#but really discouraged from the typical school setting

[thegurlwhoisntthere]

Does anyone else characterize Danny as someone who probably finds Math and Science to be pretty easy, but English hard? Or like, he can do the math and build shit easily but the moment someone asks him to explain what he did he’s like ???

Cause those are the vibes I get from him

[avissapiens]

Jockbull Summer Week 1 (12/11/23-18/11/23) - Set A

Model used is Tsonghan Wu

1 & 2.

I don’t typically train with push ups all that often, but I picked this as my personal goal because there’s such a potent jock energy about being able to show off and crank out effortless reps of push ups. Massive high school sports star energy. But we started small. Only managed 22 on my first day. Granted it was immediately after a Push session.

The second attempt however I integrated the competitive element. I went to one of my best friends from back home, K. Total stud who i’ve always envied and idolized. I expect he’ll come up a few more times before this is over so might as well give him some designation. I asked him to make it a contest to beat his score. He hit 30 in one go. I pushed myself so fucking hard because I would not lose to him. I was gonna kick his ass. And I did. I hit 31 and then spent a good minute on the floor unable to get up. It felt so fucking good tho. Increasing by so much. Pushing and winning against my bro. It made my night. 3rd attempt i hit 32. If i keep increasing. Keep pushing. Maybe i’ll get to 100 by the end.

3.

The first step is an important milestone. Obviously as a Self-employed writer/full time student in a different country I don't have a MASSIVE collection of clothes to chuck out (you all can change that). But there are definitely a few that I already know are going to get the boot when the time comes. The reason this one was so important for me and Jockrs is because we both felt that as long as those old clothes were an option, I’d keep defaulting to them out of habit. Over-sized, drab, boring. Hiding the gainz and the new person i want to become. So the first piece I threw out was a fairly cheap ugly grey long sleeved shirt that I bought when I first moved to NZ. 6XL. Bought 3 sizes too big for me at a time when I was 3 sizes too big for me. And as I've leaned down and put on muscle, all this shirt does is wash me out and make me swim in fabric. It had to go. But I still feel indebted to it. It was a go-to piece of clothing on my worst Dysmorphia days when I felt like a fat, disgusting piece of shit. It helped me deal with the anxiety of being in a new place where I clearly didn’t look like I belonged. It helped me hide when I needed to hide. But i don’t need to hide anymore.

4.

Unfortunately I couldn't really work on this as much as I wanted. Jokers was still in exam mode so some of the shared tasks that required him were a bust. That said, I did slip a few more "dudes", "mans" and "bros" into my chatter with gym bros. And I went as far as coaching some dudes through my leg day workout. This is one I'm eager to make progress on because it's so antithetical to what I've always been. My speech has always been a weird indistinguishable hybrid. I’ve been mistaken for American, British and Canadian. I’ve had my voice described as “trans-Atlantic”, Despite coming from the Caribbean. I was always discouraged from indulging too much in dialect and slang when I was young. “Speak properly”. Combined with being fairly bookish and advanced, maybe that led to some good things in the long run. My skill with words, language and voice are unique. They’re why you all love me. But it did mean that by the time I was in secondary school I was a little alienated from my peers. I didn’t talk like them. I didn’t want to either but it was rough always being mistaken for a foreigner on soil you have never left in your life. In a sense, me picking up an even more exaggerated americanized accent is taking that full circle. Developing a bit more control over my speech to inhabit an ideal I have always longed for. Sounds cool, rite brah?

5.

Again, one restricted by Jockrs being in exam mode. I didn’t want to get too far. But we finally watched the first episode of the 2018 series. One of the rare occasions where the dub is notably better than the sub. But god. What a wild ride. 10/10. No notes. It's just pure gas. And that first episode really struck a chord with me. Something visceral about being palpably perceived as a threat. Emanating danger from you that lessers can sense in their bones. Actually being a weapon in human form. I get such a thrill from that concept. I understand why the toxic tik tok gym bro crowd latches on to this show so much. I think I will too.

[waywardangel-wilds]

Post for Post?

Share a favorite silly thing and I’ll share one of mine?

Okay!!!!

This is a bit long @mollywog but I literally thought of it immediately when I read your question.

So, I have no intention of finishing this because I don't believe in soulmates and don't love these types of stories, but, I wrote this years ago as a joke to myself.

And just to make anyone who reads this feel better, this would not have been an adult man and child-romance because that is disgusting. Katniss would have either been another teacher or another adult woman who worked at the school.

___

The reveal of the soulmate is a natural occurrence. It happens to everyone once, as it should, and it occurs at an unpredictable date. There is no specific age, no specific ritual, there is nothing at all. One day you are alone and the next, suddenly, you are given your one true match.

Typically, to locate one’s soulmate a fair amount of searching is required. It’s statistically rare for there to be two mates in the same city, town, or country. The search is the same for everyone. It’s purely animal instinct.

Once it has been decided be it by God, Fate, the universe, or whoever it is that coordinates this soulmate business the burning begins.  The burning is in no way harmful to the body. It is only supremely annoying. The burning will only fade once two halves of a whole have been reunited. In a simple hot or cold fashion, or in this case, burning to intense burning, one must go on across the globe until the search is finalized.

This search can take years. Commonly, the burning begins when one is quite young- childhood- and it might go on until adulthood.

Peeta Mellark, a man of friendly disposition and an open heart, had been looking for his match for exactly fifteen years. He was thirty-two years old. He had been searching since that otherwise uneventful evening during the summer of his seventeenth year. It usually took a lot to discourage Peeta from something he set out to accomplish, but at this point he could honestly say he was losing hope of ever finding his match.

Presently, Peeta was traveling for work. He was an art history educator by choice but by birthright, he was one of the co-owners of his family business. It wasn’t something he loved doing, but it had been his father's only love, as well as his grandfather's, and his father's before him. The Mellark Family Bakery had been in business for a little over a hundred years.

For as long as anyone could remember the bakery was only ever passed on to sons to ensure it wouldn’t fall into another family who bore a different name. It was all rather stupid, in Peeta’s opinion. But what could a man who loved their family dearly do other than respect their wishes?

The bakery had grown a lot in the past hundred or so years. It was now a multinational corporation. Peeta had always wondered if they could really call it a family business as it had grown to such a ridiculous size. 

Whether the way the bakery functioned confused him or not he was still expected to be there at important meetings with his brothers. As one of the majority shareholders, and as his father said, “the only man in the room who actually knows how to bake bread!” he needed to be there to sign off on stuff, keep his brothers from signing something stupid, etc.

The trip wouldn’t be a complete waste though. Peeta was also due to interview to teach art history at an all-girls private school. It was an exciting opportunity as he had always wanted to teach.

The school claimed to put a lot of value in intelligence. Their students were required to maintain a specific grade point average to continue to attend. He was told that no student, no matter how wealthy their parents, could pay their way through. Oftentimes, the school would prioritize students with low incomes who were brilliant over the simpleminded heiress.

As Peeta stood in line to check in his bags at the airport his cell phone began to ring. He sighed and scooped the phone out of his pocket. He didn’t have to look to know who it was.

“Now, don’t hang up-”

“What is it now dad?” Peeta hated cutting his father off but honestly, there had to be limits to the man’s insistence.

“Just think about what I said this morning.” His father pleaded with him.

Peeta tugged on a button on his coat. It was a nervous habit of his. “Dad, why don’t you ask Ryeland or Wheaton? I’m sure they would love to be given the green light to do more for the company.”

“Peeta, I’ve explained this to you already. You are best for the company,” Peeta’s father said this with the gusto of a politician running for office. “Now, I love your brothers, I do. But this company has been our family’s life work for generations. I will not bring shame to this family by handing the reigns over to my least responsible children.”

“Dad, don’t say that.” Peeta shuffled forward with the rest of the line. He could see people shooting looks at him. He needed to cut the conversation short.

“Wheaton has spent his entire life trying to prove to you that he can take over the company. So has Rye. This is legitimately all they want in life.” Peeta said. “Would you at least consider it?”

“Peeta-”

“Listen dad,” he was cutting him off again. God, he was such a great son. Peeta tugged harder at the button on his coat. “I need to get on this flight. Promise you’ll consider Ryeland and Wheaton and I’ll consider doing some work for the bakery, okay?”

“Peeta-”

“Bye, gotta go, love you.” He hung up the phone and almost ripped the button right off his coat.

The school was one of those wannabe English boarding schools with an England inspired name. It could have been named after any old English man and worked out. On the flight Peeta jokingly thought of a few names.

Beardsley Academy for young women; Lakeshire College; Hogwards!

The school was named the Emsworth Academy for Young Women. It was in Panem, which was small town in Rhode Island. It was funny being there, considering Peeta’s father had been born in Panem and had lived there until he was twelve before the entire Mellark clan relocated to Canada where Peeta and his brothers were born and raised.

It was raining when he arrived at the small airport just outside of Panem. His brothers were waiting for him at the gate. Ryeland, or Rye as he preferred to be called, was holding a sign that said ‘Loser’ in his sloppy handwriting. Wheaton was grinning and waving like a madman.

Peeta smiled as he saw them.

“Hey! Have you seen a loser? We’re looking for a loser.” Rye grinned as he reached out to hug him. They hadn’t seen each other in person in about four months.

“I’m looking at one right now,” Peeta ducked the smack to his head he instinctively saw coming and accepted a hug from his oldest brother Wheaton.

“So,” he stepped back from his brothers and took the sight of them in. “How’re things? How are your wives?”

Rye reached down and picked up the duffle Peeta had dropped and started for the doorway.

“Mrs. Wheaty is still a bitch, mine is still pregnant,” Rye said over his shoulder.

Wheaton rolled his eyes but said nothing about his wife in return. It wasn’t a lie, really. Instead, he took Peeta’s rolling luggage and shoved him when he tried to take it back.

He back for a moment, shaking his head. His brothers, two blondes in their thirties who looked exactly like him and still treated him like a child.

They stepped out into the rain together and it was as if no time had gone by at all. They were laughing about something Rye had said when Peeta suddenly felt it.

The burn intensified.

His soulmate bond hadn’t changed in years, never growing stronger no matter where he went. Suddenly his whole body felt warm, as if he’d just had one shot of whisky.

His brothers stopped laughing and looked at him curiously. Their driver was waiting for them with an umbrella just a few steps ahead.

Wheaton, who was closer to him, reached out to touch his arm. “Peet, are you ok?”

Peeta shook his blond hair out of his eyes and stared into Wheatons green ones. He and mother were the only ones in their family who had them. Just like their mother, Wheaton had perfected that concerned gaze.

“I...” Peeta cleared his throat. This was ridiculous, they were just standing in the pouring rain. “It’s nothing.”

Their driver and Rye tossed his bags into the trunk. Peeta ducked into the back of the town car first. He tugged on the same black button on his grey wool coat. The thread was starting to come loose.

Wheaton was sitting next to him in an instant. He never let things go easily. Both of them were completely soaked. At least Wheaton had thought to wear a blue raincoat.

“My soul bond got stronger.” Peeta murmured into the quiet. Wheaton looked at him with wide eyes.

Rye slid into the car and stared at his brothers. “What’d I miss?”

“Peeta’s soulmate is in this town!” Wheaton shouted.

“Guys-” Peeta started to say.

“You haven’t found her yet?” Rye asked obliviously.

[coffeeandcalligraphy]

Rachel,

I have a few questions if you don’t mind:

1. How do you get comfortable writing the story of your heart? I’ve been pushing off big story ideas that I want to write so that I can get better at writing. But like what if that’s making me feel less motivated or am I just being annoying about it? Maybe I should just suck it up and practice something easier because I honestly don’t have the skills for a complex novel idea.

2. Do you ever look at other writers progress and process and feel bad about your own? Because I’ve been feeling like that a lot lately and trying to adapt to every writers process is impossible and not fun. But I’m stifled by the fear of doing things wrong even though there’s not really a “wrong” way to write.

3-4. I want to participate in nano but I’m a student so it’s going to be a challenge. Since you also were a student do you have any tips? I’ve heard from others that I should just give up writing while in school and every time it hurts, even though I know they don’t mean me any harm. I just want to know if it’s really impossible. So I guess this really is a 2 part question: Do you have any time management tips for writing as a student and do you have any tips for starting nano for the first time?

Hi hi hi!

1. Tbh, my best advice is just to write what you want. If that’s the hard thing, then go for the hard thing. I skirted around difficult projects thinking I didn’t have the skill set for them but that just led me to never writing them. The truth is you’re always going to be missing something before writing a project—writing is an evolutionary art form for that reason, so it’s intrinsic that we learn and fail as we go.

2. I don’t really feel bad when comparing myself to other writers but this probably is mostly because I generally don’t have negative self-talk anymore (IDK WHERE IT WENT LOL) but you’re absolutely not alone in this feeling (& I know I’ve felt this way in the past). You’ve got it right that there’s no one process, and tbh, the thing you might have to do is just constantly remind yourself of that when writing in order to push through. A lot of the time if writing is sticking for me for a more abstract reason like this I have to grit my teeth and keep reminding myself it’s okay to be imperfect, etc.

3. To be verrrryyy honest with you, I struggled to balance writing & school and while I don’t think you have to give up writing while being a student, something a lot of the times naturally has to give since being a student is so time consuming. Not to be discouraging at all but just as a precursor because I was never able to successfully do NaNo when I was in school (not even in high school) EXCEPT for in 2022, and that was for a couple reasons. Mostly, I just put school on the back burner haha. I’m not recommending this but at that point in my degree I was tired of how I was being treated & not being able to prioritize my own writing & I started to push the boundaries of my academics to see how much I could let go in order to write. This is not something I responsibly recommend, but it’s what I did. I wrote a lot in lectures (….. oops lol) & pulled back a bit on assignments (I still did as well as I typically do which is when I realized for me I could put in less effort into school & get the same results—just MY experience, again not a recommendation).

So I’m not saying it’s impossible but I don’t want to make it seem like I was able to juggle both. I wasn’t lol! I skipped classes, I BS’d assignments & that’s bc school wasn’t my priority anymore (this was 100% best for my mental health & I surprisingly academically performed the best I ever have & also graduated #1 in my faculty BUT I thrive off of chaotic timetables & doing things when I’m not supposed to lol, so again not a recommendation & just context as to how I did it).

Otherwise, a couple things I did: edited late at night when I was too tired to draft & added words through line level edits. Used scene ideas from old books & propagated them into the new book. Prepped a little in advance by drafting (or you could outline) so I knew where I was going. Got ahead by 1k as much as I could. It also helped that I was at the exact right place at the exact right time to do nano (literally got right to the climax at the very end), so a lot of my success I think was also luck.

My biggest tip for starting NaNo for the first time is to be open for your expectations to change & to listen to yourself as you go because a word count isn’t worth your mental health! If you can plan around busy days that can also help too. November was always the worst month for deadlines when I was in school, so if you’re falling behind it’s soooo okay! Have fun with it—NaNo isn’t supposed to be stressful, so if it is it’s okay to amend the goal to suit your lifestyle! :)

[byanyan]

main verse updates, developments, & additional headcanons

ㅤthanks to lena practically dragging them into it, byan is on the track team that she coaches at school. though they initially weren't all that interested, it's something they've come to enjoy a lot (even if they sometimes have to stop running for a little coughing fit) — they've always enjoyed physical activity, always enjoyed sports, but have never been particularly cooperative when it came to team sports (and always broke rules and got too violent when they'd try martial arts or boxing), so track suits them quite well. they quickly became one of the top performing team members and, though things were certainly rough in the beginning with byan being very abrasive and uninterested in their teammates, they've actually ended up pretty friendly with most of them over the months since they joined.

ㅤalthough they never planned to go to college, having zero interest in continuing in school once they were finally out of the hell of high school, they've come around on it a bit. this is mostly thanks to both lena and sol's encouragement and helping them realize they can go to learn something they actually care about — fashion design. almost entirely because of these two, byan is planning to apply to the local community college and is in the process of building a portfolio of their work for this purpose.

ㅤbecause of this plan, they're slowly becoming a (slightly) better student: attending class more regularly (though still skipping fairly often), paying a bit more attention in class, and even completing and handing in homework. they're actually on track to graduate now rather than flunking out. they may not graduate with flying colours, but it's enough for a diploma and that's all they care about.

ㅤjust because they're doing better doesn't mean that things are perfect, though. they still get discouraged a lot in their struggle with their (still undiagnosed) dyslexia, general inferiority complex, and overall difficulty in the typical school setting. it's not uncommon to hear them ranting about changing their mind about college, see them throw a textbook across the room, or catch them straight up burning their homework out of frustration. if they're feeling particularly awful and discouraged, they have a tendency to disappear for a few days, get themself into even more trouble than usual, get themself into more fights, and numb themself with drugs and/or alcohol. they come back around eventually, but sometimes it takes a bit of coaxing.

ㅤthough they still technically live in the group home, they spend almost no time there anymore, only really stopping by for food or appointments (when they don't blow them off, anyway). most nights they're either crashing on lena's couch or at sol's place, and even most of their belongings have been moved and split between these two locations.

ㅤat this point, the caretakers at the group home have more or less given up on trying to keep an eye on them or expecting any different behaviour from them. they've been in this particular home for several years at this point and, with their eighteenth birthday fast approaching (and with it the time where they'll be unable to stay there any longer), not much point is seen in trying to change anything anymore. byan has always been difficult to keep a handle on, efforts at controlling them to any extent met with aggressive rebellion, and it isn't seen as worth the hassle anymore. at least if they're off doing their own thing all the time, it means they're causing less trouble around the home.

ㅤthe boy they share a room with in the home, si-u, still covers for them a lot of the time, telling the caretakers and staff that oh yeah, byan was totally here last night. byan suspects he mostly does this because he likes having a room to himself, but it results in them being hounded a little less all the same, so they appreciate it.

ㅤof course, just because their future is looking a little less grim doesn't mean that everything has changed. they might have a boyfriend now, might have found themself some actual friends and even some familial figures, but they're still byan. they still love to go out and get themself into trouble, still love to fight, steal, and cause havoc for others, and still have a tendency to get themself in over their head or disappear without warning when their ptsd acts up. things are looking up and they might be feeling more fulfilled but, when it comes down to it, they're still them, and they still have a long way to go.

[wednesday-woeful-addams]

Woeful Comfort

Summary:

Xavier has once again been disappointed by his father. He goes to an odd place for comfort.

Wednesday is learning to be friends.

xxx

Note: Can be seen as Gen, Pre-relationship or very mild slash.

Characters: Wednesday Addams, Xavier Thorpe

Tags: Hurt/Comfort, Xavier Needs a Hug, Child Neglect (sorta, just in case)

Read on Ao3

XXX

Xavier threw the phone at the wall as hard as he could, letting out a frustrated shout as he did. Why did he think calling his father was a good idea? The man brushed him off any chance he could. Too worried about his business and his show and his public life and- and really anything that wasn't his son. He had wanted to talk to his father about his dreams, and he had once again been turned away by the man's assistant.

He huffed again and grabbed the closest thing to throw at the wall again. A cushion this time. It was probably a good thing he didn't have another roommate.

Groaning, he pushed away the thought of roommates. Rowan did not need to be in his mind too.

Once he no longer felt the need to throw something, he flopped onto his bed, letting the anger drain out. It slowly got replaced by guilt.

What right did he have to think like that? His father had given him everything in his power. His money was the reason Xavier had the best of the best in the world. So what if he was a bit distant? He always encouraged his art by getting him the best supplies. He was always there for the holidays, and so was his mother. Sure, they were still working, but they made an effort. He wasn't left alone; he was given a roof and food and eventually boarding school.

His father was good to him. He had it good.

Sighing again, he wondered what he could do to get his mind off the call. He was not in the right mindset to sit and paint. Ajax was gone on a date with Enid. It was a bright and sunny Saturday, so almost everyone he knew would be in Jericho.

Well, almost everyone.

Wednesday Addams, the outcast school's weirdo, did not like sunny days. She would be inside, in the shadows, waiting out the sun. It was a good thing Jericho didn't have too many of them.

Their relationship was a little odd, a little bit friends, maybe a little bit more. She tolerated his presence the same as Enid and Eugene's and let him buy her interesting and dark presents. She stayed with him in his art studio to watch him paint her and played his favourite piece coincidentally when he was feeling down. She even let him close enough to hold his hand, which he knew was quite a declaration from her. She had even let him vent a couple of times. Maybe she would do it again.

Mind made up, Xavier went to pick up his phone. Thankfully, the screen saver was only a little chipped. He'd have to replace it.

X: Hey. Are you writing?

W: No

He waited for further explanation, but none came. That was typical, though. He didn't take it as discouragement.

X: What are you doing?

W: Laying in bed, thinking of murder.

Of course, she was.

X: May I join you?

No response.

Good thing Xavier wasn't above acting like a pathetic puppy.

X: Please Wednesday?

The response came slower this time. But it came.

W: Your pleading is acknowledged. You can come up. Do not get caught.

Xavier smiled and set off.

xxx

Wednesday put the phone down and went back to staring at the ceiling.

Xavier hadn't tried to make small talk and had gotten to the point. Interesting.

He had said please. Also very interesting.

Wednesday had a working theory. It would either be proven or disproved when Xavier got there.

Eventually, there was a knock at her door, and Xavier slipped in before she could say anything. Wednesday didn't mind. It had become their habit, after all. She sat up so she could take a good look at him. He seemed a bit dishevelled, a little bit agitated and very much upset if the red in his eyes was anything to go by. Though, it could be from sleeplessness as well. The bags under his eyes certainly showed it.

The boy was also fiddling with the phone in his pocket.

So it was as she had expected. He had tried calling his father and had been turned away.

One of these days, she was going to send Mr. Thorpe a box of mousetraps.

"Hey, Wednesday," he said, taking a seat by her on the bed as she sat cross-legged. He leaned in a bit so their shoulders and arm were touching. An odd action since usually he would wait a bit before initiating contact, scared of her pulling away as she had done in the beginning. She didn't mind it much anymore, so she refrained from commenting.

"Hello, Xavier," she said, leaning back against the wall, "I'm surprised you're still in. I expected you would be one of those people that likes these insufferable sunny days"

"I usually do," he said. As he adjusted himself, his arm slipped around her waist. Again, Wednesday did not necessarily mind, but it was odd that he was behaving like this. Maybe she had allowed him so many times that he didn't think he had to ask. "I just didn't feel like going out today. Thought I might come and see you,"

"Hmm," she answered. That wasn't what had happened, though. He had practically begged to see her, and by now, he was more or less leaning into her like an over-eager puppy. This, she had to comment on.

"You seem particularly pathetic and clingy today," she told him. "Any particular reason?"

Wednesday had expected him to scoff or roll his eyes, move away with a joke or even apologize and make a crack at her weirdness. What she did not expect was the small flinch as he quickly moved away, the soft, hurt look in his eyes before they were lowered or the way his hands were held tightly together, almost like he was making them forcibly stay in place.

Before she could think twice about it, she reached out and grabbed his hand back, "It was an observation. I did not say you had to stop,"

"Yeah?" he said softly, still looking a little afraid. Still hunched into himself.

Forget the mousetraps. She was going to set Vincent Thorpe on fire. After she gave him cyanide.

"Yes," she said, gentler than she was used to, "Come here." She maneuvered them until he was leaning against her, head propped just under her shoulder. Due to the height difference, she had to half-sit and half-lean back so he could situate herself more comfortably. She found that she did not mind. One of her arms wound up around him, gently stroking his hair. He was making himself small, curled into her, so unlike how he usually was. Her comment must have really hit a nerve, a new raw nerve considering she made comments like that all the time.

Everyone made good-natured comments about him acting like a puppy around her, and she had to agree. However, he was a puppy who growled and bit back and never rolled over without a good challenge. She liked that version of her puppy. Not this. This sad, kicked-over boy. She had to fix it.

Wednesday brought her other hand over, gently tapping his forehead. His eyes followed her every move, closing as she touched him softly.

She did not know the best way to comfort people, she had not tried in a long time. The only thing she had to fall back on was what she had seen her mother with others. She ignored the fact that everything she had done up until now had been in the image of her mother too.

Words weren't her forte, though, not the way they were Morticia's, so she settled in and waited, hoping that Xavier would speak first.

xxx

It wasn't long before Xavier got comfortable, and then the words started pouring out.

"It's just my dad, you know," he starts, and as he speaks, his hands become more animated, "would it kill him to just answer his phone once in a while or just pay attention to what's going with his only child," and now he was sitting up again, though legs still pressed against hers. "You would think with all the money he throws at me, he would at least pay attention to where it's going. Sometimes I'm tempted to blow away money on stuff he wouldn't approve of just to see what the limit is, for god's sake. I know his assistants better than I know him. It's so humiliating. They all know he wants nothing to do with me. And why the hell does he need three, anyway? Like, isn't one enough"

He takes a deep breath.

"And I know I should be grateful, and I am; it's just, why can't he be around more? He buys me a great gift for my birthday but won't be around to hand it to me. He'll make sure I have everything for school, but god forbid we say a proper goodbye, or he actually drops me off. He just- just doesn't make any sense!"

Finally, running out of breath slumped back down into his previous position, once again tucking himself against her.

This time when he spoke, his voice came out soft, "It would be easier if he were awful, you know. He's good when he's around. It's just he rarely ever is,"

There was no response from Wednesday at first. A few beats and then-

"Would you like me to send him an active bear trap?"

"What?!" He knew Wednesday's verbal comforting skills weren't great, so he hadn't known what to expect. This definitely wasn't it, though.

"I was thinking of cyanide, but only an Addams would come out of it intact, and it doesn't seem like you want to harm your father permanently," her eyes were blank and contemplative. "The bear trap would only maim. What do you think?"

Wednesday started at him unblinkingly.

Xavier stared back.

Her lip twitched a little.

He burst out laughing.

"Oh my God, Wednesday!" he said as he gasped for breath.

"Why are you laughing? I am serious,"

Xavier just laughed harder, pressing his face into her shoulder. Maybe she was serious, maybe she was joking. Either way, Xavier felt much better.

"Thanks, Wednesday," he told her once his laughter died down, "But I don't think that's necessary. I don't actually want to hurt my father,"

"I could send him a strongly worded letter. Or even a phone call. I'm sure I can best those assistants of his,"

Xavier smiled and shook his head, warmth swelling in his chest. It felt good to have someone like Wednesday, notoriously known to stay away from others, want to defend him so passionately.

"It's fine, Wednesday," he said, sitting up, so they were face to face, "Just- thank you for listening. It means a lot,"

She sniffed, "Don't get used to it. It won't happen again,"

Xavier smiled. They both knew it was a lie, but he answered with a demure 'of course' anyway.

"So, did you finish the short story for class? What is it about?" he asked her.

"It's a horror story about a haunted girl,"

"Of course it is," he said, "Mine's about an artist that draws the present as it happens,"

"Of course it," she said, a mischievous twinkle in her eyes, "Aren't we becoming predictable,"

Xavier smiled, "Just to each other, I think,"

Wednesday hummed in what could almost be called agreement. The fact made him remarkably happy.

xxx

Wednesday still didn't think she was very good at comforting or being a comforting person, but Xavier was sitting on her bed, talking with a smile on his face. She must be doing something right.

Maybe there was some merit to being a bit like her mother.

Of course, she wasn't going to think of that right now. Right now, she was going to listen to Xavier and keep the bear trap idea in the back of her mind.

Vincent Thorpe better watch out.

[moldypaintbrush1942]

Grayson James Lee was born on December 31st in 1962 in a rural Oklahoma town. The seventh child in a family of ten children, and the only girl, her parents were surprised to say the least. Her parents retained the original name they’d chosen in expectation of a boy, Grayson James, and did not bother to change it. Because of this, she typically went by her last name, Lee, instead of her first or second name. As it seemed more feminine. In her early childhood she struggled to fit in with her peers. Autistic but undiagnosed until the 1980s. Often feeling outcasted and strange, she tended to keep to herself and had few friends. Her parents noticed her strange behavior and tried to lovingly discourage it in an attempt to help her better fit in.

To cope she would create imaginary friends.

She would also bury herself in stories of monsters, ghosts and aliens, feeling somewhat naturally drawn to them. Seeing herself in the monsters, as a creature rejected or misunderstood by those around it. A young Lee could often be seen carrying a weathered and torn copy of Frankenstein. She loved to talk about these stories, which her parents found bothersome and would often shush her whenever she spoke of them. They often became exacerbated by their daughter's strange behavior. This, however, never really got to Lee and she remained a fairly happy and go-lucky child, seemingly unaware of her treatment. She continued to love her ghost and monster stories and talking with her imaginary friends.

At age ten, Lee was subject to a paranormal experience.

After this, the young girls obsession with the paranormal only grew. She invests all her time outside of school into researching ghosts and folklore, determined to learn more about what happened to her.

As she gets older, she starts thinking about her future. She dreams of leaving Oklahoma. Dreams of bigger things and escaping her hometown. She chooses to pursue her interest in the paranormal and, after much consideration, enrolls at Padova university in Italy. Her parents do not approve of her decision to pursue a college degree and try to talk her out of going. But after receiving a full ride grant from an anonymous donor, she is dead set on going. Three days after turning eighteen, she boards a plane and takes off for Italy.

She studied at Padova for ten years. Receiving a dual bachelors in folkloristics and anthropology with a minor in demonology, a masters in parapsychology and a PHD in folkloristics.

In November of 1989, Lee finished her studies in Italy and made plans to move back to the United States, but to live in New York City instead of returning to Oklahoma. She returned to the states after graduation and after a small reunion with her family in Oklahoma, she moved to a small apartment in Manhattan. She began looking for a job, hoping to find something using her degrees, but came up with no luck. Even at universities and research institutes. She considered applying for positions at MIT and moving to Boston. But ultimately gave up on this idea.

She ultimately obtained a job as a waitress at a small diner and scraped by while continuing to strew through classifieds looking for a better job. But again with no luck.

During New Years Day, she witnessed the manifestation and take down of Vigo Carpethian by the Ghostbusters, standing outside the museum and watching the events unfold. She instantly becomes obsessed with the Ghostbusters and begins researching them and their past. She spends hours going over city records, newspapers and old magazines studying them and their past. She even makes visits to the firehouse just to walk by and see if she can spot anyone or anything, but it is usually closed and she never sees anyone come in or out.

But in early February of 1990, she is reading through the classifieds in the paper and becomes ecstatic after seeing an ad published by the Ghostbusters Corp. seeking an employee.

[pricewelsh76]

What are some advanced strategies for maneuvering the snake effectively?

The Google Snake Game, a famous and straightforward program based game that overwhelmed the world, has been a dearest distraction for players, all things considered. Whether you're sneaking in a fast game during school breaks or attempting to beat your high score, excelling at moving the snake really is fundamental. In this extensive aide, we'll dig into cutting edge procedures that will assist you with ruling the game, in any event, while playing in a school climate where access may be limited.

Understanding the Essentials of the Google Snake Game

Prior to jumping into cutting edge procedures, having a strong handle of the game's mechanics is essential. In the Google Snake Game, players control a snake that develops longer as it consumes pellets on the screen. The objective is to try not to crash into the walls, hindrances, and above all, your snake's own tail. As the snake develops, the test increases, making effective moving fundamental for endurance.

Improving Control Instruments for Accuracy

Dominating control instruments is crucial to really moving the snake. Whether you're utilizing bolt keys, a touch screen, or elective information strategies, practice is critical. A typical slip-up is overcompensating to turns, making the snake crash. Steadily refine your contribution to make exact and controlled developments.

Design Acknowledgment: Benefiting from Unsurprising Way of behaving

The snake's development is design based, which can be taken advantage of for your potential benefit. See how the snake acts and responds in different circumstances. Distinguishing designs in its development will assist you with expecting its direction, permitting you to situate yourself decisively for ideal pellet assortment.

The Craft of Tail the executives for Improved Versatility

Legitimate tail the board is essential for moving actually. Try not to frame unnecessarily lengthy tails that limit your development choices. All things being equal, decisively permit your tail to follow your way, guaranteeing it doesn't discourage your  course or trap you in a corner. Adjusting length and portability is a vital part of significant level ongoing interaction.

 Exploring Restricted Spaces and Keeping away from Traps

As the snake develops, restricted spaces become more testing to explore. In restricted regions, center around steady developments and sharp goes to stay away from impacts. Moving in restricted spaces requires artfulness and practice, so set aside some margin to level up your abilities in these situations.

 Using Supporters and Enhancers Decisively

A few cycles of the Google Snake Game present supporters and enhancers that can modify the game elements. These could incorporate speed supports, strength periods, or the capacity to go through walls. Utilize these decisively for your potential benefit, taking into account what they mean for both your hostile and cautious methodologies.

Dominating the Attitude: Tolerance and Fixation

Snake games require an engaged outlook. Persistence is central, particularly as the game advances and the snake develops longer. Try not to scramble for pellets in that frame of mind; all things being equal, expect their development and position yourself carefully. Keep up with fixation to respond rapidly to surprising turns and deterrents.

Snake Game Unblocked: Dodging Limitations for School Fun

In a school climate, getting to the Google Snake Game may be confined. Nonetheless, there are authentic ways of partaking in the game during breaks dependably. Look for consent from educators or directors to coordinate short gaming meetings as remunerations for getting done with responsibilities. On the other hand, investigate program expansions or applications that give a snake game unblocked form while regarding school strategies.

Conclusion

 The Google Snake Game isn't just a nostalgic legacy yet additionally a phenomenal practice in essential reasoning and fast reflexes. By figuring out the game's mechanics, streamlining controls, perceiving designs, dealing with your snake's tail, exploring restricted spaces, and using enhancers, you'll be exceptional to accomplish high scores and grandstand your ability. Recollect that tolerance, focus, and versatility are key credits of an effective snake game expert. In conclusion, while getting to the game in a school setting could present difficulties, savvy fixes can permit you to enjoy the excitement of the snake game unblocked, improving your school breaks with a bit of retro tomfoolery.

[schoolsnearme]

Science Facts For Kids That They Didn’t Know

Best School in HSR Layout

The natural curiosity of our children makes them sponges for information. Enjoy some science-related entertainment with them! Check out these unique science facts for youngsters, which cover anything from strange bug phenomena to fascinating space knowledge to intriguing features of the human body.. Your lunchbox notes have just become geeky!

Did you know that your heart beats 3,600 times in an hour.

The number of cells in the human body is around 100 trillion.

Carbon dioxide is exhaled and oxygen is inhaled by humans. Carbon dioxide is absorbed by plants, who then turn it into oxygen.

Baby teeth and adult teeth are present throughout a person’s lifetime in almost all mammals, including humans. However, reptiles can have a lot more sets—a crocodile, for example, can have 50 sets of teeth and then develop 3,000 new ones!

The temperature of the Earth’s inner core is 10,832 degrees Fahrenheit, while that of its outer core is just 6,872 degrees.

The length of 3.35 lightsabers is ten feet. A stack of 16 “Harry Potter” volumes, a tower made of 318 Lego bricks, and a giraffe with a 6-foot neck can all fit inside of it.

The weight of 1,600 human eyeballs, 5,465 balloons used for celebrations, and 412,375 bees are all 100 pounds. Do you wish to learn more? You’ll have a tonne of fun with the weird units converter from the Omni Calculator Project. You can type in different weights, heights, and distances to get the equal of random things.

In 1971, astronaut Alan Shepard of Apollo 14 played golf on the moon! He travelled with a golf club, two golf balls, and other accessories. The club is currently on exhibit in the Liberty Corner, New Jersey location of the USGA Golf Museum and Library. Still on the moon are the two golf balls.

The element phosphorus is present in several minerals and rocks in addition to the faeces of birds and bats. And it has a garlicky odour.

As a distinctive bottom feeder, the tripod fish (Bathypterois grallator) consumes food from the lower layers of its habitat, or the ocean floor. The pelvis and tail fins of the tripod fish have rigid rays that serve as stilts. It positions itself on the stilts so that it is facing the stream, opens its mouth wide, and consumes all that is in its path!

The Hercules beetle (Dynastes hercules), according to scientists, is capable of lifting up to 850 times its own weight. A Hercules beetle can theoretically lift 255 pounds because it typically weighs between.28 and 0.30 pounds.

When a tomato plant is attacked by a caterpillar, the tomato plant starts to create methyl jasmonate, which really is poisonous to caterpillars.

The Malapteruridae family of electric catfish contains an organ that generates an electric protective shield that will zap any approaching predator. The shock is sufficient to kill smaller prey and discourage predators.

More than 20% of the freshwater on the planet’s surface is contained in the Great Lakes (almost 5,400 cubic miles of water).

Approximately 22,352 steps equal a distance of ten miles. Additionally, it is the same length as 24,759 baguettes (delicious!) and 8,794 elephant trunks laid end to end.

One tonne of carbon dioxide, or the weight of two large pianos or a sizable walrus, can be stored by a tree that is 40 years old.

A female sunfish (Mola Mola) has the capacity to produce up to 300 million eggs in her lifetime.

Titan arum (Amorphophallus titanum), a blooming plant, can reach a height of 12 feet. It only blooms once every four to five years, but when it does, the bloom smells like rotten meat (no wonder why it’s nicknamed as the corpse flower).

The majority of scientists concur that humans and dogs have been comrades in hunting for over 14,000 years.

The resurrection fern (Pleopeltis polypodioides), which can be entirely dried out for up to 100 years, can seemingly come back to life when moistened. (Anyone for a zombie fern?)

On Pluto, six million hours would be comparable to 2.76 years.

The largest bat on Earth, the huge flying fox (Pteropus vampyrus), with a wing span of up to five feet. But don’t panic, these large fruit bats prefer to sip flower nectar and consume fruits rather than blood.

The hollowed-out teeth of a rattlesnake are what deliver the poison to its prey.

The world’s softest mineral, talc, can break apart in your hands. The hardest mineral is diamond.

Scientists need a drill to pierce the exoskeleton of the ironclad beetle (Zopherus nodulosus haldemani) even after it has died since the exoskeleton is so hard that predators cannot even bite through it.

[carrolljensen]

Entertaining Game titles That You'll Be Capable Of Fiddle With Other individuals

Remember opening the first computer game system like a little one? The anticipation of coming up bad guys or practically traveling an aircraft? I really do, and since, games are already an entertaining activity I've enjoyed in my free time. Read on to determine how you can make video gaming a lot more exciting! Should you be getting a online game for your kids (or another youngster you already know) go over the buying together first. Don't just get on a whim. Sporting activities online games can be not the same as RPG games, so should they have a particular fascination, you desire to ensure that you know what which is. If you are playing a athletic activity, and you also don't have any experience with it, established the difficulty level to rookie. This will help you pick up in the exclusive attributes of the overall game and learn your way round the area. If you set it beyond that, you will probably get discouraged rather than possess any enjoyable. After your little one enters midst school, you could possibly let them have a little more liberty in terms of video gaming. Even so, it is important to certainly be conscious, especially when it comes to multi-player online games. Hear to ensure autoclick.vn is appropriate. If not, take off the option for online play. When a game's status may indicate that it is appropriate for a midst university old kid, the degree of abuse incorporated may not stay nicely with you. If this happens, either placed the online game apart or restrict the time period that your particular kid plays it. When you can't shield them from every little thing, you may manage simply how much assault they see. Once your child goes into high school, you could be lured to allow them to perform without much oversight since they are more aged. However, it is important to still restriction their perform time, as a number of video games can definitely bring kids in and keep them playing for a long time. This isn't wholesome, and you must enforce playing in moderation. Learn all you are able regarding the gaming console's articles and protection options. Most of the time, a grownup can configure the device in order to avoid young kids from engaging in anything at all not designed specially for what their age is class. You may even have the ability to personalize content material restrictions for each and every person in your family. Stay away from getting huge brand online games near their kick off schedules. Waiting means that you are more likely to buy a online game following a patch or two has arrived over to correct glaring holes and insects that could effect your pleasure and online game perform. Also keep an eye out for titles from studios which can be known for very good patching and help. Do not acquire new online games on the day with their relieve. Online games are pricey today and hanging around per month or two from the discharge day can aid you to preserve lots of money on new online games. New video gaming generally are more expensive for the first few several weeks after their relieve. It's quite typical to attain a hard patch in any kind of computer game in which you have difficulty developing. This expertise can be quite annoying! Rather than bashing your face against the issue level repeatedly, have a break and set up the video game away to get a short while. You'll likely deal with the circumstance much better when you go back to it renewed. No matter if it's to take your spare time as well as one thing you are doing socially, video games are a great way to get exciting affordably and harmlessly. You are able to relieve stress, sense attained however never ever leave your own home. Together with the suggestions you've study in this post, you could make your activity much better than actually!

[partgrey34]

Young DJs should invest in quality music. It is not a good idea to practice with low-bitrate mp3s. is a waste of time.

I am no DJ, I am a listener. That's what I've always believed. I attempted DJing in high school and college, but I couldn't keep up with what the other DJs did. To be honest, I had no idea how to DJ. I would always skip beats, turn on 7th instead 8th, and other issues led to my DJ career being a failure. I am a person who listens. I can listen to the mistakes of DJs and comprehend the meaning behind them. But I'm not sure how to entertain people for many hours. If you want to become a DJ, you shouldn't be discouraged. Don't let my experience stop you from making your plans. Let your imagination go wild and go after what you need to satisfy you. This is how I see people. Do what you enjoy and be your true self. DJs, like all other individuals, need constant help to grasp on to reality. It's important for them to see the world around them. New trier DJ should not convert Youtube music to MP3, as not only that is not acceptable under their TOS, but it's not acceptable to human ears in terms of sound quality. The audio quality of any music video or other video is restricted to 128kbps. M4A containers can deliver 160kbps. These numbers should not be confusing. If you're DJ or computer audio enthusiast like me, you will know that mp3 can hold as much as 320kbps of sound quality. It is a great sound, but it's basically a cut-off sound. MP3 compresses the sound by cutting off the most powerful and highest frequencies. This means that the final sound is missing something. When played from 320kbps mp3 deep house music doesn't sound very deep. Playing it on a Vynil is like having crystal clear sound . The deepness of the sound really makes crystal glasses. New DJs shouldn't spend time (and possibly money) in cheap copies of popular songs. To access an entire library of premium music that can be remixed or mix-ups, it's an excellent idea to sign up with Juno Download, Fruity Loops, or Beatport. The powerful bass can make the low-quality mp3 sound great with its amazing bass. This is the sound that mp3 typically lacks: great bass.

It is crucial to understand that DJs shouldn't feel overwhelmed by this knowledge. You can make your sound better each day. Aren't you thinking that this is what makes you a master artist and great entertainer? In order to deliver the best live sets, most energetic dance moods, and most enjoyable times for your club's youths, it is always recommended to invest in your equipment. youtube mp3 converter juice If you provide them with good beats, they'll be back. It's the law.

[thechekhov]

What's your most hated cliche in comics/shows/games?

That's a tough one... I think I might get flack for this but... It's the

'broody teen hero who hates school and authority, and it's presented as justified for them to be acting like an asshole because everyone at the school just somehow magically acts like a dick to them'.

As in, this loner kid who is presented as a relatable character constantly disses the concept of school, all the teachers act like dicks towards them, all the bullies target them, etc

I understand not everyone might LIKE school. I get that kids want to just talk to their friends, hang out, and be kids. I GET that.

But personally I've seen this trope SO much, it's basically an automatic 'urgh, again?!' button for me, because it makes it seem like it's NORMAL to dislike school. It sets a precedent.

I will admit, I also LOVED school as a kid. It was my getaway from my home life, which, especially in high school, was kinda shit. I wasn't a brainiac or anything, but I did the minimum and sorta listened in class, did homework, and raised my hand sometimes. And because I did the bare minimum and reacted to my teachers, and didn't roll my eyes at their REALLY FUCKING TOUGH JOB, they respected me in turn and let me have time to myself and doodle. It was wonderful. I got to learn new shit, and even when the teachers sucked, I could just quietly read or draw and it wasn't that bad.

But all of the kids I knew who 'hated' school were usually the kind who spoke to their friends LOUDLY during class - obviously interrupting the teacher who was already exhausted, underpaid, and discouraged from all the restrictions put upon them by the curriculum - swore at the teacher, at each other, didn't care about the subject matter taught, and blatantly laughed at the teachers for trying to get them involved.

I work at a school and I KNOW there are some HORRID teachers out there. I know there's an issue with bullying, and I know that it's easy for kids to feel isolated in school. My classroom policy was always that as long as they're respecting the fact that the classroom is a shared space (you're not alone in here, your actions have consequences and can be annoying to those around you), I try to respect my students as human beings who have off days, who may want to just ignore me, etc.

And the fact that EVERY. SINGLE. PROTAG. in EVERY. SINGLE. TEEN MOVIE. 'hates' school (unless they're a nerd archetype) for typically NO other reason than because their teachers were all made out to be assholes through forced characterization is kinda... EHHH...... to me at this point.

[kemetic-dreams]

WHO DECIDES WHO AND WHAT IS AMERICAN???

Had a patient, recently say “Where are you from your name isn’t American”. I told them my name is African, and I am a citizen of The USA. So, my name is American too. And I quickly identified that person’s name as European.

Which brings up a great question, who decides what is American and not American.

Since the expansion of Europeans into the Western Hemisphere. Europeans have dictated what was “civilized” and better now “what is American.”

When you say “that is not American”, from who’s perspective. Asians(Native Americans), Africans or Europeans.

And what does that say about, when you hear people say “I am proud to be American.”

Culturally speaking, the USA is an assimilation of cultures, just look at the foods. English may be an official language of places of business. But, I am African I speak Amharic like many others, Spanish is spoken, I personally know Natives that speak their language, Korean languages are spoken.

Christianity is a religion born in the catacombs of Rome, Italy. Islam is born in Western Asia. Vodun comes from ethnic groups of West Africa, Buddhism, Hinduism comes from South Asia, and then traditional Native American cultures. 

Students were physically punished for speaking their Native languages. Contact with family and community members was discouraged or forbidden altogether. Survivors have described a culture of pervasive physical and sexual abuse at the schools. Food and medical attention were often scarce; many students died.

English comes from England. John, Tom, Tyrone(Irish) Johnson etc are European names. 

Children were typically immersed in European-American culture through forced changes that removed indigenous cultural signifiers. These methods included being forced to have European-American style haircuts, being forbidden to speak their Indigenous languages, and having their real names replaced by European names to both "civilize" and "Christianize" them

Barbacoa Yet while barbecues may be dear to the American soul, they are not native to the US. Instead, they trace their roots to the indigenous peoples of North and South America – and their troubled, often confusing, history says more about colonialism, war and migration than it does about freedom.

Hindu-Arabic numerals, set of 10 symbols—1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 0—that represent numbers in the decimal number system. They originated in India in the 6th or 7th century and were introduced to Europe through the writings of Middle Eastern mathematicians, especially al-Khwarizmi and al-Kindi, about the 12th century.

What makes Islam,Vodun, Santeria, Obeah, Odinani and less American than Christianity or the Catholic religion

Nothing in the USA is really original, and hell Natives Americans are Asians. And everyone has cultural relevance here. Your an American nationalist by citizenship not some pseudo ideas of Europeans. How can a European tell a Native American who isn’t Christian, that’s not American.-KHEPRI NETERU

[mobscene-london]

BASIC INFORMATION:

NAME: Nazli Ersan. AGE: 31. PLACE OF BIRTH: London, United Kingdom. AFFILIATION: The Rutherford Family. The Turkish gangs based in Haringey. OCCUPATION: Drug dealer. FACE CLAIM: Bensu Soral. AVAILABILITY: OPEN.

BIOGRAPHY:

Berat had once called her a walking attitude problem. 

Whilst she’d absolutely told her friend to go fuck himself, he might’ve been right. 

What else could one really expect from a woman who had, essentially, been raised by gang life? Unlike Kerem, she’d never had a supportive father (or mother, for that matter) to set a good example for their only daughter, and Ayda walking around like a little ray of fucking sunshine was an exception to the Turkish rule rather than an expectation. At least she wasn’t as rabid as Emine, for fuck’s sake. (Maybe.)

But the residents of Haringey had always been smart enough to cautiously keep their distance. Reputations that preceded people in a line of work like hers were a blessing in disguise, and Nazli did little to discourage the violent rumours that spread about her quickly during their late teenage years. That was when she’d truly burst onto the drug dealing scene, and instead of being seen solely as Berat and Kerem’s bitchy little tagalong, boy did she make sure that the spot she carved out for herself in their hierarchy was an imposing one. 

Azra liked to take her friends along as backup during potentially dangerous deals. 

Nazli preferred a shotgun and a reckless attitude.  

And that summed her up pretty nicely, if you asked those who knew her well. 

Most assumed that she was a little cracked because she’d had the shit beaten out of her so many times as a kid by the Indian gangs that would stalk around the Turkish schools, waiting for the up-and-comers to leave after their studies. They were right. So much so had she suffered at their hands that she was almost totally deaf in one ear post head-injury, and still walked a little funny almost fifteen years after having her pelvis smashed up with a baseball bat. Whilst her parents had been shitty to her for the entirety of the life she’d endured with them, the one thing she could be grateful for was being pushed into formal Turkish education, though. Yes, even if it had made her a target for the borough’s scum. It’d been where she met most of her friends. Grown to love the culture and values she would’ve otherwise despised just to spite them.  

Where she had become herself. 

...though there were plenty who’d argue that she could’ve done with being a little less like herself, and a little more like a functioning member of society. 

Kerem and Berat had taken her under their wing almost as soon as they’d met her. Nazli had been nine years old. Even though she’d typically avoided branching out socially at all costs, they had seemed intriguing enough that she’d made the exception. Back then, she hadn’t known about Kerem’s father and the fact that the gang they’d heard whispers about, but were too young to understand, belonged to him. That would come with time. Wherever they went, she followed loyally, even if that eventually meant pushing drugs for people who almost certainly saw her as expendable. 

Yes, the shitty fucking Rutherford family which thought it had the right to lord over them. 

The idea of making profits that had to be handed up to them made her squirm, but it was the price they had to pay to keep the Turkish gang ahead of the Indians in the never-ending battle to be more useful to their British oppressors. Who the fuck did they think they were treating all of Haringey like their own personal workforce..? It was a damn good job they had Azra as the charismatic go-between, because Nazli always had to be held back from spitting in their faces when they dared step foot in their home. Their borough. The place their people had worked so hard to build into what it was today.  

Nevra was absolutely included on that shit list after she’d abandoned them. 

Of course, her scorn was not limited to the British, though. The Turkish gang had gone from convenient source of income, to found family, to support system she couldn’t have functioned without, and she was so viciously loyal to their cause that one might’ve assumed she was due to take over one day instead of Kerem. Whilst her primary job is helping to push the immense mass of heroin that comes into the borough, however, where she lacks the business sense to further their interests in other ways, she instead sees herself as a humble volunteer. Committed to a public service, if you will... Indians, Russians, Rutherfords, you fucking name it; if they attempt to throw their weight around in her home, she is absolutely going to show them that their shit doesn’t fly. Nazli will greet with a bitter smile and an outburst so violent, it’s enough to make anybody second guess crossing her people. 

As tensions increase and her patience frays with the growing Russian presence on their doorstep, her responses are becoming more and more heavy-handed. The real problem, though? Nazli is starting to realise how much she fucking enjoys it.  

So maybe don’t push your luck. 

SOCIAL CONNECTIONS:

RELATIONSHIP STATUS: Single. FAMILY: None playable. CONNECTIONS:

Kerem Doğulu: Good friend. Nazli has an immense amount of respect for Kerem. The fact that he was willing to put his personal goals aside for the furtherment of the gang’s interests is utterly selfless, in her opinion, and she can think of few others who would sacrifice the prospect of a better life to stick around people like them. Nazli adores him. When it’s his time to head up the Turkish gang, just as his father once did, she will help him stay there no matter the cost.

Berat Yalaz: Best friend. Though the four of them have always been tight knit, it was during the period in which Kerem considered higher education over a life with the gang that she and Berat became particularly close. Nazli helped him through his brief stint with heroin, and he’d always be the one willing to patch her up after one of her typically violent altercations. Nazli appreciates how he can go from class clown to savage brute in the blink of an eye if somebody needs him, and after all the years they’ve had each other’s back, that little shit is stuck with her for life. 

Azra Yavuz: Good friend. Growing up, neither of them had been blessed with a pleasant home life, but Azra had definitely got the shorter end of the stick. Nazli was always the first to offer her a distraction from her shitty father, though, and would camp out with her all night at Ayda’s when neither wanted to be stuck with their own families. Nazli has always done better in friendships with men rather than other women, but Azra was always the exception, and she would absolutely die for that bitch without a second thought. 

Ayda Demir: Friend. Well, she liked her a lot more before she got all ‘high horse’ about their gang, and broke up with her best friend...but the fact she doesn’t want to beat the shit out of her after doing either says a lot.

Nevra Erdoğan: Enemy. Fuck you, traitor. That’s why.

[entertainment]

Entertainment Spotlight: Genneya Walton, #blackAF

Genneya Walton came to acting through a passion for dance and performance. Once on screen, she starred as Bryden Bandweth on Project Mc², as well as taking on roles in The Resident, 911, Criminal Minds, School of Rock, and Extent. Up next, Genneya will be playing the role of Chloe Barris, daughter to Rashida Jones and Kenya Barris, in his new mockumentary #blackAF. Loosely inspired by Barris’ irreverent and honest approach to parenting, relationships, race, and culture, #blackAF uncovers the messy and often hilarious world of the fictionalized Barris family. We had the opportunity to chat to Genneya about her character on the show, experiences on set, and what it means to be a young woman of color in the world of film and television. Check it out:

You wake up tomorrow as the character you play. What do you do first? 

If I were to wake up as Chloe, I would freak out first but I think that’s a given. Secondly, I’d go through her closet and try everything on because her style is incredible and I can only imagine what her full wardrobe looks like. 

In #blackAF, you have a lot of siblings. Do you have a large family IRL? If so, were there any similarities to your rapport with your on-set family? If no, did the experience make you glad or sad you don’t? 

In real life I only have one older sister -- far less than the 5 siblings I have on the show! My parents' style of raising kids is not at all the same as Kenya and Joya’s, so I can't say there are really any similarities between my real and tv family in that aspect. Although with both of them I am lucky to be able to share my honest thoughts and feelings with them even if it’s hard at times. Even though growing up I did want a baby brother, I wouldn’t want to change anything about how my family functions now, but it was definitely an experience to almost live another life in a household that’s run so differently. 

Describe the premise of #blackAF to a five-year-old? 

#blackAF is about a teenager that is filming her family’s everyday life to send in to her favorite college in hopes of getting in. With parents like ours and six kids, things can get crazy at our house. We act a little more “out there” than a typical family so I don’t think it would be appropriate for a five year old, but you can tell your parents to watch it ;) 

What’s the first thing that you remember being a fan of? 

The first thing I remember being a fan of is Barbie. It was one of my favorite toys growing up and the movies are actually what inspired me to perform. Second, I think it would be Usher’s Confessions album. I had no business singing his songs as a child, but those songs are certainly timeless! 

Can you tell us about a funny experience you had on the set of #blackAF? 

When you’re working with Kenya and Rashida something funny is bound to happen everyday. We had a moment of downtime on set and Kenya was showing off some dance moves and Rashida hopped in and it turned into an impromptu dance battle. All I’m gonna say is they both can do a mean robot. Certainly a sight to see and I’m happy to say I’ve witnessed it in my lifetime. 

You began your career dancing before you moved on to acting. Has dancing taught you any valuable lessons for your acting career? 

Dancing has certainly shaped who I am today and I’ve been able to apply those lessons to everyday life. I used to be the most sensitive person on the planet, and although I still have my moments, the tough love from teachers gave me a thicker skin that is necessary to have in this industry. Particularly from being a competitive dancer I learned the value of teamwork and trust. A scene is a collaboration, not a solo, and when you have a scene partner you have to put your full trust in that person in order to let go and be vulnerable. Also, in competition you can’t win them all, and that’s certainly the case with this industry, and I learned from a young age to come to terms with things not always going as planned and to push on and work harder. The long rehearsal hours and high expectations to perform well every time prepared me for work days on set that could sometimes be 14+ hours. All of the hard work that goes into finally performing a 2 minute dance piece is similar to the endless preparation before a new project only for the final cut to be x amount of minutes long and that’s all people get to see. After all it’s about the journey not the destination right? Being a dancer instilled a lot of important lessons within me and I owe my current position to dance aka my first love. 

Without spoiling anything, did you have a favorite scene in the show that was fun to shoot? 

While on vacation things got a little heated between Chloe and Drea and we really had the opportunity to take it there. Both Iman and I have sisters and were able to relate to our characters in that moment. We were both completely understanding of the situation and each other's emotions that it almost made it feel as though we were truly sharing that moment together as sisters. It was a special moment for myself and it definitely brought us closer. It was a very fun challenge and I’m so happy to have been able to share that with her and portray the ups and downs that siblings have. 

How do you embody the mission of #BlackExcellence365 in your everyday work? 

I think that black excellence is our drive and ability to go for, and accomplish the great things we do despite the boundaries that have been set in front of us. We have so much power within ourselves and such a great ability to impact lives. As a kid, I only had a handful of young women of color to look up to and I am grateful that they have paved the way for young actors like myself. I am now in the position to possibly be that for today’s young girls, and it is truly a dream and a huge responsibility that I am thrilled to take on. I hope to take part in roles that can positively impact and inspire young girls to be the best versions of themselves that they can be. Representation on screen is so important and the media has the ability to shape young minds. So far I've had the honor to play a past role of a teenage genius who is a master at coding and is not afraid to be herself or speak her mind. I now get to play a young adult who attends a great college and is setting up her future. Those characters within themselves are what I believe to be some great representations of black excellence and if they positively affect at least one person I am proud of that. I’d like it to be known that it took almost two years of being unemployed before I landed my current role. At times it was tough and I honestly had a fleeting moment where I considered giving up, but I kept pushing and would have never gotten to experience being Chloe if I didn’t hold faith in myself! As my career goes on, I intend on using my platform to be vocal about things that matter most to me and inspire and pave the way for those after me. This is all bigger than myself and each accomplishment and even failure on the way to success that we share is an embodiment of #blackexcellence. 

Do you have any advice for young women of color who are looking to get into the acting business? 

When wanting to accomplish anything in life it requires hard work, resilience, and genuine belief in yourself. You will get more no’s than yes’s, but you cannot let that discourage you. When you know you have something special to share with the world, you have to keep pushing on. I’d highly recommend surrounding yourself with people that are like minded so you can uplift and push each other towards your individual goals. An African Proverb that I think describes this well is, “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” So finding a strong support system whether that be within your family or your friends, I personally find to be helpful during the journey. When things get tough it is easy to get lost or caught up in this all, but remember to stay grounded and true to yourself. There is no one else like you, and that alone holds so much power! 

Thanks for taking the time Genneya! #blackAF is now streaming on Netflix.

[litafficionado]

Four Questions with Garielle Lutz:

I’m extremely beholden to Garielle who took the time to respond to my silly, garbled, childish, intrusive questions. You can purchase her latest book Worsted here and here, among many other sites.  --------- Q.  You've attributed the resuscitation of your literary career in quite considerable measure to your teacher and editor Gordon Lish. It seems like you guys are particularly close, even as you seem to have largely confined yourself to Pittsburgh(mostly driven by your erstwhile teaching career but also by your liking the city over time). How does it feel to hear someone like Gordon speak so highly of you, “I think there’s more truth in one sentence of my student [Lutz] than in all of [Philip] Roth. Lutz gives [herself] away. “The speaking subject gives herself away,” says Julia Kristeva. I thoroughly believe that. What you see in Lutz, [her] lavish gift, is [her] refusal to relax [her] determination to uncover and uncover. It is, by my lights, quite wonderful, quite terrific.[…]Lutz is entirely the real thing?” Does one feel vindicated? How do you navigate the waters of self-effacement and self-indulgence as a writer and as a person? A.  I haven’t had a literary career before or after studying with Gordon Lish.  I don’t think one finds one’s way to him in hopes of launching a career.  Anyone with vulgar ambition along those lines would have been shown the door pretty quick.  I would never presume to be close to Gordon or to feel that I am part of his life other than in my role as a student. He dwells in another realm entirely. I attended his classes and tried to grasp, to the best of my abilities, the things he was saying about how to get from one word to the next.  He also talked about how to free a word from the constricting range of its permissible behaviors, how to drain it of every sepsis of received meaning, until there is nothing left of the word but the skeleton of its former self, just the lank, gawky letters sticking out this way and that, and then how to fill the thing up again, to the point of overspilling, but this time with something that would never have been allowed to belong in there before, and then see whether the word, now close to bursting, can hold up and maybe have a new kind of say.  I’m always surprised and relieved whenever Gordon says anything approving about anything I write.  I think that for a lot of his students, his opinion is the only one that counts.  

Q.  You've said, "A typical day goes like this: noon, afternoon, evening, night, additional night, even more night, furtherest night, then bedtime, though I don’t have a bed or furniture of any kind.” Have you always been a lychnobite, sensing the overwhelming superabundance of life after the sunset or is it a relatively recent development facilitated by your retirement from teaching? Do you consider yourself in any way to be a minimalist? Does your room bear any resemblance with a sparsely lit opium den where all exchanges happen at the floor level?

A.  I think the pandemic has had a lot to do with it.  Lately I’ve been up until five, sometimes six.  But I’ve always found mornings the harshest and ugliest part of the day (maybe it’s just because of the place where I live, but I never open the blinds anyway).  There can be something awfully scolding about a sunrise the older you get  Evening seems to extend every form of leniency, and in the dead of night, expectations go way down, which is where they maybe ought to stay.  I do spend all of my time on the floor, but my apartment doesn’t bear any resemblance to an opium den.  It’s more like a crawlspace or the back of a  dollar-store stockroom.    

Q. Even with your reputation of being a page-hugger than a typical page-turner, how do you decide which books to read apart from your line of work? Do you try to keep it largely in the familiar territory, like exploring the oeuvre of a time-tested writer? How does one unshackle oneself from this constant niggling that one ought to read so many books? Here's Ben Marcus: “When I was in graduate school, there was this sort of cautionary adage going around by the poet Francis Ponge that we can only write what we’ve already read and one way to hear that is you’re just sort of doomed to kind of regurgitate everything you’ve read and so if you’re just reading all the popular books, the books everyone else is reading, in some sense you’re maybe unwittingly confining yourself to a particular literary practice that’s gonna look pretty familiar. I remember at the time thinking, okay well if that’s true, if I’m just fated to that, then I’m gonna read things that no one else is reading. I loved to just go to the library and pretty randomly grab books, because I think for a little while, and I’m kinda glad this passed, but I really just had this feeling that a writer just consumes language and just sort of spits it out. So it didn’t matter. Like it didn’t have to be a great novel for it to be worth-reading. And I still read very little fiction in the end compared to non-fiction, essays, works of philosophy, science. And the other sort of dirty secret is: I don’t finish a lot of books. I just don’t care enough. I only finish a book if I have to or if I really want to. And, often, I’ll stop reading a book three pages from the end. I think that as writers, we probably feel a lot of pressure about what kind of a reader to be, what kind of a writer to be in, and we feel this shame, like “I haven’t read DH Lawrence, I’m such an asshole.” You begin to feel like you’ve these deficiencies and you gotta make them up and you never will and a lot of it is just kinda tyrannical. Of course, obviously, we must be naturally motivated to read and read and read and read but I guess I just started to notice that…I got a lot of my ideas by just reading…e.g. a gardening book…like the weird way a sentence was structured.” Then there's Moyra Davey: “Woolf famously said of reading: “The only advice … is to take no advice, … follow your instincts, … use your reason.” A similar thought was voiced by her elder contemporary Oscar Wilde, who did not believe in recommending books, only in de-recommending them. Later, Jorge Luis Borges echoed the same sentiment by discouraging “systematic bibliographies” in favor of “adulterous” reading. More recently, Gregg Bordowitz has promoted “promiscuous” reading in which you impulsively allow an “imposter” book to overrule any reading trajectory you might have set for yourself, simply because, for instance, a friend tells you in conversation that he is reading it and is excited by it. This evokes for me that most potent kind of reading — reading as flirtation with or eavesdropping on someone you love or desire, someone who figures in your fantasy life.”“What to read?” is a recurring dilemma in my life. The question always conjures up an image: a woman at home, half-dressed, moving restlessly from room to room, picking up a book, reading a page or two and no sooner feeling her mind drift, telling herself, “You should be reading something else, you should be doing something else.” The image also has a mise-en-scène: overstuffed, disorderly shelves of dusty and yellowing books, many of them unread; books in piles around the bed or faced down on a table; work prints of photographs, also with a faint covering of dust, taped to the walls of the studio; a pile of bills; a sink full of dishes. She is trying to concentrate on the page in front of her but a distracting blip in her head travels from one desultory scene to the next, each one competing for her attention. It is not just a question of which book will absorb her, for there are plenty that will do that, but rather, which book, in a nearly cosmic sense, will choose her, redeem her. Often what is at stake, should she want to spell it out, is the idea that something is missing, as in: what is the crucial bit of urgently needed knowledge that will save her, at least for this day? She has the idea that if she can simply plug into the right book then all will be calm, still, and right with the world. […] Must reading be tied to productivity to be truly satisfying […] Or is it the opposite, that it can only really gratify if it is a total escape? What is it that gives us a sense of sustenance and completion? Are we on some level always striving to attain that blissful state of un-agendaed reading remembered from childhood? What does it mean to spend a good part of one’s life absorbed in books? Given that our time is limited, the problem of reading becomes one of exclusion. Why pick one book over the hundreds, perhaps thousands on our bookshelves, the further millions in libraries and stores? For in settling on any book we are implicitly saying no to countless others. This conflict is aptly conjured up by essayist Lynne Sharon Schwartz as she reflects on “the many books (the many acts) I cannot in all decency leave unread (undone) — or can I?”” What way out do you suggest? Do you deem it worthwhile to eschew any shred of obligation and be propelled in any direction naturally? Like you said you found grammar books and lexicons more engaging and enjoyable than the novels.

A.  I seem to remember that in some magazine or another, James Wolcott once said “Read at whim.”  That has always sounded like the best advice.  And I assume it means to feel free to ditch any book that disappoints.  Like Ben Marcus, I’ve had experiences of abandoning a book just a few pages from the end, but I often don’t make it that far in most things anymore.  I came from a long line of nonreaders, so I’ve never felt any guilt about passing up books or writers that so many people seem to talk about a lot, and I don’t expect other people to like what I like. Some books I’ll start about halfway in and then see whether I might want to work my way back to the beginning.  Others I’ll start at the very end and inch my way toward the front, one sentence at a time, and see how far I can go that way.  I seem to remember that in The Pleasure of the Text, Roland Barthes recommends “cruising” a text, and maybe something like that is what I’m doing at least some of the time, if I understand what he means.  And every now and then I’ll read  a book straightforwardly for an hour and afterward wonder whether the time might have been better spent staring off into space. Too many books these days seem ungiving.  It’s the ungivingness that disappoints the most.  A lot of contemporary fiction has the gleam and sparkle of a trend feature in a glossy magazine, and I can appreciate the craft and the savvy that go into something like that, but I am drawn more toward stories and books that demand being read slowly and closely, pulse by pulse, the kind of fiction where everything--what little might be left of an entire blighted life--can pivot on the peal of a single syllable. Q.  I'd like to ask you so many questions. But let this be the last one for matters of convenience. Also, in a capitalistic world, one's enshrouded with guilt for taking one's time without being remunerative in any way. Among the books and films that you recently encountered, which ones do you think deserve rereads/rewatches? A.  I used to feel like the woman you’ve described so movingly above, someone who questions her choice of books almost to the brink of despair.  At my age, though, I no longer have a program for reading, a syllabus or a checklist, and I’m okay with knowing there’s a lot I’ll never get around to.  I’m happy being a rereader of a few inexhaustible books and chancing upon occasional fresh treasure.  The one book that has shaken me the most in the longest time is Anna DeForest’s  A History of Present Illness, which will be out next August.  It’s a blisteringly truthful novel written with moral grace and unsettling brilliance and an awing mastery of language.  A couple of recent books I have read in manuscript, books that totally knocked me out with their originality and uncanny command of the word, are Greg Gerke’s In the Suavity of the Rock (a novel) and David Nutt’s Summertime in the Emergency Room (a short-story collection).  I haven’t watched many movies in the past few months, and the ones I watched aren’t ones I’ll probably be rewatching anytime soon.