#at least they're not in the same draft class

[kdsburneraccount]

anyways fully expecting a uconn-usc (scar) final but like maybe caitlin clark will do miracles again

[muninnhuginn]

Gah, the way the characters in white cat legend think that pushing those they love away will protect them. Qiu Qingzhi with Li Bing. Li Bing with Chen Shi and the rest. Alibaba with Vice President Shangguan. "It's for your own good" they say and they truly believe it. Even Chen Jiu with Chen Shi ("don't come to Shendu").

The way that the only way to break this cycle was for those being pushed away to push back. How, when even Chen Shi (the most openly caring of all the characters) had given up, his previous actions meant that Wang Qi and co. were still willing to keep trying. They were the four who had been deliberately coasting along prior to the start of the series, doing only enough in their jobs to not entirely lose their paychecks (and not even doing a particularly good job at that). And yet, because of the impact Li Bing and Chen Shi had had on them, *they're* the ones to say "stop pushing us away" and go out of their way to bridge the gap to Li Bing. Li Bing, who time and again, pushed others away, certain he had to keep others out of danger, and yet also terrified of what letting people close would do to *him* if they discovered him as he "truly" was.

It wasn't too late for Li Bing. He had people in his corner willing to push past his attempts to keep them out and he was (eventually) able to accept them. Accept that they accepted him.

Not everyone is so lucky.

[mylittleredgirl]

m*a*s*h reaction post released from my drafts!! i don't know why i have been worried about making a Good Post when legitimately everything that could ever be said about this show has been said.

so i will SHARE MY THOUGHTS ABOUT SEASON THREE currently in progress:

ooooh war got a sweet budget increase in the off-season. pyrotechnics! helicopters! ACTIONNN BAYBEEEE

i'm falling more in love with everyone, details to follow

top of the list: trapper my bestie has been promoted to trapper my legit fictional crush 💕

don't get me wrong, in real life i would slap his face, but i'm with hot lips on this one. the hair, the smile, every time he takes off his shirt... take me to the supply tent or lose me forever

HOWEVER, i happened to notice that he is not on the header pic on hulu* and none of you talk about him so i must regretfully conclude that he will eventually leave the show

DON'T TELL ME WHEN

anyway i am cherishing him as one cherishes an old dog not long for this world

*speaking of hulu: i have now joined the henry blake appreciation society thanks to this One Weird Trick (reupping my hulu account for a month because i lost my shit after the dvds cut out at the climax of an episode AGAIN)

i went back to rewatch the episodes that didn't play on the dvds, and turns out a lot of them were henry eps (including the trial of henry blake and the one where he is waiting for news about his new baby...) (and also the one where he fell in love with a cheerleader but you can’t win ‘em all)

just in time to appreciate that scene in "o.r." where he tells hawkeye he doesn't want to be discharged so that he can keep doing real doctoring 🥺

"o.r." had so many good character bits!! even frank got some depth?? or at least an explanation for why he's Like That...

other eps i liked:

"iron guts kelly" -- felt like a follow-up to the one last season where hot lips got wasted and broke up with frank and then hawkeye and trapper had to sober her up, which i also loved! "we hate her but she's OURS to hate" is such a good character dynamic.

also lmao every time she cheats on frank, GET YOURS GIRL 😘

the frank/margaret thing is strangely compelling actually? it's like an inverse ship for real. will-they-or-won't-they but for breaking up. same energy though, like i'm glued to the screen rooting for them to fight instead of kiss.

"check-up" i was sooooo brave you guys making peace with the situation BUT THEN TRAPPER STAYED!!! i feel like my crush has been given a stay of execution

i don't know if i ship it per se but i really hope he and margaret hook up exactly once and literally everyone regrets it

i've seen some more episodes and have more thoughts but i need to lie down a lot first

oh one more thing:

i realize "m*a*s*h actors amazing" is not breaking news, but i'm specifically obsessed right now with how they are always interacting with props. i don't even mean the o.r. tools or scripted things, but how in every scene they're doing comedy while also moving crap around, pouring things, drinking, shaving, changing clothes, handing (or THROWING) things to each other, just making a mess all the time while still hitting their lines and comic beats. it's a master class in whatever that is.

anyway it's so good!!! more to come 💕

[parachutingkitten]

Plastic Women: So, what is my point?

A note for those who somehow would like to hear more from me about the video

The mega video started out as a final essay assignment for a children's media college class. The prompt was ten pages on a topic related to children's media that tied into one of our weekly discussions. Being as obsessed with ninjago as I am, I was obviously going to write about it, and one of our weekly topics had to do with children's media's relationship to gender. I had a lot of thoughts on the female characters of the show, so I decided this essay would be a good opportunity to get those off my chest. Plastic Women: Female Representation in Lego Ninjago was the end result. It was a good essay- maybe I'll post it some time. The only problem was that my initial first draft was nearly a dozen pages long- and I had only just finished my thoughts on Nya. I decided that a paper analyzing the arc of the central female character would be perfectly adequate for the assignment, tightened things up a bit, and submitted it. I knew as soon as I did that the rest of my thoughts would have to come out- and that's what the four hours you've(presumably) watched is.

Being that the original point of the essay was to fulfill an assignment requirement, pinpointing the end goal of the video was a weirdly difficult struggle in the production process. I knew I had a lot of thoughts about the women, I knew it felt important that they get out into the world, but I couldn't quite put my finger on why. Why is this so important? What's my point in making this? Why do I have this drive behind things? I offer up a couple explanations in my video. Part of it was to help improve consciousness of these issues, to stress that female representation is actually important in male targeted media. To help encourage better practices for the show's future, to get people think analytically about the media they consume. These explanations seemed to satisfy me, and I still think they're all very important and valid, but even as I sat down to record the outro, there was this nagging feeling that I hadn't quite gotten to the core of why I was making this. What was driving me to put in a year and a half of effort, scripting, refilms, and endless, endless editing in order to get this out? Because while I do care about all of those things, it doesn't ignite that same passion source of where this video is coming from.

Unfortunately, the realization only really hit me after posting the video- after reading the comments. Unfortunately, the negative ones. I don't want to overstate how much hate the video has gotten, it has been widely well received, but I have my fair share of suspected (or self described) children and pre teens calling me an idiot for overthinking things in the comments. Some of these are obviously only responding to the title and thumbnail, and it's quite fun to scroll through the comment section and point them out. But of the people who have the most plausible deniability for actually watching at least part of the video, the most common criticism was by far the run time. Why am I dedicating this much time to a show which is obviously not a raging hate letter towards women? I'm labeling this thing as sexist when there's a whole season of the lead female fighting sexism. There are so many worse things that might deserve this run time, but ninjago can not be that bad. This is obviously ridiculous.

Now there are a couple of responses I have to this sentiment. First of all, the series is insanely long. I have to not only analyze, but explain all 15 seasons for those who (understandably) haven't watched it all or aren't as obsessive as I am. That's gonna take some time regardless of what angle you're doing a deep dive on. Have you seen the length of some of the show recap videos alone? Second, the video as a whole is a retrospective, not purely a criticism. I spend quite a bit of the run time praising the things which I do like and shrugging at things I think are passable. Third, I state up front that I am purposely looking for all interpretations of the text, because they are all interpretations that a young audience could potentially take away. Even if it's not surface level, if it's one or two layers down, I'm still interested. That means it's not logical to blanketly call the show sexist, because it's not openly promoting these ideas, and that was never my goal, I think I made that clear. In many ways I believe that if this were a "Ninjago is sexist" video it would be a lot shorter. Part of why the runtime is so long is because there is a great deal of nuance to how this show treats its female characters, and nuance takes time. If it were as simple as "Ninjago is obviously misogynistic" I would point to the problem spots and we wouldn't need a discussion. I wouldn't have to analyze. It would just be a statement of fact. But that's why the video's title is much less specific and accusatory. "More misogynistic than you remember" is a lot more open ended. It has some misogyny in there, and it's more than your child brain likely noticed. That doesn't mean it's necessarily overwhelming or defining for the series, it just means that it's there- and that amount is going to differ depending on the viewer and their personal interpretations of the text. I for one thought that the Racer 7 plot line was an obvious dismissal of female struggle, but apparently it's not as clear a universal a reading as I thought. Maybe it's my life experience as a women in a male dominated field that put that front and center under a undeniable spotlight for me, but that doesn't mean that's the universal experience of the show, nor should it count against the show so strongly as I feel it.

But this criticism is finally what made it click for me. I'm not criticizing the show because it's obviously sexist. Quite the opposite. I'm criticizing it because it is trying to not be sexist. I'm criticizing the show because it wants to be progressive, it's trying to include female characters, it is including messages and plotlines specifically to try and uplift women- and it's failing.

I am past the point of feeling the need to point out that andrew tate is wrong for seeing women as lesser. That's not an interesting take, that's not a new idea, and if you need that told to you, you are likely beyond help from a youtube video. I am not here to dabate if female representation is valuable, I am taking that fact as a given because it is a conclusion which I feel is inherently correct. If you have not yet come to this same conclusion, the purpose of this video is not to convince you that it is. That can be someone else's job. This is not a 101 class, it's got some prerequisites, because without them, you aren't going to appreciate my points. I am interested in giving ideas to people who already know their basics. It's not my fault if you're a few decades behind in your ideas on film theory. The efficacy of what constitutes positive female representation has already been debated and outlined for decades by people much smarter than me. I am not here to make their points, I am here to make my own.

I'm not here to point out the problems of blatant sexism, because that has been litigated to death; I'm interested in the problems of sexism today- because yes, even when sexism isn't blatant, it's still a problem. I am interested in breaking down subtle sexism. Accidental sexism. Systemic sexism. Sexism from people who are trying to be inclusive, because they are the ones who will actually take feedback. The sexism that is baked into our media culture, so deeply ingrained that it seems rather acceptable to show sexual assault on a kid's show. I am interested in why a show which so obviously repeatedly tries to incorporate feminist ideas into its plot can so easily rid its female characters of agency. It's not that I made the video to say something about ninjago, it's that I made the video to say something about sexism in media, and used ninjago as my example. It. Is. Everywhere. And perhaps even worse, it is ridiculously easy to accidentally end up in your work.

I do hint at these ideas throughout the run of my video, but I really wish I had known this was where my drive was coming from at the outset, because if I had, this idea would be pressed constantly. Tropes older than the film medium seep into the most basic of plots and position females in passive roles by default, and if you don't know that, you are going to ingrain these ideas into your work. It might not be blatant, it might be quite subtle, but it may also snowball into something egregious, like happens in skybound. It was supposed to be a season (partially)about fighting sexism, but ends up framing our lead female as an object, removing all her agency, and turning our leading man into an extremely objectifying character who never grows out of his possessive behaviors. Like I say at the beginning, this is a cautionary tale. It's active proof that doing the bare minimum in not being offensive in female representation requires an amount of effort that many people don't realize is necessary. It is almost never that the show outright says something sexist, it's that the plot structure and character progression do not think to include its female characters. It is not the text, it's the subtext. And you might not think that subtext is influential, but the very fact that you think it's not is the most terrifying thing about it. Our brains absorb so much more than we know, and the fact that these patterns and stereotypes are seeping in subconsciously without our recognizing it, is perhaps even more dangerous than outwardly sexist media in some cases. Consistency in these patterns is bound to rewire your brain- and you won't even notice.

That's the point I think I failed to emphasize throughout the run. How easy it is. How ridiculously easy it is to fall into these problems. "it's like you see sexism everywhere!" well, yes. It is everywhere. That's the point. It's baked into our culture. It's a corner stone in our media. It's systemic. That's the problem- that it's near impossible to find something that doesn't have it because it's a founding principle of most of human culture. That's why reverse sexism is not nearly as big a deal btw. Sure, shows aimed at little girls have a lot of underdeveloped male love interests, but they also haven't been stuck in that position for centuries upon centuries of human storytelling.

I don't feel the need to prove that the label of misogynist or sexist is befitting of the whole series, because for one, it's not, and for two, that wouldn't do anything. Ninjago is a symptom of the problem. It is not the problem in and of itself. Blacklisting it for being bad doesn't help anything, and I think I made it abundantly clear that was never my intention or desire. My intention was to show you just how prevalent this casual sexism can be. How this subtle (and sometimes not so subtle) undercurrent can be found in something as unexpected as a children's show which actively brags about the strength of its female characters. The goal was to open your eyes to how consistent it is, even if it's not potent. It was to lay out how the patterns tend to present themselves, so that maybe you'll be able to better identify them elsewhere. Because they are elsewhere. They're everywhere. It may not be in as high a dosage as it used to, but collectively it is still a staggering, saturating amount. And if you are an artist looking to make something that doesn't have this subtext, I'm here to warn you that it is likely a steeper up hill battle than you initially presume.

Misogyny is everywhere. I just happen to know a lot about ninjago, so that's where I chose to go in depth in breaking it down. It's a case study- and I think a quite interesting one with a lot of nuance at that. It's what I felt I could contribute, and I have to believe that's enough to justify its existence.

[the-badger-mole]

AU Bot Plots: Cooking Contest

I saw this and I was so excited because it's an idea I've had already, and part of a scene I'd already drafted for a fic I'm probably never going to get to. Then I looked at the prompt again, and I realized it's Chopped... My idea is Worst Cooks in America. In my defense, they're on the same channel. Anyway! I'm going rogue...again...

Katara and Zuko are world class chefs who have been rivals for nearly their entire careers. Now, a TV station devoted to food (a "food network" if you will) has turned their rivalry into must see TV (for housewives and hungover college students). In a battle to see who can take one of the worst cooks in the country and turn them into a five star chef in just a few weeks. This is The Worst Cooks in the Nation.

"Hey, Zuko," Katara taunted her opponent. "Are you mincing that garlic or liquifying it."

"Don't ever come at my knife skills, sweetheart," Zuko quipped. He looked at his team and directed their attention to the carrot next. "What I want you to focus on is making each of these carrot sticks the same size. Otherwise they won't all cook down the same. Then you'll have some carrots mushy and some that aren't done enough. Like Chef Katara's seaprune stew."

"Oh please!" Katara scoffed. "My seaprunes kill your ocean kumquats. You're just mad I won't share my recipe."

"I'll get it out of you, one way or another," Zuko promised with a wolfish grin. Katara's cheeks flushed slightly as she rolled her eyes and moved on to her next demonstration.

Confessional Booth:

Red Contestant 1: Is something going on between them?

Blue Contestant 1: I feel like I'm interrupting a date...or a fight? I don't know, but the tension is weird, right? (To the camera crew) You see it, right?

Blue Contestant 2: Whew! The steaks weren't the only thing sizzling in that kitchen. You feel me?

Red Contestant 2: Chef Zuko moves so fast. I get terrified whenever I see him chopping up all those vegetables without even looking. I can be staring dead at my thumb and still manage to cut it instead of the carrot.

Red Contestant 3: RC2 is the least observant person on the team. They almost chopped their own thumb off. And I asked them last night what they thought was happening between Chef Katara and Chef Zuko, and they just looked at me like I was the crazy one. I hope RC2 goes home next.

Chef Katara: Zuko and I have a little side bet going. The loser of this season of Worst Cooks has to take the winner wherever they choose. I'm going to have him take me to see the Ember Island Players performance of Love Amongst the Dragons....A date (laughing). No, it's not a date, I just know Zuko hates the Ember Island Players.

Chef Zuko: Oh, yeah! We do have a side bet. When I win, Katara has to take me ice skating. She keeps bragging about how good the skating rinks in the Southern Water Tribe are, so I'm finally going to have her show me what's so special about them...What do you mean? There's nothing romantic about that. She thinks she's a better ice skater than me, and she gets this funny little wrinkle over her nose when I prove I can do something as well as she can...Flirting? Of course I'm not flirting with her!

[geek-and-destroy]

'Progressive' hindu nationalists - why are they Like That?

Tomorrow is the 26th of January, the 74th Republic Day in India - the day the Indian constitution was formalized and adopted. I thought i'd mourn my fast-fading nationalism on this occasion by kinda airing out some bullshit and starting a political longpost, which is always a good idea right? right???

Since about the end of last year, I've seen some blogs on here that define themselves around hindutva - hindu nationalism, the idea that India is a hindu nation and must abandon its secular status. Any leftie/liberal with any awareness of the news will know their rhetoric is bullshit. Anyone who isn't really aware of Indian religious dynamics would know to spot their Islamophobia from a mile away, because seriously, the discourse is Ben Shapiro levels of bad.

The most egregious of these include hindulivesmatter, rhysaka, yato-dharmasto-jaya, vindhyavasini and others. Basically a small hindu nationalist clique. They're actually not that big a deal even on this hellsite, but they keep annoyingly popping up to start firebrand arguments under posts. But they're not uncommon in the real world. In fact, i think the majority of the Indian urban youth is Like That - anti-homophobia, anti-misogyny, theoretically anti-islamophobia, the same general left-leaning values associated with Gen Z; but with a weird blind spot when it comes to the fascist decline of their own country.

These users are not too different from TERFs, with their couching of hate in progressive, tumblr-social-justice language. There's been a lot of discourse around why TERFs are the way they are, why their otherwise feminist and progressive values eventually shatter in favour of their hate. I want to do something similar for hindutva tumblr, because i see in it a newer kind of hindu nationalist aggression, yet one that i am very familiar with, as an urban upper-middle-class Indian born into a Marathi Hindu family.

The main question i want to answer is this: why does someone espousing dire Islamophobic rhetoric also sincerely believe in progressive ideas? Why do they not see the contradictions? To do that, we need a little primer in post-independence Indian history.

So, it's often said that Indian democracy was not handed to us; this is not only in the sense that we had to fight for our freedom against the Brits, but also in the sense that there were long deliberations on the exact type of republic we wanted to be. The constitution was drafted, finalized and adopted a full three years after the Brits left. This framing of a philosophical struggle stayed on, throughout the tumult of the following decades.

This is how the modern Indian is taught about our history: Several riots, the Emergency in the 70s, the wars with Pakistan and China, the formation of Bangladesh, the victory at the cricket world cup, the Cold War international policy of non-alignment, the Green Revolution, all of these are presented through a frame of struggle, with the Kargil War and the 1991 liberalization being the point of stabilization. The median citizen of 1971 was politically aware and politically involved. That of 2001 was most likely not. At least, that's the narrative of capitalism in the country. This narrative of a 50-year prolonged post-independence struggle is why Indian nationalism is so potent, even outside of the newer Hindu fascist rhetoric. We've got a very intense sense of national pride. I'm guilty of it myself.

In 1991, the economy was opened up to multinational corporations and eventually led to the formation of an Indian petit bourgeois. The period from 1991 to roughly 2011 is seen as a period of idyllic peace much like the Clinton administration in the US. Culturally, this was the time of the Bollywood masala movie - light, apolitical and all about a big Hindu joint family that preaches benevolent unity of all religions. But the thing that was never mentioned in these movies was caste - an elephant in the room that i haven't addressed yet. Just like the 'default' US Culture is white suburban christian, the default culture here is upper caste middle-class hindu. The aforementioned rise of the middle class was largely along caste lines. Households in the US have microcultures along ethnic lines, and they can be similarly mapped in India through caste and religion.

The Indian equivalent of the megachurch pastor is the ruling BJP's paramilitary parent organization, the RSS, as well as others like the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, the Karni Sena, etc - organizations that normal people largely didn't agree with but whose values and morals were ingrained in their subconscious. The apolitical Hindu in like 2004 did not believe, like the RSS does, that India should be a Hindu nation; but he (i use 'he' here because male tends to be default in this case, and that's a whole different conversation) did believe in the greatness of traditions, the Indian armed forces and in ancient Hindu scientific supremacy (which at the time was limited to Aryabhatta's zero and the actual progress in the sciences from ancients like Charaka and Sushruta to more modern ones like Ramanujan and CV Raman - it hadn't gone into cuckoo fantasy land yet, where we showhow had stem cell research and aeroplanes in ancient India and the Ramayana is apparently actual history now). To this person, Savarkar was an icon of the freedom struggle along with others like Gandhi, Bose, Ambedkar, etc, but he didn't know or care about his religio-fascist ideology. Fascist elements existed then and had their pockets of support - the Shiv Sena in Maharashtra, Modi's CM-hood in Gujarat, and the first BJP national administration came up during this time. To the normal citizen, they were simply extremists with 'some good points'.

2008 was the year of the 26/11 attacks in Mumbai. Islamophobia didn't fully enter Indian discourse just yet, largely because of the assertion of the city's multicultural identity, but the seeds were certainly sown. In fact, blatant Islamophobia wouldn't be mainstream till 2016 or so - the BJP's 2014 election was won on middle-class concerns. The petit bourgeois finally made its voice heard politically in the 2011 anti-corruption protests spearheaded by Anna Hazare and Arvind Kejriwal, the latter of whom is the founder of the newest major political party in the country. It's typical of protests of this kind, agitating against a vague idea of corruption with not many tangible demands. It is true that by 2011, the Congress government was notoriously bloated, corrupt and ineffectual at a systemic level. The BJP gained a single-party majority on an anti-corruption and pro-welfare platform, with religion not really a factor.

The middle class celebrated this as an ultimate affirmation of their hegemony, and the RSS-derived values kicked into high gear. The celebrations have now become a gloat-fest, kinda like vindicated Marvel fans when their Disney product makes a bajillion dollars. The best example of this is the Ram Mandir inauguration earlier this week. Modi cultivated an image of a messiah figure who could do no wrong. Anyone who opposed their goals is now an anti-national and a traitor. General attitudes as a whole have grown a lot more bloodthirsty and carceral. Propaganda, degradation of public discourse, weakening of the media and public institutions, the whole gamut.

The people running the above-mentioned blogs are quite representative of this demographic. They probably fully believe what they spout. They fully believe that Hindus and Hinduism are under threat in India, that love jihad ("forced conversion") is a real thing, that Islamists are taking over their nation, and even that Hindus have been 'sleeping' and are just now being 'woken up'. At the same time, they believe in socially progressive values. The supposedly pro-LGBT+ and pro-feminist stances taken by the RSS are very much targeted at urban Hindus, not at the West as PR.

The propaganda directed at them (which includes movies, social media and tragically, many news outlets) often appeals to the traditional acceptance of queer individuals in mythological texts to get straight, cis, sheltered urban Hindus of all ages to reconcile bigotries and get on board the hate train. It is often in a comparative frame, juxtaposed with the bigotry in Islamic or Christian texts and historical persecution in the West (btw, the term acceptance is very loose here, they often equate mention of a thing with acceptance of that thing even if it's derogatory. Ancient hindu culture only 'accepted' trans women, and that was a marginalized acceptance at best).

The RSS often preaches that Hinduism is the religion of tolerance, and advocates for a twisted version of the tolerance paradox. It's reached a level where propaganda doesn't have to be deliberate - the citizens will do it for them. These blogs are true believers despite the contradictions, but their online activity is probably a deliberate form of praxis, with the co-opting of social justice vocab and appealing to white/western/Indian expat guilt etc. So yes, very much like TERFs, except that TERFs are an actual minority whereas Hindutva ideology is increasingly the default 'apolitical' belief. The reactionary internalization has been successful.

Tl;dr: people like hindulivesmatter are sincere in their bigotry towards Muslims as well as their progressive beliefs, because Indian culture as a whole oriented itself towards appealing to the urban upper caste middle class.

[what-if-nct]

hi hi hi today's reminder is correct me if I'm wrong but taeil hasn't been on hiatus super long. it's been, what, a couple of months at most? it was a little bit before the concert if i remember correctly. so you're telling me that 127 (well…certain members, but my point stands) have been unemployed for Months, to the point where fans were begging sm to show us taeil, and they decided to shoot the promo material for the new 127 album while they were preparing for/actually performing a whole other concert instead of while they were free??? and made the staff pick/edit/draft the content on what I'm sure was an insane deadline?? like that's nine whole, very distinct, films, that would've taken ages. i don't pretend to be an expert on k pop idol scheduling but surely there's better ways to go about it

anyway. i love that they still included taeil while letting him heal up. the vibe of these have been all over the place tho because why is jaehyun negotiating a deal with a sophisticated mob boss while taeil is straight up being given drugs at a night club? why is jungwoo just playing games while doyoung is contemplating what went wrong in his marriage in front of a pet shop aquarium?

Hiii, yeah it seems like golden age teasers were done over at least the past year as they all traveled during tours and even sent someone to film Winwin during his personal schedules. So to cram 127s in the span of like two or three months was definitely a decision since they all vary quite greatly but perhaps because they're all just in Korea and seemingly the same area that could of helped but how they did it is a mystery to me as well. It was a nice way to include taeil while he's resting. And I so far deciphered two distinct vibes there's the somber, dark film vibe with Johnny, Yuta, Doyoung and Jaehyun then the more light hearted party vibe with Mark, Jungwoo and Taeyong. Haechan fits in with the light hearted part. And Taeil's a mix of the both but because it's an animation I can't quite feel the vibe as well. But it does fit 127s overall energy. And my best guess the theme is overall quite dark and grungy which like watch it be the exact opposite but somehow be about getting a blowjob behind a 7\11. Which Jungwoo, you know where to find me.

Also unrelated but skz VMAs talk once more but I was weary of the reactions to skz watching Megan and Cardi perform. Why? cause I know how kpop fans are. And I didn't care about their reactions but I was prepared to be angry at things that fans said and look at that I was right. And I just wanna say

one, they're grown ass men I highly doubt they haven't seen a Cardi b or Megan music video. We've seen NCT sing Megan, Cardi and Nicki songs. Kpop idols haven't been sheltered from the obscenity of female rappers chill.

Two Changbin and Hyunjin weren't looking away from Megan twerking they were watching Cardi walk over to the other stage. Just like they were watching Megan perform on that same stage for her verse.

Three they weren't fucking traumatized, they're not innocent babies being corrupted by the female body. Someone said the dancers were so sexualized they couldn't watch it. Use sexualized wrong again, I want a kpop fan to use sexualize the wrong way again.

The dancers, Cardi & Megan choose to dress and dance that way it's a choice. Was it my choice for my class to look up my skirt and the teacher not stop it or say a word or for boys to try to throw things in my cleavage when i was 14 was that my choice? No. There's a fucking difference. Not everything sexual is sexualized. Sometimes it's just sexy and that's okay. Women are allowed to express their sexuality. I'm sorry that just triggers something in me.

Anyway all of the negative things I see are definitely slightly if not blatantly anti black, sexist,infantalizing, and I've even seen fatphobia which....why the fuck? God forbid women have fat on their body. This may seem over dramatic but I will never forgive kpop fans for what they did to cupcakke so I am hyper vigilant and the hate kpop fans have toward black women is just so disgusting. But yeah how dare women dress and perform as they wish in an area where your precious innocent 21 to 25 year old men are and clearly there's no way they can enjoy such sexual performances. I wanted to call those fans very mean things but I will say. All fans over the age of 20 and with common sense are cool and I love you and are a good 68% of the fans the rest of y'all, just grow up.

[plutobutartsy]

pre-relationship ramble for briar evie and nate :)

this has been in my drafts for two days now but i forgot to post it lol

tags: @oceanicwhitetipshark @swanconcerto

before they started dating, nate and briar hated each other and this went all the way back to middle school where they first met

briar hated nate because he thought nobody is that nice, he has to be hiding something (also a good amount of jealousy at just how likable nate is. briar constantly strives for perfection and nate seemed to achieve it effortlessly despite not exceling at every aspect of life.)

nate hated briar because wow. what a pretentious prick.

also remember that briar puts on this arrogant persona as a defense mechanism and when he notices that he gets under someone's skin, he just has to keep poking the bear because, in his mind, it registers as him strengthening his defense

so nate was also just straight up anxious to be in briar's presence. he thought that eventually briar would annoy him so much that he would lose control over his emotions

they don't go to the same school anymore. briar goes to this rich kid private school for vampires while evie and nate go to the same regular human highschool

so all three of them don't realize that they all know each other at first

nate and evie share a few classes and after nate came back, evie worked up the nerve to ask wether she can sit next to him. her old desk mate was making her uncomfortable and the seat next to nate was the only other free one

she was like TERRIFIED to ask, she was all like omg i'm being so annoying i'm being such an inconvenience i don't even know this guy oh god

but she asks anyway and nate is just like. sure ^-^

they end up getting really close and evelyn thinks wow he is so nice <3 and promptly develops a crush

i would say the bar is in hell but we're talking about nate so i stand with evie

nate is all like. ah how nice to have a new friend whom i have completely platonic feelings for :]

dumbasses the lot of them

but wait it gets funnier (to me at least)

nate starts comming by the café where evelyn works to see his good totally platonic not romantic buddy friend peer ™

and during his 4th visit briar is there too :) now usually they would have just ignored each other but evie is so excited to introduce her new friends to each other!!

she's like ah nate good that you're here this is my friend that i've been telling you about :3 his name is briar :3

cue one minute of prolonged eye contact, "yeah we've met 😐"

she asks if they're friends, and they both say no

and evie might be bad at social cues but she can read people that she knows well so she immediately clocks the romantic tension between these dummies

so over the course of the next few weeks she tries to figure out what the hell is going on between these two without outright asking. partly because she's bever seen nate be so outright rude to anybody and partly because she's nosy

this is her conclusion: say they're not friends + seem annoyed at each other + romantic tension + briar puts up a front of arrogance to hide his affection + bicker like an old married couple = they're dating?

so for the next few weeks, she spends every interaction these three have thinking "aw they're such a cute couple :] this totally doesn't suck or make me jealous at all haha"

in conclusion misunderstandings in media are only good when i find them funny

[writermuses]

Hello darlings!

I'm still alive/here. I know I owe all the things and I appreciate you all following my "queue that" rule because I haven't been on my computer to write let alone draft. In case you're wondering what I've been up to I'll give you a bulleted list of the teacher life near D.C. under the read more.

🩵 Natty

Here's some chaos:

My student pulled the fire alarm and rather than addressing that for the felony it is, kiddo is on a 1 month suspension (you get 45 days for fighting) Worth noting this student was previously expelled 2 years ago for a gun situation.

We've had 2 mob fights at my school and another at the next closest high school (they also had a stabbing and the response was "well at least it wasn't our school on the news this time")

I've had more meetings than there were days of the week and worked past 5 nearly every day (we love unpaid work... i'm talking like full time job hours of unpaid labor)

My school has gone through more than 12 principals in my 6 years here and the new one has given me 9 blocks of classes to have my students research, make posters, assemble 550 meal kits, complete a reflection, and present a summary (to whom? idk bro) All while never answering my emails... in case you're wondering it costs 20k to get the groceries for this task alone. As of right now I have 3 students that can build the 550 meal kits. We have 2 80 minute blocks to build them all or our low income families have nothing to eat over spring break 👍

Our bell schedule is changing so that we'll have 3 lunches with students required to be in the cafeteria, instead of 2 where they're in our classrooms. This will end all in school clubs (RIP Four Square Club 😢 ) and we need 350 more chairs in the cafeteria 😂 fyi I had to have 3 students standing per block for 4 weeks because we couldn't get desks and chairs for my classes of 33. When I got desks they gave me elementary cubby desks. (I teach HS. The average 'kid' is like 5'5 hahaha)

The students booed the new principal so loudly at the pep rally that I could hear it with earplugs in and she didn't send their bitch asses back to class. She said, "Hmm, I think I hear some boos? Wouldn't be the first time, won't be the last."

Here's some cute shit:

My nearly non-verbal gem of a human told me a joke: Why did the sun go to class? To get a little brighter!

That same student: His current hyperfixation is roasting my lack of an immune system. He calls me his weakest superhero 😂

In a room full of extremely politically divergent teenagers, they almost unanimously agreed that a person facing criminal charges shouldn't be allowed to run for office and then had civil discourse about it.

The hype of my Afghani students getting to teach their class the Arabic alphabet when we started our new module. (Also their hype over the teachers showing up to their club's fundraiser)

A parent made shirts for the seniors on our 🏀 team (just 4 boys). They got to pick their favorite and most impactful teacher and she wanted each one to have a different teacher wearing theirs but 2 of them insisted it be me and wouldn't budge 😭 (also one of them interviewed to play ball overseas so 🤞 for him)

A parent made the staff valentines day cupcakes

A student in culinary arts gave me a banging cinnamon roll the size of my head

A quiet student from last year came by to tell me he bowled nearly 300 and made brownies- they were not pot brownies, I took the risk and it was worth it 😂

2 of my kids with over 100 absences showed up this week! They won't pass but 👍 nice to know they're like alive

[petruchio]

Hi! For the writing asks:

🚀 Do you like to outline your fic first or create as you go?

📗 Do you want to write something outside of fanfiction? If so, what about?

🚀 Do you like to outline your fic first or create as you go?

i definitely outline. i used to say i "sort of" outline because i don't literally structure it like 1. 1a. 1b. etc., but basically i can't start a story unless i know where it's going to finish -- obviously it develops along the way but i don't just like... start. i have to have an end in mind and i have to know how i'm going to get there. basically what i do is i just start daydreaming and sketching some scenes in my head and then when things start to crystalize i write out a frenzied sort of stream of consciousness general plot in my notes app until i find an ending and figure out the connective tissue that will get me there -- the daydreaming phase usually takes months, and then the "outline" comes out of me in like 2 days -- and then depending on how fleshed out my outline is, the writing comes together pretty fast since once i've actually written down the outline, i've at least sketched out most of the scenes in my head and the writing just connected all of them. (now that i've explained that it's a wonder anyone has ever complimented me on my pacing because outside of the fics i've intentionally structured as chaptered i simply <3 do not think about pacing at all -- pacing is definitely a feel as i go sort of thing, although it is something i tweak a lot in edits) lol i would show you guys an example of one of my "outlines" but they're kind of embarrassing to be honest! (i think i actually posted one once but it was basically unintelligible and it was for a fic i never actually wrote)

📗 Do you want to write something outside of fanfiction? If so, what about?

oh absolutely!! i love fanfiction because i feel like it gives me a chance to play around in the worlds i love so much (specifically thg, and a bit of pjo too) and also it lets me "hang out" with the characters if that makes sense. i also love it because i get so much feedback and immediate validation on my work, which is just harder to get on original works and there isn't the same kind of community you get with fanfic. BUT! i love writing and it's the dream of my life to get an original work published. i have a couple worlds in my head i revisit from time to time and try to figure out how to gel a whole story out of them (they're kind of like... young adult fantasy/sci fi worlds that i've bounced around in my brain for years and occasionally i've written some outlines for stories but they never seem to get me quite to the point of novel-length inspiration) and then i have a couple literary fiction plot outlines that take place in elite colleges or postgrad big cities that function as romances that critique the class system in america (that's really my favorite genre of novel to read -- and one that i one day would love to have my own entry) i've also written a couple random short stories (i guess i would call them magical realism or like, low fantasy?) like, one was about an alien in a convenience store, or one was about a city where nobody ages. those are really fun to write and sometimes i do think about cleaning some of them up and seeing if i could get them published -- just to have something "technically" officially published, but i've just never done it. i think i would want to build up my drafts before i start sending things around, because if i got negative feedback i think i'd probably get really down on myself -- so i want to have a bigger body of work to draw from.

well that was a super long answer 🤦‍♀️ but basically the answer is YES YES YES

[rurulyywrites]

☁️ One good man~|Idia Shroud x m!reader|

Pairings: Idia Shroud x M!reader

Plot: Y/n performed part time as an entertainer in Monstro Lounge. Just for a little few Thaumarks/Madol. While doing so,He caught the attention of the shut in brother of his favourite person.

Type: fluff

Requested by: GAY_LILY_PAD

"☁️Idia Shroud x male reader"

Of course dear!

•×•×•×•×•

Oh look! I found the chapter that got lost in my drafts! ABOUT 3 MONTHS AGO💀

-----------------------------------

3rd Person POV

"Another gig?"

Yuuken said as him,Y/n and Grim walked through the hallways of the dismissed school.

"Yep! I've got 2 VIP performances too.."

Y/n said as he slouched

"You're so bummed out,I don't even know when your voice is gonna wear out"

Grim said as he sat on Y/n's shoulder while Yuuken kept Y/n's posture straight

"Try flirting and winking at the customers! I wanna know how it turns out! Nyeheheh~"

Grin said with a devious smirk

"As if I don't already do that. It keeps the performance alive"

Y/n said as they reached the lockers.

Y/n opened his and suddenly,a stockpile of letters came flowing down.

"FNYAHH?! THERES MORE?!"

Grim said in disbelief as Y/n tried picking it all up

"Love letters again.."

Grim said with a sigh as Y/n arranged all the letters and opened them and gave it to Yuuken to read

"Wow~ this one's a new guy! Same class as Riddle too. You haven't gotten much of those people,yeah?"

Yuuken asked before reading the letter

"he said 'Hello, darling Y/n<3 The first time I saw you perform in Monstro Lounge,which was a few months back, you awakened something in me'"

Yuuken said as he stopped to laugh a little

"It's the same old story. Grim,can you burn these for me? I have a busy performance and don't have time."

Y/n said as he gave the pile to Yuuken for them to burn

"I love how they're just wasting paper on someone they can never be with"

Y/n muttered as Grim and Yuuken laugh.

"Y/n?.. Y/n!!"

His boss, Azul, calls out.

"Yeah--"

"Y/n's voice is pretty raspy,you sure you want him to perform toda-- HEY!!"

Grim's ear was flicked by Y/n

"Is your voice alright? Are you alright?"

Azul asked as Y/n nods

"I'm fine,I can sing and perform perfectly! Grim just wants to sabotage me"

Y/n said as Grim tsked

"Well,you're gonna have to wear something different for your VIP performances,they specifically requested"

Azul said as Y/n sighs

"Let's talk about this somewhere else".

And with that,Y/n was dragged away from Grim and Yuuken and was on his way to Octavinelle for work.

"I thought it was part time,but he acts like it's a full time." Grim whines.

.

First gig for today. I hope the rest goes well.

Voice,don't let me down please

Y/n thought as he sighed and got into his entertaining attire.

His hair slicked back for a more sophisticated look.

"Can you play this?"

Y/n asked the Maestro as he hands out a folder of music sheets.

"Give us a few minutes,sire!"

The maestro said as he winked at Y/n.

He fakes a smile and wink before leaving and turned his back and had a visible shudder.

"Da~ da darat da~ dat darat da~ da.. da~!"

Y/n sang as he tapped his nails on his vanity.

(No chance someone got the reference)

"Y/n,you're up"

Jade said as he entered Y/n's changing room.

"Coming!"

Y/n said as he stood up,buttoned the top button of his suit and dusted himself.

.

The soft sounds of jazz filled the area of the Monstro Lounge as the spotlight was focused on you in the stage while you sing.

Lots of whistling and clapping were happening while you sang.

Doing light movements and flirting with the audience for at least a few extra bucks.

Trying to scan around the lounge for your favourite person who's always there with a huge smile,Ortho Shroud.

He's always loved how he can both enjoy other people's likings while testing the new things that his brother added to his software.

•Meanwhile•

"Ugh.."

Idia muttered as he was holding Ortho's hand while he ran around Octavinelle and to Monstro Lounge.

"You can leave me at Y/n senpai's performance while you go and talk with your board game club members! I believe it would be a huge improvement in your lifestyle!"

Ortho said eagerly as they both stopped infront of the doors.

"So this is where you go to.."

Idia said in disappointment

"Hey! Y/n senpai's performances make 70% improvement in the customers' mood! I've run scans numerous times!"

Ortho states as Idia sighed and they entered the lounge.

Suddenly,the sound of someone singing caught his attention and making him look towards the direction of the sound.

"Wow..."

Idia muttered as Ortho dragged him to his usual seat.

"Isn't he amazing,brother?! Look! I ran a scan on you before and after entering the Lounge! Its drastically changed!"

Ortho said but Idia was so focused on the person singing that he couldn't hear anything but his amazing voice.

"Ahh~ alright.. that's Y/n senpai. He performs here every other day, he's a favourite around here"

Ortho said as Azul passed by them

"Ortho? Looks like you brought a friend,no?"

Azul said as he sat down with them

"Hello Azul San!"

Ortho said cheerily as Azul smiled at him

"You sure are staring,Idia.. I haven't seen you this focused unless it's through a phone screen"

Azul joked as Idia immediately looked away

"Eeck! He saw me...!"

Idia muttered as he tried to look away and not look suspicious

"Well there's no need to look away,he's coming here"

Azul said with a light laugh as Idia's hair turned from blue to a bright red

"Nice to see you here again,Ortho"

the singer said as he sat down with them.

"Y/n senpai! You're amazing as always! The scans I ran became better than before!"

Ortho said eagerly as Idia felt awkward

"I'll leave you three be"

Azul said as he bid adieu to the three.

"Introduce me to your friend?"

Y/n asked Ortho as Idia slightly looked at him

"This is my big brother, Idia! I kept talking about how I wanna bring him to see you!"

Ortho said eagerly as he lightly nudged his brother.

"I get it,if you're not into talking or any chit chat. Ortho mentioned it too. Just settle down and enjoy it here,maybe slowly crawl out that gamer shell"

Y/n suggested as he winked at Idia before saying a goodbye and going up to stage again.

"W..Woah.."

Idia muttered once more

"He's.. he's really nice.."

"I know! That's why I think you two might be compatible!"

"Ortho..! Not here.."

.

He's a good man..

But he really just had to stare,now don't he?

.

Y/n's job ended and he immediately changed back to his normal clothes to go out and look for the Shroud siblings.

"Y/n..?"

Idia muttered as soon as Y/n left his changing room.

"oh-- fuck--! You scared me!"

Y/n whispered as Idia's hair turned even more red.

"Say,you waitin for me?"

Y/n said as he smirked and leaned on the wall outside the closed Monstro Lounge

"O.. Ortho came home first.. I wanna know if I can take you home"

Idia muttered as Y/n smiled

"You're brave,Idia. Let's go?"

Y/n said as he placed a hand on Idia's shoulder,he saw Idia lightly smile before nodding.

...

"Ortho I don't think this is--" "Y/n senpai likes (fav flower)! Add that to the letter as a decoration!"

Ortho demanded Idia.

To put it simply..

It's been a few days every since Idia has first seen Y/n in Monstro Lounge,but he was the only thing Idia could think about, and now,Ortho is helping Idia make a love letter to him..

"He often receives ~15 letters per day,and burns the ones that don't seem interesting! You must have a remark saying that it's you that wrote it so that he can read it!"

"Ortho you're pressuring me..!"

[ariel-seagull-wings]

FICTIONAL CHARACTER ASK: JANINE MELNITZ

Asked by anonimus

@thereisnoblogonly-zuul​

@professorlehnsherr-almashy @thealmightyemprex @goodanswerfoxmonster @the-blue-fairie @princesssarisa @gravedangerahead @parxsisburning @softlytowardthesun @themousefromfantasyland @filmcityworld1 @lord-antihero @lioness--hart

@budcortfancam @bixiebeet @spengnitzed @angelixgutz @stantzed @janeb984 @amalthea9

Favorite Thing About Them: Let's face it, besides Lois Maxwell's portrayal of Miss Moneypenny in the James Bond film series, there weren't really other examples of desk secretaries so well developed as Janine Melnitz. It is a hard job, and vital to keep government institutions and companies organized, but like the also hard work of being a howsewife, it is often overlooked because is a job associated with women that writers tend to think it won't be interesting to audiences as " the stories of man of action going into a battlefield or other dangerous kind of adventure" that they often choose to focus on. So to have this simple working class lady being portrayed with charisma, as we empathize with the boredom, excitement, confidence, anger, stress and fear that she shows as she navigates trough her job, acting as the human element that helps to keep us grounded in this fantastic story about scientists hunting ghosts in New York City, is marvelous to watch. And she is also shown to be able to adapt and become a competent Ghostbuster in her own right, even leading a back up team while being someone who, like Winston Zeddemore, didn't got access to an Ivy League University Doctorate, showing that there are other forms of being inteligent besides having a golden framed diploma, like conecting with the general public and providing emotional support for friends who need it.

Least Favorite Thing About Them: The fact that when Ghostbusters 2 went to take inspiration from the cartoon The Real Ghostbusters, it made the mistake of only getting inspiration from the character design in the messy later seasons, ignoring the idea of her acting as the fifth Ghostbuster presented by the first two seasons and instead making her have a sexual escapade with Louis Tully out of nowhere to boost his confidence so Louis could be the new fifth Ghostbuster. The writers of the second movie, wich was the same team as the first one, had the template to make progress in making a urban fantasy adventure comedy story where man and woman worked together as a team to save the day without seeing anything weird about it, and didn't tooked any advantage of it.

Three Things I Have In Common With Them:

*I have short hair and wear glasses;

*I often use sarcasm as a mechanism to cope with problems;

*I also work behind a desk with a computer, telephone, pencil and paper;

Three Things I Don’t Have In Common With Them:

*I'm not an american from New York City;

*I'm not a red head;

*I wouldn't have the courage to fight against ghosts and monsters that she has;

Favorite line:

From the July 1983 Script Draft:

"The phones? I wouldn't say the calls are pouring in, Dr. Venkman."

"Good night, Egon."

"Is it alright if I watch?"

"Thank you."

From the October 1983 Script Draft:

"Who do you think you're talking to, Mister? Do I look like a child? You can't come in here without some kind of warrant or writ or something."

"It's a sign, all right... "Going out Of Business."

"I want you to have this."

"It's a souvenir from the 1964 World's Fair at Flushing Meadow. It's my lucky coin."

"Keep it anyway. I have another one at home."

From the 1984 movie:

"You're very handy. I can tell. I bet you like to read a lot, too."

"Oh, that's very fascinating to me. I read a lot myself. Some people think I'm too intellectual, but I think it's a fabulous way to spend your spare time. I also play racquetball. Do you have any hobbies?"

"Hello, Ghostbusters. Yes, of course they're serious. [she paused and sat back down] You do? You have? No kidding. Uh-huh. Well, just, uh, just give me the address. Yes, of course. Oh, they'll be totally discreet. Thank you."

"We got one!"

"Do you believe in UFOs, astral projections, mental telepathy, ESP, clairvoyance, spirit photography, telekinetic movement, full trans-mediums, the Loch Ness monster and the theory of Atlantis?"

"I've quit better jobs than this."

"Ghostbusters! What do you want!?"

"You are so kind to take care of that man. You know, you're a real humanitarian."

From the novelization of the 1984 movie:

"Would I kid you?... Well, the soonest we could possibly get back to you would be a week from Friday... I'm sorry, but we're completely booked until then... Uh huh... All I can suggest is that you stay out of your house until we can get to you.... Well, in that case. I'd be not to provoke it. You're welcome."

"Egon, there's something very strange about that man. I'm very psychic usually, and right now I have this teerible feeling that something awful is going to happen to you. I'm afrayed you're going to die."

"That's so romantic. "

"You're sweet, Egon."

brOTP: Peter Venkman, Ray Stantz, Winston Zeddemore, Dana Barrett, Tiyah Clarke, Louis Tully, Kylie Griffin, Melanie Ortiz, Louise, Irena Cortez, Bryan Welsh, Ilyssa Selwin, Walter Peck.

OTP: Egon Spengler.

nOTP: Ron Alexander.

Random Headcanon: Her maternal family is of german-irish, lutheran and catholic background, while her paternal family is of ucranian, polish and georgian jewish background. She always took part in traditions of both sides of her family, but has more strong identification with the jewish side.

Unpopular Opinion: I understand the idea of the Real Ghostbusters cartoon series episode Janine, You Changed being an attempt to criticize the executives that wanted to force Janine into what they deemed conventional patterns of femininity by inserting the plot of an evil fae that prays on insecurities manipulating Janine after she feels insecure about her appearance, but I think that is still out of character because when it camed to her physical appearance, Janine never seemed likely to feel insecure about it, but take pride in it. If a writer really wanted to explore some insecurity in her in a way that felt organic, it would make more sense to explore her insecurity due to the fact that she camed from a working class background and didn't have access to a college and university doctorate like Peter, Ray and Egon because of lack of money or family connections and because the universities criteria to accept new students is arbitrary and elitist, but Winston, who also shares a working class background, and the other Ghostbusters would assure her that just because she isn't a former Ivy League graduate, doesn't mean she is less inteligent or capable to understand the work of tracking and studying the supernatural.

Songs I Associate With Them:

Elusive Butterfly

undefined

If

undefined

Andante, Andante

undefined

Somebody to love

undefined

You Are the Sunshine of My Life

undefined

Stay

undefined

Favorite Picture of Them:

Annie Potts in the 1984 movie

In the original two seasons of the Real Ghostbusters animated series

In the IDW licensed comics

[lez-exclude-men]

Hello. So this is a question i'm going to send to multiple radfem blogs. What would you say is a crucially important role women have in society that isn't childbirther/care taker? I've asked this on other sites and it has so far stunned everyone, and i hate the idea that my existence is only valued because i can be used as a broodmare. So i'm looking for any answers other than that. How would society crumble without women?

Uh women are people? We build and create, we're smart and resourceful.

This question is so weird like.

"a crucially important role" - what do you consider "crucially important"? Women are engineers and architects, biologists and artists, craftspeople and artisans. Women can build bridges and dams, create councils and grow food, test soil samples and track the migration of geese. We're capable of performing every crucial role in society.

"Women" - why are you asking this question singling out women? What crucially important role do MEN play in society that can't be done by a woman? Why do we as women need to justify our existence?

"in society" - what is your definition of society? Because, at least in my interpretation of your question, you're conflating advanced modern society with evolutionary "purpose".

You say you hate the idea that your existence is only valued because you can be used as a broodmare. Here's my suggestion: get a gun, then go shoot whoever told you that. Then pursue whichever career or hobby interest you, travel, taste new foods, talk to different people, explore new areas. Your purpose in life is what you want it to be. We have approximately 60-80 years to spend on this earth. Breathe. Drink water. Touch grass. Plant grass. Plant different grass. Maybe plant some flowers. Watch the bees and butterflies pollinate them. Hear the thunder and witness the lightning as a storm waters the grass. Feel the rain on your skin. Marvel in the simple wonders of the world, and take pride in knowing you helped something flourish. Or don't. Do something else, something that has meaning to you, something that inspires you, something that makes you laugh, makes you cry, teaches you something. Ride a horse, write a letter, draft plans for an art museum (ik I've used several engineering examples, I'm just literally in an architectural engineering studio keeping my best friend company while she figures out how to put air ducts in an art museum. Lol)

Society is one of those words that means something slightly different to almost everybody. According to Google one definition is "the aggregate of people living together in a more or less ordered community". I like this one. People just living together, doing things together. You are people, I am people. The amount of structure and order in how we live together can vary, but what matters is that we're together. We love each other, hate each other, feel ambivalent about each other. But we're all here, at the same time. Isn't that marvelous?

Which brings me to how you mentioned the "caretaker" role. Humans are social creatures, we thrive in taking care of each other. I think it is stupid to consider this a gendered thing. Everyone interacts with someone, everyone can take care of someone. Many radfems get angry because men to take care of only other men, while women tend to take care of everyone. And sometimes we don't want men to take care of other men because we think some men don't deserve it. We struggle with how society is currently structured, forcing women into a lower class. Most radfems I know combat this in their daily life by uplifting other women, making sure their needs are met. We want to see each other succeed and be healthy and enjoying life. But ultimately, when there are people existing together, no matter if they're men or women, there will be society, and someone will be taking care of someone else. Men are caretakers too. Humans are caretakers, because that's what being a social creature is.

On that note, what does your community directly around you need? What struggles and issues are your neighbors facing? If you're struggling for purpose, this is another good place to start. How can you make life better not just for yourself, but for your neighbors too? Talk to people outside of the internet, get to know their struggles and passions, needs and wants. Share your own. Find out what matters to you and your neighbors, and what you can do towards that goal or issue.

"How would society crumble without women?" How would society crumble without men? Would society crumble without men? Does it matter?

We can spend hours coming up with imaginary situations and philosophizing. And perhaps there is some value in that. But right now, my best friend wants my opinion on which floorplan incorporates air ducts in the most tasteful way without disrupting the utility of the museum's main room. So I'm going to go participate in society by offering her my opinion, and I hope you find some purpose, however big or small, in your part of society as well.

[thephantomcasebook]

“heard that this actress who became very famous for playing a mother in a big tv show got blacklisted by the same cable channel for spilling way too much information about some of the backstage conditions of work and her dislike of the highly controversial ending”

pseudonym: hbo feud

Could this be about Livvy aka our white feminism queen ?

Huh ...

I actually think they're talking about Emilia Clarke. She wasn't exactly shy about her veiled feelings for Season 8.

However, I'm assuming you're talking about Olivia Cooke and the "Blood and Cheese" incident.

To be fair, if what I understand about the big controversy was that in "Blood and Cheese" the original script - as drafted by Sara Hess - involved a graphic Anal rape scene of Alicent with some pretty degenerate dialogue. From what I heard, the person who took a look at it commented that the script read like the writer was self-inserting themselves to rape Alicent as some sort of revenge against conservative/religious women. It was pretty fucked up.

So, on the front, I actually don't blame Olivia Cooke for refusing to do it and clashing with the producers. I don't think they kept it, cause, I know that GRRM stepped in and rebroke and rewrote "Blood and Cheese" personally after the dust up.

That being said, if it's true, Olivia Cooke handled the situation in the absolutely wrong way. Like, if there's a way to handle a situation with tact and class ... Cooke went the complete opposite end. Which doesn't surprise me in the least bit.

I'm convinced that Olivia Cooke is just straight retarded.

I cannot put into coherent words how absolutely, monumentally, stupid she is. An entitled, self-righteous, narcissist. I saw an interview with her where she said her personal pet peeve was "injustice" ... INJUSTICE! What does that even mean? - Other than being a self-important self-aggrandizing twat. What, putting the toilet paper roll on the wrong side was just to obvious? What are we talking about out here? Also the fact that she was quoted as saying that as long she has "The women and the gays" that she' doesn't need anyone else to watch her. The two demographics that are not the core audience of a majority of her projects ... the arrogance is fucking astounding. To openly say that as long as she panders to corporate camouflage that she doesn't have to worry about anyone else.

She's mentally fucking deficient.

I say all of that to say that I can absolutely see this pampered and entitled white London actress with luxury politics and Corporate backed values doing something as monumentally stupid as going over producers heads to contact HBO front office and Warner Brothers executives to basically threaten the studio's only successful show with scandal and controversy to get her way.

How do you think that a studio in 50 Billion Dollars of debt and on the verge of bankruptcy is going to treat that threat? Anyone with the basic idea of how Hollywood and entertainment works is gonna know that they're going to give her what she wants in the short term and fuck her as long as she lives.

There is a 100 better ways to have handled that situation ... and it took the genius professor with the doctorate in bimbo feminism to find the complete ass backward way of doing it.

So, like I said, I'd absolutely see Olivia Cooke torpedoing her career based on entitlement and unrealistic self-importance of her white leftist feminism.

But, like I said, I'm pretty sure they're talking about Emilia Clarke. She hasn't been doing a lot lately.

[msmargaretmurry]

🌻 and also 🤍 cos personally the author is Alive to Me

🌻what makes you want to give up on writing? what makes you keep going?

honestly, nothing makes me want to give up on writing. i have been writing stories from the moment i learned to write. tiny me handwrote and illustrated her own stories about her favorite stuffed animals on construction paper that my mom triple-hole punched and bound with yarn. in the seventh grade i wrote a short story for my lit class and my teacher liked it so much he read it to all his classes. when it comes to writing i am 100% can't stop won't stop not sure how to stop. what makes me want to keep writing, besides apparently some fucked up biological imperative, are the prospects of sharing a new finished story with friends, and of experiencing my own writing improving and being able to tell stories better each time i write one.

🤍what's one fic of yours you think people didn't "get"?

oh this is an interesting question! i'm both not very prolific and i don't feel like i write very complicated fics, so i don't think i've encountered a lot of people not really "getting" my fics (at least not where i can see them, lmao). i will say that with my rpf fics -- and this is a thing with rpf in general, i think -- is that they're all very much products of the moments i wrote them in, and i do sometimes feel like people coming to them later are reading them in a different context than the context i wrote them in. so for a fic like Keep Your Curtains Drawn, i feel like someone who wasn't watching the oilers in the 4-5 years leading up to the mcdavid draft can absolutely enjoy the story (in theory, anyway; i haven't read that one in years, it might be bad 😂) but they won't totally "get" it, if that makes sense? which isn't necessarily a bad thing, it's just a thing that's true! same for TNNO, which came out of both a specific time in the dylan/connor of it all but also, like, a time when the oilers (and leafs, to an extent) still kind of felt like a lost cause and the idea of them being legit contenders would have been pretty wild! even with HAW, now after a year of experiencing matthew (florida version) i would write that fic so differently, so i think the people who were around for matthew (calgary version) will "get" it better because they experienced the context. i'm worried this answer is going to come off as gatekeepy or something which is absolutely not my intention 😅 more just a meditation on the inexorable march of time and the constantly shifting canon of rpf. did i even answer the question? who knows. but thank you for asking!

[kitnita]

i LOOOOOVE jason and jake's dynamic as faces of the franchise, because, for instance, draisaitl and mcdavid are one of the most famous duos of hockey, but they play on the same position, whereas our boys constantly hype each other, even if one of them is literally a goalie and definitely isn't put together with a left winger 😅

yes, exactly!!!! them being different positions is SO important to the vibe and i think in a way they like …… know that too?? at least when it comes to them talking about their draft class. they’re aware that it’s insane that the stars got them and miro all together!! they know how special it is that they get to be the new guard together!!! like i'm sure miro's aware of it all too but he doesnt really talk Narratives. and also robo & otter just talk about each other the Most. which we can blame on the fact that robo gravitates towards goalies + the fact that miro came into the league before them. like, yes, the draft class is the story but THEY'RE the duo. they're the ones doing it all together and getting bally sports southwest to make end-of-season romcom posters of them. etc etc etc.