#i can't believe i actually got this shit done in time for christmas

[undreaming-fanfiction]

Eddie hated this and he'd just started.

See, he was so proud when he made it, when he got his first office job. He saw what decades of physical labor did to Wayne's back, his hands, and he wanted to make his uncle proud. So he kept applying and applying and getting ignored and rejected and finally, finally he got a job in a pretty large corporate. Not exactly something prestigious, but hey, it had potential. The experience counted and all that.

He thought maybe workplaces would be different, that the good ol' high school dynamic would fuck off, but no. He was sitting at his desk, trying to fill in paperwork after a taxing phone call, but all he could focus on was whispering from the neighboring cubicle that was ostentatiously loud. He didn't know who sat there yet, the guy had been on vacation for the two weeks Eddie was in the company. From the stuff he was hearing, he was getting introduced anyway and not exactly the way he'd have liked to be.

"Can you believe they actually let him work here?" It was Carol, of course it was, the office gossip and mean girl knockoff. "I mean, he doesn't even look decent! Did you see that hair?" Okay, that hurt. He actually pulled his hair into a neat bun every morning, but you can't please some people. "And he has tattoos, what would our customers think if they actually met him, plus you should have heard the rumors about his past-!"

But just as he was about to slam down the pile of paperwork and either take an extended smoke break or gently ask Carol to go fuck a polar bear, he heard another voice. Bored and wonderfully bitchy.

"That's absolutely fascinating, Carol. Please tell me more, what could this guy possibly have done? It must be something juicy. Did he perhaps fuck his boss during the Christmas party and then lie about it to his boyfriend of five years? Oh wait no. That was you. Silly me."

Eddie had to bite his pencil to stay quiet, but his whole chest hurt by trying to keep the snickering in. And then the offended gasp. "I- you promised you wouldn't-!"

"I didn't promise shit, Carol. You just came to me, cried your eyes out - bad move by the way, invest in some waterproof mascara for god's sake, mascara in wrinkles doesn't good on anyone, and yes, you do have wrinkles - and tried to play the victim. Except I heard your small proposition to the guy before so it didn't really work out. But it's fine, you know," and oooh, the tone was smug, so bored, Eddie loved this guy already, "Tommy saw you as well and had a good time with Nicole to get even. So there's nothing to worry about. Now tell me, what did this horrible Eddie Munson do to summon wrath of such a righteous woman such as yourself?"

Eddie heard a sharp sound as Carol got up from the desk. "Fuck you, Steve Harrington," she spat out and sped past Eddie's seat. He just gave her a small salute.

When the sound of high heels faded, Eddie leaned over the cubicle wall and knocked to draw the guy's attention. And yeah, maybe he was a little bit biased because he'd just obliterated a textbook definition of a shrew, but this Steve was fucking gorgeous, light brown eyes looking at him, a smug smirk tugging at his lips.

"Oh hi," said Steve and offered his hand, shaking Eddie's. "Sorry for that. I'm Steve Harrington and whatever deepest, darkest secrets you're hiding, I don't care, I'm pretty sure I've heard them all. What did you do? Shave your head in school? Join a cult? Cut dolls apart and chant hail Satan?"

That had Eddie laughing again, but he still had an introduction to make. A proper one. "Nice to meet you, Steve. Eddie Munson, and I'm worse than your darkest nightmares. I sometimes wear socks in sandals."

Steve's eyebrow twitched. "Oh, Carol was right, you are a monster!" he muttered. "Speaking of monsters..." His head leaned to the side, towards Carol who was angrily carrying her coffee mug, her mascara running again.

Before he could catch himself, Eddie leaned over the wall and whispered as loudly as he could muster. "Can you believe some people wear dotted dresses with stripes on their stockings? We can't all be born with taste, I guess...tragic."

And again, maybe Eddie was just biased, but Steve's laughter was so pretty that it actually made dealing with Carol's bullshit worth it.

[dcxdpdabbles]

Hello ❤️

Can you please write something about Jason x Danny? Maybe something about Jason having a crush on this new guy (maybe Danny works in a library or helping people as a nurse) and just falling cause Danny is sincerely nice and isn't afraid of his Lazarus's rage

Jason first notices the new face volunteering at the soup kitchen when the guy hand-makes flour tortillas for the beans. Just like his mom used to make, alongside Mrs. Huerea before she got into drugs.

It's been years since he last had some, not because Alfred refuses to make it but because the butler never has the time.

It's usually a treat for Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah, or his birthday. Sometimes if Jason is lucky, there is another important holiday for the many members of Wayne Manor, and there is time for Alfred to get them done. He can have them more.

But mostly, Alfred had them store-bought.

That's why he wanders to the other man's line, mouth already watering as the volunteer piles smashed beans with cheese and tortillas onto plates. A name tag has a simple "Danny" on top of a white NASA shirt coupled with slightly baggy pants is the whole outfit of the stranger - odd in Gotham's winter time.

He offers Jason a smile, then, with a wink, places two more fresh tortillas on his plate.

Before he can say anything, Danny pushes the plate toward him. "I can tell you're a man who appreciates fine food. Take them. I can always make more. "

He jerks a thumb to the back, where a press awaits use. It looks just like Mrs. Huerea's iron-clad tool that, for a second, he's six again, early happy the women preparing for Christmas.

When his mother was sober, the Huereas had always opened their home to them. The elderly couple had always felt like grandparents to him.

"Thanks," He says around a forming grin. It matches Danny's.

Jason accepts the food with an excited thrill; for once, the memories of his mother are not so bitter and ruined. He moves out of the way for the next person, making a mental note to tell his men to ensure Danny gets home safely after his shift. It would be in his employee's way.

He does this often, assigning some Red Hood boys to make sure no one bothers any of the volunteers. Jason knows he can't get rid of all crime, not like Bruce believes, but he can at least protect those trying to make this place less of a shit hole.

He sits, savoring the flavor with great appreciation. He's got time to relax a little.

One of his Lieutenant is in the back, speaking to the director of the Soup Kitchen. This is one of Jason's protected areas, but to make sure people know it's not to be taken lightly, the Red Hood gang does require protection money.

He doesn't ask a lot but Jason knows that any place that doesn't have protection money is a bigger target. Of course he also here pretending to be hungry just to make sure the place is actually doing what they promised to do and feed people.

When Jason first took over, this particular place had been known to only give out half of the money they donated in food. The rest was going into the old director's pocket. When he caught wind of the senior director often refusing kids just to save money to steal, Jason quickly fed him to the fish.

His Lieutenant, Rogers, would not be able to recognize him. Jason was eating without a mask. What better disguise than his own dead face? Much less the other people in the soup kitchen.

Although he was meant to observe his surroundings for any funny business, Jason glued his eyes on Danny the entire time. It seemed the man had an easy smile for everyone and a calming personality that seemed to put even the most hostile at ease.

Snow. Jason thinks while watching Danny make more tortillas while chatting with a street kid until the young girl feels she could make one. He lets her round the table easily, showing her how to press down on the metal lever with the same soft ease. He's like pure white snow.

He would not last long in Crime Alley. Nothing pure ever does.

Jason fishes his food, unable to look away from what he knows would be a broken man in only a few weeks.

He leaves just as Rogers returns to the front clutching a brown bag. It looks like he didn't need to worry about the upkeeping of this place. He needs to check on the other kitchens in his territory before the day is out.

After three other Kitchens, Jason is satisfied that he's secured two. He must send Rogers to the last one because a few girls seemed uncomfortable with the leering crew. He'll have the creeps removed by this Friday.

He's swinging around as Red Hood on his normal patrol when he catches sight of Danny again. It's close to two in the morning, so he's surprised to see the other man cheerfully strolling about without any signs of exhaust.

He's also not wearing warm clothing despite the snow slowly falling around them. The only difference between what he was wearing earlier is the large black backpack. Jason half wonders if Danny only has nothing else to wear until the man pauses at an alley entry.

He crouches down, unzipping his bag, before pulling out a plastic-wrapped package. Jason watches him cautiously walk into the alley, following on the roofs out of curiosity.

His eyes widen when he spots a young boy hiding behind a trash bin, squishing himself against the wall as Danny carefully approaches him.

Jason hadn't seen the kid when he had passed by earlier, likely due to the boy knowing how to hide himself in the shadows. How had Danny seen him?

"Go away!" The boy yells when Danny gets too close for comfort. Jason's hackles rise, pulling out his gun in case he needs to intervene. He remembers the days when the sound of approaching footsteps to his hiding places in the streets meant.

Danny stops just on the other side of the trash bin. He places the package on top of it and backs away quickly. "I don't mean to bother you. But I thought you could use these. Stay warm, and if you need to escape the snowstorm, go to the address in the right pocket."

The boy doesn't answer, and Danny doesn't seem to wait for one. He leaves with quick strides. Jason watches him from the roof, noticing he returns to a slow stroll once he's back on the main street.

Below, the street kid carefully pulls the plastic bag towards him once he knows Danny is gone. He unwraps the bag only to gasp in delight at the jacket, gloves, hat, scarf, and socks inside. He quickly slips them on, burying himself in the small amounts of warmth they offer him.

Jason watches the boy for a few minutes before jumping down. The kid scrambles away until he realizes it's Rood Hood. Everyone knows that he won't harm street kids.

"Hey," He says, noting that the boy's new clothes seem to be made from expensive material, all in black and neon green. "Do you have somewhere warm to sleep tonight? Snowstorm is coming."

"I can handle it." The boy scoffs despite the shivers that wrack his body.

"I know you can. But it's not safe out here" He kneels at the boy's eye level. He seems about twelve, likely new to the streets since he has yet to find proper shelter. Dirty blond hair and dark, weary brown eyes stare back at him as Jason offers. "Let me get you somewhere safe."

"I won't go back to the stupid system."

"Nah, that shit's broken. I got a safe house for you to crash in."

The boy thinks it over. "Just us?"

Jason isn't a mind reader to know what the kid fears. "No. It's full of other people."

It takes a few more minutes, but eventually, he convinces Max to follow him. They travel across Crime Alley to one of the empty warehouses he had turned into an illegal shelter. Inside are various Red Hood gangsters passing out blankets and setting up cots for people from the streets to sleep.

The heaters are on, but a few still refuse to remove their warm clothing- likely in fear of theft or that it proves an extra layer of comfort- as they settle down.

Max thanks him as the boy rushes to a corner that seems to be taken over by children. He doesn't approach the others to speak to, but he looks more comfortable picking a cot close to them. Jason's eyes widen slightly when he realizes that all seven children are wearing some form of the Black and Neon Green outfits Danny had given Max.

Rogers strolls up next to him, nodding his chin at the children. "Some street kids have been saying a man is offering them free supplies. He doesn't ask for anything in return and leaves them alone with they tell him to. His calling card is the little neon green ghost he places on each item. Want me to take a few of our boys and check him out?"

Jason grunts. "No need. I already know who it is. He seems like a non-threat."

Rogers appears flabbergasted for only a few seconds before pulling himself together. "If you say so, boss."

Jason turns to stare at the man, and Rogers raises his hands. "All I'm saying is that it's a little odd how good the guy is at spotting street kids."

"How good is he?"

"It's like he can see in the dark. He might be a meta."

Jason thinks back to Danny walking around in his light clothes like it's the middle of summer instead of winter and finds some weight in the meta-theory. "I'll pay him a visit soon."

Rogers lets the matter drop, even if he is confused by Jason's involvement. Usually, he has some of the newest members of the youngest ones who reckon a personable target- or new recruits.

But something about Danny called out to Jason. He couldn't say it, but the man's snow-like personality eased the Pit Rage in him. Strangely it felt like Danny was the calm winter promising rest to the wounded parts of Jason's soul.

He didn't want to see Danny's pure heart ruined by this city.

Jason wonders if he could keep it safe and if Danny will even give him the chance to try.

He hopes so. Danny has such a lovely smile.

[blazehedgehog]

I WILL CHOKE ON THESE SOUR GRAPES TIL I'M IN MY GRAVE

I left this open in another tab, meaning to watch it like a week ago. It's an official video published and promoted on the Youtube Studio dashboard, about common misconceptions around their recommendation algorithm and what the truths really are. .

And now, finally watching it, that white haired dude, Mr. "Youtube Liason", is the guy who told me the algorithm ignored one of my videos because "maybe it just wasn't very good."

Famously, and something I will never ever shut up about when given the chance to mention it, I put out a video about Jurassic Park games just before Christmas, expecting it to slot in and do decent numbers, just like all of my other videos do. Since Youtube earnings tend to spike around the holidays, this was going to be how I paid for Christmas presents that year. It was something I'd done at least twice before. Instead, the algorithm completely ignored the video because it was outside my usual wheelhouse of Sonic content.

This is shockingly relevant to the very first topic they cover: whether a single "off-topic" video actually matters with regards to how the algorithm sees your channel, and the general answer from the Youtube technician is "No." You don't gotta tell me.

When I put my full weight behind a video, it easily breaks 10k views, even 50k or 200k+ views. Some of my most popular videos have cracked the multi-millions!

So when this dude spells out in plain english that the algorithm effectively ignores one-off videos? Yeah, no shit. I'm living proof of that. Across the first two years, that Jurassic Park video struggled to break even 2000 views. Only by paying out of my own pocket for multiple promotional campaigns and constantly complaining about its lack of performance has it struggled to hit just over 5000 views, some four years later. The algorithm knew it was way outside my regular wheelhouse and treated it like poison.

And this liason clown had the balls to tell me "well maybe the video was just bad, sorry bud" only to, two years later, sit down with this technician that spells out exactly what I was knew was happening and was trying to explain to him.

Except now, of course, it's being spun as a positive: "don't worry, a one-off won't hurt your regular content" as opposed to the "we didn't notify anyone about your one-off and it became stillborn" I experienced.

I have sat down and thought very intently about this Jurassic Park video. Obviously, if I make a stink about its performance, tell people the algorithm made a poor judgment call, I'm going to get patted on the back and comforted that yes, the video is good. Don't worry. The mean old algorithm is just dumb. Right? And Youtube unflinchingly believes in the power of their algorithm as this perfect shining golden standard to drive viewership, the thing that can never, ever be wrong about guys like me.

I appreciate the comfort and support of friends and colleagues and even random strangers who are inherently distrustful of the algorithm. But I also know that feels like an echo chamber.

So then what, do I trust Youtube? Absolutely not. At the end of the day their algorithm still made an unfair judgment call and despite their claims above that any old video can get picked up by the algorithm at any time, my video has never recovered. I've tried more interesting thumbnails, I've spent almost $100 on Google Adsense promotion -- one of which, I should note, was the same week that Jurassic World 3 released, and the other being E3. Both should have been extremely lucrative times to run ads. And I got crickets.

I like the video. I stand by the fact I think I did a good job on it. I remain proud of it. It's as good as any real-effort-content I've put out in the last five years. The echo chamber tells me it's a good video, too, even if I literally can't buy views.

So my only recourse is to sit here and stew in my bitterness towards this algorithm. The shining, ultimate example as to why you should never let a computer make a qualitative judgment call. And I will be frustrated and angry about this until I draw my last breath.

[lonely-soul-02]

2008 interview to promote Stop All The Clocks

All the Liam bits from the article:

Liam doesn't like me," shrugs his older brother. "He confuses love with hate. 'I love you.' No, Liam, I think you'll find you fucking hate me." Sitting in his management's central London HQ, Noel Gallagher recounts a recent disagreement. Oasis are about to release Stop the Clocks, their first retrospective. In the accompanying booklet, the lyrics for each of the 18 songs appear beside an image. The picture Noel chose to go next to Songbird - the only track written by Liam - was a red brick wall. "Because it's a love song about his bird," explains Noel. "And red is the colour of love."

But Liam, who wrote the song for his long-term partner, Nicole Appleton of All Saints, didn't take it that way. "I got a message on my answer machine," sighs Gallagher. "He was like, 'The colour red? Beside the song I wrote about my missus? Who I've got a child with? How fucking dare you!'" Gallagher tells the tale with a mixture of amusement, resignation and disbelief. "He only had to say he'd like to change it. No problem. But instead it descended into personal abuse." Liam's rant continued until the tape ran out. "I listened to it with my missus," says Noel. "She was going, 'You and your kid are actually insane. It's amazing you've managed to get this far.'"

Gallagher readily concedes his brother's earliest songs weren't great. "But you either say, 'That's shit, fuck off,' and he retreats into his shell. Or you go, 'Look, I'm not into it, but if you believe in it, it goes on - but you're taking the flak for it.' Liam used to say in interviews, 'Noel won't let me write.' But back in the 1990s while I was grafting, he was shooting Stella into his arms 'cos he thought it would mainline into his brain quicker. So I was like, 'Well write one, and we'll take it from there.' I'm glad he's done it, because the great ones are great and the shit ones he gets slagged off for. And there's nothing I like more than reading people slagging Liam off." Gallagher cackles.

"The reason he doesn't like me is that I'm indifferent to him," he explains. "I can come off tour, put the bags down and shut the door. Liam can't do that. He wants to carry on. Plus, he insults me and I don't like being around people who insult me."

The brothers don't exchange Christmas or birthday presents and have only seen each other "two or three times" since returning from tour in March. "I just don't need to be in the gang all the time," says Gallagher.

Presumably he has considered the possibility that Liam's insults stem from jealousy; after all, Noel's the older, brighter one, the one who wrote 17 of 18 songs on Stop the Clocks, the one people respect more. "But he's got nothing to be jealous of. Thing is, you say about the 17 songs, but Oasis is dependent on three equal parts. That's him, me and the songs. It's all about that struggle and it wouldn't be Oasis without him. But Liam can't see that. 'Cos when he has a drink, he's got an enemy complex. And a serious inferiority complex. But, y'know, he is my brother. And although I don't like him, I do love him to bits."

Perhaps, I suggest, you should buy him a Christmas present this year. "Yeah, maybe I will," nods Noel, thoughtfully. "I'll get him a fucking straitjacket."

And here's an interview from the same promotional cycle

19:40 for the bits about Liam

Lot of Noel bravado and projection in both interviews. Coldness and indifference form a key part of Noel's armour and defence arsenal. It's interesting that more recently he told Matt Morgan that he wants to be more empathetic, so at least now he seems to be aware that keeping people at a distance isn't sustainable. Worked when he was young and couldn't give two fucks, not such a great tactic when you're 57 and you don't have as much control over your personal circumstances anymore.

N.B in the article Noel is recounting a recent argument with Liam about the songbird picture. "'I love you' No Liam I think you'll find you fucking hate me." Does this mean that in said argument, Liam told Noel that he loved him? Hmm...

[edge-oftheworld]

no but i can't get over how actually well done the last few days were. announce a surprise and not 48 hours later we find out that 1) tour movie, the same thing taylor swift did a few months ago and now everyone wants plus we know it's a show they worked super hard on, 2) it's free, excellent for anyone who couldn't afford to go etc (we've all been there) and out literally right now on a (mostly) free platform (the very same one that they got started on but anyway) and perhaps most notably, 3) it's free with the hopes that you might instead of paying for it donate to gaza, and the links are right there.

like they could've charged us $20 each for the show and sent all their profits there themselves (with the hope that we believe they're being honest that it's 100%, for them of course we would but i know others have lied about similar). but instead they gave us autonomy over our donation just like. encouraged it. like cmon who wouldn't listen when ashton tells us to donate to something if we can? (also did anyone else say so, i'm not the best at keeping up with social media so lmk if there's more of them to give credit to here). anyway we gotta talk about it more. how perfectly this was done: we get a gift!! be it for christmas if you celebrate or just in general, that we expected we'd have to pay for. now we get asked, hey, if you have any money could you send it to these people who Really Need It So Badly if you can? I know not all of you do so we won't stop you from watching the movie if you don't but

also this is a really clever way to show their support for gaza. like they are (deliberately i think) trying not to be leaders in an area that they aren't experts in, and there has been a lot of misinformation around, a lot of misunderstanding, like yes they did stand up for ukraine last year but the media was a lot more black and white for that one (or should i say blue and yellow) but when it comes down to it they're not stupid and they're not fooled by whatever the country they currently live in is pushing and they've actually taken their time to not say shit to save face prematurely but actually do something that's, even if not big or dramatic, gonna be impactful? they've not put themselves out there campaigning for a ceasefire, yes, but they've posted links that are. they've not guilted us into donating but please tell me you're not at least feeling some obligation to. it's simple, it's actionable, it's right there in the caption and takes like 20 seconds. and if any of us in the fandom (global family or whatever they're building) are leading in the ceasefire decolonisation space we have our little encouragement to see that yes, these musicians we love aren't gonna sit there and do nothing. it's not monumental, but it's something.

and tbh i wouldn't be surprised if this was all planned like a week ago in a zoom call between australia and the usa when ryan texted to say that the film was done. like it was in their random spontanous lightheated style. i also think we can learn something from the fact that it's okay to not jump on everything the minute it comes out but actually every lasting impact is a long-haul effort that you've gotta sustain yourself for by doing what you love as well. and also sometimes the right opportunity to do something about what we care about comes and you just take it, don't think too hard, don't wait either if you don't need to, if there is a cause that needs your effort whenever you get an opportunity to give it will always be the right time. hopefully they've set a precedent for something--i have no idea if any artist has done similar but i'm really proud of them.

and that's why i don't get the fact that we've been talking about how horrific this genocide is and then going right to which songs they cut or kept. like i would like a live version of you don't go to parties! but i would like an entire fandom to donate to aid for gaza even more and be thinking about why we need a ceasefire and maybe doing something about it even more. i've been unwell yes and under financial and other stress yes but i'm not starving or freezing to death and so i'll take that L and i won't go home. i won't stop talking about what's important. i'm starting to find my voice again and this has been a big inspiration for it between all the discouragement.

have we not figured it out? they're not just dumbasses sometimes they do something towards a cause we really care about so let's give them credit for that. heck they even filmed bad omens in ukraine in 2022 have we forgotten about that? they don't put themselves out there as influential figures in any way but that's sometimes the best way to humanise the people we care about (and i think honestly they just do this naturally because when you're not chasing clout and you're trained to recognise talent and potential talent in even the worst situations, you'll automatically think like that). it's small in the face of everything going on, yes. so am i! and if i learned anything over the last 24 hours it's that small things can be meaningful. this has been to me and i don't doubt to the recipients of the donations of (i hope) an entire fandom.

(also if you don't mind the tag @littledrummerangie i know you were talking along a similar vein a few weeks back and i'm keen to hear if you want to, if you found this as satisfying as me)

[charmixpower]

Season 5 wrap up. Season 5 and 4 comparison

As you all probably know by now I like s5 more than s4, for pretty obvious reasons if you've read my s4 thoughts

Things season 5 did better than season 4:

Sirenix and Harmonix make more logical sense than Believix. Forms from outside sources have not been done before and having be given by a higher power makes more sense than suddenly forms can be influenced by how much people on a particular planet believe in magic. It makes even more sense once you remember that Earth is in the Magical fucking Dimension and that Earth not having magic is a fluke

No seriously who the fuck discovered Believix in the magical dimension and HOW?

Lack of love and pet and other stupid jobs

The romance drama was less stupid. Like yes it's VERY stupid and I hate it, but Stella being mad because she thought Brandon was insulting her fashion design makes marginally more sense than what ever the fuck was going on with Mitzi. It's like that for all of them except Skloom, like it's marginally less stupid and brain numbing

Musa is snarky again!!!! God bless!!!! And Riven is acting like a natural continuation of his s2 self, extreme stupidity and inability to read social ques and all!! My babies are back!

Completely irrelevant plot central characters did not happen. At least fucking Krystal tried to heal Sky, that more that I can say about Andy's bitch ass

Does Roy count? I can remember like three scenes he was in, he is a minor character

Tritannus has an actual personality and with some minor tweaks could be genuinely compelling, I cannot say the same for the Wizards of no personality

No secondary antagonists that are objectively better than the main ones and make me want to tear my hair out because I want to see more of them, but it does forget that Diana exists during the lilo so there's that

The civilian outfits were better. There still bad but there not s4's civilian outfits sooo

The Selkies are plot relevant unlike some pets I can't be bothered to remember

The tone of the season was FAR more consistent. Like s4 fucking was so childish than nose dived into Nabu's death, but everything in s5 didn't feel like tonal whiplash

Less transformations. Two is still annoying but it's BETTER THAN FUCKING THREE

At least they had to fucking earn the extra transformations and there's no hand out faries

All the girls got something to do in s5, they all at least got one plotline or big moment. Name either of those things for s4 Flora. You can't because they don't exist

Is not still on fucking earth. Yes very earth centered but we get to see a bunch of fun new locations

The girls and specialists do not act like units with hiveminds

Season 5 actually expanded on how magic on earth would look and that's neat

Tritannus's powers are stupid but at least there explained

The relationship between Tritannus and Icy is more believable than anything between the Wizards of the Black circle, I'm so sorry

Actually let's the next form come without shitting on the previous one

Things season 4 did better than season 5:

NO YOU SONS OF BITCHES LET THEM BE ADULTS!!!!

At least s4 had the decency to say Nabu was just sleeping

No fairy on fairy violence :'((, those girlies in the rainbow mantel ep didn't even get to transform

The earth faries were majorly compelling and have a really interesting motivation, none of the s5 villains are like that

Icy has less stage presence than the FUCKING WIZARDS OF THE BLACK CIRCLE THIS IS FUCKING CRIME

Oh dear god why is Diaspro here why is the continuity in FLAMES

Convergence can do anything, part 2, but worst this time

Letting magical women be queens, Nereus < Tressa

The pendant thing is objectively stupider Sky's Andy drama in s4, it's less stupid than Rivusa nonsense in s4 tho

Diaspro was fucking ridiculous tho

I fully believe that s4 would give mutant main characters different character models

Why does s5 have so many filler episodes. The lilo AND a magic Christmas are you kidding me??

Flora's "no don't hurt it!" Thing has gotten so much worse

They literally made Stella a child I'm so furious

There are more completely meaningless side plots

Things they both fucked up on:

THEY MENTION THE ROXY BLOOM PARALLEL FUCKING AGAIN AND STILL DO JACK SHIT WITH IT

More mind control??? Really????? Really???? Are we being serious????

Extremely childish compared to previous seasons

Soft boy Helia

[bklynmusicnerd]

I'm currently fighting a battle against going full "Bah Humbug" to this holiday season, but nevertheless we are going to get into these latest GH Petty Politics results!

This is going to be a long roundup because I did more polls than usual because I weirdly felt bad about how boring these last few weeks of GH have been.

Considering the present state of the show is actually pretty dire thanks to a deeply misguided EP, let's start off with what moratorium you all think GH needs more? The results were actually not close at all as 70.8% of you said:

Violet's random ass song aside, the consensus is clear. The majority are sick of 90% of the dialogue revolving around how the only thing that matters in this world is having babies. Imagine that 😒. To quote my mom, "The songs only last a couple of minutes, those babies take forever to disappear!"

29.2% of you, though, do think all the corny singing is becoming a problem. You signed up for a soap, not Glee.

And along those lines, when asked what you find edgier and more exciting during this holiday season, 84.2% of you said Hallmark Christmas movies officially have more buzz than anything happening on GH right now.

I don't watch Hallmark, so I have no way of verifying this. I made it an option cause I was feeling snarky after that terrible Friday ep, but I suspect this is the truth. From what I'm told, the heroines on those Hallmark movies do sometimes get to discuss things other than babies or when they'll have them, so that's something.

Onto the poll that surprisingly got the most buzz: What do you think of Curtis' ableist Christmas miracle paralysis reversal?

43.2% of you agreed that it is a lazy and offensive conclusion to a poorly done disability story, and that's because it is! Curtis' paralysis was played as a cheap ploy to get quick sympathy for him and in the process promoted the idea that all the lives of the disabled amount to is what they can't do.

Anyways, here's an article on why the "miracle cure" trope is offensive as shit and gross to write in 2023:

38.5% of you could give a shit about Curtis or his terrible storyline and just want to know where Trina's real father, Taggert is? A question that likely won't be answered until next year (but keep hope alive 🥲)

19.2% of you are in an optimistic mood and are open to this story at least having the upside of a potential testing fiasco which clears Trina of these Ashford charges once and for all (again...keep hope alive 🥲).

And a total of 0% of you are happy for Curtis to receive his miracle cure, and honestly...I've never felt prouder looking at a result. There's something really beautiful about us all coming together in the name of having no time for Curtis, I'm tearing up as I type this.

Moving onto the latest Kraze (😉) in GH pairings. I really wanted to know what you guys thought of Kristina and Blaze moving forward at the same time as this surrogacy plot that will not die.

50% of you said that you were too devastated by another pairing already being dragged down by the baby agenda, to put yourself in Blaze's shoes. As a Trina fan, believe me, I get it, and my heart goes out to you guys. The wlw delegation deserved better than this smh

29.2% of you said you would absolutely stay romantically interested in Kristina through her surrogacy story if you were Blaze. Which regardless of how realistic, is actually very sweet and probably exactly what GH will have Blaze do because baby agenda always wins out 😒.

20.8% of you said you'd probably have to dip if you were Blaze cause that's way too much way too soon and I have to say I'm inclined to agree with you guys. I can't imagine starting a relationship with someone who's about to carry a baby but I guess we're going to see what that looks like 🤷🏿‍♀️.

Speaking of "fuck them kids", a certain demon spawn was finally shown the door this week and I wanted your thoughts on Trina's status as a potential accidental homewrecker, and whether or not you gave a shit that Spencer's domestic era is over.

On the Trina homewrecking front:

47.8% of you said, yes, our girl technically qualifies as the cutest accidental homewrecker ever and you think she's a hero for demolishing the Jerry Springer household by simply choosing herself.

39.1% of you think Trina's homewrecking status is irrelevant because Laura's home was simply a training ground for the real home Spencer is already planning in his head with Trina.

And 13% of you, like my mom, think I play too much and that Trina is not a homewrecker and there's nothing funny about the suggestion! And to that I say: 😛

As for Spencer's domestic mourning period (🤢), I'm proud to report that the majority of you (57.9%) have no time for the fake sympathy for Spencer. You can be honest and admit that this story was bad, you're happy this form of it is over and you're hopeful that he can burn the diaper bags and return to dark princedom once again.

26.3% of you do feel bad for Spencer but uh, not enough to mourn this baby nonsense with him.

And 15.8% of you are actually going to miss Spencer the Manny. I can't really relate to such an emotion, but I admire the bravery of being open about your bad taste in storylines.

Setting crybaby Spencer to the side, let's talk about the real Cassadine youth doing real Cassadine things, Charlotte!

In true Cassadine form, Charlotte has the people divided. 34.8% of you agree with Valentin and are proud of Charlotte for her mess. But 34.8% of you also aren't sure about anything except that Anna should have slapped Valentin again (I agree). 30.4% of you are not down with Charlotte's shenanigans and think Valentin is nuts for being this passive.

The people are thoroughly split on Miss Charlotte Cassadine, which means she's doing wonderfully 😘.

Bringing crybaby Spencer back to the front again because it's time to discuss our favorite new pill popper on the canvas, Adam!

I really wanted to know if people were as into the Adam and Spencer friendship idea as @anyathefandom and I and I'm pleased to report the results are hilarious:

54.5% of you think we are nuts for trying to play friendship matchmaker with Spencer and a guy who's about to OD on pills and you know what, that's fair! Maybe our priorities seem a little odd as this kid tweaks about test scores! But we all know the powers of nepotism will save him from anything fatal, so I think some of you need to ease up on the judgment!

36.4% of you are here for the Spencer/Adam friendship idea. You're ready for Spencer to move on from Cali Cam and get a friend that's actually in the same town as him. You also recognize that it's either this or a forced Spencer and Dex friendship, and the lesser evil is pretty obvious here.

9.1% of you have no faith in Spencer's socialization skills and think it's a waste of time to hope he'll get a new friend. You think Spencer will never outgrow his "no new friends" phase, and you might just be right. Depressing but right.

And to save the funniest result for last. No, seriously, I saw this result and immediately lost it.

When asked what do you think will happen first, Adam OD'ing or Dex finally getting a real personality besides sex robot, 100% of you said Adam's inevitable OD is coming before Dex's personality. Because the only thing you guys have less faith in than Spencer's socialization skills, is Dex's character development.

I wanted to save that result for last because that's actually our first unanimous GH Petty Politics result and I love that it was as funny as it was disrespectful ❤️.

And so concludes another round of GH Petty Politics. Once again, you guys are hilarious and your participation is always appreciated!

[vanosslirious]

BBS Dialogue Prompts: #304

BBS Prompts & Sentence Starters: [ 9 ]

VANOSSGAMING

I promise you if you leave me here, I’ll be here when you get back.

I thought you were actually flying.

Oh shit, the circle, I’m so distracted.

How do I shoot?

Wait, is that you?

Everything seems fine right now, nothing out of the ordinary.

Wow, what a coincidence.

How did you lose your car?

You got what you were asking for.

He has fucking guns...again!

Yes, genius, you're a fucking genius!

You’re blocking the door.

I didn’t do that.

We’re currently at 0 out of 5 at what we’re supposed to do.

I’m going to the helicopter.

How do I put you in there?

I dropped you on the floor.

We're doing the plan we said we were going to do.

I thought we were safe.

10% of the time, your ideas work.

TERRORISER

We get this son of a bitch, and then we run away.

Nope, he's running away.

I missed all of my shots.

I'm single, please approach.

Yeah, I'm on it, bitch.

You're so negative around Christmas.

Let's go check out that safe.

Okay, this is definitely not someone from our group.

That marks off a lot of us.

I don't like this man, you're fluent in this fucking game.

Ms. Vixen

Oh God, I'm falling, oh shit.

What the fuck, I'm not!

What do we need to buy, guys, what do we need?

That was really loud, that was very high pitched, I'm impressed, babe.

What the fuck, you guys fucking suck!

How are you not dead, he literally just walked right up to you.

He's dead, thank fuck.

He's back again, oh God, oh God.

I'm dead, I love you!

Do you see what I'm working with?

SILENTDROIDD

We should be fine around here.

I’m pretty good with my hands.

Oh, we're stranded!

Somebody sneezed.

Should we take them to the hospital?

What do you mean, it's pretty scary.

Somebody sneezed again.

Guys, the door is locked.

Hey, ghost, are you here?

This might be a trap, she could be possessed.

SMII7Y

Where’s the heart?

Is he bleeding?

I’m pretty proud of us for taking this long to make that mistake.

No, I was going to cut his head off!

Aren’t we all nearly thirty?

Don’t push me towards him, bro.

You’re fucking done.

Why are we so mean to each other?

What the fuck did you just do, do it again!

I have no other friends, my friends.

GRIZZY

Have you ever thought about just getting off?

I'm stuck on top of you.

I'm so scared.

I really hope they don't check this.

We survived and still got bodied.

They are frozen.

I'm going to destroy things close to us.

Is this small enough?

I'm about to go to war with some bitches!

I think dad's on the motor again.

BLARG

Have you tried eating a live bear?

The bears aren't keen on being eaten…live.

I'm thinking fifty more days.

It looked like it just laid an egg.

I got bonked in the head by a fucking semi-truck.

What a beautiful day to sit inside to play this shit fucking video game.

Not everyone at once.

Hey, boys, can we step it up here.

I don't care who you are, you're not winning here.

Oh God, I thought I was gonna throw up.

BIGPUFFER

Try smoking now, bitch, see what happens.

I can't believe I'm alive.

You deserve that, bitch.

I'm definitely going to make it.

This is awful.

I just heard a shotgun.

They just ran past us twice, did you not see them?

Did you guys get his ectoplasm?

I'm back, baby!

It's very obvious where we are.

NOGLA

It's not my fault I'm so smart.

You guys used to be cool.

Alright, fuck it.

I'm controlling it with my feet.

You’ll never get me.

This is the idea, are you serious?

Why are you suddenly turning on me, what the fuck happened?

You are one cheating son of a bitch.

You crashed my game.

I heard that thud, bro.

[spiteless-xo]

Hiiiii, Tiff. I'm new here on your Tumblr and I don't have an ao3 account so this is my first time commenting, even though I've been following tbaw since april (?) I think. Anyways, I got my Tumblr account back just to follow you haha.

Giiiiiirl were do I start. So first of all tbaw is the only story I religiously follow and never forget about and every fucking tuesday is like Christmas to me istg. Even back in june-july when I was busy with my uni thesis and was slowly dying lol I kept reading every chapter and it was such a joy to be able to relax and take a break and escape in the fantasy. And now check the new chapters at work. Guilty 😅

Also, apparently you also wrote that Eren camping smut fic, omfggggg it's so good, easily one of my top fave Eren oneshots.

The way you write dialogues??? Fucking amazing. The interaction between the characters... I literally get lost in that reality and feel every single one of the characters. They are so humane. The tension, the attraction, the love, the hatred, everything feels so real when your characters interact. It's astonishing.

Now, I was team Eren from the start (yes, I am an Eren girl lol), I wasn't opposed to Jean, he is my second favorite from aot, but! Eren was so fucking charming in this fic, I just couldn't get into Jean I'm sorry. He gives mixed signals and we don't approve those in my house fiehdhdj. But Eren was perfect in every fucking way, which was suspicious and now we know the truth sadly.

I can't believe that after the big reveal so many people were shitting on Eren and they switched sides lololol. Like it was kinda obvious tbh. Well not obvious, but expected.

Idc what other people think, but I do believe Eren wants to change and will do that.

Now! As for the reader. Ofc she can't forgive him that easily, I wouldn't. And I do believe they both should work on themselves first and then they could develop a healthy relationship. It would only feel fair for the reader to see Eren really change. And I still want him to be endgame.

Honestly I'm just biased cause I love him lmao, he looks like my bf 💀 objectively, reader should seek her own path, Jean and Eren should figure their shit and forgive each other and be friends again. And then we can see a healthy relationship develop with one of them and a strong friendship with the other. I just see Eren as the best fit because they have really good chemistry. Idk tho, I said I'm biased. He was so cute in the last chapter with the date I was cryiiinnnggggg. 😭 Literally a cute lil cinnamon roll djdkdhekd

Well these are my thoughts I guess?? I'm sorry this is so long but tbaw gets me so excited I really love that and I wanted to give you some appreciation. 💕

omg, hello!! 🥰💗

i can't believe you've been following along since April!!! ahhhh!!! i think i've said this before but it's so crazy to me that some of you have been following along for so long 🥺 ty for your commitment i love it 💗

thank you so much!! i put a lot of importance in the dialogue because it can say a lot more than just what the characters are saying.... if that makes sense lol like what they choose to reveal vs. what they keep to themselves adds an extra element to dialogue aside from the actual words they're saying idk idk but i'm glad you like my dialogue 😭😭

i think some people, like reader, are quite taken aback by the reality of what eren's done. it's easy to forgive him when you're only told vague details and you see him act cute, but seeing this "darker" side of him come out (even though characters have been warning us about this almost the entire story) is really jarring and it affects some people more than others.

damn, you're lucky to have an eren all to yourself!! hopefully he doesn't treat you like groupchat!eren 💀💀

thank you again so much for such a lovely message and i'm so so so happy that you're enjoying the story!! thank you for sharing your thoughts and i hope you continue to enjoy it and have fun with the rest of us as the story progresses 🥰 only 10 weeks to go!

[golbrocklovely]

I'm truly sorry for sending an ask about seg. I didnt think about any possible stress you may be under especially since you've mentioned you work retail and it's getting to be that hectic time of year. How do you like to destress when it gets to be too much? Do you have any stories about the absolute best/worst customer you've had to deal with? Does the holiday music lift you while working or drive you nuts? Favorite holiday song?

hey you're fine. i'm not upset at any of the anons that sent in asks about the SEG situation. i get it, yall want to talk about it and inform me. i appreciate it. i just had a stressful day and tbh i just don't care about this subject. seeing snc get needless hate over something that was dealt with is just deeply annoying. not to mention bc nothing is gonna happen until after thanksgiving, i would rather we all just wait to hear what gets said until then or straight up ignore SEG than give him more clout.

so, for all the years i've worked in retail, which now is 5... omg ew, i've actually never worked a black friday. first year my dad passed away, and then the past three year i've done overnights so i'm not around customers at all. this is my first time around customers this year, bc i just couldn't do overnights, and honestly... it's not that bad. it's not great, but it's mostly the store i'm working at that's upsetting me rather than the customers, which somehow is always the case anymore lol

i plan to leave as soon as i can. i can't stand the place i'm working in anymore. i pray i don't have to keep working in retail, but we shall see.

how do i like to destress? nap. like i fucking LOVE napping. i think i also have to nap more now bc i don't really drink caffeine anymore. i'll have an occasional soda or ice tea once in a while, but otherwise it's just straight water for me. so i usually just come home and nap. then when i wake up i'll either dance or sing to some emo music (got me like a 14 hour playlist of all my favorite songs) or i'll just watch some youtube vids.

i haven't had too many bad customers, thank god, but the one that always stuck out to me was during the holiday season the first year i work at my current store. so while i haven't worked really any black fridays, i have worked the lead up to christmas multiple times and i swear, i think ppl forget christmas is when it is with the way ppl coming in like the 23 of december buying all the random shit we have left.

so, i was up at the registers, and we have only self check out. i'm assisting ppl when i can and directing the line bc it's basically to the back of the store almost. the thing is, to literally come into the store, you have to pass the registers. so this shouldn't be a surprise to anyone that it's self checkout only. but these two women are next in line and i direct one to an open register. she immediately says "what, i have to do it myself?" i'm not in a good mood bc there is just too many ppl around (and this was pre-pandemic) and i was like "yes ma'am, you have to."

my thing was always if you ask me nicely to help you, i gladly will. but being a bitch to me will basically get you no help whatsoever.

she starts to scan her items, and scans one too many times. she starts yelling "oh my god, i don't know how to do this, i double scanned" loudly, i come over, clear off the extra item and then direct her friend to the next register, which is coincidentally was the one next to her.

the main lady goes back and forth with her friend, saying and cursing "i can't believe i have to fucking do this myself, i don't like this, why the fuck can't they help us." mind you, i work in basically a kid's store. there are plenty of children around. there is no need to be cursing that much, and i say that as someone who does curse a lot.

finally she finishes up and for some reason the register spit out her change really fast so her coins fell on the floor. she picks up one of the coins turns to me, and basically throws it at me and snidely remarks "here you go, since you clearly need it"

i about swung on her, but she's lucky i didn't.

that was really one of the very few times i ever had a bad customer. as for good ones, i think for the most part most of the customers i interact with are either normal or pretty nice. i did one time have to explain to a man what bluetooth was, which is great bc i know so much about it….. and then he told my manager i did an excellent job helping him understand. so that was nice :)

as for the holiday music…. it's 50/50 depending on my mood. sometimes it's not too bad, sometimes it's annoying. bc we play random pop songs (that most of you have probably never heard of) in between the christmas songs. so for every one pop song, we get two to three christmas songs. and we only just recently started getting mariah carey and actual well know christmas songs to play in the store. before, it was like random covers of popular songs, which is very strange to me but whatever lol

and my favorite holiday song… i'm actually gonna list my favorite christmas songs bc i think i have the weirdest taste in them lol

christmas don't be late by alvin and the chipmunks

santa baby by eartha kitt

last christmas by the glee cast

baby it's cold outside by the glee cast

feliz navidad by josé feliciano

obviously mariah carey and michael buble are the top ppl for christmas music. but genuinely… i love these songs more.

a lot of christmas songs make me sad now since my father passed, especially 'i'll be home for christmas'. so sometimes it's a bit hard to listen to christmas music. but i usually hold off on listening to until like the 23rd lol

[brokenfoxproductions]

So, I couldn't sleep last night because of stress, so I decided to actually write down a list of illegal or fucked up things that I've witnessed or been subjected to by the person I live with that could probably get her arrested.

She has a 15 year old son. He's underweight and looks about 12 because he never really eats other than a bowl of cereal a day (sometimes every other). He was hospitalized at 14 for homicidal and suicidal ideation, and his mom responded by pulling him from school, enrolling him in cyber school, and doing all of the work for him while he sits in his room all day playing video games. She also bought him two guns, a shotgun and a handgun, since his hospital stay for suicidal and homicidal ideation. She lets him drive the family SUV. And she provides him with weed, Xanax, and Prozac in large amounts. He's not allowed to go outside and play with friends, and his mom made sure he has no friends. She also brags about making him sleep in her bed every night until he was in elementary school because it made him develop an extreme unhealthy attachment towards her that I can beat describe as an Oedipus complex.

Her stepson beat the shit out of his 4 year old daughter and tried to murder his wife via strangulation in front of their three kids after their youngest's first birthday party, a few weeks ago. The person I'm living with went to the scene immediately afterwards, fully knowing the situation. She refused to call police or EMS and told her daughter in law not to do so, along with discouraging witnesses from talking about it or calling police. She just said "he does this when he drinks, it happens all the time" and then invited them to Christmas a few days later, where she gave her stepson alcohol and let him drive his kids home to his wife. This was a month after the same four year old told her and I that "daddy hits me with a belt a lot" in the saddest voice I've ever heard only for the person I live with to get upset and start yelling "take that back about my son! Say you're lying!" Until the four year old agreed to never talk about her dad's abuse again.

Since moving in here, she has repeatedly screamed at me and verbally harassed me to the point of triggering seizures. She has kept me up until 3 am just screaming in my face and refusing to let me and my kids sleep, and I've been late to work from her screaming at me. She has an insane list of rules, most of which are unrealistic and dangerous, and she screams and threatens to hurt us or destroy our belongings if we don't follow them, and she has cameras up everywhere to catch us if we break these rules. Rules include:

Children are only allowed to eat 500 calories a day

Adults are only allowed 1000 calories a day

Children must be held or within 10 feet from an adult at all times

All showers must be done at the same time before 6pm.

No using electricity other than the bathroom light, "bedroom" light, fan/heater and TV.

No lights on after the kids are asleep, even in other rooms of the house. The only exception is the bathroom because people can't tell if you're in there if the light is off

Limited toilet paper usage. If we use too much, she hides it.

No sugar for our coffee. If we buy it, she hides it.

No frozen food. Freezers are locked because she told us we could eat some frozen breakfast sandwiches and then told us to not get more, but she got mad that we didn't get more and didn't remember the exact brand and type of sandwich to "replace it", despite her saying not to, so she locked the freezers.

Nothing in the fridge besides milk, cheese, and juice.

No leftovers.

No using regular dishes. Only paper plates. Even salad, chili and pasta can only be eaten on small paper plates.

No filling plates. Food must be spread out in a single layer to prove it's not filling the plate to stay within the "diet" she forced us on.

No medication, including Tylenol, for the children. No prescriptions, no supplements, no fever or pain reducer, nothing. She believes that Tylenol is an opiate and it causes autism, so my children aren't allowed to have any fever reducer or pain relief under any circumstances. Chamomile teething tablets, kids melatonin, and gripe water are also supposedly "opiates" so they aren't allowed.

No free time away from the kids and no babysitters. The person we live with is the only person allowed to watch our kids and she flips out and breaks shit if she thinks we're leaving too early or coming back too late.

No science, religion or politics. Discussion of these topics, even if you aren't talking to her, isn't allowed and will get you screamed at. The person we live with thinks they know more than doctors, scientists, and everyone else, so their opinion matters more than facts and disagreeing with them leads to threats of physical harm to us and our property.

All pots, pans and dishes used must be washed immediately after use, while it's still warm, with as little water as possible. The water pump is electric, so it's wasting electricity and money when we wash anything, and that causes us to get screamed at.

All trash and recycling must be taken out to the outside cans immediately. Failure to do this, any signs of our trash or recycling being where everyone else puts theirs, results in being screamed at with racial slurs for hours.

We aren't allowed to correct her when she uses racial slurs against us or others because "she's not a racist person" and implying she is gets us threatened.

We aren't allowed to tell her dogs "no" or "go away", even when her German Shepard with a history of food aggression and biting people tries to bite or steal food from my terrified one year old daughter. ("The dogs live here, we don't, and we can watch our stuff burn in the front yard if we cross the dogs")

We're not allowed to spend money on prescriptions or medication, clothes, or anything that isn't food or gas for work

No putting trash in the bathroom trash can. Doing so will result in the bathroom being locked for 1-2 hours and nobody out of the four of us it, even if only one of us left the stuff in the trash can.

She frequently compares us to mice because she says we're "pests that stay in the basement" and routinely calls us stupid, worthless and lazy for just living. If we sleep at all, we're lazy. If we disagree with her on something, even if we're right and she's wrong, we're stupid and r*tarded. We're worthless for not making $55 an hour doing retail, because that's what her husband makes as a foreman so she can sit around and do nothing but watch us on the camera all day while doing 10th grade English online. She hasn't worked in 20 years and her only job experience is as a veterinarian's assistant and dog groomer. Her life is just being abusive while laying on her couch and making everyone scared of her, because anything you say to her can lead to her breaking your stuff and threatening you. Her kids don't have much in their rooms anymore because it's less for her to mess with (her 15 year old's room is a twin bed, a computer on a desk, and a chair for the desk. That's it. Nothing else. His guns are just on the desk, unlocked.)

I'm at the point where I would rather be living in a car or on the street than having to sneak food to my kids so some Nazi bitch doesn't starve them. She threatened to set my fiance on fire in his sleep several times and now I want to set her on fire. I kinda hope her son goes off the deep end and shoots her with the guns she brought him. I just hope she goes to fucking jail when I'm done with this situation.

[undeadorion-archive]

I can't believe that in just a month, I finally graduate with an AA (2 year) degree. It only took 5 attempts at 3 separate schools across the span of 20 years.

Problems started even before I enrolled. I wanted to study animation but no schools near me had it. But I also had no idea how to find exactly what each school offered (this was back in 2001/2002 when not everyone had a comprehensive website). One of the schools I applied to even sent me a letter because they were confused why I'd apply for a program they don't have.

I finally settled on Evergreen State College in Olympia to study art. Being my first experience, I didn't realize how craptacular the school itself was. You didn't sign up for a specific program like "fine art" or "graphic design." You instead picked from pre-packaged sets of classes called stuff like "Labyrinths" that had an English class, a drawing class, and a print making class all bundled together.

My mom had promised that if I got accepted to a school she'd help me pay for books (I'd taken a year off after high school and just stayed home). When I finally knew what I'd need, I took the list to her with the final amount and she looked me square in the eye and asked how I was going to pay for it.

That school lasted only a year. After multiple bedbug scares and dealing with the crunchiest hippie types you can imagine, I was done. I switched instead to a local community college. And that was fraught with issues. Evergreen didn't do normal grades. They instead gave you a lengthy review at the end of the term with no concise way to say how well you did. So the community college just told me my credits didn't transfer.

Come spring term, I was so frustrated, I ended up having a breakdown in the advising office because nothing was working out. She made one call and got my grades transferred, it had been a glitch all along. But now I had double credits for art and english, which was...frustrating. So I'd made zero progress with an additional year of debt because of 1 person's mistake at the beginning of the year.

Determined to make it through, I enrolled for fall classes. Then everything went to shit. I injured my knee and missed a bunch of classes. I was living with a grossly abusive older sister at my dad's house who I had to get away from. I was the only one with a car, so she thought it was a good idea for me to get up at 6am, drive her to work, come home, go back to bed, then get up for my classes. She also threw me to the floor when I was injured and laughed at the fact that I couldn't get up.

I ultimately dropped out of school and had to get a full time job. Which led to a very long break from school.

In 2016, I was finally able to return to school. I was going to study set design at a local university. They actually had a program for it! At least, they did when I'd started looking in 2014. But by the time I actually was able to enroll, they'd changed the structure so you could take classes in it but it was now a big vague soup of a theater degree where you made your own path.

Unfortunately, I got hit with a double whammy in the spring of 2017. First, the department was doing away with almost every class having to do with set design. Everyone was pissed, including the teachers. Then the supposed friend I was renting a room from decided he wanted a barely legal twink from California with a vomit fetish to move in so he was kicking me out. By chance, my mom was moving back into town so we found an apartment together and I continued going to school. This was a bad decision.

With set design now out the window and yet another year of school wasted, I shifted my attention to architecture. Because I could still apply it to set design. And I did surprisingly well for a while.

The just before Christmas of 2017 (so about 10 months later), I came home from staying with a friend to find my mom had packed up and moved out. Took everything that wasn't in my bedroom, so took all my dishes and cookware. And an apron I'd sewn for myself. Just left me a note saying there was no other option and left the keys.

You see, I'd begun my gender transition in 2015. She must have assumed it was just a phase, because she burst into tears when my paperwork from the courthouse showed up just before Thanksgiving, finalizing my name change. She kept crying and saying she was "mourning the loss of her baby."

Yet again, I had to drop out of school and find a real job. That lasted about a year and I was MISERABLE. I moved back in with my dad, finally. Older sister had moved across the state years before, so I was safe. I enrolled back in the community college from my first go-round, but that barely lasted a term. I tried graphic design and I was bored out of my skull. I ended up getting a job, instead. That was the spring of 2019.

Then 2020 happened.

With so much time at home now, I rediscovered a passion for web design. Something I'd been doing off and on since the 90s. I did some poking around and found that same community college had a program for it. So when my unemployment was running dry, I applied. I started in the fall of 2021.

There were a couple points where I almost dropped out. Some classes and teachers that were so terrible I wondered if it was all worth it. But thanks to one very specific teacher, I kept going. I found I had an aptitude for the actual programming aspects as well as the design parts. He encouraged me to take Harvard's online classes for computer science and web design. And I did surprisingly well in those.

And now, finally. I'm in my last term of classes and excelling. I'm getting paid to tutor students in the classes I've already taken, even. I'm graduating with honors. Something I wouldn't have been able to do when I first started. I've joined 2 honors societies and been on the president's and the dean's lists.

No matter what bullshit life throws at you, the trick is to keep trying. Even if it takes you 10 times as long as it's supposed to, it will always be worth it when you get there.

[fictionfixations]

The Children's Rebellion|Revenge / DSMP Fanfic [Space AU - Tommy-centric] / Thoughts

Children of the Stars is the series that The Children's Rebellion is in, but people recognize the name 'The Children's Rebellion' on its own more so yeah.

The fic is nice. I cried. I'd recommend reading it. The first work is finished, standing at a nice 58 chapters. There's a sort of in-between story that happens after for Christmas [AND THEN there's a SEQUEL that happens after that continues the story because it's not done. its ongoing and im going to take you with me to suffer from the cliffhangers.] I don't wanna spoil much for you if you haven't actually seen the fic but are still reading what I'm saying because it's better when you experience it on your own, but Golden Duo POG

Basically Space AU but with Origins SMP kinda mixed into it. It's Tommy-Centric, and basically let me just tell you the summary it gives you.

"In which Tommy Innes, son of Sam Innes, Avian extraordinaire, meets up with old friends (all of whom are traumatized) and drags his new family and friends through a galaxy of problems (okay, maybe HIS galaxy of problems, because he refuses to tell anyone anything unless his tooth is being yanked out) because of some Avian named Chroma that really really wants child soldiers."

It tells the story really well, and honestly I'd recommend just trying it out, even if you think it might not be your cup of tea, because you never know. Hell, I don't like space AUs that much but I just LOVED this.

Also for once Dream not the bad guy woo- I'm like 80% sure Chroma's an OC but if Chroma's an actual person I never found out about please correct me.

So basically.. The story is complicated from an outside perspective so I can't really explain it. But. ..The Children's Rebellion is an event that happened on.. This is really testing my memory which remembers.. not a lot, honestly. I swear I'll do reviews on fics that I didn't read months ago so you won't have to bear with this.

But uh.. Tommy, Ranboo, Purpled, Hannah(?) and I believe someone else were what started The Children's Rebellion, Tommy being the leader. Uh. Because so Chroma is a dick and decided 'oh yeah why not make my own child army' or some shit and then decided to execute the people who go against him or are I believe too weak, and then said that if they didn't clap then they wouldn't get food, because everyone was starving there.

But they kinda just started a rebellion, and even sacrificing their lives, in which Tommy, Ranboo, and Purpled were the only ones left. The children did the Rebellion's symbol, which I believe is the middle finger, pointer finger, and the thumb out, meaning Fuck you, Loser, and Peace, because if it was just the middle finger then schools wouldn't actually show it in history.

It gets really complicated, but they kinda get to different places, and Purpled and Ranboo get help on the I believe L'manburg something, its like a ship thats run by the DSMP crew, but then Tommy ran off because I think he had to do something, but Purpled was too weak to do anything after being sick during majority of the time when the Children's Rebellion was happening, and then I think Ranboo got hurt really badly.

So then they end up in different places, Tommy kinda being in this.. place. I'd like to call it a prison but I don't know anymore. agh.

I forgot to mention too that Tommy's an Avian, and like the only other Avian was Chroma. (When you read the fic don't correct me.)

Anyway.

Avians age I think really fucking fast, and die soon. Avians are going to go extinct because no one likes each other romantically, and therefore no reproducing. :'D

Except them trying to get back at Chroma eventually ofc because the fucker needs to be put in his place kinda..

Well there's a sequel where we're still trying to get rid of Chroma.

Currently we are stuck on a cliffhanger after cliffhanger.

I'm terrified we're all going to die, or someone is going to die.

Join the waiting game today, and read the fics.

Also there are some triggers of course, like Graphic Depictions of Violence, Death, uhh Dark topics..

I'd be looking over the fic tags to make sure you're okay with whats going to be in it because there are probably some topics that people won't be able to handle.

[living-d3ad-gh0ul]

Sunday 25th December 11.32pm

I had come here last night to post the first picture I've put on the end of this post. The handwritten thing. But before I was going to do that, I read your post from Christmas Eve. Please don't apologise for posting late, it's absolutely okay. I understand you may have been busy or needed some time to process things after your doctor's appointment.

I read everything you said about when you were sick and in hospital. I am so so sorry you had to go through that all. That all sounds so terrifying and really bizzare how it just happened like that. I really hope you are feeling at least a little better now and I'm glad that the clots are gone. I will admit, I did worry a little about you. Just as long as you're okay and it's nothing really serious or harmful. As long as they can do something for it and help you or at least make you more comfortable. I am however glad that it helped you figure out some other things in your life and I am truly so thankful that they managed to make you at least a bit better now. I know the prospect of surgery might be scary, but if you need it, it could be the best thing for you. I wish I could be there to hold your hand through every appointment, every test, all of it. The MRI part does not sound fun at all and I would have been annoyed and frustrated with that too. Can't believe they made you sit about for 20 minutes doing weird breathing shit and didn't even make sure they had the most important stuff done first!!

My Christmas party was a lot of fun. I ended up meeting some friends at a pub nearby after and we had a great time too. I will say, I did get a lot of compliments on how I looked that night. It made me really shy and giggly because I'm really not used to it. Reading you calling me beautiful made me blush so hard. Especially when you said about my eyes maybe being more beautiful with my glasses haha. I always think I look nerdy with them. I think my heart actually skipped a beat too, when I imagined you saying that I'm beautiful in your voice. Is it weird that I sometimes read your posts in your voice? Is it weird I still remember exactly what you sound like? I don't think my memory would ever compare to the real thing though..

I did however find out the day before the party that unfortunately I'm going to be laid off as of 6th January. I was really upset about it, but it's not just me. There's lots of other people who will be out of a job too. I guess they are cutting back on staff and trying to save money, which really sucks. But I've been doing my best to apply for new jobs and try and secure something soon before my current job ends. It's sad that it's happening, but maybe a new beginning is what I need. Maybe a new start in the new year will do me good. I do have a job interview on 4th January actually, my neighbour (who is a really cool person) actually helped me get the interview as they work there. It's just an office job taking calls, but it's more money than what I'm earning now and they said it's a not bad place to work. Even if I take it for a little while and then find something else that I really want to do while I'm there, just something to pay the bills and help me save money. I have my London trip planned for August, but I also have a few other things/places I would like to go next year too, so I need to keep money coming in to be able to do those. And pay my rent/bills lol

My Christmas was okay. A family member said some things I don't think they realised was quite hurtful to me. But I'm not letting them get to me. They're not worth the energy of me getting upset over it. I did however get to spend time with my younger sister and my niece and nephew. I really enjoyed that part of the day. And I got some new boots and some Jack Daniels too! Haha. I'll post a picture of those too, so you can see them.

Your post was an amazing Christmas surprise for me. I smiled the whole time I read it, even if I maybe also shed a few tears. I really hope you can manage to find a new job that's suitable for you in the new year. I remember you telling me years ago that you really loved space and that you thought about doing astrophysics before. If that's what you want to do, I say go for it my darling. I think you'd be amazing at it. I'm so proud of you for taking the initiative to try and do what you want, even relearning things you need to again and doing it all on your own. I'm so fucking incredibly proud, you've no idea. Of course I keep up with all the news, you know I enjoy space and all that too. I actually have a huge tapestry in my bedroom of the moon and some of the constellations and galaxies on it. Believe it or not, but it's actually ones from the southern hemisphere. I only realised that a few months ago and I've had it for a couple years now nearly. Fuck it, I'll post a picture of that too. I dunno, I just feel like showing you things today. There's so much I wish I could show you and tell you and do with you.

Being a mixologist sounds like fun! I bet you were really good at it too. I'm really sorry that you can't return to it, but you're going to do so many more great things and have so many more passions and things you're good at. I'd absolutely love if you made me a cocktail one day hehe. I have a few favourites that I'd probably consider, but I'd probably just tell you to make me anything you like, something you really enjoy making. And I bet I'd love it. I think just being in your presence would be good enough for me. I'd just be pleased at that and wouldnt ask for anything more. I'd probably just watch you make it for me and have the biggest grin on my face the whole time haha.

I hope your Christmas was good too and that you had the most amazing day, filled with all the laughter and happiness you deserve. And I hope you spent it with people who cherish and love you as much as I do.

I am still totally in awe at how well you know me and remember things about me..

That when you wrap me round your fingers baby... And you make me do that shit I never do... And you pick me up on Sauchiehall Street... I know I want you to myself again

(P.S the second picture of my tapestry where it's all lit up purple from the LED's on my TV? I just took it right now. Its exactly what I'm looking at right now as I type this..)

[indigo474]

Hi My name is April.. I'm into skipping rocks and making fires. Ha. I went to the woods to run but gathered sticks instead so i can build fires. I'm probably going to need more wood. I had a great day. I lifted heavy- 2 days in a row. I do enjoy lifting heavy things. I can't seem to get past 100 lbs for my upper body. It's a bit frustrating. Lower body- I've never NOT lifted whatever .. 165 dead lift- split squats.. push, pull- we talked about addictions- food addictions. it's such a horrible cycle- i don't believe anyone who is morbidly overweight is actually happy. I know I wasnt - i used food to stuff my emotions for years and years.. even now, if shit goes down between me and Madison i'll find myself in the kitchen looking for something to eat. actually- it was a while ago that happened. In our apartment- i recognized what was happening.. we rarely have any type of binge food the house now. There were a few things i had to tell Madison to not buy anymore.. I actually used running as a way to deal with the stress of buying my home. so, there is hope- but its hard and takes self awareness.. there is the hard of making the right food choice and logging and prepping or there is the hard of self loathing and feeling like crap-both are hard. We got to talking about this because of a guy i work with.. he is so big he has to sit in a special chair and he has a hard time walking to the bathroom.. its scary.

this is the 4th Christmas i wont be seeing my kids. I am debating sending them their Christmas ornaments and stockings and things that belong to them. I'm ready to let the stuff go. I'm just ready to let go. it is what is is and life goes on. Ive cried a million tears. I carry no bitterness or anger in my heart for them.. only love. its their stuff and i want to make room for new things.. things that bring me joy. I'll gather it together and decide what to .

I got a lot done today. I slept in until 8. I would like to run tomorrow. I'm not sure how my legs will feeling the morning. Madison wants to hang out with me before she foes to work. My left knee has been hurting since Thursday. It actually feels ok right now- motrin. Its not swollen.. I swear every time i ask the universe to show me how good my life can be it delivers. I do believe I am the creator of my life- while i am incredibly grateful for the career i have i am open to something new- i don't know the details.. even if i start some sort of side hustle .. so much to do.. but yes, i am pretty much open to anything. I am hoping 2024 is the year i finally meet someone.. i dont know if i should get back on the dating apps .. i am not a fan.. i cant imagine anyone is a fan,.. just awful. I need going out cloths.. I need to .. have sex with someone other than myself.

[survey--s]

662.

What colour is the photo frame closest to you? Pale wood.

Are your pets asleep right now, if you have any? The cats are all asleep but the dog is awake and waiting for Mike to get home - I think the clock change has confused him as it's dark and Mike is normally home before dark lol.

Would you have any idea what your parents are doing right now? I assume they're at home - probably watching TV?

How many windows (roughly) does your house have? Eight.

Do you have a good relationship with your cousins? No. They all live overseas so we barely speak to each other.

What was the last kids movie you saw? Alice in Wonderland.

Do you know anyone who was born in Africa? My mum was born in East Africa. Well, on an island there.

Have you ever been to an internet cafe? Ha yes. I remember when finding an internet cafe was like, the highlight of my holidays LOL.

Are there any upcoming events for you to look forward to? Yeah, the weekend, my birthday and Christmas break.

Has the year gone quickly for you so far? This year has FLOWN by. I can't believe it's Halloween already.

How many siblings does your significant other have? Four. Three sisters and a brother.

Are you one of those people who can drink vodka straight? I can but it's not pleasant.

Have you ever done three or more shots in a row? Yes.

Do you share a middle name with any of your friends? I'm sure I do as it's a pretty common one.

What was the last movie you saw in theatres? Cats ha. I haven't been to the movies since before COVID.

Are you interested in international politics? I wouldn't say I was interested but I do keep up to date on it.

How many pairs of jeans do you own? About ten or so.

When was the last time you showered? About three and a half hours ago when I got in from work.

Do you know the name of the pharmacist at your local drug store? No.

What was the first cellphone you had and how old were you when you got it? It was a Sagem something or other and I was about thirteen. According to Google it was a my X-6.

Do you use public transport in your town or city? No. It's unreliable and generally doesn't go where you need to get to.

Have your parents ever worked in a factory? I think my dad did when he was a student.

Do you have several best friends? No.

How many lights are in the room you’re in? Three sets of fairy lights and two overhead lights.

Is there a Hard Rock Cafe in your town or city? No. I haven't been to one of those in about a decade lol.

Do you eat fast food more than once a week? No.

What flavour is your toothpaste? Mint.

Have you ever shared a shower or bath with someone as an adult? Yeah, with my husband.

When was the last time you had a bubble bath? About a month ago.

Are you sleepy right now? A little bit. Not enough to actually sleep though.

How big is your backyard? Big enough for a small terraced house.

Do you know anyone with Tourette’s Syndrome? No.

What time does your alarm wake you up in the morning? On work days, 7.30am.

What was the last zoo you visited? Our local one, which is pretty shit really.

Do you like crime films and tv shows? I have to be in the right mood for them, but yeah.

When you shop, do you take a basket or a cart (trolley)? Depends on how much I plan on buying.

Have you ever tasted milk straight from the cow? Yeah, a few times. It's GOOD.

What’s your favourite sleeping position? On my right side, curled up.

What colour is the bra you’re wearing? Black.

Have you ever seen A Clockwork Orange? No. I've read the book though.

Are you bitter about anything? Nah.

Do you like to make games out of chores to make them more enjoyable? No, it just takes even longer lol.

How many letters are in your best friend’s surname? Six, the same as mine.

Is there anything in your possession that probably shouldn’t be? Nope.

What is your favourite flavour of yoghurt? Raspberry or blackcurrant.

What was the first online account you remember having? Probably a Hotmail account or something.

Do you listen to music to fall asleep? No, I like silence to sleep.

Where did you go last time you left your town or city? Uh, the vets I think.

Do you use emojis? Sometimes.

Have you ever wanted to be a lawyer? Yeah, when I was younger.

What percentage of battery does your phone currently have? 25%.

What was the last type of soda you drank? Pepsi Max.

How far away from your house is your favourite place to shop for clothes? About an hours' drive.

Do you have supplies handy right now to draw something if I told you to? Yes.

Have you ever been married? I've been married for just over five years.

What does your deodorant smell like? Berries.

Is your bedroom more messy or clean at the moment? My side is clean, Mike's is messy.

Do you use Twitter? No.

Are you any good at baking cakes and cookies from scratch? I'm not bad at it, I just don't enjoy it.

Is there a floor lamp in your bedroom? No.

What does most of your weekly or fortnightly income go towards? Savings/long-term investments.

Have you ever been to another continent? Yeah, Asia, Australasia and North America. I live in Europe.

Do you have any hidden piercings? (this includes bellybuttons) Yeah, but I don't wear any jewellery in it.

What month is your birthday? December.

What can you hear right now? The Simpsons. I'm watching all the Treehouse of Horror episodes.