#also also stop glorifying the show challenge

[saintsarefake]

tiktok and tumblr stop stalking the ex victim of a stalker to send him photos of his stalker and re-traumatize him challenge

[urlocaldesertdweller]

(Stanley X Ranger/Cop! Reader)

inspired by _heyitsjei on TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@_heyitsjei/video/7411525022759570704?lang=en

im in love with the dymanic of ranger/cop of gravity falls in a strange relationship with the famous but sneaky Stan Pines. (suggestive, subtle mention of erection, making out, sensual touching)

You were an inspiring new ranger on the streets of Gravity Falls! You would accept any job from Blubs or Durland, and they had just the plan for you.

You had to look over a sneaky con artist named Stanley Pines. His age, in his 60s, made you think twice about this gig. Until you had your first encounter with him.

When you drove to the tourist trap that was his home, before you could even knock on the door, you heard a loud older voice scream about how the police were here in a panic.

You give a few knocks, which startles an entire argument between the older voice and a couple of younger voices within the home. After a couple more minutes of waiting and making sure you look clean from your hat and ranger pin, the door opens.

A young girl with a nervous smile looks up at you, and then when looking up, you see what you believe is Stanley, who looks clearly uncomfortable and is forced by the little girl to come and answer the door. She quickly introduces herself as Mabel, stepping aside to let Stanley enter the doorway and take a good look at you.

You didn't look intimidating as you smiled with a warm greeting for a ranger. Mabel relaxes with your first moment of greeting, and then you explain why you are here. To keep a close eye on Stanley Pines for a while, by orders of Sheriff Blubs.

Stanley's nervous grin falls into a frown as he scratches his back, groaning that he's basically going into a glorified retirement watch by a cop. With a mild eye twitch, you extend your hand to shake hands. Mabel elbows his side, and he sighs and takes your hand in shaking it. What surprises you is him pulling you in patting you on the back and whispering this.

"Good luck, kid; a young cop like yourself will have a rough time with an old but experienced dog like myself."

He lets you go, and you act as though he had challenged you. You walk back, confused but determined, looking back at the cabin.

...

You'd have your weekly to daily checkups on Stan Pines. You stood firm against his tricks and frustrating antics, from bribing you to straight-up attempting to lie in front of your face. But you weren't Sheriff Blubs of Deputy Durland.

From warning to fines, Stan made sure to give you the stink eye as you beamed with pride doing your job. Of course, this man would step and dabble crimes involving you having to take him into the office for questioning.

Once, you'd pulled up proof that he was not only scamming people out of money for some party but also carrying various weapons within his home.

You pull into the booming outdoor party; you don't falter when you feel the wave of groans as you step out of your vehicle; Stan makes sure to comment about you being once again the party pooper. This only made things tense between the two of you as you stepped right into the middle of the dance floor, hands on your hips, staring right at Stan.

You couldn't help but glance at the way he was dressed; it suited and looked good on him for being in his 60s (the party outfit in "Swooning over Stans"). Stanley would catch you but say nothing in front of such a crowd. He smirks.

"I'm afraid you're coming with me, Stanley Pines. You had fun while you had it tonight, but I'm taking you in for crossing the line with this party!"

The surrounding crowd ooohs as you pull out your cuffs, and you watch Stan visibly tense up; he looks almost ready to run, but you rush up to the porch walking behind his back. He resists, but you manage to cuff him behind his back. Thanks to the other young twin of Mable, Dipper stopped him from running.

You lead him towards your car as the crowd watches the show. From insults to snarky comments about the way you are handling and touching him in the back of the vehicle, you only roll your eyes. As you double-check the locks and yell to the party to continue as they pleased, you drove off back into the roads towards the town.

The tension only grows between you as you stay quiet and keep your eyes on the road, only sparing some glances at him in your mirror to ensure he isn't escaping, also maybe to enjoy the exposed chest where a gold chain is nestled in chest hair and his man-boobs.

However, Stanley would finally talk about how he didn't miss how you looked at him at the party and now. You are surprised by this; you nearly choke on your spit and swerve slightly on the road. You cough, clearing your throat as you tilt the mirror, and you glare at him with your meanest eyes, making Stan chuckle as you enter town.

You were unaware of having to use the oldest cop cars known today and that the literal child's lock was set and entirely available for Stanley in the back.

You do your best to cool your face down from Stans's comment, which oddly seems to come at a consistent rate until you were realized too late from the sound of the lock being shifted and the door opening.

You stop immediately as Stan jumps out of the door into the streets while screaming for freedom. The people walking gasp and shout at the sight. You jump out and make a run yelling for Stan to stop while he mocks you and laughs. He's a decent runner for an older guy...until his knees fail him, and he slows down quickly.

Being the tryhard cop you are, you tackle him and press him hard into the ground on top of him. He groans and shifts underneath you; the sight alone relaxes the people around.

You have to admit the man caught a young cop like you off guard, and you even found yourself breathless from the chase. You lean beside his ear, laughingly from when he challenged you.

"...I don't..need any luck to catch you! And I thought that you were... experienced, no.?"

Stanley straight-up growls with frustration and tries his hardest to move out of your grip. He even dares to thrust into you with shock, but it only makes you hotter and keeps the grip on his hands harder.

The crowd then becomes confused by the odd tensions and weird movements the two of you are making and leaves the scene.

With enough shuffling, you manage to get him back in the car; for good measure, you get an extra pair of cuffs on his ankles, to which Stan can't help but give a low whistle at the sight of you below and between his legs.

You give him a stink eye and slam the door on him before returning to drive to the office.

You feel the tension only become thicker between you and him as you think yourself tugging on the tight collar of your shirt, and you find Stan unbuttoning just one more button and sighing leaning into the seat, legs wide even with the cuffs. He was going to be the death of you for sure.

Things are thick as you grab him out, you swear you could feel him cursing under his breath but you keep on pushing him into the lit building to have him situated.

You huff and finally return him to the building. Your Sheriff and Deputy are found playing with a paper fortune teller at the main desk. They look equally as flustered when you surprise them with Stan by your side looking as though the two of you were making out.

You get the keys to the cell he will be momentarily set in. You sit him down to take off the ankle cuffs, the heat between you grew as you realized that Stan was closing his thighs you look up in question to look at a very red Stan.

…Oh my, it doesn’t take awhile to realize what Stan is feeling right now. You quickly stand and back away unsure and Stan admits.

“Shit kid, You can leave me in here if you’re uncomfortable… This is such a bad time.”

You gulp finding yourself tugging out you collar once more. You feel yourself getting red and hot but you shake your head and sigh as you step forward towards him in response.

Stan is clearly surprised by your reaction.

But what makes everything tip is when you sit on his lap making him groan which is covered by his hand shoved into his mouth.

Hands and lips are thrown at once. Stan is quick to wrap his arms around you, your lips met hot and soft.

His hands softly rub into your hips through your clothing, as you feel for his skin through the window of his unbuttoned party shirt.

You both push in with your tongues, even with a heated make out session you both seem to have a competition as you both fight for dominance. The fact that this is your first time making out with some one definitely says something about you.

He comes over top more experienced, especially when he thrusts into you making you gasp and pull away breathless and tugging on your shirt desperately wanting to cool down.

But Stan stops you when you reach for your buttons.

“Don’t. This can wait when you aren’t on the job okay sweet cheeks? You are, amazing for a cop but I don’t want me to ruin your job.”

You nod and pull away out of the cell locking it and smile at Stan to which he winks at you and finger-guns you.

“But I promise you a hell of a good time somewhere else, beautiful.”

You are definitely going to look forward for that in the future. Maybe he isn’t so bad after all.

[almacambiondaughterofsaleos]

It's More Than Just A Mistake, Charlie

This comment just rubs me so much the wrong way because they are not here just for making mistakes but for as Adam and Lute showed continually making evil decisions through life and having no remorse for it. And again we see a lot of examples of it not just being mistakes but also horrible actions that wound them in hell. Seriously, look at the things the sinner do and don't downplay it as mistakes.

Seriously, these images above would disprove that made a few mistakes bs. They are horrible people who are willing to be evil pos and get away with it. And again Valentino is the prime example and after being licked by him you would think she would reevaluate why Adam and Lute aren't keen on redeeming sinners, because they do shit like this. Seriously, there is a whole cannibal town that glorifies eating people. And again that party scene with Sir Pentious where it's supposed to be a test to show Angel could get into heaven, but ignores the fact that everyone allowed Pentious to be sexually assaulted which again shows how skewed the show's priorities are.

It makes the narrative over at the episode of "Cherub" even more skewed because the idea was the Cherubs were obviously opportunists just trying to make Lipton turn over a new leaf, while it's obvious he was a pos man who should just die. However, Hazbin Hotel expects us to just see him as a man who made mistakes alongside his equally evil partner. It's again an example of confused morals because it seems like it just wants us to side with whatever protagonist is there and they have the narrative's favor despite the other side having a point.

Also from Hazbin itself I think a big example of the just made a few mistakes is Angel Dust. The current series emphasizes his promiscuity and drug use and treats it as if that was all he did in life and weren't really that bad (which I would disagree). However, I do think this is a result of whitewashing what has been previously known about Angel Dust is that he had mafia ties and that means he wasn't just making minor mistakes but full blown into crime and do some evil shit. And we are supposed to be siding with Emily why he's not in heaven, when he just recently was still being someone who reveled in being a sinner. It's a reason why the rehabilitation theme doesn't work because it doesn't treat the issues the characters have as severe as it is. They treat them as if they are just pissing on the floor and not the fact some of these guys like Angel Dust have blood on their hands. It's almost like due to her biases Charlie has a rose tinted view of things that contradicts what awful people they were and continued to be in life.

And let's talk about Adam, this guy is just an example to try to downplay how sinners made those mistakes by portraying him as a one dimensional immature sadist in other to make it seem barbaric. However, it still doesn't erase that monsters still end up down there despite the bs ass pull that the angels themselves don't know how to get into heaven. Let's be honest from what we have seen from the sinners they are in hell for a reason and there is no attempts to think why they should be given a second chance after showing what pos they are still. And again the show doesn't want to admit that these sinners aren't that way because of never being given a chance they probably had chances and squashed them. But again Charlie has to be right and never challenged so she can't think about how her stance can be shaky.

I do think the dimissmal of just mistakes they made actually goes against the spirit of redeeming them because it doesn't really understand the gravity of what these sinners did. It's because according to the narrative (and Charlie) these are just souls that didn't have direction and need another chance. Sorry, but they did have direction in life and they have at one point stop being given chances. And again the series doesn't offer one example of a true sinner who didn't deserve to be down there since Vaggie herself was retconned to be an angel. The series really does wonders to shoot itself in the foot due to not understanding and tackling what redemption takes. And one thing it needs to be said that people have to admit they aren't always the victims and sometimes are the victimizers who have not only hurt themselves and others in their pursuit of sin.

[starlightshadowsworld]

Percy Jackson except Jason and Thalia were the first children born after the Big 3 vow.

Long before the events of the story.

Thalia still ends up and tree, but no one really knew what happened to Jason.

Until Sea of Monsters where instead of Tantalus showing up, Jason does.

Because if there's one thing Zeus/Jupiter's gonna do, it's punish his sons.

And just... Imagine everyone expecting some grised old being who's committed the worse crimes on earth.

But it's a kid.

It's a kid a few years older them wearing a tattered purple top.

He'd look like any other camper but there's chains on his wrists and ankles that drag behind him.

Scars covering his body and a tattoo no ones able to fully see.

His eyes mirror the sky before them and hold so much sadness that a person could drown in them.

Chiron is suprised to see him, a mix of greif and relief in his eyes as he greets him.

"It's good to see you, child."

"And you too, sir."

"None of that now, you are among friends."

Jason visibly relaxes at that, his smile goes from polite and practiced to genuine.

"Right... It's good to see you, old man."

His humour is so dry that's it's hard to tell when he's joking or not. And yet he's gotten some laughs.

It feels like a reward in itself when someone makes him laugh. His whole face lights up and for a second the sadness in him fades.

Jason's less off a new camp director as he is a glorified babysitter. And yet he takes it all in stride.

He's not a pushover and steps in to mediate, but for the most part let's everyone carry on as they wish.

If he's not around, Jason can be found sitting by his sisters tree. He talks in a hushed whisper, catching her up.

If anyone notices him crying, no one says a word.

Jason proves himself as a formidable fighter, having stopped a camper struggling with a sword technique and demonstrating it to them patiently.

Clarisse immediately challenges Jason.

He's clearly holding back but Jason does give her a fair fight. His fighting style is a lot more polished.

And yet, there's something wild about it.

He does smile at one point, when Maimer strikes him.

"I'm afraid, that little trick won't work on me."

It was a short fight but the Ares cabin definitely gained some respect for him.

Clarisse asks why he didn't use the electricity against her, and he says he can't.

Shaking his chains like that explained everything.

It's easy to forget Jason's parentage. Especially after seeing him gush over architecture with Annabeth.

Hell all he needs is grey eyes and he'd fit right in to the Athena cabin.

And yet, at the same time there's no one else who fits as Jason's parent than Zeus (well Jupiter but they don't know that.)

Jason's a natural leader, he's a great diplomat and can defuse even the most chaotic situations.

There's power in his words, authority and yet he doesn't abuse it. There's a weight that's always on his shoulders.

He's a mystery.

He doesn't sleep in the Zeus Cabin, he has a blanket and curls up on the ground. Apparently he's used too it.

Tho there's been times he has been persuaded to sleep in the Hermes cabin, it's rare he accepts.

Not that he sleeps much. People have heard the screams from his nightmares.

More often than not Jason's awake, talking to the Naids and Nymphs as he patrols camp grounds late at night.

Surprisingly none try and attack him, in fact they all treat him with respect.

Grover says that Jason's blessed by the wild by an ancient being, not that he knows who.

Jason doesn't talk a lot about himself, he will talk at length about his sister though. And old friends with a sad smile.

The past is a hard subject for him, he says bits and pieces but not much.

The camps magical food doesn't work for him. Jason goes out of camp borders and goes hunting.

He eats alone, outside and Hestia makes a fire for him. He always sacrifices some food to her.

But also to Hera, which was surprising.

"But your a son of Zeus... Does she accept offerings from you?"

"I'd hope so, I am her champion."

It takes a while for anyone to realise but Jason's chains are heavy.

In fact there are days where Jason simply can't move. Because lugging them around tires him out.

And sometimes the camps borders simply don't let him leave.

On those days some campers have hunted for him.

Jason's always suprised and thankful. He'll share and tell them not to out themselves in danger for him.

But they do so anyway.

Camp Half blood decided a long while back Jason was one of them.

He's like everyone's stressed out, tired, nerdy older brother.

Jason has no knowledge of pop culture and apparently that's a crime.

But since no tech is allowed at camp, which means a lot of reinactments of memes

He's still confused but very entertained.

They've seen him fight monsters and it's so different to how he's fought in spars.

Jason fights to survive, he doesn't have a weapon other than his own chains.

He growls, he rips monsters apart with his bare hands and teeth.

Only stopping when they've all been defeated.

It was awesome.

Tho he did almost get hit by lighting from above and had to rush back into camp.

"Can I ask, what are you being punished for?"

"Let's just say, me and my dad had a disagreement."

Zeus: He's a monster, he's nothing but trouble and a mistake.

Camp Half blood: If monster, why friend shaped?

[bi-animated]

The Patakis Week Day 2!

I’m honestly so proud of this one, I just finished it today so I can post it in time. (I really don’t wanna fall behind like Inktober ☠️)

Following the prompts, here is the scenario:

Arnold and Helga are volunteering at PS 118 for their summer program that is essentially just a glorified baby sitting gig, which is why they’re letting high schoolers do it in the first place. We all know why Helga took the job, and it has nothing to do with kids. So when a young student in her cluster, Daisy May*, becomes overly attached, Helga exploits Daisy’s love of pudding. Arnold has been watching Helga too, and notices that she’s up to her old tricks. “You can’t just sit the kid in a corner with a pudding cup, how is she going to learn?”

“That’s how Bob did it and I turned out fine”

“Okay Helga, just be big enough to clean the mess”

*Fun fact: Daisy May is the name of the love interest in Lil Abner, where Arnold’s pet pig gets his namesake. Daisy May pursues the main character even though he shows no interest. It’s a Helga-ception.(credit to my bf for that)

One thing that I LOVE about Helga is her tenacity to break the rules (law😝) for the sake of her personal mission. Since it’s just a blurb for a picture, I didn’t get too detailed with the plot but I’d like to think that Helga was getting up to something Football related 😏

I wanted her face to look frustrated for being caught out, but also totally elated that Arnold was paying attention to her 😍

@opthepatakis

————————

Since I’m using my Tumblr as more of an “art diary”, I’d like to include some more info behind what went into this piece:

Much like Inktober, I’m using this challenge to learn more about Procreate, experiment with brushes and figure out what’s “right” for me.

To be frank, it has been a mildly frustrating experience internally because I already know that my weakness is color. Digital painting and traditional are just not the same, they don’t work the same (to me anyway). The interface of Procreate is so different from Photoshop too, finding and remembering to use tools isn’t a simple transition, either. It makes me self conscious of my art, even though I’ve gone to art school, and it throws me off to have to stop and Google stuff. But! I think with this piece, I’m FINALLY in a good groove of how I want my art to look and how to get there.

TLDR; I cry bc the lesson I refuse to learn is that you never stop learning 🙃

PS - skipping Patakis Week Day 3 to put the amount of effort and time that I want to put into Day 4’s prompt, however, I’ll still post something fun! 💜

[music-oc-tournament]

NEPOTISM BONUS ROUND!!!

Since I disqualified myself and my friend group from participating due to bias, I've decided to make a bonus, 1 day only, free for all poll for me and all my friends Villains! Who among them will win the honor of getting the...Slightly less prestigious 1st place price?

Top to bottom, left to right:

MIRE: 21, She/Her. Mire's a big boisterous Kaiju "Witch" who magically "polymorphs" (mutates with her venomous breath) people into reptile minions. She acts tough and diabolical in a larger then life way, but ultimately is a big sweetheart at her core, with it not taking much to get on her good side.

COUNTESS VIVISECTOR: Mid 20's, She/Her, Ve/Vem, He Him. Countess Vivisector is a brooding supervillainess with the power to disassemble still-living bodies and put them back together in new forms. She's cruel and cold, but rather artistically inclined, creating grisly furniture and art sculptures out of the foolish heroes who dare challenge her. She's also 6'11 and is gay married to her zombie henchman.

MASTERMIND: 80ish years old, appears 40ish, He/Him. Mastermind, AKA Dean Davis, is the leader of the supervillain group known as Sinistar. His ferrokinesis and engineering ability allows him to control his organization and fight heroes. He also secretly has the power to reverse aging, which he acquired back in the 60's after he built a machine that kills heroes and extracts their powers…Which he used on his own girlfriend.

THE DIRECTOR: 40, She/Her. A mover and shaker in both the business and hero worlds, seismokinetic villainess The Director is the head of Hierarchy, an organization built on the principle of ruthless efficiency. She's a slick entrepreneur who's mustered a cadre of fanatical employees willing to follow her to the ends of the earth and die for her there. Never mind that she cut her own girlfriend out of the deal when she rebranded the guild they founded together- it's just business, darling.

T.I.S.M: Adult, He/Him. TISM is a self proclaimed genius doctor working for the supervillain organization Scelestic, which he helped found. His job is to "harvest" powers from heroes, taking parts of their bodies and incorporating them into various gadgets, machines, and weapons that he can replicate and make a profit off of. He is also a dilf.

LOBOTOMY: As old as time, He/Him. Lobotomy is the King of The Darkness and winner of the World's Worst Dad award, he's a vengeful and murderous god who will stop at no lengths to get what he wants. After forcing his psuedo-adopted "son" to kill everyone he knows, he ends up as ruler of the entire realm he resides in, where he now has full control over everything and everyone.

UMPYRE: 31, They/It. With the power of the sun in the pads of its paws, UMPYRE is a force to be reckoned with for any professional superhero. It's a good thing, then, that it's pretty much just a glorified theater kid, a contractor for the government who far prefers the show and spectacle to any real damage. And for as much as they put their all into their job... well, who could blame them for getting more than a little silly with it?

[aspartaime]

I'm in a mood tonight so if anyone who i have ever known see this, let's read further. This is truly so stream of conscious. It's just a general life update.

CW: drug use, mental health themes, emotional?? idk it was to me, SA

My friends on this site, I know we've been out of contact for years. I have been in a season of life where I am extremely sentimental. I look back on my friends I made here/friends I have IRL that also followed me here, and it makes my heart swell.

I was going through some severe mental issues when I was on Tumblr regularly. I've since pinned it down to "being a chronically online, easily influence teenager". There were a lot of things either glorified, justified, and normalized on Tumblr that messed up my nerf ball brain. I was not a great friend because of it. I realize in hindsight as an adult whose brain is less nerf-bally that the lot of you who cared about me must have really cared about me to stick with me through that shit show. This is my formal apology in the least direct or awkward way for my behavior. Know that I love you all and pray your lives are full of home cooked meals and laughter and peaceful Sunday mornings.

Since my PTSD diagnosis I have done a lot of making sense of old memories. My life from age 13 through age 17 is such a blur. My girlfriend doesn't know what to say when I bring it up. You all would love my girlfriend, by the way. We live together now. She's the light of my life. She makes things worth remembering again.

I finally stopped acting like a doormat. My constant need for validation that I experienced in my youth has become a mildly nihilistic disposition. But like, the cool nihilism, where nothing matters so everything is super chill. I realized it doesn't matter if I don't like someone or someone doesn't like me, we all have different preferences and needs and all. I dunno. It's kind of nice to be free of clingy baby hell. I'm attributing that to the PTSD diagnosis as well.

I got into weed. This is not a surprise to anyone who have ever had a conversation with me, I'm sure. I started smoking to take the nightmares away. Then it became just a normal part of my day. I don't abuse it though. I just find that it helps keep my head quiet.

I got in a lot of fights along the way. It's kind of funny. This last fight was really my tipping point into my "go-with-the-flow" phase. Given it was the third (or possibly even fourth? PTSD makes it difficult to care about keeping track) I was sexually assaulted, I just had to make a decision then and there I was done caring. It also reinforced my belief that people who go through hard stuff have a flashing sign over their heads that tell other predators this isn't their first rodeo. At least it felt that way to me. I digress. This person was my best friend, allegedly, and it just blew up on me.

Anyways. All that negative aside I have been doing better than I ever have. My mental health is taken care of. I stimulate my brain and challenge myself with my three jobs, LOL. It keeps e out of trouble. I am with the most darling woman I've ever met. She saved me. My two cats are my prides and joys. I'm in a longplay of the Sims 4 right now.

I sign off on this post by requesting:

If you knew me and took the time to read this, I care for you always. Thank you for helping me get to where I am now, getting me through the hardest years of my life when I was also constantly using this site, and teaching me so much about true friendship. You guys rule.

[northwest-cryptid]

I feel like I want to prefix all of this with saying I have nothing against those who go by the books and sell out and forego their own identity to make streaming as a career a reality for them.

But I also want to say that I will always support those who try to make it without doing all that. Listen I get it, it's hard; and that's exactly why I respect them for it.

I've been trying to find the middle ground, people tell me just play Genshin it's popular; but are you kidding me? Do you know who I am? Do you think I'd stoop so low as to play a game that glorifies the mass murder of my people? No thanks man.

I legitimately felt emotional seeing the support I was given by the Mabinogi community because I'm actually pulling numbers on par with my peers; the very same peers who did very much decide to just sort of sell out to whatever got them the most viewers and interaction.

I'm not looking down on them, if anything I was always a little irked by it because it was a constant reminder that I should do the same.

Yet here I am actually slowly amassing a small community with higher viewer averages, more engagement on my streams; and it seems like I can actually deliver a fun experience to those who stop by.

Streaming as a full time career is something that will take a lot of work; it's going to take a fair bit of effort, I need to dedicate myself to it and it's not easy. I'm planning to sign on with a proper studio later down the line; or at least audition with a few. Even if it means having to give up some form of identity to adopt another they want me to use.

However as it currently stands I don't have a lot of options, if I'm being honest that's not why I outright seek streaming though.

Sure I'm physically disabled, sure it's difficult for me to do any form of physical labor; and yea I know I can't hold a "real job" like people would love for me to.

Truth is, I've always wanted to be some form of an entertainer; I've always wanted to help people the way entertainers helped me. When I was young I focused so heavily on being a game developer, I wanted to create a world for people to feel like they belonged. I felt that way because Mabinogi gave me that when I was an outcast in school. The older I got the more I realized that being a game dev wasn't actually a job I could just pick up and do. It was a lot more challenging than that; I worked with a few smaller indie groups and every time I got burnt.

I had my intellectual property stolen, I was basically let go when they realized they didn't want to pay me for my services since they "didn't need to" considering they held all the legal rights to my work.

I realized that streaming was something I could just sort of, do. I grabbed a webcam, a decent mic; and OBS. I just sorta started streaming whatever; tried to stick with things I actually want to show other people; tried my best to create some kind of space for a community to feel welcome in.

I see the way people feel towards streamers, and while I understand the need to keep a distance (believe me, I really do) I also want to be a big enough streamer to properly house myself, keep food on the table, support my loved ones; and also be there for an audience.

I want to be a streamer who can genuinely put my audience first when it comes to what sort of things I bring to the screen, obviously caring a lot about my own interests and such as well; but I want to be someone who can brighten peoples days you know.

When I was young I remember telling my family that my life goal wasn't so lofty as to accomplish world peace or anything like that; but that rather I wanted to try my best to make someone's day a little better every day. It didn't matter who, it didn't matter how big of a deal it was. If I could make someone's day just even a little better than it was, then I was doing something good for the world as a whole.

So yea, I guess if I'm being honest; whenever I think about what I want to do for a living, there's nothing that comes to mind; but streaming? Streaming is fun, it allows me a sort of outreach; to talk to people, to help people.

I get to be there for others, I can entertain them; help make their days a little brighter and I also get to be an entertainer. I get to put on a show, play up a silly character and have some fun with it.

I don't want to have to sell out and be someone I'm not, I don't want to have to endorse games I don't support. I want to be me; and I want to be there for my community.

This is the first time in a long time I've felt like maybe I can do that; even if being me mean I get to play the role of a silly eldritch demon here to claim dominion over the realm in the name of my great elder god lol.

[themattress]

The Dragon Master and the Dragon Buster

Looking back on Best Wishes lately and just felt the urge to sing the praises of the rivalry between Iris and Georgia/Langley, because it does exactly what a good rivalry should do: develop both characters and push them further in their goals. They actually help each other.

Georgia first helps Iris when she shows up and provides her with an annoying opponent she really wants to defeat, only to fail due to Excadrill not listening to her, which is the push she needed to stop beating around the bush and directly delve into what Excadrill’s problem is.

Once Iris and Excadrill have sorted out their issues, Iris ends up helping Georgia by drawing with her in their rematch. Despite Georgia having told Iris to “be a bit stronger the next time we meet”, Georgia is so egotistical that she didn’t actually consider “a bit stronger” actually affecting the outcome of their rematch.  While she remains arrogant, she’s never this stupidly arrogant afterward, not taking it as a given that she’ll win and fighting more strategically. 

After Iris wins the Don Battle, Georgia stops seeing her as just some upstart in over her head and begins to treat her like a legitimate rival, showing her some respect and telling her that she wants her to become a Dragon Master because defeating her would be worth more then.

After Georgia displays in the Donamite that she can indeed “bust dragons” and has skill to back up her endless boasting, Iris begins taking her more seriously as a rival, motivated to defeat her for the sake of the challenge rather than just because she gets on her nerves.

Teaming up with Georgia’s Vanilluxe is what helps Iris overcome her fear of Ice-type Pokemon, which existed because she was so empathetic and in tune with Dragon-types and is now resolved as she extends her empathy toward Vanilluxe in spite of it being an Ice-type and one of her rival’s Pokemon, which is a great display of Best Wishes’ core theme as well.

Georgia is also helped by this event, as she had been seeking to somehow change her Vanilluxe’s friendly-toward-Dragon-types personality only to see that even with a Dragon trainer teamed with it, its power was brought out in full, and on top of that Iris thanking her (using Vanilluxe as a proxy) makes her reconsider how she views Dragon-types and trainers. Maybe she also realizes she’s falling in love with Iris, I certainly wouldn’t be surprised if so.

In the Junior Cup, Iris defeats Georgia in the first round...but through none of her own efforts, as her freshly caught Dragonite insists on fighting battles his way without any input from her. As far as he’s concerned, she’s a glorified Taxi service to take him to strong opponents. Georgia calls Iris out on how unbecoming of a Dragon Master this is, and Iris really takes these words to heart and tries to fix this in the next rounds, but to no avail...yet, anyway.

At the tournament’s end, we see that Georgia was also helped by the battle, since it made her realize that for all her efforts at making Beartic into a physical powerhouse, it didn’t mean much if its defenses were low while another Pokemon like Dragonite’s were high. As such, she playfully notes that she’s going to “start powering up from scratch”, just as she should.

Executive interference with the show’s final year sadly meant we were robbed of Georgia’s send-off episode, which I personally think would have revealed her to have a Dragon-type on her team now. Using a Dragon to bust Dragons; it just feels like the natural endpoint to her development and experiences with Iris. Thankfully, Journeys was able to save things, as it showed that Iris became both Opelucid Gym Leader and the Champion of the Unova League. And when she makes it to the Masters Eight and faces Cynthia, we see Georgia front and center at the Battle Club where the battle is being broadcast, and her face just says it all.

She’s so proud of Iris, proud that she gets to have someone like this as her rival, to have bragging rights that this girl was helped along on her path to greatness by her, and to be perpetually motivated to keep growing stronger in the hopes of someday defeating her...an achievement that would now be an even more satisfying one than it had ever been before.

Best Wishes’ Best Rivals, definitely. 

[koffing-time]

[A video file. It starts in selfie-perspective, Olivia in the center of the shot. He is apparently standing in Tix’ garden, around him are a bunch of people. “Good afternoon! A few people have been using the battlefield now, and we have a little highlight now! Muffin seems to have gotten very excited by all the battling going on and wanted to join in on the fun! But you know, since he is still so small, Tix did not think it a good idea to let him battle. But now Yinny has agreed to let him battler her Magikarp! I thought it would be a fun silly battle, so I film it now!"

He switches the video to the main camera which shows even more people surrounding the battlefield, Tix and Yinny at opposing ends. On the ground are Muffin the Budew next to Tix and Yinnys golden colored Magikarp next to his trainer.

“Muffin dear, let’s show them what we’re made of! But maybe start with a growth first.” Tix shouts. The small grass type jogs into the middle of the field, glares at the awkwardly flopping fish and makes himself bigger and more… “intimidating”. ”BUUUU!” he shouts. The battle begins.

Yinny answers this with a laugh. “Magikarp! Show them your Hydro Pump!” Because of his flailing, Magikarps Hydropump goes wide and splashes a few spectators who quickly take a few steps back.

“Oh you’re serious! We can do that too! Absorb!”

The fight continues for a few minutes. Most of Magikarps Hydro Pump and Bounce attacks missing are while Muffin steadily, but definitely slowly chips away at its HP with continuous Absorb-moves. Over the course of the fight, the audience has retreated further and further. At some point the fight seemingly devolves into a glorified water-fight, with Tix ordering Muffint to use a few very useless Water Sport moves and Yinny letting Magikarp use Splash, just to soak the guests further.

Suddenly, a particularly well aimed Hydro Pump sends the Budew flying backwards, slamming into his trainer’s chest. “By Zygarde, are you okay?” Tix asks. A few “uuugh” and “ooooooh” can be heard from the audience. “I told you not to fucking underestimate us!” an excited Yinny answers. The poison type trainer does not pay her any attention. Instead, they are kneeling town next to their Budew who has regained his footing. “Are you sure? We can just stop here if you’re hurt.” they quietly ask the small pokémon. A fiery “DEW DEW! BUDEW!” is the answer and he runs back up to Magikarp. “You didn’t have enough yet?” Yinny asks. “Alright then, come here and get some fucking more!” Tix is back up on their feet and has a new determined look on their face. “Go Muffin! Hit ‘em with another Abso-“. Before they can finish the sentence, Muffin has reached the golden Magikarp and attacked with a powerful grass type move, visibly stronger than his previous attacks, causing the golden fish to stop flailing. After just a moment, he opens his eyes again and starts flopping around again, splashing Muffin with more water. Yinnys reaction is a confident: “HA! We’re not defeated so easily, you need to fight a bit harder for that! Good job Magikarp!” As if he waited for this challenge, Muffin puffs his little chest further and further until he seems like he’s exploding. Then, he starts glowing in a bright, white light.

“HOLY FUCK!” Olivia exclaims from behind the camera. Similar and less extreme shouts can now be heard from the whole audience.

After just a few seconds, it is over. Muffin the Budew has evolved into Muffin the Roselia. His roses are not like they are usually found on Roselia. The left one is a bright yellow color while the right one sports a dark Black. It is also much smaller than the left one, barely more than a flower bud. Tix has run up to their Pokémon and dropped to their knees, hugging the newly evolved Roselia and crying happily.

The video ends here]

Tix was a little bit overwhelmed after this. Yinny decided to call the battle a draw. Tix also can’t stop showing off Muffins new form to everyone who does or does not want to see him. Yinny, I am sorry, this was supposed to be the day for you and your babies. I hope you’re still having fun. - Olivia

[nicklloydnow]

“Tragedy is part of Israeli life, and I knew it would be part of my time as president. But none of us imagined a tragedy like this.

Against our will, we in Israel find ourselves at a tipping point for the Middle East and for the world and at the center of what is nothing less than an existential struggle. This is not a battle between Jews and Muslims. And it is not just between Israel and Hamas. It is between those who adhere to norms of humanity and those practicing a barbarism that has no place in the modern world.

Just like ISIS and Al Qaeda, the Hamas terrorists who attacked Israeli homes and families had no qualms about burning babies. They tortured children, raped women and destroyed peace-loving communities. They were so proud of their deeds that they made sure to capture them on video and even broadcast them live. These videos will forever remain a stain on those Palestinians and their supporters who celebrated that day and a testament to the depravity of the terrorists and of the ideas that inspired them.

But almost as disturbing for me is the realization that many in the world, including in the West, are willing to rationalize these actions or even support them outright. In the capitals of Europe we’ve seen rallies supporting the total destruction of Israel “from the river to the sea.” Professors and students at American colleges make speeches and sign statements justifying terrorism, even glorifying it.

We’ve heard certain governments fail to denounce Hamas, instead condemning Israel’s response and even seeking to offer justification for Hamas’s atrocities. It would have been unthinkable to hear such moral confusion uttered after the Sept. 11 attacks or after bombings in London, Barcelona and Baghdad. When I spoke to a joint meeting of Congress this year, I said terrorism “contradicts humanity’s most basic principles of peace.” It turns out that not everyone agrees.

All of this shows that this collision of values is happening not just here in Israel but everywhere and that the terrorist ideology threatens all decent people, not only Jews. History has taught us that foul ideologies often find the Jewish people first — but tend not to stop there. We find ourselves on the front lines of this battle, but all nations face this threat, and they must understand that they could be next.

(…)

But anyone who thinks the cynical exploitation of civilian suffering will tie our hands and save Hamas this time is wrong. For us and for the Palestinians, the suffering will end only with the removal of Hamas. Anyone trying to tie our hands is, intentionally or not, undermining not only Israel’s defense but also any hope for a world where these atrocities cannot happen.

In the months and years before the Hamas massacre, we began to see signs of the emergence of a better Middle East, from the Persian Gulf to North Africa — one inspired by progress and partnership, one in which Israel could finally feel at home among our neighbors. Will this be the world that emerges from this crisis? Or will it be the world desired by the murderous fundamentalists of Hamas?

(…)

Much is at stake at this moment, not just the future of Israel. On Oct. 7 we were all jolted awake and presented with a shocking challenge to our hopes and morals. How we meet this challenge will shape our future.”

“Fears continue to mount that the United States might be dragged into a regional conflict in the Middle East. But this dreaded war has already broken out: In recent weeks, US military bases have come under repeated attack from Iranian proxies in the region, and there is no sign the attacks will abate anytime soon. At first, US Central Command published regular updates and claimed that the attacks had produced no casualties apart from a contractor who died from a heart attack while seeking shelter, as well as 19 service members who had suffered traumatic injury from Iranian-proxy strikes against bases in Syria and Iraq. The drones and rockets were all being shot down, CENTCOM insisted. Now, CENTCOM has ceased issuing updates. How many Americans have been wounded and killed thus far? How many more are at risk of death and serious injury? For the moment, we don’t know.

All of this points to an ominous development: the decline of deterrence. Over the past several weeks, US officials pleaded with Iran-backed militants and terror proxies to stop launching drones and rockets and threatened severe consequences should they fail to comply. Washington has followed through on these threats by retaliating with airstrikes, all the while stressing the defensive nature of these strikes and promising to back away the moment the attacks on US bases stop. But after every airstrike, armed groups in the region have dialed up their anti-US activities. Reports are now circulating of several large armed groups in Iraq declaring a de facto state of war against America.

The core of the problem here is that US forces are spread out across more than a dozen bases in the region. None of these bases is strong enough to defend itself from a concerted attack. What they have relied on, instead, was the perception that if you attacked even a weak American outpost, you were asking for trouble: It would only be a matter of time before the entire US war machine descended upon you to neutralize the threat.

The premise was that nobody would ever call the American bluff. Lately, it has dawned on America’s enemies that the promised devastating retaliation isn’t likely to come: Washington is overstretched and too sick of war to put serious muscle behind the threats. Perhaps it is technically possible for the United States to go to war across the Middle East—to dispatch more forces to Syria, to re-occupy Iraq, to launch an air war against the Houthis in Yemen and Hezbollah in Lebanon. Yet given the difficulties it faced in Iraq, it is doubtful whether the US military would find success fighting a three- or four-front war; the effort might easily devolve into yet another quagmire. And there is little political appetite for attempting this. The public is tired of war, and congressional divisions over the federal budget show no signs of healing.

Deterrence was at first a helpful side effect of real American economic and military might. But over time, it became a crutch—and then, a Potemkin village: a façade put up as a cost-saving measure, to cover up the fact that the military was shrinking, political dysfunction growing, and fiscal stability eroding. Now, as drones and rockets rain down on US service members across Syria and Iraq, as the Houthis assail the Jewish state despite repeated warnings from Washington not to get involved, and as Hezbollah ramps up its encroachments on northern Israel, it is becoming clear that the Middle East has decided that American threats aren’t all that credible anymore.

Deterrence, once established, is cheap to maintain. But when it fails, it is incredibly costly to restore. Can the United States afford the massive costs that would be required to restore it? The coming days and weeks will provide us with an answer, but the signs are far from auspicious.”

[tiphyrow]

Day 18: self insert OC

This Styx, my old voltron oc. I was obsessed with that stupid show. I still can’t bring it up without going on a rant. I never finished the show but from what I’ve heard I would have hated it (stopped watching before the season Adam was introduced I think) Styx was my first OC that I made for a fandom. All my others had just been for my own stories. My bff at the time also had an OC and we would text each other late at night and tell stories of our characters in-universe (basically just glorified role play lmao). She’s half olkari, half human because I wanted to give her hair. I was uncomfortable with shipping canon characters with an OC (even tho I thought lotor was like the hottest) so I created a separate love interest OC named Alix (half galra half human) that def wasn’t just a reskinned version of my bff’s oc because I Definitely Wasn’t in love with my bff haha.

Voltron will always take up more space in my head that want it to and gave birth to some of my purest cringe.

Old art below <3

Was going to cut out most of the writing because it is the cause of most of my embarrassment on this matter but I’m keeping it in to stay true to the challenge. You’re welcome I guess (Alex, different than Alix, was my bffs oc and they were with Shiro)

[shammah8]

“Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me.”

Matthew 5:10-11

STAND FOR WHAT IS RIGHT

Jesus assures his followers there is blessing in suffering for what is right. This blessing may take the form of inner peace and joy. This is the meaning of the word translated “blessed” or “happy” in Jesus’ teaching called the Beatitudes (Matthew 5:1-12).

 

The New Testament writer, James, indicates that pressures are blessings in disguise and should be responded to with joyfulness (James 1:2-3). The MESSAGE paraphrase translates the verses this way: “Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colours.”

 

Helen Berhane was severely persecuted in Eritrea’s prison system because she would not deny her faith. No matter what they did, she refused to give in.

 

She explains: I told the chief, “I cannot abandon my faith. If you puncture a sack of grain, the only thing that pours out is the type of grain that was in the sack. It is the same with me. I can only say what is inside me; everything that is in my heart must come out of my mouth…The more you punish me, the stronger I will be. If you keep hammering on a nail’s head it just becomes harder to pull out of the wall…”

 

I could not understand how they expected me to stop believing; it was impossible for me. In fact, the guards were making their own situation worse, because people began to ask what was so special about this religion that Christians refused to give it up, and they also believed. Our suffering became a glory for our faith…I am convinced that the number of Christians has doubled or tripled since they closed the churches. So perhaps God is using this terrible situation for his glory. [34]

Response

Today I will stand for what is right because I know Jesus will be glorified and I will receive a blessing.

Prayer

Ask God to give strength and courage to those around the world being pressured to deny their faith today.

34 Helen Berhane, Song of the Nightingale (Colorado Springs: Authentic Media, 2009), pp. 70-71.

© 2013 Open Doors International. Used by permission.

[bleedingichorhearts]

Imagine, if you will, a space marine going out to hunt for his bonded mate who is pregnant with his child so she will have plenty to eat.

𝐀 𝐅𝐮𝐥𝐟𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐇𝐮𝐧𝐭

𝕬𝖚𝖙𝖍𝖔𝖗: You there! You creature! Are on a roll and on that, I do not mind!

𝕿𝖆𝖌𝖌𝖊𝖉: @kit-williams, @egrets-not-regrets, @bispecsual, @gallifreyianrosearkytiorsusan, @sleepyfan-blog.

TW // Animal Death, Pregnancy.

|°ᴛᴀɢ ʟɪꜱᴛ ᴀᴘᴘʟɪᴄᴀᴛɪᴏɴ°| |°ɪᴄʜᴏʀ’ꜱ ᴀᴏ3°| |°𝕄𝕒𝕤𝕥𝕖𝕣𝕃𝕚𝕤𝕥°|

The hulking space marine stalks through the forest. Carefully avoiding areas where sticks or dying leaves would make sound of his appearance. His mouth open beneath his helmet for a better scent coverage and ears pricked for any sound of irregular moment.

He has come out to hunt again in his little mates forests, looking for a bigger catch this time. Something that could give him a bit more challenge and meat. Something that could impress his little mate once more. To feed her and to stock up on the fat as the winter’s could be harsh to his little mate.

The winter wasn’t here yet, but he can definitely see and feel the signs of an oncoming harsh winter. The geese and ducks left a bit earlier than usual as the days got colder and he’s seen a squirrel stocking up on nuts. He’s also seen a snow owl fly overhead, looking for something to snack on before the winter itself started.

Though, that was not something he can stock up on, to eat. He needed something big and hopefully challenging. Perhaps he’ll go for an elk or a caribou? Maybe a snow leopard or a brown bear if he’s lucky enough to encounter them before they spot him, but he knows he won’t find anything much challenging as he would back in his own world. The creatures of his world brought up nasty fights and glorified wounds that he would happily show his little mate. To get her to fawn and worry over him.

Thinking about his little mate brought a small smile to his face, his sabatons crunching through the frosted fallen leaves. Oh, how she would kiss his wounds to make him feel better, new or old. How she would make meals; feasts out of the meat he hunted for. Always giving him the bigger portion because she can’t continue to admire his skills, his physique if she had nothing to see. Despite his rumbling protests to feed her instead, she makes a great point to him.

How is he to provide of he is not in great shape?

So, that made him go hunt out a little more. Not because his little mate offended him, but because he wanted to be in the bestest shape to be able to provide for his little mate. He notices how he… stocked up a little himself. That little chub on his stomach never goes unnoticed by his little mate in loving times, but he is sure she wouldn’t mind tracing his abs once again. She’s done it before, praising him for any body type he would like to have. It did not matter to her, she would trace her soft, plush lips against his scarred skin any day, anytime she had claimed once, thrice, then regularly.

He shook his helmet, shaking off some fallen leaves. He was missing his little mate, wanting to hurry up and be by her side already. To feel her soft flesh against his lips. To embrace and thumb her swollen belly that held a tinier creation between him and his little mate. To feel how their little one in there kicked up at him, causing his little mate discomfort.

He would then lowly growl at the little impatient one then. Halting the little one’s movement inside of his little mates stomach as she gives out a breath of relief, mumbling out. “The little one only listens to him when he’s around.” Something he might just have to watch out for when their little one is born in this paradise world.

A snap of a stick snapped him out of his daydreams. His form snapping up straighter in alarm. All senses alert for what could be potentially stalking him instead. His head slightly looking off to the side where he can hear a couple little thumps on the ground then, they stop. Waiting for his next move.

A foolish act to upon a master hunter like him, but he can reward this predator with a proper, quick death. Their hide, meat and bones, all of it will be used after all. None of it will go to waste.

He will skin the hide of the animal to provide heat, protection and comfort for his little mate. The bones would be used to make knives or little trinkets for his little mate and future little one. The meat will be stored into 1 out of 5 freezers for later uses. Maybe his little mate would like to cook some meat pies when he returns from this hunt? He knows he’ll be successful today as he will not leave his hunt without something to present to his little mate.

He pretends he doesn’t hear the predator stalking him. A hum leaving him as he prepares himself for claws and fangs to be stuck down into the back of his gorget. They wouldn’t do anything to him, but scratch the paint off his armor. That’s what most of the animals did, but he honors their… insolence enough to even try and get a killing blow on a Astartes by making their death quick and painless and using all of their organic matter as materials.

He hears the push off the predator. His form quickly turning around to snag the predator by the neck. A chocked yowl coming out of the predator. Black and white fur engulfing his gauntlet as they scratch desperately at his armor plates, chipping the paint off.

He rumbles happily at this creatures boldness to attack him from behind. A “snow leopard” he recalls. Their fur looking incredibly soft to the touch. A great hide to see his little mate wrapped in, but the meat. This is not enough meat to provide.

He snaps the felines neck with a jerk. Their body immediately seizing in his hands. No longer clawing at him and his armor, just pure dead weight.

Flopping the fluffy body over his pauldron, he continues with his hunt. He needed at least a big, fatty animal to bring back to the nest as well. This feline pelt might be satisfactory to look upon and lay upon, but it does not provide enough meat. He needed enough to stock up this winter.

That, or he was worrying about his little mate not getting enough nutrients when she was. The little one certainly liked to eat.

He plans on coming back to the nest before nightfall to bring her the newly cut of the feline hide and meat of the creatures he will catch, but if he’s especially lucky enough or early enough he’ll get more than just an lasting, appreciated kiss.

The space marine shivers at the thought.

[fakenewsproject]

#PersonalReflection: Why is college glorified in the media?

Hey guys! I wanted to take some time to shed light on why I personally believe that college life is glorified in social media. This has been on my mind for quite some time so join me in unravelling this question

I spend a decent amount of time on Facebook, Twitter (also known as X now), Instagram, and more recently TikTok. As a college student myself most of my feed on these platforms, through the help of algorithms, have been focused on college life and influencers showcasing to students in high school and individuals thinking about going to college, about how they live their lives on a day-to-day basis. Just as an example, they film themselves in study groups sitting in a café focusing on work while also laughing and having a good time with their peers. Media often emphasizes the social aspects of college on a much-exaggerated level which showcases campus events, parties, and energetic social scenes. Though this shows the importance of socializing, networking, and forming social connections, there is much more behind the scenes than what is shown in a 15 to 30-second post or Instagram reel about an individual’s college experience.

Realistically, this representation convinces people to attend college and to not stop educating themselves after high school. We are young adults and want to always keep a balance between our social life and our academics. In the world we live in, a college diploma or a university degree is quite important to further a career in the corporate world and is at least looked at as a steppingstone to get your foot through the door.

The glorification of college life does not stop with social media, but it continues on within many movies, TV shows, and advertisements we see as well. Actors play the role of students going on a journey whilst developing lifelong friendships and pursuing their dream together. Though this is the gist of what happens, there is a lot more that is not shown on the screen as the reality of it has negatives which people try not to focus on much.

Here is the realism behind it all. There are certainly many challenges and issues that you face being a student in college which social media does not pay too much attention to. Some examples of this are student debt which takes a good percentage of an individual's life to pay off. Mental health is a big challenge for many forcing schools to create programs to help those who need it. Recently more than ever, campus violence has risen to an all-time high as well.

"The pressure to perform, to have the “perfect college experience” and to achieve begins before the college years, setting a stage for the anxiety and depression that can often follow." (Jenna Bucher, 2019). Despite the efforts of counselors in high school, students still do not seem to know how to enter University and how to prepare mentally, or emotionally. Students have to rely on other individuals' past experiences to get a sense of what it will be like. It turns out to be more of a trial-and-error situation.

With all these obstacles students face, I think I know why these are not presented on a higher level. We as students are constantly trying our best to get the best grades possible for a better career post-graduation and to potentially further our education with a master's as well. Being in that kind of situation is quite stressful as your future pretty much depends on your performance. Many tend to drop out as well as they cannot handle that kind of stress and pressure. What social media does is it lighten's the perception of college so students can begin to see the brighter side of things for motivational purposes. I do not completely disagree with the overall portrayal of college but I feel there should be a balance between the positive and the negative to also give individuals more of a reality check.

With everything that students face during college, always remember that we are in this together. We should not only focus on ourselves but also help others so we could grow as a strong community.

References:

Jenna Bucher (2019) The Misconception of College Life: How Popular Media is Making it Worse. Retrieved from https://scholarcommons.scu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1034&context=engl_176

ZOË SKVARKA (2021) AN ORAL HISTORY OF THE MEDIA’S PORTRAYAL OF COLLEGE STUDENTS. Retrieved from: https://www.hercampus.com/culture/media-portrayal-of-college-students-movies-tv-online/

Social Media Habits of College Students (2024). Retrieved from: https://info.mssmedia.com/blog/social-media-habits-of-college-students

[di-kot-o-me]

YOUR WEEKLY INSPIRING AND BARNBURNING STUMP SPEECH FROM McSWEENEY’S INTERNET TENDENCY...... AS PRESIDENT, I WILL CHAMPION GEN X RIGHTS

by MARCO KAYE

Wassup, fellow slackers, poseurs, losers, stoners, and the dorks smart enough to make loot before the dot-com crash.

I said yo, wassup! Not clapping? Good. Thought so.“A key barometer of the literary climate.” —The New York Times

I get that it’s totally wack, but this year, I’m running for president of the USA, because I want to represent you, the voiceless and forgotten, my fellow Gen Xers.

That’s right, my entire platform revolves around Gen X values, like fixing everything that sucks about this country—which is a lot. Our time is now. The boomers had their chance and blew it. Do we expect millennials to fix anything? Not when they’re busy crying in the office bathroom they won’t. And Gen Z? Sure. Get lost and TikTok a new aesthetic or whatever.

With my Gen X cabinet full of bitchin’ advisors, we’re gonna do what we do best: point out society’s flaws, work hard to work less, fire up the glorified blog, a.k.a. Substack, roll up our sleeves for another tattoo, and tell our grown-ass children to make their own goddamned mac and cheese.

Look, I am Gen X to the core. My parents divorced the day I was born. I lived in malls, surviving off Orange Julius samples and Chia Pet grass. Right after the Challenger explosion, I smoked my first cigarette. I was such a latchkey kid that I opened doors for other latchkey children. We raised ourselves without a cell phone or parent in sight, and turned out just fine, in no need of therapy today. I started a band before bands existed—we could have signed to Electra but didn’t want to sell out. In college, I translated the Cocteau Twins into English. At work, I stuck it to the Man by showing up and complaining. To this day, I never take off my chain wallet, not even in the shower.Winner of the John Newbery Medal. "Here is a book that is truly for all ages, as only the best stories are." —Isaac Fitzgerald, The Today Show (author's pick)

On the campaign trail, I did something I don’t typically do: I listened. I toured important Gen X enclaves, such as Austin, Bennington, Palm Springs, Montclair, and both Portlands. I took your shit talk into account, and present this plan:

Reclaim X.com for us. Just because Elon is an Xer doesn’t mean our culture is his costume. X will go back to what it was: Imgur links, confusion about how the site works, and posts about what we’re eating.

Put a stop to new slang, for we invented slang, and ours was hardcore, while words like rizz, sus, and no cap need to chill out.

Build a healthcare system focused specifically on Gen X pain points, like the lower back area, special carpal tunnel treatment centers, and, at long last, a cure for that eeeeeeeeeee we hear 24-7.

Engender world peace by using the powerful motto we coined, “Silence the Violence.”

Never forget, Gen X, we are the party of Kennedy. MTV’s Kennedy. Who I’m proud to announce as my VP. Kennedy’s first task: reclaim the word “rock star” from the hands of the corporation. Kennedy will also serve as cultural ambassador. We will play more post-punk in public spaces like airports and drugstores. We will pioneer a bold new way to microdose cocaine. Last but not least, we will order Max and other streaming services to broadcast softcore porn late at night once again!

The challenges are many. But if we want to truly slack into retirement, we need to fix the system, even though we hate the system. Like you, I will be lazy and full of self-loathing. But I will be your voice, raspy since my parliament will smoke Parliaments. It’s time we rise. Even the eldest millennial had it so much easier than any single one of us. Together, we are badass.

Thank you, and may our Goddess Winona Ryder bless the US of Fuckin’ A.