#change or it’s not real gross gross gross!! one of the worst ethical takes on the planet

[snoozy-red-panda]

okay. Thoughts in bullet point form because they are too varied for me to form a paragraph

- it is just a lie that a Trump Republican administration and a Harris administration would be the exact same for marginalized people. for one thing, that is not one single group of people. and it makes me mad when people lie to my face. don't piss on my leg and tell me it's raining.

- it is gross to dismiss people's ethical aversion to voting for Biden or Harris as "just to make yourself feel good about your morals". if you don't have your morals what else do you have? and aiding and abetting an apartheid regime committing genocide is not some little oopsie. nor is it at all comparable to failures to significantly change the status quo in such domestic policy areas as health care. the president has much more power over foreign policy than domestic policy, and a sin of commission of this magnitude is not the same as a sin of omission.

- Harris is not the same person as Biden. this moment allows for opportunity to create greater pressure against potentially the next president. this includes issues like her choice for vice president and the party platform.

- yes Harris was essentially a cop. it is stupid in my opinion to try and split hairs otherwise when she called herself that. but it's worth understanding that any candidate for president (including Jill Stein) is running to be the top law enforcement official in the nation.

- the two parties are not exactly the same. Trump and Vance are not running to give us a second term of Biden. they are running to finish the job and install a christofascist regime full of their worst January 6th fantasies. I am too familiar with the worst impulses of Republicans. Republicans want mass deportations, a return to the 1950s for minorities and queer people and women, and a complete dismantling of regulations on big businesses. they don't believe in climate change, and their views on Israel are in general somehow even worse than that of the average Democrat. there is so much more that I don't have time or room to list but luckily they wrote a book called project 2025. if they win in November it will hurt people in blue states, red states, and outside of the country. and it is not fear mongering to point out obvious and real reasons for fear. don't piss on my leg and tell me it's raining. and you are naive if you believe things cannot get worse.

- it is a two party winner-take-all system in an electoral college. it sucks. it should be changed. your vote in November still exists in that system. voting third party for president is essentially putting your ballot in a paper shredder.

- no, your vote for president does not matter the same in every state, because we have a horrible system called the electoral college. but I would caution you from believing that your state is "safe". and there will be more on your ballot where your vote will likely matter a great deal.

- not voting is not registered by anyone important as an act which they should pay attention to. not voting registers as silence. it is not the same thing as donating to people in need, protesting, organizing, unionizing, calling your congressperson, or many more proactive steps.

- it is far too possible for Trump to win again and Republicans to control at least one, if not both, chambers of Congress.

- it is very possible in my view to come to the conclusion that it is the most moral choice to vote for Democrats up and down the ballot (which includes so much more than just president!!) without concluding any of those people you are voting for are moral people who deserve your vote. yes this is a conclusion seeing one choice as the lesser of two evils. I do not think that voting makes you morally responsible for all of the actions that your elected officials take unless you hand picked them. you did not choose the choice before you but you do have a choice to consider. I think it is much more truthful and respectful to give a moral case for voting than suggest that you should discard your mortality.

... and post.

[ziracona]

Cole’s quest >.> is so stupid….

[incarnateirony]

the fact that patrick and his ilk (his ilk being Severe Jared-Only Stan Twitter, the ones overlapped with Wincels, that he plucked the talking point from) think they can draw a correlation between "fun person running a social media account being paid $15 an hour" and "judgments about an entire corporation's actual methods" is... really telling on the intentional simplicity they force themselves to use on any kind of advanced topic, so try to exploit the importance of that topic, and somehow will themselves into thinking other people are hypocrites for [checks notes] not hating people for simply having jobs.

And the worst thing, it's not to really *prove* anything. It's only to offset his own hero worship of a corporation and it's collective decisions and handling of affairs, when the entire professional world has known it's a joke and a good portion of the acting world have reported major disasters that have left people injured. It's not "Hah! You Support Amazon* so you lie", it's "HAH! We want to pretend we see hypocrisy, so we can actually feel better about continuing to lionize a comically cartoonishly obviously evil corporation, while pretending you don't have a leg to stand on, while we intentionally use gross oversimplification of all of these talking points!"

Like any "woke" veil on what they're saying? Isn't even to FIGHT THE MAN. It's that NOBODY SHOULD FIGHT THE MAN, and to them, THE MAN IS GOOD, ACTUALLY. After all, look at people having fun with [checks notes] a low paid employee of the man!! check MATE.

like, please, does patrick really think jeff bezos is calling in from his space ship telling some gen z intern to market gay shit for one particular tv show in a machiavellian plan, that he even TRIES to correlate this to fighting the upper brass at a company?SDFSDFSDF

Patrick and co's entire thing is being the guy in the well

(also worth noting that the accounts he's currently supporting openly identify libertarian lmfao but i'm very certain their actual focus is about egalitarian regulated labor and stuff, and not intentionally maligning the conversation like the closet conservative shit he and everyone in his radius does in mirror of the political landscape these issues integrate with.)

Like you think I'm joking, but if you were to copy paste this conversation into political twitter, replace the Product with something different, and change up to non standom usernames, Patrick is out here OPENLY arguing/liking/supporting the deadass republican political take, complete with the whole "we're the woke ones, actually." underscore. I don't know if he's secretly a republican, or just so lost in his standom world view he can't recognize this, but jesus CHRIST. He's literally out here radiating major mark pellegrino vibes at this point

hell search the post likes. Non-fandom, non standom names that have now seen it through the hundreds of thousands of impacts grapevine are there. Many are blue wave. None are maga, republican, etc. They can recognize "corporation vs individual", ethics and impacts. Now look at who he's engaging to reinforce the conversational alignment. literal libertarians and republicans. The party that can only process objection for the sake of it, as their only platform, who always tries to malign and manipulate the conversation. Just. Like. This. I'm not. kidding. Go. look.

Patrick, I hate to break it to you. But you do, in fact, live in society. You probably buy unethically sourced food, you probably do a lot of things. Media is one of the few things we can have actual real choice in (short of people like myself, who grow/raise my own stuff for the most part). People are not reliant on watching your shitty cowboy show, they didn't. The network changed owners and already has made their path pretty clear, so you support the potential for ethical change. Or you don't. That's not hypocrisy. That's. That's knowing how to use market demand. Fuck.

I think the "ethics" part is what loses him, honestly.

[spade-riddles]

"Adjusting Expectations" Post

This submission received a lot of responses and 120 notes, so I thought I would compile the comments here.

Anonymous said:

Adjusting expectations anon was so good. If their timetables are right and we do just need to be patient a little longer, can Kaylor please send us a sign? I guess it would be too loud to slip "adjusting expectations" into social media posts, but maybe they could both do something with playing cards? To show they are card sharks right now but they'll find their way home eventually? That would reassure people. And it would fly under the radar.

casuallycruel131313 said:

I agree with a lot of this but I think the main issue right now is that moral and ethical lines have been crossed and there's no coming back from that. In these post-Trumpian insurrectionist times it's unfathomable that they could continue the Kushner narrative I no longer care if or when they come out, I enjoy the music and I'm happy to observe from a distance because I'm interested from a PR/marketing point of view but my opinion of T &K as people has changed irrevocably and I don't see how they can clean the tarnish off.

@theprologues said:

Agree with most of not all if this but I would like to say as a Kaylor the toe Grammy stunt didn’t phase me. I was not crushed by that by any means. I just shrugged and honestly expected it. It was the attributing Betty and exile to him during the LPSS in November that bummed me out and really made me go...really?

rockcrow20 said:

Have to say I also agree with most of this.

I no longer have any expectations on anything changing any time soon and have not been surprised by the recent events its to be expected after everything over the years really

Nothing has really changed (bearding narrative wise) since I fell down the rabbit hole in 2017 (except that great night in nashville 2018 rep)

Honestly I can't say I am as invested anymore about them ever coming out as I was.

I think the wb/Joe thing was the last moment for me and the continual kushner connection just troubles me like many others.

I mean my kaylor motto for awhile now has been hope for the best but expect disappointment.

Low expectations = limited feelings of disappointment.

original-cypher said:

@rockcrow20 the WB was a breaking point for so many. You are absolutely right. There are just so ma'y contradictions that feel like absolute whiplash. (I know I seem to have been the only one experiencing that with Gorgeous but... that was a big one for me, too) But like. You go on a whole PR campaign about speaking up and standing up for yourself. You say you're capable and tired of men trying to take ownership of your success and profit off of your name. And you credit you literal damn work to a bloke? Bitch, 'consistency'? Look it up. It grossed me out. It would have felt iffy if I believed they were real. But since I wasn't born yesterday it just sent me the message "this is how far I'm willing to sacrifice my principles to not be queer".

rockcrow20 said:

@original-cypher exactly why it bothered me and I know alot us so much. Such mixed messaging of being a strong fighting for your rights female and then oh hey let me attribute some of my best work to my pr boyfriend and the pr pics where she is walking behind all the time like 🙄 The Betty thing that was big one for me too!

rainbowdaisy13 said:

This write up and the comments are spot on. I don’t have much to add other than like @original-cypher said, Miss Americana is tainted for me now and seems like at the very least, it was released too soon in the plan. I get we think they have had to pivot but man, that doc, and including her literally saying “gay rights make me me” at the end was such a false flag. To see her wax poetic about not taking shit from men anymore and then see her do the same old hetero weak woman song and dance routine with the WB shit for albums that are of her genius mind has been so disappointing. I still believe Kaylor is real and I hope they get a chance to show the world that. Karlie posting that cardigan pic in the woods before the folklore release cemented for me they are still together. Adding a baby makes me feel all kind of weird ethical things but I hope I live long enough to see it play out and wear my I Told You So shirt 😁

@kellykaylor said:

agree with your post... I dont care about toe stunts but what really pissed me of was hetwashing betty 🤮! beautiful post tho anon!!

roameroo said:

Totally agree with these all comments especially the strong messaging of MA only to turn around & pull that WB = my "bf" crap. I was disheartened by her mentioning him at the Grammy's only bc he's getting credit for sh*t he doesn't/didn't do. That is what irks me the most about this, giving him credit for her life's work.

always-the-last-word said:

Can I throw my pennies in the pool ?? Taylor will put out the big three first Fearless, RED then 1989 that should bring us to about August. This is where the excitement should begin. If Taylor preps and waits for National Coming Out day it's a no lose for her. Lover her money making machine will go through the roof !! If things go bad or good in the public eye she'll have REPUTATION Taylor's Version ready to release. It will be epic and she'll own it and be FREE.

@karlie-what-you-want said:

always-the-last-word I like this take a lot! I try not to be too optimistic but if she wanted to come out sooner rather than later, I think this plan would satisfy both business and PR needs (at least on Taylor’s end). Remains to be seen how Tay will help Karlie dig her way out of the mess they made together regarding the K*shners.

always-the-last-word said:

Always remember that Taylor has a PLAN. Some of her plans are year's old (easter eggs). Taylor's one and only LOVE is her music, everything else comes second. If KK wants to change and be with her full time she'll make moves around the same time frame. That's if she chooses to. In any event Tay will be open and own all her music. I've seen this film before and WE might not like the ending.

chosetherose said:

I’ve been going back and forth for a day trying to figure out what I wanted to say when I reblogged this post. I’m tired. I’m frustrated. I understand I’m owed nothing by Taylor or Karlie. I understand that circumstances out of their control have caused the girls to pivot over and over again.

But, the root of my frustration in the past months stems not from me battling with the trivial (e.g. pap walks, etc.) but with my personal principles. I fiercely believe credit should be given where it is earned and I uphold this in my career regularly. To see Taylor crediting Toe with her art was deeply disappointing. Watch the 1989 and folklore acceptance speeches back to back and tell me it doesn’t upset you. I believe the K******s have blood on their hands and that their actions during the pandemic have killed people. To see Karlie still associating with one of them disgusts me.

I can’t help but think back in frustration - Would you really fall from grace to touch her face? (And in the brilliant words of @9w1ft) But would you die for her in public? I go back and forth feeling like questions like this aren’t fair at all and thinking they are sort of valid. At this point, it sort of feels like Taylor would only fall from grace for her lover if all the stars and facets of her life aligned perfectly. But perfection like this does not happen. Such is life. So why am I here?

I do question why Spade left certain messages in their final days. I am still holding hope a fervent revolution exonerates everyone. I so desperately want Taylor to regain control of her masters or re-records. Maybe this is the plan they thought was best with multiple goals in mind (re-records, having a family, coming out of the closet one day etc). I’m trying to remain patient because Spade told us to trust her endless yearning. But WOW it is asking a lot of us at this point.

Anonymous said:

Despite being a pragmatist kaylor and oftentimes getting into arguments with fellow optimistic kaylors (owner of this blog included) I think it's quite unfair -at this point- to say to the optimists who have patiently sat through the worst kind of stunts with the most terrible kind of people (yes I'm talking about the Kushner's friend group too) that they should have seen it coming. Besides, if it weren't for the optimists we the cynicals would have burned this fandom down by now.

Anonymous said:

Even if we ignore that an insurrection happened partially because of the family karlie's still working for and getting paid from, she literally said before the pregnancy debacle unfolded that j*sh was her last client while talking about cutting hair and doing a cutting gesture. How should we have interpreted that? 😤That a year later she would be more stuck with the Kushners than ever? We don't wake up on day and decide to have unrealistic expectations. She feeds into them. 😠

Anonymous said:

I have no expectation of Taylor coming out anymore. Zero. None. I have no expectation of her dropping Toe or even of Kaylor publicly reuniting. It doesn't even matter that much anymore. But I - do - expect 1 thing. Karlie to drop and completely dissociate herself from the Kushners and this has nothing to do with kaylor. It was everything to do with me being unable to support a person who willfully assists (now using her baby too) and receives money from a family that has made so many suffer.

Anonymous said:

A quick word from an ex-kaylor (who will never become an anti). A year ago, when the Trumps were still in power and untouchable and there was no baby, I was excusing and turning a blind eye to many things Karlie did for the K*shners. Even that dinner in September. I had also made peace with the truth never being revealed. But a year later the Trumps are gone, Karlie is still on full stunting mode now with a baby in the mix, a baby that is already being used by the Kushners, and I've really run out of excuses. Now the only thing that could possibly keep me on board is if I knew there was a good chance that the full truth would come out, so that Karlie's inexplicable and honestly borderline immoral actions could eventually make sense. But as your sub said, this is an unrealistic expectation, thus I became an ex-kaylor and I'm not planning to come back even when they reunite. 😕

Anonymous said:

What baffles me is that Taylor has explicitly expressed her regret about not giving her lover the credit she deserves and her doubt whether fame is worth hiding her true love: "when I walked up to the podium, I think I forgot to say your name", "what's a lifetime of achievement, if I pushed you to the edge". But yet again she didn't do anything to change this. I didn't expect her to acknowledge Karlie, but a nod or at least not falsely crediting her beard would be a good start.

Anonymous said:

1🙁 Let me chime in re: "expectations". I'm one of the kaylors who ever since the pregnancy reveal was trying to tell everyone there's NO way she was gonna dump him soon after birth let alone before that. It would bring too much unnecessary attention and Jerk would have never agreed to something that would make him look like a bad guy/husband. For the exact same reasons, I was also saying there's no way he wasn't going to post about the baby. All the above against the popular opinion back then.

2🙁 So I agree that the day of the birth post was known to T, not the timing though. Simply bc Kushner-leaning outlets made sure to note that detail. If they wanted it to go unnoticed, why draw attention to it? That being said, kaylors would have been more patient with this mess, if Karlie hadn't gone overboard with her freedom "smoke signals" last summer and Tay's "insiders" hadn't been insinuating that the end is VERY near. Both of them SHOULD have known by then how we would react to these.

3🙁 So it's natural that everyone feels played and has no patience for any more bullshit. Another sore point is how Jerk AND the Kushner-Trump klan monopolize the baby news. This isn't just to make it realistic, it's an abuse of Kaylor's baby's name to garner good pr for the worst family in America, with Karlie's blessing. In order for her marriage and split to appear realistic she's putting a LIFETIME burden on her child's back. Unless you believe she's eventually gonna say Jerk isn't the dad.

4🙁 So "we’re in a position we should realistically have been able to see coming". But we did see it coming, that why some made these extreme scenarios, bc this is the worst possible outcome. "Good people try to make it work, even in bad relationships." Ultimately this isn't just a "bad rs". It's a horrific association that should have been resolved ages ago, not one to bring your child into, doom it to suffer a similar fate, and expect people to sit idly and watch. That's what frustrates most.

[surveys-at-your-service]

Survey #452

“what i’ve felt, what i’ve known, never shined doing what i’ve shown  /  never free, never me, so i dub thee unforgiven”

Are you a part of the LGBTQ+ community? I am. Do you have Tiktok? Are you addicted? I don't. Do you enjoy being outside? IF it's cool outside, yes. Do you like being around kids? No, not really. Have you ever gotten Covid-19? No. What's your ethnicity? Caucasian. If you were president, what's the first change you would make? I'd probably put in place free healthcare first. What is an animal that you'd like to have as a pet but it's not allowed? If an animal shouldn't be a pet, there's a reason. So none. What was your favorite meal as as kid? Has it changed now? It was spaghetti. I still love it, but it's not my favorite now. Which doctor is your least favorite? Primary, eye, dentist, gynecologist, etc. Potential TMI answer follows. So, the VERY easy answer is gynecologist. Like, I've never even BEEN to one because I'm too scared. Not because I think they'll find anything wrong, but because I'm just very self-conscious about stuff like that and I do fucking not want some random stranger laying a goddamn finger on me like that. My doctor is really pushing me to go by now though as a safety precaution, but I just really, really don't want to. Do you feel that you'd be any good at solving a murder? No. I'm so clueless. You own a dragon, but it doesn't breathe fire; what comes out instead? Water, I guess? That could be beneficial in a lot of ways. Have you ever been sprayed by a giant rain puddle when a car passed by? No. Do you remember the last movie you saw while on a date? Yeah, IT with Girt. What color is your iPod? Hot pink. Do you think baby clothes are adorable? Ha ha yeah, I just tend to like miniature things in general, and babies are just... miniature humans lmao. Whose house did you last sleep over at? Sara's. If you could adopt 3 unique pets, what would you get? A plains hognose morph (probably a lavender, or snow?), a Brazilian black tarantula, andddd... an African fat-tailed gecko morph. What grade are you in, if you’re still in school? I'm not in school. Do you get a lot of tourists in the area where you live? Hell no, there's not shit here. Do you enjoy watching vlogs? Only occasionally by certain people I like. What was the last new video game you were excited about? It really sucks I don't have the appropriate console to play it myself, but I was SUPER stoked for Resident Evil 8: Village to be released and literally watched like four different playthroughs at the same time, ha ha. Have you ever talked about your period with a guy? Were they okay with it, or grossed out? In a three-and-a-half years intimate relationship, it obviously came up before. He didn't care, because he wasn't 12. Have you ever been to small church/bible group/study? Forced to or wanted to? I was forced to go to Sunday school, as well as church. Have you ever been to an Asian (any type) market? If so, what is the closest one to you? I've never seen one here, even. How would you feel if your significant other had tattoos? That'd be a bonus to how physically attracted I was to them, probably, lol. I just love tattoos. Where was the last place on your body that you felt physical pain? My uterus is screaming. :') What are you listening to right now? I am fucking unhealthily obsessed with Violet Orlandi & Skar's cover of "The Unforgiven" by Metallica lkasdjkflawjerwr like I will not stop listening to it lol. Last person you texted? My mom. Have you ever gone out of your way to make someone happy? Yes. Is there a certain person that makes you feel safe? My mom. Have you ever used a chainsaw? Nooo, and I don't want to. Do you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, or Kwanzaa? crihmuh Ever been so stunned, no words came out? Oh yes. Ever written that you were going to end your life? I have. I was fucking stupid and made a suicide note on Facebook. I genuinely wanted everyone on there to know what they meant to me, so like it seriously wasn't for attention, which I still worry people think that. Ever put fake bugs around your house to scare someone? Not to scare people, no. I have two faux tarantulas in my room as decor, though. Is there a reason you have the name you do? Not particularly. My parents just liked it, ig. Choose: the best song by Green Day? Aw, that's way too hard! I love Green Day. I guess if I absolutely had to pick, maybe "21 Guns." It's just a truly beautiful song. Have you ever tried to “save”, or “fix” someone, before? No. I don't believe that works and only damages you. Were ethics discovered or invented? That's a good question. I really can't say I know. Do you put effort into getting tan during the summer? Nah. Are you a fairly self-motivated person? NO. I need external motivation pretty badly. Be honest, does the person you like actually deserve you? Or are they actually not worthy of your affections? I don't deserve him. List 5 things that have been on your mind most recently. 1.) wtf I feel about Girt and wtf to do about it; 2.) my weight; 3.) what job I'm going to search for once I make progress at the gym; 4.) whether or not to quit photography and focus my efforts elsewhere; and 5.), as always, Jason. What is better, history or science? Science is way more interesting. Do you flinch at the sight of blood? No. Do you enjoy swimming? Yeah. When you swear, is it usually in general or directed at someone? In general. I don't generally swear at people. Are any of your friends hoping to be famous one day? Yeah; I've got a couple of musician friends. Who would you kiss right now if you could kiss anyone? GO AWAY Ever slapped a guy in the face? No. I don't hit people. Do you think you’re a good friend? I sure try to be. Have you ever thrown your cell phone in anger? When? I have on only one occasion when I Jason and I were texting and he pissed me off. I don't remember what we were even talking about now. My phone was fine btw, ha ha, I didn't like, chuck it. What color of hair do you find the sexiest on the opposite gender? Out of the natural hair colors, black. But I really like hair that's dyed exotic colors on like... anyone. Have you slept over at a member of the opposite sex’s house in their bed? Yeah. When you lost your virginity, were you sober? Yeah. Have you ever given your phone number to somebody you met online? Quite a few people, actually. Most of my friendships are online. On average, how much does gas cost where you live? When I was out today, it was $2.99. Why are you happy? Who said I was? I'm not happy. What is in your pocket? Nothing. What was the worst feeling you last felt? Severe indecision. Worthlessness. Yesterday had some grim periods. What would you name your future son? I always answer with the first name, "Damien," so let's see about a middle name... uhhhh... maybe Damien James? I'm not really sure about a middle name, but that sounds nice. What are you waiting for? Girt to message me back. He barely touches Facebook, so I can't blame him, but I wanna plan a day for him to visit and we can hang and I can decide what the fuck it is I feel towards him. What takes your breath away? Big waterfalls, to name a major one. What fact of life would you rather not know about? That the world doesn't give a fuck about you. It sounds super pessimistic, I know, but it doesn't. There is no sentience to it, no will to keep you safe and happy, it just... exists, and we're thrown onto it to figure it out. Unfair things happen. That's life. ... Damn, this answer was dark lol. What’re a few things that automatically make you go, “Awww?” Meerkat pups doing so much as blinking, guys being really cute with kids, seeing elderly couples holding hands and just generally being precious, proposals (especially gay ones just because of how hard that was fought for), seeing literally any picture in existence of Mark and Amy together, veterans coming home and their dogs freaking out... Man, a lot of things. This question brightened my mood to think about. :') Are you easily scared by horror movies? Nah. You just got a free plane ticket to anywhere. You have to depart right now. Where are you gonna go? Illinois to visit Sara. :') I really wanna hang. Do you know anyone with the same birthday as you? No, but a former best friend had her bday a day before mine. Are you wearing a ring? I always wear two. Do you hate to hug people? No, I love hugs. How many rooms does your house consist of? Seven. If you could be on any TV show, which would it be and why? Can I be a Pokemon trainer, pls???? What would you want to be famous for? Most ideally, a great wildlife photographer. The kind photography students would see and be inspired by. Do you sleep with a stuffed animal? No, I sleep with a real animal, ha ha. What is your favorite brand of hairspray? I don’t have one. What is in your backyard? Not very much... I'm barely ever even out there, so I barely know. There's one shed, a small tree, and uh... idk. Who is/was your favorite teacher? I have a few. Mrs. Whitley, Mr. Proctor, Coach Collie, and Miss Tobey are some. What’s your favorite non-sexual thing to do with a girl/boy? Play video games together. Do you cheer for the bad guy? Ha, I have a tendency to do that... Would you rather start a new career or a new relationship? Career. I want one so very badly. Something on the human body that grossest you out the most: So even though I am sexually attracted to any gender, nevertheless, genitalia gross me the fuck out. Either kind. Penises especially though like what the fuck- Do you think it’s easier to raise a boy a girl? Why? From most parents, I've heard boys are much easier because girls (supposedly) tend to have more of an attitude. What is your favorite strawberry flavored food? Strawberry is generally my favorite flavor for like, everything, so this is just about impossible. Maybe uhhh slushies? What is the oldest video game system you’ve played? An Atari.

[uesp]

Which Magical Society is Right for You?

So you have finally graduated magical high school, or have been sent out into the world by your witches coven, or the local hermit has told you the next step in your training is elsewhere... whatever the reason, you’re now asking yourself:

“Which magical society is right for me?”

Rest easy! With this simple guide, we shall find the right group of socially inept recluses perfect for you!

The Greybeards

Do you enjoy screaming off the side of a mountain?

Believe in pacifism, except when it’s convenient for you?

Sitting in a cell for years on end, contemplating nature on the top of a barren mountain?

Have a beard?

Then we have good news for you, you are basically already a Greybeard! The Greybeards are an organization that specializes in crippling isolation and inaction in the face of peril. If you would describe yourself as more of a “thinker” over a “doer”, this may just be the right place for you. While the Greybeards are the masters of some of the most powerful magic available in the land, they sure aren’t putting it to any sort of practical use, and anyone who envisions a life beyond a cold mountaintop is going to have a hard time getting anything useful out of there time here.

The Psijic Order/Order of PSJJJJ

Do you enjoy acting in mysterious, vaguely beneficial ways?

Take delight in telling people “I told you so”?

Fleeing reality at the first sign of trouble?

Pig breeding?

Then your new home is waiting for you with the Psijic Order on the Isles of Artaeum, when they aren’t leaving a note on the door that reads “out for lunch, will be back after the crisis”. The organization is mainly made up of the Altmer that make up their home islands, although they have been willing to recruit outside of this demographic in the past. However, the bar for getting in can be extremely high, with actual gods being counted as colleagues. Think you have what it takes? Just wait around, they will probably find you if you are right for them. Maybe. It’s not really very clear how they recruit. Or the true goals of the organization. Or really anything substantial about the Order.

They have also enjoy breeding pigs, so reading up on that before joining them may be a good idea. It’s definitely going to come up.

Shad Astula Academy

Are you bizarrely reasonable?

Prefer clear instruction with practical safety measures in place?

Would like to know that your roommate has gone through professional examination to ensure they are mentally sound and in control of their powers?

Would like an organization to understand your cultist roots, and openly encourage you to explore those options after graduation if you would like?

Well you are in luck, because somehow this place has managed to find enough REASONABLE and PRACTICAL mages to begin teaching young magisters a different path. However, reason doesn’t come cheap, and you may have to take out a loan to pay to attend sessions taught by someone who isn’t just planning on harvesting your souls to activate some ancient device to take over the world. Additional fees may occur if you decide to enroll in multiple classes (availability depending on scheduling and class sizes), or have to take makeup classes.

The College of Winterhold

Are you a self starter?

planning on starting a cult?

Enjoy independence from petty politics?

Enjoy a colder climate?

Then your new college might just be the College of Winterhold! Unlike Shad Astula, the College of Winterhold prefers a “hands off” approach to teaching, to the point where you might ask what exactly you even learned here at all! The school also provides an unmatched degree of privacy, especially after the City of Winterhold was rezoned from being a “city” to an “ocean”. This action depopulated one of the oldest homes for humanity in Tamriel! And now you get a chance to learn side by side with the organization that was probably responsible!

Planning on starting a cult? You can’t do much better than here. Between the lax security and the devil-may-care attitude of the staff towards students, you can rob this institution blind to begin your delve into powers you will not be able to control! No one will even mention you casually getting half a dozen of your fellows killed during a risky expedition! Truly a fantastic place for the person valuing their privacy.

The College of Sapiarchs

Are you a High Elf?

Want to enjoy the best tenure in Tamriel?

Already a member of the College of Sapiarchs?

Then congratulations on your membership in the College of Sapiarchs! Of all of the magical societies in Tamriel, this really is the one where you have to know a guy to get a foot in the door. We’re really only including them out of formality. While they reportedly have recruited “based on potential” in the past, and keep a small group of “acolytes” on hand under the notion they might one day get to be a full member of the College, it is really clear how the process truly works. Officially their day job is advising royalty, unofficially it is very easy to keep your organization in power when you force the government to make a decade long indoctrination process a standard part of the coronation process.

House Telvanni

Do you have a loose grip on any form of ethics?

Are literally cutthroat?

Enjoy things being exactly the way you like them, and are willing to commit any number of atrocities if you don’t get your way?

Are a “fun guy”?

Then your new house should be none other than House Telvanni! An ancient Dunmer society, some of the most talented magisters in history have been counted among their ranks. Not that they will be helping you if you join them. Telvanni society has two clear discernible traits

There is to be no constraint on ambition or the activity of its members, beyond an individuals ability to constrain them at their own desire.

Mushrooms are amazing homes. 

And really, that’s fine, if you can cut it in this society. Everyone who gets in their way can enjoy being treated as a resource at best, and we aren’t able to describe the worst fates of association with this organization. While there is formal central organization for the society, it mostly exists to enforce the notion of total social freedom for its members, and the extreme exploitation of everyone else.

The Order of the Black Worm/The Worm Cult/The Fellowship of Anchorites/The Necromancers

Do you have a good relationship with your business card printer for whenever this organization inevitably changes its name again?

Just generally gross?

Have an incredibly strong gag reflex?

Are an idiot?

If your interests lead you in this direction, there’s little we’re going to do to discourage it! While there is real power available for the leadership of this group, but that’s probably not going to be you! You are more likely to end up being used as an experiment to gain information that has definitely been clearly and fully documented by this point over learning anything.

I don’t know how to spell this out anymore clearly, you’re more likely to end up as part of an “art project” over learning anything useful with groups like this. Even if you are lucky enough to be the one in a thousand disciples who get real training, your skills will still be considered subpar by basically every other mage in the world. Not that you’ll know that, and you’ll most likely end up threatening some individual with your “true power” or something idiotic like that, ignoring that they just caved in the heads of a hundred of your students over the course of a lazy afternoon, and they literally have not broken their stride once during that time.

But again, you already signed up, didn’t you?

The Mages Guild

Are you a time traveler?

Willing to find some enclave that just didn’t care when funding stopped coming in?

An optimist willing to hold out hope that they are reorganized?

I’m sorry, I can’t do it. It’s gone. It’s never coming back. We are bad people. We don’t deserve to be happy. Rest in peace, good friend.

(DISCLAIMER: The College of Whispers and Synod have deliberately been excluded from this list. There has to be at least some degree of merit to your organization, no matter how small, to be included here. Our committee has yet to note any at time of writing.)

[hiyorisarugaki]

THE BIG BLEACH HC MEME centering around politics, repost & fill out! For anyone who wanted to explore those aspects more, considering it played a big role in the story. Some things may be unknown to your Muse, just think in WHAT IF then & well, have fun and take your time!

BASICS

Name:   Sarugaki Hiyori    / / /    Age:   250+    / / /    Gender:   female Race:   Shinigami / Quincy / Hollow / Fullbringer / Visored / Human / Other Currently lives:   Soul Society / Hueco Mundo / Silbern / Living World / Hell Exact Location:   Karakura Town Group(s): Former member of the Gotei 13, current visored

QUESTIONS

- Would your muse consider themselves more: GOOD / BAD / NEUTRAL ? - Would your muse consider their group more: GOOD / BAD / NEUTRAL ? - How does your muse think others see them: GOOD / EVIL / NEUTRAL ? - How does your muse think others see their race: GOOD / EVIL / NEUTRAL ? - How does your muse think others see their group: GOOD / EVIL / NEUTRAL ?

- Is your muse considered a threat: YES / NO ?  From whom?:  Soul Society. Hollow. Humans (?) - Is your muse powerful: YES / NO ?  Could they be considered OP:  YES / NO ? - Did your muse any crimes: YES / NO ? [ but their existence is outlawed, ] - Does your muse think they are doing mostly the right thing: YES / NO ? - Would society think the same: YES / NO / MIXED OPINIONS ?

- Does your muse think they are treated unfairly: YES / NO ? - Does your muse feel understood from others: YES / NO ? - Is it important for them what others think of them as a person: YES / NO ? - Would they welcome death:  YES / NO ? - Will they ever find peace:  YES / NO ?

01.0.  Do they fully stand behind the group they are part of? YES / NO. Why is that? Explain: Well, it’s mainly out of necessity. They are all the same and this group, the visored, are more her family than just a random bunch of misfits. They were thrown together in exile out of necessity and have grown close due to the injustices they have suffered.

02.0.  Do they like as things are in Soul Society? YES / NO. 02.1.  Is there anything they would change? Explain here: Hiyori wouldn’t mind changing how life in Rukongai is. It’s too big and and too harsh for any collection of souls that end up there. There is no way out - unless you have the good fortune to be born into the noble families or you’re strong enough to become a shinigami.

03.0. Would they ever actively try to bring change (in general)? YES / NO. 03.1. Is your muse more: passive / active ?  Introverted / Extroverted ? 03.2. Does your muse care more about: others / themselves ? 03.3. Do they trouble their mind over a lot of problems, others? YES / NO. 03.4. Do they mostly involve: the world / everyone / themselves / comrades / friends / family / elderly / kids / teenagers / home / workplace / strangers / souls / humans / quincy / shinigami / nobles / fullbringer / visored / hollows / espada / arrancar / (former) boss(es) / pets / animals / zanpakuto spirit / enemies / partner / lovers / soul king / god / other…(add more) 03.5. Name (up to) three which are the most on their mind (optional, adding names): - aizen tbh - family/friends/visored. she loves them. - growing stronger BI

04.0. Do they think frequently about politics? YES / NO / SOMETIMES. Why is that? Explain: She only thinks of it in the bitterest of circumstances. She was used by a system that tossed her out like a useless piece of tissue and suddenly, when they’re in trouble, she’s still saving their asses. She doesn’t like this ambiguity. She doesn’t like not trusting who she is fighting for and therefore... she would much rather cut all her ties with the society that she used to be a part of. Anyone that harms her friends is never going to be her ally.

05.0. How do they feel in their current location, more: POSITIVE / NEGATIVE / NEUTRAL ? 05.1. Why is that?:  She’s free... but that’s all she is. Neither here and neither there- very much like her existence. It’s neither hollow, nor shinigami and she has to be brave enough to carve out her own identity in this world. She has to figure out what it means to just be Hiyori -not a soldier for the gotei or someone disgraced from her rank. But just... Hiyori. 

06.0. Does your muse have any goal: YES / NO ?  BIG / SMALL ? 06.1. Does it involve anything world-changing: YES / NO ? 06.2. If goal or not, any future plans? Share here:  Hiyori has no real goals. She knows what she doesn’t want- and that is to rejoin the gotei. She would never rejoin unless Kisuke were her captain again. Hiyori  believes she’s living on bonus years anyway so her goal and focus is just on self-improvement. To become strong and protect her friends. Once, she had the goal of becoming someone’s bride and finding love, but it seems that this goal was not her true ending. She most likely wanted family- and she already had it. Except that her family has dispersed somewhat.

She’s still searching for her real purpose in life. She thinks that is okay too- as long as she can protect her friends.

07.0. Does your muse know about the original sin of soul society*: YES / NO ? * curious? Read about it here. 07.1. If they knew, would it change their views on Soul Society: YES / NO ? 07.2. More: POSITIVE / NEGATIVE / NEUTRAL ?

08.0. Who is the worst person in their eyes?:  herelf. Aizen. 08.1. What should happen to them?  Execution (quick / slow death) / Imprisonment / Stripped of their powers / Torture / Repay for their sins / Pay a Fine / Social Work / lose their loved ones / Exile / other… (add more). 08.2. Explanation:  Aizen needs to pay for uprooting her and her friends from their lives. Not only that, but he created this vicious monster that made her hurt her friends. Her shame has disfigured her. Aizen should at least serve the same sentence as she was served-- exiled and disgraced away from everyone. 

09.0. Thoughts on the Quincy Massacre if they knew: POSITIVE / NEGATIVE / NEUTRAL ? 09.1. Would they be alright with such thing happening again: YES / NO ? 09.2. Would they try to prevent it: YES / NO / DEPENDS ? 09.3. Explanation:  If Hiyori could have prevented it, she would have. She isn’t exactly an anarchist, but there are some things and parts of soul society she was ignorant to before her exile despite being a lieutenant. She equated shinigami with goodness until she became a hollow herself.

10.0. Would they ever switch sides: YES / NO ?  // always on the side of the visored

10.1. If yes, What could bring them to do so?:    shitty circumstances 10.2. Would they create a new one: YES / NO ?  or join a current one? If so, which:  - visored.

11.0. Does your muse follow a certain moral code*?:  YES / NO / GRAY AREA ? * (ethics) A written, formal, and consistent set of rules prescribing righteous behavior, accepted by a person or by a group of people. 11.1. What does it involve?:  Help those that need it. Protect your friends/allies. If you’re strong, protect the weak. 11.2. What does it NOT involve?:  to never kill someone that didn’t deserve it or didn’t know why. Hiyori spent a good portion of her time in the Winter War explaining, even to Aizen- why she wanted to kill him. It goes to show that she doesn’t end lives as lightly as she pretends to.

YOUR MUSE’S VIEWS / OPINIONS ON THESE GROUPS ?

Central 46:   positive / negative / neutral.   ━   because: they ordered their death, as well as sentenced Kisuke wrongfully.

Four Great Noble Clans:   positive / negative / neutral.   ━   because: anything shinigami is pretty useless. Except Yoruichi. She’s the best thing that came from there.

Royal Guards / Gotei 13:   positive / negative / neutral .   ━   because: none of them bothered to help her friends or Kisuke during their darkest time. They can all die in a ditch. Of course, when she says this, she still runs to their aid during a fight... only because her friends want to protect them.

Fullbringer:   positive / negative / neutral.   ━   because:  has very little to do with these spiritually aware humans. If they’re not bothering her, she’s not bothering them.

Visored:   positive / negative / neutral.   ━   because: uhm only the best beings in existence. All her favourite people belong to this race. 10/10

Espada:   positive / negative / neutral.   ━   because:  they serve aizen. A lot of them are also under the assumption that they are somewhat superior to visored? GET REAL.

Quincy:   positive / negative / neutral.   ━   because: she didn’t care what they did to be honest. She just didn’t like them hurting her friends. If they literally annihiliated everyone in Soul Society except her friends, she wouldn’t have batted an eyelash. They’re Soul Society’s mistake to fix and to be honest, if there were more visored, she would’ve liked an alliance with them to teach central 46 a lesson at least. But... you live and you learn. And her friends were barely stable to launch a revolt.

YOUR MUSE’S VIEWS / OPINIONS ON THESE (IMPORTANT) PEOPLE ?

Aizen:   positive / negative / neutral.   ━   because:  he used her. Hurt her innocent friends and also hurt people that could not/would not fight back. This is people like Ichigo’s friends and humans that cannot pick up a zanpakuto to fight for themselves. Aizen’s plans are not justified.

Yhwach:   positive / negative / neutral.   ━   because:  she’s only going along with what she’s been told-- he wanted to destroy the worlds and this is a bit unfair since she lives in the world. > >

Mayuri:   positive / negative / neutral.   ━   because:  Although he’s a pain... he is part of her division. He was irritating and gross and weird... but he was still from her division and she did become attached to him in her own way. He makes her skin crawl but also, she kind of understands why he is so alienated. He’s different. And different people are the ones that are stepped on first. They feel threatened and have to protect themselves. The things he has done, whilst she doesn’t know all of them and most likely would have words about them -- he’s most likely done it as he’s seen right. At least, for Mayuri he has passion in what he does. He’s not pretentious about being a good shinigami. He calls himself a scientist.

Kurosaki:   positive / negative / neutral.   ━   because:  he’s a dumbass teenage boy with a nice family and a nice home and still carries on this huge responsibility to fight for his friends. And.. he’s their family now. So Ichigo’s family... is her family. She’ll protect it.

Soul King:   positive / negative / neutral.   ━   because:  doesn’t really think he does much to be honest. A king has to be prepared to reunite people and make the world a little better. But their king seems to hide in an exclusive pocket dimension where not even her zanpakuto can talk to Kirio’s zanpakuto. It’s heart-breaking. :( 

CONGRATS, you managed till to the end, now tag your fellow bleach partners!

TAGGED BY: @skyvar thank you so much!! This really made me thing!  TAGGING:  @sphaeraa, @hanabiira, @meishutori , @praedulcis--helianthus @mysteriousshopkeeper​   & else that wants to do this!!

[heroes-writing]

How about some head cannons of Saitama, Genos and Sonic doting over an s/o on their time of the month? Or if it's already done/you're not comfy with it, a sick s/o?

Hey! Thanks for the request! <3 And I don’t mind either way lol, a lot of people deal with really bad symptoms so it’s perfectly natural and it’s better to be empathetic! If you would like sick/flu/cold specific HC’s just lemme know!

Word Count: 1236

Saitama:

- He’s the only one who get’s kind of awkward about it, lets be real lmao. Thankfully it’s only during the first phase of a deep relationship. And it’s not that he doesn’t feel sympathetic, he’s just definitely out of his element in doting on others. Saitama has a way of ignoring issues that don’t concern him personally, and this may mean he’ll give you lots of space during your week. However, if you need him close, he’ll answer any text requesting his aid. He’s really chill and not really judgmental about it after the first: “Ehhh, WHAT’s happening to you?”

- His methods of doting on you are the standard fare. He ensures you have what you need! If it’s: Medication, sanitary supplies, or your favorite foods. He’ll keep his eye on sales to stock up on stuff ahead of time, and he gets irritated on your behalf for how expensive some of the stuff is!!

- If you’re the type to get lethargic, he’ll want to cuddle you, because he might not be used to seeing you so down in the dumps. It would worry him at first, but after a while of being so close together, whenever he sees you in bed with the covers over your face, he’ll know what’s up. He won’t say a word, but he’ll sidle in next to you and take a nap with you in his arms—(he’ll be sure to give you a squeeze and a sweet kiss every so often.)

- If it’s very painful, to the point where you freeze up and wince and writhe in agony—Saitama will HATE that he can’t help you more. He’ll try to enlist Genos’ help if that’s what it takes to make you feel better. And he’ll insist you take some time off from work or school; he’ll goad you into staying at his place and it’ll be very hard to argue otherwise. He can be very stubborn about your wellbeing.

-Also, if you are the type to get angry over little things, he’s pretty damn affable, and he’ll forgive and forget most misunderstandings lol. Lucky you! (p^-^)p

 Genos:

- Oh boy. He’s ridiculous.

“(Name)! Are you alright? Please let me know if you require my assistance. Have you added my number on your speed dial yet? Here allow me to do it for you! I’ve researched many forms of medicine on the market that may help relieve your symptoms. No, it’s no trouble! Please, stay sitting—I’ll get you want you need!!” -and he blurs into motion when he needs to write down new data in his notebooks about you-

- If you’re the type to be low-key about your monthlies... Either you suck it up or grit your teeth in order to get through it. Genos is hard to fool, and he’ll be able to deduce what’s going on. In the worst case, this guy has his phone in his hand ready to call an ambulance. Or worse, he’s looking up the Mayoclinic website trying to determine if you have some form of appendicitis. I would recommend being plain with him, even if he get’s rather ahead of himself sometimes, because calming him down gently is easy.

- He’s so on top of everything you need, and this is one of the most extreme ways he prepares to help you. He will take everything 3 to 4 steps further than Sonic or Saitama in his efforts to supply you with your favorite chocolate or sweets or whatever you like. He will even research upgrades and lavish you with gifts if you let him.

- In his less “extra” moments, nothing can beat the way his body is a natural heater. If you’re laying in bed or lazing around Saitama’s place when he’s not there. Genos will take to hover over you, watching you keenly with his black and yellow eyes gauging your temperature, heart rate, etc.

He’ll prop himself up on one arm, kind of taking a “prince waking sleeping beauty up with a kiss” pose. His other hand will gently whir and pulse with warmth as he rubs it over where you need him most. The cyborg will be your personal hot water bottle, and while he’s so close you’ll be able to pull him in for as many kisses as you want.  

- You may not feel so good about your appearance since you may suffer from bloating or maybe some breakouts, but never fear! I think Genos would always be the type to lavish you with compliments. And they’ll never be lies or fillers just to make you feel better either, his compliments are always about things that can’t change. Whether it’s about your kindness, your work ethic, your eye color, or the way your lips look so kissable to him. He’ll always make sure to remind you why he loves you! <3

 Sonic:  

- I imagine from his village there is a natural remedy to help ward off some of the worst menstruation symptoms, and it’s probably a hugely guarded secret that’s been passed down for generations. If he sees his s/o suffering, he will gladly gather the ingredients himself and make it for them! And if he’s serious about them, he’ll teach them how to make it for themselves.

-He will generally take care of them rather slyly, I think, as he doesn’t want to offend you or belittle your ability. Maybe if you’re laying in bed feeling the pain, you’ll feel a breeze over your skin, and he’ll be suddenly standing there offering you the remedy and a drink to wash it down. He’ll make sure you take it, nod his head, kiss you quickly, and vanish.

- He can be derisive about other people’s problems, but he is keen to stay on his s/o’s good side! If they have mood swings or are generally feel crappy during their week he is mindful and cautious. He will most definitely exploit any sweet spots his s/o might have about certain things in order to keep them in a good mood. Oh, this movie makes them happy no matter what? We’ll watch it. When they get mad, if I kiss them on their cheeks they melt? I’ll smother them in kisses then.

His eyes will be watching you carefully, taking everything in for his consideration so he can make you happy, safe, and sated.

- At the start of the relationship much like the others he is very blunt about it and doesn’t get grossed out. He IS the type to snap back if you get too testy with him. Arguments may happen, but at the end of the day, he understands biology is giving you a serious burden to bear. No matter how badly your anger flares at the stuff he says, or the things he does, he’ll kind of go stony and let it wash over him.

“Alright Alright, I get it!” He’ll say.

“Good!” You’ll snap and cross your arms.

“Good!” And with that usual stony expression he’ll wrap you in his arms. (Admittedly it might feel like a headlock.) Sonic is adamant about not fighting over trivial things, and he shows his undying affection in weird ways.

-Oh yeah, Sonic is actually a really good cook! If you need more calories to sate your hunger, he’ll probably whip up some real gourmet food for you! <3

[tessatechaitea]

The Ray #1

In 1994, I had no idea who Christopher Priest and Howard Porter were so I have no idea why I purchased this comic book.

Although (continuing the thought from the caption which is just me saying, "Fuck the format! I can do what I want!") I was in my early 20s in 1994 so I was probably into that edgy fascination with freaks and body deformity. I hadn't seen Tod Browning's Freaks yet but I'm sure I would have jumped at the chance if I'd known about it. It's the only reason I can figure why I bought a comic book about a character I knew nothing about. Because it looks like he's a hero with a deformed baby leg. I probably picked it up off the shelf and yelled, "Fuckin' A, dude! Look at this ganky bastich!" It was 1994 so obviously I was emulating Lobo in my every day life. Some of you might be thinking, "Ugh! You're so gross and problematic!" But I'm just being honest! I was a young man, masking like crazy in order to hide my vulnerabilities so I wouldn't be crushed by social interactions and existential threats to my psyche. I had to act tough to survive the crazy streets of Santa Clara, California! Back then, Silicon Valley wasn't like it is now! In 1994, hulking techno-nerds were roaming the streets with razor sharp circuit boards looking to cut the genitals off of anybody who criticized the Neo-Geo CD home gaming console. If you looked at them funny, they'd challenge you to a game of Cyberball and you'd better hope you won because they were also obsessed with Mortal Combat and if you lost, the last thing you'd hear would be a bunch of techno-nerds screaming "Finish him!" before you found yourself upside down gagging on the filthy water of an unflushed public toilet. The early nineties were some rough years! Especially when you were into heavy metal! People think grunge and rap killed metal but think about what people thought was "rock and roll" during the early 90s: Warrant's "Cherry Pie" and Extreme's "More Than Words." I mean, Feetal's Gizz! Metal was dead long before grunge and rap came by to fill its grave. Anyway, you could totally be into freaks in the early 90s because the Internet didn't exist so your opinions weren't reaching anybody outside your small circle of friends. All the other people of the world who didn't know you at all didn't have a way to tell you you were a piece of shit because of one single thing that comprised the myriad facts of who you were. Fuck you, Internet! No, no! I'm sorry! Don't be mad at me, Internet! I can't live without you! Also, maybe I just bought this comic book because the cover was shiny and embossed and growing up in Santa Clara was so boring that it made this comic book looked exciting. The issue begins with The Ray battling Brimstone. Remember him from Legends?

Brimstone is as big as Godzilla and he's already killed hundreds of people, judging by the apartment buildings he's smashed.

I don't know who The Ray is or where he's from. What part of the United States of America uses slang like "gaffle," "put my serve on," "zoom this buster," "bone out," "feebs," and "rot." Is this just Christopher Priest trying to mimic youth speak? I would expect this kind of thing from an aging comic book writer like current Neal Adams but Priest was in his early thirties when he wrote this. Maybe The Ray is from another Earth and Priest's theory was that slang words would obviously differ between Earths. But not so much that you couldn't get the gist of what he's saying. Except for "gaffle." I don't know what the fuck he wants to do to Brimstone when he says he's going to gaffle him. I know what I would mean by it but that doesn't seem appropriate in this situation.

Oh wait. The Ray was just writing fan-fiction about himself.

So the Brimstone fight didn't really happen. Or it did happen but The Ray is using it as fodder to write comic books about himself. So he's like Clark Kent writing articles about Superman? At least writing comic book stories about your own adventures isn't unethical. Fucking Clark Kent. What kind of a journalist uses his soap box to simply promote himself? No wait. Journalists fucking suck. I despise journalists for the same reason I despise police officers. If you're just letting your profession go to shit because a bunch of people are abusing their positions of power and not actually doing the public service they're supposed to be doing, you're just as bad as the worst apple in the barrel. There's a reason that whole apple/barrel thing is still a saying even though nobody really associates apples with barrels anymore. Maybe The Ray isn't writing comic books although it seems like the super edgy postmodern take a writer in the 90s would think was fucking mind blowing. We got Kyle Rayner, comic book artist, as the new Green Lantern. Why shouldn't we also get a comic book writer in there as well? Or The Ray might just be writing stories for his college paper which would mean he's just as unethical and terrible as Clark Kent, I suppose. But in an amateurish way. The Ray (whose name is Ray Terrill so it was lucky he got light-based powers) stops trying to write and decides to tell the readers about the last few days. He's a young guy who works at a fast food chicken joint and has just leased his first apartment. It's a piece of shit with some garbage and/or artistic sculpture in the middle of the room but he doesn't have any credit or money so he's stuck with it. I bet there are corpses under the floor boards as well as other things too boring to mention (but which I'll mention anyway) like rats and cockroaches and dried semen stains.

This is Ray's narration of the place which I read after I wrote the previous paragraph. Was I writing comics and named Christopher Priest in 1994?

The Ray spends all day handing out flyers to Clucky Chicken while standing right outside Clucky Chicken. Is that what flyers are for? To remind people about the thing they can totally see right in front of them? I guess they could be coupons. While he's handing out flyers, his super cool cousin Hank stops by to gaffle some swang all up in through him.

This must be Earth-15 where they say things like "Yo trip dat frum, golderboots!" and "Swank on into my PQs, Flub Daddy!"

The Ray is disappointed that he's a man now because responsibility sucks. Kids can't stand curfews and rules but man is it sweet to be able to come and go as you please (within curfew, of course!) while doing whatever the fuck you want and not worrying about money for food or rent. The Ray can't even fuck his girlfriend because she saw him in the chicken suit and is all, "Oh, um, I just came by to say I can't come by! Bye!" The Ray can travel at the speed of light anywhere he wants while carrying other people. That makes sense because comic books. He takes his cousin Hank Fonzerelli to see a volcano shaped like a hand in Hawaii only to discover that it's another Brimstone. It's activated by a henchman of Darkseid while The Ray and Hank are checking out a surf competition or a luau. It's at this point when The Ray gets back to the beginning of the story where he was failing to stop Brimstone from destroying a city. As he picks the story back up, Superboy arrives to save the day. Not the boring Superboy who used to be Superman and learned a terrible secret about himself on his sixteenth birthday about an extra candle. The new Superboy who arrived on the scene after Superman died. He might also be boring but I wouldn't know having never read any comic books about him. The new Superboy is an arrogant dick and The Ray hates him. That's probably why The Ray winds up killing him. Or he thinks he killed him. Everybody reading the comic book probably thought The Ray killed him too (because we were all dumb-dumbs who actually believed DC Comics had killed Superman off for good. Why wouldn't they?! He was a big boring boy scout whose powers kept fluctuating because editors and writers thought the problem with writing Superman stories was that he was too powerful. But the real problem with writing Superman stories was that those same writers and editors were unimaginative assholes who didn't actually understand Superman. Why else would Superman have died from a fist fight?! Seriously, Dan Jurgens. What were you thinking?! Superman should never have been killed because he encountered something more powerful that could just beat the shit out of him. Superman should have been killed because of a philosophical or ethical dilemma where he realized the only way to save the world was to allow himself to die. He should have been Jesus but instead he was just Apollo Creed. Who I think was a metaphor for John the Baptist? The issue ends with the narrator letting the readers know that Superboy isn't actually dead and why would the idiots think he'd be killed in The Ray when he was currently starring in his own popular monthly comic book? Stupid dumb comic book readers! But the narrator also mentions that The Ray is out of power (I didn't know he had to recharge) and Brimstone is kind of mad. Then he's all, "If we were you," (I don't think a proper editor in 1994 would have allowed a writer to use the plural pronoun "we" as a non-specific gender singular pronoun so now I'm picturing the narrator as a small group of old people), "We'd be back here in 30 days!" And I guess 22 year old me agreed with them because I purchased Issue #2. The Ray #1 Rating: C. C is average, right? I didn't find anything I particularly loved about this issue but I also didn't find anything I absolutely hated. Except for Superboy but I think I was supposed to hate him so that's a positive critique. I probably purchased the next issue because I wanted to find out what happens to Hank Fonzerelli. What a cool dude! The letters pages don't have any letters but it does have a story by Brian Augustyn about how Christopher Priest changed his name from Jim Owsley. It also explains that Priest's idea for The Ray was to have a teenager suddenly have to deal with god-like powers while still being a teenager. I think before this that was called "Spider-man". Except for the god-like powers! Those were more spider-like powers.

[howtohero]

#246 Headless Horsemen (and variants!)

For as long as there have been heads and as long as there have been horses, (historians are split on which came first) there have been headed horsemen. Men (or women) with heads riding horses that also have heads. There’s not really much to say there, and if that had been where the story ended we certainly wouldn’t be wasting your oh so precious time talking about it today. But, as anybody from Sleepy Hollow can tell you, that is not where the story ends! In almost no time at all headed horsemen became last year’s model as horsemen technology marched forward into a greater and grander tomorrow! You see, horsemen researchers quickly discovered that having a man with a head and a horse with a head was redundant and inefficient. One second, I think I have a transcript from that meeting somewhere around here… (If you’re thinking to yourself now, “bah, obviously if horses had been invented surely heads had been too. What a stupid debate these historians are having,” then get ready {and get amped} to eat those words you stupid stupid reader.) Ah here it is:

Ex-dcotor Bernadier Baldwin barges into the room, scattering papers and interns. His license to call himself a doctor in any capacity had been revoked the previous day on account of his idea being too radical and too transformative for the tiny minds of the ethics board. “Stop everything!” He shouts while flipping a security guard over a nearby table, reducing it to splinters. A group of tired men and women look at him with tired expressions on their tired faces. They are tired because this is the eleventh time Bernadier Baldwin has barged into a meeting this week. “I’ve just had a major breakthrough that can revolutionize horseman technology forever!” Bernadier exclaims as he roundhouse kicks a nurse through the skylight. He is very big on exclaiming things these days. He believes it can help fight the common cold. He has been known to say that a common man would never exclaim so boldly and so loudly. “Mr. Baldwin, for the last time, this is a hospital. There are no horses here,” a tired doctor says tiredly. There used to be horses at this hospital, but that was long time ago and everybody generally agreed that it was a pretty bad idea. “You fool! Don’t you see! If a horse has a head and a man has a head that’s inefficient! That’s too many heads!” Bernadier exclaims exclamatorily while strangling the man who coined the phrase “two heads are better than one” to death.   “Security,” says a different, even more tired, doctor in a different, even more tired fashion. “Don’t you see! There are too many heads! There are too many heads!” Bernadier hollers at the top of his lungs. He jumps on the table, picks up the meeting’s stenographer and hurls her out a nearby window.

The transcript ends there on account of the stenographer being chucked out a window but you get the idea!

Bernadier Baldwin went on to truly change the face of horseback riding for centuries to come. First with his groundbreaking, innovative, transformative Headless Horseman program. (They say that Baldwin himself personally beheaded hundreds of horseman with his bare hands during the early years of the program. Truly he is a visionary and a hero.) Then, after realizing that it was not necessarily the man head that was the redundant head, he launched his incredible, forward-thinking, unprecedented Headless Manhorse program. It was around this point that Baldwin was killed in a very tragic horse-operated steamroller accident, but the mark he made on the horse world was undeniable, and not soon forgotten. His legendary, “Notebook of Brilliant, Unparalleled, Mind-Blowing Ideas” was recovered and his notes were used to spearhead such influential, world-changing, stupefying projects as the Horseless Headsman and Manless Horsehead initiatives and the rest, as they say in the biz, is horsestory.

Headless Horsemen: In discussing these revolutionary, hoopstatic, glorious abominations of science and crimes against creation, it only makes sense to start with the original. Most of the famous Headless Horsemen that you’ve either heard about or fought (or befriended, the stereotype that all headless horsemen are bloodthirsty and evil is a cruel stereotype that this blog refuses to perpetuate!) tend to be ghosts or spirits. This is, practically speaking, because horsemen tend not to survive being headless. At first, these guillotined ghouls tended to haunt old timey towns or pumpkin patches and generally stirred up discontent and distress wherever they went. Their goal, in most things, tended to be to kick up enough trouble to cause people to “lose their heads.” Which I suppose is fair, since they literally don’t have heads. Over the years though, these original headless horsemen have grown more comfortable in their role in society and have actually made great strides in both their physical, and spectral communities. The communities where headless horsemen have taken up residence generally tend to fill up with people who are pretty much cool, if not excited to live in a town with a horse-riding haunter who occasionally steals pumpkins. These communities have regular Jack-o-Lantern carving sessions in order to present their resident ghosts with new heads and generally work to include their horsemen in community events in any way they can. In turn, the headless horsemen will often take on the role of scaring off any newcomers to the town that the townsfolk don’t particularly like. This relationship is one of many beautiful instances of symbiosis in nature.

These original headless horsemen have also become something like apparition activists! Before they came along en masse, headless ghosts were looked down upon by some in the ghost community. You know, because they don’t have heads. This is, of course, terrible and any ghost who thinks that someone is lesser because they don’t have a head is a jerk and you may quote me on that! Now though, with the rise of headless horsemen, headless ghosts need only to find themselves a ghostly horse and they’re suddenly one of the coolest ghosts in town. The headless horsemen have become trendsetters and tastemakers among ghosts and they use their ghostly steeds to spread their messages of love and inclusion all around the ghost world. Several of them have even taken up activism in the living world and you’d be hard pressed to find a progressive cause that doesn’t count headless horsemen among their members.

If you, in your capacity as a superhero, ever find yourself having to fight a headless horseman you should know that there are not many practical differences between fighting a regular ghost and fighting a ghost that has traded its head for a cool spectral horse. A vacuum cleaner or a proton blaster should do the trick. Just be aware that they might try to throw their disembodied head at you, which is gross. But an empty, lifeless head is not all that heavy. You can probably just catch it. If you want to practice catching lifeless, round projectiles, try entering into the annual superhero four-corner dodgeball tournament that probably is a real thing. (Four corner dodgeball is like regular dodgeball, except for instead of having two teams, each dominating one half of the gym, there are four teams, each one dominating one corner of the gym. It’s three times scarier than regular dodgeball and it is the worst.) Just make sure you don’t accidentally enroll in four-corner live dodgeball tournament where all the dodgeballs are granted sentience. Because catching a live round object is a very different skill and one that is not applicable to this situation!

Headless Manhorse: These beheaded broncos are similar to their horsemen counterparts, except without any of the finesse or social skills. These horses are honestly just buck wild. They are cursed with eternal life while also not having any head. They wanna run wild and live free, like a horse, but they don’t have the eyes, ears, nose, or brain to do that in a responsible manner. Headless Manhorses can frequently be seen frolicking wildly in urban areas, causing a ruckus and trampling defenseless automobiles. While regular horses can be appeased with apples or sugar cubes, headless manhorses offer no such recourse. If they decide they wanna trample you with their hooves, you kind of just have to let them until they get bored. If you ever see a headless manhorse, your best bet is to run. I don’t care what kind of superpowers you have. A headless manhorse will mess you up. 

Horseless Headsmen: Ever wonder what happens to all those heads that need to be sacrificed in order to create a quality headless horseman? Well, most of them are just gross decapitated heads. Sometimes they’ll get thrown at you. But every one of out of a hundred of these decapitated heads spontaneously gains a life of its own and becomes a horseless headman! These floating zombie heads tend to just be absolutely giddy at the fact that they are alive. I think most of us would agree that our bodies are more often than not holding us back from realizing our full potential. Horseless headsmen have the rare opportunity to be completely free from all that junk that exists from the neck down. They just float around cracking jokes and asking people on the street to help them do their hair for them. They are truly living the life. Really getting ahead in life. 

Manless Horsehead: Oh gosh, if you thought a headless manhorse was terrifying you don’t ever want to run into a manless horsehead. These have all the unbridled rage and darkness of a horse but without being hindered by their physical bodies! These horeheads can just float around whinnying and biting people and mugging me specifically. (I mean come on! I’ve been mugged by a manless horsehead on twelve separate occasions. That can’t be a coincidence.) 

Nearly Headless Horsemen: This is nothing. This is a ghost who couldn’t even be arsed to be decapitated correctly. Disgraceful. You can look down on these guys for sure. Nearly headless. Please. How about we just call it what it is. Headed. 

[sebastianshaw]

I was reading some Emma comics again and it's really bugging me how they changed her past with Sebastian. I never properly paid attention to it before but this retcon really makes Emma a weaker character just as an excuse to worsen Sebastian. Going back to the 80s I loved Emma's strong independence as the White Queen, and I hate the recent victimisation. Ofc Sebastian's character gets affected too.

I don’t think it was an excuse to worsen Shaw, because that would imply making Shaw more evil was the goal, and I don’t think that was WHY it was done. I don’t think anyone was out to wreck Shaw. I think that was just a by-product, collateral damage. I think they just wanted Emma to seem like she wasn’t such a bad guy  back when she was a villain, that she really was someone who was trying to use the Hellfire Club from within only for the sake of making things better for mutants (which is a claim she’s made since that people seem to believe but um no, that is not what she was about in her villain days), and they felt the best way to do that was to have made her actually really be the victim all along in her villain days. And the most convenient way to do that was to say someone else made her that way, and Shaw was the easiest one to pick for that, regardless of how little sense it actually made.Which, I hate, of course. Firstly it makes it very difficult for me to like Shaw. Emma is a very popular character on Tumblr, which is a platform that is notoriously unforgiving for any kind of “problematic” character (which is...ironic, considering how problematic Emma is, but they’re also pretty hypocritical about that at large) and the fact is that the retcon hits the very relevant, hot-button issue of the fact that real-life men with power really do abuse others, especially women, and a lot of that has been coming to light lately. It’s very topical. And it’s very important. So whenever I make any kind of statement about how it’s a shitty retcon and I don’t like it, I worry it makes it seem like I’m being anti-feminist or anti-victim or trying to defend my male fave against his wrongdoings, etc. When all I’m saying is that it’s a retcon that I don’t think actually fits, given what we actually saw during their days in the Hellfire Club.I also thing it’s really sexist to Emma. They changed it so that everything she has and is was just because of Shaw, instead of her being a woman who became independently super-wealthy and badass on her own. That’s gross. It takes away the agency that she previously had so much of  as a villain, and changes it to her just having been abused into it by a more powerful male figure. It’s not that I don’t think that couldn’t be a good story, I’d have no problem if that was how it had been portrayed as FROM THE START, but taking someone who was a badass powerful queen in total control from the day she showed up, with no indication that she and her male cohort were anything less than equal partners who simply shared a vision, then changing it 20+ years later that actually HE was the one with all the power and control and he was just molding and manipulating her, that she was UNDER him the whole time...I’m sorry, that’s not feminist to me, that’s acting like a woman can’t be capable of villainy of her own. That’s literally what the Victorians thought, that since women aren’t fully human, they can’t really be capable of real evil like men are, a man is behind it somehow. It’s just another way to say we’re too weak to be as good at something as men, even if that something is evil.It also spits on her redemption arc. The original idea that Emma was a powerful woman who had everything she wanted and clearly loved being evil, but gave it all up after the death of her students in hopes that she could protect her next ones better? That’s powerful. She’s sacrificing something in order to be a better person. But when you change it to “she was an abused victim all along and hated the Hellfire Club and didn’t want to be a bad guy, she was just trying to help mutants from within and Shaw was the real villain!” then she isn’t giving up anything to be with the good guys. There’s no sacrifice factor. And not to mention, part of what makes her redemption arc effective is that she’s trying to be good after being SO GLEEFULLY, WILLINGLY BAD. If you change it so that she was never that bad at all, that she never wanted to be, then you lessen it.Finally, it’s so...uneeded? It just seems they wanted to be gratuitous and gross in the most base, shocking, soap-opera cliche way. Why was this sexy evil lady so evil and sexy? A man was sexually evil to her! And like...if you wanted an explanation for why Emma is how she is, Winston Frost was ALREADY THERE. Her family already explained just fine why Emma is how she is, without actually sacrificing anything about her already-established story and character. They explain her while not detracting from her agency, villainy, and choices, or retconning anything. Of course, it’s not unusual for people with abusive parents to be attracted to abusive partners later in life, and I’d have been fine, again, if that’s how she and Shaw were portrayed FROM THE BEGINNING---but it’s not. They don’t even seem to be in a relationship, let alone some abusive sexual mentor/student thing. You could AT MOST say she takes orders from him once or twice, but she’s not under him in ANY sense in her original canon 80s days.So tl dr the whole thing was unneeded, gross, inaccurate, and sexist while pretending to be feminist. It declaws one of the most fantastic female villains in comics to make her look like she wasn’t so bad back in the day, even though that’s what makes her redemption arc powerful, it retcons all her financial/business accomplishments as simply coming from a man and has her starting out as an exotic dancer that he took under his wing (there’s nothing WRONG with being a dancer but like...I feel like this choice was made for bad reasons), and it’s just simply not an accurate reflection of what was actually going on if you read the comics. But I don’t feel like I can say any of this because I don’t want to get drawn into some really nasty discourse, I don’t have that energy.The worst part is that there’s only two solutions to it:A) Keep writing Shaw as her sexually abusive ex-mentorB) Re-retcon it, effectively making Emma a liar.

Obviously, I hate A. But B would be terrible too. Because now that the retcon has been made, now that Shaw is indeed Emma’s terrible evil ex, then changing that...doesn’t sit well with me either? Because in this climate right now, the Emma/Shaw dynamic doesn’t exist in a vacuum. Changing things back so that a woman lied about a powerful man abusing her...I couldn’t get behind that, at all. There’s no putting this genie back in the bottle, at least not ethically in my opinion.That’s why I’m glad they just killed him, so there wouldn’t be any more either way. I don’t like seeing a character I enjoy reduced to this, and I don’t like being frustrated every time I read something with him in it because of this. It also hurts my enjoyment of Emma too when it comes up, since Emma is a longtime fave of mine, YEARS before I gave a shit about Shaw. I don’t want that. Emma’s way too enjoyable for me to go sour on over this, especially as it’s not like it’s her fault. Plus, poor Shaw was just lame as a villain at this point, no one wrote him with any potency since Claremont, it’s like putting down a sick dog. Now I can just enjoy him on this blog the way I want.

[ziracona]

Real tired of seeing everyone praising blaze like it somehow really just took like 2 popular blogs pushing the idea of supporting staff no matter what being the ethically correct thing for 2/3rds of the user base to suddenly cheer them from everything to monotizing your own tumblr, to giving users the ability to bypass tag blocks and force religious conversion content or pornography or triggers onto other users’ dash no matter what, and I’m sick of it. Like I’m not saying staff is evil or something, but it’s their job to make the site good, and they’ve done less than the bare minimum for decades. Being less bad than a lot of alternatives still isn’t celebratorily good. They still have a history of pushing gross content and burying progressive tags, refusing to stop alt right movements, and have despite pleas for years refused to improve the tag or block systems for users. They’re not your friends. And blaze has already thrown blocked and personally triggering content on my dash of three different types. And that’s just the ones I’ve /seen/. If they want to implement a stupid system like blaze in the first place, the least they could do as bare minimum responsible developers is moderate in some way the content accepted to blaze. Minors (and anyone who wants or needs to) should reliably be able to block pornography. People with triggers should be able to avoid them. You shouldn’t be able to throw flashing lights onto an epileptic’s dashboard. When the hell did ‘oh they’re poor kind good folks’ become the hot take, like, it’s their job? It’s not our job to accept the worst 24/7? If they can’t make the site okay then they need to change, not what we’re willing to accept. They can monetize or whatever however they need, but we don’t owe them a monetized subscription to help fill their poor sad coffers? When did everyone decide it’s the good person take to pretend any corporation has the best possible reasons for constantly doing fucked up things to its user base for money

[roomfullofcunts]

I love you're writing, btw. You are a blessing upon the fandom. I have a bit of a dumb question though as someone who has only been lurking around the D:BH fandom for a few weeks... is there a reason why fans seem to universally hate David Cage? I feel like I missed all the good drama and am now trying to piece together the story based on numerous angry authors notes. (You're not obligated to answer if you dont want to you just seemed approachable) :)

Thank you anon :3

I don’t mind. Someone can probably word this better than poor sleep-deprived me, but I think with Cage there was already some history regarding his writing or behaviour. As someone who’s only been exposed to half of Heavy Rain, I wouldn’t really know, but that’s the impression I get; meaning that what people criticise about DBH is not an isolated event. As for DBH itself… My biggest issue with it was how ham-fistedly the race allegory was handled. It was clumsy and cringey at best, and ignorant and offensive at worst. I don’t really have the energy to go into it in-depth, but this is a pretty good write up.

There’s also the problem of how the women in the game were handled. Compared to Markus and Connor’s relatively complex, existentialism and ethics-driven character arcs, Kara was a “maid-bot” who wanted to be a mother. That was the extent of her humanity. Oh, and the sex bots. Even North’s whole personality seems based on the fact that she was a sex-bot, and the trauma she suffered because of it.

The force-fed straight romance rubbed a lot of people the wrong way too, not least because many people felt Simon should’ve been open for romancing as well, but also simply because it was just such a prime example of a shoe-horned straight romance where none was needed.

I’ve seen more criticism that has to do with world building or narrative, but these are the main points I usually see when the topic comes across; i.e race, gender & heteronormativity.

The problem I think is that DC built a plot revolving around something incredibly loaded in terms of race politics, but didn’t actually want to make a political game. He romanticises civil rights movements but doesn’t actually truly address the issues why those movements were necessary. Not to mention the awkwardness of essentially equating *objects* created to be subservient with black people. Yikes.

I’m sure much of this was unintended, stemming from ignorance and tone-deafness. But that doesn’t change the fact that many people (and especially Americans, who are closer to the topic than I as a European am) found it incredibly… well, shitty. Add to that the dissatisfaction with some of the narrative aspects, and you end up with a lot of fanfic authors denouncing DC as too incompetent to be paid any attention to, and embrace Death of the Author

Having said all that… Look, fandom keeps reiterating this -

it’s okay to like things that are problematic.

I greatly enjoyed DBH. I’ve sat through two playthroughs on my own console, and plan on doing more. I think the game is visually gorgeous, it’s one of the few “walking simulator”/QTE-heavy games I’ve actually enjoyed mechanics wise, and I thought the plot, when separated from it’s political ineptitude, was actually very captivating. I enjoyed the characters themselves, I cared about them and I cared about the relationships you could build. I think it’s a good game. I also think it’s an incredily badly handled game.

I also want to say this: A lot of us already spend a lot of time dealing with upsetting politics in real life. I’m a half-asian queer woman living in a country where right-wing politics are constantly trying to gain more foothold. And you don’t have to participate in the oppression olympics to feel anxiety about whichever country’s current political climate. Not to mention the personal problems most of us deal with, even the most well-adjusted of us. The real world is draining, so-

It’s absolutely fine to participate in fandom and not want to involve yourself in political discourse about the source material.

You don’t need to excuse yourself, you don’t need to apologise for your enjoyment of the product. You’re allowed to scroll past, blacklist, mute. It’s good to be aware of the nuances in the material, and it’s good to be open to the criticism people have about it, to be an educated consumer. But if it starts giving you anxiety or feelings of guilt about liking it - whether it’s a book or a game or a tv show - you’re allowed to take a step back and idk, go read some one-shot fluff-fics or that five-part smut series of your favourite gross ship.

[lovecharlottedupont]

Growing Up in the South & Selling Lemonade

What I loved about being a child in the South was that we played outdoors all the time. Playing Atari games was a real treat, but most of our days were spent running around the neighborhood, riding our bikes, and exploring the woods. I had one of those idyllic childhoods where I would get home at three o’clock, throw down my backpack, and run outside with my brother to join the neighborhood kids for games of jump rope and imagination.

Kids ran to one another’s houses, shared one another’s homes. There weren’t a lot of rules, boundaries, or playdates. No one scheduled us. I learned about social dynamics by having to get along with whatever bunch of random children happened to be outside on any given day. I also learned how to turn down boys' affections.

In the evening, whenever our folks left the house, my brother and I would go on a mission to eat all the sweets we could find. Eli was the family spy. He always managed to see where my mom hid the best treats, and the minute the adults departed, we would find the stash. He would drag the big kitchen stool next to the fridge and climb up to get to Mom’s “hidden” stash of M&M’s or MoonPies. Joy was staying up past our bedtime, watching cartoons, hiding the empty candy bags behind the sofa cushions.

At the same time, we were expected to clean up nicely and to have impeccable manners in polite society.

We were taught to look people in the eye and to say hello and smile. Smiling at people is a big part of life in the South. If a child does not wave back at someone walking down the street, don’t be surprised if the adult says, “Excuse me, little one. Where are your manners?”

Good manners take very little effort. It’s not that hard to smile. My mother likes to say, “Smiles are contagious.” Try smiling at people you don’t even know for a day. Even if you’re not in Tara, most of them will smile back at you. It really does make a difference. Those little daily kindnesses, they can really change the mood of a block, a neighborhood, a city. My mother made sure we knew it was a necessity to be extra-nice to people doing the hard jobs that make other people more comfortable, like waiters, salespeople, and hotel workers. I love the way Big Papa is with people at a restaurant—in fact, I always observe how people act with waiters. It says a lot.

I sometimes meet hundreds of new people a week, because of the travel I do for work. I think there’s something really great about learning to look people in the eye, to introduce yourself, to be respectful, to take care of other people’s property. We always say in the South that good manners are a kind of passport. If you have good manners, you can go everywhere and people are glad to have you around.

We were taught manners by example. The older women in our families were unflappably polite. Southern women are strong and outspoken but also beautifully composed and always present their best selves to the world. They believe in character and the presentation of that character. They aren’t afraid to tell you how they really feel.

Someone once told me they thought people in the South were passive-aggressive in their politeness. Certainly not! In my experience, a southern woman will tell you right to your face if she doesn’t like something. If my mother or grandmother wasn’t pleased with my behavior, she’d say, “I don’t like that. The way you’re behaving is ugly. I don’t like when children behave ugly.” I feared their disapproval, and one pointed look from either of them could terrify me. Getting a “Stop acting ugly” was just the worst! I hated disappointing my grandma or my mother.

But they also taught me to strive for behavior that was beautiful. And in my mother’s and grandmother’s eyes, what was beautiful was treating others with respect and putting your best foot forward. Taking care of your community was beautiful, as was doing nice things for others. My grandma always said, “Pretty is as pretty does.” People aren’t pretty if they act ugly.

One time my grandma caught me chewing gum. She said, “The only appropriate place to chew gum is behind a door.” One time I really wanted to chew gum, so I went behind the door to do it, just to prove a point. But it made me realize that some people think it’s rude to chew gum around them. I like gum. But I was able to see my grandmother’s perspective: there is a time and a place for chewing gum, because, let’s just face it, it can be a little gross watching other people chew.

One other thing the South gave me as a child was a good work ethic. I had two business ventures as a young person, and both taught me lessons that I still put into practice today.

The first was a lemonade stand. I think a lemonade stand is a really good way for kids to learn about business. My brother and I took it very seriously. We would fill one of my mom’s huge tea pitchers with ice-cold lemonade and set up our table with paper cups, napkins, and a Mason jar to hold our money.

Eli and I always fought about pricing. He is four years older and thought we should be charging more than I thought we should. We would compromise on a quarter a cup, because we could take those quarters straight to the arcade afterward.

Creating the sign for the lemonade stand was my favorite part. Give me markers and some poster board, and I’m in my element. I also liked innovating: I’d find ways for our stand to be special, such as putting mint leaves in each cup, or having both iced tea and lemonade so people could create their own Arnold Palmer.

Being the loudmouth of the family, I was also the designated barker. I would flag down cars and harangue people into extra cups (“Doesn’t your husband want a cup, too?”). My brother and I developed quite a reputation on our block for running a tidy business.

Our second venture was our more innovative by far. It all began in third grade with some hair clips. I spotted them at the mall. They were very cool and just fifty cents apiece, and they were glimmering with potential. I had my brother front me some money as an investment, so I could get a lot of them and some paint pens.

I wrote my name with paint pen on the barrettes, wore them to school, and waited for other girls to notice. It didn’t take long. Soon they started asking me if I’d make them barrettes. Sure, I would: for $2. They would meet me at my desk before or after school, and in bubble letters I’d write their name or a chosen slogan in paint pen for a markup of $1.50. The orders poured in. It became like a status symbol: everybody had to have a hair clip. And so began my first real triumph in the entrepreneurial space.

I learned a lot of principles of business that way. I learned about pricing, and that margins are important. I learned that the customer is always right. If she didn’t like the writing, I had to redo it and absorb the cost of the one that she didn’t like. I learned that marketing is everything.

But I flew too close to the sun. I spent more time on my barrette business than on schoolwork, became a distraction to the girls around me, and got paint pen all over my desk. As a result, I got into a lot of trouble and my business was shut down by my third-grade teacher. Ah, the hazards of an elementary school start-up . . .

In both the lemonade-stand and barrette businesses, I loved learning about how business works. I was fascinated with the idea of turning a profit. I wasn’t afraid of hard work, and I liked engaging the market. It made me understand supply and demand. Also, I did like making enough cash to maintain my very expensive sticker collection.

The main thing I learned from all my entrepreneurial success was that working with my brother on the funding for the hair clip venture or on selling lemonade made those things more fun. To this day, it’s important to me to really enjoy the people I work with. That’s another thing that I learned way back in elementary school: Don’t go into business with people you don’t like, because you never know whether or not you’ll be successful in the end, so it’s important to enjoy the journey.

These days I don't start a venture with people I’m not ready to spend a lot of time with, because, let’s face it, if work is fun, it doesn’t feel like work. I feel like I’m putting on an old pair of slippers that fit just right.”

Lemonade-Stand Lemonade

12 lemons

1 cup sugar

6 cups cold water

1. Finely grate the zest of two of the lemons. Place the zest and sugar into a small saucepan with one cup of the water. Bring to a boil over high heat and reduce to a simmer. Stir until the sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and let stand for 10 minutes.

2. While the sugar syrup cools, juice the lemons (you should have about 1 cup fresh lemon juice). Place the juice in a gallon-sized jar. Pour the cooled syrup into the jar through a mesh strainer. Discard the solids. Pour the cold water into the jar and top with a tight-fitting lid. Shake well to combine. Chill until ready to use. Serve over ice. Adjust the sugar to sweeten to your liking.

[zhanzhan2345]

chemical economic growth may accelerate

Gross domestic product (GDP) growth accelerated slightly in the second quarter, mainly driven by the recovery of the external sector caused by the rebound in exports. Domestic demand growth remained optimistic in the second quarter, but due to weak fixed investment growth, it slowed down from the previous quarter, which was partially offset by the acceleration of household spending growth. Looking at the third quarter now, chemical economic growth may accelerate. In July, the Chicago Federal Reserve Bank's National Activity Index (a leading indicator of gdp) reached a four-month high, showing a stronger growth momentum than the previous month. In addition, the unemployment rate dropped significantly in July and consumer confidence continued to rise slightly, indicating that private consumption may remain healthy at the beginning of the quarter. As the impact of the epidemic subsides and the labor market recovers, this year's GDP will grow rapidly. The Biden administration's adequate fiscal stimulus and loose monetary policy stance should also support economic activity. Nevertheless, the uncertainty of the new coronavirus variants and the continued tension with China pose downside risks. The members of the FocusEconomics team expect GDP to grow by 6.4% in 2021, a decrease of 0.2% from last month's forecast. Our team predicts that by 2022, the U.S. economy will grow by 4.1%. Despite the domestic challenges and the rapidly changing global landscape, the US economy remains the largest and most important economy in the world. The US economy accounts for about 20% of global output, which is still higher than China. In addition, according to data from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the United States ranks sixth in GDP per capita (PPP). The US economy is characterized by a highly developed and technologically advanced service industry, which accounts for about 80% of its output. The U.S. economy is dominated by service-oriented companies in the fields of technology, financial services, healthcare, and retail. Large American companies also play an important role on the global stage. More than one-fifth of the Fortune Global 500 companies are from the United States.

Although the service industry is the main engine of the U.S. economy, the U.S. also has an important manufacturing base, accounting for about 15% of output. The United States is the world's second-largest manufacturing country and is in a leading position in high-value industries such as automobiles, aerospace, machinery, telecommunications, and chemicals. At the same time, agriculture accounts for less than 2% of output. However, a large amount of arable land, advanced agricultural technology and generous government subsidies have made the United States a net food exporter and the world's largest agricultural exporter.

There are many reasons for the US economy to maintain its strong position. This country has abundant natural resources and perfect infrastructure. It also has a large number of well-educated and productive workforce. In addition, physical capital and human capital are fully utilized in a free market and a business-oriented environment. Both the government and the American people have contributed to this unique economic environment. The government has provided a politically stable, functionally sound legal system and regulatory structure, which has enabled the economy to flourish. The general population, including various immigrants, brings a solid professional ethics, as well as entrepreneurial spirit and adventurous spirit. The economic growth of the United States has been driven by continuous innovation, research and development, and capital investment.

The US economy is currently recovering from a period of considerable turbulence. A series of factors, such as low interest rates, widespread mortgage loans, excessive risk-taking in the financial industry, excessive consumer debt, and lax government regulation, led to a severe recession that began in 2008. The real estate market and several major banks collapsed, and the U.S. economy continued to shrink until the third quarter of 2009, which was the worst and longest recession since the Great Depression. In order to stabilize the financial system, the U.S. government spent 700 billion U.S. dollars to acquire assets related to non-performing mortgage loans and supported large enterprises in trouble. The government also launched a stimulus plan worth 831 billion US dollars, which will be used to boost the economy in the next 10 years.

Since the deep recession in 2009, the US economy has been recovering slowly and unevenly. The expansionary monetary policy further supported the economy. This includes not only keeping interest rates low, but also unconventional government purchases of large amounts of financial assets to increase the money supply and depress long-term interest rates—a practice known as "quantitative easing."

[skamremakesfromhell]

The worst part about casting a white non-Muslim for Sana is that judging by her last name they are still trying to make her North African! Like, they could have at least made her a white Muslim from Bosnia or something, and pretended like they weren't blatantly white-washing a WOC. I really hope they don't attempt season 4 because what are they going to do, cast a bunch of white folks as her family or surround the white girl with a bunch of real POC actors? Either way, gross.

anon i know!! i can’t even fathom an italian sana season, i have to admit i’m terrible at words and names so i have no real concept of implied origins but for fuck sake if they are trying to play it off at all that she’s poc that just makes the whole thing even worse! cause yeah there are white muslims that isn’t a stretch, i know lots of people have talked about the ethics of this casting but i think it really isn’t justifiable that they took a character that was originally created to be poc and whitewashed her, think about this from other source materials like from a book or comic, it’s the same thing! just because the original character was in a tv show to start with doesn’t change the fact that it is blatant whitewashing, i think from the standpoint of the show as a whole that is the biggest problem, if they want to imply she’s from north africa they should have cast someone of that ethnicity! from what i’ve gathered of italy’s demographics their largest minorities are north african and eastern europe/romanian, having an actress of one of those ethnicities would have made a much more profound impact of sana’s character on the show, get italian teens to actually think about and address issues of racism and xenophobia

from the standpoint of s4 i think it’s a much worse offense that the actress isn’t muslim, i mean julie wrote s4 and it’s very clear how she failed on some points, she wasn’t able to fully capture what it’s truly like to be a muslim hijabi teen in norway, and we know that iman was a main resource for julie and influenced a lot about sana’s character, which created a lot of amazing moments and representation, skam italia isn’t gonna have any of that, if they can’t find an actual muslim to play sana do you really think they’ll do the proper research for a season about her struggles? i don’t, and it’s the worst that i wind up sitting here and thinking “why can’t she at least be poc? why can’t she at least be muslim? why can’t we just have one?” because we shouldn’t have to settle for just one!

ultimately i have such a huge hesitation toward italian sana and what they’ll do with her character because it can so easily fall into a caricature, in skam sana often falls into the “sassy black friend” trope especially in s1, i’ve seen this talked about a lot, and when you have white people writing that character and a white actress playing her i don’t see how that could ever be authentic because the trope already isn’t great from a representation standpoint, also i’ve seen a few others express worries that italian sana could go in a very different direction, she has great potential to not follow the moral code that a devout muslim lives by because the actress has no reason to follow it, to not want to do things like take off her hijab, drink, kiss people/be sexual, i remember when that s4 review came out from a norwegian newspaper saying that sana should have renounced her religion and tore off her hijab and just completely missed the point of what made s4 great because they wanted it to be more “scandalous” and “exciting” and if there’s one thing that skam italia has shown its that they want to do exactly that to this story