#(i.e. me - Australia)

[yeonban]

The existence of Wammy’s children, necessitizes the existence of Wammy’s children…

Behold, the bits of lore that make me feel absolutely INSANE

[parameddic]

does the US have 'bring a plate' things did i read somewhere that doesn't exist

[thatlittleegyptologist]

Out of curiousity, do you think most national museums are participating in the same kind of thing that the British Museum is, i.e. holding onto items that they stole in conquest / archaeological items that other nations are requesting back?

I always wonder if we should be looking at the bigger picture rather than just this one spotlighted issue (not that the spotlight isn't important in raising the issue originally).

oh goodie we're digging up stuff I wrote from 2 years ago...yay

Okay, for starters, let's look at how you've phrased your question. Currently, the heavy implication is that this is all the BM is (i.e. it only holds colonial loot and contested items), which is false. Yes, it does hold colonial loot from the British Empire. No one is disputing that. It also holds contested items such as the Parthenon Marbles and the Rosetta Stone. What it also holds are many items taken from digs where the country in question permitted them taking them, and then also gifts and other such non colonial requisitions.

Mostly, I need to stress, because as someone who's adjacent to museums this drives me insane: Framing all museum collections as Bad and only containing Bad Items from Bad Deeds doesn't give you the full picture and if you don't have the full picture you can't really address the issue of repatriation properly. It's the classic 'All or Nothing' mentality and I'm begging people to seek nuance on complex topics such as this. Also governments suck and so hearing repeated 'well museums suck because XYZ' means they're more than happy to simply defund them, which they already are doing and that's not helping stuff like repatriation either.

In short, if you're asking does any other museum have a law like BM63 (I wrote 68 in the post because...I'm bad at numbers)? Not as far as I'm aware, no. The BM is unique in that instance where the government literally created a law to prevent it from divesting of its collection.

Do other national museums hold colonial looted artefacts and contested items? Yes. Lots of them. All over the world.

Germany's Neues Museum holds the bust of Nefertiti, which is contested.

The Louvre in Paris has multiple Italian artworks that were stolen in the 1790s that Italy wants back.

The Horses of St Mark's (in Venice) were stolen from Greece by Constantine in the 1200s. (Not really all that contested but they were definitely stolen).

Yale University holds numerous items from Machu Picchu. The 1911 dig had permission from the Peruvian Government, but the items were supposed to be returned. I believe (don't quote me) that less than half were originally. They have subsequently been returned, but this is not an uncommon story.

There's a bunch of Nazi looted artworks that are in museums that need to be returned to their rightful owners.

The MET museum in the US and everything it got from Douglas Latchford (this is ongoing, with some repatriations having already happened)

The National Museum of Australia also got caught out by that guy.

To be fair, the MET Museum has a problem with looted artefacts in general from the 70s onwards as they tried to compete with the European collections and thus ended up gaining a lot of 'not properly provenanced artefacts'. There was a gold sarcophagus they returned only recently that was looted from Egypt post-2011.

The Bible Museum in the US has...stuff it shouldn't (there's a lot and I'm not listing it).

*voice dripping with derision* Whatever the Hobby Lobby is up to

I could go on!

Focusing solely on the BM is a result of a US-Centric mindset, and a pervasive anglophone bias in things people will read. (Or in other words: It's fun to shit on the Brits and most of you only read English anyway.)

This has the unfortunate effect of making it seem like the BM is only museum in the world doing this, and they're not. Not in the slightest. Many museums, national or not, will have colonial looted items if that country has, at any time in the past, waged expansionist wars against other nations, no matter how brief. If your local museum has artefacts from Not Your Country there's a good chance they were looted! Again, I stress that many many artefacts that left places like Egypt were part of agreements with the Egyptian government (called partition agreements) whereby the Egyptian government took first pick of artefacts from a dig and then the dig organisers could take the rest. This hasn't happened since UNESCO World Heritage Convention 1975, which prohibits new artefacts from leaving countries which is also why I will bonk on the head with a cardboard tube anyone who says Archaeologists/Museums are still stealing things.

So yeah, if you're looking at repatriation, you'll be much better looking at the bigger picture and understanding how all this came to be in the first place than you'll ever be making memes about the BM stealing things on the internet.

[apropensityforcharm]

I don't know anything about anything, but I'm fascinated by the PR angle of that Daniel and Max interview. The Project (the show this aired on) is an popular current events show in Australia, so there's going to be a lot of general audience members who don't know a thing about F1, and this will be their first time being exposed to either Max or Daniel - so imagine you don't know them, and the first thing you see is a character interview designed not only to make these two drivers likeable, but also as if they like each other.

Daniel's team want general audiences to look at Max and think of Daniel. They want people to think Daniel and Max are 'bound' in some capacity, even though they're technically no more connected than any other drivers on separate teams. It lends credibility to the bid of Daniel at Red Bull, without explicitly saying so. Even if audience members don't know anything about F1 or Max & Daniel's history, they're going to understand on some level that you wouldn't be doing a cheesy fun interview together if you were only 'competitors'. Some might be interested enough to google Daniel after the show, and find out that he's in the mix to go to Red Bull, i.e. the team that's been dominating for the last few years - and an Australian audience will respond very well to that.

Meanwhile, Max has been dogged by his reputation of being rude and standoffish basically his entire career, so imagine the benefits of a primetime show introducing him to a whole group of new people as basically this giggly, sweet guy who happens to be very good at racing. What about that 'domino' effect of easily likeable Daniel liking Max, aka "we like Daniel and Daniel likes Max, so we like Max"? There have already been Australian shows perpetuating the narrative that Max's dominance is boring, and this is a counterweight; he'll win, but that's okay because we (the audience of the Project) like him. Max is a polarising figure in the sport, but this interview isn't about F1 fans - it's about the general public, and getting them on Max's side.

It's all just interesting to me!

[humiliationstories124]

New college friends get a show

My junior year in college, I went for a study abroad program in Australia. This was a big step for me. I was a naïve farm boy from rural Pennsylvania. I had never been on an airplane before. My mom is afraid of heights; my dad is afraid of water. That combination meant that any family vacations were limited to short jaunts in the car.

My social development was a bit hindered by my upbringing. Growing up, my mom's best friend had been a duck. I, myself, wasn't quite that sheltered, but I still had missed out on many of the social opportunities of my peers. My mom was a neat freak, and thus never let me invite any friends over.

So, going to Australia was my first opportunity to escape the (over)protective wings of my mother. Maybe 10,000 miles was overkill -- but I had gone as far away from home as possible. The "you must be home by 9pm on weekends" and other assorted rules imposed by my mother would no longer apply.

Although I was now free of my familial restrictions, I was still a shy guy. I hadn't yet learned how to be comfortable in social settings with other people. For the most part, my Australian experience consisted of going to class, going to the beach (by myself), and teaching myself how to cook.

One thing I learned through my Lonely Planet Guide was that there was a nearby nude beach in Swanbourne. It was just a bus ride, followed by a short train ride, away. It became my escape. The farm boy in me loved nature. The introvert in me was uncomfortable among people. But, I could venture off to the beach by myself. The beach was never really that crowded, and I could set myself up on a towel and enjoy some solitude, either reading a book, watching the waves, or just taking a nap.

I really didn't make that many friends at university. A few times, people invited me out, but the shy guy in me said "no" even though I didn't have any plans.

Many of my classes were quite large; i.e. 200 students in a big theatre-type classroom. It was easy to blend into the crowd and go un-noticed. However, one of my classes (cross-cultural psychology) had just 15 students in it. It was a late afternoon class, and thus was probably half comprised of "non-traditional" students at the university, which did cater to a large commuter population (as opposed to residents like me).

In the class, we would often arrange our chairs in a circle and have group discussions. In my other lectures, I could safely avoid being called upon. But, in a class of just 15, you really couldn't hide. So, this was really the first opportunity that a small segment of my classmates had an opportunity to get to know me, as I presented my ideas in class.

Following one of the classes, two guys asked me if I wanted to go grab a drink. My brain was thinking "no", but for once, the inner introvert was overruled. I guess it was helped that these guys seemed "normal" in class, and so I conceded.

They took me to a bar in Freemantle. With a few drinks, the conversation began to flow a little more easily. It was obvious (from my accent) that I was an American, and they asked the typical questions about where I was from, how I liked Australia, etc. One commented on my tan and cautioned me about the hole in the ozone above Australia. I acknowledged that I was aware of the hole, but I just loved the beach too much. The other asked me what beach was my favorite. I replied, "Cottesloe."

"Oh, are you sure it isn't Swanbourne?" the other asked me.

"No, I don't go there," I said, blushing.

"Are you sure?" asked the other.

I don't know why they were pestering me with such questions. I was embarrassed to admit I went to a nude beach. I pretended that I had never been. However, for some reason, I sensed they knew otherwise. Maybe they were scholars of psychology and I was not a good liar? But, then I started questioning myself -- maybe they had seen me at the nude beach? Was that possible? I had no recollection of ever seeing them there.

It's probably no surprise, I was still a virgin at this point in my life. In fact, I really hadn't even contemplated my sexuality. I assumed I was straight. I had no experience to back up that assumption. I also had no experience in identifying if others were gay. Well, basically, I thought all gay men were like Priscilla, Queen of the Desert.

Yet, something about these two men from my psychology class made me start questioning. I ran through various scenarios in my head, and I concluded that these two men were boyfriends.

I really can't explain how the thoughts in my brain evolved. I was confused by the interest of these two men. Was it just the Australian friendliness, and I was reading way too much into it? No one had ever really gone out of their way to befriend me before, and while I was confused, I was also becoming aware that I liked the attention.

Sometime before the next class, I concocted a "scheme". Granted, it wasn't all that well thought out of a scheme. It was a chess game, and I was only thinking of my next move. That afternoon, I put on a scooped tank top. It was my favorite tank top. It was probably more appropriate for the gym than for a class, but then again, everything in Australia was so relaxed (many students even went barefoot to class). The deep arm scoops in the side of the tank top gave good visibility to the sides of my pecs when I raised my arms. And, although I was no muscle god, years of working on the family farm had given me a lean body that, admittedly, I enjoyed looking at naked in the mirror.

I also wore my favorite pair of umbro shorts. Designed to allow unrestricted movement while sprinting during a soccer game, the umbros had considerably wider leg openings than most shorts. I had modeled these shorts in front of a mirror many times before. I knew that, when positioned just so, it was easy to see up the leg holes of these shorts.

So, for that next class, I deliberately selected a seat in the circle sitting directly opposite my two new friends (they always sat side-by-side in class). The classroom was just a circle of desks/chairs, with nothing in the middle. I knew that the two guys would have the ability to take an unrestricted view up my shorts. But would they even look?

I can't even recall what that lecture was about. I was focused on my 'tease' of the two guys. I didn't feel threatened by them. I knew they were boyfriends, and thus they weren't seeking something sexual with me. But, if they liked to look, I was going to let them take a peek.

My suspicions were rather quickly confirmed. I would look over to either my left or right when another student was speaking, and when I returned my vision straight ahead, I would notice the two guys quickly looking away from me.

We went out to drink after the class and several that followed. These guys were becoming my first two friends. A couple times we went to bars, and I learned of the Australian custom of "shouting". Basically, if it was someone's birthday, they bought the entire bar a round. It was a nice surprise of getting a free drink and not even knowing the person.

However, my 21st birthday was approaching, and I was nervous. I was finally coming out of my shell. You only have one 21st birthday, right? But, I knew that I couldn't afford to buy a round of drinks for an entire bar. So, I was contemplating staying in on my birthday.

Ryan and Paul knew my birthday was coming up, and at first did not understand my apprehension about going out on my birthday. "Don't worry. It's custom -- but you don't *have* to do it," Ryan explained.

"Oh," I said, feeling quite relieved.

They arranged to pick me up on Friday night and take me out. Rather than the typical sports bar where we went and watched footy (or rugby), they said they had a different place in mind.

The first thing that struck me when we walked into this place called Connections was the drag queens. I asked Paul, "Is this a gay bar?"

"Yes, it's a gay bar. But, in Australia, it's not like America. Both straights and gays go to the gay bars. Straight people come here because they love the drag shows," Ryan replied.

Still, as I looked around, this bar seemed to be about 85% men. And some of the women -- I wasn't entirely sure they were women.

Perhaps I hadn't thought far enough ahead in this chess game. I had assumed that Ryan and Paul just had "friendly interests" in me. Why did they bring me to a gay bar?

So, we walk up to the bar. Ryan greets the bartender, who appears to know him. "Guess what, it's our mate, James's birthday," Ryan says.

"Oh, so a round on you, eh?" the bartender says, looking directly at me.

"No, no. I can't," I say, turning to my two friends.

"But, you have to. It's your birthday," says the bartender.

"I can't," I reply, beginning to think how miserable my 21st birthday was becoming.

Ryan turns to the bartender and says, "I guess we have to invoke the exception alternative for James."

"Alternative exception?" I ask.

"On your birthday," the bartender says, "you have one of two options. Either you shout a round for the bar -- or you strip to your birthday suit!"

"Wait -- what?" I stammer.

Ryan replies, "Yes, those are the two options."

"Oh shit!" I think to myself. I look around the bar. There's probably 150 to 200 people. But fortunately, I don't know any of these people...well, except for Ryan and Paul. I didn't have anywhere near enough cash on me to buy a round for the whole bar. It was apparent I had no other choice.

I took off my shirt.

"Wait," the bartender said, "You're stripping?"

"Yes," I replied meekly.

The bartender then turned around and reached up and rang a bell. "Birthday boy in the house!" he screams.

Oh man, this was way more attention than I had expected. Now it seemed like all 200 people were looking at me. Although, I guess at first, they were scanning the bar trying to figure out whose birthday it was. But, I presume that became apparent as I started taking off my shirt.

"Take it off. Take if off!" a few guys started chanting from a nearby table.

I can't say that I gave a seductive strip show by any means. Instead, it was really more of a 'get this done as fast as possible'. I unbuttoned my shorts, and pushed my shorts and underwear down. I was wearing flip-flops, and thus it was rather easy to step out of my shorts and underwear. I put my clothes on the barstool next to me.

I noticed Paul pick up my clothes and hand them over the bar to the bartender. For my safekeeping, I presumed, so that no one would steal them.

Not even Ryan's giving Paul a high-five made me realize that in fact, *they* were stealing them.

So, at that point, my hopes for my 21st birthday became 'sit at this bar, with my back to everyone, and drink until it's over.'

However, Ryan and Paul would have none of that. First, they insisted we play a game of darts. I couldn't help but feel that the patrons at the bar were taking more than the typical level of interest in an 'USA vs Australia' game of bar darts.

Then, they insisted we should dance. At first, it was line dancing, and I managed to hide near the middle of the floor. For some reason, though, the 1 or 2 lines of people in front of me would seem to fall apart as the song continued, and I found myself in the front line as we 'boot scootin' boogied' on the dance floor.

Ryan asked me what my favorite song was, and I replied, "It's Not Right, it's OK" (Whitney Houston).

Ryan went to the DJ and made a request. Next thing I know, "my" song is playing. Paul points to a box (a stage/platform) and tells me to hop up. "No, no. I can't," I protest. But, Ryan and Paul each grab me under one armpit and hoist me onto the stage. I can't help it; it's my favorite song. I danced.

For some reason, whoever was the lighting/stage manner at the club, instead of rotating the light around the dance floor like I had usually seen done, was instead shining the light directly at my box. It was kinda blinding, to be honest.

Then the unexpected happened. Well, I guess it shouldn't have been too unexpected. When I used to dance alone, by myself, naked in front of the mirror at home, as I would sway from side to side, my dick would become longer and longer, until it became hard.

Whitney was doing it to me again. The beat was too catchy. And I could tell that as my penis was flopping around, I had reached the 'point of no return'. As much as I was trying to mentally stop it, the floodgates had been released and inflation was a one-way proposition at this point. By the time the song ended, I was pointing nearly straight up (like 11pm on a compass dial).

I jumped off the stage, and Ryan and Paul caught me. Each one managed to catch an arm. At that moment, a young man walked up and asked if he could take a photo of the three of us. I started to say "N...", but Ryan had already said "Yes" to the guy. Paul was on my left; Ryan was on my right. The way I had landed, I had wound up with one hand on each of their shoulders. As I tried to move my hands to cover my privates, Ryan and Paul each gripped one of my arms pinning it to the back of their shoulders. "Oh my god," I thought to myself, "This stranger is taking a picture of me completely naked."

Then, Paul pulls his phone out of his left pocket and hands it to the stranger. "Can you take one with my phone, please?"

"No way!" I thought to myself. It was one thing if it were a stranger, but this is a person I know. These two guys -- my classmates -- are going to have photos of me completely naked. But, in a couple instants, it was over, and the phone was back in Paul's pocket.

I don't remember much more of that night. I know there were a few more times that guys walked up to me, or more often to Paul and Ryan, and asked them if they could take a picture of me. At that point, I had become numb to it. The alcohol had loosened me up a bit. "What, you've never seen an American dick?" I teased one guy as he stood taking photos of me.

When the night was finally over, I walked up to the bar and the bartender handed me my clothes. A young man sitting at the bar asked me, "In America, is it a tradition that a guy strips naked in a bar on his birthday?"

"No, not in America; it's not," I replied.

"Then why did you do it?" he asks me.

"Because it's a custom in Australia," I reply.

"No, it's not," the young man says.

And then I notice that Ryan, Paul, and the bartender have the biggest, shit-eating grin on their faces that I have ever seen in my life.

[realasslesbian]

Well I've finally been banned from Twitter, my guess is because I made a submission to the Australian Human Rights Commission irt allowing lesbian events in Australia (lesbian events that exclude non-lesbians (i.e. bisexuals, trans-identified males, etc) are currently illegal and punishable by literal imprisonment, y'all think I'm joking but I'm not, Australia is just that level of dystopia rn) and my submission got published on the Australian Human Rights Commission website, so The Most Oppressed Demographic went on a reporting spree on my twitter, so now I'm banned. Which means I have returned to the tumblr that I may have been neglecting. I'm sorry, but twitter and its character limitation was just addictive to me idk lmao

Anyway, the Australian Human Rights Commission released their preliminary decision to expressly ban lesbian events nationwide, so here's my response which I imagine the Commission will ignore just as fervently as they ignored my first submission:

[brf-rumortrackinganon]

Relaunching Again

Meghan has Emily Andrews hyping up another career rebrand and relaunch.

Which got me thinking...how many times has Meghan's PR hinted, alleged, teased a return to social media or a new career relaunch? How many rumors has her PR started to hype up her rebrand, relaunch, or return?

Let us count the ways!

We'll start in August 2022, because that was when she finally got the brand launch/rollout she expected from Megxit that the pesky little pandemic kept her from getting. So, in August 2022:

She hinted to The Cut that she was coming back to social media.

She hinted that she was writing her memoirs and looking for a publisher.

She teased that she and Harry were renewing their wedding vows.

In September 2022:

She hinted that she was willing to come back to the BRF and relaunch Duchess brand.

She shopped her memoirs again.

In October 2022:

She hinted to Variety that she was relaunching both her acting career and feminist activism.

She hinted that she and Harry wanted to live in Windsor Castle and would come back to the BRF.

She denied to Fortune that she would ever be back on social media (debunking her own rumor from August/The Cut). She mustn't have gotten any interest or traction from sponsors or followers.

She teased that Harry's memoir would turn him into an exalted American leader in the company of Barack Obama and Mark Zuckerberg. (Seriously. I kid you not.)

In November 2022:

There was a leak that she had been contacting brands, companies, and fashion houses that she was available for merching since she was returning to social media .

In December 2022:

She hinted that her family's Christmas photo would launch her new social media.

Also in 2022: (I didn't catch dates for these)

She hinted intentions to run for President or other U.S. political office.

She hinted intentions to lobby for a Department of State foreign ambassadorship posting.

It was leaked that she planned to rebrand Archewell as a "royal warrant"-like endorsement brand for travel, restaurants, stores in return for freebies and merch.

It was also leaked that way back in August 2019, she wanted to relaunch as an American royal by having a partnership with the US Open (like how Kate represents/partners with Wimbledon).

In January 2023:

She teased launching a housewares and beauty brand.

She hinted that she would relaunch her social media for Valentine's Day.

She hinted a Hollywood A-List reset by suggesting she would be in a Beyonce documentary.

In February 2023:

She hinted her social media would come at the end of the month.

She hinted that she and Harry were available for opportunities in Australia (i.e., they wanted a fauxyal tour of Australia but they also wanted to get paid for goign to Australia).

She teased launching a California casual clothing brand.

She hinted at relaunching her political career and hinted her availability/interest to be a recess appointee to California's congressional delegation.

She hinted relaunching her calligraphy company.

In March 2023:

She hinted returning to social media for the Met Gala.

She hinted at wanting to move out of the US to a private island-type of place.

She hinted that Archewell would become a production company for female-driven storytelling, like a more prestigious Hallmark.

In April 2023:

She hinted returning to social media for May 6th, Archie's very very important not-to-be-missed milestone birthday.

She hinted returning to social media for Mother's Day. (The US celebrates Mother's Day on the second Sunday of May.)

She teased Archetypes Season 2.

She hinted a return to acting/Hollywood and teased a producing partnership with Mindy Kaling.

She teased relaunching The Tig in June 2023.

She hinted her career relaunch and social media rebrand would exclude Harry.

She shopped her memoirs again.

In May 2023:

Her PR put out feelers for her and Harry to appear on the morning talk shows to give interviews about their "catastrophic car chase."

She hinted that she wanted her own daytime talk show.

She teased an appearance on Property Brothers IOU.

She hinted at being Gayle's first guest on her new "King Charles" CNN show.

In June 2023:

She hinted that she was launching a subscription box service, like Gwyneth Paltrow's Goop.

In July 2023:

She hinted that she was partnering with Hilaria Baldwin on the subscription box service.

She hinted she was open for acting jobs.

In August 2023:

Her PR dropped her new Instagram handle and hinted she would be back "soon," suggesting that the relaunch would start with a never-before-seen photograph of her chidlren with The late Queen in a tribute on the anniversary of The Queen's passing.

She hinted a Tig relaunch in September 2023.

She hinted she was developing her own wine brand.

She hinted returning to the royal fold with another round of peace talks with the BRF that would take place in September 2023.

She hinted wanting to come back to be a royal again.

In September 2023:

She hinted returning to social media and relaunching The Tig in November 2023 when Endgame is published.

She teased her memoirs again.

In October 2023:

She hinted launching new social media on November 1.

More memoir teasing.

She hinted that she was being blocked from pursuing politics by Michelle Obama. (Okay, this one doesn't count as a rebrand or relaunch, but I think it's funny. Like Michelle Obama really spends time thinking of and worrying about Meghan Markle when she, and her husband, very publicly chose the BRF over the Sussexes.)

So by the numbers...it's 48 total attempts to rebrand, relaunch, reset, or return. No wonder Meghan needs a vacation for every 2 hours of work! It's exhausting trying to decide who (and what) she wants to be.

And out of all 48 hints, only 1 came to pass: rebranding Archewell as female-driven storytelling and content creation.

Here's the Emily Andrews article.

Edit: 11/17/23 - I added a jump cut to make this post shorter for easier reblogs later since I plan to keep adding onto this.

[homochadensistm]

Do you personally believe jews had a right to come to israel and establish their own country here? (If you only take into consideration pur historical and ancestral ties to land and not because we were being persecuted).

I had a discussion about this with a close person to me (we're both Israelis) and he said that historically speaking he thinks that jews shouldn't have come here and Israel shouldn't have been established, specifically because there were other people here already ((palestinians)). I couldn't understand how a person that holds such a belief keeps living in this country. I couldn't live here if my personal beliefs clashed so hard with the reality.

Yes. There is not a single country on planet earth that was established without local ethnic tensions (i.e., not America, Australia, etc.), Israel is no different.

[vbecker10]

On to my second request!

Pairing: Loki x Fem!Reader

Scene: One way or another, Loki is now part of the Avengers. Y/N isn't an agent at S.H.I.E.L.D., she works an ordinary job ( i.e. architect, consultant, or sales rep...etc.) but is friends/related to some agents.

Request: Y/N is set up on a fancy blind date to meet up with an agent her friend said was a perfect match for her and Loki is undercover for an intel gathering mission and needs a partner to look less suspicious. He's not her usual type, but she trusts her friend and decides to see it through. Could you please write about the two going through the blind date, she not realizing he is the wrong person until the end of the night. I'll leave the ending of whether or not they actuality end up dating or just stay friends up to you!

The Blind Date? (Part 1 of 4)

Part 2 | Part 3 & 4 in progress

Pairing: Loki x female reader

Warnings: none...? Loki annoying Thor, a vague history of terrible dates, mentions of mob activity (I guess)... idk I'm hoping for a bit funny at first then fluff in the second or third part

Summary: Your friend sets you up on a blind date with someone she works with at SHIELD but you accidentally end up on a mission with Loki

POV: This goes back and forth between Y/N's perspective and Loki's (and if you don't like how I call it Y/N POV and Loki POV... I don't care lol we've all had this convo before and you know damn well what I mean so here goes)

A/N: @soubi001 I love this idea!! I really hope you like this, I'm so sorry it took such a long time and I'm sorry it seems to be getting really long so I'm making it a few parts 💚 thanks for listening to me ramble about this one @michelleleewise

Word Count:

Dividers by: @harlequin-hangout

(Y/N POV)

"Oh come on, it'll be fun," Michelle urges but you shake your head then hide behind the flimsy plastic menu. "Don't you trust me?" she asks with a wide smile as she reaches across your other friend to tap on the back of your menu.

"Not even a little," you reply slowly in a serious tone.

She scoffs dramatically, leaning back in her chair as she holds her hand over her heart, "Wow Y/N, that really hurts." You stifle a laugh as she turns her attention to the woman sitting between you at the bar, "Can you believe her Jess?"

"Well... you don't exactly have a good track record with setting her up on blind dates," Jess answers, putting her menu down. Michelle rolls her eyes and she continues, "I mean, let's be honest, the last few guys you set her up with were-"

"Horrible," you finish her sentence, looking up from your menu.

"I was going to say not great, but horrible works," Jess agrees with a nod.

"Ugh," Michelle groans, clearly annoyed Jess sided with you on the subject. "Ok, so maybe there were a few duds here and there-"

"A few?" you ask quickly.

"I'll admit, Mark was definitely a jerk... and I guess I should have known Danny wouldn't be your type but they weren't all that bad. You have to give me some credit," Michelle says, not giving up.

"Let's see... Fred was an hour late with literally no excuse then he got annoyed when I didn't want to go to his place after. Kevin brought his cat to the restaurant in a backpack and talked to Mr. Pickles more than me. Derek kept eating off of my plate without asking and he took my leftovers. Toby was into all these weird conspiracy theories and thought Australia wasn't a real place-" you count each person on your fingers as Jess laughs hysterically at your string of terrible blind dates.

"I get it!" she practically yells, cutting you off before you can continue. "But seriously, this guy really is perfect for you. I promise."

"No. Absolutely not," you tell her, crossing your arms as you lean back in your chair. "You've set me up with enough weirdos. I'm not doing it."

"Just this last one," she pleads. "And if it doesn't work out, I'll never set you up with anyone ever again. Jess can be your witness."

You sigh and rub your eyes. "I'm not getting out of this am I?" you ask Jess.

She looks over at Michelle before answering than shakes her head, "Nope, doesn't look like it." She then adds, "Better you than me."

"Thanks," you say sarcastically. You can practically feel Michelle buzzing with nervous energy as you try to think of a way to avoid what is almost guaranteed to be another terrible blind date. After a few moments of silence you breath deeply then throw your hands up in defeat. "Fine... tell me what's so amazing about this guy," you tell her.

"Ok ok ok, so..." Michelle starts excitedly. "He's new to the city, he just moved here with his older brother a couple of months ago. He keeps to himself so he hasn't really made friends with anyone at work," she explains.

"Oh good, so he's anti-social," Jess comments and you can't hold back a laugh.

"What? No," she says then glares at Jess, "You're not helping."

"I wasn't trying to help," your friend smirks.

Michelle groans and looks directly at you, "Ignore her. He's not anti-social, I think he's just a bit on the quiet side. He reads a ton so you guys have that in common."

Jess interrupts again, "Unless he's into smut about fantasy characters I doubt they've read any of the same books recently."

"I read other stuff too," you respond, hitting her shoulder lightly but she raises an eyebrow at you.

"Can I continue?" Michelle asks and you both nod. "So he's super tall and he has a really sexy accent."

"Now those are two things you can definitely build a lasting relationship on," Jess comments and you cover your mouth with your hand to quiet your laughter.

Michelle clears her throat loudly and Jess avoids making eye contact with her. "Do I need to remind you that you are only engaged to Sebastian because I set you two up on a blind date two years ago?" Michelle asks Jess.

"No..." she answers sheepishly. "I'll be quiet."

"Good, now as I was saying..." Michelle's tone becomes excited again. "You're going to love him. Trust me."

You bite your lip then say, "Ok, I trust you. But if he's not totally amazing..."

"I'll never set you up with anyone ever again," she agrees to your terms with a smile. "I'll talk to him Monday at work to set it up."

(LOKI POV)

"Ah, there you are, brother," Thor's loud voice echoes through the small library. You sigh deeply, setting your tea on the small table next to you. You mutter a greeting in response but don't look up from your book as you turn the page. "What are you reading?" he asks as he settles into one of the leather chairs across from you.

"A book," you reply, "You have heard of those I assume."

"You know that is not what I meant," he says, you can't help but smirk in response to his annoyed tone. After a brief pause, you finally tell him the title of your book and he nods although you know he has never heard of it.

You continue to read, assuming he will grow tired of you ignoring him but after several minutes your curiosity gets the better of you. "Is there something you need brother, or did you truly come to the library to watch me read?" you ask, your eyes still fixed to your book.

"Peter told me you asked him to delete the dating profile he had set up for you," he says.

"I did," you confirm as you turn the page again. "I do not see how this is any concern of yours."

"You only had it for a week," he states.

"That was six days longer than I required it," you reply.

"Did you match with someone that quickly?" he asks in surprise.

You shrug, you hadn't opened the app once after the boy had installed it for you, "No and I doubt I would have. I do not need a computer to solve a problem I do not have."

He sighs, "Loki, you cannot spend all of your free time alone, hiding in the library."

"I am not hiding," you look up finally, closing your book. "And I do not spend all of my free time here, sometimes I read in the park or my room."

He puts his hand over his face and groans. "You know we are going to be on Midgard for the foreseeable future, brother," he reminds you unnecessarily. "It is not good for you to be alone all of the time. How about I ask Jane if she knows anyone you could spend time with? We could even go on a double date, that might be fun."

"As thrilling as that sounds," you say as you roll your eyes. "I am perfectly fine alone. Thank you for your concern, now if you wouldn't mind," you open your book again and wave your hand towards the door.

Before he can respond, the door to the library opens and a SHIELD agent with a tablet enters. She only takes a few steps inside and says, "Captain Rogers needs you to report to the briefing room in fifteen minutes."

You smile to yourself, hoping this new mission will occupy your brother for at least a few days. Thor rubs his hands together and stands up but the agent shakes her head. Thor pauses and she says, "Oh, actually... it looks like this mission is for Loki. Sorry Thor, maybe next time."

You chuckle at the obvious disappointment on his face as you stand up, your book vanishing into your pocket dimension with a flick of your wrist. "Well brother, it looks as though this uninteresting little chat of ours will have to wait until I return," you smirk as you walk past him.

(LOKI POV)

"Ok team," Stark says when everyone has taken their seats at the large oval table. "This is going to be strictly a recon mission. As most of you know the Sokovian mob has begun opening a large number of restaurants in Manhattan, Philadelphia and Boston. It's been confirmed that the majority of these establishments are being used as fronts for illegal gambling tournaments, money laundering and other criminal activities."

"Such a waste, cause the food is supposed to be really good," Barton says in a joking tone.

Natasha laughs while Rogers crosses his arms and gives Barton a disapproving look. Stark ignores the comment and continues, "Up until now we have been letting state and local law enforcement handle the mob as they normally would but there's been a new development that puts them on our radar. We just received intel that there is going to be a meeting between several members of the Sokovian mob family and two high ranking members of Hydra."

"That can't be anything good," Natasha says. "Does the intel give any details about what they might be meeting about?"

"No," Rogers answers. "That's why we need you and Laufeyson to go undercover as a couple on a date, so you can record their conversation." He opens a small metal case and continues, "You will also need to plant these four listening devices in various locations in the restaurant. Hill has mapped them out for you." You open the folder in front of you again, flipping to the floor plan of the restaurant. Hill added several notes and suggested locations for the devices.

"Since the goal of this mission is to plant the bugs, record their meeting and then get out without being noticed you'll both need to alter your appearance," Hill says to you and Natasha.

You stand up confidently, "That shouldn't be an issue." You hold your arms out slightly at your sides as a green glow surrounds you in a flash. "What do you think?" you ask, running your fingers through your unruly blonde curls. You adjust your dark rimmed glasses then roll up the sleeves on your deep blue sweater.

"Yea..." Stark says. "I'm not sure the professor look is quiet what we were talking about. You're still-"

"Incredibly handsome," you smirk.

"I was going to say tall," he rolls his eyes. "You only changed your hair and added glasses, you still look like you. Try becoming someone no one will notice."

"Ah, yes. One moment," you say then with a second flash of green your appearance changes again.

"Oh come on," Rogers says loudly. He throws his hands up and turns away from you then back quickly.

You look down at yourself and chuckle, you can't remember the last time you were this small. You crane your neck to look up at the Captain who is now almost a foot taller then you.

"What kind of game is this Laufeyson?" he asks.

You feign innocence, "I was merely following Stark's suggestion. I imagine very few people would turn their heads if I walked by as you, the pre-serum version of course."

Natasha and Barton try to contain their laughter while Stark steps between you and Rogers. "Very funny," he says sarcastically. "You get one more chance..." he warns and you nod, clearing your throat as a green glow surrounds you again.

"That's more like it," Hill says and Stark nods in agreement. You shrug, unimpressed with your current form. You reduced your usual height by nearly six inches, changed your hair color to light brown and shortened the length. Your features are different as well, your eyes becoming a dark brown, ensuring that you are completely unrecognizable.

"May I ask, what are your plans?" you turn your attention to the spy.

She smiles and takes a small device out of a pocket on her belt, placing it behind her ear. She taps the device and her face changes right before your eyes. "Its a Photostatic Veil, or Nano Mask depending on who you ask. They are nano-sized holographic cells that can change a person's features and even their voice," she explains in a flawless British accent.

"Impressive," you say with a slight nod as she turns it off. After an hour of discussing the minor details of the mission, you finally head back to your room to finish your book in peace.

(Y/N POV)

You close the door to your apartment and kick off your shoes then you walk quickly into your kitchen to set your grocery bags on the counter. You reach into your pocket and answer your phone.

"Hi Y/N," the voice on the other end greets you happily.

"Hey Michelle," you reply. You hold the phone against your ear with your shoulder as you begin to unload the groceries. "How's it going?"

"Fantastic," she says and you can tell by her voice that the date is on. "So... I talked to him at lunch today and he is definitely looking forward to seeing you this weekend."

"Great," you tell her, trying to sound enthusiastic. Maybe this wouldn't be a complete disaster like all the others, you think hopefully.

"He said he wants to try one of those new Sokovian restaurants," Michelle says. "I hear the food is amazing."

You laugh, "Me too. They seem to be all over the city all of a sudden."

"Perfect, so it's all set. This Saturday at 7, on the corner of 3rd Avenue and East 6th street," she says, pausing for a moment before adding, "Write it down, so you don't forget."

"I'm not going to forget," you mumble as you roll your eyes.

"I can practically hear you rolling your eyes at me. Look, we both know you have the memory of a goldfish. Write it down," she jokes but you know better then to argue with her.

You grab a pad and pen from one of the drawers in your kitchen and write down the time and address. "There, I made a note," you tell her. You tear off the piece of paper dramatically so she can hear it over the phone then stick it to your fridge with a magnet.

"Good," she laughs.

"So..." you pause. "Does the mystery man have a name?"

"He does," she answers.

"Do I have to guess it?" you ask.

"I'm not telling you," she says, "The last time I told you a guys name before a date, you googled him so much you could have written his biography."

"That's fair, I guess," you admit.

"Oh, I've got to go," she says, you can hear her dogs barking in the background. "I'll text you later."

"Ok, bye," you say just before she hangs up. You put the last of the items in the fridge and check your note.

(LOKI POV)

"Since Natasha got called away for a mission with Thor, you're going to need to find someone in the restaurant to use as cover. You'll be far less noticeable if you aren't sitting at the bar alone for hours. If you can, get a table as close to the targets as possible," Rogers instructs you.

"I doubt I'll have any issues finding a lovely young lady to spend my evening with," you respond as Hill hands you a small earpiece to use during the mission and the listening devices. After shifting into your undercover form, you straighten your tie and comb your hair with your fingers. Checking yourself in the small mirror you shrug, this is as good as you are going to look.

You reach for the door handle and Rogers stops you. "Remember Laufeyson, you're still on probation and this is officially your first solo mission. Stay on script and under the radar," he reminds you. "You don't want to give us any reason to reconsider the deal we made with Thor. Fury and Tony would have no issues sending you right back to Asgard if anything goes wrong."

You nod silently, not wanting to admit how well you understood the gravity of your current situation. You clear your throat then sarcastically say, "Its heartwarming to see how much confidence the team has in me."

"Just don't make us regret trusting you," he responds as you step out of the van.

Putting your hands in your coat pockets, you turn the corner from 6th Avenue onto West 3rd Street. The restaurant is visible roughly halfway down the street. When you step inside, you can see most of the tables full and the bar is crowded. The hostess walks over to you with a friendly smile and asks if you need a table.

"I'm actually supposed to be meeting a blind date here. Would it be alright if I checked to see if she was waiting for me at the bar?" you ask.

"Of course," the woman replies and you walk past her towards the back of the restaurant.

As you get closer you see several groups of friends, a few couples but only one woman sitting by herself. She is alternating between staring at her phone anxiously and looking around the room. Clearly she is waiting for someone, you think to yourself, but she is your best opportunity at the moment. You take a few more steps towards her and chuckle quietly as an idea quickly forms. You adjust your illusion so she will be the only one in the restaurant to see you as yourself and decide to go on a date, as your brother has so often suggested.

(Y/N POV)

You hold your phone nervously, seeing a new text from Michelle letting you know he was at the restaurant. You look up, scanning the large space but you have no idea who you are looking for. Suddenly your heart stops when you see Loki walking towards you with a smile.

This can't be happening, you think to yourself. Michelle worked for SHIELD but you knew she barely interacted with the Avengers or even the agents. She was on the technical side, working at least ten floors below them in the Tower. He had to be your date though, you quickly reasoned. Just moved here with his brother... really tall... sexy accent, that all sounds like what little you knew of Loki.

You look down at your phone and text Michelle, "I found him." You slide it into your pocket and get up from the stool as Loki approaches you.

"Hello darling," he says smoothly.

"Hi, I'm Y/N," you introduce yourself with a smile. You feel your phone go off but without reading the message, you put it on silent.

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[icanseethefuture333]

Hi Desi ! Can i ask you who is stray kids would date a woc of different ethnicities ? Thank you :)

Oop! 😳 Time to spill some more tea then 🤭

MTL to date a WOC outside of Korea in Stray Kids:

(According to my pendulum, based off of their current energy / preferences)

Felix

I.N

Bang Chan

Changbin

Seungmin

Han

Hyunjin

Lee Know

Top row:

Left is Bang Chan, center is I.N, and right is Felix

Bang chan's reasoning for being third most likely is because he's very sexually enticed by woc outside of his race. They peak his interest and finds them attractive. I am pretty sure he's been with them before. Some of you guys might not want to hear this but it's giving he wants to soar his oats with just about anybody 🫣. I'm not really getting any romantic feelings, so he seems non committal or he would date a foreigner, but would really have to think about if he'd marry one. He's not really mature yet long term for a cross cultural or interracial relationship. Bang Chan is still ignorant in some areas of other cultures (he just wants to fuck 🥱). It's just giving like he is aware of other people's culture and then when dating someone who's not from the same culture, it's like he think would make a better partner than someone hasn't before. A know it all who doesn't really know it all ifykwim. When its like he can't hold any of his relationships down, he constantly searches for new beginnings or the next thing sexually (for any Bang Chan fans ready to fight don't be arguing with me on anon in my inbox!!! This is his energy for now, he's in his fuckboy era, do not put the blame on me for this! Sometimes we won't always hear the most pure or positive messages about our faves and that is okay)

Ngl I.N surprised me 😳 even though I did channeled before that his future spouse was someone that had dual citizenships (Korean and British). I was pleased to hear what his response was on dating a woc outside of his country or race. I.N's view on dating a woc that isn't Korean is quite positive. He shows admiration for them and has more pure intentions than I would say in comparison to Bang Chan (💀 I mean no shade??? but eh, I said what I said). I.N would be very supportive and willing to learn about his partner's culture or traditions. He honestly wouldn't care as long as they have similar family structures. I.N is rebellious by nature, so he just cares about his happiness and the happiness of his loved ones.

Felix's reasoning for being most likely to date a woc is given the fact he feels like he is an outsider in his own country and culture as well. He is Korean, but doesn't feel Korean enough? Felix resonates more with how he grew up in Australia and misses that lifestyle. There is water here and what seems like a beach. Felix could outpour a lot of love towards people that are different from him now and doesn't judge based off of racial stereotypes. Being able to travel overseas and meet new people has allowed him to open his mind and broaden his horizons. It's almost as if he was limiting himself in some areas (caring too much about labels, what's Korean, what's not Korean, what makes him Australian or what doesn't make him Australian). Controversial maybe??? Felix could feel more loved and respected by woc outside of Korea (I laughed I'm sorry 💀). There is a cultural difference so maybe they are more expressive with their love language where as in Korea they show it differently (I.E: a foreign woc might be affectionate and show physical touch, where a Korean woman would exchange gifts). Felix's view on dating woc could be more so a romantic fantasy or he likes the relationships he's seen in movies, television, or music videos. I channeled this before in a reading for him but I always think of Harry Styles and his Grammy's performance for "As It Was" to be his ideal romance. (Felix fr just as delulu as the rest of us LMAOOO 🤧)

Middle row:

Left is Changbin, center is Seungmin, and right is Han

Changbin is down for whatever honestly 💀. He's not the type to search for love but more so takes action only if he wants to experience it. He's romantic in general so if anyone could handle him and his quirks, then he's happy. Changbin would be very charming. I feel like he just needs the opportunity to meet a woc? I don't think he's ever dated a woc outside of Korea fr. "I had the plan, I just needed the platform" type of energy 🤣

Seungmin would be a hot mess I'm sorry 💀 I'm not even gonna sugarcoat it. It's like he wants to but he's not doing it based off of realistic decisions. It's more so he has an idea of what it's like to date a woc outside of Korea, but he's not focusing on the sentimental value of what it means to be in a relationship. Seungmin is very picky in general and makes romantic decisions based off of his illusions (another delulu??? Free the Virgos please). So because of his high expectations he would not be able to form long lasting connections. Also woc could be turned off by his behavior as well, they would most likely call him out or reject him because he's not mature enough. They won't tolerate it. Seungmin would just get his feelings hurt but it would be his own fault for being so damn sassy all the time 😂. He is stubborn though, so he would keep trying until he learns his lesson and also he finds the right person who can match his energy. The person he dates would require a looooot of patience because he is not easy to deal with. Very chaotic energy, but funny!

The reason Han is one of the members who is least likely is because he is more shy and introverted. So going up to a person and asking them out in general is not his thing. If Han were to date a woc that wasn't Korean, he'd have to be most likely friends first. "I have anxiety bruh." (💀). He'd want to take his time and get to know the person regardless of what their race is. I don't think he has much of a preference, it's just about who he's attracted to within that time. Han would be protective of his partner though and would express his love through gifts, money, etc.

Bottom row:

Left is Hyunjin & right is Lee Know

Hyunjin for being one of the members who is least likely to date a non-Korean woc is because he is very traditional. Whenever I do readings regarding his love life he always makes this very clear. He finds some woc (yes I said some because it's not a large number of woc he likes💀) beautiful, but it's not something he wants to go through all the trouble for. Too tedious for his liking. Hyunjin's fanbase is mostly in Korea as well so he could focus more on that because that is the attention he is used to getting from, so he cares more about catering to his fans, his family's expectations, as well as his own personal preferences. It's like he's not closed off to the idea, but Hyunjin doesn't like change. He prefers to stick to what he knows and situations that are predictable. To try being in a cross cultural or interracial relationship, it would make Hyunjin really anxious, nervous, and uncomfortable, because it is a type of environment he is not used to. I can say for sure say he's only ever dated a woman who was Korean or of Asian descent. Hyunjin would have to work on his confidence and care more about his own thoughts than other people's thoughts in order to be with a woc that wasn't Korean.

Lee Know is somewhat similar to Hyunjin's response, with a nicer approach. In his opinion, he feels like it requires courage to be in a relationship with a woc outside of Korea. He believes people who date someone that isn't the same race as them go through a lot of hardship. Channeled message: "I think if I was a father and my child looked like me, or looked like me a little less because they had features like their mama, whether their skin was maybe darker or their hair was a different texture. People would be very cruel and it would make me very upset as a dad. It's not a easy route to take. Maybe in the future when I am more brave I will think about it, as for now I am okay with being a coward!" (PLS 💀)

I hope you guys enjoyed this reading! I will be forming my own harem with these 4, take care besties 💋

[greenerteacups]

OK I’ll bite…. can you expand more on the obliviation as murder idea from a recent post?

And do you think it’s realistic that Hermione thought she could reverse it and restore memories after the war?

Okay, basically, I think a person's memories compose an incredible volume of their personality and general 'personhood' (if, simplistically, personhood = action + reason + feeling) to the extent that removing them is a cardinally unforgivable violation at best and straight-up killing at worst. We don't really have an analogy for this kind of wrong in the real world except drugging someone, i.e. taking away their autonomy and senses for a period of time — except obliviation is worse, because you're retroactively doing that for whole swaths of their life, plus you're influencing all their future decisions, because they don't know what they actually would have wanted. Once you're exercising control over someone's literal thoughts — which is what you're doing, if you Obliviate them, you're forcing them to think things that aren't true, or forget things that are — there's basically no way to avoid dominating them on a level real-world normal humans would consider unforgivable.

I have a lot of Thoughts about the ethics of mind magic in any scenario, from love potions to legilimency to veritaserum, but what I find most striking about Hermione is that she views her parents' Obliviation mostly as a loss to herself. That's a fascinating insight into how the books treat mind magic, because you could say, on the one hand; yeah, the Grangers are happy; they're off in Australia, and they're safe from an awful war. Objectively, they are safer there than they would be in a life with Hermione in it. But on the other hand, you could also say: No, the Grangers don't exist anymore. The Wilkins do. You turned your parents into people so radically different that they would not recognize their own daughter, a defining feature of their life for the past 18 years. Whoever they are, they no longer want to live in the city they've resided in for two decades, if not longer. And hey, fuck all of their friends and loved ones, right? Who cares if they get to see their friends from work ever again? Or your aunts and cousins? Grandparents? Gone. That is a death, for all those people. And if I was faced with the choice to get what happens to the Grangers, I'd consider it as someone killing me, too.

I'm astonished that Hermione is capable of a charm that does that, especially since a lot of magic in HP seems to work on the basis of "meaning it." (Intention, admittedly, is broadly understood; Harry is able to perform Sectumsempra without knowing exactly what it does, just that it's bad news bears for the other guy). It is, in my opinion, by far the worst thing Hermione ever does, and it's jarringly outside her moral event horizon — which is itself probably the broadest envelope of any light-sider in the books. Can she reverse it? I mean, maybe! There aren't hard rules to the magic system in Harry Potter, and nothing about Obliviate suggests she's wrong in the assertion she could reverse it. It's Hermione; I'd bet she did her research. (I'm also interested by a different interpretation of your question, which is "is Hermione lying to herself about this, on some level," and/or "is she lying to Harry," both of which are very tasty for headcanon purposes but ultimately strike me as unlikely based on the portrait Book 7 paints of Hermione, which with the exception of this one insane jaw-drop moment is fairly wholesome.)

So yeah, she might be able to reverse it. But I have no idea what she expects to happen afterward.

[wildpeachfarm]

this situation reminds me of smth that happened in my city in australia (legal age is 18 for drinking/clubbing). an underage girl got into a club with a fake id. a 19yo boy hooked up w her at the club and they went back to his place and had sex. it came out she was underage, and he was labelled a predator temporarily on social media - but, to him, she was in a place that required identification of being of the legal age to be granted access for entry. the bouncers failed at noticing it was a fake, but this boy had no reason to believe otherwise but got labelled as a predator. and although i am not saying that underage people don’t drink, or that it still isn’t abnormal to ask someone’s age despite thinking they’re of legal age (in general convo/banter), but it also isn’t the requirement to ask age in a scenario where, by all means, legal identification checking had occurred i.e., them drinking at the official, carded after party the night prior to the night in question. i can’t say that george shouldn’t have checked, or asked, or whatever, but i also can’t help but think people are mislaying judgement on people in situations wherein they truly believe they’re with people of a legal drinking age. and we can all say assumptions aren’t good enough, which I Get, but we can’t also deny that playing 20 questions in a situation that comes with non-vocalised cues (such as everyone being of a legal drinking age while actively drunk) is always necessary, esp as nothing sexual in nature occurred.

Yeah while I do think that verifying ages is a good rule of thumb, that is because I have seen it go very wrong before. Other people haven't, and have no reason to believe a person is lying about their age. So I understand why george didn't suspect that they had people lying about being able to drink in their room, it makes sense.

And for people to paint that as him being intentionally malicious or preying on young girls is absolutely crazy because if I was drinking at a bar/party/etc. and other adult people around me were drinking, I would assume everyone is of legal age to drink because thats how the law works. Especially considering he initially thought they came straight from a high-security event.

[mrs-toohot]

Ryder, decoded

So the THTH writers apparently googled “Australian slang” and went copy/paste into his dialogue with absolutely no concept of what any of it means or how commonly it’s used.

So, as your resident Australian, I’m going to translate for you.

Below, you’ll find the examples I found so far, a translation, and a rating out of ten for how commonly it’s used / how accurate the slang is.

Disclaimer: I am born and raised Aussie. My ancestors were convicts. And while I do live in a major city, I grew up in the most country of country towns; population 847. So I am fluent in Aussie.

So without further ado:

Buggers.

If you look up the word buggers you’ll find it’s short for buggery which is the act of engaging in anal sex. But it’s not really used that way any more. I would never use “sexy buggers” that’s kinda weird. It’s only ever used these days as a light-hearted term, such as “cheeky bugger”(usually said with a hair ruffle). Alternatively, you can say someone’s “playing silly buggers” which means they’re messing around/being silly.

Accuracy of usage: 6/10

True-blue.

I see this and I think of this song which I believe they may have played at Steve Irwin’s funeral. It’s basically the same as “proper” or “right” for the Brits. Interchange with “verifiable”. Is entirely a stereotype and wouldn’t even be used ironically these days. In its place, we would use “fuckin’”. The only time this word is used is when you’re describing someone as “he’s a true-blue Aussie battler” (he’s very Australian)

Accuracy of usage: 1/10

Sheilas & blokes.

No. Absolutely not. Sheilas 🤢 is a way of describing a group of girls, but it’s very outdated. You could still call a guy a bloke, but it’s not interchangeable with “guy”. A bloke is specifically very traditionally Aussie & masculine, and you’d almost be more likely to use it as an adjective (I.e. “he’s a bit blokey”). I’ll be honest, you want someone who’s “blokey”, think “Gary from LITG”.

Accuracy of usage: 1/10 and 4/10 respectively

Ripper

Means ‘great’. And unless it’s in relation to specifically calling someone else a ‘ripper legend’ (shortened to ‘ripper ledge’) it’s not used commonly whatsoever.

Accuracy of usage: 2/10

Bonzer

No. Absolutely not. Never in a million years would bonzer be used today. It also means ‘great’ but this can’t even be used ironically. Even in the deep dark depths of country western NSW, using this word will get you looked at weird.

Accuracy of usage: -10/10

Crikey

Sorry to disappoint, but this one’s also a no. It means essentially “wow”. The only time we’d use this is to amuse internationals. We associate this word with ol’ mate Steve as much as you do.

RIP buddy 🪦

Accuracy of usage: 2/10

Fair dinkum & arvo

You’d ask if something was ‘fair dinkum’ if you were questioning if the aforementioned statement was true, or you were trying to figure out if someone was for real. “I’m Spider-Man”, “oh, fair dinkum?” It is… not common. Very outdated and only your countriest of the country boys would use it (and only if they’re 60+)

Now- ARVO- this is a different story. I use arvo EVERY DAY. It is short for afternoon and I don’t remember the last time I used the full word. “What’re you doin s’arvo?” Absolutely used every single day.

Accuracy of usage: 3/10 and 10/10

Have a squiz and take a gander

Both mean the same thing: take a look. Do not ask me where they come from but welcome to Australia. I have definitely said “give us a squiz” or “I’ll take a squiz” lol. The latter is still said but only by much older people. A funnier version ( only said ironically) is ‘have a captain cook’ (rhyming slang for ‘have a look’)

Accuracy of usage: 9/10 and 7/10

Have a yarn

Means ‘have a chat’, ‘talk’, or ‘shooting the shit’. This is actually really commonly used by indigenous Australians, and ‘yarning’ culture is really crucial and involves a cuppa tea 😁 I liked seeing this one pop up.

Accuracy of usage: 10/10

Possible upcoming slang:

Yeah, nah: No

Nah, yeah: Yes

Have a root: Sex

Pull your head in: Calm down, get it together, wisen up

Ta: thank you

Sweet as: sounds good

Righto/Righteo: alright

No worries: not a problem, that’s okay. Often said in conjunction with ‘she’ll be right’

No wukkas: no worries, short for “no wukkin furries” which is an intentional mispronunciation of “no fuckin’ worries”.

Bloody oath: bloody hell/Fuckin’ hell

Ocker/yobbo: super Aussie guy, see “bloke”. Specifically very country.

Drongo: forbidden phrase. Never used ever. Means an idiot/dork. If they use this I quit.

Flamin’ galah: said ironically, very funny. Said seriously, no.

Dropkick: super common. Similar to derro or deadshit. A loser, someone who is going nowhere in life.

Derro/deadshit: derro is short for derelict. Someone who bums cigarettes at the train station. Wears thongs (flipflops) everywhere even in winter.

Bum: (verb) to bum sth: to beg for/ ask for / grift for. “Can I bum a smoke off ya” (often followed by “I’ll pay you back”)

Let’s see what gems they come out with this week, shall we?

[disabled-dragoon]

Disability Aid Databases

Hey!

So. Originally this was going to just be a quick little post where I shared four databases I've found that really help me when it comes to updating my resource. However! In doing that, I discovered more??

These are essentially sites that collect a big list of different disability aid suppliers, specialists and support services across different countries and continents and then list them all for easy access.

And now I'm listing them here so you can access them! 😁[grinning face emoji]

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Assistive Technology Australia: Australian Database Personally, I quite like the little pictures they use for their categories. I think it's quite well organised, although it took a little while to get used to. This site is in English.

Canadian Disability Resource Society: Canadian Database I found this site just a little harder to use than some of the others, but after playing around a bit I got the hang of it. I like that you can search by specific keywords and postcodes. I think the contact details are also very clear, and there is an online chat function if you run into any issues. There are extensive language choices for this site.

Disability Info South Africa: South African Database Just going to put a quick warning for potential eye strain and/or flashing lights here as there's a moving graphic on the home page. However, I really like the fact you can change the font size and contrast of the page. I do think the site is a bit wordy but it's so good; there's a lot of information and advice on here once you know where to look. This site is in English.

EASTIN: European Database This might be a bit difficult to use at first, but the search function on this site is so specific it's honestly incredible. It acts as a big data hub for disability aid databases across Europe. Also, there are extensive language options for this site, including mostly European languages, Arabic, Hebrew, Chinese and Thai!

Handicat: French Database Again, I like the little pictures for the categories. It gives a good visual representation of each area before you've even read the category title. There's also a little tool that lets you search by trade name, the type of product and the manufacturer. This page is in French.

Hjælpemiddelbasen: Danish Database Or, AssistData. This site lets you search for disability aids by purpose/classification and target group (i.e. disability). It also offers guides on choosing and maintaining different items. I like that the search function also has the option to include discontinued items. You can change the language of this site to either English or Dansk.

Living Made Easy: UK Database Or, the Disability Living Foundation. This was actually the first one I found. The organisation system isn't as specific as some of the others but I quite like that everything is still separated by category, and it's not too overwhelming. This site is in English.

REHADAT: German Database I really like the organisation of this site, but I'm going to put a warning for potential eye strain here as some of the blue graphics are a bit faded and hard to see despite the dark background. As well as assistive technology, this site also offers information on things like disability law, education, employment and financial advice, and addresses and contacts for additional support services. You can change the language of this site to either English or Deutsch.

SIVA: Italian Database I think this site is a little confusing, but I like the guided search and advanced search functions. You can really get down into the specifics of what you're looking for. You can change the language of this site to either English or Italian.

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Unfortunately, there were a couple of extra databases that I couldn't access, but if I find any others then I will update this post.

Let me know if there's anything you want me to add/change!

[focusontheheart]

Meet the Team - Pseu

You can also find @picksleydust on: Twitter @ pseuboo

Ahoy friends, from the Land Down Under. I’m a fandom artist who spends my days as a barista and painter and nights hunched over my computer drawing or my ps5 playing something. Should I get more sleep? Yes. But we all know it doesn’t work like that. In 2017 a good friend of mine was constantly insisting I had to play Horizon, and that I would enjoy it, but I was so down the BotW rabbit-hole I was a bit blinkered. I also didn’t have my own PlayStation. But in the year 2020, my then GF had a PS4 she wasn’t using and let me borrow it and that’s when I played Zero Dawn. I adored it and the story but I never fell into fandom because I personally didn’t see Aloy with anyone in the first game (maybe Petra…?) and so I continued on until I caught the Spicy Cough on the release week of HFW and played it endlessly while hacking up my soul. And of course, at one point I was sucker punched by my sweet, earnest and rather poetic Marshal of the Tenakth and the rest is history.

See the Q&A with Pseu below the cut!

Q: What is a favorite piece of work you've done (i.e. completed, working on, in concept)?

I think my commissions and my comic adjacent pieces are my faves, but honestly, I don’t think I’m the best to judge, I can be a little harsh on myself. Most of my work is inspired by the strange goings on in the different channels over on the Kotaloy Server. I really enjoy drawing facial expressions and fun poses as well as funny comics and tableaus that amuse me.

Q: What are some of your favorite tropes to write, draw, or read?

My old desire for enemies to lovers is strong, but this fandom has further kindled a love for subservient men who love their feral wives. I’m also very keen on accidental marriage and “oh no there’s one bed” tropes, but who isn’t >_>

To draw? I’m basically one big rubber arm, if you can make it appeal to me then I will draw it with gusto.

Q: What is an unexpected thing or fun fact about you?

I live in one of the HOT parts of Australia but I’m originally from the frigid Northern hemisphere in Scotland. Ironically though, I feel like it was my destiny to be Aussie. I love beaches (including the sand), hot weather and vegemite with all my heart.

Q: What has been your favorite thing about working on this project so far?

Honestly, I have really enjoyed working on the sprites for this game.  My main inspiration here is the other incredible artists and writers in this fandom. I’ve never been part of such a kind and encouraging one before and while I can only speak for the Kotaloy crew, I have found a frankly staggering number of amazing people in the general fandom. Y’all keep me going, I swear.

[genderglitchix]

I managed to turn a university project into me essentially ranting about "but what if this Pokémon was REAL???" for 1500 words. I'm a zoology student and last year at uni we had an assignment where we had to create our own fictional reptile and write up a report on it as if it was a real species. The main thing we were asked to do was to give it a novel trait that hadn't been seen in this type of reptile before, but to keep it grounded in something that could feasibly exist (i.e. no dragons that can breathe fire or have a six limb body plan). Ok, so no fire production... but electricity is a different question (more on that coming up). I present to you, my submission for the assignment, the Black-frilled Agama (Chlamydosaurus ulurus), based on one of my favourite Pokémon, Heliolisk.

In real life, there is only one living species of the Chlamydosaurus genus: the frilled lizard (C. kingii), which is native to the northern areas of Australia and have an arboreal lifestyle. C. ulurus, however, is found a bit further southward in the rocky area of the Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park, which is where the second half of its binomial name comes from. Sadly, I couldn't just have this lil guy shooting off thunderbolts left right and centre to keep it realistic, but I was still able to encorporate its shocking abilities in my report thanks to some other living non-reptilian animals: electric fish. These fish possess an organ that allows them to generate an electric field. "But those are all fish, how would the same organ just evolve in a reptile species as well? Seems pretty unlikely" I hear you scream at me through your screen, foaming at the mouth. Here's the cool thing: this organ has evolved separately several different times in fish in a process called convergent evolution. Not all electric fish share a single ancestor that was the originator of this organ, meaning I could argue that because it has evolved independently in separate lineages before, that it was also at least possible if not probable for it to evolve in a reptile species.

But why??? What possible benefit would this lizard gain from evolving such a niche trait? The argument I made was that as C. ulurus is bigger and slower than C. kingii, yet still employs the ambush hunting technique that C. kingii uses to find food. Its electric organs are found in the tail, and while the electric field generated isn't strong enough to kill the prey it hunts, it's enough to stun the prey for enough time to stop them from escaping.

This has been my absolute favourite project I've done during my time at university and I wanted to share it with the fellow Pokémon nerd zoologists of the internet, for once I wasn't up all night stress finishing a project because I'd left it until the last minute. Instead, I was up all night for several nights researching because of how much I genuinely loved working on this assignment. So much better than the many nightmare group projects of "get four people who have never spoken before to make a poster/short video on the driest topic ever".