#I also would take the movie in whatever production state it is right now

[akikos-tribble-army]

NOOOOOOO.

So, the worst case has happened. MAPPA canceled YOI: ICE ADOLESCENCE.

Funfact: YOI made MAPPA big. Cancelling the movie of the anime that got them where they're now... Wonder what went on behind the scenes and how much of the movie is done?

[inbarfink]

Hello, Invader Zim Fandom! Say, have you ever found yourself thinking “hmmm.... I wonder how often Zim and Dib skip classes due to their constant misadventures and battles?” Well, whatever you did or not, I am going to do it now! Time for…

Checking Attendance for Invader Zim and Dib Membrane!

"The Nightmare Begins"

Our first major confrontation between the two leads (leaving aside some quarreling in the middle of class, but I am checking attendance - not behavior) happens explicitly right after Skool has finished. So, no class has been missed in the production of this episode. 

(I mean maybe I would ask about how long their Skoolday even is considering Miss Bitters introduces Zim, says ‘Doomed’ for a few minutes and then sends them home. But that’s, like, a common Bug with Schools in fiction. I’m going to assume that we’re not supposed to take the class/Skoolday as literally being that short.)

"Bestest Friend"

Zim takes a whole day off from Skool under the claim that he’s sick.

Zim: I'm sick. I'm not going to skool today.

Which, I mean, he said it to get Keef off his back, but then we do see he stayed in his lab all day to work on his Eyeball Machine. So yeah, here's our first missed attendance. Zim skipped a whole day of Skool right there.

"Nanozim"

Dib: Zim wasn't in class today, Gaz. Gaz: Maybe he's sick. Dib: Yeah, sick with fear!

Another whole missed day from Zim for the sake of his scheme!

"Parent Teacher Night"

Nothing! The entirety of this episode takes place either during Skool, explicitly after Skool or during a Skool-sectioned Afterskool event. 

"Walk of Doom"

Now this is where things really get interesting. Because Zim certainly spent like a whole day on his and GIR’s little City Adventure - but also, you might want consider the possibility that this episode took place over the weekend, or even just that it starts after skool. After all, Invader Zim’s Daytime Sky doesn't change that much between the morning and the afternoon.

However, even taking these factors into account, I still think that it’s more likely that this episode does takes place during Skool Hours and is yet another example of Zim missing a full day of Skool, and that is for one reason - the background extras. 

Through all of Zim’s Urban Misadventure, the City seems to be populated entirely by adults + one baby we saw on the Bus. No Skool-aged youngsters anywhere in sight.

And, maybe that’s a weird thing to get hung up on, but usually IZ Crowd Scenes do include a mixture of kids and adults… including some scenes in that very episode, but only after the transition into night. When Skool would obviously be already over.

Thus, I think it’s most logical to conclude that Zim, for some reason, decided to do this lil excursion in the middle of a Skoolday. Couldn’t wait for the weekend or even just the afternoon for some reason. He got a bee in his bonnet about the Guidance Chip and he had to do it at that very moment!! 

(But I am going to cut him a little slack with the ending. Cause, like, obviously he’s been driving for like a whole night and it’s going to take him some time to get back home… but for the sake of Being Nice I am going to assume this episode takes place on a Friday and he's got the whole weekend to find his way back home and so he only missed one day of Skool. After all, isn’t this what ‘Invader Zim’ is all about? Being nice?)

(This is a rhetorical question and the answer is no.)

"Germs"

As Zim himself states, he did miss a day of Skool due to his obsession with Germs.

Zim: The skool! The skool will know I've been missing! They must be really suspicious by now!

I wondered if that was actually more than one day, but we only see one transition to night near the end of the episode. 

Most likely this entire episode takes place over the course of a single day - Zim watched that movie very early in the morning before getting to Skool (he doesn’t sleep so he’s got a lot more free time in a day) and then got so Germ-Obsessed for that one day that he forgot about that.

And thanks (?) to the workaround at the end, we can be sure this time he only missed one single day of Skool.

"Dark Harvest"

So all of this episode takes place in the Skool, but mostly outside of the classroom. With Zim leaving early on after a lesson started, then Dib going after him a short while later and this whole …. Adventure lasted enough to get to Lunch Break and also probably the climax lasted a bit after it and into the next lesson period (considering how empty the Skool Hallways seem at that point.

However, this speculation is kinda moot since both Zim and Dib were both out there with Hall-Passes officially ‘just trying to get to the nurse’, so I am just not going to count it as skipping class at all. They had permission. 

"Attack of the Saucer Morons"

Okay, so… this episode starts at night, but by the time Zim gets to the Saucer Morons it’s already Daytime. But since Zim was very adamant about getting his Voot back ASAP, I am going to assume this is taking place Very Early in the Morning. It just takes a while for Zim to get back home from the crash site and then back again without the Cruiser, but it’s still probably like… before Skool starts. 5AM-6AM or something like that? You know, the excitement of an Alien Spaceship is going to encourage a lot of people to wake up early.

It’s not entirely clear how long the events of the episode lasted in-universe. There’s a few ‘skips’, like, how long did Zim’s initiation take? How long did it take GIR to get the Government Man robot ready? How long did it take the Saucer Morons to make that lil’ set-up for Zim?

But, Fastforwards to the climatic chase scene at the end of the episode, and we can see Zim has zoomed by a Skoolbus. Now, this might be a Bus taking kids back from Skool, or taking the kids to Skool. Either the implication here is that Zim has wasted a whole skoolday and it’s already the afternoon - or it’s still early in the morning and Skool is just about to start. And… since it’s just down to my gut feelings, I am going to say the second one. I think all of the little-time skips during the episode still don’t amount to more than like, an hour or two. So it being just before Skool starts seems reasonable to me. 

But, well, even for the sake of being nice to Zim…

I am going to assume that murdering all of these scientists (or however he got himself out of that jam) and getting back home to retrieve a new disguise will take like… A Considerable Amount of Time. And Skool was basically just about to start. So… I think that I’m going to mark it as Zim missing at least one class and getting to Skool late. 

"The Wettening"

This episode actually puts a lot of attention into making sure all of Zim and Dib’s confrontations take place after Skool hours and that all the time they spend at home planning is happening during the weekend. This episode is mostly useful for explicitly establishing that Skool is operating with a two-day Saturday-Sunday weekend. 

Now, I was wondering if I should count Zim as ‘skipping class’ for, y’know - not actually showing up to Skool on Monday and basically going straight home to drown to death in the toilet right after he won that water-balloon fight. But since the entire damn Skool was reduced to a ruin by Zim’s victory - I think it’s safe to say that Skool is canceled regardless. So that shouldn't count.

(Remember kids! If you wanna skip school, you should just blow it up with a giant Space Water Balloon first and then it’s okay!)

"Career Day"

The entire events of that episode were a Skool-sanctioned activity, so nothing really to report.

"Battle-Dib"

With the 8PM ticking clock, Doctor Membrane having a clearly very kid-oriented edutainment show that he’s apparently recording live, and all the other ordinary kids trying out for the audience… I think it’s pretty safe to say this whole episode takes place after skool.

"Planet Jackers"

Whole episode takes place at night, nothing for us to concern ourselves about.

"Rise of the Zitboy"

Okay, so this episode starts at daytime, with both Zim and Dib very clearly not at Skool - and usually that would be enough for me to assume this episode starts in the afternoon, but…

After Zim gains the Power of Pustulio, he seemingly immediately goes to Skool to test it out. There’s no reason to assume this is like, a whole night later. Zim’s only thought was about hypnotizing Dib and he knows where his house is. If it were the afternoon, wouldn't he just go to the Membrane household rather than wait for the next Skool Day? So this episode actually starts very early in the morning. 

And, like, either way it seems like this is happening very early in the morning and has no real effect on their Skool attendence and I shouldn’t dwell on it too much for this post but… I guess it still kinda surprises me that Dib got up bright and early just to do this shit like an hour before skool starts.

Most of the episode seems to take place before the first period of the day even starts, so the only actually relevant part to our discussion is the very last line from Zim.

Zim: Bye Dib, and thanks for the information! I've got a few more lawn gnomes to plant!

So Zim is going to skip away before Skool starts to take care of the security problems in his Gnome Field right away. So… he’s probably going to miss at least one class, if he’s even coming back. 

"Invasion of the Idiot Dog Brain"

Episode takes place entirely at night, not relevant to our discussion. I am not going to consider the ‘One Year Later’ gag as canon, because, like…. come on. 

"Bad, Bad Rubber Piggy"

As the episode starts with a broadcast of Professor Membrane’s show (which as we have already established, is very kids-oriented, highly-rated and seems to be airing live), it’s a pretty safe bet that the whole events of this episode is taking place in the afternoon, so no Skool-Problems here!

"A Room With a Moose"

So, I am not going to knock Dib any points for leaving mid-class on something that wasn’t really a Skool trip. I mean… everyone thought it was a Skool trip, including the other students and their teacher. I assume either Zim took care of the paperwork while he was sneaking around setting up his plan or there was never any paperwork in the first place because it’s the IZ Earth and No One Cares.

Now about Zim… he has technically not skipped class in the sense that he was doing all of this under the guise of being in the toilet, but… Like, in his second round in the Restroom, he actually just never came back until… well, probably the next Skool day, considering it was nighttime at the end of the episode. Even with how apathetic Miss Bitters is… I assume she can conceive of the idea of a student trying to get out of Skool under the excuse of being in the bathroom, even if she doesn’t know/care about the Alien Teleporter Device.

So I am counting this as just a half day of skipping school for Zim. 

"Hamstergeddon"

Okay, so this was actually the episode that inspired me to make this post, and the reason why I conceived of it as a “Zim and Dib Skipping School” list even though, as you have seen so far… Dib has a pretty spotless attendance record so far. I just saw both Zim and Dib piss off from Skool mid-lesson to follow the Hamster Kaiju and started to wonder ‘hmmm… how often does this happen?”

And since we never see Ultra Peepi, like, outright entirely destroy the Skool - I don’t think the day would be canceled like it probably was in “The Wettning” (if it was, I’d assume we’d see more students running out and not just Zim and Dib). And I assume Dib would notice the Growing Peepi Problem near the start of the day, so they both missed about a full day of Skool just then.

"Plague of Babies"

Takes place entirely during one night, not relevant here. 

"Bloaty's Pizza Hog"

Explicitly takes place during the late afternoon/evening. 

"Door to Door"

Another Skool-Sanctioned activity similar to ‘Career Day’

"FBI Warning of Doom"

Takes place during the evening/night. 

"Bolognius Maximus"

After Zim reveals there is no cure to the Bolognafication, Dib runs out of the classroom screaming. This transition into a whole Zim Fantasy Sequence where he’s Gigantic and stuff. But it does seem like the whole ‘Dib being run out of Skool midway through the Skoolday’ did happen. Since they only re-meet after Zim is going back home from Skool. 

So that’s the first time Dib loses attendance (basically an entire day, since he didn’t even last one whole lesson) but not Zim. (But Dib still has a lot of ‘catching up’ to do).

(This episode also establishes that Dib is often late to Skool due to his various paranormal misadventures. Reliably enough for Zim to incorporate it into his Vengeance. However, that’s not entirely relevant since I’m only counting attendance in this post and not tardiness. But I thought I might as well acknowledge it.)

"Game Slave 2"

Episode takes place entirely at night, not relevant.

"Battle of the Planets"

Same as above.

"Halloween Spectacular of Spooky Doom"

So I am not going to count Dib being forcibly institutionalized by Skool administration as ‘skipping classes’, obviously. 

However, while Dib was being dragged off to the Crazy House, Zim used the chaos to ‘escape’ this Skool full of ‘Zombies’ and ready his base for tonight. Next time we see Zim, it’s nighttime and he is still readying his base. And even with Dib being late, it still seems like the episode started early in the first period. So Zim is skipping another full day of Skool basically. 

"Mysterious Mysteries"

From the events of the episode, it seems like ‘Mysterious Mysteries’ airs live (or at least semi-live, in regards to the interviewed segments). We already know that it airs in the evenings because that’s always when we see Dib watch it. Even if it didn’t actually air live, they would probably schedule their interviews to afterskool hours when they have three elementary-skoolers to interview. 

"Future Dib"

Episode starts at a Skool-Assembly, and then move to later that day in the afternoon/early evening (Membrane says ‘tonight’, but the sky is always daylight-yellow, so it seems to be later that day after Skoolhour, it’s just that the sun hasn’t quite set yet.) Either way, neither Zim nor Dib actually seem to skip class on that one. 

"Hobo 13"

With this being an entirely Space-Based Episode, we have basically No Data on what Earth Time this episode takes place. Zim does generally seem to call the Tallests just after Skool or during the night, so I am going to give him the benefit of the doubt on that one and not count it.

"Walk For Your Lives"

While I have no doubt in my mind that Zim would skip Skool for the sake of Probing Day and maaaybe Dib would too for the sake of catching Zim by surprise, well…

So remember way way back during ‘Walk of Doom’ when I talked about background extras? Well, I’m doing this again but in the other direction this time!

Because all the city scenes in this episode do actually feature both child and adult extras (including literally some of Zim and Dib’s classmates).

So I think it’s most likely to assume this episode takes place just after Skool hours. Or perhaps the weekend. 

"Megadoomer"

Starts right after Zim gets home from Skool, and lasts through the night. Not relevant.

"Lice"

Takes place entirely at Skool and also classes are canceled due to Lice Quarantine. I don’t really count any of the Nonsense in this episode as ‘skipping class’, it’s fine.

"Abducted"

We don’t have any details about when the episode takes place outside of ‘the daytime’, but again, Zim generally ‘updates’ the Tallest after Skool so I am going to assume this applies here. Plus, we also see Dib and Gaz at home by the end and they generally don’t skip Skool - so yeah, more evidence for this being the afternoon. 

"The Sad, Sad Tale of Chickenfoot"

Episode explicitly takes place at evening/night, not relevant.

"Gir Goes Crazy and Stuff"

Episode starts at night, and ends at sunrise.

Not relevant.

(Also hey! Does this imply that we can tell that the City is on the East Coast at least?)

"Dib's Wonderful Life of Doom"

Starts at Skool and then seems to take place entirely at night - since the Wonderful Life of Doom starts with Dib sleeping in bed, I assume Dib kidnapped him and put him in the simulation while he was actually asleep.

"Tak: The Hideous New Girl"

Okay, so we had two fairly-regular Skooldays since Tak arrived on Earth.

Then, after Zim comes back from Skool the second day and Tak reveals herself, we cut to Zim’s battle against the Ham Demon. Which is also happening in the daytime. Although Zim later mentions he’s been trailing Tak for ‘48 hours’ - meaning exactly two whole days. 

And then as Zim realizes he needs Dib’s help, we cut to the Membrane house at nighttime. 

So… was that battle taking place in the afternoon/early evening  and it’s just that by the time Zim got to the Membranes the sun had already set? That seems to be the case from the establishing shot. But then Dib yawns and rubs his eyes as if he just woke up and Professor Membrane says ‘good morning’. 

I mean… with how often Dib seems to stay up late and wake up extremely early, maybe he takes a lot of afternoon-evening naps?

Or perhaps this suggests this establishing shot might’ve been just an art error? The little we see of the indoor backdrops are also kinda inconsistent about the Color of the Sky.

First seeming to indicate daytime.

And then… nighttime? Nighttime with sunset? Nighttime with sunrise?

Then nighttime again?

And then, the whole Giant Evil Weenie Stand sequence is at daytime again.

And it only becomes night again by the climax.

And with Zim’s ‘48 hours’ comment placing the Ham Demon fight at the early afternoon (it should be 48 hours after the Tak confrontation, which happened just after Zim got home from Skool) our scenarios are either: 

Zim battles the Ham Demon, then almost immediately Zim confronts Dib after his afternoon nap (and the Color of the Sky around the Membrane household is just Consistently an Art Error. It should be daytime). And the rest of the events of the episode take place on that same day’s late afternoon/evening. 

Zim battles the Ham Demon, then a few hours later Zim confronts Dib after his early evening nap (the Color of the Sky around the Membrane household is not an art error...for the most part. The sun has set already). Then the rest of the events of the episode take place over the next day.

Zim battles the Ham Demon, then the next morning Zim confronts Dib when he wakes up (the Color of the Sky might be a major art error, or it might be a failed attempt at conveying sunrise, or both). Then the rest of the events of the episode take place during that day.

And when considering which one seems to me the most likely, I took three different factors into consideration.

I wanna minimize just dismissing things as art/continuity errors. I want to be as canon-compliant as I possibly can.

The plot needs to maintain its sense of urgency. Having too many Big Timeskips where the characters just kinda don’t do anything significantly hurts the narrative. ‘

The possibility of skipped skool days which is… hey! Is actually what this post is supposed to be about!

Okay, so to elaborate on Point C: Scenario 1 has Zim spend like two full Skooldays’ worth of time on tracking Tak down and then he and Dib and Gaz stop her together during afterskool hours. Scenario 2 + 3 has Zim spend two skooldays, and then the three of them spend the day after that stopping Tak. And.. it’s not just a matter of considering Zim skipping two days versus three days and Dib and Gaz skipping one day versus zero days. Because also the weekend exists.

I actually think it’s incredibly likely that the Tak Reveal is supposed to take place on a Friday, and Zim tracked Tak over the weekend (so the ending of the Ham Demon sequence is on Sunday afternoon).

Especially as Dib apparently didn’t notice Zim either stalking Tak during Skool or just vanishing from Skool altogether due to the Ham Demon Situation. Like, considering how paranoid he is about Zim normally, you’d think he’d take notice and try and figure out if he is up to anything. Especially if it involved the girl he saw as an ally and friend. But it seemed like he was not bothered by anything or noticed anything Zim was doing in the meantime. Which I think only makes sense if Zim was ‘investigating’ Tak during the weekend. 

So in Scenario 1 that would mean the climax of the episode took place during Sunday afternoon/evening. And Scenario 2 + 3 would mean that those events take place during Monday, and thus all of our main trio is either skipping skool or waiting until skool is done to go on their Earth-Saving-Missions.

And the latter is both unlikely because it wrecks the sense of Urgency in the plot and because… like… did Zim and Dib just go to Skool and Angrily Glared at each other until it was done? It really just kinda ruins the dramatic pacing if Zim and Dib meet between the scene at the Membrane Household and the Weenie Stand. So going to Skool on Monday and then doing the Evil Weenie Investigation afterwards seems unlikely to me.

And as for the former scenario… like, as you’ve noticed. Dib very very rarely skips Skool of his own volition. And Gaz never does. Honestly I don’t think it’s in-character for her. Not cause she’s a goody-two-shoes who would never skip class or anything like that. Just because she never takes all of this Alien Stuff seriously enough to consider it a worthwhile reason to skipping classes. And no, neither is getting her brother beat up by security - even if she does enjoy the latter a lot more. 

I guess maybe just Zim could’ve been skipping Skool that Monday morning to do some more failed ‘investigative work’ before he actually realized the Evil Weenie Stand was important. While Dib and Gaz just attended classes like Normal and investigated the Weenies afterwards.

But then, like, did Tak go to Skool? She cares so much about showing off her ability to Actually Competently Infiltrate Humanity, and it seems most of the Evil Weenie Stand Construction is happening automatically… so I kinda assume she would go to Skool on that Monday? So with both Dib and Tak at class that day and Zim not being… that would be another Hypothetical Dramatic Scenario that is just Inexplicably Off Screen in the narrative.

You know like…. Maybe not Dib confronting Tak about Zim’s accusations if he truly doesn’t believe them at that point, but trying to warn her that Zim is deluded about her and out to get her? I just don’t believe any Skoolday after Zim and Dib's confrontation at Dib’s house could be uneventful enough so that we could just skip over it completely like that. 

So, I really really tried to get a scenario where I don’t resort to the Art Error Clause but… I think the only timeline that makes real sense in terms of narrative and characterization is Scenario 1. So most of the events of the climax of “Tak: the Hideous New Girl” probably take place over Sunday afternoon and thus neither Zim nor Dib actually skipped classes. Zim just had a very very busy weekend. 

"Backseat Drivers From Beyond the Stars"

Takes place entirely during the night/evening, irrelevant.

"Mortos Der Soul Stealer"

Same as above.

"Zim Eats Waffles"

Okay, so, there’s nothing in the text of the episode that explicitly says it but… since this episode centers around Zim eating waffles and reading the newspaper

I always kinda assumed it was taking place in the morning. And probably, like Saturday/Sunday morning.

This would also explain why Dib immediately goes to sleep at the end of the episode even though it’s the same ‘daytime’ sky-color outside.

 He woke up early for this - but now that his plan has failed so thoroughly, well… It's still the weekend and now he’s going to sleep in for a while. He probably needs it.

"The Girl Who Cried Gnome"

Well, presumably Moofy and the other Girly Rangers don’t go selling cookies during normal Skool hours. So this episode either takes place after skool hours or also over the weekend. The amount of kid extras in the scene also supports that idea. 

Of course, with the episode ending with Dib being tormented until nightfall, there’s a reasonable chance he won’t make it to Skool on the next day… but I’m going to be nice and assume he managed to get himself free, like, at 3AM or something. So he’s fine, just incredibly sleep-deprived and traumatized. So par for the course, really.

"Dibship Rising"

So, Dibship tries to go to school as Dib, and it seems like it could’ve worked

Poonchy: Hey! Dib's bein' all weird and giant again!

But, well for starters, Dibship only managed to get to Skool by the time for lunch break. I guess he’s really just figuring out how to walk and he’s pretty slow and heavy… So yeah, it might take him a While to get to Skool.  Then once he is at Skool, Zim almost immediately takes him over and starts up his Evil Scheme. 

It’s unclear how long it takes until Dib actually wakes up (hey, remember what I said about him being probably very sleep deprived?), but since Dib’s concern is about being late, I assume the skoolday is not yet over. And when he meets up with Dibship again…

Yeah, it actually took me a bit to notice it, but the scene is directed as to always obscure the top of the ship’s cockpit. AKA where Zim is. I thought at first that maybe he sent the ship out on its own and jumped onto it when it was passing through the Skool. But with that little trick of angles and the stick in Zim’s wig and GIR scattering acorns everywhere… yeah he was clearly on it the whole time.

So Dib missed about a whole day of Skool, spending the reminder of that day trapped just over the cesspool listening to the dying Dibship talk about how much of a loser they are. 

Zim got about… half a skoolday done before skipping out for, as Dib pointed out, no real reason other then endangering himself. And I’m pretty sure he, like, died at the end of the episode. So he’s probably not making it back to Skool either. 

"Vindicated!"

The events of this episode start during Skool and then explicitly continue after Skool, not relevant. 

"The Voting of the Doomed"

Takes place entirely at Skool doing Skool stuff, not relevant.

"Gaz, Taster of Pork"

Well, I am not actively counting Gaz’s absences for this post, so I don’t need to worry about, like, the multiple weeks that her dad kept her isolated in his lab (and even so, I don’t think being forcibly being pulled out of the education system by your parents count as ‘skipping skool’?) As for Dib, most of his ‘research’ we’ve seen happen either in Skool

Or at nighttime and thus explicitly after Skool.

The daring breakout from Membrane Lab does happen in the daytime - the day after Dib’s Hobo Encounter at MacMeaties. The question is just if Dib decided to wait until after Skool to get the information out to Gaz or if he broke her out ASAP skool be damned. (And it can’t be the weekend this time, “this Friday” is our explicit Ticking Clock). But since the sun had already set by the time they finished with their chase scene… Honestly, yeah my guess is he decided to procrastinate by waiting after Skool to break her out lol.

So Dib has had another Very Long Night, but he probably didn't skip skool (and since the episode ends on Friday, he technically has two whole days to finish Cleaning the Pig Toilets and still make it back in time for Monday! Fun!)

"The Frycook What Came From All That Space"

So Zim gets kidnapped from Skool at the very start of the episode and , according to Sizz-Lorr, a week before the Foodening starts

Sizz-Lorr: YES!! And that's not all, Zim! In one week, the Foodening begins once more, and you'll be trapped here for 20 years, just like I was!

And Zim manages to get off the planet at the very last second before the Foodening trapped him there.

And we know there’s no ‘time warp’ in place cause Dib did notice Zim was gone for three days about halfway through the episode.

Dib: Um, I noticed Zim's been gone for three days. Do you know where he is?

So, yeah, Zim was absent from Skool for a week.

(I am… going to assume Dib did not spend like 72-96 hours non-stop annoying the Tallest. But rather he went back and to Zim’s house whenever he had the chance so I am not counting absences for him.) 

"The Most Horrible X-mas Ever"

Takes place over Winter Break and thus is irrelevant.

In total, Zim has confirmed 12 missed full days of Skool + about two times where probably just skipped the first period. Dib has three missed days of Skool. So, like Zim might need to repeat the sixth grade if time ever Actually Moved Forwards in the IZ universe - but Dib is pretty in the clear I think.

Really, what I find really interesting, more than just the obvious difference between Zim and Dib’s tendency to skip skool is the difference between the earlier and later episodes. Like, not counting the five days Zim picked up at the second-to-last episode (which were very much outside of his control)…  Zim picked up 4/7 missed days in just the first eight episodes! And after that they are far less frequent. Perhaps the writers deliberately tried to take care to not overuse the whole skipping skool thing too much? Or maybe from an in-universe perspective it just took Zim a few weeks to really wrap his head around how the skool schedule thing even works? 

[doctorofmagic]

Why magic in the MCU has failed

I remember the "good" old days when Doctor Strange was about to debut back in 2016. I was obsessed with spotting every single little magic detail in the MCU in the hope that magic would slowly grow in status and importance, only to give up after so much disappointment.

But the major issue? The moment Feige stated that every side project was a part of the MCU. People who experienced phase 1 and 2 will remember that magic was a taboo. "It's just science we don't understand yet". While it's a common line quoted by Marvel's greatest geniuses, we all know it's pure arrogance on their part. Otherwise, they'd be doing what magic users do.

It was not MCU's case. Magic was INDEED treated as science. From Ghost Rider's portal being reproduced by a robot through the Darkhold to Wanda's powers being a product of an experiment but not explained at all. From a loooong season of Cloak and Dagger taking its time to finally introduce magic elements to Nico's staff almost falling to the same old "technology" trope. From whatever is happening in Asgard to Loki's limited magic. It's frustrating, but we'd still find a way to turn the tables, right? The Dark Dimension was introduced (twice?), the (third) Darkhold was finally attached to Chthon, Morgana and Lorelei debuted, Nico's powers were finally acknowledge as magic... So what happened?

My best guess? Structure.

There's no structure to define what is magic in the MCU. Doctor Strange (2016) tried. Really hard. And, although it got several things right, it failed in two fundamental aspects: pre-established comic book knowledge and magic deities.

Remember how we got three Darkholds? The first was just so detached from magic that it became a book used to create a VIRTUAL world in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. The second was used by Morgan le Fey, but how was she associated with the Dark Dimension? Moreover, that was NOT the Dark Dimension from the first DS movie (or any comic book, really). Its last appearance, as seen in WandaVision and DSITMOM, finally mentioned Chthon, but it literally did NOTHING it was supposed to do. That MCU!Wanda has nothing to do with her 616 version, this is not new. But if we're going to use comic books as foundation to adapt a story, the very bare minimum you can do is do it right. Point is, the book does corrupt people, but it's because of Chthon's influence and his connection to Wanda. Where's Chthon in the movie? The corruption was badly explored and her journey towards evil and redemption doesn't make any sense from a magic point.

Now, the "main" magic cast in the MCU could have worked... Except that there's little to no information regarding how Kamar-Taj works as a temple/school for new sorcerers. And worse even, magic isn't connected to its deities. Sure, there were a few name drops, but does it explain where it comes from? And who chooses the next sorcerer supreme if the Vishanti isn't involved?

The truth is, magic was all over the place, and the creative minds were either too oblivious to the importance of learning about how magic works in comics (to the point of adapting a second Dark Dimension that has nothing to do with the original one) or too shy to introduce a magic hierarchy (as in, deities).

There's an actual attempt to create this structure now, but it's too late. Sure, you can ignore past tv shows, but the mess remains. Eternity was supposed to be an abstract entity, deeply connected to magic, cosmic aspects and life itself.

Loki is still so embarrassing because the very foundation of Asgardian mythos started wrong (and why is that? Because no magic, of course!). While I find funny that Stephen trapped Loki in an endless freefall, there's no way the god of stories would be humiliated like that. Loki being taught magic by his alts is infuriating (and it's, again, mostly illusions).

Remember when Stephen was beaten by math? That also happened.

This is the moment I completely give up to see magic portrayed at its fullest, in all its beauty and complexity. Because it's not treated the way it deserves. It has never been.

And here's my boldest take: if you really wish to see the full potential of magic in the MCU, go for What If. The price you pay, the cosmic proportion of being misused, the creative elements... It's all there. Which is sad because it's not the main timeline. Anyways, this is it.

PS: This post may age poorly as DS3 comes out in 20 years. Let's wait and see.

[whoreforhorror]

Hi wanted to request again, bc duh your writing is amazing, could you do one with a s/o with dyed hair (idc what color) and asthma (maybe allergies too :3) these are such random ass combos 😭

Again with Bo, Vincent and Brahms 😅

So glad you’re back! I saw this request come in when I was at work and couldn’t wait to get started. (It may or may not be 3:30 am but we’re going to ignore that <3) I will admit, it’s a random combo but I don’t care because you’re literally awesome!

Hope this gets close to what you wanted. I’ve got dyed hair so I can get pretty detailed with that but I don’t have any allergies or asthma so I was kind of just going off of what my friends experience.

Tw: mentions of panic attacks and asthma attacks, nothing too detailed.

Slashers with an S/O who has dyed hair, asthma, and allergies

Bo Sinclair

Bo would make fun of your dyed hair at first. He finds a way to make a joke about any color or pattern you’d dye, and would only really stop if you told him that the jokes upset you. He’ll still call you peacock every now and then.

It’ll always be a good time to surprise him with a new hair color out of the blue. Dye it while he’s working in town and bring him a beer. He’ll turn to grab it and freeze. You’ll get a response similar to “What the hell?” every. time. He’s always surprised no matter how much you do it. It’s hilarious and he’s also the only of the three Sinclair brothers to not get used to it.

He doesn’t think much about your asthma until your first asthma attack. Before, when you explained to him that you had asthma and had to use an inhaler, he’d respond with something like “Oh, alright.” and go about his day. As soon as you have an asthma attack though, he’s going to freak out. Please tell him how to help in advance or he’ll have a full-blown panic attack. I don’t know if you knew this or not but one person having an asthma attack while the other is having a panic attack is not the most productive situation for either of you.

He’ll worry about all of the dust outside, above all else. He’s going to keep a constant eye on anything that could turn into a dust storm and he’ll give you plenty of warning. He’ll give you face covers and masks if you’ll let him. He might actually dust from time to time if it would help with your asthma. Feel lucky and loved, because he hates doing housework.

Bo will want to have one of your inhalers on him at all times. Just in case. He’s a man that likes to be prepared and ready for any situation, and that doesn’t stop at your asthma. He’s not a big fan of surprises.

He’s going to make jokes about your allergies. “What, a little ___ is gonna kill ya?” “How’ve ya made it this far when a bit of ___ can take ya out?” Bo is an asshole above all else. 

When he gets really, really mad, a thought will cross his mind to get whatever you're allergic to and distribute it around the house or places you spend time in. He’d shut it down pretty quickly in most cases. It’s his sure-fire, blinking, flashing, neon sign that he needs to calm down immediately. He never wants to hurt you when he’s anywhere close to the right state of mind.

He’ll also want to carry an EpiPen if that’s what you use. Just like the inhaler, he just wants to be prepared and would hate to be caught off guard. 

If you have to go to the doctor for regular appointments because of your asthma or allergies, he’ll grumble and gripe about it but will basically plan a whole day out on the town. Brunch, dinner, shopping, dessert, maybe even a movie. 

Vincent Sinclair

Vincent loves the dyed hair! I mean, come on. He’s an artist. What else would you expect? Especially if you dye your hair vibrant colors, he loves to see what you choose and the process of applying it.

He wants to learn how to dye hair and do it for you. He sees that it’s occasionally a struggle for you and wants to help and make your life easier. He also just likes the artistic process and mixing colorful dyes to make cool colors.

If he ever finds out it’s a thing or your hair is already a buzzcut, he’s practically demanding you to let him dye patterns and pictures on your hair. Hell, even if your hair is longer he’ll want to do ombre and layers of color. He sees a new medium in your hair and would love to experiment if you’d let him!

He might dye a strip of his hair to match whatever your hair is at the time. When he’s thinking about you, he’ll play with that piece of hair. It’s like a promise ring to him so if you have enough hair dye for you, you better have enough for him as well!

Vincent is kind of worried about your asthma because of the less-than-clean state of the basement. It’s not like it’s uninhabitable but the heat, wax, and dust makes for air that doesn’t really count as fresh or clean. He’ll make sure you keep your inhaler on you at all times and will ask if he can get more to keep in places that you frequent.

With both allergies and asthma, Vincent will have you teach him what an attack or flare-up looks like and what he can do to help. He’ll listen intently as you tell him and it will run over the steps when he’s alone in his downtime.

He’s also worried about dust storms because Ambrose is a pretty desolate place with a lot of loose dirt. He’ll design different face coverings and work with you to make one that you like the most, is comfortable, and is effective and keeping you from filling your lungs with dirt.

He’s going to try and remove any allergens from the house and town if he can. He wants you to feel as comfortable as possible with him, and he doesn’t think you can do that if you’re always on your toes because of your allergies. If he can’t remove the allergen, he’ll at least try to find areas that have more than others and make them before telling you about them so you can avoid them.

Brahms Heelshire

Brahms, in his ever shelter mind, doesn’t like that your hair is dyed at first. ESPECIALLY if it’s an unnatural color. He’d be very tempted to cut it off and he just might if you make him upset and go to bed while his irritation and anger fester.

He grows to like it eventually because it’s a part of you and he loves you. He’d love it if you let him watch how you dye your hair. He’d probably lose interest part way through but he’s still really happy that you included him.

Just make sure not to stain anything. He WILL throw a fit if anything is stained because of your hair dye.

Brahms would ask you about your inhaler, which leads to him finding out you have asthma. He doesn’t see any issue with it until you wind up in the walls. He probably took something of yours and wouldn’t give it back, leading to you having to get it on your own. You managed to get to his room before the dust took over and you had an asthma attack. Brahms would freak out. Fully. When all is said and done, he’ll ban you from the walls and will treat you like you’re made of glass for a long while after that.

He’s going to mass order inhalers and EpiPens and have one in every room in the house. Even the walls. He might even have a couple in each room.

He hates the idea of having to use an EpiPen on you because he doesn’t want to literally stab you but with some encouragement and reassurance that it’s necessary, he’ll be a bit more comfortable using it.

Similar to asthma, he doesn’t really get allergies until you have an allergy flare-up. If he can, he’ll take anything that triggers your allergies and hide it in the walls (which might actually make it worse if it’s something airborne, but he tried). If he can’t he’ll get really upset if you go near anything that could set off your allergies. Even if it’s something like eating peanuts, he’ll get really upset with you for even thinking about touching the peanut butter jar.

[edwarddominicemilio]

I AM EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE

"The soul which has no fixed purpose in life is lost; to be everywhere, is to be nowhere." - Michel de Montaigne

I watched Everything Everywhere All at Once at a time when I was getting lost in life. Wow, what a terribly apropos film for me to stumble upon - almost as if it was godsent.

I understood how Jobu Topaki felt: to see so many versions of yourself in so many different universes all vying for a life each incarnation of you could have lived.

Right now, I wish I was exercising, I wish I looked my best, I wish I had a car, I wish I was mentally well, I wish I played my classic video games and watched my classic films and read my classic books.

I'm jealous of P who does these things. I'm jealous R who does these things.

All these negative feelings gather in me and I curl up into a ball, never to rise up again.

And my purpose too...I feel lost. Do I want to be a lawyer? Do I want to be a teacher? Do I want to be holistic? Do I want focused skills?

I'm so fucking tired.

Everything Everywhere All At Once is about empathy. Right now, I am just freewriting. My mind is in a state of utter chaos. This is exactly how Evelyn and Jobu felt. I need to understand that people have different universes in their mind too. People have ten million tabs open in the browsers of their brain. All it takes is a little bit of understanding to make sure I am not the reason the other person bursts into flames.

Was it like that when I broke contact with J? Not really, I was just hungry back then. But yeah, I was thinking about so many things. There was Jessup, there was the trauma from the rain, there was my gloomy future of singleness, there was loneliness, there was boredom.

I wish I had the ability to focus. I would have been supremely productive. But then, heh, I would not have been as intellectually astute.

Maybe I have ADHD. I have so many things in my mind. I always address different topics when conversing. I get lost in thought often. I'm impulsive.

What would the other Edward in other universes be doing?

Maybe one is a scientist. Another one is a doctor. Another one is a teacher. Another one is married to A, another one to J. Another one pursued P with all his might.

I guess the Edward married to J will be my favorite timeline. In another life, I would have loved doing laundry and taxes with her.

But Everything Everywhere All At Once also taught me to be contended with things. Each choice led me here and this is the universe I'm in. I can only look forward to the future of this universe, not in the futures of other universes.

What would my life have been if I stayed in Cebu? I would be hanging out with P often, maybe gotten close to her even more. Now, I'm a figment of her past. I'm not even in J's faintest memory.

This piece is my stream of consciousness. Its lack of direction is a metaphor for my mind. Chaotic. Unhinged. Usually, I make a framework for my write-ups, then I edit them, then I post. Now, fuck it, this is my stream of consciousness.

It's similar to what I do in a journal, I just write and write and write and write some more. Whatever be the content. The problem is there is no intellectual orgasm. There is no finish. No bang, to know when to clap.

That's the struggle with ADHD.

One way ADHD is portrayed in this movie is Evelyn's quest for silence...and her inability to know what to do with it. There are so many tasks I had to forego because I wanted to do them at a place for silence. Needless to say, I haven't found one. Or if I had, I would use the peace to sleep. Wow, that's ADHD with depression.

It took me a several minutes to write this piece. That's because I'm getting distracted by the other tabs open in my browser, by the fact that I'm writing this at the office with other people beside me, by all the other tasks I'm supposed to do etc.

Would the universe change if I did one act different? Prioritized one task over the other? What is the minimum amount of change necessary to produce a discernible difference in my life?

I'm tired, I want to rest.

I want to stop feeling everything everywhere all at once.

[nickgerlich]

Pump It Up

Quick. Name a social media platform that has been outlawed in numerous states. Now name a social media platform that is doing everything it can to promote its ubiquity. If you answered “TikTok” to both challenges, you would be right.



Never before in the short history of social media has one platform been so singled out as TikTok. As of April, 34 out of 50 states have banned its use among state employees. Montana has gone so far as to ban it completely for anyone and everyone, so please don’t think of visiting the Treasure State and posting your reels. You may just be fined.

Of course, Montana is going to face huge legal challenges on this one. And never mind that you could probably dodge their bullet by using a VPN on your phone. It’s little different from dealing with the Chinese firewall.

ICYMI, the controversy is over the fact that TikTok is owned by ByteDance, a Chinese company with rumored ties to the Communist Party there. That’s code for saying TikTok may be a national security risk, even if you’re just posting reels of your dog doing tricks.

To combat this, ByteDance will more than gladly take on legal challenges, as well as bolster its presence everywhere, like at the gas pump. Remember when we were told not to use our phones while fueling because we night cause an explosion? Yeah. Apparently that’s a non-starter these days, because TikTok has partnered with GSTV (Gas Station TV) to launch new videos we can watch during the five minutes we’re left checking our email and socials anyway. QR codes and a call to action seek to bring viewers into not just TikTok, but the brands paying to advertise there.

And it is pure genius, security risks or not. I bet the other social media platforms are kicking themselves for not jumping on this one. Think about it. When else do we all have a short amount of dead time that could otherwise be used for marketing purposes? This is the kind of thinking from the old days (meaning before COVID) that airlines followed with their in-flight magazines, as well as SKyMall catalogs. Those days were even better, because they had captive audiences locked into their seats for sometimes hours at a time.

The GSTV ads are 20 seconds, even shorter than the reels we see on TikTok. GSTV claims 116 million unique viewers each month, which speaks to the appeal of their platform. The ability to share these adverts makes them worth even more, because they can now reach even more eyeballs.

The strategy is nothing new for TikTok, which has also inked deals with Reach TV for airports, and Screenvision inside movie theatres. The goal is to be even more ubiquitous than Facebook, Google, or any of the other major ad-supported platforms.

Now let’s think about some applications. While virtually anything could be promoted at the pump, including simply planting seeds for products that might be purchased much later, I see great potential for items that could be sold in the next few minutes. Imagine the fast food joint next door promoting a meal deal, or a nearby bar advertising its Happy Hour.

Think about it. You’re already out in your car, and you use it to convey a quick and easy purchase, which may or may not have been planned. In some cases, it could divert you; in others, it could be a speed bump that interrupts whatever it is you are doing.

The major limitation to this method—which is good but not perfect—is that we do not purchase gasoline on a daily basis, unless you happen to drive 300-400 miles a day. Travelers along the freeway are one thing, but locals are probably not going to hit the gas station more than once a week, and maybe even less, depending upon the daily commute.

Still, I commend TikTok for finding new ways to spread its wings, because given the current state of affairs at the state and federal level, they should be nervous—and they are. While I hate the notion of a US firewall blocking selected sites, it is a possibility. It would be unprecedented—and I promised never to use that word after the pandemic and all its unprecedentedness—but stranger things have happened.

Meanwhile, fill ‘er up and look for these screens at the pump. They’re calling your name.

Dr “Sell Me Something Good” Gerlich

Audio Blog

[sanayac]

Why I love the 6.7 movie

This is entirely arbitrary.

What is the 6.7 movie? Well, simply put, it’s a movie with a 6.7 rating on the Internet Movie Database (also known as IMDb to the casual, Internet-movie-researcher). It’s a movie I like to describe as uniquely average, but charming nonetheless. There are no complex calculations behind this figure, no sum of all ratings divided by the total number votes times the weight of the film’s historical impact. The number rolled off my tongue and made sense to me, so I went with it.

The 6.7 movie is the perfect movie. Not because it outperforms other expertly written, universally acknowledged “good” movies. But because it’s a possible prototype for what you want to watch when you don’t want to watch anything.

I dreamt up this cinematic pseudo-rule-of-thumb after watching a little(ish) known movie called Starter for 10. Starter for 10 is a British comedy, set in 1985, that follows a working-class, full-scholarship-to-the-University-of-Bristol recipient, Brian Jackson (played by James McAvoy) as he fulfils his dream of appearing on the beloved British quiz programme, University Challenge. I didn’t read this synopsis or watch a stray trailer in my YouTube suggestions before deciding to scan all streaming platforms for the movie, failing, and ultimately downloading and watching it anyway. The movie was released in 2006, so it was by no means a movie that had the advantage of hype and newness. If I really strain my memory, I had probably stumbled upon it while looking up James McAvoy’s pre-X-men career (going back further along this memory chain is not advisable).

No, I decided to watch this movie because: it stars McAvoy, Rebecca Hall, Dominic Cooper, James Corden and Benedict Cumberbatch and this key, I had never heard of it. It was strangely thrilling to discover a movie that included actors, who are now successful in their line of work, all cast together in a single movie before any of them had their big breaks. It was like the movie was a graduating class, peppered with young, bright-eyed students who were going to change the world and you had the special privilege of knowing that they would go on to fulfil their potential before even they did.

The movie left almost no impact on me, except that it was mildly strange, but mostly pleasant. It had me engaged the entire time, but nothing about it was heavy. This wasn’t the kind of movie that had you sitting at the edge of your seat; no, this was the kind of movie that allowed you to recline as far back as you possibly could without being completely supine. It was the kind of movie that made you chuckle, gasp, and smile at all the right moments. Once the movie was over, it struck me that the movie reminded me of another McAvoy movie that left me feeling similarly soothed with the knowledge that nothing alarming was about to happen in the next 90 minutes: Penelope (also released in 2006), a movie about a girl who had been cursed with a pig’s nose by a spiteful witch (no, really). I casually hopped over to the movie’s IMDb page and discovered that this movie too, had a rating of, you guessed it, 6.7.

So what is it about the 6.7 movie that was so alluring to me? Well, that goes back to an emotion I still struggle with: disappointment. When I was a fresh-faced teenager, eager to dive into whatever cultural product I could lay my hands on, I discovered that I wanted to be blown away and completely absorbed by every book I read, every new song I listened to, and every movie I watched and because this world is far from perfect, this thought process had left me in a constant state of disappointment. That’s the magic of the 6.7 movie: it doesn’t disappoint, because it isn’t trying too hard to be great. It knows it isn’t going to shatter any records and therefore, doesn’t take itself too seriously. It’s a humble serving of ice cream, which at its very best, leaves you pleasantly surprised at finding a creamy, chocolate centre.

There are movies that completely reject this notion of being just slightly above average (every Christopher Nolan movie since Inception, I’m talking to you) and there are movies that are proverbial trash. But it’s the nebulous middle class of movies where the 6.7 movie resides. I love the 6.7—or 6.6, 6.8, maybe even 6, like I said, this is entirely arbitrary—movie not because it’s good, but because it’s interesting. What makes a movie passable? Either it’s a star-studded film that fell slightly flat, like 2017’s Battle of the Sexes, for example, or it’s a movie that nobody expected anything of at all, but it managed to inch past audience expectations anyway (like Starter for 10 and Penelope). Either way, it’s interesting to inspect why and how a movie manages to wedge itself into the stubborn right side of the middle. Far more interesting than uncovering why it’s brilliant or why it shouldn’t have been made in the first place.

Then there are the 6.7 movies that you don’t know quite what to make of, because they’re just meant to be fun. They’re the movies that immensely successful, serious actors make seemingly when they’re taking a break from all the seriousness. These are movies like 2001’s Bridget Jones’ Diary or 2010’s Love and Other Drugs, both starring once and future Oscar nominees and winners. They’re the movies that are sure to entertain and funnily enough, you have no problem revisiting them in spite of their apparent ordinariness.

I love the 6.7 movie, because I think mediocrity is underrated. Mediocrity defines a majority of the lives of most people in the world and instead of railing against it, I think all of us as movie-goers (and as fellow human beings) should embrace it more fully. Life isn’t lived out through scintillating conversations as much as it is in awkward pauses, unproductive workdays, and naps you don’t deserve, but definitely take. It isn’t a string of achievements as much as it is a string of routinely spent days, marked perhaps, by the little joy of watching an unremarkable movie.

If for nothing else, I love the 6.7 movie, because it makes the process of selecting a movie to watch that much easier.

Explore more 6.7 movies for your viewing pleasure.

[gamesception]

Comments from Kraftpunk

I'm not mad about it - just disappointed. I have tried to stress that Saito's not at fault for these characters & themes being missing. She didn't 'take them out' of the manga, rather it seems Ikuhara 'added them to' the anime. Having watched the anime first though, yeah, it's hard not to be disappointed that several of my favorite aspects from that version just aren't here. It's worth pointing out that I liked the 'Adolescence of Utena' movie despite many of those same aspects being missing, because I found the stuff the movie did instead to be compelling in its own right. I'm just not far enough into the manga yet to see what what its unique aspects are yet, hopefully when I do I'll be won over here as well.

I did not at all mean to imply you were making anything up, so I absolutely apologize for that. And thank you very much for the tip off towards Ursula's Kiss. I was able to find out more about it here: https://empty-movement.tumblr.com/post/168658185929

From some of Chijo Saito's scetches and design work it seems that early concepts for what would later become RGU were much closer to sailor moon, with an entire team of magical girls fighting a team of apocalyptic maybe-space-based bad guys. Of this early concept, it seems the only things that survived were the name of the main character Utena, that she was saved by a mysterious prince as a little girl and decided to become prince-like herself, that the mysterious prince went missing and is maybe one of the villains now, and many character designs - though the one eventually used for Utena was originally one of the other girls on the team. But there's no Anthy, which makes it hard to call it an early version of the same story so much as a different story that never went anywhere and had it's aesthetics and main character backstory later repurposed for the story we know.

The Ursula's Kiss stuff is a weird bundle, a proposed English localization of the anime that never happened. Thankfully so, as it features some of the less favorable tropes of 90s localizations, including random name changes and such. What we see on the web page has to have been put together pretty late in production actually, since from the episode summaries they have to have either had the entire finished anime or at least the full scripts to work with, because there's scene by scene summaries all the way to the last episode. But they also were given seemingly long abandoned stuff from the early story described above that didn't make it into the anime or the manga. And looking at Juri specifically is an absolute hodge podge, as they've got some of the 'Team Eleganza' stuff where neither Touga nor Shiori exists, her character bio is from the manga (likes Touga, antagonistic to Utena), but episode summaries are from the anime, including directly stating that Juri has a 'secret crush' on Shiori. It seems Enoki films was just handed a hodge podge of early concept, manga, and anime stuff, much of it unrelated, and just told to do whatever.

Really interesting artefacts none the less, especially the early sketch concept stuff. Thank you again to kraftpunk for pointing me to it all!

[anthonybialy]

Causing Effects

Lack of consequences isn’t the same as hiding from them.  I wish good luck to anyone trying to explain the distinction to aspiring evaders.  Pursuing legal results presently aren’t trendy.  Avoiding creditors only seems easier in an era when nobody answers phones.

Printing money makes workers feel foolish.  Why clock in for some job that cuts into Candy Crush time all to deal with annoying twits when salaries arrive passively?  Getting paid without that irksome work bit is why we have a government.

A wholesale misunderstanding of motivation, economics, and humanity hasn’t yet produced welcome results.  The outcome would seem funny if it weren’t one faction’s entire plan.  Limitless free currency might sound good to a four-year-old.  Adults who can’t envision creating value disappoint the next generation.

Money needs to stop inflating itself.  It’s surely not Joe Biden’s fault that bills became worth as much as newspaper as soon as he started spinning in the Oval Office chair.  He’s been terrific at accumulating it without ever being useful, so there’s no reason he’d want those filthy piles to turn worthless.  Presuming everyone else is as useless led to someone who can’t comprehend producing value handing out cash for nothing.

The fact the item used to buy other ones became worthless as soon as the incumbent brushed against power is evidence none of this worthlessness is his fault.  An obvious conspiracy against love and joy just means this cruel world with its nefarious forces conspired to ruin the joy plotted by America’s kindly Grandpa.  

The entitlement state is borderless.  Taking money to hand it back out certainly couldn’t be the very thing preventing prosperity in the first place.  A chance to make a fortune sounds like a lot of work, anyway.  Passivity helps regulate blood pressure.  Buying votes is an expensive way of cheap whoring.

Dividing by zero is about to multiply.  The next couple trillion bucks shredded will tape together prosperity.  An entire economic philosophy based upon surreal mathematics will surely add up starting tomorrow.  Presuming not only that our dreadful and moronic government is the best at solving problems but also the sole choice leads to the sort of semipermanent stagnation we have now.  You’d almost think the country was being conditioned to accept defeat if you were sweet enough to think those in charge are capable of scheming.

Having fun without planning ahead is the only activity labeled a right by enemies of the Bill of Rights.  Aborting the unwanted embodies the ultimate circumvention of responsibility.  Those who are never born fail to get the chance to avoid the irresponsible example.  The victim can’t fight back, which is the sickest targeting of them all.

Volume offers a distraction from shamefulness.  Preening about choice lamely distracts from how the most basic frameworks of legality and decency protect others who would be harmed by others.  Modern sophisticated thinkers decide they can do whatever they please, including keeping a baby from ever getting that chance.

The loudest science fans surely aren’t compensating for churning out noise with volume.  A refusal to understand conception is unsurprising from scientific experts who thought banning haircuts would halt a virus.  But a failing grade on biology exams is more willful in this instance. Extensive research has not yet answered the eternal question of whether they’re really that ignorant or really that mendacious.

Permitting stealing at will is how our loving society expresses compassion.  Disregard sob stories from diabolically greedy merchants who want to offer products humans want in exchange for currency.

Demonizing commerce is the least surprising policy from fans of plundering in the name of fairness.  Hopping literal and figurative turnstiles only creates higher prices.  Scientists will never solve the inscrutable mystery of why cities look like zombie movies.

Accepted stealing paired with excessively generating money dramatically raised prices, which is sure an odd way to help the poor.  But liberals love inflicting surprises.  Even if they don’t, they’re incredible and coming up with exactly the opposite of what they claim.

Smugness doesn’t will nonsense into existence, which is a shame for Democrats who can’t rely on impossibilities like wise concepts.  As for some of their countless victims, employing people has become even more of a challenge when there’s less to pay.  It’s a good thing there’s a high minimum wage, or this nation would be coping with rampant idling.

Ripping off steaks in order to feed their children is 2023’s most popular hobby.  Poor pilferers can’t afford anything.  Sure, making pancake mix out of reach resulted from the enacted Democratic platform sabotaging the economy.  But stealing from struggling stores is how hateful merchants get punished for trying to sell us what we want.  Money is worthless, which makes having a civilization challenging.  But liberals need victims to help, even if they don’t technically do it.

Innate ingratitude permeates a philosophy that presumes nothing worthwhile can be created before striving to prove it.  A life spent seeking out ways to circumvent the basic fairness of providing something to trade leads to reduced production.  They could at least learn incentives from basic examples.

[suckitsurveys]

When was the last time you went out of state? Last month when I went to Boston to see John Mulaney with my best friend who lives there.

And where did you go? Oh oops I already said lol.

What does the 6th text in your inbox say? Do ANYONE’S texts still work like this??? They’re all grouped by person and not text... Do you even like the person who sent you that text? For the sake of the question I’ll look at the 6th person in my inbox. That was a coworker. I don’t hate him.

Do you have more than one best friend? Yes. I have four. Sarah, Ellen, Mark, and Randal.

In public restrooms, do you flush the toilet with your foot? If possible yes.

What song is stuck in your head at the moment? The Man by Taylor Swift.

Name one thing you worry about running out of: Life.

Do you have a boyfriend/girlfriend? I am married.

Spell your first name without T, E, R, A, or L. Hnnh

How old were you when you had your first kiss? I was 12 or 13.

Do you ever save Aim conversations? Okay the text question makes sense now this survey was made in like 2002.

If you were a crayon what color would you be? Purple.

Do you wish your eyes were a different color? If so, what? No.

What is the 4th digit in your phone number? The person before me said they aren’t sharing that and I’m so confused? Like what is someone gunna do with that information? There are so many combinations of phone numbers it’s not like someone can take it and guess your number or any other information about you. Anyway, mine is 0. Have fun finding out where I live!

Who was the last person to comment you on Myspace? Wowwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww. Have you ever given someone a fake phone number? Yes.

Your phone’s ringing; who do you want it to be? Someone telling me I won free tickets to see Taylor Swift, Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, and Lana Del Rey whenever she tours.

Have you lied to get out of a date? Nah.

Was your mom a cheerleader in high school? She was actually.

Do you still have pictures of your ex? No.

When was the last time you ate at McDonald’s? Last Wednesday. I take my nieces almost every Wednesday when I pick them up. Sometimes I get something for myself or I just munch on some fries.

Do you think more about the past, present or future? All of it all the time always.

Are you more of a talker or a listener? Depends on the scenario. What do you wear to bed? Usually a tshirt and undies.

Do you like ketchup or mustard better? Mustard honestly. Especially honey mustard.

Did you ever have a Furby when you were little? I did.

Did you eat a cookie today? Nope.

What do you and your parents fight about the most? --

How old will you be in 15 years? I’ll be turning 49 gross.

Is summer your favorite season? It sure the fuck is. I wish we could skip past this spring bullshit and go right to it being at least over 70F consistently.

Chinese, Mexican, or Italian food? Mexican. How many states have you lived in? Just this one.

When is the last time you saw your mom? July 18, 2013. I cannot believe it’s been almost 10 years.

Do you like the band Mayday Parade? Eh. What was the first thing you thought about when you woke up today? How much I did not want to go to work.

Do you think dance/techno music is annoying? Whatever.

What year were you born? 1989.

Do you shop at Hollister? No.

Grab the nearest book and turn to page 17. What is the 4th word? The only books near me are catalogs for products for work. What are you going to be for Halloween? I'm not sure yet. My friend Lolly and I briefly joked about being Timothee Chalamet and Pete Davidson’s characters from that SNL Rap Roundtable sketch (ya know, the YEET SKRRT one lol) but theres also like 7 months until Halloween so that could change.

How many times have you seen your favorite movie? A lot.

Do you own a Coach purse? Nope, not really a fan of the brand.

What’s your Myspace song right now? Don’t have a Myspace anymoooooreeeee.

Has a boyfriend/girlfriend ever given you a pet name? Yes.

–

Name a product you buy mostly because it has a cool package. I don’t really think there is something like that?

Are you purposely hiding something from someone? I’m hiding how much I fucking hate my fucking piece of shit brother in law from him and my sister and their kids.

What’s the most intimate thing you’ve discussed with a stranger? I couldn’t tell you an exact conversation.

What flavor cake do you like for your birthday? I like getting cheesecake or pumpkin pie.

Is your house usually too warm or too cold in the winter? It’s fine.

Have you ever been in love with someone much older or younger than you? Not unless you count Will Arnett hahah.

Are there any songs that make you feel angry inside when you hear them? Anything by Megan Trainer or however she spells her name. When was the last time you sat on the ground, outside w/nothing under you? I don’t remember.

Would you rather have someone ask to kiss you, or just kiss you? I mean, consent is always nice, especially if it is your first kiss, but being in an established relationship, I don’t mind my husband just kissing me.

What the most recent thing to needed an Rx med for? It’s been a whiiiiiiiiiiiile.

Have you ever had a job you loved? I really like this one.

What, if anything, do you substitute for fries? Tater tots sometimes.

Have you ever been in a building that was on fire? I don’t think so.

Are you in an argument with anyone right now? Nope.

What do you wish they would change or bring back on FB? I don’t care.

Would you change your partner’s hair color if you could? No.

Do you like “are we alike” surveys? No.

Have you ever written a poem for someone? Eh. Poem is a loose term.

What is a place you’ve vacationed at and would like to go back to? The Dells, always.

Do you eat samples at the grocery store? Sometimes.

Who’s the last person who cussed you out in anger? My fucking brother in law.

Have you friended your parents on FB? I am friends with my dad but he does ABSOLUTELY nothing on FB lol.

What do you absolutely have to have to make your birthday feel special? Balloons!

What’s the last tourist area you visited? I’m trying to remember if I went somewhere “touristy” here but I guess the last place would have been the Quincy Market when I was in Boston.

Where do you go out to eat for a special occasion? I mean, I like to switch it up but usually sushi lol.

When was the last time you went to a post office? It’s been a while.

Is there an item you are saving up to buy right now? A mattress. And also Lana Del Rey tickets if she tours.

Are you psychic in any way? Nah.

Do you prefer a laptop or desk top? Which are you on now? I work primarily on a desktop and honestly I prefer that to a laptop.

You find $20, spend it before midnight or it disappears, how do you spend it? Sushi.

Do you like wallpaper? I do.

Mice or roaches? Mice, as pets.

Did you give or get any Valentines this year? Yes.

Have you ever been in a submarine? Not an operating one.

What is the last lie someone told you, or you suspect they told you? I don’t know.

Have you ever received a gift and truly did not know what it was? Probably.

What’s your homepage? Just the default chrome homepage..

What was the last birthday gift you gave? Uhhhh I bought my cousin lunch.

Do you have dessert after breakfast? Is that a thing?

Is there anyone whose grave you visit? My mother’s, when I find myself in Tennessee, which might not happen anytime soon because fuck that state.

Would you rather drive during the day or night? Either.

Is there a thing you enjoy doing, but quit because you are not good at it? Everything I try hahahahahha.

[nukafucker]

I posted 1,215 times in 2022

That's 58 more posts than 2021!

6 posts created (0%)

1,209 posts reblogged (100%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@rolypolycolby

@spideryspade

@mens-rights-activia

@rainbowchibbit

@ceasarslegion

I tagged 68 of my posts in 2022

#artist - 2 posts

#financial aid - 2 posts

#art - 2 posts

#we're not gonna take it by twisted sister - 1 post

#arent we all - 1 post

#what can ya do - 1 post

#¯\ (ツ) /¯ - 1 post

#if you qualify for food stamps you also qualify for a government phone by default - 1 post

#yknow youre absolutely right - 1 post

#papyrus deserves love and attention - 1 post

Longest Tag: 82 characters

#me sorting my parents spice rack: whats these seeds in the back of the top shelf??

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

0 notes - Posted July 11, 2022

#4

As today is the last day of Pride Month I just wanted to say this Pride has felt the least like Pride for me. I've not even hardly been able to think about the fact that this month is for us in the lgbt+ community, for our visibility, for resistance to a world in which we aren't safely able to be fully ourselves.

I just wanna wish my fellows alongside me in our community a safe and good rest of the year. Never be ashamed to be yourself, you'll always have someone on your side. Happy pride ❤🧡💛💚💙💜

0 notes - Posted June 30, 2022

#3

just watched the uncharted movie, hated it so much, came here to find salvation in nate and sully fanart, upset to find the uncharted tag has only been flooded with tom hollands nip nops

3 notes - Posted September 19, 2022

#2

Hey yall! So idk how many of yall kno but I am an artist and I'm very much pushing my art these days. Call it a new years resolution call it passion or whatever you want but I'm very excited to say I'm finally putting the same love into my art as I've learned to put into myself.

With this I'd like to promote my Redbubble a little, I've put a few of my original designs on Redbubble and am very excited to show everyone what I can do!

I'd also like to say I've been in a very rough spot for the past year. I live with my fiance now and have been for almost a whole year at this point and its been amazing being with him, but we've been living a hotel the whole time, barely able to feed ourselves. Come the end of February we're going to be kicked out, and we don't have the money to move as Orlando is legit in the top three poorest cities in the United States and we cant drive. It's not been easy to keep a job because all of the restaurants are disgusting and pushing and stressing me way too far and being lousy managers and I just can't mentally handle that anymore. I'm looking for a new job as I just lost my job at Chipotle

It would mean the world to me and my fiance if yall could spread the word of my Redbubble and maybe buy some stickers or something!

Here's my Redbubble link!

5 notes - Posted January 2, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

i cant believe this is the first piece of good fan art ive ever posted

116 notes - Posted May 20, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[zachbohrer25]

*Neville Longbottom and the use of "good rhetoric".*

In this entry, I will examine the critical questions: According to Isocrates, what is an example of “good” rhetoric? What does that rhetoric look like? What might be the benefits to not following Isocrates's guideline to “good” rhetoric? What impact does good rhetoric have on specific situations? In what ways does the artifact fit and not fit Isocrates’ criteria of “good rhetoric”, and how is this ethical/productive (or not) for society?

To investigate these questions I examined a speech given by the fictional character Neville Longbottom in the last Harry Potter movie Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part Two. 

Neville Longbottom, by following the criteria of Kairos, appropriateness, and originality as originally outlined by Isocrates, uses “good rhetoric” to successfully make his arguments during a speech given in the last Harry Potter film in a way that is productive for society.

In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part One, the wizarding world is at the final stages of fighting a war against Voldemort, who is largely considered to be the most evil Wizard of all time. The majority of the eighth and final Harry Potter film takes place during the battle of Hogwarts at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry where Voldemort’s forces and Dulmbledore’s army go head to head in a battle that will end serve as the final battle in the wizarding war. In the scenes leading up to Neville’s speech (which occurs in the final thirty minutes of the film) we see Dumbledore’s Army ( who the audience is largely expected to be rooting for) take a series of losses. For one, it has just been announced by Voldemort himself that he finally managed to kill Harry Potter (of whom he had been trying to kill for the past seven films, and who we learn directly after Neville’s speech is not actually dead), thus sending Dumbledore’s army into a state of defeat. Dumbledore’s Army had also suffered a series of casualties in the events directly prior to the speech, in which a large number of main characters were killed, enhancing this low sense of morale. Neville Longbottom, is a character considered to be nothing of magical excellence, but someone who has been shown throughout the prior films to have a strong sense of bravery and determination all while maintaining an underdog status and he makes his speech directly to Voldemort, who is surrounded by his following. It would not be wrong to assume that the power in this situation lies with Voldemort. But nonetheless Neville Longbottom gets in front of the gathering crowd of Voldemort supporters and Dumbledore’s Army members and gives a speech to his side urging them on in the face of death and sorrow. 

Isocrate is an Ancient Greek philosopher and rhetorician that believed that rhetoric could be categorized as good and bad. In order for Rhetoric to be considered “good” it needed to have three specific criteria: Kairos, appropriateness, and originality. Kairos was associated with timing, and this could be timing as seen by length of a speech, but more specifically it was that the right thing was said at the right time. So speaking out of place was not something that Isocrate would have considered to be good rhetoric. Everything had kairos to it and was important to follow. If a speech didn’t have Kairos it would not have been considered to be good rhetoric. The next criteria that Isocrates outlines is appropriateness. Appropriate rhetoric would be largely concerned with upholding community values or the values of whatever situation one might be speaking at. Generally speaking it’s to not speak out of turn, but to follow the social cues for what is occurring and to speak at the proper time about the proper subjects. For instance, at the birth of a child when the social norms and values tell us to be happy and excited for new life, it would not be considered appropriate rhetoric to speak about how the baby will die anywhere from now to a hundred some years. That would be considered speaking out of turn and not on the proper occasion. However, it is also mentioned by Isocrates that sometimes straying away from what the “good rhetoric” might be at the time, creates even better rhetoric. As sometimes certain situations that deem other solutions and make those decisions deliberately can make for “good rhetoric”. The third and final criteria that needs to be met for something to be considered good rhetoric is originality, and this is pretty straight forward. Does the rhetoric contain new ideas? Is the rhetoric being used to provide a new context to a situation or showcase a new idea? Originality can also be understood by thinking of the way the artifact was given, and by answering if someone has done something similar before. The rhetoric needs to present new, fresh, and worthy ideas to be considered original. A last point to mention is that Isocrate makes the point that not everything presented needs to be done so in a manner considered traditional for it to be good rhetoric. Sometimes making a point or statement in a way that people do not expect or consider to be normal can be just as good rhetoric. It all depends on context, which for Isocrates was vital.

Neville Longbottom deplays Kairos through the place, time, and circumstance he gives his speech in. Neville gives his speech after Voldemort had just brought all of Dumbledore's Army out to a courtyard and asked them to join his forces and fight for him. Draco Malfoy, a character that has been on the good/bad line for the majority of the movies, steps over to join Voldemort and not shortly after Neville follows. But Neville only steps forward, not to join the dark forces but to make his speech, and it is at this crucial moment that he meets the criteria of Kairos. The speech that Neville delivers can be considered to be a rally speech of sorts, as he is trying to boost morale and confidence in the face of an enemy that seems to have come out victorious. The logical time for a speech of this sort is when all seems lost, and what’s needed most is one person to light the way and show how the fight is not over. He gives the statement in the right moment chronologically where enough has been lost to feel like a last effort for survival and the perseverance of the values of the “good side” seems even more pressing than normal. It also poses the question, if Neville did not give his speech at this exact moment what might have happened? Without getting into hypothetical it would not be out of the realm of possibility to say that Dumbledore’s Army might have lost that battle, and not have lived to fight another one, making Neville’s timing even more crucial. 

By speaking in a situation in which the morale is lost and defeated, Neville Longbottom meets the criteria of appropriateness. Given that appropriateness is concerned with upholding the community values and traditions, Neville through his speech that is meant to get people to continue to fight meets the criteria of appropriateness. He upholds these values first through his words stating that “people die everyday, friends, family.” and that “they didn’t die in vain” before quickly turning to Voldemort and saying that “you will (die in vain) because you’re wrong”. It is these quotes that rally for support from Neville friends and continue the fight for their freedom. As well as Neville upholding the shared belief that Voldemort is wrong, that continues the chance for revolution. Neville also delivers the entirety of his speech to his friends and supporters with his back turned to Voldemort, until turning to tell him that he will “die in vain”. Symbolizing again the community ideal that Voldemort is not correct in his fight, and that this evil is not worth even being spoken to. It is also important to note that universally, even outside the fictional realm of Harry Potter, when someone stands up to a bully more often than not that gesture is considered appropriate. It is widely something thought of as positive with often times society placing a hero status upon those individuals. All this to say that in a global context, what might have been considered less appropriate was someone not to step up and challenge the ideologies of Voldemort.  Isocrates’s criteria of appropriateness allows for new stances and ideas to be shared, he 

Through the action of standing up against Voldemort, who is largely considered to be one of the most evil wizards to ever live, Neville makes his case for originality. But beyond just standing up against the bully, it is the context around his coming forth that speaks to his originality. Just before stepping forward Voldemort speaks to the crowd of Dumbledore’s Army and proclaims that everyone fighting against him should “come forward and join us, or die”. The “us” that is mentioned is Voledmort’s side of the fight, and it is with this statement that Neville steps forward. But he doesn’t do so to fight for Voldemort but instead he crafts his original rhetoric against Voldemort. Neville gives his speech in stark contrast to the death threat just given him by declaring that “it doesn’t matter that Harry’s gone… he’s still with us, in here” and finishes his statement by pointing at his heart. Neville then continues by consoling the families of people that died in the battle, and by comforting in the face of a looming death threat imposed on all those that stand against Voldemort. Through this fact it is without doubt that his speech breathes originality, courage, and bravery by calling to arms and lifting up spirits while facing an imposing threat on the community values and traditions. 

It could be said that because the context of the situation was during a moment in which maybe Dumbledore’s Army might have been better suited to try and regather and reorganize their efforts instead of standing up against the enemy when they are clearly narrated to be on the losing side at this moment. And so, perhaps Neville’s speech crossed the line into “bad rhetoric” as outlined by Isocrates as it urged them forward at a moment when victory seemed dark and bleak, even being told to “stand down” by his classmate Seamus Finnagan”. However, in contrast to this point it’s worthy to detail once against a concept laid out by Isocrates, that sometimes changing the tradition and narratives beyond rhetoric, or doing something new to create or instill a new community value can also be considered “good rhetoric”. Perhaps Neville did speak too confrontationally to the enemy after a series of devastating losses happened. Perhaps it might have been better to regather their efforts, but the context of the situation spoke otherwise and Neville, by seizing that opportunity, spoke with “good” rhetoric by fulfilling kairos, appropriateness, and originality. Sometimes speaking when hope seems lost, can be the best kind of hope, and through the use of “good rhetoric” Neville Longbottom shows the audience that. And so, because of this reasoning I think that this speech given by Nevilla Longbottom is productive for society 

In summary, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 Neville Longbottom, through harnessing the opportunity, speaking to community morales, and comforting gestures makes his argument through using “good rhetoric” as defined by Isocrates by meeting the criteria of Kairos, appropriateness, and originality. 

Sources

Mirhady, David, and Yun Lee Too, translators. Isocrates I, University of Texas Press, Austin, Texas, 2000, pp. 61–66.

Yates, David, director. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part Two. Warner Bros, Pictures, 2011.

[bella-studyblr]

Task Management:

Creating + Maintaining a Schoolwork Schedule

Key elements

Your schedule suits your individual time/task management preferences.

It is flexible enough to accommodate sudden changes, plus fluctuating energy levels, states of concentration, symptoms and moods.

Daily tasks are not over-whelming; they are small enough that they are achievable.

You do not get “burned out.”

It allows you to be consistent.

Steps to create your schedule

Decide if you want your planner to be paper or digital

Find an “order” that’s logical and achievable for you (more on this later)

Refer to your addendum/syllabus and write down all the assignments, tests and other events taking place that week/month (and their due-dates).

Then break these down, assigning tasks to each day of the week (more on this later).

Break down your tasks even further (more on this later).

Decide if you want to follow a simple daily to-do list or a timed schedule (more on this later).

Find your “order(s)”

Mandatory: Schedule assignments around other commitments (work, social, hobbies, etc.).

Do the hardest task first to get it out of the way (so that the rest of your tasks are less daunting, and because your smaller tasks require less energy therefore can be done even after completing the hard task).

Do the easiest task first to build momentum (give yourself a feeling of accomplishment which will motivate you to continue, and boost your self-confidence early in the day to establish a positive mindset for the rest of the day).

Do the task that’s due first to minimize deadline stress, and so your assignments don’t fall through the cracks (causing you to get discouraged and lose momentum).

Plan according to your energy level throughout the day and week: Do you have Pilates once a week? Maybe you can reserve that day for easier assignments. If you know you’re going to be tired for whatever reason, account for that in your planning.

Consider your state of concentration: If you know you’re too groggy or spaced out for the first hour of your day, you can either schedule easy tasks in that time, or none at all. If you take a medication in the afternoon/evening that makes you tired, schedule easier tasks or none, and get harder tasks done earlier/later in the day. If you have ADHD and crowded places mess with your concentration, but you like studying at a café, go when it’s not busy.

Be mindful of your emotions and symptoms: If you have depression, or are prone to depressive episodes, you’ll need to consider that when scheduling. You might have to rework your entire schedule when you get into a depressive episode (like adding lots of breaks). If suddenly you’re going through a big life event (like a breakup), you need to account for that when scheduling. For instance, if you can’t stand to be alone, maybe you can go out instead of staying in, and if your motivation is low, you may need to up your reward-system or break down your tasks even more.

Break down this week/month’s tasks

Refer to your addendum/syllabus and write down all your due dates for the time period you’re scheduling for.

Based on due dates, outside commitments, predictions of energy/mood/symptoms, assign assignments to the days of the week/month that make most sense for you.

Break down daily tasks into sub-tasks

You can do this (in advance) for your full week/month’s assignments, or do it every morning/evening.

Generally, your assignments will follow a variation of this formula: brainstorm, create an outline, research, write rough draft, edit and revise. Test/exam prep will look something like: check to see what the test is based on, pinpoint important sections, review to see how well you know the material, create a list of items to study, rewrite select notes, make flash cards, study topic 1, study topic 2, etc.

What are the individual components of these steps? Here are some examples. Brainstorm: what should my topic be, what should my thesis be, what points can support my thesis, what do I need to research, what questions do I need to ask my prof? Outline: topic, thesis, points, conclusion. Research: write down all the important parts from each source (separately), then sift through to sort into Supporting Point 1, Supporting Point 2, etc. Rough draft: opening statement(s), intro, point 1, point 2, etc., conclusion, closing statement(s). Edit/revise: read and check for grammar only, then read again and check for spelling only, read again and check for cohesiveness only, etc. Topic 1: Part A, Part B, etc.

Each of these small components can be individual items on your to-do list. Big tasks like, “write essay” are too big for most people. Even “write rough draft” is daunting. If you start with something specific and small like brainstorming, and work your way up, it’s a lot easier to approach. Plus, being able to check off tasks more often and more easily will boost your confidence and your sense of competence, thus building momentum.

Here is a sample to-do list: Research X for Point 1 of Literary Essay, create outline for History Essay, Edit/Revise Assignment 1, study Topic 1 and Topic 2 for Test 1.

To-do list or time-based schedule?

To do list: Write down all your assignments for the day. Put them in the order you want to do them, or go through them intuitively (based on what you feel like doing, or what’s most practical at the time/place you’re at).

Timed-based: Write down all your assignments, then write down the time you’re going to do each of them. You could set reminders or alarms if you want, or simply refer to the list. There’s an awesome app I recommend if this is your thing. It’s called Structured (iOS only).

Curate your study environment for maximum focus

Eliminate distractions such as uncomfortable clothing, sounds (or silence), phone and computer notifications, clutter in the room and on your desk, people who may try to talk to you (shut your door and/or inform them that you’re busy).

Designate a space to doing homework only and avoid spaces that you associate with other things (do not study in bed, as you will want to relax or sleep, and/or you will mess with your sleep by weakening the bed’s association with sleep).

Build associations: Incorporate other events and items into your study/homework routine that you only use while doing that, so that you associate those things with studying/homework (examples: specific playlists, pencils/pens, cups/bottles, scents, rituals, decor, etc.).

Ensure good lighting (preferably including daylight).

Get dressed in clothes that make you feel good about yourself. They don’t have to be “professional” and they should definitely be comfortable. Do not stay in your pyjamas. Believe me, I know this can be hard, and I love PJ’s. But they are not good for productivity.

Don’t “multi-task.” It may feel like you’re getting more done this way, but by splitting your focus, not only do tasks take longer, they also diminish in quality. Commit to the task you’re doing.

Meditate: You can even meditate for just 1-5 mins right before studying, homework and/or classes.

Practice self care (daily!)

Sleep (enough, well, and regularly).

Daylight: Get outside, work by windows, use a light therapy box. These can help regulate your sleep, improve and maintain mental health, and boost energy.

Fresh air: Getting outside even for a couple minutes can help you refresh and reset, and feel good about yourself and your life. Fresh oxygen can help you wake up and is great for your health. Even just opening your window can do a lot for your mood, energy and motivation.

Movement: Try to move at least once per day. The benefits of exercise are numerous and immense.

Healthy and consistent eating: Avoid spikes in insulin levels by eating regularly so you don’t have extreme dips in your energy level. Also, brain power uses calories too, so make sure you’re eating consistently, and try to eat healthy. There are so many other reasons eating consistently is good for your health (and by extension, your productivity).

Relaxation and leisure: Make time for fun and socializing, as well as intentional relaxation. Hobbies, movies/tv, time with friends/family, meditation, baths, progressive muscle relaxation, etc.

Therapy: Your therapy sessions are not daily, but you can do 5 minutes of inner-work per day based on what you and your therapist are currently working on. Working with a therapist is a great way to stay on track with your goals, and develop the skills and positive mindset required for success in school.

Reward yourself

Track progress: Reflect on all the assignments you’ve completed and your grades to remind yourself that you’re capable!

Completing to-do lists daily maintains a sense of accomplishment which keeps your momentum going. Check those items off! Or give yourself gold stars! ⭐️

Treat yourself with non-food rewards: Tie completed school work with fun tasks like video games, or take yourself out for coffee, or some other small (non-food) outing. What I’m trying to do right now is not do my leisure activities until my daily tasks are done.

Develop a positive mindset

Take promises you make to yourself seriously. The more you break promises to yourself, the easier it will get to continue breaking promises. You will lose respect for yourself which lowers motivation, and you will lose trust in yourself which can become debilitating as well. The more you keep promises, the easier it will get, the more motivated you’ll become, and the more you’ll trust and respect yourself. Your confidence will improve, and you’ll feel better about yourself. Productivity is choosing yourself. Discipline is choosing what’s best for you instead of what you feel like doing in the moment. Discipline is a muscle, and like any muscle, it can be strengthened, and it can atrophy.

Remember your “why.” What is the end goal of being in school? What’s your career path, and why did you choose it? What will your life be like when you have that career? What would your life be like if you gave up and didn’t make it to your goal? Aiming for your dream while running from your nightmare is a great strategy for maintaining motivation. Lighting a fire under your *** can be a huge motivator.

Remember how good you feel when you get schoolwork done, and let this motivate you to stay consistent. You can also remember how you feel when you don’t get work done, but definitely focus more on the positive!

Go to therapy and/or hire a coach. There are SO many benefits to therapy and I’d honestly need a whole other post to get into it. You don’t need to be depressed or mentally ill at all in order to benefit from talking to a therapist. They can even help you with time management, procrastination, motivation and more! If you can afford it, please do it. It’s such a worthwhile investment.

Be consistent

No “zero days.” Do at least a bit of homework or studying every day so you don’t slip into vacation mode. Make schoolwork a daily part of your life, so it just becomes the norm.

Build productivity momentum (track progress, check items off your to-do list daily, treat yourself, keep promises to yourself, remember your “why,” remember how success feels).

Stay on top of projects. Your assignments are made up of smaller tasks you assign yourself across time. “Success is the sum of small efforts repeated day in and day out.” - Robert Collier

Avoid burnout (more on this later).

Keep it interesting (more on this later).

Avoid burnout

Self-care: shower and/or bathe regularly, maintain proper sleep habits, stay hydrated, take care of your skin, do relaxation activities like meditation and reading, do fun activities, pamper yourself every now and then with face masks or foot baths, take your meds as prescribed, eat well and regularly, get outside often, move daily, etc.

Break up study/homework sessions into small, manageable chunks of time, with constructive (refreshing) breaks in between.

Break assignments down into even smaller tasks so that you aren’t over-working yourself during the course of a day, and so that you don’t overwhelm yourself (the stress can lead to burnout).

School-life balance: Keep up with your social life as best as you can, make time for your hobbies, maintain self-care, say no to things that don’t serve you, etc. Try to follow through with scheduled schoolwork 100% of the time, but know that you won’t. Sometimes you’ll need to prioritize mental health over schoolwork (be careful though, this is a very fine line, and a slippery slope). Sometimes things will come up and it’ll be out of your control. But more than anything else, there will be times when you just decide to prioritize something else like fun and socializing over schoolwork. This is why your schedule needs to be flexible: to accommodate sudden invites to hang out and random decisions to skip a homework/study session, but more importantly, flexibility will reduce the odds that you’ll skip in the first place. If your schedule includes hobbies and socializing, and anything else that’s important to you, then you won’t feel deprived. If you have school-life balance, you’ll have more of yourself to devote to schoolwork when it’s time to.

Keep it interesting

Romanticize your life by putting effort into making all of your daily tasks a special occasion.

Make meals and drinks special by using your favourite dinnerware and cutlery. Perhaps even incorporate extra elements such as: a beautiful tablecloth, napkins, candles and/or dim lighting, music, wearing your favourite clothing, etc.

Pretend you’re the main character in a movie about a successful, productive student (because you are the main character in your life).

Make games out of studying if this is something that interests you (the Forest app comes to mind).

Use lots of colours in your notes and buy colourful stationary! 🌈

Vary your approach/methods if needed to avoid boredom.

Study with friends (online or in person).

Reward yourself often.

Remember your “why.”

[sukunasdirtylaugh]

JJK Men on Your Period

Mentioned: Gojo, Yuuji, Megumi, Sukuna, Toji, Nanami, Yuuta, Choso, Mahito

In honor of my period starting and it being a bitch, I give you this. Also- you can thank my stepdad for setting the bar low. Very low. Like underground low. He's like 'you got a period? fuck that' vibe going on. So yes, I could use a Nanami or a Yuuji right about now. (Please universe, I beg of you).

Gojo

Cocky mf.

He's all smug when you ask him for help that when he comes back from the store, he brings the wrong size.

"Hey babe, what size is your-"

"GOJO!"

If you are having a particularly hard day, worry not. He's already booked you a 3-hour session at a 5-star spa.

Rich boy. Would bring you that one gold expensive candy you see for Valentine's day.

He's pretty open to do whatever you want if you're not feeling well. And by that he watches chick flicks with you.

Your typical 00's movies.

White Chicks, 13 Going on 30, and his favorite- Legally Blonde.

Doesn't understand what foods you need or don't so he just assumes whatever is expensive is the best.

"Gojo, I don't need exotic pineapple cake imported from Indonesia, I just need Chamomile tea."

How They Get Pads-

As stated earlier, he does somewhat of a good job. The first time you ask, he brings 3 more packets. One for light flow, heavy flow, and one for when you don't really need a pad, but you need it there just in case.

He's pretty open and not too shy to ask the women next to him for help (good for him!). They're usually nice, seeing as he's being a good partner.

He'll buy a stuffed animal for every month you're on your period. It sort of becomes this weird tradition of yours.

"Gojo... you got me a bumblebee?"

"I did! I saw the crochet ones on TikTok, so I wanted the prettiest one I could find."

You were sobbing.

9/10

Yuuji:

He would be really sweet about it all. He won't really understand the basics, and he'll wonder why cramps keep you from possibly standing, but once you explain things to him, he's as understanding as a beside nurse.

Yuuji is always at your side if you ever need anything. Sweets? Grains? Something warm? He's there. If you want time to yourself, which he can notice, he'll be in the living room watching a movie. Occasionally taking the time to check up on you every now and then.

If you don't want to be alone, he'll settle for watching a movie. Cuddling is his best medicine, so you're more than insured on that department. Since his love language is physical touch, you'll be getting more of it during these days.

It's not until after your period that Yuuji notices you're extra needy on those days, so he frowns. He misses those days and hopes your next period comes around soon (weird, huh?). But you get the point.

He's already coming up with new things to do when the next wave hits.

I know I said that, but he sees it as an opportunity to show his love, so you bet your ass he's treating it like an assignment.

This mf even has a week outlined on the Calander for every month. And he refuses to tell you why (out of embarrassment).

How They Handle Getting Pads-

He's already out the door when he hears you from the bathroom. Telling him you've run out of pads. Up until he reaches the store, does he realize he does not know anything about pads. Other than the fact they all look the same. So, he picks up Nobara for help.

"You're so lucky to have me as a friend," Nobara instructs as she walks down the feminine product aisle. "Get her night pads and ultra-thin pads."

"What's the difference?"

Nobara shoots him an 'are you serious?' look. "Do you seriously not know the difference?"

He shakes his head no.

"Make sure to get her snacks too. Oh, and maybe flowers. Quick! What sort of flowers does she like? Is she really angry or very sad?"

"Umm... both?"

He's so confused someone help him.

You're so confused when he comes home with a dozen items. Kind of like that episode from Spongebob where Mr. Krabs spoiled Mrs. Pufff with the accessories.

(Awww)

Overall, he's one of the purest. He's trying his best, ok?

9.9/10

Megumi

He knows what periods are, he just doesn't know what to do in this case. Is there a specific routine? Ritual? Is he supposed to offer his kidney or something? *humor*

After your first day, he's already doing research on his own. He's too shy to ask you, so he goes to the internet instead. Over the past hour, he's read 6 professional articles on periods: 2 written by Doctors, 1 on the tax system and pads, along with a few videos. One of which happened to be What Did Women Use Before Pads in History.

Let's just say he's really informed

But also, really really overwhelmed.

"Hey, don't drink that. It's not good for you."

"But it's my iced Boba!"

"Exactly," he answers, taking it from your hands. "Iced. You can't have ice on your period."

"But my period is already gone."

"You still have a pad on, so no ice. I saw the wrappers in the trash, so don't try to fool me."

It's during one of these interactions when it strikes you that he really does care for you. So you nod, a smile creeps on your lips.

"Okay, can you hold it for me until it's over?"

"Of course, I'll put it in the fridge-" he freezes when you've stepped in and pressed a kiss to his cheek.

"Thank you."

How They Handle Getting Pads-

Fairly well. As inexperienced as he is, he knows he can never go wrong with bringing more than one option. He can always return the ones he doesn't need, so he's not too worried.

On his way back from the store, he makes sure to head to your local TK-Noodle shop and buy you Pho on the way home.

"Do you need a blanket, or anything?"

He's very serviceful during these days. And like Yuuji, his love language truly shows. He's there during it all. Even when you're ugly throwing up, he's already got medicine on the counter waiting for you.

All he hopes for is to make the (unpleasant) week as pleasant as he can.

9.9/10

Sukuna-

Mf is grossed by the idea of periods.

"Sukuna you've literally killed and seen blood before, this-"

"You're comparing two different things. Get that away from me."

HE'S THE SENSITIVE ONE

He's like the type of person that would be cooking with oil but wearing a sweater and doing it as far away as possible.

Doesn't really care. But if you ask him for water, maybe he'll oblige.

'it's that bad that I can't give you a 0, so I give you, a 1.'

1/10

How They Handle Getting Pads-

No.

Just don't.

Toji-

Just like Sukuna. He's nearly avoidant.

If you're in pain, he'll toss you some painkillers and a water. That's all you get.

How They Handle Getting Pads-

On his way to the grocery store, he gets the first thing he sees and leaves. He hates getting near the feminine product aisle that it's the first and last time it happens.

"I got your stuff." he says as he tosses you the package, "So when can we have sex?"

2/10

Nanami

FINALLY

A man who can safely handle things.

I'm not saying Yuuji and Megumi can't handle it, they do a great job, but this man is your gold star.

Brings you baked goods on your period.

Apart from baked goods, if your lower abdomen hurts, he'll offer to give you a back massage. And LORD ARE THEY GOOD. You'll be wishing for more cramps to get this mans hands on you. Relief has never felt so good.

He frowns on men who see periods as gross. In his eyes, all men come from a woman, so how can you be grossed about that? In all eyes, he sees that as a red flag.

You wake up and stain the bed? He won't tell you. Instead, he'll coax you out of bed and prepare you a warm bath. While you're bathing, he'll wash the sheets. So by the time you come back, you're sleeping in sweet scented (warm) sheets.

During your period, you notice how well he cares for you. He does a fantastic job, and you thank him for it. Actions like these, make you wonder if he will be a great father. And you nearly wish to be Pregnant, just to know, see, and feel how he would care for you.

How They Handle Getting Your Pads-

"Hey sweetheart, I'm at the store. Do you need anything? Ok. What kind? Thin? Or..."

He asks all the right questions. And he won't get any creepy looks, instead, he'll be getting flirty looks from middle aged-young women. They all want him and envy the woman waiting for him at home.

He handles it so well 11/10.

Like Yuuji, he has his electronic Calander highlighted in pink for every month. indicating your time of month to remind himself to be extra gentle with you.

While you're on your period, I like to think that you like to have him lay in your chest as you massage his scalp. It's kind of your thing now, so he likes that you are extra physical during this week. But he also likes taking care of you like you do on your normal days.

It's just that on these days he can show it best.

Yuuta

Poor baby doesn't know a thing about periods. He may know that heating pouches are needed, so he'll buy you one from Amazon.

You now, the ones you can throw in the microwave and place over your abdomen.

Once he has a good idea of what it is you're going through and how you're feeling, he will either offer you comfort, or give you alone time.

He will also ask lots of questions.

"How are you feeling? Do you need to be alone? Want me to be here? Or should I go?"

This is as blunt as he gets but know he does it to get a clear idea of what you need. Since he doesn't know how else to come across, it usually works well.

How They Handle Getting Pads:

He's very shy to say the least.

He waits until there's no one on the same aisle as he is, and even then, he rushes. He picks the happiest (pinkest) package with flowers and butterflies.

No one notices him (luckily), but he his least favorite part is the checkout.

That's why he goes to self-checkout stores instead (whenever he's dealing with this type of emergency).

Overall 6/10.

Choso

Oh sweet baby boy

After being on this Earth for 150+ years, he has no idea what a period is. So you have to (thoroughly) explain it to him. And answer his questions.

"Does it also come out from your...? Oh, okay."

Respectful af.

He's very empathetic towards your pain and mixed emotions.

When you're usually in your days, he makes everything he can to make your workload lighter. That means doing more chores around the house, being kinder than usual, and he'll be reminding you how he's there for you.

One day, when you're sick, seeing you in bed hugging your pillow makes him twitch. It awakes something in him, and he didn't know what it was until he picked you into his arms.

He wants you to need him. He wants to be there for you and wants you to use him.

He is, quite literally, at your service.

How They Handle Getting Your Pads-

It has to be a while through your relationship where you feel safe enough that he can go on his own.

And he does well. He just doesn't know what exactly you need. So you write down on a piece of paper what you need. However, nearly the bottom half shelf is labeled with the same thing.

So he takes 2-3 packets. Just to be safe.

When he comes home, he's ready to be in your arms again. And he's always asking how you feel. Honestly a solid 7.5/10.

Mahito

Wtf is a period?

Get this man away from your blood. Unless you want him to collect it and do some witchcraft on you, seriously get tf out.

How They Get Pads

Funny of you to assume you need pants.

You'll be using his hole-poked underwear as your pads now. Have fun. You asked for it.

-5/10

[honeyabyss]

Mc falling asleep next to them

Lucifer:

he had been working nonstop for hours now and the pile of yet to be read and signed documents wasn't getting any smaller

you had been sitting in his study silently working on your own assignments, that was until you've finished them about an hour ago

pacing his room in boredom and looking at the stuff he keeps in his closets (mostly books, records and demonus)

"Could you stop wandering around, you're irritating me!" Lucifer is stressed, annoyed, etc and your sighs, constant footsteps and opening and closing of closet doors, didn't help him to concentrate

you could have left the room and found something else to do, but you were determined to spend some time with him, as the evening work hours are quite literally the only hours where you can be alone with him

so instead you seeked permission for putting on a record to have at least some entertainment, which was both a good and a bad choice at the same time

yes you had something to enjoy and relax to, but the relaxing part worked a little bit too well

after a good ten minutes you were sleeping peacefully, stretched out all over his sofa with no care in the world

"I'm going to take a small break and get some coffee. Do you want something as well?" Lucifer asked only to be met with silence, which he didn't appreciate

he was about scold you for being rude, when his gaze fell on your sleeping form and the words seemed stuck in his throat

how could you sleep so peacefully right next to one of the strongest demons of hell, he honestly didn't know if he was pleased you found comfort in his presence or if he should be annoyed that you don't take him serious enough

nonetheless you seemed to have a good sleep and as this is often near impossible in the House of Lamentation, he decided to let you sleep

he got himself his coffee and once back in his study he moved his workplace to the small coffee table and took a seat next to you on the sofa

he adjusted your form so you weren't hanging half of the edge and put his coat over your sleeping form for some warmth

"Foolish little lamb, letting your guard down in a house of wolves, good thing I'm here to protect you..."

Mammon:

"And then I, the Great Mammon, made an action movie worthy escape and totally didn't run away in a panic, because Lucifer was chasing me..."

he had been telling you how exactly he got into the situation of hanging from the ceiling once again, as you've tried as careful as possible to cut him free, which was harder then expected with the way he kept moving around

once finally free, he dropped onto the ground, whining about the rope burns he got basically all over his body, though demons heal quicker, it still wasn't a nice feeling

with a sigh you offered him your hand and pulled him up and away to your room to give him some of the salve Satan had made you the last time you had accidentally cut yourself while cooking

you sat a flustered Mammon onto your bed while you went ahead and searched through your bathroom cabinets that were filled with products Asmo had gifted you, when you finally found it you asked Mammon to hold still while you put some salve onto his burned skin

"W-what?! N-no way! I don't need your help, I can do that on my own!" and with that Mammon stormed away with your salve and locked himself into your bathroom

you knew better then to argue at this point, Mammon would do what Mammon wants to do...until he fails and seeks protection behind your back...

be it because he is embarrassed, doesn't know how to open the salve tube, or because there were so many rope burns...but Mammon took quite long to apply the crème, leaving you to wait for him for at least half an hour now

helping out Mammon can become quite tiring, not that you mind helping him or don't like being around him, but a nap sounds nice right now

and so you lay down in your bed, it is after all your room, and just because Mammon is currently camping out in your bathroom, doesn't mean that you can't take a nap

Mammon comes out of the bathroom a few minutes later, he probably needed a few more minutes to build up courage to face and thank you, but he is met with the sight of you sleeping on your bed

Mammons brain is working overdrive, trying to figure out if he should leave the room quietly, wake you up or stay and watch over you...then again he doesn't want to be seen as a creep by you, but he can't deny that he would like to stay with you

he carefully climbs into bed and pushes you a bit further in so you sleep on the wall side and don't fall off in case you move, it takes five more minutes until Mammon risks putting his arm around you all while holding his breath in anticipation of your rejection, when none comes he settles a little closer to you and falls asleep as well

"Don't worry my human, the Great Mammon is gonna keep you warm and protected in your sleep!"

Bonus: even though you two fall asleep next to each other with only Mammons arm wrapped around you, expect him to wake up on top of you holding you like your his pillow

Leviathan:

it was 5am and Levi and you were currently waiting in line in front of a shop to get your hands on a new limited edition Ruri-Chan figurine

surprisingly enough even though you turned up quite early, there were a good amount of people in front of you

the shop would only open a 9am so you still had a long time to queue in the coldness of the devildom morning

"Ah that is not fair! We planned everything so carefully, it was the perfect timing, why aren't we first in line?" Levi complained while standing on his tiptoes to be able to see and count the demons in front of him, coming to the conclusion that if everyone were to buy one figurine he'd still be able to buy one for himself...and whatever you might want

you weren't the happiest when he told you about his plan a few weeks prior and getting woken up this early you might have been a little slower than usual in getting yourself ready, now that you were here you couldn't help but feel a little guilty

you tried to cheer Levi up with the argument that if you were longer in line that also meant you could spend more time together, which resulted in Levi turning into a blushing but happy mess

you put down the blanket you've brought and made yourself comfortable on it, Levi joining you but looking a bit stiff from the closeness

you ate a breakfast consisting out of sandwiches made with whatever was left after Beels midnight snack, which wasn't much but better than nothing

afterwards as there was still a lot of time to pass you started to play some games on his Switch, trying to stay awake

the emphasis lies on 'trying', because after 2 hours or so you start to fall asleep, eyelids and limbs heavy, you don't have the energy left in you to fight the sleep and so you nod off, your head falling onto Levis shoulder who had been inching closer over the period of time...to be able to better see the Switch display not to be closer to you...

Levi.exe has stopped working

there he sits red as a tomato with Mc sleeping on his shoulder, the queue in front of him starts to pack up and move as the shop gets ready to open up, his Switch display is showing the game over screen, his mind feels fogged over and he has no idea how to react now

Mc just fell asleep and Levi feels guilty to wake them...but they have to move...

"H-hey Mc? T-the line i-is moving? Wake up....please..." his attempts are way to quiet for you to hear and even as he gently shakes your shoulder you do not wake, leaving Levi quiet in a dilemma

"N-no other choice..." he says as he packs up the stuff alone, leaving only you sitting on the cold floor...he can't just leave you here..

Levi turns into his demon form, his hands shaking and eyes flitting across your from and over the crowd of other demons, before he carefully lifts you into his arm, his tail wrapping around you as well for more stabilization, so he has one hand free to carry his shopping bag later

he never bought something faster than that day, he got his figurine and even bought you some anime merch he knew you had stated to like, all while feeling like he was running the worst fever of his life and receiving stares, giggles and smug smiles from way too may people, that was enough attention for at least a century for Levi...but he did like holding you in his arms

"This is not fair! I have to deal with all the embarrassment while you sleep...but I guess it's okay if it's for you..."

Satan:

Satans last anger fit had caused way more damage than usually, it had taken place in the library when Mammon had tried to steal a very rare book about spells, to sell it after he found out how rare it actually is...now that lead to Satan throwing down and emptying almost all bookshelves and kicking Mammon through the room

While Mammon was strung upside down from the ceiling, Satan was forced to clean up the library alone, but you had pity on him as there were quite a lot to clean up, if Lucifer doesn't find out you helped there will be no consequences

Satans opinion about you helping was split, first of all he was really thankful for the help even though he was at fault for the chaos, having to clean up all alone was a bit much, but on second thought Satan was worried that you tried to go against Lucifers orders, he's proud of you for defying his eldest brother but also feels like it's a stupid idea

but you have made your mind up and so while Satan repairs and stands up the shelves, you begin to put the books in, you might not know the exact way they stood like Satan, but for now getting them off the floor is the priority

there aren't many words spoken as you silently work away, only once in a while you point out a book which got a bit more damage, the cover hanging off loosely or a few pages ripped out, you two decide depending on the damage if it can be fixed or not

every now and then Satan asks you to hold a piece of a shelf together while he fixes it, he is surprisingly fast and knows exactly how to repair it...just as if he had to do it more than once in a while...

"Oh Mc? Can you give me the screwdriver? No no that one, the one with the cross head is what I need..." you had no idea there were so many different tools, and wouldn't be the slotted one sufficient if you just angled it right? Satan just laughs and let's you try it for yourself, only for you to fail, he then shows you how to do it correctly guiding you through fixing your first shelf

"The last shelf is standing again, I'll help you with the book now." Satan pointed out, a small ray of hope now that only the books were left, you didn't reply, which honestly wasn't really necessary, but a small affirming noise would have been nice, so Satan tries to keep the 'conversation' going, while he works on the books with his back turned to you

"...you're still ignoring me? Are you angry at me for making such a mess? You know you didn't have to help...you can go, no need to act like all high and mighty!" he was getting angry again, yes he did make a mess, but he didn't do anything to you! Had he? He couldn't remember, but humans might interpret actions and words differently…he didn't want you to be mad at him, and neither did he want to get angry at you, but with you ignoring him it became quite difficult to keep his voice low

having enough and wanting to make up before it gets worse, he makes his way over to you, who was leaning against a shelf with a book in your hand

as he sits down next to you and turns your body to him through a guiding hand on your shoulder, he startles, you fell asleep in a sitting position? That sounds more like something Belphie would do...Isn't that uncomfortable?

You must have been exhausted after filling up three shelves of books and fell asleep midway on your fourth shelf, Satan chuckles amused and relieved you aren't mad at him but simply sleeping

He picks you up and brings you to your room where he lies you down in your bed, covering you with the blanket and hesitantly stroking your hair before going back to cleaning up the library

"Thank you for being so patient with me and helping me! You can rest now and I'll make it up to you later!"

Bonus: he will most definitely take you out on a date of your choice, even if he doesn't enjoy the idea as much as you

Asmodeus:

Asmo had taken you out shopping, as he claimed his wardrobe was not having the right clothes anymore so he had to get new ones fast

he had dragged you through town for the whole day and you two only returned home late in the afternoon, you completely exhausted and ready to drop in your bed, while Asmo while being slightly tired, still insisted on putting on all the clothes and showing them off to you and his followers on Devilgram

he entrusted you with his D.D.D to take some nice amazing shots of him to gain even more followers, though that seemed impossible as it already felt as if the whole population of hell was already subscribed to his account

but as long as all you had to do was hold the D.D.D up and click the screen for a picture, you were fine, you sat down on Asmos bed trying not to disturb the bags of clothes that lay there as well

Asmos screen lit up nearly every few seconds with a new message, how did this man not get crazy with all the message?! And he must check them all, because whenever you write him, he is on and writing back instantly...maybe you should steal his D.D.D from time to time to get him away from it...

While Asmo was changing into new clothes in the bathroom, you could hear him humming a happy tune, clearly in his element and enjoying his time, which made you happy as well, but the exhaustion was still plaguing you and the bed felt unbelievably comfy and on top of that the humming of Asmo was slowly lulling you into sleep

"Oooh Mc~ I especially like this top! Just look how nicely it fits, it shows of my best parts, which are all of me haha...hey Mc?~ Look at me!" Asmo pouted as you stayed put on his bed, and climbed over your form, already expecting you to start pushing him off, only to get concerned when you don't

then he sees your eyes are closed and you seem to be peacefully asleep, he instantly coos at your sweet sleeping expression, the back of his hand caresses you cheeks softly, but you don't react much besides moving a bit into am ore comfy position

Asmo backs off and begins to put down his bags, then he tucks you under his covers and climbs right in with you, pulling you close so that you lie on his chest, his arms encircling you to keep you put

the pictures for Devilgram are forgotten for now, they're not running away anyway, you two can continue another time, but for a beauty nap sounds good

"Oh Mc! You look so cute when you're sleeping...next time tell me you need a break, I'm happy to cuddle you while you're recovering!"

Beelzebub:

you had decided to stay a bit longer at RAD today, because you still had something to discuss with one of the teacher, as well as doing some research for an essay that was due next week

most of the brothers had already left for home or different work related activities, except Beel who had Fangol practice today after school, and as you were not allowed to walk around the Devildom without someone accompanying you for protection, all that was left for you was to wait for Beel to finish his practice, which usually took place for about two hours

you sat down on one of the benches at the side of the field, waving to Beel so he knew you where you were and could keep an eye on you

you worked away on your homework and checked you D.D.D from time to time replying to all the messages you got

the practice seemed to be still not finished even after two hours had passed and you were getting a bit tired from sitting around, but you also couldn't just wander off, Beel might start worry...plus the risk of running into a less friendly demon was still a thing

so you shifted from one position into another not really being able to get comfortable on the hard wooden bench

the ground seemed to be comfier with every minute passing, and so you lay down ignoring the weird looks of the team and trainers, you're body simply wasn't made to sit on this bench longer than necessary

"Here you can wrap yourself in this...it's getting cold. Training is almost over, just hold out a few more minutes!" Beel came over and gave you his jacket and you quickly put it on revelling in his warmth

but here is the problem the jacket made you feel so comfortable that you fell asleep, right on the floor next to a few dozen demons

"We're finished! I'm hungry, let's go get something to eat, any wishes what you want?" Beel was packing his stuff and rambling on about how he could eat at least one year worth of food, training having starved him quite a lot

but when you didn't respond he grew worried and kneeled down next to you, gently resting his hand on your side, he simply laughed when he saw you fell asleep, he is used to it due to Belphie, so he carefully picks you up and carries you home, deciding to order food once there

just Beel giving you a piggy back home, softly smiling to himself and being happy you've come to be so at ease around demons..still at bit worried, but he'll protect you, no worries

"I'll stay by your side until you wake up...and then we can eat lots of good food...please just don't sleep too long or I might have to eat before you wake up."

Belphegor:

so there he was, sleeping, on your bed, in your room, without an invitation...and honestly it wasn't even a surprise anymore, coming home after a work shift at Hell's Kitchen and just wanting to sleep, but no there was no space for you on the bed

I have no idea how, but he manages to occupy the whole bed, and hog blanket and pillows to himself as well

if only he was easy to wake, just to tell him to move over, but no he wouldn't wake up unless you pulled the big guns and nobody wants to face the consequences after one dumped water bottle on his head, it would be a hundred times easier and less dangerous to wake Satan

but you were really tired and just wanted to cuddle into your bed, maybe you could maneuver him with a bit strength..actually forget that...you could always call Beel for help to carry him to his own bed, but by the way he was clinging to your blanket and pillows, that would only end in a empty mattress to sleep on and then you would get cold...

honestly it was his own fault at this point you had threatened him to do it, but he had just laughed it off...

and so you climbed into bed and lay down on top of him, wrapping your arms around him so that you would get at least his body warmth if not the blanket

to your surprise he didn't wake up and he was really comfy, his rhythmic breathing was really relaxing and it didn't take you long to fall asleep

after some time Belphie wakes up with you wrapped around him, he quickly realises that you're asleep, but is stunned nonetheless that you would actually have the guts to sleep on top of him with the risk of waking him up in a bad mood

"That's quite bold of you! You didn't think I will let that slip though, right?" he chuckles amused but shifts nonetheless to make room for you, his embrace is tight, and he hopes just a little bit that you wake up, so he can tease you, but you stay asleep looking content with your new position

"I suppose I could go for another nap...now that I have my favourite pillow with me, sleeping will be even better!" he cuddles you, just like the blanket and pillows...which you don't get any of by the way, but you get Belphie so that's even better, he's gonna keep you warm, don't worry

"You're such a odd human...no idea why I like you...anyway just stay here in my arms and sleep!"

Diavolo:

yesterday was amazing, Dia had taken you to a trip in the human world and you had showed him around, visiting as many places as you two could

what you didn't know was that he had actually sneaked out of the castle to spend time with you

well you didn't know until a very angry Barbatos opened a portal right in front of you two and started lecturing Dia for at least one hour

you felt a bit guilty that you were the indirect cause of this and quickly apologised to him promising to make it up

so here you were in Dias office, overseeing him to do his work so he couldn't sneak out again and Barb didn't have to find him

after all if the reason for sneaking out was right in his room then he had no reason to go, besides the intimidating amount of work left on his desk after yesterdays excurse

Dia worked concentrated for most of the time, only now and then staring out of the window or talking to you

"Isn't it boring to watch me work? I can work alone, I promise to run away...or else Barbatos might get a heart attack from shock of seeing me gone again" he chuckled while signing another document

you reassured you didn't mind sitting next to him in silence, you had a good book borrowed from Satan, tea and cookies from Barbatos and you could stare at Diavolo all day long

your last statement made Dia flush red quite quickly and he tried to distract himself with his work, he slouched over in his chair trying to escape your gaze, but you were having none of it

your arms snaked around his waist and your head came to lean on his shoulder, Dia stiffened not sure how to react he liked the feeling of you hugging him, but now he was scared to move too much as not to disturb you or accidentally hit you with his elbow while trying to write

after a few more documents his eyes flit over to your face, cheek squished against his shoulder, eyes closed and breathing calmly

"Mc? Are.. are you sleeping?" he is whispering trying not to be too loud in case you are truly sleeping, and that you are! A soft smile graces his lips, nobody was ever this relaxed around him, he is proud and wants you to stay asleep as long as possible

he keeps working until Barbatos knocks on the door, coming in and announcing to have brought more tea, only to stop when he sees the sight in front him, Mc holding onto Dia, head resting on his shoulder and sleeping, while Dia put his finger to his lips to tell him not to be too loud

you sleep for an hour or so until Dia really has to move, apologising multiple times for having to wake you

"I'm glad you're able to relax around me, please continue to be yourself! My shoulder is always there for you to nap!"

Barbatos:

"You liked the cake that much? I'm flattered! I could teach you how to make it if you'd like?"

you had been over for tea at the castle and the chocolate cake with black-as-hell cherries was the best cake you've ever ate, it was bittersweet in taste not too much sweetness and not too much bitterness, paired with the melting chocolate, you could have eaten the whole cake on your own

you doubt you'd be able to get the same ingredients in the human realm but maybe you could find similar ones, so you were more than willing to learn with Barbatos

and so you arranged to meet the next Sunday afternoon for a baking session

Barb let you into the castle already awaiting you at the door even though you were early

you two worked on the cake, Barb explaining each step carefully, even for the easiest steps he takes his time to explain and help you, being very patient with you no matter how much you screw up

"Next we have to melt the chocolate in a pot. Wait a minute I turn on the stove for you" while you put the chocolate pieces into a pot, Barb moves behind you and turns on the stove, his arms brushing your sides, yet he stays fully focused, what can't be said for you

the cake is put together quickly with you two working together and while it bakes in the oven and the chocolate is meting, you two go ahead and start cutting and coring the rest of the cherries to decorate the cake later

"Here have a taste, they're bitter at first but the aftertaste is nicely sweet!" He holds out a cored cherry for you to taste and eats one himself, smiling gently at you while you sniff at the fruit first, which smells exactly like a normal human world cherry

the only thing left to do is wait for the cake so you two sit down for some tea at a small table in the kitchen, talking about the week, when Diavolo calls for Barb and he quickly excuses himself to help the prince out

the sweet aroma of the baking cake, the warmth of the tea and the very comfy chair you're sitting in, are a dangerous combination making you fall asleep

as Barb returns he sees you with your head lying on your folded arms on the table, clearly asleep, Barb decides to eave you there while cleans the kitchen and checks on the cake half an hour later

"Mc? The cake is ready to be decorated do you want sleep or do you want to help me?" somewhat embarrassed you stand up and help him with the decorations , Barb acts if nothing happened but he can't help but think about your gentle expression while you slept

"Next time I'll let you sleep longer... I wouldn't mind if you visited me for your naps if that meant I could see you more often."

Solomon:

learning magic was many things: exciting, frustrating, dangerous, fun...but sometimes it also was unbelievable boring

like when you think about magic, you think about casting charms, curses, making potions and all that stuff, but nobody told you that beforehand you have to learn everything about the new spell or etc in theory!

so here you were sitting with Solomon as he rambled on about how while the shrinking charm could have really bad side effects if casted wrong, sure it was important to know how to cast it correctly but did you really have to listen on to everything that might go wrong?

listening to all this just make you feel less confident, I mean technically you were practicing with a tea cup to shrink, so shrinking only a part of it wouldn't be too bad of a side effect, but what if you used too much pressure and made the cup explode and you'd hurt Solomon in the process?!

You took a deep breath, which made Solomon stop talking as he looked at you questioningly

"Anything wrong? Already giving up? Is it toom much?" his light teasing was meant to make you relax, but all you could do was give a small, stiff smile, signalling for him to continue and he did, after messing up your hair with his hand giving you a huge grin, but he talked slower now giving you more glances to make sure you were still alright

"How about a small break? I'll make us some tea..." he stood up and made some tea...in a beaker over a Bunsen burner..this weirdo..

the tea didn't taste weird though, it was just normal tea, even though the preparation would have made Barbatos get a stroke

after the break he was back to full tutor mode and your concentration slipped with each new word, until your head falls down, your chin resting on your chest comfortably, you had fallen asleep right before him

Solomon notices instantly that you're asleep and starts laughing so loud that you wake up again, he is crying and gasping for breath at your flustered state and you hit for good measurement on the arm

"Am I that boring? Fine if you're tired you can rest on my bed. I'll read you a bedtime spell book..." he doesn't stop laughing and teases you endlessly, you better be on your toes around him, you won't be hearing the end of this

"Hey sleepyhead? Do you want me to read you into boredom? I won't take pictures of your sleeping and drooling self...No promises made though..."

Simeon:

He was staring blankly at his manuscript, writers block had been plaguing him for quite some while now, but the new chapter had to be sent to the company until next week

you had offered to help him out maybe you could give him some ideas, so he invited you over and let you read the latest chapter so you'd know what had happened

you sat in his room brainstorming ideas on a small extra sheet trying your best to help Simeon out who looked quite lost

"Do you think that would work? Doesn't if feel a bit too rushed? But maybe if we combined these two ideas together..." he seemed to had found something and began to roughly write up a plan for his further writings

he continuously asked you questions about the smallest details, it was kind of cute that he relied so much on you, he probably could have done the rest himself as well, yet he kept involving you into the whole process

while his one hand scribbled like a madman, his other rested on your arm occasionally lightly squeezing it, reminding you that he didn't forget about you

you slowly fell asleep, the sounds of each others breathing, the pen scratching over paper and the ticking of the clock hanging on the wall, the inly sounds to be heard

"What about this part? How do you think it could go from here?...Mc?" he wasted no time in making sure you were lying comfortably, putting his cloak over your form and still squeezing your arm from time to time while he continued to write late into the night

only then did he notice, the brothers might worry about your absence, should he wake and bring you home? or should he let you sleep here and inform Lucifer about your safety? but the sofa you were currently sitting on, would make your back hurt if you continued to sleep here

it took him some time debating with himself, but came to the conclusion to carry you to his bed and tuck you in, giving you a forehead kiss like he was used to with Luke, only to realise what he'd done and quickly scrambling away in embarrassment to give Lucifer a quick call about the situation

"Have sweet dreams my lamb! I'll be guarding you in any realm, even the dream realm!"

Luke:

Luke, Simeon and you were having a small movie evening, watching some old Disney movies

Simeon didn't allow you to watch something else to protect Luke, but you didn't mind too much

you were having some freshly made desserts by Luke who had worked on them the whole day, as he was very excited for your meetup

you watched a few movies, talking, laughing and joking together, just having fun

"Huh? They called the mean cat Lucifer? Hahah how fitting, he kind of even looks like the real Lucifer! Ah, don't tell him that though!" Luke really liked to compare the different characters to the people he knows, but when there actually were a cat called Lucifer he was quite surprised...who would want their cute pet to be called like a demon? Why not call them angel names? Michael is a pretty cool name...

over the time you became more and more tired and Simeon seemed to notice, suggesting on stopping for today and continuing another time, but Luke convinced you two of one more movie

unfortunately you didn't last the final movie and fell asleep cuddled underneath the blanket between Simeon and Luke

Luke took some time to notice, only seeing it when he turned to you wanting to tell you his opinion about the last scene

"Oh! Simeon... Mc fell asleep..." Simeon already knew, as you had fallen onto his shoulder, not that he minded, he just told Luke to stay quiet and watch the rest of the movie

Luke cuddled up to you to keep you warm and occasionally glanced at you to make sure you were okay, and there cuddled next to you he as well fell asleep...trapping Simeon underneath your combined weight, making it impossible for Simeon to get out of the bed, so you three just slept together that night

"Don't worry Mc! I'll keep all demons away from you while you sleep!"

[broadwayandnetflix]

i have a request for bo burnham!!:) maybe like the reader and bo watch the special when he gets done editing it and doing all the other stuff he has to do for it, and he records her reaction to the whole thing and that’s how he announces the special?? i know that’s weird but it’s been stuck in my head, so you don’t have to do it if you don’t want to!

Test Run - Bo Burnham x Reader

Warnings: Language

Theme: FLUFF (angst if you like squint)

Word Count: 1.6k

A/N: y’all I wrote this so fast, like kachow. I hope you enjoyed it, and got a break from all of the angst. but angst is still good. but this fic is not me fangirling over inside. never, couldn’t be me. I hope you enjoyed the fic though @bos-a-feminist I had sm fun writing it.

It had been late one evening when Bo had practically burst into the door of your bedroom. You sat puzzled as you gave the man time to catch his breath, as he gave you an eager look.

Trying not to giggle as Bruce yipped at Bo’s feet in pure excitement, it seemed he too was trying to figure out what was going on.

“What? Are we finally gonna have sex again?” you say humorously, causing the man to break composure for just a second.

“No! I mean what the fuck? Yes, yes, and to answer your question, yes. But not right now.”

You giggle as he looks at you with an expression you couldn’t fully decipher. In any constellation, it had been months since you had seen the man this energetic.

Usually, when Bo would come back from his long days in the guest house, he’d tend to be exhausted. Often just giving you a quick kiss before collapsing onto the mattress.

His blue eyes softening towards you as he extends his hand for you to take. Which made you realize that there was an ounce of seriousness in his actions.

Your hands fitting perfectly in his as he pulls you up from the bed, one hand making sure to hold the small of your back.

“Where are we going?” you breathe out.

Bo remained silent, but you found out soon enough as he led you outside to the guest house.

You had stopped dead in your tracks, causing him to do the same. Eyes widening as you realized what was gonna happen, turning to Bo and giving him the biggest grin you could muster.

From the minute he had set foot in the guest house to begin his special, he had been very secretive about it. Something about how it helped him to create something that no one really knew about.

I mean, you had some idea when the UPS trucks kept delivering camera equipment. Or when he had asked if he could take some of your clothes. Other than that, though, top secret.

It had been about roughly a little over a year when he had started the special. A year of emotions and hard work, and by the looks of it.

It seemed as though he had finished.

“Wait are you doing what I think you are doing?” you say, looking at him expectedly.

“Shit babe you catch on quick. Yes, if we are on the same mindset. I think we are, now hush, or I’ll never get to show you it.” Bo instructs before leading you inside.

In all honesty, you didn’t know what to expect. The last time you had seen the guest house had been roughly two years ago. Now? It looked completely different.

Wires and different camera equipment lay waste on the floor, making it almost a hazard. Other lights of various types and sizes filled the room like mini metal trees. It looked disorganized and yet organized at the same time.

Yet Bo walked through the maze of equipment with ease, almost as if it wasn’t even there. You smiled before tiptoeing to the clearing that Bo had made for you.

“Yeah apologies, I wasn’t expecting company.” Bo smirks as you break into laughter.

“It looks…well it looks well used.” you reply, getting comfortable on the chair he had provided.

In front of you sat a projection on the wall of what seemed to be an editing software. You looked back at Bo with an eager grin; he gives you a slight wink.

Anticipation settling in the air as you watched him mess around with the monitor. Until his cursor finally presses on a folder and a video screen pulls up.

You half expected him to sit beside you. Still, instead, he remains behind the computer, amongst his sea of technological instruments and cameras.

“Y/N, I’m showing this to you. Simply because you deserve to see why I’ve been so busy for like a year or more. Plus, you mean the world to me and I wanna know your input.”

Bo says softly. You can detect a hint of nerves in his actions and tone; you practically melt, realizing that was he anxious. Regardless you knew without a shadow of a doubt you were gonna love whatever he puts out.

You open your mouth to reply before he presses play, and an eerie ringing fills the room. Music filling your senses as the special, titled Inside, plays before you.

The next hour or two fills you with a multitude of emotions that you can’t quite place. It seemed like Bo was making you laugh seconds ago, and now you can’t help but feel tears well up in your eyes.

Cinematically it was stunning, breathtaking even. It was hard to believe that Bo had turned the little guest house into a studio. Or at least to the extent that it became, with its gorgeous displays and production.

Performance-wise, it was a completely different ballpark. Bo fucking delivered in more ways than one, whether in humor or just pure raw emotion.

Acting or not, it broke your heart to see the man you loved so dearly in the state that he was in. Of course, you could tell something was up even then when he was filming, but he never gave away the extent of it.

Just hearing him cry made your stomach twist in knots; you wanted to comfort him. Only to be reminded that it was just merely a video of him.

Even at the moment, it took you everything not to look back at Bo; you knew how much he valued your attention. Plus, you wanted to experience the special in full, just as you would if he were on stage.

The special wasn’t the same as his others, but it was well needed for a time like this. It felt personal and introspective, but it was also oh so clever and in-depth. You adored it and the time and effort that he had put into it.

As the credits rolled out and you saw an acknowledgment for your name, your heart soared.

You knew that the two of you had worked hard to be there for each other the past year. Especially with everything that was going on and Bo working most of the time.

To know that you had helped him in any shape or form. It just meant a lot, in more ways than he’d ever know.

The lights in the room flickered on as if he had made a make-shift movie theatre. You wiped away any stray tears, and before he could even say anything, you ran into his arms.

Bo jolting back in surprise before accepting the embrace and holding you tighter into his chest. His head resting gently on top of yours due to his taller stature.

“God I love you so much, more than you’ll ever know. I seriously don’t know if I would’ve made it out alive this past year if I didn’t have you.” he croaked into your hold.

It took you a second to realize that the man was crying, and you pulled away to meet his eyes. Your fingers brushing away his tears before reaching up to give him a kiss.

His figure bending down just a tad to meet your lips as he kisses you back sweetly. It’s light and yet so filled with passion for making up for what time that had been lost.

Yet as he looks down at you, a smile etching across his lips. As he asks you about what your thoughts are on his special, he already knows your response.

Unbeknownst to you, he had recorded your entire viewing experience. Of course, if he were to ever share it anywhere, he’d ask your permission, but it was apparent.

Even as you told him how much you loved it and how much you enjoyed it. You knew that he knew that you understood the special the way he had intended it.

It was one of the many things that made him adore you endlessly. You meant the world to him.

“We should celebrate babe! Maybe order a pizza or something.” you exclaim, arms still wrapped around his neck in your embrace.

“We definitely should, but what pizza places are open at this hour?” Bo smirks as you give him a slight frown.

“I don’t know, that’s a good question.” you hesitate.

“Actually I do know one place that’s really good and delivers.” Bo whispers seductively up against your ear.

You giggle and gesture for him to continue as he swiftly pulls away from your hold. His hand outstretched for you to take once again as he leads you towards the house. Or, more importantly, towards your bedroom.

“Me.”

——————————————————————------------------------------------

Bo sat anxiously beside you as his fingers lingered over the ‘post’ button on his different social media accounts.

The post in question was a video that he stitched together of you watching the special. With your consent, of course.

It had been edited together to be vague enough that he wouldn’t spoil the special. But nonetheless, it was sweet, and he totally made sure to include you tearing up in it.

You made it a priority to tackle him for that one.

The video was sweet and short, but it got the intended message across, and you personally loved it, just like you loved Bo and the special.

“Any-day now Robert.” you tease as you hold his one hand in yours.

“Do you think that they’ll wanna watch it?” he whispers quietly.

“Of course they will, it’s you. Baby you are so talented, your fans will be so excited.” you reassure.

Bo sighs before squeezing your one hand tightly before pressing the button. And letting Inside out into the world.