compatibility: ★★★★★ Value for monies: ★★★★☆ Overall: ★★★★☆

🎒🎒🎒🎒🎒🎒🎒🎒 Other opshuns, you ask?

There’s a few other mid-range “nice” bag brands I was looking into online, such as the one which esteemed Creative Professional Jessica Hische ended up going with, but let’s just assume I left them out because they lack the quality needed for this rigorous assessment and not because the bag designer whom I went on a date with decided to ghost me after I sprained my ankle while in Canada. Ahem.

Final Verdict... and a Backpack Hack (!!) (...Backhack™?!)

Although I was quite impressed with the comfort the UNIQLO model provided (both to my body and my wallet), I was actually going to declare this experiment a failure and return all the backpacks. Until, that is, I took a closer look at the interior construction of the UNIQLO and MUJI bags: they measured as though they should be tall enough for my latop, and yet the MacBook corners stubbornly stuck out. Time to play detective! 🔍

Turning the bags inside-out, I noticed they both included a superfluous, space-reducing seam at the bottom of the main pocket. WTF.

UNIQLO bag before & after: the difference a simple seam (and lack of colour temperature matching) makes!

By removing this seam on the UNIQLO model, I gained a full inch of vertical room, ALLOWING THE 15″ LAPTOP TO ACTUALLY FIT IN THE DAMN BAG. Yes, it fits snugly, and some may argue that the superfluous seam protects the edge of the computer from hitting the ground, but the very bottom edge seam is actually pretty bulky and does a decent job of protecting as is.

Verdict: With the inclusion of this super deviant hack (and ONLY with this inclusion), UNIQLO wins!!!!!!!!

Epilogue

I’ve been using this bag for 7 months now. It looks kinda cheap and it tends to collect lint, but my shoulders are miraculously like never sore. And, even on a grocery run after stuffing a myriad of pokey-shaped food items in the thing until I can barely close it, it’s always very comfortable on my tender back when biking home (I did this very thing 2 weeks ago at the Farmer’s Market after buying Celine Dion tickets, because I am a white woman in her late 30s). 

Oh, also: it’s black, so yes I am a Creative Professional, thank you for noticing! 

TL;DR: UNIQLO; cheap; comfortable. Send me your products to review! 🔚

Colophon backpacks: ISM, UNIQLO, MUJI; socks: UNIQLO; t-shirt: from a Women Who Code meetup hosted by One Month; sweatpants: Alternative Apparel; laptop: Shmapple; glasses: Steven Alan clearance; stool: Target; plants: IKEA & Home Depot; blankets: Hudson’s Bay, E. Stocking; mirror & couch: IKEA; drawing above mirror: K. Freeman & P. Lyle; posters: Bruce Nauman and a Finnish Design Annual fold-out; calendar: Massimo Vignelli; bike: Miele; weight/capacity control group: thrifting, Peru, Amazon, HAY, more places; suddenly questioning the consistency of whether I’m listing where objects were bought or the brand name of the object itself: something I am going to pretend to resolve at a later date in time; brevity rating for this blog post: ★☆☆☆☆; fan appreciation: I am so sorry if you read this far

[serenagaywaterford]

Anyone who doesn’t think Yvonne is hot, is either blind or has no taste, or both. But they are entitled to their wrong opinion. Although, I’ll say the makeup doesn’t help, especially during that dance. But it’s meant to look ridiculous, just look at Cate’s character too. And I think Sofie is supposed to be distraught during that dance, right from the beginning. So maybe it’s intentional? I remember from Yvonne’s interviews, she said she danced for a long time growing up. 1/

As far as her acting, it was really good. No surprise there, she’s an excellent actress. But so far, still think Serena is her best, she’s just a more nuanced character. Of course, it could change, this is going to be a really meaty role. What are your thoughts on the episode over all? I liked it a lot, although I liked Ameer’s storyline slightly more, Sofie’s feels a little clunky to me. Next episode has potential to be even better though, I am pretty excited. 2/2

—

Lmao, I agree. They can have their wrong opinion ;)

SPOILERS FOR STATELESS!!

Yeah, I wasn’t talking about that final dance scene. That one clearly was meant to be awful. She’d just been raped/sexually assaulted in some way so I wouldn’t expect her to be dancing her heart out all hunky dory. I meant like… all the other scenes, lmao. I’m guessing based on the response to me touching a nerve in the Yvonne fandom, that it’s an active choice by Yvonne/the director to be a less than amazing dancer in this to show that they’re preying on a vulnerable person who wants so desperately to be “exceptional”, but really she’s just ordinary. Maybe that’s the point?

Lol, but yeah, Cate’s character was so OTT. But I mean, a bit true to life cos these people often are. She seemed to ham it up a little too much for my liking sometimes, but others she nailed it so well. I actually thought the dude I call Fugly Frogman (Dominic West) did very well in the role as the cult leader man. He was spot on. I watch/read a lot about cults so… I mean that was the most interesting part, personally (but not all of Sofie’s story tbh. Like you, I think Ameer’s story was more interesting overall. I liked it more. It was more impactful and emotional). I don’t wanna go into a huge essay about Sofie in all this cos … yeah, I’m a bit disappointed in some choices and very wary of the way they’re portraying things, and I think they could make more changes to the “true story” it was inspired by. Because yeah, it seemed very blocky and stilted in terms of progression, probably because of the beats they hit that seemed a bit cliched. (Again, I am very aware it’s based on a real story of mental illness BUT there are ways to do it that aren’t so… obvious? I dunno. Like I said in the past, I am incredibly picky about the way TV shows choose to show these types of stories.) But meh, I’ll see how it goes. 

In terms of Stateless as a whole so far? I liked it well enough. It has potential for sure.I cheered when Kate Box appeared cos I think she’s great lol. I actually really like the approach they’re taking to Cam’s story? Like I thought that was good. I’m interested in that cos I mean, it’s pretty predictable where it’s going but still, maybe it won’t? But it’s a necessary exploration of the otherside of the problem (poverty, desensitisation, systemic and institutionalised racism/bigotry). Obviously Ameer’s story is devastating. It did remind me a lot of like all the stories you hear from refugees, down to the letter. (And I’d recommend a background refresher by watching “Go Back To Where You Came From” which YES is a reality show from like 8 years ago, but still somewhat relevant for basic background.) I mean there were 3 moments that got me, one for each character, and that’s probably a good thing it was balanced like that. Actually no, there were 4, and 2 of them were Ameer. 

The first was the boat setup when the cops raided the beach, and the second when he is penniless and begging for food at the market and scavenging everywhere for his daughter. Just those shots of him going through the market, and some people granting him charity but everyone is poor and struggling. I thought it was even more emotional than the final boat scene where he sacrificed himself. For Cam, it was when he was trying to buy diapers and saw all the prison guards drinking. And for Sofie, the final dance was very affecting, but it was the previous scene when Cate Blanchett’s character turns on the music as Sofie is going to her “private session” with Frogman. Like that was just SO ominous. And then the whole session. Like, THAT is how you show rape without actually showing it. It was so well done. (If anybody thinks that’s not what that shitheel of a man did in there, I have a few 100000 personal accounts of cult victims to show you. And it’s an incredibly common theme.) I thought that was Yvonne’s best scene too. Maybe it sounds bad but I thought Sofie’s story was the least engaging so far, even though she had the most amount of development. Also the whole “I’m this upset cos my parent’s love my sister more”? JOIN THE CLUB, GIRL. I was just like, “Really?” Not that parental relationships can’t be incredibly influential in good and bad ways… but. Is she for real? Your parents suck. So do so many people’s. And I do get she’s mentally ill so she doesn’t have the emotional reserves and coping mechanisms necessary to deal with what most of us can just talk about (in therapy) and deal with to a more successful degree. (And that chronic vulnerability and slight disconnect from reality is exactly why she is so attractive to cult leaders and predators.) But I mean… I dunno, focusing on Sofie as the central character and the whole cult thing… I mean the scary part of cults is that most people are “normal” folks, with particular vulnerabilities that make them susceptible to brainwashing, but they’re not generally mentally ill. And if the show wants to make serious commentary about the dissolution of identity and humanity that these detention centres provoke, maybe using someone who already suffers identity issues as their poster girl isn’t the most effective way? It can easily be discarded like, “Well, that doesn’t happen to everyone. She’s just crazy already.” I dunno, I hope the focus shifts off Sofie so much to other stories too, like Ameer and his family/friends. I know Sofie’s is sort of the linchpin to the narrative, but hers is not the most important story imo. 

I am EXCITED AF for Asher Keddie next week. I don’t know how great the character/her story will be, but I really enjoy her as an actress so I’m curious af.

One thing that irritated me?THAT RECURRING RED BALLOON. Like what is this? “It 3″? Like, I get it’s meant to be symbolic imagery or whatever but couldn’t you at least choose a different colour? Yellow? Orange? Black? White? Blue? Green? There are so many options lol. WHY RED? Like… it was just so stupid and unnecessary. I agree that so far Yvonne’s performance here isn’t at the level of hers in THT. But there’s time still. If I had to judge her off THT’s 1x01 I deffo wouldn’t have given her as much praise as I do now. So, it’ll be a finale time decision. So far, I don’t find the character nearly as complex, nor her performance–because she doesn’t need to be when the character is fairly straight forward. She does have some nuance to her acting in Stateless still, but just … something about her understated choices in THT gets me, and I haven’t quite seen that yet. Flickers of it here and there so far in Stateless but not on the same scale. Like I said tho, it’s still really early and her character has a lot of development to do.

[brattyboyblue]

Personal Thoughts of VLD S6

After having a wild emotional day due more to hormones than the actual season’s release (lawls), I finally calmed down long enough to watch season 6 of Voltron. Now, I haven’t actually watched a complete season of voltron since season 3, but I kept up with enough spoilers from seasons 4 and 5 (while having watched at least the last 3 episodes of season 5) to understand what’s going on.

(Vague???) Spoilers under the cut. Sorry if you’re on mobile!

tl;dr: Keith’s arc was probably the most well done out of all the character arcs. Fuck you Lotor, but also, I really pity you Lotor. Shiro needs to go to Disney. Allura wipe your tears honey bunch. YAAAAAS HUNK. LOREMASTER CORAN; Team Punk the real saviors of the universe; I’m sorry the showrunners are making the writer’s do you dirty Lance. You are my sunshine hubby always. klance still has a chance and y’all aint gonna destroy that for me. Allurance can still be salvageable as long as they make Allura smart in regards to Loverboy Lance. Krolia is QUEEN. the fuck are the generals?

Keith & Shiro

- DAMMIT KEITH WHY THE FUCK ARE YOU HOT. also, I'm very proud of you. He came into his leadership, now I just hope season 7 provides more team bonding with the other paladins and not just Shiro.

- Speaking of Shiro, rest. Rest child. You have done well and you have earned your peace.

Lotor & feelings:

- The award for sympathetic villain goes to Lotor. He followed in his mother's footsteps and I hope--I can't believe I'm saying this--he either finds peace in death or he finds peace in a redemption arc.

- I actually do believe his feelings for Allura were genuine. She clearly had feelings for him and still did in the end when she was willing to sacrifice the lives of the team to save him (NOTE: this is an exaggeration of what actually went down, but she did insist on saving him despite everyone telling her they needed to go.)

Keith & Krolia:

- It's a damn shame they cut the Keith/Krolia bonding down to montages but it had to be done. There's just not enough episodes in a season to dedicate toward that. They learned from their experience on Avatar at least.

Lotor’s Ang--Generals:

- The generals are really just watered down versions Azula's generals but more stupid. I really don't understand their purpose in the show. (And this may be due to the fact that I skipped season 4 and half of season 5).

Allurance:

- All the allurance scenes, with the exception of the first one in the first episode, really didn't come across as being romantically coded. Every single scene with them didn't have the violet coloring but its possible that'll change in season 7.

- It's also possible that Allura will, finally and kindly, tell Lance that she isn't interested and wants to heal from Lotor’s betrayal now that she understands what its like to have your heart broken. It probably won't put an end to Allurance but maybe it'll be able to salvage it.

Klance:

- I did see some hidden klance things. The stars in the astral plane was one. Lance noticing Keith's physical changes first before anything or anyone else, the parallels between Keith's parents finding the Blue Lion and their encounter with the Blue Lion. Lance is the first person Keith sees through the Black Lion's eyes followed by the rest. The fact that once Keith returned to the team, Lance was already by his side in terms of positioning when before he stuck around Allura. I'm not going to look any deeper than that until I know where Season 7 plans on going with Allura's heartbreak and healing.

Broganes:

- Keith's familial backstory confirmed brother Shiro--all of that was beautiful and executed wonderfully.

Animation:

- The animation and coloring this season was top-fucking-notch. Bravo. All the pivatol scenes captured my attention just with the details they added to the characters. Everyone’s BSOD expressions (mostly Shiro and Lotor’s) were so well done I was praising the team outloud lmao.

Pacing of the Plot:

- Story-wise--when it focused on the plot--it was nicely done. It didn't feel out of pace like previous seasons or rushed. Its not quite as good as seasons 1 and 2 in terms of pacing but it's definitely one of the more better paced seasons among the shorter sets.

- I appreciate the temporal fuckery as a means to tell a story through flashbacks and the use of foreshadowing in the DND episode.

- The story through characters, I think Keith’s story and Lotor’s story were definitely well portrayed this time around. So it’s really nice to finally see that red ribbon on Keith's fucking arc.

Hunk:

- Hunk stepping up was absolutely gorgeous and beautiful and obviously expected and thank you for finally acknowledging that Hunk is an engineer.

Coran:

- They reminded us that Coran was also an engineer and that was beautiful.

- Also GAME MASTER/LORE MASTER CORAN IS VICIOUS AND I LOVE HIM.

Team Punk:

- Hunka and Pidge's friendship is probably the better-depicted relationship out of the entire season. I’m not sure when they grew so close, but I really enjoyed their interactions.

Lance:

(disclaimer: I’m a Lance stan and I love him with all my heart so my disappointment is warranted)

- Hoo boy, here we go. Its obvious this season Lance absolutely no longer has a connection to any of the paladins. I didn't see it like I saw it in previous seasons and while I love the langst that I did see, I didn't like that it revolved around his unrequited crush on Allura. With that being said, they utterly shaded Lance this season. He was the most pointless character in the whole damn show. CORAN did more than him and that's really saying something. THE FUCKING CASTLE OF LIONS DID MORE THAN HIM!

-it's interesting to note that the Monsters and Mana episode predicted [Lance’s uselessness] because all he did was vanish and teleport as a distraction or get the others fucked with a trap. (Speaking of which, the DND episode was the best fucking filler in the entire series and I love it so much. Bless you Shiro)

- Anyway, back to Lance--I cringed every time he opened his mouth. I know it's not his fault his writers hate him, but holy shit, I can understand why some fans would hate him.

- His characterization this season was about as captivating as a fucking cockroach on a wall. It actually destroys previously established moments of badassery in other seasons.

- However, it was really, really, REALLY nice hearing Lance bark out orders when Keith wasn't there to do so. He can step up in time of need, but the writer's don't really give him any credit afterwards.

- They could have handled the Clone Shiro arc in a different way that would've given Lance time to shine, but instead, its given to Keith who had the power of a Deus Ex Machina-esque vision that told him of Shiro's fuckery. It made the last scene in Season 5 between Shiro and Lance really unnecessary.

- I do look forward to them going back to Earth in season 7 and a part of me hopes it does focus a bit more on Lance BECAUSE they're going back to Earth. Its a great opportunity for him to really think about whether or not he wants to return to Voltron once the castle ship is built, but I get the feeling Lance will not be important in that season or in any season. (Of course, thats just me being pessimistic.)

General/Shipping Commentary:

- In terms of shipping, other than the klance moment I mentioned and the allurance, its hard to predict. The whole series is based on Identity and Family, so i guess ultimately a romance isn't really (and shouldn't have been) necessary but its really hard to say what will be endgame at this point. But that's okay. I rather no one end up with anyone in the end.

- I wonder what the significance of the wolf that keith bonded with is

- Krolia’s romance with Texas had me emotional.

��- BABY KEITH!!!!!! I WANNA SEE MORE BABY PALADINS!!!!

Overall:

Overall, I actually enjoyed season 6 despite my earlier heartbreak. I realized, as I was working, that the fandom is dramatic as fuck and certain people have a tendency to become toxic in the face of adversity, regardless if they mean to or not. I learned I should always form my own opinions on a matter as opposed to believing in others.

I also learned that the showrunners are shady AF, and while I understand they need to protect their show from spoilers as much as possible, I would really wish they’d stop making “promises” of... well, everything really. I rather they be vague (”You’ll just have to see for your own eyes”) as opposed to adding commentary to something that’s probably never going to happen.

[clockworkdoorhinge]

ive been offline but nevermind the bollocks here's the shit posts

one of the things i would mimic from jewish people if i were planning a culture, is codifying how to join. i like that it was recognized that ethnicity flows from shared cultural inmarriage, not the other way round. like, tbc, cultural differentiation isn't a natural occurrence of like, genetic groups called ethnicities. i think some people think that. the same people who think theres a jewish world takeover conspiracy, or some other "white genocide" batshittery....

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i bet people used to be getting off to sphinxs like allllll the time. nice butt, titties out, lady face/lady mouth.

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fancy gentleman's list of lists colonel gentleman should have made

best cartoon iconography of hunter s thompson

1 venture bros' hunter gathers

2 doonesbury's uncle gonzo

best "the weird pulled-from-ffnet script" episodes

1 csi's fur and loathing

2 crossing jordan's vampire club ep

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inuyasha was a takahashified, non-solarpunk, dystopian pokemon story. trainer and sentient supernatural subordinate travel the land battling other supernaturals with different powers, collecting rewards toward a final goal  (shard/jewel vs badges/league). i mean ffs there, like, IS a pokemon that IS a demon dog. there are basically several demon dog pokemon. in either franchise.

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i don't think anyone is stupid. i think not everyone has access to information, for any of many reasons.

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i grew up in a relatively conservative very white patriarchal atmosphere, and later came across a relatively revolutionary, very multicultural patriarchal atmosphere. and in both i found fathers--and the women they picked close behind--abusing children, sexually emotionally and physically terrorizing kids. so you can maybe guess my general conclusion re shared maladative social features in ostensibly "opposite" political arenas that both rely on militarism within the family and community institutions, and both rely on direct interpersonel violence as acceptable means of behavioral reform, particularly, imposing roles of "natural leader" based on appearance (sex assignment in this case) rather than true character, and positioning leaders as disciplinaries of their "natural" subordinates, a perpetual move of abuse/reward conditioning across a pyramid scheme of power that is unnecessary in light of our ongoing  (and easily accelerated) paradigm shift toward unlimited resources. when resources are not variably distributed across space and between individuals, rank (access priorty) becomes maladaptive due to our innate perception of fairness.

and i don't think matriarchy is the answer. i think the answer is "don't artificially center a single manufactured category of person within society and tell them they must be submitted to when there is no longer any justifiable need for hierarchy other than superstition, because there's no need to divide unlimited resources according to rank anymore"

blue eyes experiment, zimbardo, abu ghraib

disproportionate authority will be misused and should probably not be the norm. like nuclear bombs, [karl pilkington voice] do we need it.

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i started every school year excited about what i'd learn and spent every school year angry at my learning environment. fortunately it interfered enough in my learning that i went roughly the expected speed through primary and secondary school. over a decade. adherence to the norm is what you're meant to learn

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i just want whatever or whomever kills me to know, a bitch is going full obi wan at that point so be warned

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the practical answer to what's up with lady sex moans is it causes your partner to focus on your experience because they can't even hear themself think. it usually distracts them from coming for however long you'd like, like...until you've come yourself enough. it's like edging if you do it right. also, if they're already habituated to it from porn they don't find it annoying.

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the advertising industry probably commissioned and maybe still commissions scientific research to prove its effectiveness--to make the case for rates, to clients. makes you think!

like i bet that shit is biased af and could be used to support different arguments than might be supported by like, publicly funded (hmmm...gov money...gov authorized) or privately funded...sociological research on the effectiveness of advertising. by which i mean maybe they hoist their own petard by proving they're brainwashers and passing the info around behind half closed doors. whether they're right or not ...damning admissions of guilt, no?

i think this can be applied to a lot of industries if you look sideways at the self justifications they externalize

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as britain was the birthplace of industrial capitalism it's fair to conflate white culture with capitalism as we know it. manufacturing took over the world in the wake of guns and boots imperialism. also white people btw.

so call it "white cultures self ideation as defiant of the natural world." human desires are marshalled against the entropy of the organic. rusting steel and all that.

so planned obsolescence is kind of a heheh natural heheh result of that attitude. artificial things, tools, are extensions of their makers, both in sisyphusian struggle against inevitable decay.

but that's not "how things are", that's just caveman talk.

accepting that things fall apart, statues crumble, etc is only necessary when you don't consider making things based on deeper knowledge of, and in harmony with, "nature" (god's creation) and natural cycles, rather than assuming they must be averted, avoided, whatever.

we live in a grand and self-regulating system but some of us will not let it teach them it's ways

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maybe no sexual person on earth is exclusively attracted to who they'll be rewarded by society for their attraction to. put another way, there are many sanctions on attraction and i suspect no one sexual would escape sanction if we couldn't obscure things from one another. but if that were the case why would we bother with sanctions, how could we arbitrate the appropriate boundaries--democratically? contextually definitely. we've been relying on collectively written advice blogs (holy texts) that are not relevant in our paradigm; the advice is moot in light of subsequent knowledge spread wrt medical inventions, successful family structure, the ways holy texts can be misconstrued and misapplied by charlatans, etc etc.