#controversial to some of my friends but this is the ideal weather to me

[tomatoluvr69]

I think you’re very wise so I’ll ask you: how does one make friends in their 20s. Like I have a friend group and stuff but I’d like to branch out more. Maybe fuck around find love. Who knows. But how …….

I’m pretty floored by this compliment not gonna lie…and I should be clear that I’ve also struggled with finding friends out of college. I wound up moving back to my college town where I had some connections already, but I can tell you what I did to branch out from those people and make new ones? This is just what’s worked for me, and it’s been slow going, but here goes :-) putting it under a readmore because it got really long and rambly hehe

I had a pretty rough summer when, after 5-6 months of my living here, two of my closest friends (literally 2/3 of the people I decided to move here to be near!) moved to other cities in rapid succession & i had a tough adjustment. What I did to heal was to take some time where I was very intentionally kind of scaling back my social life because I recognized that the irrational hurt that resulted from those departures made it so that I wasn’t in a healthy headspace (thinking a lot of thoughts like companionship is pointless, friendships are born to die, my life will be a long and pointless cycle of making friends -> they abandon me for a partner -> make new friends -> they abandon me for a partner). I had the wherewithal to recognize those thoughts as reactionary, and pretty far removed from the truth, but I was still having them all the time. But I gave myself a purposeful fallow period and I think it REALLY helped. I know that’s not your situation but it’s helpful to explain my experience. (And also just to say, see if you can recognize thought patterns and doubts you have around new friendships as fallacious or insecure if you think they are! Challenge them in your head, and correct them.)

Then, in the fall, I found myself opening up again. Because of my little break (I spent a LOT of time with my very close friend, which maybe wasn’t the most ideal for either of us— but we weathered it) I had the clarity to observe what worked for me and what didn’t, and set challenges for myself. I’m a pretty shy person, and the really fucking annoying truth I’ve come to realize over and over again is that in order to have a rich and thriving social life, I must grit my teeth and fight against those impulses nigh constantly. It is not my nature to cold text an acquaintance who’s on the brink of being a friend to make plans for the first time. That shit is scary to me!!! But I have been fucking forcing myself to make that kind of leap. Basically, the rules I have been trying (and oftentimes failing!) to hold myself to:

1. Almost every other young adult around you is also quietly lonely and hoping for more social connections, especially at that post-college stage. People are thrilled to be reached out to. Remember this first and foremost!! Reassure yourself that no one thinks you’re a freak for being friendly.

2. Text first sometimes (often). You HAVE to do this— if everyone sat around and waited to be enveloped into friendships, no one would have any friends at all. Think about how touched you are when someone makes the first move to you— asks for your number, uses it, suggests a hangout. It’s scary and it sucks but then it’s sooo worth it.

3. This one’s controversial…but I have a policy of “yes”. I do not say no to an invitation. And I do not allow myself to cancel unless I’m ACTUALLY ill. No “self care” excuse. No “I’m tired/depressed/long day at work” excuse. The ONLY exception is if I have a rigid commitment already (or if I’m vomiting or have covid which is…infrequent lol). I always go to the scary party, the nerve-wracking dinner at a friend of a friend’s. Sometimes I have a hunch I’ll hate it, and I do. But most of the time I have that hunch I’m proven wrong and very pleasantly surprised at how nice of a time I’ve had. This is how I’ve deepened acquaintance relationships into friendships, because it allowed me to see people a whole bunch of times and get accustomed to them and talk to them little by little and be less scared of them. but it was harrrrrrd, and it took a long time. I’m only now feeling like I’m actually friends with people I met like… 6-10 months ago.

Those are my rules, but basically it boils down to forcing myself out there way more than I’m comfortable with. And honestly, it’s already changing my personality and becoming more easy.

Also re: seeing people again a whole bunch of times. Become a regular somewhere!!! Join a club, my friend is in a writer’s group that has formed some very solid connections, I have friends who meet up all the time in an earth skills sharing capacity. I have a friend in some sort of trans baseball league or something? I’ve seen posts online for like idk a queer craft meetup, a diverse authors book club, affinity hiking groups, etc. A lot of my friends (and sometimes I!) go to a weekly themed night at a dive bar & over time have gotten to know a lot of the other regulars. Is there a bar near you that has a recurrent event that intrigues you? Goth night, dyke night, karaoke? it won’t happen overnight, you gotta go again and again and and again. But find social hobbies, and by seeing people again in the same place, you will first recognize them, then become friendly, then perhaps even become friends.

Now some disclaimers: I’m very lucky to be well positioned as the best friend and roommate of an incredibly outgoing person, who is the type to become a nucleus of any social scene he enters into. People love him, and want him around, and he loves me and wants me around! This makes things much easier for me, and without that connection, I’d be much more isolated! So I guess some advice there is to be on the lookout for the type of person who effortlessly gathers people. Sometimes I think (unfortunately lol) of the biblical phrase “fisher of men”. But it’s quite apt. If you find yourself being fished, go along with it!! Even if you don’t click completely with that gregarious person, the likelihood that you’ll be thrown into orbit with others is high, and you may find people through that. Let them invite you places! Meet their friends!! Friends who have served this role in my life have been absolutely indispensable for me & I try to actively emulate their modi operandi as much as possible

If you have a pretty closed off friend group, you could work on changing that? Another concrete piece of advice (and one that’s brand new to me lol) is to become a host! Have a brunch potluck or throw a birthday at your place. Invite your friends and have them bring along someone you might not know! Invite people you’re friendly acquaintances with. One of the nicest ways to build community is through like casual, open, and recurrent gatherings. Highly, highly recommend low stakes evenings like potlucks & yard fires & movie nights but especially potlucks. Sometimes you gotta be the gatherer if you want it to happen. I’m brewing up a brunch potluck later this month & im forcing myself kicking and screaming to include a few people I don’t know that well, despite the voice in my head that’s like “why would they want to come hang out with YOU…” (see rule one!!!!!). And again, I’m very lucky to live in a very special town with social people all around, but no one is going to come along and create that culture where it doesn’t already exist. Well, they might…but you can either sit around and wait for them to appear OR you can start fostering that community for yourself. I guess the idea is to take the connections you already have and BUILD! :-) I’m happy to hear you have some friends around you already, I’d really encourage you to start holding casual gatherings and make it explicitly clear that you’d love for them to bring people along.

Oh and also, I’ve found that hosting things TOGETHER is a huge help, it’s hard for me sometimes to put myself out there as the person for whom people will be showing up— but I have teamed up with friends to take the scary edge off. Me and my best friend had a combined birthday party last spring despite our birthdays being a month apart. No one cared about that, and we had so much fun with our goofy wacky theme!! And me and my roommates are all hosting a backyard party together at the end of Jan. This is a great arrangement for me as the shy one of the trio lol. So team up, if you and your friend see a tiktok of a theme dinner, or a costume party, or a scavenger hunt you’d like to recreate, toss it out there! Throw the soup party. Throw the dress like your fave character night. Throw the movie night with themed snacks.

My other disclaimer is that I have a healthy and moderate relationship with drinking, and because of that, I can have a glass of wine or something to help me out at a gathering where I feel very scared. They don’t call it liquid courage for nothing. That’s not an advantage everyone has, and I’m not necessarily advocating for it, but boy does it help me feel less like an alien robot when I’m out somewhere. Having a single g&t sometimes makes all the difference between going into the bar where my friend is playing a show and running back to my car and driving home listening to radiohead all alone. Weed has the opposite effect so I avoid it almost entirely lol. Just pay attention to the way substances affect you if they’re rife in your circles. If you’re sober, look for people who do lots of other things other than drinking— easier said than done, I know, but that’s another reason to throw your own little gatherings— they can be dinners or brunches or movies or hikes or museum outings where there’s no need for things you don’t partake in.

Ok the TLDR of all this is a) push yourself by force to put yourself out there. This is unfortunately an iron-clad prerequisite, like it or not (and I don’t like it…). Grab someone’s number, text them first, go to your random nice coworker’s birthday party where you’ll only know the host. throw a potluck so you can gather budding connections together. b) find what you love to do and do it with others, regularly. You don’t even have to like it that much I guess— just find a way to be exposed to the same people again and again and again. c) repeat to yourself over and over and over and over again that people are WAYYYY more receptive than you think they’ll be— they’re fucking lonely! Our way of life is fucking lonely!! And they think WAYYYY more positively about you than you think they do!!! I absolutely promise. I have ABYSMAL social self esteem and am frequently floored by this discovery but it’s very true. But people want me around because I’m funny and smart and kind and unique. And they want you around for all those same reasons, I promise.

And last thing, it takes fucking TIME. it takes forever. It takes practice and discomfort and stomping all over your hard-won instincts and behaving in ways that are terrifying and brand new to you. But keep seeing people, and take the leap of being the initiator, and give it time and effort and you can do it!!!!! Again these are just the things that have worked for me, your mileage may vary! But genuinely best of luck and I would LOVEEEE to hear updates :-)

PS (I hope this (or like any of this answer lmao help) doesn’t sound condescending, it’s not meant to come across that way, I just tend to ramble. And also I tend to forget that other people don’t always have as much trouble with these social skills as I’ve had so if I’m overexplaining that’s why!! Lol) you can rehearse things in your head as much as you want and no one will ever know. I literally have small talk scripts lmaooooooo. I’ve literally used strangers to practice a method of like interviewing people to get to know them where you just continue to ask questions relevant to what they just said. and you could practice saying things like “want to grab some coffee after this?” or like “hey let me make sure I grab your number, here’s my phone!” and no one will ever know you had to practice like you’re in an elementary school play LOL. I’ve learned so many like normal person social skills just by watching gregarious friends talk to people and straight up intentionally emulating them. bc im normal…. And also intentional and borderline saccharine phrasing like saying “I’d love to have you!” Instead of “if you wanna come” or something. Ok actually I’ve rambled on for soooo long now I hope at least a tiny shred of this was helpful :-)

Okay and another quick edit SORRY. CAMPING!!!!!!!!! If you have ANY desire to camp whatsoever DO IT!!!! NOTHING jumpstarts a new friendship like a camping trip, you can like fast forward through literal months of the early stages if you can get your friend to bring a friend etc. and if not, a nice long hike, if that’s something your body’s not gonna scream at you about haha. GO OUTSIDE WITH PEOPLE IM SO DEADLY SERIOUS.

[6blackfilin9]

I love your Anko fanart! Tell me, what are your views/headcannons on Anko X Kazuku?

hThank you so much for the ask, finally I can answer it

here is my big thank you for the waitng

In a nutshell, the shipp was created by accident while me and my buddy were working on our first Naruto AU in 2019, where Kakuzu and Deidara survived their shitty plotholes end eventually ended up in Konoha

Yeah

so, the shipp’s birth date is july the 1, 2019

anything like classy, aristocracy kind of tension-filled passionate gothic romance with playful, psychological games & hurt/comfort vibes with slight scent of rivalry is KakuAnko

Basically, they are: a very, very old man with absolutely horrendous background who’s trying to finally have his mother*cking 10 or 30 years of peace, and a rather young lady with a rocky youth who’s being good & noble yet has very strong antihero tendencies

You know, I think they do have potential, since, in fact, they seem to be very similar, at the core

They are both very pragmatic realists, the people of logic and reason, yet if Kakuzu’s irritability doesn’t affect him a tiny bit due to his ideal self-control, Anko’s can lead her to quite bad places, sometimes. They put their interests in the first place, and even though she tries to attach them to Konoha’s, she still has ‘personal’ things (I’ll write ‘bout it lower*). Their mindsets are so complicatedly organized that, at some point & way, it prevents them from having many close people, and makes them very hard to see through and predict

Both of them are very flexible & adaptive, independent individuals with similar outlooks on plenty of things and high intellectual level. They clearly can find plenty of traits that they would highly respect and adore in each other

Here I will speak mostly for “why and how” kind of things, bc both of them are terribly tricky to accurately figure out. But there will be some headcanons too

So, there are still some odds about them, due to the strong difference in their occupation, like, in plenty of cases they are really tricky to be brought together, because:

- Of the job

In original, Anko is a Konoha’s special jounin, and she is very dedicated to serving the country. Independently of whether she likes her job or not (depends on the plot), she orienteers at the people, at society’s gain from her work. So, accordingly, in any other AU her job is somehow connected to civil service, whether it’s something police-like, connected to science, or something like CCG in Tokyo Ghoul

Kakuzu, on the other hand, is a hitman and a persona non grata in literally all the five big countries, Konoha too (which makes it barely possible to bring them together in the original universe without hard complications or heavy drama. But still possible). He orienteers on his own gain alone, but, depending on the job, it can include others’ gain, too.

This detail makes him a saint once he holds supervising position in some company or any high position in the government (the better the working conditions of the staff now- the more money in the prospective), and the sheer nightmare once he has it on the opposite side of the law. Him as a mob boss is a complete different topic for discussion, but to get the point, in this case, the trouble isn’t him increasing the level of criminality (its rather vice-versa), but taking hold of too much control in the high and underground structures. Even as an ordinary hitman he’s rather tricky, since everything depends on the case

In most of the stories, they come to some sort of compromise, and how hard it is to reach it depends on how shitty his job is and how attached they are to each other at the moment

Like, in the above mentioned Shippuden AU and Harry Potter AU (which I also wrote with my buddy) everything went like clockwork, because there they are both more or less on this side of the law, in Tokyo Ghoul AU (which I also wrote with my buddy) it is a bit more complicated, with her being in-law and him being very much outlaw, in the Avatar AU (which I also figured out with my buddy, but we never happened to write it) it is also pretty smooth, with both of them being outlaws and then jumping out to the glory after all the shit is done, but in another Shippuden AU of mine, this all would be just a motherfucking bloody disaster

- Kakuzu is actually a hard nut to get attached to anyone

He lived too long to be truly afraid of anything, though. Its mostly because he doesn’t really need to get attached to or become close with someone to satisfy his need for communication. The man can get along with anyone once he wishes to, he can have countless acquaintances and plenty of buddies, but he doesn’t have many comrades and barely can call anyone a friend. Because he is used to lose everything and everyone he ever had or happened to have, because of his inhumanly lengthened lifespan.

It requires time for him to get used to the person, and then, eventually, in some cases, spend plenty of it to get attached

Plus, for him, due to his profession, each close connection is a really great responsibility for him. In most cases, he’d think twice of weather he is ready to take it or not

Though it of course has the personal factor, too

In Anko’s case, she has a grand privilege by being a very intelligent and keen woman, not just in cognitive plane, but in emotional, too. High emotional intellect is actually a rare trait, so she automatically stands out of the crowd for him. Even though it won’t guarantee his alliance, it will grant her his high respect and some sort of sympathy

- Kakuzu is, technically, an asshole

He does have his moral compass, which includes a great amount of common social morality, but he also has that “I am working” state

Even though Kakusu has a set of professional principles, and he still acts accordingly to what he thinks is right, one and the very same situation can be solved diametrically different once the context changes from working to casual and vice versa

This, and him being very independent and quite antisocial, makes the degree of assholeness depend on various factors

This can lead to major conflicts of interests, and if they are possible to have any compromise or not is strongly attached to the circumstances. After all, both are very, very prideful and dignified people

- In other words, the only major issue for them would be morality questions. It’s possible to make the case acceptable for Anko, since both of them ain’t truly squeaky clean, along with Kakuzu being willing enough to watch his borders

- She is provident and doesn’t really need a lot of money on a daily basis, which is much of a joy to him lol

- *they both seek for the stable ground, first of all

Taking in consideration the life conditions Kakuzu had in his youth (despite war state, he still stably had family, friends, grand respect from everyone, home, warmth and food) and how terribly he was torn out of his secured social environment, I believe what he seeks through all his bounty hunt and other money-connected manipulations is stability. Sustainability he had back then. The only way to have it in the conditions of our existent world order is to have money (and a very good mind and luck)

Anko has indeed much more altruistic motives, yet it’s still not that simple. It seems to be, on the first sight, yet considering the “Orochimaru related cases” and her very wayward behavior toward them, it’s clear she keeps her own motives and needs in mind oh so well. The service she has is very well payed, it allows her to do what she likes or believes is right, and to have the living conditions she finds comfortable. And only here, relying on the made sustainable basis, she does what she does

- Thus, they both illustrate the principle “first help yourself, next help the other” just right

- She knows she can keep an eye on him, yet it’s clear for her that her influence isn’t borderless, as well as telling him off some stuff is kind of a not wise thing to do. So in the majority of cases, she never interferes

- This is not common, yet he can actually change some plans if the situation is serious and the compromise can’t be found. He is that kind of person who works on a further prospective, and in this context, this would be the relationship with his loved one

- While Kakuzu is quite conflicted and has very reserved controversial persona, Anko is both controversial, conflicted, and sort of two-faced, on top of that

She is a very sincere, cheerful and humbly honest human being, yet she has some darker natural traits of her character that became rather strong with age and traumatic experience. Cunningness, guile, ways-depend-on-the-case and a bit of ruthlessness, that is. Moreover, she has some unsolved personal issues, which makes her even more twisted.

Like, remember the time when she confronted Orochimaru during the exam? And Kabuto, on the war? Getting rid of them is indeed beneficial for Konoha, but it’s clear that for her it is personal vendetta in the first place. She wouldn’t have tried to do this alone, otherwise, because these two are rather dangerous ones, to say the least.

She uses greater good to cover her real motives (even though it is not truly complete bullshit), and seems to have a terrible habit to keep silence about really important things, which makes her quite prone to lying, in some cases

And sometimes it very badly pisses Kakuzu off, since it makes her prone to doing useless but dangerous shit too

Yet this not any kind of separate hidden side, it is integrated into her personality, and coexists with her bright one. That’s where her violent humour comes from, for example.

But Kakuzu, on the other side, is completely monolith individual, yet sometimes his mindset can create contradictions when it comes to something important to him. but it's another topic

And seeing these layered constructions, and motives, they can pretty finely predict each other’s behavior. Not super-neatly, but they for sure see the basis. This is what helps Kakuzu to prevent Anko from doing some stupid shit, sometimes

- Anko has a role of an indicator for the people who don’t understand and see the changes in Kakuzu’s mood sometimes, since she usually reacts quite openly. Yet, when she has the same unreadable mask of cold, or one of guile, it’s a nightmare for them

- They prefer the non-verbal way to show their feelings, even though Anko is obviously the more chatty one

- They don’t say things such as “I love you”, or other sensual stuff like that really often, believing it to be some sort of cherished words that shall not be spelled mindlessly

- Anko isn’t majorly into PDA, but she fancies it much more than Kakuzu does. She has her whole moments of studying something with her hands, whether it’s a hand, scar or face. He’s more into passive display of affection, like wrapping an arm over her waist or leaning to her or something of this kind; they can allow themselves to (not sexually) kiss in public though

- She knows he doesn’t like to walk hand in hand due to considering it a youthful thing, so there are times when she intentionally walks holding on to his sleeve; generally they walk separately in order not to bother each other, but sometimes they walk arm in arm (like an old Victorian couple lol)

- Being older and wiser, Kakuzu eventually upholds some kind of mentoring position, yet he never considers himself any kind of a teacher or master to Anko, believing her to have a good head of her own. He is just insightful enough to break something through to her or give a word of advise

- This, combined with his highly powerful demeanor, also makes him have the leading position in their relationship

- Anko respects him much enough to fortify this, entrusting with plenty of life questions (like organizing the family budget), even though they make the majority of decisions together. Mostly because he is truly wise and highly experienced individual.

- This makes him one of the very few people Anko would actually listen to and take their opinion in consideration

- So basically they have equal relationship with some tendency to patriarchal order

- And it is, really, mostly economically-based disbalance, with him earning much more than she does

- Yet they never have any financial-based issues, since both of them keep in mind and respect the contributions of each

- There is major power play here, too. He has the absolute might, she has seduction. Anko loves how he makes her want to submit to him, let him have all the power, so she likes provoking him. And she knows he adores it, loves the subtle control she has over him

- They don’t have conflicts in their everyday life. Each knows how to avoid pissing one another off

- He cherishes her playful demeanor, her intellect. Combined with her cunningness, it allows her to rival him, in social sphere. The way she constructs her phrases, the way she speaks, mimics, moves, how bewitchingly it suits her feminine snaky features makes his blood boil and heart melt

- Both of them, actually, have rather specific kind of dry, dark humour. Kakuzu’s is very cynical, satirical, quite often menacing and subtly demeaning; Anko’s is very sarcastic and quite dirty, even gruesome and rather violent

- Sometimes they “fight” verbally as a form of a play. In some circumstances they may sound pretty vile, so some unobservant people mistake this for display of hate

- In general, Anko is the one to heat things up with her playful demeanor, which can include provocation and rivalry, and Kakuzu is the one to keep this energy in borders, accumulating it up to much more intense states

- They both put the comfort in the first place when it comes to household. Everything must be cozy, useful, silent and super clean

- Yet they are both very unpretentious and modest, really

- She absolutely adores when he is showing his serious, severe side, or powerful demeanor. She finds it incredibly suitable for him. She also likes how his real age is sliding out in this or that way. Like, even though he has rather young face (that of 37-40 y.o.), his eyes give away that he’ve seen oh so much more than it seems; the grumpy noises and grunts he makes, the lazy attitude in movements and the way how rapidly he finds a comfy pose once he has a chance to take a seat

- They are both rather patriotic, yet while in the most stories Anko’s feelings mostly lay towards the country she lives in, Kakuzu’s more often lay towards some places, so called small motherland.

- Kakuzu actually could be a source of deep, strong admiration and delight for her, despite all of his bullshit. The unbreakable will he has, mighty burning heart, all the wisdom, talents and mind. Being sent to fight god damn Hashirama, clearly a genius of his times, financial & management genius at the least. And, still, after all the hard times he’ve been through, he maintained the very strong sense of dignity and nobility, even though slightly twisted due to the profession and abnormal lifespan

- And the very same things can serve as the source for her chagrin: with all those traits, he could have been so much more rather than a criminal. With all the gifts he’ve got, he could have been of great use to society. He’s much easier about this, since his prospective is much wider and embraces decades (and in some universes even centuries) instead of months & years, and he knows that he’d be switching sides throughout his life, being on this and that side of the law, yet he still is a bit uncomfortable once it’s brought up

- They are deeply into science, which makes them atheists. He’s into medicine and human biology, she’s into chemistry and reptilian biology; both of them are nuts for physics, history and psychology

- They solve complicated physical and mathematical problems together time to time. She is the first one to have tea-breaks due to losing her temper over it, he tries to figure things out right until you can sense the smoke coming off his head

- Actually, they do have a stumbling stone aside from job & morality complications. And this is Anko’s attitude towards Orochimaru

What she does is basically ruins her life very-very slowly, maintaining the issues she has and planning to make him pay for all he’s done

Kakuzu knows exactly what is really going on with this attitude and why, but he can’t really do anything about it. Like, he knows he can’t make her change her mind or put something into her head

All he can do is really nothing but try to explain how those things are working, and even this option is basically a landmine field for him. At some level she does understand that he could probably be right, yet she just refuses to go back on her mind. And this is actually really dangerous, so at some moments they can fight quite badly about it

- He’s scared shitless to lose her, though; especially like that, even though he knows clearly that he will, anyway, sooner or later

- he knows that losing loved ones ends up with sheer disaster for him, yet he isn’t afraid to pay such a high price for those six, five or four decades of being with her. Because these decades are that of a paradise ones for him. Wife and family, as well as stable job, incomes and life conditions, are some sort of physical definitions of sustainability he craves. Especially family, yet it’s far ahead to plan

- The fact that he will have to bury her one day makes her rather depressed, as well as the knowledge that the only thing she can really do about it is to try to bring him as much happiness and comfort as possible before she dies

thank you, i'd say more, but it's too much already

[cateringisalie]

FFVII Halloween Week (Day 6) (Aerti)

Written for today and possibly (clearly) inspired by Terry Pratchett...

Aeris Gainsborough was a witch. In the classic sense; broomstick, black hat and magic. Not that magic was a particularly note-worthy skill or anything. The availability of materia allowed any in the population with the knack (and a sufficiently deep bank account) to conjure up fire, ice, lightning and, in rarer cases, dragons and lancers and Chocobos.

Aeris’s magic was different – though it shared a common source. Materia was crystallised Mako, drawn up from the depths of the Planet and rendered into spheres, the knowledge of the Ancients, of the Cetra, solidified. Aeris got her skills more directly. There were more spells in the Planet, in the Lifestream if one had the skill or patience to hear them. To spend year after year training, meditating, reaching out with one’s being. Mom had taught her before the tragedy took her; her protégé Elmyra took Aeris in in the aftermath, continued her training and became her surrogate mother.   Reality diverged sharply from popular depictions of witches; while magic might be easy for Materia users, drawing on the voice of the Planet required effort, more training and work. Short-cuts – some resembling mathematical formulae were transcribed into tomes to speed up the process on repeat uses. The call and response to invoke a spell became second nature and Aeris excelled at her studies – though it would be so much easier to obtain materia. Easier but less effective. No Materia yet identified or catalogued could allow the flight her mother’s own spell provided, the enchantment cast upon a broomstick (why avoid the obvious? Even in the era of airships and powered flight, a person was unable to move as freely and quickly as she could upon her broom).   Elmyra already had a reputation in the slums of Midgar and Aeris helped perpetuate; many were wary of the two women who could invoke spells no one else could and with apparently few restrictions. There was a whole cocktail of reasons for the distrust, the occasional insulting word. But these never came to prominence and always swiftly subdued. Elmyra and Aeris were essential for the community of Sector Five.   Mom’s knowledge expanded well beyond magic from the Planet. Detailed medical texts, drug experiments, anaesthetic, all penned by her hand. All of use to the ails of the people of Sector Five. Aeris accompanied Elmyra from an early age, tiny black hat perched on her head; the pair went to each house, visiting the pregnant, the ill, the elderly. Keeping an eye on them, providing for them. Much of their work involved no magic at all; simple chores left undone, shopping brought home, free health checks as opposed to the uncomfortable prices in the less than reputable doctors down here or the naked profiteering of the Upper Plates.   Despite the other spells; levitation, deeper insight, visualisations of a patient’s internal injuries, there were no spells to wave away maladies. Pregnancies had to be brought to term or else alleviated at the mother’s request. Missing limbs could not be restored, and age was a remorseless drag on everyone. It was never merely one visit to someone in the Sector. Time after time, Elmyra letting Aeris assist in more and more instances.   Deaths were something held back for a while – one of the few situations Elmyra took the longest to let Aeris participate in. A shock the first time; waiting on a knife-edge as hours ticked away with a patient on their deathbed, waiting to be there. The need for their presence only became clear after the first time. The moment of death, the sudden knowing that the person lying in the bed had returned to the Planet and breathed their last. For most, the last moments as they faded away were the last imploring’s of love, devotion or sorrow for someone left behind. Distressing but nothing Aeris could not cope with. Later she would encounter the situation Elmyra wished to avoid; the vicious, angry discomfort of a return, the fading voice lashing out at those around them.   Being a witch had been Aeris’s life for so long that she thought little of how other people her age might be. She was a witch in training – soon to be a witch herself. Not that she intended to move anywhere else. Mom’s house in the slums had become home and moving away felt wrong. So much of her dealings were with grown-ups; women giving birth, the old and infirm – until the unremarked point when attending to a pregnancy made clear that the patient was younger than Aeris.   Children, teenagers, young adults in Sector Five did not especially like Aeris or Elmyra. They respected (and to an extent feared - based on older rumours of those who crossed or brought peril upon Mom) them both. Neither had many friends. Other witches certainly, though few enough were Aeris’s age and none close at hand or with a similar mindset. Aeris was okay on her own, but eventually Elmyra intervened.   “You need...” She cast about, removing her hat and cloak. “Someone else.”   Aeris blinked at her. “A romantic partner.”   “Well. Yes, if you would like to pursue that.” Not something Aeris had thought much about. That kind of thing seemed to extend mostly to how one wound up pregnant or how one ended up weeping beside the bed a partner lay dying in. “Though even just someone your age. Someone for you to talk to or...”   “The people my age keep their distance.” Aeris placed her hat on the stand. “I could try a different sector?”   “Maybe.” Elmyra approached holding the paper. “Though I was thinking maybe a penpal?”   “A penpal?” Letters? But any conversation would be delayed.   “It’s not ideal.” Elmyra sighed. “But maybe if you can start talking to them so they get to know... you, before you worry about mentioning the Witch bit.”   “You always said it was nothing to be ashamed of!”   “I know, I know.” Another sigh. “But I don’t want you to miss out-“   “Would taking off the hat help?” Aeris clutched the brim.   “It might.” She smiled. “That might be better. And wear something more colourful if you try.”   Absolutely the idea, but now the notion was in place, who were these people who wanted penpals? Still odd seeming given the availability of phones. But- A skim read. Men looking for romance. Men looking for someone to talk to about... sports. Less than compelling. On and on and- One stood out for no particular reason. This was familiar enough; the Planet suggested at times, highlighted something mundane or made them aware of significances.   T. Lockhart. Resident of Nibelheim. Likes Martial Arts, piano, cooking and writing.   Another name in amongst so many others, but- Aeris fetched the writing paper and penned a first letter. Careful introduction. She was Aeris Gainsborough, resident of Sector Five in Midgar. Interests included- A quick cast around the room to figure out the best way to no precisely lie, but not outright admit her situation. Gardening. Caring for the elderly. Research. Or perhaps reading? Her first letter became a mass of re-worded and crossed out changes. What did T write? She wrote the letter all out again and sent it off the next day, rapidly forgetting all about it.   A month later the reply arrived. This lead to an awkward moment of trying to remember what had been said in the first letter. How much had Aeris implied and how much was carefully couched to avoid controversy? T was Tifa – and glad to have an answer from her. The caring for the Elderly threw her – Aeris penned a better explanation even before she was through the letter. Her writing was all oriented around a TV programme; Aeris made a note to tune in and see what it was all about.   That was how Aeris wound up watching Seeds of the Garden – a dubbed soap opera from Wutai about a group of teenagers in a military with magically augmented powers. Fun enough. She asked Tifa for some of her writing out of curiosity.   The letters accelerated to the point Aeris would receive a reply every two weeks; about the fastest expected between so distant settlements. Tifa’s writing encouraged Aeris to try her own – sending it back for critique and review by Tifa. Tifa’s she carefully kept along with the letters, but she would return to that time and again for enjoyment. Letters became augmented with phone-calls; Aeris volunteering Elmyra’s number first. Thrilling to hear Tifa’s voice – however distant and crackly it was thanks to distance.   Tifa was easy and fun to talk to. But always on edge. Always something that did not sit right with her. Two years from the initial contact and Tifa let slip what it was:   “I think I hate my Dad.”   “Oh.” Aeris shifted the phone from one ear to the other, twisting the cord between her fingers. How even to respond to that?   “I mean. I love him and I don’t want anything to happen to him. It’s just me and him at home. No one my age is here and people are leaving the town. He refuses to even consider leaving. No one comes here anymore. No one needs me to guide them across Mount Nibel and...”   “Tifa...”   A loud sigh from her end of the phone. “I wish someone could help me get away. Just swoop down and carry me off. I can’t afford a transport ticket out of here-“   “I will.” Aeris bit her lip. “I mean. I would. If I could.”   Tifa chuckled. “I know. Thank you. That at least gives me something happy to think about.”   Was it idle conversation? Or did Tifa really wish for something like that? She was down, depressed and unhappy in her situation. And Aeris could – absolutely could – get to her. Flying to Nibelheim would be all kinds of exhausting. The drain of magic to keep the broom air-borne, not to mention the weather and finding somewhere to say. Navigation. So many reasons not to. But a big reason to. Tifa herself.   A few more conversations had Aeris convinced. She would apologise to Elmyra and strike out. Sail her broomstick across the sea and to Nibelheim. Swoop down to the town and find Tifa. Let her know everything obviously and- And what happened next was up for debate. If Tifa wasn’t serious it could be an arduous, unfulfilling trip. And that might damage their friendship.   But if Tifa was being honest, perhaps Aeris could offer a way out. Sit Tifa behind her on the broom and return to Midgar with her. Still unsure up until the day; her deadline, to set off and (theoretically) arrive in Nibelheim for Tifa’s favourite holiday. The time when the world at large seemed to celebrate the old magic and witchcraft. And the decision was made. Aeris would go to say in person “Happy Halloween”.

[amoralto]

Playgirl: Paul! (June, 1982)

(Note: I’ve been wondering if I should include more full articles/interviews on the blog, i.e. pieces that are not already available and/or hosted online. This is one of them - more of an overview/feature piece, but worth a read nonetheless. For Paul and Linda’s 1985 interview w/ Playgirl, I typed it up a while ago here. Previous quote posts from both articles: here, here.) 

-

by Mark Rowland

He turns 40 this month, and if he is anything like the rest of us, the last 20 must feel as close as yesterday. Was it really so long ago that four working-class chums from a dingy English port town sang and laughed and shook their mop-tops to signal a crumbling of the old order and a hailing of the new? You look for the signs of age in recent photographs, but the changes are so subtle—a slight hollowing of those cherubic cheeks, perhaps a hint of wariness in eyes that used to sparkle with playful coquetry. Yes, time has been a gentle thief.

The lad who stole girls’ hearts all ’round the world is a husband of 13 years standing, and the father of four. The inveterate rock ’n’ roller divides his time between home and studio, now surfacing to promote a new album (Tug of War, Columbia), soon disappearing back into the mists of his Scotland farm. Which is just as it should be. Paul McCartney, handsome and rich and brimming with easy charm—and still the mirror in which we seek the reflection of our own youthful dreams.

“I like Walt Disney cartoons—they sort of live forever.” Paul McCartney

In fact, the last decade has not treated Paul all that kindly. When it becan he was, quite simply, a hero. By its close he’d become the subject of casual ridicule, a turnabout engineered in part by the mocking comments of his former best friend and musical compatriot, John Lennon. Any critical appraisal of his band, Wings, was bound to include unflattering comparisons to the Beatles and/or snide references to the credentials of its keyboard player, who just happened to be Paul’s wife.

And then there was Wings’ disastrous final episode, a triumphant tour of Japan that abruptly terminated when customs officials unearthed a hefty cache of marijuana in Paul’s luggage. Instead of Budokan’s concert stage, McCartney commenced a 10-day engagement “live” in the local jail, regaling his fellow inmates with renditions of “Yesterday” and “Mull of Kintyre”. Then he was deported.

“He certainly received quite a shock,” recalls Michael McCartney, Paul’s brother and the author of an affectionate family history entitled The Macs (Delilah Communications, Ltd.). “But even worse was the way the media deliberately distorted his situation. When I said I was angry at what was happening, for instance, they made it sound like I was angry at Paul. So just at the crucial moment, when the court is weighing judgment, they read the papers and think, ‘My God, even his own family thinks he’s a fool.’ It could have gone to his detriment, you know. He could have been locked up for years.”

Paul’s problem, of course, is that he has always appeared just a tad too sexy, too suave, too eager to please. His equipoise looms like a red flag to critics ready to knock him down a peg, and no matter that his temperament is genuinely affable. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen him in a bad mood,” contends rockabilly great Carl Perkins, a friend of nearly 20 years standing. “I’ve worked with a lot of greats, from Elvis to Dylan, and they could all get pretty moody at times. But Paul’s not like that. I’m sure he has a time and place, but it doesn’t interfere with his outward personality.” Though McCartney is far from invulnerable, it has never been his style to exorcise personal demons in public, a la John Lennon. Instead, he turns inward, to his family and his music. When the Beatles broke apart, Paul did both—he formed a new band with his wife.

“If you want the Beatles, go see Wings.” George Harrison

“I think I’m good. I like me, I’m good. I can dig me. Can you?” Paul McCartney

“He sounds like Englebert Humperdinck.” John Lennon

Wings took flight in 1971, when Paul and Linda joined forces with old pal Denny Laine (from the Moody Blues) and drummer Danny Seiwell. It endured, in various incarnations, for eight more years and eight more albums. Paul first conceived the band as a vehicle for playing small clubs and halls, a return to his rock roots and an emergence from the isolation that, in Paul’s view, had ultimately destroyed the Beatles. As a traveling show, Wings was a hit from the start—who wouldn’t want to hear Paul play the local pub?—but a succession of pop hits soon propelled him back to superstar-sized arenas and concert halls.

Critical acclaim was not so readily forthcoming. Without the Beatles’ special alchemy Paul’s romanticism tended to drift toward pap, lacking the spark of originality that characterized the best McCartney-Lennon collaborations. His most acrid critic, to Paul’s everlasting chagrin, turned out to be Lennon. For years they squabbled like ex’s unable to leave behind a stormy marriage, but when it came to sarcastic repartee John was in a class by himself. Japes like the one about Humperdinck, or the picture of John hoisting a pig by its ears (a wicked sendup of Paul holding up a sheep on the cover of his Ram album) wounded Paul deeply. He still has not entirely recovered; in a recent interview he claimed to draw fresh solace from his conversations with Yoko Ono. “She tells me something very important,” he revealed, “that John still loved me, after all.”

“Of course my brother and John loved each other,” declares Michael McCartney, “same as my brother and I do. Brothers have their feuds—you love ’em and you hate ’em. Oh, it’s easy enough to put all the negative parts under a microscope. I could have written a book called Paulie Dearest, slagged him to death and made millions. But it wouldn’t have been the truth. With Paul and John, though, all the dirty linen was brought out in public.”

Despite, or perhaps because of, such controversy, Paul continued to pour his energy into the music, and by 1976, his faith had been rewarded. Wings toured America that year like conquering heroes. McCartney was hailed on the cover of Time, and the band’s crack performances drew wildly ecstatic crowds and rave reviews. Amidst all the hoopla, however, Paul and Linda remained serene and jocular, causing one associate to marvel that McCartney was the only touring rock star around who knew how to keep a grip on his sanity.

”Groupies, chicks. It was fabulous. I loved it. There was no stopping me after a (Beatles) show. I was the biggest raver out. But I got to thinking, ‘What am I doing with my life? Who am I getting to know? What one chick do I know as a pal?’ And there weren’t any… Mainly, I’d sown enough wild oats. Making love does become a sort of commitment—I love the idea of vows and stuff. To tell the truth, it keeps me kind of straight.” Paul McCartney, 1974

“I’m not sophisticated, a good conversationalist, looking good all the time. I don’t think of myself like Jacqueline Kennedy or Patricia Nixon.” Linda McCartney, 1974

Paul was always the most desirable of the Beatle bachelors, and by the end of the sixties, he was the only one left. Any whiff of serious romance merited close scrutiny by the press. Thus, Linda “no relation to Kodak” Eastman was in for some rough sport, when, after a relatively swift courtship, she and Paul tied the knot in 1969. A rock photographer at the Fillmore East who’d enjoyed acquaintanceships with various rock figures previous to meeting Paul, she was dubbed the “Park Avenue groupie”—a sobriquet that says more about rock’s inbred sexism than Linda’s character. (Years later, Rolling Stone slurred Joni Mitchell in much the same fashion.)

Nonetheless, Paul and Linda took to the life of domestic bliss with remarkable dispatch, a condition rather smugly documented on their first two records together, Ram and Wild Life. Since then, however, they’ve managed to sustain the ideal of traditional marriage and family—no mean feat in this era of celebrity swapstakes. Though rumors of discord surface from time to time, from all indications, their marriage remains solid. Indeed, one of the highlights of the Wings Over America tour was Paul’s impassioned rendition of “My Love”, crooning the hook “my love does it gooood” while a smiling Linda posed before the multitudes, hands on hips, letting no one miss the implications of that particular song.

“Paul would be sort of a Republican.” John Eastman, Paul’s brother-in-law and business manager

According to the Guinness Book of World Records, Paul McCartney is “the most honored man in music.” One is naturally inclined to trust Guinness in these matters, and Paul’s statistics do tell an amazing story—over 100 million album sales, 100 million singles sales and, separately, 43 million-selling songs. Since 1970, all 10 of Paul’s records (solo and with Wings) have been certified gold by the Record Industry Association of America. The last five releases have also gone platinum (over a million units sold), and his newest, Tug of War, which features Ringo, Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson and Carl Perkins, is certain to do the same.

During the sixties, however, only a small part of the Beatles’ fabulous success translated into personal wealth. For many years the band relied on a loose network of acquaintances to handle their financial matters—most proved either honest or competent, but rarely both. But under the guidance of John Eastman, Paul has since realized a vast financial empire, with an estimated annual income, mostly from record and publishing royalties, of about $40 million. His publishing house, MPL, originally established for tax purposes, is the largest independent song publisher in the world, holding the rights to scores from Grease, Annie, Hello Dolly, A Chorus Line, Bye Bye Birdie and Mame; standards from “On, Wisconsin” to “Stormy Weather” and “Autumn Leaves”; the entire catalog of Buddy Holly songs, rags by Scott Joplin, songs by Ira Gershwin, even the theme to the Dinah Shore TV show. And in a recent twist of fate, Paul and Yoko are currently negotiating with British mogul Sir Lew Grade to buy back Northern Songs, the catalog of early Beatles hits (including “Yesterday”) that was sold during the sixties. The whimsical Beatle has turned out to be one savvy entrepreneur.

Less publicized, however, are McCartney’s frequent gestures of charity. He’s performed various benefits for UNESCO, and, in 1979,, following a plea from then-Secretary General of the United Nations Kurt Waldheim, he personally organized a giant pop concert to raise the emergency relief aid for Kampuchea. The event and subsequent album, Concerts for the People of Kampuchea (featuring the Who, Queen, the Pretenders and Elvis Costello, among others), has netted UNICEF over $600,000 to date, according to organization officials. A concert movie will also be released around the United States and Europe this summer.

McCartney’s generosity crops up in smaller, more personal encounters. “When I first decided to become a writer, I sent a bunch of stuff to Paul,” recalls Laura Gross, now a radio interviewer at KRLA, the “Beatles station” of Los Angeles. “Then, when he came to L.A., I knocked on the door of his hotel, and he said ‘Oh yes, I’ve read your stuff, you ought to send us what you’re doing. Linda and I are very interested.’ Here I was, a stranger and a nobody, and he took the time to be kind. He gave me encouragement at a time when that was very important to me.”

“He was my boss,” observes Wings guitarist Laurence Juber, “but he was also my teacher. At one point he gave me a fairly substantial budget just so I could develop my own ideas. He’s an extremely benevolent sort of person, but he doesn’t shout about it. He’s aware of his responsibility to other talents, otherwise he wouldn’t be a nice person, and he is a nice person. Of course, he’s always got that element of cockiness about him, because he’s come such a long way. Don’t forget, he was just a kid off the street in Liverpool. That’s all any of them were.”

“Phony Beatlemania has bitten the dust.” The Clash

“I love Paul, he’s my favourite—brown, white, red, blue or green! He is the Beatles.” Little Richard, interviewed by KRLA’s Laura Gross

In 1974, Mark Lapidos decided to put together a kind of giant swap meet and communal gathering for Beatles fans. He called it Beatlefest, rented a hall, and ended up admitting 7,000 people and turning away thousands more. This year, Beatlefest will span 11 days in four different U.S. cities, as interest continues to mount in a group that called it quits more than a decade ago. “We’re not living in the past,” Lapidos insists. “You take surveys now and ask young people their favourite group and what do they say? The Beatles! Their music will not die. It is the cultural phenomenon of the century.”

Lapidos may be right. The past year has evidenced yet another spate of books and articles about the Beatles, along with discoveries of long-dormant radio recordings and master tapes by the Fab Foursome. And if anything, the hideous murder of John Lennon in December 1980 seems to have inspired fans to rekindle the flame of memory. “We simply couldn’t let that act destroy such an important part of our lives,” explains Lapidos. “Actually, we became more like family, pulling closer together after we’d lost our brother.”

The man who knew John Lennon best was devastated by his murder. Paul’s friend, Paddy Moloney of the Chieftains, remembers seeing McCartney looking “stunned. He said it was useless and tragic, (but) I don’t think it had penetrated that John was gone forever. I’m sure it took a few days for that to sink in.” When it did, Paul turned, as he always did in times of crisis, to his closest ally—music. At the suggestion of friend and producer George Martin, he shifted base from London to Martin’s studio on the Caribbean island of Montserrat, away from the obtrusive glare of the media. Once settled in with Linda and the kids, he called up Ringo, Wingsmate Denny Laine, Carl Perkins, Stevie Wonder, and embarked on the most ambitious and painstaking project of his musical career.

“I have never met a more dedicated musician than Paul McCartney. He’ll work all night on a little guitar lick until he gets it just the way he wants it. He’s a perfectionist.” Carl Perkins

The intensity of his commitment on Montserrat became its own kind of therapy. Between sessions the musicians would swim, sun on the beach, or take Jeep rides along the scenic island trails. But after two months, McCartney and Martin returned to London, where they continued to refine the material for another year. The sessions had produced two albums worth of music; the second set was still in its final stages of completion when I phoned Martin’s studio in March. A spokesperson remarked that McCartney was anxiously awaiting its public reception. “I think Paul wants to have a truly ‘musical’ success this time, not just a popular one,” she declared. “He really wants to be recognized for achieving something.”

In the past decade, McCartney’s most trying periods have often fostered his best work—McCartney and Ram, following the Beatles split; Band on the Run in 1973, when Wings was coming apart at the seams, and to a lesser extent, Back to the Egg in 1979, amidst persistent rumors that Paul and Linda’s marriage was on the rocks. But all of those efforts pale, I think, beside Tug of War. Here Paul has finally cast off the aureole of calculated cuteness that marred so much of his seventies music, and penned lyrics that are evocative, unsentimental and deeply personal. At the same time, the album’s sheer range and spunky, let’s-try-it-on spirit recalls the Beatles at their most ambitious, from the daring juxtaposition of rock ’n’ roll rhythm and big band texture that propels “Ballroom Dancing” to the graceful, quirky country swing duet with Perkins, to the hothouse funk of “What’s That”, a six-minute corker with Stevie Wonder that bears favorable comparison to Wonder’s own “Superstition”. Yet the record’s most eloquent moment is its most elemental—a quiet, heartfelt paean to McCartney’s fallen brother, entitled “Here Today.”

And if I said I really knew you well, What would your answer be? Well, knowing you, You’d probably laugh, And say that we were worlds apart If you were here today… here today.

Every era has its myths—from Jesus to Camelot to the Beatles—and every myth exists to fill the special needs of its culture. As Beatle Paul, he will always play the courtly knight, the crooning Lancelot in shining Nehru jacket. But the real Paul McCartney is no more or less than a talented musician with wife and kids, nearing middle age and trying, along with the rest of us, to sort out the various slings and arows of life’s fortune. It is no put-down to say that nothing he ever does, no matter how accomplished, can again approach the majesty of the legend he once helped create, precisely because it is a legend.

“Why should the Beatles give more?” John Lennon once asked, with characteristic bluntness. “Didn’t they give everything on God’s earth for 10 years? Didn’t they give themselves?”

So now Lennon is gone, though his restless, vibrant spirit survives among the living. And now Paul McCartney, unarguably one of the premier artists of his generation, continues with his own life’s work, which is simply to make music for the world to hear and enjoy; perhaps even be touched by.

[bxmbshelle]

go big or go home, lets have all of em

oh my lord lasagna. i dont expect anything less from you, tho

1 - one text you wish you’d sent?

this is a little oddly specific but... i can give you the context if you want ig.

“when i say “you don’t care about my mental health”, i dont mean anything to do with my other friends. i mean that you have called me annoying to my face, said you liked the “old [real name]”, told me it was annoying when i expressed my depressed thoughts, was embarrassed of one of my stress toys to the point i stopped bring it, and outright didn’t care when i was screaming, drowning for help. so yeah, dont make this about my other friends.”

2 - can only talk to one person for the rest of your life, who is it?

sorry lasagna i love you to death but probably @minamishipsit-secondround​

3 - guiltiest pleasure?

80s boy bands are the shit thats all.

4 - what do you do when you’re sad to cheer yourself up?

i listen to the monkees and the beatles of course!!! or watch the monkees, i have my favorite episode recorded so i always watch that :)))

5 - who’s your inspiration?

i have a lot, but i suppose howard ashman. for those not in the know, he was a song writer for the little mermaid, pretty much my all time favorite movie. even when i was a smol child and didnt read the credits i knew his name and i love all his work.

6 - something you want but are afraid to ask for?

a girlfriend or a boyfriend or a datemate or whatever.

7 - do you think you have big or small dick energy?

good question. i feel like i pretend to have big dick energy but truthfully i have moderatly sized dick energy.

8 - your favourite daydream?

idk if its a daydream but theres this one situation i always imagine for one of my ships and its just. really soft. thats all.

9 - happiest memory this week?

uhhh playing with my kitties or when i found out i got an a on my math test.

10 - if you could change one thing what would it be?

just? in general? about me? anything? personally id like to not be a depresso bean but oh well.

11 - ultimate goal?

i wanna... i wanna be happy. i wanna be content. i wanna be okay. i wanna be living. i wanna be alive. 

i hope one day i will get better. and i will wake up a house of my own with a family of my own and happiness of my own. while money and fame would be nice, thats not what i truely want extremly. so, thats my goal. to keep living so one day i can have a wedding, one day i can have children, one day i can have a cat. thats all.

12 - are you a romantic?

well, heres the thing- ive never... been in a position in which i need to be romantic. essientally, ive never dated anyone. ever. so? i dont have any basis? im sure you can be romantic Not in a relationship but yknow.

13 - thoughts on dark academia?

not in it but it sounds cool :O endless its controversial then. it doesnt sound cool. i literally have not heard about it till today so if theres any discource about it i dont know.

14 - thoughts on ______

kpop, obviously suggested

well as we all know, im a classic rock stan and as we all know, classic rock and kpop stans are pitted against each other? for? some reason? unlike some other classic rock stans (no shade, if you hate kpop your valid you do you), i dont really hate kpop nor do i like it. ive never listened to any kpop bands (at least, upon my own will) so i dont wanna judge. i do hate the rivalry between kpop and classic rock but i aint gonna get into that

15 - further education, yes or no?

im probably gonna go to college, endless i “write a book now and get it published and be rich” which is my mom suggests i do but idk.

16 - your favourite conspiracy theory?

uhhh the first one that comes to mind is paul is dead. i dont believe in it, of course, but i just find all the “facts” incredibly interesting. anyone knows i could and i will info dump about it on anyone.

17 - an unpopular opinion?

mushrooms are the shit anti-mushroomers dni i dont need this kind of negativity in my life

18 - Polaroids or digital photos?

polaroids cause thats #aesthetic

19 - board games or phone games?

board games!!! i love board games a lot, i wish my family did a family game night but oh well

20 - which season do you think you represent, but which would you like to be?

i feel llike i would repersent fall. a strange middle season, rarely consitent weather, not as loved as summer but not as hated as winter. just kind of exists. some people find it utterly pretty and other people despise it relentlessly. everything is dying yet, everything is beauitful.

id like to be spring, spring is practically fall just better. instead of dying, things are growing, its all non-arguably beauitful, sitting outside on a cool spring day is such a site. its got some funky weather but its the tunnel towards the light- summer, the most beloved season. unlike fall, which is the gateway away from summer and slowly leads into the harsh, cruel days of winter. 

21 - your ideal aesthetic?

punk as fuck

22 - do you drink?

nah, thats illegal.

23 - something you’d like to say to your crush?

please hold my hand. 

24 - something embarrassing that’s happened last recently?

one day i woke up and just went about my day, that was pretty embarrassing

25 - quiet nights in or nights out?

quiet nights :)

26 - your preferred art?

written if you count that.

27 - if you could get one tattoo what would it be?

uhhh probably a lyric from a song. take a giant step by the monkees, maybe?

[moonwaif]

Snow Over Insomnia: ch. 1

Pairings: Gladnis, promptis

Theme: snowed in

Summary:

Once a year, Shiva blesses Insomnia with snowfall. This year's snow day finds four friends in transition. There's Noctis, who's trying his best to enjoy freshman year. With his best friend Prompto enrolled at a different college, it hasn't been easy. When a particularly controversial lecture puts Noctis on the spot, he says some things he regrets. Can he make amends before their friendship freezes over?

Meanwhile, there's Gladiolus, who's finding it increasingly difficult to deny his feelings for coworker and friend Ignis Scientia. The appearance of a mysterious figure from Ignis's past might just be the sign that it's time to come clean. Will Gladio make a move, or will he let the opportunity melt away?

PT. I: 10:12 hours

It was a good thing Noctis had remembered to mute his laptop before class started, because he received his first message from Prompto just twelve minutes into the lecture.

Prompto: brrrr! Freezing my a$$ off this morning

A selfie instantly followed: Prompto in a warm jacket and white beanie, grimacing up at the camera with a steaming coffee cup clutched in his gloved hand.

Noctis: heh. nice pic. whatcha drinking?

Prompto: mocha moogle latte. Yummm ;P

Noctis: all that sugar is gonna give you a headache

Prompto: hahaha yeah, probably. but i need some caffeine. i couldnt sleep all night thinking about that presentation!!!!  ｡゜(｀Д´)゜｡

Prompto: so we still getting snowed in tonight?

Noct's smile widened. It wasn’t often that Shiva graced the arid landscape of Lucis with her affections, but at least once a year, snow fell on the city of Insomnia. Sometimes it was a few flakes, sometime just sleet. On rare occasions, such as the one predicted by Insomnian weather channels on this particular day, it was a blizzard.

Noctis: heck yeah! hope you're ready to binge some King’s Knight.

Prompto: ugh am i ever. so ready to chill after getting this presentation out of the way…

Noctis leaned back in his chair, brow furrowing. He cast a quick glance at projector screen down at the front of the hall: a slide about the Lucian civil war.

Noctis: y? U nervous?’

Prompto: yeah

Prompto: stomach hurts

Prompto: p sure im gonna throw up

Noctis: relax, prom

Noctis: you've been practicing a lot, right?

Noctis: you're gonna be great

Prompto: dude you have no idea what id give to hear you say that rn

Prompto: i wish we still went to the same school

Prompto:  ｡゜(｀Д´)゜｡

A dull, tight ache formed in the center of Noct's chest. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat, the reply coming slower this time.

Noctis: me too.

Prompto: yeah...

Prompto: too bad my best friend has to go to a fancy schmancy ivy league school for geniuses (¬‿¬)

Noctis rolled his eyes.

Noctis: im not here cuz im a genius, prom

Prompto: his majesty is sooooo modest ;)

Noctis: srlsy

Noctis: im like most of the ppl here. average.

Noctis: the only genius ive met so far is specs

Prompto: lol youre just saying that to make me feel better

Noctis: nah. youre way cooler than like half of the people here

Prompto: ♥‿♥

Prompto: too bad i cant afford the tuition lol. id kill to have iggy as my teacher

Noctis glanced up from his computer. From his own seat in the center of the hall, Ignis was just a small figure behind an even smaller podium. Still, Noctis had to admit that Specs was definitely in his element at the front of a classroom. His fitted grey sweater, crisp collar and perfectly coiffed hair were every bit the image of the up-and-coming academian. The freshmen in the front row hung dreamily on every elegant gesture of his gloved hands as his voice rang out through the hall, crisp and clear as water. He said something that sent a murmur of laughter through the rows of desks. Noctis smiled.

Noctis: yeah its not bad

Prompto: duh!! hes probably way cooler than all of my professors combined

Prompto: anyway, g2g. Gonna try to run through my presentation one more time before class starts

Prompto: (;´༎ຶД༎ຶ`)

Noctis: dont worry prom. Youre gonna kick this presentation in the ass.

Prompto: thanks dude

Prompto: catch ya later

Noctis let his gaze linger on the final message, Iggy’s melodic tones lilting in the background. He tuned in long enough just to get the gist of the topic (ugh - still on the Lucian civil war). He turned his attention back to his laptop and clicked on an open tab, which took him directly to Prompto’s ChocoGram feed. There weren’t any new updates, but that didn’t stop him from smiling as he reviewed some of the earlier posts: Prompto getting ready to dig into a steaming, greasy pizza; a #tbt selfie featuring the baby chocobo they’d helped rescue during their summer road trip to Lestallum; a prank-selfie with a drooling, sleeping Gladio. Noctis chuckled. He’d been there when Prompto had taken that one. Even Gladio had agreed that the shot was just too good not to share.

He continued scrolling. A bunch of people Noctis didn't know, probably at a party; a filtered, black-and-white shot of a glistening, neon lit alley; a selfie with some guy Noctis had never seen before; a picture of the school’s mascot, tagged #gocactuars; Prompto wearing glasses…

Wait a second.

Noctis scrolled back to the photo of Prompto and the stranger. “Hanging with the coolest TA around,” read the caption. Tagged: #whenyourfriendhasthesamemajor, #collegelife #insomniaboys.

Friend, huh?

Noct’s eyes narrowed. He silently listed off any names he’d heard Prompto mention over the past semester as he analyzed the man’s features: platinum hair; a strong chin; sharp, intelligent eyes whose color he couldn’t quite discern through the ChocoGram filter. He let the cursor hover over the smug, obnoxious grin. A tagged username appeared: “Ghiranzenator.”

Before Noctis could really stop to self-reflect, he was scrolling through Ghiranzenator’s feed. It was the kind of content you’d expect from a twenty-something with a pompadour and generic good looks. Gym selfies tagged #fitnesslifestyle; poses in scenic, well-known locations captioned with thought-provoking yet totally irrelevant quotes (ugh, so pretentious). He wondered how Prompto even knew this guy. Was he the TA for one of Prompto’s classes? Did they have mutual friends? If so, why hadn’t Prompto mentioned him before? But now that Noctis thought about it, like really thought about it, he hadn’t really heard Prompto say a whole lot about any of the new friends he was making at school.

Wasn't that kind of weird?

A crumpled wad of paper plummeted through his thoughts, ricocheting off his forehead. Noct's head snapped in the direction it had come from. His eyes were met by a vision of Gladio, squeezed into a desk barely large enough to accommodate his lanky frame.

“Pay. Attention,” he mouthed, cocking his head in Iggy’s direction.

Noctis scowled. That was the one downside of having his bodyguard disguised as a classmate. Gladio was just all too ready to make sure Noct behaved like a good little student. The plus side was that Noct had at least one friend who could commiserate with his suffering.

Like now, for instance. A fan club member from the front row was monologuing, earning exasperated looks from his classmates. Noctis and Gladio exchanged a few muffled snickers.

“Thank you for sharing your thoughts with us, Cleetus,” Ignis cut in, his voice laced with a strain so barely audible that Noct and Gladio were probably the only ones who even picked up on it. “As you have noted for us, it is quite interesting that most rebel demands would be considered centrist by modern standards. However, we should recognize one deconstructionist philosopher whose theories remain polarizing even to this day.”

Ignis went to the next slide. A portrait of a wide-jawed man with a face only a mother garula could love brooded down from the display screen.

“Oh great,” Noctis muttered, drawing a confused look from Gladio. “Not this guy…”

"Regulus Invicta," Ignis continued, "is remembered as one of the strongest advocates for freedom of speech throughout the history of Lucis. However, what is less commonly remembered are his persistent demands for the de-establishment of the monarchy in favor of what we would now refer to as a democratic socialist republic. Even during the Lucian civil war, Invicta was a controversial figure. At first his philosophies were embraced by the deconstructionists, who sought to overthrow the Lucis Caelums in favor of a fragmented nation-states ruled by regional noblemen. They were less in favor of his leanings toward a democratic socialist republic. Despite this difference of opinion, Invicta was one of the few intellectuals of his time that insisted on the right of deconstructionists to espouse their ideals without punishment or censorship. Unfortunately, this insistence, combined with his involvement with radical circles, led to his eventual imprisonment. He would die of consumption shortly thereafter.”

A hand shot up - the same wind-bag from before.

“Yes, Cleetus?” Ignis’s smile was tight.

“Professor Scientia, as you were speaking I couldn’t help but remember an essay I came across in the Lucian History Journal the other day. The article was about the evolution of Lucian collective memory of the civil war.”

Gladio chuckled. “Oh boy. Here he goes again. This guy really can’t stop himself, can he?”

Noctis wasn’t laughing. He wanted Ignis to get back on topic and finish explaining why Invicta and the deconstructionists were wrong.

“According to the arguments propounded throughout the essay” - Gladio actually snorted at this point - “collective opinion regarding Invicta and the deconstructionists split after Lucis became a constitutional monarchy. Invicta was distanced from the deconstructionists and by means of propaganda -”

Bells went off in Noct’s head. Propaganda? What was this guy trying to get at?

“ - and state sanctioned school curriculum -”

Noctis gripped the arms of his desk, knuckles whitening.

“ - Invicta gradually became celebrated as one of the fathers of free speech. Meanwhile, his links to deconstructionists were covered up, preventing further instability to Lucian society while conveniently appropriating the parts that aligned with contemporary values.”

He paused for a breath. Ignis stepped out from behind the podium, quick to seize back control of the conversation.

“Your statements indicate a very post-modern interpretation of the historical records, Cleetus,” he remarked politely. “It’s interesting that you bring up social instability. Although not as commonly espoused today, there are ideologues who from time to time self-identify as deconstructionists. However, they are often ridiculed by both leftists and conservatives, rarely gaining any political legitimacy. In this way, the general public remains largely unexposed to contemporary deconstructionism outside of the occasional satirical representation on late night TV shows or the funnies.”

“You’ve gotta be kidding me.”

There was a rustle as heads turned in Noct's direction. Ignis adjusted his glasses.

“Is there something you would like to share, Prince Noctis?”

Shit. Gladio slid down low in his seat, muttering something that sounded a lot like, “Smooth move, Noct.”

Noctis cleared his throat. His cheeks felt like two flames. “N- not particularly.”

“Very well.” Ignis returned his attention to the slides. Noctis averted his eyes, only to be met by the expectant gazes coming his way from the next row down. His gaze happened to fall on Cleetus, he shot him a particularly snide smirk from over his shoulder.

Something in Noctis snapped.

“It’s just that, you said ‘satirical.’”

Ignis stopped mid-sentence. Scandalized whispers rippled throughout the hall. Gladio was actually facepalming. Meanwhile, Noctis’s cheeks somehow managed to get even hotter. He felt the need to continue.

“I just thought - well, it sounds like you think those depictions are kind of inaccurate, or something.”

Gods, he was sounding extremely upset and defensive right now, wasn’t he? What had happened to all that training in diplomacy and public speaking? Embarrassing.

“Satire is merely a genre, your highness," Ignis demured. "One that hyperbolizes a real-life topic or theme with intent to criticize, ridicule or expose. We may identify this genre from a neutral standpoint without either validating or condemning the arguments contained within the work itself.”

Noctis schooled his expression so it’d look like he’d understood this last bit.

“But you said the satirical representation is the only representation people see. Doesn’t that imply that there’s another representation that most people don’t get to see?”

“There normally is more than one side to every story,” Ignis said lightly, and his lips curved in such a smug, handsome grin that Noctis could have chucked his laptop at him.

“Yeah, but sometimes one side has better evidence than the other one. Shouldn’t that also be part of the discussion?”

He was pressuring Ignis to agree with him, to say that the deconstructionists were “wrong” and the monarchy was “right” and therefore Noctis was right, too. That the deconstructionists were just radical, terrorist nutjobs whose hogwash theories did more harm than good, so why even bother discussing them at all? Noctis knew it. Gladio knew it. Most of all, Ignis probably knew it.

So why were they still disagreeing?

“Indeed. However, the objective of today’s lecture is merely to review the deconstructionism as an historical movement. I will leave the evaluation of the ideas espoused by said movement to all of you in your term papers.”

A smattering of chuckles. Oh yes, how adorable, how clever. Noctis opened his mouth to let loose another retort when Gladio nudged his foot.

"Let it go," he mouthed with a slight shake of his head. Noctis grit his teeth with an audible “tch,” nails biting into the surface of his palms. He deliberately avoided Gladio’s gaze, instead fixing his attention on his laptop. The Ghiranzenator taunted him from the other side of the screen, all chiseled jawline and knowing smile.

Noctis closed the laptop with a ‘snap.’

PT. II: 13:00 hours

“I was too hard on him, wasn’t I?”

The words were out of Ignis’s mouth before Gladio had even stepped through the door. The office was tiny - more like a closet, really. Gladio tossed a small paper bag onto the desk and pulled up a seat, careful not to spill the coffee in his other hand.

“What’s this?” Ignis asked, peering owlishly from behind his computer. Gladio handed over the coffee.

“Thought you could use a pick-me up," he replied. "And nah; Noct is tough. He gets worse from me during an average training session.”

“You’re just saying that,” Ignis mumbled, raising the cup to his lips and taking a sip. “Mmm, Gladio, this is delicious. Thank you.”

Gladio crossed his legs, leaning back with a pleased smile. “Heh. Thought you’d like that. And no, I’m not just saying that. Noct is pissed off, but he’ll live. Try some of the scone.”

Ignis reached into the paper bag obediently. “I should have waited until after class,” he muttered. “Or warned him about the topic before hand.”

“Yeah, that probably would’ve helped.”

“I just don’t want to allow him more special privileges than I already have! How am I supposed to prepare him for his future responsibilities if I keep treating him differently from the other students? Can you imagine, just last night he actually asked me to check his homework!”

“Did you?”

“What do you think?” Ignis snapped. “We live together for Eos’s sake, of course I did!"

“Yikes. How’s the scone?”

Ignis scowled. “You really must stop bringing me sugar. This is why my skin is breaking out.”

“One bite won’t hurt, prince charming.”

Ignis broke a off a tiny piece and popped it into his mouth, but not before shooting Gladio a glare.

“Relax, Iggy. Just give Noct a little time to cool down, think things through. He’ll come around.”

Ignis gave him a doubtful look. He took another bite.

“At least this scone is palatable.”

Gladio flashed him a cheeky smile. “Does that mean you’ll raise my grade professor?”

“I’ll consider it. After all, for an auditing student you do have unusually consistent attendance.”

“Someone’s gotta show up and keep the crown prince in line. Who better than his protector and professional babysitter, the royal shield?”

“Pity you have to sit through my lectures. I imagine it’s dull.”

“Nah. You’re way more interesting than the profs I had during my undergrad.”

‘A lot easier on the eyes, too,’ he thought. His gaze lingered on Ignis’s full, rosy lips before silently flickering away.

“There’s no need for flattery, Gladio. It’s not like I can actually give you credit for the course.”

“Sorry. Guess your little front row fan club is wearing off on me.”

Ignis reddened. He took a hurried sip of coffee, obviously stalling. Gladio grinned, letting himself indulge in the rare sight of a flustered Ignis.

“If the students show enthusiasm,” Ignis began, once he’d finished composing himself, “it is merely due to the engaging nature of the subject.”

“Oh, right. Lucian history makes me blush and squeal, too.”

“Did you come here for the sole purpose of force feeding me scones and distracting me from my work?”

“Why, is it working? Just kidding,” he added quickly at the stern look he received. “Actually, I thought we should touch base on our lovely royal charge’s training schedule over the Solstice. Iris has been bugging me about plans. She wants to invite the entire Amicitia clan over for a get-together.”

“Let me pull up my calendar.” Ignis swiveled in his chair, facing the computer monitor. Gladio contemplated his profile, thrown into sharp relief by the glow of the LED back-light. A million potential lines ran through his head. ‘It should be illegal to be so gorgeous.’ ‘You ever seen an angel up close? Because those cheekbones are high enough to graze the heavens.’

“Got any plans for the Solstice, Iggy?”

“I’m hoping to finish drafting my thesis proposal,” Ignis answered, with a light click of the mouse. “I’d also like to try my hand at a leiden sweet potato casserole. See if I can get Prince Noctis to eat something other than meat for a change.”

Gladio snickered. “Good luck with that last one. By the way, what’s your thesis about again? Food politics - “

“ - with Duscae as a case study for increased multifunctionality in agricultural policy making, yes.” Ignis spared him a brief glance, eyes crinkled with amusement. “I’m impressed you remember.”

‘Course I do,’ Gladio thought dismally. ‘I’ve Moogle searched every article you’ve ever published.’

Fortunately, he was spared the need to reply. One more click of the mouse, and Ignis was tilting the monitor in his direction.

“There we are. So, which dates does Iris have in mind?”

“She’s really got her eyes set on the day of the Solstice, as well the day right before and after. She needs me to help cook, put out decorations…”

‘Basically all the stuff we used to do when mom was around,’ he thought.

“I see. Why don’t I just make a note on my calendar for now? We can continue meeting as planned for the next two weeks. When it comes time, we'll evaluate how Noct is doing. Perhaps it won’t even be necessary for us to meet over the week of the Solstice.”

“Thanks Iggy. I appreciate it.”

“Certainly. It’s imperative that you spend quality time with your family over the holidays, uninterrupted.”

His smile was sad. Of course; Ignis didn't really have any family around to celebrate with. Gladio jiggled his knee, hesitating.

“H-hey, Iggy,” he began cautiously. “Y’know, if you don’t have any plans for the Solstice, you’re always welcome to - “

“Ah, Ignis! Just the man I was looking for.”

Ignis stood as two people Gladiolus had never seen before entered the office. The first was an attractive, bespectacled woman with golden hair swept back in an elegantly casual updo. Gladio, always the gentleman, rose instantly to his feet, pushing in his chair and squeezing back against the bookshelf in an effort to free up some space for her in the tiny room. She was followed by a pale young man who stood shoulder to shoulder with Gladiolus, which was a rare enough occurrence. What was really odd was Ignis's reaction. He blanched as the man entered. Then he was turning away to face the woman, almost as if he'd never even noticed the other visitor at all.

“Dr. Trepe! To what do I owe this pleasure?”

Her lips curved in a perfect cupid’s bow. “Ignis, dear, how many times must I remind you? Call me Quistis. Anyway, I was just giving Prince Ravus a tour of the department.” She gestured toward the man beside her.

Oh - so that’s why he looked familiar. Gladio had often seen the royal Nox Fleuret duo on magazine covers or on TV. Ravus cut a striking figure in person, with his wintry complexion and dual colored eyes. He seemed to resent being watched, interrupting Gladio’s examination with a peculiarly frigid glare.

“Prince Ravus will be joining our department as a research scholar next semester,” Quistis explained. “Your majesty, Ignis is a grad student and TA in our department. As you may be aware, he also serves as the royal advisor to Crown Prince Noctis. He’s quite the feather in the department’s cap.”

Gladio beamed, eyeing Ignis with pride. What he saw surprised him. Iggy’s shoulders were tense, his face frozen in a mask of false politeness.

Something was wrong.

“Thank you, Dr. Trepe. As it stands, I’ve already had the good fortune of making Mr. Scientia’s acquaintance.”

Gladio’s eyes snapped in Ravus’s direction. His expression was unreadable, but his tone of voice suggested that whatever fortune had been at play was anything but “good.”

“Indeed.” Ignis mustered a weak smile. “I’m honored his highness remembers me.”

Ravus flinched, the movement so quick it was barely perceptible. Gladio glanced between them. Whatever vibe was going on here, he didn't like it one bit. He asked the question before he could stop himself.

“How do you two know each other?”

Ignis gasped. “Oh, by the six - where are my manners? Dr. Trepe - “

“Quistis.”

“Quistis” - Ignis blushed - “and Prince Ravus, please allow me to introduce Gladiolus Amicitia, Prince Noctis’s sworn shield, as well as one of my dearest friends.”

Gladio’s chest swelled until it threatened to burst. He crossed his arms, lip quirking up into a satisfied smirk.

'Dearest friend, huh?'

“I see,” Quistis murmured, tapping her chin. Her eyes ran up and down Gladio’s frame with an openly appraising look. “I apologize for interrupting your discussion, Gladiolus. I doubt we made a very good impression.”

“Meeting a colleague of Iggy’s is never an imposition,” Gladio assured her. “Especially not when that colleague is as elegant and beautiful as yourself.”

Quistis blushed, blue eyes sparkling behind her spectacles. “I never imagined the royal shield was such a charmer. You’ll have to bring him around more often, Ignis.”

There was a momentary, infinitesimal fracture in Ignis’s facade. “Yes, well, I daren’t keep his majesty any longer," he said quickly. "I’m sure you’re both quite eager to continue the tour. Prince Ravus, it truly was a pleasure seeing you again. I look forward to our collaboration in the coming semester.”

“As do I,” Ravus snapped, his words laced with such venom that even Quistis sent him a mildly startled look. “Dr. Trepe, shall we?”

“C-certainly. Gladiolus, it was a pleasure. And Ignis, we’ll be seeing you tonight at the reception, won’t we?”

“Of course. The Grand Hotel Insomnia at six o’ clock, correct?”

“Not exactly ideal weather for an event, is it?” Gladio interjected, frowning. “The roads are supposed to freeze after seven.”

Ignis dismissed him with a breezy laugh. “Yes, well, you know what they say Gladio - the show must go on! Until tonight then, Dr. Trepe...Prince Ravus.”

He bowed at the waist. Gladio rushed to follow suit, but not before glimpsing the pain that flashed across the prince’s strange, distant eyes. Then he was gone, sweeping off down the hall without a word of acknowledgement. Quistis rushed after him. Gladio waited until he no longer heard the clicking of her high heels before he spoke.

“What was that all about?”

Ignis began fussing with the papers on his desk. “Dr. Trepe was introducing the newest addition to our department.”

“Who you just happen to already know.”

“Is that so odd? You and I often cross paths with royalty in our line of work.”

“Uh-huh.” Gladio approached the desk, leaning over and splaying both hands across the surface. “So, you gonna tell me how you two actually know each other?”

“I don’t see that it’s any concern of yours,” Ignis replied, voice unusually clipped. Gladio ignored the sting.

“I’m just curious - y’know, as a dear friend and colleague. Why so defensive?”

Ignis slammed down a folder, nostrils flaring. “Fine. Spring 752. I did a semester in Tenebrae. Prince Ravus was a student at the university. We made acquaintance.”

“And?”

“And what?”

Gladio shrugged. “Dunno. Just thought I sensed some hostility between you two.”

“Enough, Gladio!”

The outburst stunned them both. Gladio took a step back. He ran a hand through his hair, trying fiercely not to look as hurt as he felt. After a long moment of silence, Ignis heaved a sigh.

“Forgive me, Gladio. It’s just a rather...unpleasant story, if I’m being honest. I wasn’t expecting to meet him like this, and...I’d rather not talk about it all just yet.”

Gladio chuckled harshly. “Why are you apologizing? I’m the one being the asshole here. Sticking my nose in your business. But if you ever do feel like talking about it, or there’s any way I can help...just let me know.”

“Thank you, Gladio,” he said softly, and the smile he turned on him was so full of warmth and relief that it hurt to look at.

Gladio hurried to change the subject.

“You sure you’re good to go to this reception thing? Ravus will probably be there, too.”

“I’ll be fine. I merely need a moment to compose myself. I do apologize I won’t be able to join you at the gym today. I was quite looking forward to showing off my new gains.”

He wiggled his eyebrows. Gladio snorted.

“Save it for next time, hot shot. But seriously, Iggy - the roads are supposed to get pretty bad tonight. Call me if you need a ride.”

“Certainly; I’m sure Dr. Trepe would just love it if you popped by.”

“Iggy.”

“Don’t worry; I promise I’ll behave myself.”

“You better. Don’t wanna go setting a bed example for Noct.”

Ignis’s smile fell. Gladio rolled his eyes, reaching for the half-eaten pastry on the desk.

“Talk to ‘im,” he said through a mouthful of scone. “Better yet, feed him and then talk. He’s always in a better mood when his stomach’s full.”

“Oh Gladio.” Ignis shook his head. “If only I could be as certain as you are.”

‘But I’m not certain,’ Gladio thought to himself. The uncertainty followed him as he took his leave, wandering through the empty halls of the department alone. Noct could be stubborn, and Ignis had a tendency to cave in. Hopefully they'd be able to come to terms without too much of a fuss.

He was so lost in his thoughts that he didnt see the figure rounding the corner, hurtling straight at him. He barely managed to come to a stop before they collided.

“Whoa there!” he exclaimed, stumbling backward. “My bad, are you - ?”

The charity in his voice withered and died as he looked up into the face of the passerby.

Ravus Nox Fleuret.

“Ahem. Pardon me, your majesty.” He stepped aside, the polite gesture a reflex after so many years as a retainer. Ravus, however, stood quite still, eyes fixed on Gladio intently - almost as if he were measuring him up.

Gladio’s jaw clenched.

“There a problem, highness?”

Ravus looked away, making a soft, dismissive noise in the back of his throat. He strode past Gladio with his nose held high, sharp footsteps echoing off the walls like a hailstorm. Gladio’s eyes narrowed, gaze following him over his shoulder. The uneasy feeling was back, creeping up from the pit of his stomach like clutching vines.

Whatever history Ravus and Iggy had together, Gladio had a sneaking suspicion that it wasn’t the good kind.

He tore himself away with a sigh.

“Forget about it,” he muttered firmly. “Iggy can handle himself. It’s not like you have any say in the matter, anyway.”

Still, it was a good thing he kept a spare set of clothes locked up at the campus rec facility. He was gonna need an extra challenging workout today.

TBC...

[greekstreetart-talks]

Bilos

Born and raised in Patras where from a very young age art in public space drew his attention. He gets into style writing while his need for abstraction leads him to new forms and shapes that can be seen as playful, friendly and particularly distinct. This month we’ll be talking to Bilos, now permanently based in Norwich, England.  

Where are you from? Which is the first piece of street art that caught your attention and when did your relationship with street art begin? I was born and bread in Patras. When I was 11-12 years old I started to show much interest in every kind of street art of my city. The first pieces of art were definitely, those of CASH, EPIK, TEK, TOURNESOL, MONDOK, TAS. After a while, some friends explained to me what graffiti is all about and so i started to take pictures (the analog way back then) of every single piece I saw. It was like a graffiti «safari», where me and my friend Ernesto were trying to discover in every corner of the town. 
Lately, we see a lot of street artists from Patras in the spotlight. Is this just random or is there an artist/ workshop promoting those people?  The truth is that I don’t have the full picture regarding what’s happening currently in Patras. The size of the city and it’s graffiti history are certainty essential for this phenomenon, as well as the fact that many university students move to Patras for their studies. Also, the city provides many beautiful spots. Regarding workshops, as far as I know, Inkognito Lab does a great job promoting artists and organizing artistic projects.

How did you decide to leave Greece and move abroad? Which were your first impressions by the local street art scene and did you notice any differences on how this kind of art is perceived there?  I moved to England, Noriwich with my wife in 2014, in order to obtain Masters Degree. Since then, we live and work here permanently. Norwich is a small town with almost no street bombing. There are just 3 legal spots and tags/ throw ups by local people. Now, if we’re talking about street art in general, then yes, tolerance is far more greater. 

In London city centre, for example, street art pieces are just a few and very hard to find, but at the same time, there are a lot of HoF that get painted almost daily. Every city provides a space/ gallery where both accomplished and rising artists get to exhibit their art. 

Basically, your work is about a different approach to the classical style writing. You remove forms and elements in order to reach a friendlier, round, let’s say, result which is really unique. How did you get there? Was it a conscious decision? Thank you for your comment, it’s really a conscious decision and it’s the result of a long period of experimentation and research. Charmed by the wild style, as almost everyone else, I started to draw complex pieces full of colors. Over time, I started to remove some elements, like second outline, shadows and other stuff, even that very outline of the pieces. By observing the “toy” pieces, I figured out what I was searching for, and that was something more loose, less “tight”. I stopped caring if the straight lines weren’t perfect or if some elements weren’t parallel. That gave me freedom and flexibility regarding the font’s design and the management of every given surface. Regarding the forms, I always imagine my fonts and my pieces as «creatures» that I give them life and I put them in their «natural habitat», meaning the spots where they get to spend the rest of their lives after their birth. Can you tell us about your way of work? Do you always start on a piece of paper or are there more impulsive times where the suface / wall caught your attention and you improvised? I don’t, anymore, make drafts of pieces that I intend to work on, the next day. I just put ideas, single fonts, font combinations and other forms on a piece of paper and have them there until I use them on a piece I am working. I usually, don’t get inspired solely by the wall’s morphology but also by the colors I have available, the world I want to write and how i feel that certain moment. Some times, I use objects that can be found in my environment, resulting in 3D compositions. So, I would say that almost all the time, I move and improvise within these lines.

How difficult is it for a street artist to stand out in Europe? Competition, of course, is multiple, I imagine like the opportunities... I believe everything depends on the artists themselves, their point of view and their objectives. I believe that it’s very easy for any «street artist», wherever they are, to move forward, using the power of the Internet. This is somehow controversial, though, if we think about the time that one has to spend so he/she can retain an online presence when he/she acts in the real word, in the streets, by definition. It’s a fact, that nowadays, our lives have an enormous digital aspect.   When everybody own the same tools, it’s crucial how each one is using them to reach their goal.

As an artist who have now traveled to different places, which is, in your opinion, the best country / city for a street artist to live and why? Every country has its own pros and cons and there are still many countries/ cities that I haven’t visited yet so I can’t have a clear opinion. I believe that most important is that each artist knows which way of life suits them, so they can decide the ideal place. This could be anywhere in the planet.

In Greece, for the last few years, street art is blooming and like all things due to our temperament, street art has also become a big issue. Phrases like "Athens is the new Berlin", "Athens, the metropolis of graffiti" dominate ... Is there any real interest in your opinion from the rest of Europe? Sure! There is interest for the Greek scene. We shouldn’t forget that among all the ugly stuff that happen in Greece, our country has many nice things too, it has a lot of talent, history, perfect weather  for unlimited time of painting, countless spots and a great spirit for creativity. I wouldn’t like to comment on the ugly stuff...

Any partnerships you have enjoyed so far and any that you’d like to see in the near future? Also, are you preparing something that we’ll see soon?All of these years, I had the honor and the pleasure to work with many artist from Greece and abroad. For many years I travelled with friends (Depon, Pomis, Leet, Gugli και τους Osks) throughout Greece and abroad. We participated in festivals and exhibitions but mainly we did our painting just for our own shake and recreation. There are many more artists I would love to meet or work with, but travelling and exploring with friends, comes first. Regarding professional partnerships, the one that stands out, is the one with the architect, Dr. Myrto Kiourti, in the awarded projectfor "Discover Your Way" in Patras  as well as my partnership with the Athenian artist "Think” for our participation in "No Respect" exhibition held in the Onassis Coultoural Center. Lately, I teamed up with FMS crew from Manchester, a crew by the very talented Krek and Mers. Now, about recent projects, a while ago I designed a capsule clothing collection for a street wear brand in Mexico, which is about to come out. Next, I am working on some murals and some silk print editions. 

In ten years from now? That’s a long story, but God willing, i hope i ‘ll be healthy and still working as a full time artist. 

Follow Bilos Website \ Instagram \ Fb Page \ Shop

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Γεννήθηκε και μεγάλωσε στην Πάτρα όπου από πολύ μικρή ηλικία η τέχνη στον δημόσιο χώρο του τράβηξε την προσοχή. Ασχολείται με το style writing και η ανάγκη του για αφαίρεση τον οδηγεί σε νέες φόρμες και σχήματα παιχνιδιάρικα, φιλικά και ιδιαίτερα ξεχωριστά. Αυτόν τον μήνα συνομιλούμε με τον Bilos, πλέον μόνιμα εγκατεστημένο στο Νόριτς της Αγγλίας Από που κατάγεσαι, ποιο είναι το πρώτο κομμάτι στο δρόμο που θυμάσαι ότι τράβηξε την προσοχή σου και πώς ξεκινάει η σχέση σου με την τέχνη στο δημόσιο χώρο; Κατάγομαι από την Πάτρα όπου και γεννήθηκα. Σε ηλικία 11-12 ετών, άρχισα να δείχνω ιδιαίτερο ενδιαφέρον για κάθε είδους κομμάτι στους δρόμους της πόλης. Σίγουρα, τα πρώτα κομμάτια ήταν των CASH, EPIK, TEK, TOURNESOL, MONDOK, TAS. Αφού έμαθα περισσότερα από φίλους για το τι είναι το γκράφιτι, ξεκίνησα να τραβάω (σε φιλμ τότε) φωτογραφίες από οποίο κομμάτι έβλεπα. Ήταν σαν ένα σαφάρι γκράφιτι όπου αργότερα με τον φίλο μου Ερνέστο προσπαθούσαμε να ανακαλύψουμε κομμάτια σε κάθε γωνιά της πόλης. 

Τελευταία, ξεχωρίζουν όλο και περισσότεροι street artists από την Πάτρα. Είναι απλή συγκυρία ή υπάρχει κάποιος καλλιτέχνης - εργαστήριο πίσω από αυτό; Η αλήθεια είναι πως δεν έχω ακριβή εικόνα για τη σκηνή στην Πάτρα, αυτή τη στιγμή. Πάντως, σίγουρα παίζει ρόλο το μέγεθος της πόλης και η όποια ιστορία του γκράφιτι εκεί, το ότι πολλοί φοιτητές μετακομίζουν στην Πάτρα λόγω σπουδών καθώς και το ότι η πόλη προσφέρει πολλά και ωραία σποτς. Όσο για «εργαστήριο» απ’ όσο ξέρω το Inkognito Lab κάνει μια πολύ καλή προσπάθεια στο να αναδεικνύει καλλιτέχνες και να διοργανώνει εικαστικές παρεμβάσεις κλπ.

Πώς αποφάσισες να αφήσεις την Ελλάδα και να εγκατασταθείς μόνιμα στο εξωτερικό; Ποιες ήταν οι πρώτες σου εντυπώσεις από την street art σκηνή εκεί και ποιες ίσως οι διάφορες στην αντιμετώπιση αυτού του είδους τέχνης; Στο εξωτερικό και συγκεκριμένα στο Νόριτς της Αγγλίας ήρθαμε με τη σύζυγό μου το 2014 για μεταπτυχιακές σπουδές, όπου πλέον μένουμε μόνιμα και εργαζόμαστε. Το Νόριτς είναι μια μικρή πόλη και με σχεδόν καθόλου street bombing, υπάρχουν απλά 3 νόμιμα σποτς και τάγκς / throw ups από ντόπιους. Τώρα, αν μιλάμε για street art με την ευρύτερη έννοια, τότε ναι, η ανοχή είναι σαφώς μεγαλύτερη. Για παράδειγμα στο κέντρο του Λονδίνου τα street κομμάτια είναι απειροελάχιστα και δυσεύρετα, όμως υπάρχουν αρκετά HoF που βάφονται σχεδόν καθημερινά. Κάθε πόλη πάντως έχει και κάποιο χώρο/ γκαλερί όπου δίνεται η ευκαιρία σε καταξιωμένους αλλά και ανερχόμενους καλλιτέχνες να εκθέσουν τα έργα τους.

Στην ουσία, η δουλειά σου είναι μια συνέχεια, μια διαφορετική αντιμετώπιση του κλασικού style writing. Αφαιρείς στοιχεία και φόρμες για να φτάσεις σ’ ένα πιο φιλικό, στρογγυλό αποτέλεσμα και πολύ ξεχωριστό. Πως προέκυψε αυτό; Ήταν συνειδητή επιλογή;
 Σ’ ευχαριστώ για το σχόλιο, είναι πράγματι συνειδητή η επιλογή κα�� αποτέλεσμα πειραματισμού και έρευνας πολλών ετών. Ξεκίνησα, όπως μάλλον οι περισσότεροι, γοητευμένος από το wild style, να προσπαθώ να σχεδιάσω πολύπλοκα κομμάτια με αρκετά χρώματα. Με την πάροδο των χρόνων άρχισα να αφαιρώ στοιχεία, όπως το second outline, τις «σκιές» και τα πολλά εφέ, ακόμα και το ίδιο το outline. Παρατηρώντας τα πιο “toy” κομμάτια κατάλαβα πως αυτό που έψαχνα ήταν κάτι πιο ελεύθερο, λιγότερο «σφιγμένο». Δε με ένοιαζε πλέον το αν οι ευθείες θα είναι τέλειες ή κάποια στοιχεία παράλληλα κλπ. Αυτό μου έδωσε ελευθερία και ευελιξία στον σχεδιασμό των γραμμάτων αλλά και τη διαχείριση της εκάστοτε διαθέσιμης επιφάνειας. Όσο για τις φόρμες, πάντα φαντάζομαι τα γράμματά μου και τα κομμάτια μου ως «πλάσματα» που τους δίνω ζωή και τα τοποθετώ στο «σπίτι» τους, στο κάθε σποτ που καλούνται να ζήσουν από τη στιγμή της δημιουργίας τους και έπειτα.

Μίλησέ μας για τα στάδια εργασίας σου. Ξεκινάς πάντα από το χαρτί ή υπάρχουν και πιο αυθόρμητα κομμάτια, όπου απλά σου τράβηξε την προσοχή ο τοίχος και αυτοσχεδίασες; Πλέον δεν κάνω το προσχέδιο κάποιου κομματιού ώστε να πω «Α αυτό το κομμάτι θα κάνω αύριο» παρά βάζω στο χαρτί ιδέες, μεμονωμένα γράμματα, συνδυασμούς γραμμάτων και φόρμες που αργότερα ίσως χρησιμοποιήσω σε κάποιο κομμάτι. Δεν εμπνέομαι τόσο από τη μορφολογία του ίδιου του τοίχου όσο από το τι χρώματα έχω στη διάθεση μου, τη λέξη που θα γράψω, το πώς νιώθω εκείνη τη στιγμή. Κάποιες φορές, χρησιμοποιώ αντικείμενα που βρίσκονται στον περιβάλλοντα χώρο, εντάσσοντας τα στο έργο, με το αποτέλεσμα να είναι μια σύνθεση σε τρείς διαστάσεις. Μέσα σε αυτές τις γραμμές κινούμαι και αυτοσχεδιάζω σχεδόν πάντα.

Πόσο δύσκολο είναι να ξεχωρίσει ένας street artist στην Ευρώπη; Ο ανταγωνισμός, φυσικά, είναι πολλαπλάσιος, φαντάζομαι όμως ότι και οι ευκαιρίες είναι πολλαπλάσιες...
 Όλα πιστεύω εξαρτώνται από τον ίδιο τον καλλιτέχνη, την οπτική του γωνία και τους στόχους του. Με τη δύναμη του Ίντερνετ θεωρώ πως είναι πολύ εύκολο να ξεχωρίσει ένας «street artist» όπου και αν βρίσκεται. Αυτό βέβαια είναι λίγο αντιφατικό αν αναλογιστούμε τον χρόνο που πρέπει κάνεις να δαπανά ώστε να διατηρεί μια ιντερνετική παρουσία ενώ εξορισμού δρα στον αληθινό κόσμο και τον δρόμο. Καλώς ή κακώς πλέον, η ζωή μας έχει και μια πολύ έντονη ψηφιακή διάσταση. Σαφώς, όταν όλοι έχουν τα ίδια εργαλεία στα χέρια τους, παίζει ρόλο κι το πως τα χρησιμοποιούν ώστε να πετύχουν το στόχο τους.

Ως καλλιτέχνης που τώρα πια έχεις ταξιδέψει σε διαφορετικά μέρη, ποια, κατά τη γνώμη σου, είναι η καλύτερα χώρα/πόλη για να ζει ένας street artist και γιατί; Σίγουρα κάθε χώρα έχει τα συν και τα πλην της και είναι πολλές οι χώρες/πόλεις που ακόμα δεν έχω επισκεφθεί ώστε να έχω πλήρη εικόνα. Πιστεύω πως κυριότερη είναι η σημασία του να ξέρει ο κάθε καλλιτέχνης για τον εαυτό του ποιος τρόπος ζωής τον εκφράζει, ώστε να αποφασίσει ο ίδιος την πόλη/χώρα. Μπορεί να είναι οπουδήποτε στον πλανήτη.

Στην Ελλάδα τα τελευταία χρόνια, η street art ανθεί και όπως όλα τα πράγματα, λόγω ταπεραμέντου, έτσι και η street art έχει γίνει μεγάλο θέμα. Φράσεις όπως «η Αθήνα είναι το νέο Βερολίνο», «Αθήνα, η μητρόπολη του graffiti” κυριαρχούν... Υπάρχει πραγματικό ενδιαφέρον κατά τη γνώμη σου από την υπόλοιπη Ευρώπη;
 Βέβαια υπάρχει ενδιαφέρον για τη σκηνή της Ελλάδας. Μην ξεχνάμε ότι μέσα σε όλα τα άσχημα, η Ελλάδα μάς έχει και πολλά καλά, πολύ ταλέντο, ιστορία, ιδανικό καιρό για πολλές μέρες βάψιμο το χρόνο, άπειρα σποτς και πολλή όρεξη για δημιουργία. Στα γνωστά άσχημα επίτρεψε μου να μην αναλωθώ.

Συνεργασίες που έχεις απολαύσει μέχρι στιγμής και συνεργασίες που θα ήθελες να προκύψουν στο άμεσο μέλλον; Επίσης, ετοιμάζεις κάτι που θα δούμε σύντομα; Όλα αυτά τα χρόνια είχα την τιμή και τη χαρά να συνεργαστώ με πολλούς καλλιτέχνες από την Ελλάδα και το εξωτερικό. Για αρκετά χρόνια ταξιδέψαμε με φίλους (Depon, Pomis, Leet, Gugli και τους Osks) στην Ελλάδα και το εξωτερικό. Πήραμε μέρος σε φεστιβάλ και εκθέσεις αλλά κυρίως βάφαμε απλά για τη δική μας ευχαρίστηση. Υπάρχουν πολλοί ακόμα καλλιτέχνες που θα ήθελα να γνωρίσω ή και να συνεργαστώ μαζί τους, αλλά  πάνω απ’ όλα ξεχωρίζουν τα ταξίδια με φίλους και οι εξερευνήσεις.

Όσο για επαγγελματικές συνεργασίες, ξεχωρίζω αυτή με την αρχιτέκτονα Δρ. Μυρτώ Κιούρτη στο βραβευμένο project για το "Discover Your Way" στην Πάτρα όπως και τη συνεργασία με τον Αθηναίο Think για τη συμμετοχή μας στη έκθεση "No Respect" στη Στέγη Γραμμάτων και Τεχνών. Επίσης, πρόσφατα έγινα μέλος του Αγγλικού crew FMS από Μάντσεστερ των πολύ ταλαντούχων Krek και Mers. Όσο για πρόσφατες δουλειές, πριν λίγο καιρό σχεδίασα μια capsule collection ρούχων για ένα street wear brand από το Μεξικό που θα κυκλοφορήσει σύντομα ενώ παράλληλα ετοιμάζω κάποιες τοιχογραφίες και εκδόσεις μεταξοτυπιών. Σε 10 χρόνια από τώρα; Μεγάλη κουβέντα, αλλά πρώτα ο Θεός, ελπίζω να είμαι καλά και πλήρως απασχολούμενος ως καλλιτέχνης.

[firstginger]

loveseat, succulent, weather!

THANK U SPACE FOOL

loveseat - describe your ideal house bold of you to think i will ever be able to afford a house... but absolutely something on the coast or by the water! i think maybe a little two story up on the cliffs by the sea — i go to that conference in maine a lot and there is nothing more beautiful than going to sleep and waking up to the sound of the waves. also controversial but i adore clutter and tchotchkes. trinkets from other people or places i’ve been with lots of shelves, fairy lights, and huge bay windows all are necessities. oh and those wall ramps for my cats and a catio! my dream is to have a catio and sit out there with my cats... also during storms. oo and a hot tub that overlooks the crashing waves. i’m making myself pine damn.

succulent - what are you looking forward to? hmmm! there are a lot of timeframe options with this. tomorrow i’m looking forward to having a warm cup of coffee and some scrambled eggs in the morning, and playing my dnd campaign in the evening. more distantly i’m excited to get my dissertation and move somewhere with a larger lgbt community lmao. abstractly i think i’m looking forward to putting down roots somewhere, hosting holidays for a (found) family, and falling in love!

weather - what do you love most? “me” feels like such an arrogant answer but after years of therapy i really have found such an appreciation for myself and putting myself first! it’s always hard to go through experiences where you forget to do that, though i think it’s kind of inevitable through the process of living LOL. it just means you get to pick yourself up and realize it’s amazing the emotional depth you’re capable of as a person. that’s part of why i feel like i’m in such a good place right now. it’s fun connecting with yourself and treating yourself like the main character you deserve to be! anyway besides ME, i also love my friends (especially you!!), my cats, evenings sitting in the dark with lit candles like a weirdo, baths and bath bombs, photography and editing photos, and going for walks being mindful. guess that’s just my dating bio.

[shelbymadden14]

1-50

1. what’s the best thing that happened to you today? i took a fat ass nap

2. where do you see yourself living in 10 years? hopefully somewhere warm or atleast pretty

3. apartment or house? house

4. has your aesthetic changed at all in the last year? nope

5. what is something you’re proud of? wow these questions make me seem lame

6. name three books that changed your life. i wouldn’t say they changed my life but i love the divergent series & of course the PLL series.

7. do you have a favorite podcast? yes, crime junkie

8. what three songs can you not get enough of right now? like that-bea miller, anything billie, better anyway-lauren sanderson

9. favorite quote? life is not measured by the breaths we take but by the moments that take your breath away

10. state an unpopular opinion that you have. you can be gay & still love jesus

11. if you could live in any other decade, when & where would you choose? probably just to be an adult in the 90s

12. describe your ideal date? already did

13. are you currently crushing on anybody? crushing? such a weird way to put it but i suppose

14. if you could have dinner with anybody, who would it be? my nanny wheeler

15. what time do you usually go to sleep & wake up? when my heart desires unless i get a call to sub. & then it’s 11 pm & 6:20AM

16. what’s your favorite instrument? drums all day

17. what song do you love dancing to? bellyache-billie eilish

18. what’s a topic that you wish you knew more about? survival techniques 😂

19. got a random fact you’ve been holding on to? it’s controversial but some believe that elephants can cry

20. favorite fruit & vegetable? red delicious apple & zucchini

21. what’s your favorite dish to cook? anything pasta with the homemade sauce

22. favorite beverage? diet dew

23. how are you feeling in this moment? decent, also i have to pee

24. are you reading a book at the moment? what do you like about it? unfortunately no, someone put me on a good book.

25. name three songs that stir up the deepest emotions. you don’t do it for me anymore-demi, falling-trevor daniel, it’s you-ali gatie

26. what’s your favorite season & why? when it goes from summer to fall because it’s not too hot & there’s a nice breeze. good for naps outside

27. when is your birthday? january 25, 1996

28. what do you do when you need to de-stress? take a bath

29. do you prefer spontaneous or pre-arranged plans? depends but pre arranged mostly

30. name an experience in your life you wish you could do over? deciding where to go to college & actually going to the one i should’ve gone to for softball.

31. do you like the name you were given? if not, is there a different one you’d prefer? yes i do.

32. what’s your favorite weather? warm-hot weather all day

33. are you satisfied with how your life is going right now? absolutely not

34. describe a time that you were brave. watching my dad get dragged off to prison was pretty tough but i did it

35. is there a movie you like better than the book it was based on? do people actually like things like this? books are always better

36. do you have a place you go to when you feel stressed/sad? my bed.

37. what was the last thing that made you laugh? my sister just came into my room & tried turning on the light to my closet instead of my room 😂

38. what time is it where you are? almost 5

39. what is something you’re excited for? wednesday

40. got any summer plans? going to destin in july 😍

41. when was the last time you intentionally went out to see the sunrise? oh lord. i was probably 18

42. favorite film genre? thrillers

43. coffee or tea? neither

44. describe your body without using any negative adjectives. potato with eyes

45. is there a cover song that you like better than the original? no

46. are you on good terms with your parents? yes

47. are you in a relationship? if not, are you looking to be? nope & i’m not looking but if it happened with a specific person i’d be happy

48. do you typically look for a partner with the same traits as you or someone to complement yours? i’ve started seeing people differently recently & it helps when they speak your love language. i used to never care. i usually just let my heart decide.

49. describe your aesthetic. little skater vibes but i most definitely don’t skate. i’d be down to learn how to longboard though.

50. put your music on shuffle and list the first 10 songs to play. all the good girls go to hell-billie eilish, it’s not you it’s me-bea miller, everything i wanted-billie eilish, me brightside-the killers, wish you were gay-billie eilish, listen before i go-billie eilish, bury a friend-billie eilish, creep-radiohead, shut em up-lauren sanderson, save tonight-eagle eye cherry

[spicynbachili2]

Larysa Switlyk: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know

Larysa Switlyk/Twitter

Larysa Switlyk

“Taking pot photographs at goats on a cliff. What a fully disgusting human.”

The particular person being described is host of a searching present geared toward ladies, although it seems she has a male following as effectively, Floridan Larysa Switlyk travels the world searching trophies whereas hawking searching gear from ammunition to rifles, as may be seen in her Instagram the place she tags sponsors in almost all her posts just like the one for her camo leggings designed with an AR15 emblazoned on the aspect.

Fashionable, she has 150,000 social media followers and movies on her YouTube channel have been seen almost half one million occasions.

Her searching journey to the Scottish highlands the place she stalked and killed sheep and goats has Scotland livid.

Right here’s what it’s worthwhile to know:

1. Switlyk Tweeted & Took to Instagram to Pose With Her Goat & Sheep Trophy Kills & Scotts Took to Sharing Their Anger & Disgust

On her Instagram starting Oct. 10, Switlyk shared posed photographs of her along with her kills; two goats, one wild and one probably home, a home sheep and a Purple deer stag.

Switlyk and three others stayed at a highlands fortress on the Scottish island of Islay, the place they stalked and killed grazing deer, wild goats and home livestock. And the photographs, glam photographs of Switlyk and her kills, are designed to entice others to return to Scotalnd and do the identical. She’s promoting excursions.

“Lovely wild goat right here on the Island of Islay in Scotland. Such a enjoyable hunt!! They dwell on the sting of the cliffs of the island and know the best way to conceal effectively. We hunted laborious for an enormous one for two days and at last acquired on this group. Made an ideal 200 yard shot and dropped him with the @gunwerks and @nightforce_optics ! ( Good factor too as a result of he may have ran off the cliff into the water). Ever fascinated about searching Scotland and performing some whisky excursions, e mail larysa@detailcompany.com”

Switlyk posted photographs of her scoping out deer and mendacity in wait, with full make-up and sportswear she’s promoting, particularly leggings.

“Feeling like royalty staying within the Mingary Fort and glassing for Purple Stags with my @nightforce_optics recognizing scope ~ @wsisports AR15 leggings.”

She was additionally stalking deer and killed a stag that she posed in such a means if seems alive.

“Lovely hunt leading to a Royal Scottish Stag ~ Desirous about Looking Scotland ? Electronic mail larysa@detailcompany.com.”

2. Switlyk Says She Was ‘Large Recreation Looking.’ Locals Say She Hunted Livestock

Switlyk posted trophy images of 4 killed animals, albeit posed to seem alive. At the very least two described as home or livestock.

She described (and hashtagged) her efforts as “huge recreation searching.”

Commenters on her social, many who say they dwell on Islay, weren’t having it.

“That’s somebody’s prize livestock! We don’t have any wild sheep in Scotland. Simply open grazing. Additionally the tups (rams) are normally tame as a result of they should be caught commonly for breeding,” one wrote.

“I did surprise. I’ve a good friend who has blackies and he mentioned that sheep’s horns have been labored with. Marvel if it has tags in its ears,” requested one other.

A black-faced sheep such because the ram she stalked and killed are domestically bred sheep raised for wool and meat. The livestock graze on hills and mountains.

“I dwell on Islay and there’s lots of people completely disgusted about this,” one native wrote.

“These goats are so tame they are often walked as much as and caught by hand. These posts are cringeworthy belief me I dwell on Islay and that is simply embarrassing,” wrote one other.

Cannot consider what number of animals she has murdered whereas on her vacation in Scotland. @NicolaSturgeon How are you going to let this occur?

— Eliot & Zac (@NewtonsCats) October 24, 2018

In line with Go to Scotland, the Ardnamurchan peninsula is a “wild, distant but stunning place stuffed with great surroundings located on the west coast of Scotland.” Described as unspolied, distant and teeming with wildlife together with wild goats, deer, dolphins, whales and birds of prey, the terrain consists of moors, forests, lochs and seashores on the Sanna Bay.

three. Scots Requested First Minister Nicola Sturgeon to Act. She Tweeted Wednesday & a Petition to Parliament Was Created

Completely comprehensible why the photographs from Islay of useless animals being held up as trophies is so upsetting and offensive to individuals. @scotgov will evaluation the present scenario and think about whether or not modifications to the regulation are required. https://t.co/SIQxcEYBzR

— Nicola Sturgeon (@NicolaSturgeon) October 24, 2018

Folks needed to know if trophy searching is authorized in Scotland and if is she alright with trophy searching wild goats.

“Can’t consider what number of animals she has murdered whereas on her vacation in Scotland. @NicolaSturgeon How are you going to let this occur?”

Sturgeon responded: “Completely comprehensible why the photographs from Islay of useless animals being held up as trophies is so upsetting and offensive to individuals. @scotgov will evaluation the present scenario and think about whether or not modifications to the regulation are required.”

Scores of feedback on her put up from Scots describe Switlyk as “merciless” and “sick” and never welcome in Scotland.

“If that’s what you need to do then don’t come anyplace close to Scotland. Folks like you aren’t needed,” one wrote.

“You have to be completely ashamed of yourselves you abhorrent individuals. Go away right here, you’re not welcome,” wrote one other.

A petition to Parliament to ban trophy searching based mostly on Switlyk’s actions is gaining traction. Her searching and profiting off of it are referred to as “mindless acts that are at odds with the peaceable environment of the island, and the nation.”

“Scotland is internationally famend for its untouched nature and progressive social local weather. Looking defenceless animals with excessive tech weapons for the sake of boasting is solely at odds with the values of Scottish individuals. It disturbs an ecosystem, and enforces human dominance on species which have coexisted symbiotically with locals for hundreds of years.”

“Ms Switlyk has used her images to promote searching expertise excursions to an American and worldwide viewers. Trophy Looking taints the picture of our valued vacationer trade, and places the great thing about our lengthy established pure habitat in danger.”

The petition on Change.org reads, “Whereas we admire that sure kinds of stalking/searching are regularly up for debate in parliament resulting from inhabitants management, this petition hopes that the Scottish authorities will recognise there may be by no means justification for searching native, peaceable species with excessive tech gear for some absurd ego increase. For these causes, Trophy Looking should be made a punishable crime all through Scotland.”

four. Whereas Scots Are Indignant About Switlyk’s Trophy Looking, a Scottish ‘Sporting Supervisor’ in Ardnamurchan Guides Hunts There

The final time Niall Rowantree tweeted was a yr in the past, and with simply round 100 followers, he and the ‘West Highland Looking’ group is probably not well-known. Certainly, a click on on the hyperlink that’s imagined to convey individuals to the Ardnamurchan Estates and Mingary Fort web site, the placement Switlyk tagged in her images, has not but launched and is “beneath development. That mentioned, there’s an e mail tackle to contact for “sporting bookings.”

In an article from FieldSports journal, its shared that British primitive goats are uncommon and quantity lower than 1,200 to 1,500; they’re thought-about a domesticated goat.

However, the writer, Simon Barr, wrote that “regardless of their comparatively low quantity, the truth that wild goats browse fairly than graze means they trigger enormous harm” to vegetation they’ll attain. He writes that on his hunt, which he describes as among the many most memorable of his life, the goats owing to their agility can “scale steep areas of hillside to feed, resulting in elevated soil and land erosion, whereas their capability to eat shoots and strip bark from bushes poses issues for forestry and woodland administration and biodiversity in these areas.” A “controversial goat cull” adopted.

The Scottish highland goats are among the many earliest animals domesticated by individuals.

“Designated a Web site of Particular Scientific Curiosity (SSSI) and an Space of Excellent Pure Magnificence (AONB), Ardnamurchan is dwelling to a wide range of fauna together with golden and white-tailed eagles, otters, crimson deer, wildcats, pine martens and the explanation for my go to – a wholesome and sustainable inhabitants of untamed goats,” he wrote.

Wednesday, the Scottish Authorities Cupboard Secretary for Surroundings, Local weather Change & Land Reform Roseanna Cunningham tweeted that it’s not solely not unlawful to hunt, populations should be culled. She mentioned although that there was an understanding of the “issues raised by these photographs” and the company will probably be trying into it.

5. A ‘Hardcore Huntress,’ Switlyk Says She Has a Mission to Encourage Folks, Particularly Children & Girls to Trophy Hunt. She Sells Calendars, Jewellery, Sports activities Gear & Now, Trophy Journeys

Her web site and different bios clarify that Switlyk “grew up with three older brothers and a concern of weapons. But, her upbringing taught her to be sturdy, brave and never afraid to attempt something.”

She describes herself as a “combination of a tomboy and mannequin” with an adventurous and aggressive streak. An authorized public accountant in New York, she says she wasn’t reduce out for the town life and the job: “A intestine feeling advised her one thing was lacking in her life.”

She started to hunt: “Larysa’s ardour for journey, assembly new individuals, discovering new locations and experiences, led her to seek out that factor when she booked a hunt in New Zealand. Regardless that she had by no means shot a rifle earlier than, she immediately fell in love with the searching way of life. She realized she had a pure expertise for taking pictures and searching. She has all the time appreciated the outside, but it surely was not till later in life that she discovered real love and zeal for searching. Larysa found her calling and booked her second searching journey in South Africa! Larysa is the one one who hunts and fishes in her household and has added the bow to her arsenal, persevering with to hunt when she will. Just lately she’s been lucky to expertise hunts in Argentina, Europe, Canada, and everywhere in the United States.”

Now she has a present referred to as Larysa Unleashed that seems on Wild Television, Pursuit Channel, Tuff TV, Motion Channel, & Girls’s Outside Community on Roku! The Motion Channel, the Untamed Sports activities TV, and Tuff TV.

“Viewers will observe Larysa as she promotes the outside way of life, providing a style of the journey as she blossoms right into a hardcore huntress. Alongside the way in which Larysa needs to encourage the general public, particularly youngsters and females, to go searching and expertise the good open air,” her web site explains. “Whether or not it’s educating them to shoot a gun for the primary time, or searching alongside her for an incredible trophy, will probably be nothing lower than an excessive journey!”

​Her sponsors embrace gun and knife producers, taxidermists, a rifle scope firm, recoil merchandise from ‘Limbsaver,’ and a jewellery line of metallic and leather-based bracelets, her personal clothes line of leggings for girls to put on whereas searching in collaboration with a U.S. sportswear producer. She even sells calendars.

from SpicyNBAChili.com https://www.spicynbachili.com/larysa-switlyk-5-fast-facts-you-need-to-know/

[aububuh]

ANSWER ALL THOSE QUESTIONS!!!

chocolate: when was your first kiss? - 2011, first datemate, after going to one of my dad’s gigs.

french vanilla: how old are you? - 21!

cotton candy: three places you want to travel to?  - California (again), Nashville, Austin (again)

strawberry: a language you wish you could speak? - I wish I was good enough at Spanish to hold a conversation that I didn’t practice for hours in order to be able to have.

coffee: favorite cosmetic brands? - idk????

mint chocolate chip: indoors or outdoors? - IN.  DEFINITELY.

cookie dough: do you play any instruments? - I’m best at keyboards, but I play some guitar and a little bit of drums.

rocky road: favorite songs at the moment? - THIS ONE

butter pecan: favorite songs for life? - SAME

cheesecake: what's your zodiac sign? - Virgo

toasted coconut: the beach or the pool? - My bedroom is preferable to both

chocolate chip: what's your most popular post? - This one with a dumb Star Wars joke

bubblegum: books or movies? - Both?  If we’re talking strictly about adaptations, I hold the possibly controversial opinion that sometimes the movie is better.

pistachio: manga or anime? - I saw an anime once.  Lots of people died.  I liked it.

salted caramel: favorite movies? - Brazil, The Room, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

birthday cake: favorite books? - I’ve been on kind of an autobiography kick lately and Mara Wilson’s is really great so far.  All time favorites are probably those by Frank Zappa and Geoff Emerick.

moose tracks: favorites for manga? - idk

orange sherbet: favorites for anime? - idk

peanut butter: favorite academic subject? - Honestly my favorite class this semester was American History, but that’s just because the professor was such an engaging lecturer.

black raspberry: do you have any pets? - Just pet peeves.

mango: when and why did you start your blog? - Idk, I think like 2012 and to try and promote my music.  That sure worked.

mocha: ideal weather conditions? - Slightly chilly.  I like wearing cute sweaters

black cherry: four words that describe you? - “Tries to be cool”

neapolitan: things that stress you out? - Failing to be cool.

raspberry truffle: favorite kind of music? - Frank Zappa

chocolate marshmallow: favorite brands of candy? - I don’t eat a whole lot of candy but I like nerds I guess.

toffee: a card game that you're good at? - The game where you leave the cards in the little box and do something else.

lemon custard: do you eat breakfast? - I eat breakfast bars because I can’t be bothered to fix anything when I’m all grumpy in the morning.

dark chocolate: turn ons? - hahahahaha no

fudge: turn offs? - Existential dread

peach: how do you relax? - I sit down at my computer and waste my time for a while

praline: a popular book you haven't read yet? - Idk name one and it’s probably correct

superman: do you like sweaters? - Absolutely

cherry: do you drink tea or coffee? - Usually coffee but I can go for some tea.

dulce de leche: an instrument you wish you could play? - BASS CLARINET

blackberry: have you ever laughed so hard you cried? - All the time

ginger: a new feature you wish tumblr could have? - Search a blog for all original posts

blueberry lemon: favorite blogs? - I mean all my friends online and in real life.  You guys are all great and I love hearing how you’re doing.

almond: favorite mean girls quote? - Never seen it so

butterscotch: what color are your nails right now? - Natural, but they were pink last week.

cinnamon: have you ever been confessed to? - Not as like a singular event where I hadn’t already said something or we hadn’t already been flirting like crazy.

blue moon: have you ever had a crush on someone? - Uhhhhhh yes

cappuccino crunch: do you take naps? - Rarely.  They’re fun but I always wake up feeling worse.

mint: the most embarrassing thing you've ever done? - Ask me personally and I’ll tell you.

brownie batter: do you like sushi? - YES

key lime: where do you want to be right now? - In bed tbh

red velvet: do you wear prescription glasses? - Yeah, but I need a new prescription because mine are not ideal.

green tea: favorite flavors of ice cream? - Mint chocolate, cookie dough, and straight up chocolate.

[alinkbetweenportraits]

How to be Hated by An RP Community: A Guide for Assholes by an Asshole

Do you RP?

Do you hate being ignored when facing the slightest bit of emotional distress?

Do you enjoy having people notice your characters but hate the pesky effort of treating your peers like actual people?

Congratulations, dear reader! You’ve taken the first step in becoming despised by every roleplayer you come into contact with! This truly is a thrilling and triumphant chapter you’re stepping into. Why there are many perks to being your grade A RPing asshole, which include crippling self esteem, isolation, depression, damaged eating/sleeping habits, decreased work quality, lower grades, loss of contact with loved ones, and even permanent emotional trauma! For some of us, this all comes naturally. However, some wide eyed newcomer walking into the RP community might not understand the basics of becoming a massive thorn on everyone’s side.

With just five easy steps, you too can become the grade A asshole your mother spent hours in labor forcing out of a narrow vulva while sobbing in sheer agony.

1.) Rules? About page? Headcanons? All those go out the door! You see, reader, nothing gives an RPer the middle finger quite like ignoring someone’s painstaking efforts in creating a character identity that is unique to their own designs while also maintaining the integrity of the original story. Yeah, their characterization is okay I guess. But you? You’ve got this in the bag, even if you gotta remind them by breaking their rules and head canons and forcing your ideas down their throats. What if they ignore you, you ask? Simple! Look into your dictionary of controversial buzzwords and slap them on their name. Because nothing say asshole quite like using serious issues that affect hundreds of thousands of people across the globe when something doesn’t go your way.

2.) Break boundaries like a real hero! When we were all little, we were told that life has no boundaries. All boundaries set up by the man are meant to be broken. All of them. Every single one. And all can be shattered with ease if you put your hands in your ears and scream “LALALALALA I CAN’T HEAR YOU” loud enough. A little known secret about being a true RPer is that when we sign up, we actually make a blood oath to hell beasts for our page layout, icons, and writing skills. And in return we are expected to post a minimum of fifteen replies a day in order to appease to our overlords. RPers are expected to always stay in character and respond to your posts even during their most distressing times of their lives. School? Work? Family emergency? Their cherished pet died? PSH! Once you stubbed your toe against the nightstand and only cried for fifteen minutes. So go ahead, send in all those messages asking why they haven’t RPed all day despite posting memes or other content on their blog. When in doubt, just remember all boundaries are meant to be broken, including personal.

3.) It’s all a popularity contest! What’s that? You think that people RP for fun and to interact with new people? Yeah sure kid, you tell yourself that. The first step to building your RP account isn’t creating an interesting character. That’s too much time and work. Instead, latch onto the most popular RPer you know and leech off their overall minor online accomplishment. Send them uncomfortable messages, invade their personal space, raid all their RP threads without permission, make logging onto their account a living hell. The world must know you two are the closest and bestest of friends even if you can’t remember their last name or birthday. 

But what’s that? You think that’s too much time and emotional investment? That’s okay! You can easily build a blog of your own by simply “borrowing” ideas from other blogs. This can include art, headcanons, faceplates, writing, music and any other original work painstakingly made by the talented hands of other RPers you tried to manipulate. The best part is, you don’t even have to ask. Remember, ignorance is bliss, and nobody can accuse you of plagiarism if you just didn’t know any better and the RPer is unaware! After all, you deserve those followers, and nothing is more important than what you want in life. Besides, if all these guys have so many followers on their blog, then they clearly have enough emotional support and security. They can share!

4.) OCs? More like no see! Everyone knows that OCs are all just lazy self insert smut dolls. That’s right, you sinful harlots. That character you spent months developing into your own personal creation was all a ruse to disguise your disgusting lustful tendencies. How dare you write a character of your own imagination and use them however you please. But that’s not even the worst part, reader. Did you know if you interact with an OC blog, you’re doomed to fade into obscurity? Nobody wants fresh ideas or something new and interesting, and that’s not going on your blog ever. The more you interact with fan characters, the less people will follow your stories and read your RPs. And nothing is more important than pleasing the mainstream audience. OCs are essentially the herpes of any RPing community, so be sure to toss them in the trash as you kick them off. Don’t ever let them down easy and give them time to become their own interesting part of a massive universe. After all, this massive and complex world they originate in clearly has enough people to count on your hands. Give that stupid Mary Sue what they deserve! 

5.) When in doubt, bullshit your way out. The world is sad and harsh and truth is scary. Too scary, in fact. Hearing the truth makes other people sad. That’s why you should do everything in your power to lie. It’s not that you don’t respect the intelligence or emotional well being of everyone around you. You’re just doing the right thing by creating an ideal place for all your followers and peers. The truth is just too big and scary. Remember step three. Ignorance is bliss. Are you under 18 but want to smut? Lie about your age. Sure it may run the risk of throwing an innocent person in jail, but smut of your OTP is just so hard to come by these days and dad just installed parental controls on your laptop. Do you hate another RPer and have an insatiable jealousy that can’t be satisfied? Post fake chat logs or flat out antagonize them publicly. Don’t forget to give your followers a link to their account so they can harass them. It’s not your fault, all of that could have been avoided if they just did what you asked. But most importantly, lie to yourself. Create a persona instead of being honest with both yourself and the people who want to look up to your work. Remember, you are flawless and can do no wrong. If you ever make a mistake, never forget the other side provoked it and only got what they deserve. You never need to improve by listening to criticism or learning from people who are more experienced than you. If you tell yourself you’re flawless enough, everyone will believe you, including yourself.

Good job reader! Now that you’ve thoroughly followed all the advice listed here, you’re well on your way to becoming the subject of other people’s bitter conversations. RPers will run from you and you will find yourself slowly but surely fade away until the only thing left is a broken ego and soiled reputation.

“But Clara! I don’t want to be hated. I want my blog to be loved. How do I get people to love me?”

The secret to being loved is that there is no secret. People don’t run on a formula. Some people will love you while others will hate your guts for no real reason. Some are open, others are a bit more isolated. Some prefer rping with their friends while others are willing to share different ideas. Bottom line, people are complicated and not everyone is going to be your best friend. 

Read the rules/about page and any headcanons. Try to follow their rules as best as you can. If you make a mistake, offer an immediate apology. Be polite and courteous even to the smallest of strangers. If you see something on an RP blog you like, ask someone for advice on how to improve or permission to borrow any content. Accept a yes or no with grace instead of anger. But the most important step is communication. Ask for help. Ask for advice. Ask if they want to RP or what kind of things they’d like to do together. Share your ideas and listen to what the other has to say. Offer praise when you see something you like. Give a get well message to someone when they post they are feeling under the weather. Hell even give characters a random question to answer every once in a while. It isn’t just their blog, but your own too. Make your pages easy to access. Write an about page that’s easy to understand (for god’s sake stop writing riddles that raise more questions than answers as an about page). Introduce your character like people don’t know who they are. Maybe they’re not part of the fandom. Maybe they want to know how you portray your character. Be sure to be open for any suggestions and ideas, and people will find you far easier to approach.

You don’t have to be friends or very close, but you can still interact while keeping friendly conversation. Many RPers don’t mind receiving personal messages, and chances are they’re just as shy as you are. Instead of comparing differences and trying to find the superior, learn to work with them. RPing is about two people writing for fun in the end. When you find a mutual and positive relationship with someone and their character, everything else falls into place.

“But I still don’t get many asks or followers. What can I do to fix that?”

I wouldn’t know. People also tend to follow what they think is good. That’s something I’ve learned working in restaurants for over seven years. If you feel you’re short on contact, it could be a wake up call to try and revamp things to make something new and improved. Don’t be afraid to take the risk. Sometimes it also depends on what the content being put out is. My best friend has over 2000 followers on her RP blog, but she also posts very well done art she made on a regular basis. Not only that but her characters and ideas never cease to blow me away. Naturally people are gonna wanna see more original art and comics than random drabble writing like me. None the less, I’m always proud of her whenever she does something people love. People see all the hard work she puts into everything she posts, and that’s why she gets attention. She and I follow the same rule and we’re both happy RPers as a result: Write what you want to read and people will follow.

“How can I even tell if I’m a good RPer when I don’t have enough followers or messages?”

By saying this you say two things to everyone reading your posts. First, you treat everyone who follows you, all those RPers who worked just as hard, if not harder, than you to make their character interesting as nothing more than a number in a counter. You don’t respect their independence or their efforts and only appreciate their follows. 

Second, and even worse, all those people who sent you asks? Who read your content? Who log on and get excited to see your posts? Not only do you completely disregard all the time and effort put into keeping up with your hard work, but you completely dismiss all the support they offered you every step of the way and made their painstakingly made responses entirely worthless. 

When you judge yourself over follower count, you turn your back on both acquaintances and loyal RPers/followers. Frankly, if you’re only RPing to become mildly popular no matter what it takes, you don’t deserve either of them.

[bywordofaphrodite]

Book Reviews 9&10: Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone by J.K Rowling & Twilight by Stephanie Meyer

This review’s theme is *drum roll* books I was banned from as a child! Audience age: age 9 and up for reading level… as for content, that will vary between parents !

So to shake things up for my final reviews, rather than reviewing books I grew up with, I am discussing two books that were banned in my household, my church and my school. Triple threat! Good for them. To be transparent, I have not read Harry Potter before at all. I even bought one of the books a couple of years ago and still haven’t made it round to reading yet. However, I have seen all the movies and I love them very much. More than that, I’ve always loved the lore surrounding the series; I think fans have made the legacy more interesting than the movies in adapting the lore to different fanfictions, which I’m sure some people will agree with and others will not. With many people I meet around my age, it is fairly common for me to be asked what my Hogwarts house is (Slytherin, in case you’re curious), and even people I wouldn’t expect to be all that interested will know their house.

As for Twilight, I actually did read these in year 9 in school, and I snuck the movies into my house too (I still have PTSD from my mother bursting into my room and catching me- don’t worry she’s not a crazy religious person anymore. She even watched Twilight for the first time in last year’s lockdown lmao). My friendship groups reference Twilight memes multiple times a day and I even gifted my best friend a poorly printed ‘BWTHHYBL’ (‘Bella where the hell have you been loca?’- God, Jacob, why did you say this) on a piece of paper and stuffed it into a small frame for her birthday present a few weeks ago… which she keeps beside her desk, just as I intended… so I think it’s safe to say that Twilight has not exactly faded into the background of pop culture just yet, even though the hype surrounding the series began well over ten years ago.

Nostalgic review

Rating: ★★★ (for Twilight only)

Book wise, I can’t actually write my old opinions of Harry Potter because I grew up in a weirdo Catholic cult that quite seriously believed J.K Rowling’s works to be articulated by the devil’s own hand (I’m sure Rowling is involved with the devil for other reasons, but that would be due to her obsessive transphobia not her writing). Using my imagination and hypothesising a little here, I’m going to assume that had I been allowed to read the books I would have loved them. Magic books and boarding school stories were a great love of mine, after all.

Now, for Twilight. I read this series just once, about nine years ago, and while I recall thinking that Meyer was not a very good writer I do know I was hooked on the storyline. I don’t know what she laced that series with but it was addictive for no good reason, especially given how many weird racial stereotypes were in there, in addition to her Mormon ideals that permeate Bella’s every move. Whatever it is, I know I ate it all up even with the awareness that it was not good (no, I don’t mean morally due to religion, I just mean it was compelling garbage).

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone Review

Post-read: ★★★★

Synopsis: On his 11th birthday, Harry Potter discovers that he is the orphaned son of two powerful wizards and the survivor of an attack by the evil, most powerful wizard to have ever lived, Voldemort. He is whisked away to the wizards’ school Hogwarts, where he studies and hones his powers, and eventually comes face-to-face with the enemy everyone believed to be dead.

I’ve seen plenty of criticism of Rowling’s writing problems, many of which I absolutely agree with. The writing is not the best, and this article actually dissects Rowling’s patterns and explains how she fails as a writer. Despite this, for the first book of a series that many young children read, I don’t think it is all that bad. My younger siblings struggle to read well, but I’ve begun reading this book to them for bedtime and they say it’s ‘good for learning’, so that’s something I’ve taken into consideration while thinking over this.

In terms of setting and place, Rowling did a good job of transporting me to the various locations in the novel. Part of the charm of Hogwarts is experiencing the rainy weather, the crackle of the fireplaces and the eeriness of sneaking about a giant castle in the dead of night just like the characters. It felt very vivid to me, and while that may be in part due to my having the film scenes to envision while reading, I believe Rowling did well. Harry’s first encounter with the Weasley family and the house-sorting scenes are enjoyable and lovely beginnings to Harry’s found family after a dreadful upbringing in the Dursley home.

Harry Potter is a very clear example of the Hero’s Journey literary route, which makes the storyline very easy to follow; the heroes and villains are very distinct, there are clear goals, and the main characters have genuine and natural character development as the story goes on. The adventures to the Forbidden Forest and other off-limits areas of Hogwarts are all the right amount of engaging and spooky. The opening chapter does have me on the fence still in regards to its length and basis for introduction. Upon first reading it, I found it a bit strange that it’s written from the Dursleys’ point of view, as this awful couple may have adopted Harry, but they are simply not the Main Characters. The conversation between Professor Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall goes on for a longer time than I would think necessary. A brief analysis of this scene is actually available on the Pottermore website, and it explains some of the clever details written in. Regardless, the film’s choice to shift the immediate focus to Harry was a better choice in my opinion.

Something that became a source of amusement to me while reading was the obvious hate every house has for Slytherin, and I know that’s because they contain most of the ‘bad’ characters, but having read so much fanfiction from other fandoms just using the house characteristics and lore meant I’d never read so much consistent Slytherin-hate before. ‘Stinking Slytherin’ Harry says- well, he’ll be maddened to know half the internet bases half their personalities around being Slytherin. Yes, this is a call out, for myself included.

Characters who aged well: good or bad, the characters in Harry Potter are entertaining, even as an adult, the children’s antics and developing friendships are entertaining and heart-warming as they become closer. Voldemort is a solid villain, and the Dursleys and Malfoys are well-written antagonists; children tend to adopt their parents’ values for better or worse, and Draco and Dudley are perfect examples of the way young people turn out when raised within a vicious cycle.

Characters who aged badly: Severus Snape with his weird grudge against Harry. I don’t care about your history with his parents, Harry is a child, and you are an adult school teacher. Get a grip, sir.

It would be remiss for me to ignore the strong controversy surrounding J.K Rowling herself, though it isn’t the focus of this review. Strongly criticised for lack of representation for both POC and LGBT+ readers, Rowling has constantly made alterations in recent years, claiming certain characters to be something they were never written to be; most notably, Albus Dumbledore being announced as gay but with no scene in the books nor the films alluding to it. I would also add in that while Hermione’s character is great for exploring an ‘outsider’s’ perspective (the daughter of two muggles in the wizarding world), she also does take the role of the ‘bossy girl’ in a male-dominated book series. I’ll link an article here that discusses some of the gender roles, sexism and other concerns across the series.

Favourite scene/quote: “‘There are all kinds of courage,’ said Dumbledore, smiling. ‘It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends’.”

A wonderful piece of advice for young kids! It’s something a lot of people don’t learn until they’re older- how important it is to stand your ground no matter who you’re up against, and that sometimes the people you like and admire aren’t always in the right.

As for my favourite scene, that would have to be when Neville stands up to Draco! Harry tells Neville he is ‘worth twelve of Malfoy’, and Neville, red-faced and timid, stammers the words back to Draco later. Neville is my favourite character (he’s just so cute I love him) and I was so proud when he joined Ron to fight against the Slytherin bullies.

Twilight Review

Post-read: ★★

Synopsis: awkward teenager Bella Swan moves to the tiny town of Forks where she meets mysterious classmate Edward from the strange Cullen family and becomes determined to find out more about them.

Re-reading Twilight I was made aware of two things. First, that the writing is just as bad as I remembered it to be, and second, that despite knowing how ridiculous it is, I still love it.

I was still invested in what happens. The romance, the drama, the detective work leading up to Bella’s confirmation of supernatural existence- all of it. As this article acknowledges, much of the appeal of Twilight is its bad writing: the sentence structure is basic and easy to binge-read, making it perfect material for a young audience to enjoy, especially for kids who might not normally pick up a book in the first place. There is also not much to worry about in terms of applying solid concentration, because many scenes border on being simply filler content.

For all of its ease, I still found myself plagued by its many problems the entire read, so at best I would rate it two and a half stars. Sorry, Meyer.

Something I thought about more extensively while reading was that Meyer essentially took away any real ‘flaws’ of vampirism with her reworking their existence. Vampires are evil and eat humans? Solved! The ‘good’ vampires are ‘vegetarian’, eating only animals. Vampires can’t go in the sun or they’ll burn alive? Sort of solved? They won’t die a terrible death, but *shock horror* they will sparkle. Bella describes Edward’s skin to be like ‘thousands of tiny diamonds were embedded in the surface’. So, the stakes are what, exactly? The vampires are beautiful, never age and don’t even eat humans. If anything it’s comedic that the Cullens don’t show up to school on sunny days, lest they… sparkle. Honestly, I don’t hate the concept, really, but Edward’s constant referral to himself as a ‘monster’ doesn’t really make sense with the knowledge that the Cullens are extremely tame… after all, humans hunt and eat animals too.

The final chapter and epilogue tie everything quite neatly together, and if Meyer hadn’t continued writing the novel could easily be left at book one. Bella informs her mother she wants to stay in Forks with her father, and Jacob Black the werewolf comes to the high school dance to tell Bella that the Quileute tribe will be ‘watching’ her and Edward, still distrustful of the Cullens (even though the Cullens have done literally nothing, but whatever, that’s over dramatic territorial werewolf-vampire drama, I guess). It ends with Bella still pestering Edward to turn her into a vampire, and him declining. I suppose that’s enough of a cliff-hanger to warrant a sequel?

Characters who aged well: Did any of them, really? To be nit-picky, it could be argued that all of them have one too many problematic roots to age well. I’m going to add in Carlisle and Esme, though, because I can’t find fault any serious fault with them. I’m also going to add in Bella’s father, who despite being criticised very constantly for not keeping an eye on Bella, did a decent job. After all, Charlie had no way to know anything about the supernatural world that turned Bella’s life upside down, and I don’t think he can be blamed for that.

Characters who aged badly: well. Um. A massive part of Twilight’s criticism is Bella’s one dimensional character. I’ve always been on the fence about it, because sometimes people just really are quite bland, and she is a depressed teen so I usually cut her some slack on that count. My real issue is Meyer’s intention for Bella to be a Mary Sue rather than a substantial character: while she can be headstrong and humorous in passing, she does not have any real opinions, thoughts or motivations that aren’t related to Edward or the Cullens to the point that she has no initiative to exist outside of being with him. This also makes her selfish in her lack of care for her father; I understand not caring too much about the kids you have to attend school with- not many choices in a small town- but the way Bella shuts her dad out is just too much. As for Edward, why does he like Bella, really? I understand the intrigue of not being able to read her thoughts, but beyond that there’s really not much going on. I think they actually do have some good banter between them and parts of the relationship are very fun, but if you took away the vampire aspect, none of it makes much sense (*spoiler* like, say, Bella’s sudden marriage to Edward in Breaking Dawn immediately after high school graduation would be just as weird to us if they were only human as it is to the townsfolk in Forks).

Both the novel itself, the film and Edward’s character- and many of the male characters in the series- normalise a lot of misogyny, gender roles and sexism (please refer to the links for further information). Edward’s misogynistic tendencies- rushing in without asking Bella’s consent to ‘protect her’- are portrayed as desirable, and Bella is flattered by it. Every girl in the books- human, vampire or werewolf- is described unimpressively, always some form of shallow and petty compared to every male character having a distinct personality. Rosalie had so much promise for a strong female character, with her university degrees and interest in mechanics, not to mention her revenge on her rapists, but it all becomes lost in her overwhelming dislike of Bella (which worsens with the realisation that Rosalie sees herself as a ‘monster’ because she can’t have children, and she hates Bella for being a ‘real’ woman).

I’m going to link one article here about racism entrenched within the Twilight series. The writer discusses the racial bias within the Twilight saga, and while it is primarily geared towards the movies, the points made also reflect the characters in the books. Concerning the lack of diversity in the series, Stephanie Meyer is quoted saying she ‘wrote that they [the Cullens] had this pale glistening skin!’; she refused to allow Twilight director Catherine Hardwick to change any Cullens to people of colour, wanting the actors to resemble the white friends and family she had in mind writing the books. Hardwicke herself had hoped for Alice to be of Japanese descent, but that her ideas were thwarted as Meyer ‘just could not accept the Cullens to be more diverse’. While Meyer allowed some of Bella’s school mates to be POC, it is concerning that the most prominent character she accepted being non-white was the antagonist vampire Laurent, who was played by a black actor. Along with all the ‘good’ characters being white, there is also the issue of Jasper’s backstory as a proud Confederate soldier- which Meyer seems to portray with a strange reverence.

I’m also going to link a Reddit thread here where people offer their different opinions on whether the novels, movies or Stephanie Meyer herself are racist or at the very least, very ignorant. The werewolves of the series are not as present in the first book/movie, but the legends of the Quileute tribes are referenced- and changed- according to how Meyer wanted to use them in her story. To summarise, many readers believe Meyer’s use of descriptors such as ‘dogs’ or ‘mongrels’ toward the werewolves (the Native American Quileute tribe) are racist. This is due to the Cullens (the good, all-white vampire clan) being the ones to refer to the Quileute people in such a way; furthermore, they are the only non-white people in the books, making Meyer’s decision to liken only POC to animals more questionable; others argue that the ‘dog’ term is only because they are effectively intended to be giant dogs.

Favourite scene/quote: “‘You said last night that you weren’t interested in any of the boys in town.’ But he picked up his fork again, so I could see the worst was over.

‘Well, Edward doesn’t live in town, Dad.’

He gave me a disparaging look as he chewed.’”

Charlie just doing his best while Bella always remains a few steps ahead of him is one dynamic Meyer wrote decently (probably because it was all in aid of Bella’s only motivation in life: being with Edward).

The chapter ‘The Game’ holds my favourite scene from the novel, aka the iconic baseball game regarded as the film’s best scene. It’s a fun moment where Bella watches the Cullens play baseball as a storm rises, requiring the thunder to mask the loudness of their hits. Unlike the film, the novel is able to explain the dynamics between the Cullens and how their powers work, specifically detailing the communication between Edward’s mind-reading and Alice’s ability to see the future.

Overall verdict:

Owing to the stark popularity of the books I’ve discussed here compared to my past choices, there was a lot more material and controversy to discuss for this review.

I found both books to provide a solid feeling of time and place. I love stories shrouded in rain and dark forests and both series are set firmly in just that. Like I mentioned earlier, I have issues with both authors’ writing, though I still feel that it is more acceptable in Harry Potter than Twilight. Interestingly, there is no character in either novel that I really see myself in, which is rare; I like plenty of them, I just don’t relate to anyone in full.

With author Stephanie Meyer’s Mormon beliefs and personal morals obviously creating these characters, it isn’t exactly an easy case of separating art from artist. Twilight is an entertaining read for all its flaws and its too far gone to ‘cancel’ now- although I suppose it has probably been cancelled numerous times anyway?- but it isn’t too late for readers to educate themselves on its problems to prevent Meyer-level ignorance where possible. Harry Potter, on the other hand, doesn’t have the same ties to the writer that Twilight does. Most of Rowling’s problematic behaviour came well after the books were written, but I’ll link one article here that discusses how some transgender fans have responded to Rowling’s actions. For some people, the controversy has affected their abilities to love the franchise anymore; others have chosen to separate the content from author, akin to many Twilight fans.

Personally, if religion hadn’t interfered with my ability to read Harry Potter as a child, I maintain that I would have loved it, especially as I enjoy the films now. Just as with Twilight, I typically find it easy to enjoy stories while understanding their flaws. There is a keen amount of nostalgia surrounding both these franchises and likely always will be, but there are newer stories with real representation being released all the time, and the ideal outcome for me would be working towards popularising these series over wasting our time arguing over already-published novels!

[noprepracing]

In the world of drag racing, you’d be hard pressed to find a current stage with more momentum surrounding it than no prep. With the speed, sound, drama, and variety of cars, it truly is a sensory sport to the extreme. And nowhere is all of that on display more than the hit TV show Street Outlaws: No Prep Kings. Combining huge payouts, larger than life personalities, endless story lines and controversy, the Street Outlaws spin off series has reinvigorated a passion for the sport and brought it back into the mainstream. But what all goes on when the cameras are off, when the spectator gates are closed, and nobody is watching the drivers’ every move? Exactly how much effort is put in by each team for just a two-hour episode? I went in search of these answers, traveling with driver Robin Roberts and his team for the season 3 finale in Ennis, Texas. I wanted a behind-the-scenes look into the world of Discovery Channel’s reality series. And in doing so, I quickly learned that while it may seem like all glitz and glamour on television, the reality is much different. As Roberts says, “If people knew everything that we have to do to come race, nobody would wanna do it.”

Part 1: Preparation It’s 3:40 a.m. on Wednesday morning, and my alarm is ringing. Filming doesn’t begin for another two days, but we have to be on the road by six, and I’ve got an hour drive ahead of me before I join the team just north of Kansas City. When I arrive at the shop, there are three crew members already pulling the rig out. I load up my bags, and we’re on the road five minutes early. Already running low on sleep and high on caffeine, we trek south across the endless plains of Kansas. We cross into Oklahoma at 9:55, and stop for fuel a little while later in Oklahoma City. We’re in the heart of 405 country, but it’s doubtful many of them are currently here. Like us, they’re already on their way to Texas. We are greeted in the Lone Star State soon after with road construction and heavy traffic. At 4:00, exactly ten hours after leaving the shop, we arrive at Xtreme Raceway Park in Ferris, Texas. Robin is already at the track when we pull in. The Chairman and CEO of Central Power Systems & Services, he has had business meetings in Dallas for the past two days. The plan for this evening is a late night of private Team 405 testing in preparation for the main event this weekend. Ryan Martin, Jeff Lutz, and Chris Poncia are already here. We’ll soon be joined by the likes of Big Chief, Murder Nova, Daddy Dave, Monza, Dominator, and Chuck 55. Although he lives outside Kansas City, Robin has been friends with Ryan and Chief for many years, and has agreed to be a part of their group for this season. The team unloads the 1968 Firebird, named High Voltage, in preparation for our first pass of the evening. The car features top of the line equipment from front to back. Sitting on a chassis built by Terry Murphy, High Voltage is powered by a ProLine 481x motor with twin 98 mm turbos. The transmission and converter are from Mark Micke at M&M Transmission. It has a Visner billet intake and throttle body controlled by a FuelTech FT600, twin billet Atomizer 700’s, a Quick Performance billet 3rd member, and QuarterMax shocks and struts. No expense has been spared in creating an elite no prep car. It’s here where I learn that the work on the Firebird has actually been going on for weeks. After returning home from the previous No Prep Kings event in Florida, the crew has to change the rods, and then find numerous broken gears that are typically difficult to replace. A call to Quick Performance and an emergency trip to their shop in Iowa ensue, and it appears everything is back in order. Then two days before we’re set to leave, there’s more bad news. “Ryan [Martin] called me Monday night about seven and asked me if I had the motor all back together,” says crew chief Allen Bruflodt. “I said, ‘Yeah, it’s all back together, it’s ready to go.’ He said, ‘Well, you need to go look at the heads.’ The set that were on his motor were cracked, and it was a brand new fresh engine from ProLine. So they called ProLine and told them what they found. ProLine started looking at the heads, and every single cylinder head that ProLine had on the shelf was cracked. So me and my boy jump in the truck, run over to Robin’s, pull the top of the intake off, start looking, and sure as shit, it’s cracked.” Allen says the crack is on the #3 cylinder intake runner, where a stud runs through. Short on time and options, he used thread sealer on the stud and put it all back together. For the time being, it was fixed, and when he fired it up that night, it ran better than it did before. Allen’s hope is that it stays that way through tonight’s testing, and for the finale. “We’re gonna run it tonight and keep an eye on it,” Bruflodt says. “I brought a bore scope with me, so we can see if that crack is getting bigger. If it does get bigger, tomorrow we’ll have a set of heads delivered to Ennis. If we feel like it’s going to be an issue before the race, tomorrow night we’ll put a new set of heads on it.” Even with all the work put in before leaving home, the team cannot simply unload the car and make a pass. It immediately goes up on the Pro Jacks, and the front clip is removed. The team looks carefully over the entire car, checking for anything that might have moved or come loose on the long drive down. The wheelie bars are attached. They fire up the car and spool the turbos, building a little heat in the transmission and torque converter. Finally, while it cools off, they do a final check on everything, add fuel, and check tire pressure. The hood and front clip go back on, the push bar and golf cart are attached, and we’re ready to make a pass.

Part 2: Testing Ryan Martin is the first driver to make a test pass, then it’s our turn. After a quick last-second check of the tire pressure, Robin starts the car and pulls forward. ProLine tuning expert Jamie Miller is on the property, and he helps Allen line the Firebird up. The first test pass is only going to be to half-track, and Robin makes a very solid hit to the 330. Testing is officially off to a good start. Back in the pits, crew member Jeremy Raney begins adjusting the valve springs while Allen looks over the data from the run. Bags of ice are dumped into the transmission cooler, and fans are placed atop the engine in an effort to cool the car down. One of the nice things about testing is there is no schedule to follow. The crew can stop at any time to go watch the rest of Team 405 make their test passes, then come back and continue working. Optimistic after a good first hit, we head back for pass number two. Unfortunately, as happens so often in this sport, things don’t go as planned. After the burnout, it quickly becomes clear that something isn’t quite right, and the pass is nowhere close to what they’re looking for. They find out a nut has come off the line lock, preventing Robin from making a clean run. It’s nothing major, however, and everyone quickly gets ready for another try. It’s dark by the time we pull up for our third pass, and the warm Texas weather has cooled off considerably. Conditions are ideal for this run, and Robin makes the most of it. Watching from the starting line, we can all tell he’s absolutely flying, but it’s not until Allen receives the time slip from the tower that we understand just how quick it was. It’s a new personal best elapsed time for Robin, and while I’m not at liberty to divulge what it was, I can say with certainty that fans would be in shock. We’re all abuzz as we drive the golf cart down to the end of the track to greet our driver. Robin is out of the car, grinning already, knowing we were coming with good news. Allen hands him the slip, and it’s hugs and fist bumps all around. We know this is a car that can win the event. “The neat part is, once you’ve made some fast passes, and you get comfortable in the car, you can tell what a fast pass is,” says Roberts. “For me, I know that car is fast when I feel it dangling the front tires to the 1/8. And in that pass, it dangled ‘em the whole way. I just knew it was going to be a good run, and the time slip bore that out.” Spirits are high as the crew cools the car off and goes over everything again. The plan is to turn it up even more on the next pass. But as Robin warned me earlier, drag racing is like a roller coaster, where highs and lows are a normal experience. We’d already seen that occur earlier this evening, and it was a trend that would continue. As Robin prepares for his fourth pass, it is apparent once again that something isn’t right. This time the issues are two-fold: the trans-brake isn’t working correctly, blowing a fuse in the process; and a setting was accidentally changed on the dump valve. Robin shuts the car off, and we push it back to the pits. The joy from the previous run is gone, and the team is all business as they search for the source of these problems before making our final run of the night. In four passes, we’d experienced two exceptional runs and two mechanical failures. So it’s no surprise when the fifth and final pass offers a bit of both. As Robin attempts to stage, the car still won’t bump in. He gently rolls the car in and lights both bulbs, then begins to build boost as the light turns green. It’s a good, straight pass, one that will win a lot of races. But the staging issue negates all that, and it’s a problem that must be fixed before race day. Robin knows it’s imperative that the team stay focused, and not get caught up in the emotional roller coaster. “What I’ve learned in business is, you’ve gotta get your people’s mind right around you,” Roberts says. “When you do great, you can’t let that get in your head. And when you do awful, you can’t let it hold you back. You’ve gotta get over it quickly, and move on. That’s what I’ve tried to drive into our entire crew. You can’t allow yourself to get caught up in the moment of euphoria, and you can’t allow yourself to get down when you’re trying to keep moving forward.” It’s been a long day, and at two in the morning, we all finally have a moment to stop and eat. Robert Brown, a friend of one of the crew members, has graciously driven all the way from Arizona and offered to feed us this weekend. The aroma of spaghetti and three-meat sauce brings other teams like Murder Nova, Monza, and Dominator over to share in the meal. It’s a great way to end a night that was full of ups and downs. While the rest of the crew stays at the track, Robin, Jeremy and I head to our hotel. It’s nearly 4 a.m. when we arrive, and the front desk has marked us down as a no-show. Thankfully, the attendant gets us set up with rooms again, and because it’s so late, doesn’t charge us for the first night. After some quick showers, we get to bed at 4:30. We’ve been up for 25 hours straight, and it’s only day one.

The post Behind the Visor with Robin Roberts and Team High Voltage Part 1 appeared first on No Prep Racing NoPrep.com.

[prue632bloog-blog]

3 Errors In COMPETITION That Make People Seem Stupid

The Major Gaming Blogs Of 2015 Castaliahouse.com

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The journey to becoming a Guru is an fascinating roller coaster of social emotions. Folks get quite attached to their board games, and acquiring to the final stage of acquiring rid of games is not a step that everybody takes. What everyone can agree on, nonetheless, is that modern day board gaming is exciting, and a wonderful excuse to get some close friends with each other.

I've locked the workplace doors and sealed the blinds I fear for my life from the explosive controversy that surrounds writing about this topic. But before both the ‘PC master race' and console gamers publicly execute me, let me make a single factor clear: I never think that Computer gaming is greater than console gaming, rather that when you convert to gaming on a Computer that you've developed to suit your gaming preferences, a console becomes extra of a standard platform with its own niche benefits and disadvantages.

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3 Ways To Have (A) More Influence GAMING

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[ionecoffman]

Why the Mean-Girl Era of Fashion Branding Failed

When Victoria’s Secret deigns to speak at all, it speaks in a British accent. The lingerie store, the largest division of the retail giant L Brands, is based in Ohio, but in its commercials and videos, an unseen woman’s voice always speaks the Queen’s as models pose in incongruous settings, strutting in thigh-highs and silk robes through Roman ruins or a remote Colorado ranch.

Victoria’s Secret doesn’t say much of anything out loud, though, which is sort of the point. It looms instead of verbalizes. The models are seen but not heard in most of their official duties, performing a silent, stylized perfection so invariable that it’s hard to interpret as anything other than a judgment: This is the way to look. We shouldn’t have to elaborate.

Similarly stereotypical ideals have long been found not just in advertising, but in commerce at large: For most of American consumer history, makeup brands made few dark shades and most clothing brands didn’t make any adjustments in their designs for different body sizes, gender presentations, or disabilities, among other things. Hemmed in by limited mall options, women had little choice but to make their best effort to work within whatever physical standards brands set, and brands were free to be as strict with their expectations as they wanted to be.

The internet, and particularly social media, has changed that. Suddenly, the hierarchy of who speaks and whom is spoken to in the brand-consumer relationship has shifted beneath the feet of corporate behemoths like L Brands, and now frustrated women can launch negative mainstream press cycles on their own. For generations, clothing and personal-care marketing could dictate how American women should look without any pretense of kindness. Now, faced with the unfiltered reactions of their customers for the first time, most of those same brands have decided to make nice. Where there was once profit in making women feel worse, the money now is in promising them a way to feel better.

Victoria’s Secret took the old strategy to its logical extreme. It made superstars out of an army of wing-clad Angels, all perfectly thin, busty, and long-legged in the same impossible way. For years, Victoria’s Secret has been the brand equivalent of the stereotypical cool-girls table in a high-school cafeteria: hot and unfriendly and definitely not interested in bolstering your self-worth. And like a teen movie, the less popular brands took as many cues as possible from the queen bee.

Victoria’s Secret is still doing things much like it did in the 2000s, and the approach is showing its age. Last month, its CEO, Jan Singer, resigned. The company also announced it was reducing its annual dividend by 50 percent, and L Brands stock has lost more than half its value from its peak in early 2016. The brand has also weathered a series of public controversies over the past few years, including those centered around the use of white models wearing traditional indigenous headdresses to sell lingerie, its ad campaign about the  “perfect body,” and executives’ offensive comments about women who don’t fit the brand’s aesthetic ideal.

Victoria’s Secret’s narrow vision of femininity is certainly part of its problem, as are the decline of American malls and the burgeoning popularity of online competitors like Rihanna’s Savage X Fenty and ThirdLove. But lots of people still think the brand’s look is sexy and aspirational and many still want to try on bras in person. The bigger problem for the brand might be that now, companies clamor to be women’s friends. They post memes on Instagram, they expand their size ranges ever so slightly, they associate themselves with a more comfortable, livable idea of beauty. That so many of Victoria Secret’s direct and indirect competitors have abandoned the tone they cribbed from the company makes its unfriendliness is all the more legible. Victoria’s Secret is among the last of the mean girls.

The most recent spate of negative attention for the company came after interview that Victoria’s Secret’s longtime chief marketing officer Ed Razek and the executive vice president for public relations, Monica Mitro, gave to Vogue magazine. When asked about those who press Victoria’s Secret on body diversity, Razek said, “It’s like, why doesn’t your show do this? Shouldn’t you have transsexuals in the show? No. No, I don’t think we should. Well, why not? Because the show is a fantasy.” As recently as a few years ago, those remarks probably wouldn’t have made it into mainstream news cycles for a variety of reasons, not least of which because for most of modern consumer history, it was perfectly fine for brands to declare their intent to serve only a certain subset of women they had deemed arbitrarily superior.

The traditional retail brands that have weathered this shift with the most success, like American Eagle’s Aerie, have acclimated to the new reality by embracing some form of marketing-focused body positivity. Lingerie brands now celebrate cellulite in their ads, and clothing brands now cast plus-size models, whether or not they make clothing for larger shoppers. Marketers go to great lengths to get people to associate a brand with an opportunity to feel better, as an antidote to years of brands (and often, that very same brand) trying to make them feel bad. The approach at least feels fresher than what came before it, and unfortunately for Victoria’s Secret, sparking at least a little bit of self-loathing has long been an element of its public image, even if the brand itself doesn’t see it that way.

Which isn’t to say that the marketing of today is any less manipulative than the marketing of 10 years ago. It’s just different, because many of the people in charge of selling things realized women wanted them to do it differently. Corporate body positivity is gallingly empty and passive-aggressive. I don’t necessarily find Victoria’s Secret’s refusal to make bras that fit my plus-size body any more offensive than other brands’ mealy-mouthed excuses about why they just can’t make pants in my size, even if they’re packaged with assurances that they value me as a human. Politeness isn’t progress.

To retain its place atop the industry in the long term, Victoria’s Secret might have to change its tone. With a new CEO arriving in 2019, it’s certainly possible it will. When reached for comment, the brand referred me to its November earnings call, in which it promised to reconnect with customers “by traveling, spending more time in stores and getting to know [them] like we’d know our best friend.” Still, even though it’s popular right now, a corporation that wants to be your friend can be just as dangerous as one that wants to be an arbiter of your sexual worth, no matter the accent with which it speaks to you.

Article source here:The Atlantic