dewinters-blog

[sokkagatekeeper]

personally the inconsistency im most annoyed about is that the animators don't seem to understand that a crescent moon is nearly horizontal when viewed from as close to the equator as the characters currently are

[fusonzai]

I think I'm talking about confidence, I'm not too sure.

I was fifteen when I first saw Great Teacher Onizuka. My friend had lent me the DVD set (as you did when it was 2008) and I was about to spend the day watching it, feigning some illness to get out of school for the day. I needed some time alone, to process everything that had been going on around me.

For context, my parents were in the middle of a divorce. My mum, the most amazing person in the world to me, was not having a good time and I was not at all possessed with the skills to help her cope. Processing the concept of divorce, while trying to mediate the two adults going through it, wasn’t something I could handle. I didn’t know what I was doing. I needed a whole day away from friends and away from parents. While everyone was at their day job, I could think about everything and nothing, uninterrupted.

My attempt at getting out of school worked, however it came with a caveat. Mum had decided she’d take the day off with me. Feeling defeated but still stubborn, I insisted that if she was going to stay home too that we were watching GTO. I really had no idea what I was getting myself into.

GTO begins with our protagonist, Eikuchi Onizuka, squatting down by a payphone, trying to stare up the skirts of some high school girls coming down the nearby escalator. That’s a bold open. Two delinquents notice this and attempt to then extort him for cash. He promptly beats them up, forcing them to use all the money they have to buy him some food from the nearby convenience store. This scene establishes a few things straight off the bat: Onizuka is, first and foremost, a pervert and he’s physically strong but not to the point of unfairly asserting dominance over others. Onizuka dreams of being a teacher of all things. He wants to be the teacher he never had, being there for students outside the classroom as well as in. The series showcases Onizuka using his ex-biker gang leader skills and sheer determination to change the attitude of the antagonist students in his class. Each week he solves the reason behind their resistance toward him and they join his team until eventually he really is the Great Teacher, Onizuka.

The first delinquent problem Onizuka solves is that of Mizuki Nanako. Her parents aren’t divorced but they’re not exactly doing well. Ever since her father’s company started doing well and they moved into a mansion, she feels as though her parents just aren’t seeing eye to eye anymore. She blames it on a simple wall separating her parents’ private rooms. Before it got put up, her parents would talk and laugh together, sharing in their joys but also their defeats. Then before she knew it, they put a wall up and stopped sharing anything at all.

So, Onizuka arrives at her house. He’s got a bandana tied around his head, his abs gleaming as he’s smoking a cigarette. More importantly, he’s holding a sledgehammer, ready to demolish that wall. With her parents yelling at him threatening to call the police, Onizuka ascends the staircase and begins to take down that wall. Every powerful swing, shaking the wall and cracking the foundation.

(What a man what a man what a man what a might good man)

It felt cruel watching this scene with my mum. Here we were, two people still trying to process a big life event, opting to spend the day away from the problem. Here Onizuka was, just smashing through the problem with nothing but conviction, stupidity and sheer confidence. I couldn’t quite conceptualise the thought just yet but I think I envied that confidence. I wanted to be able to take a sledgehammer to this invisible problem and fix it. I didn’t know what an actual sledgehammer would solve nor was I even able to figure out what my situational sledgehammer would be, I just knew I wanted to be more like that. I wanted that confidence; I just didn’t know what it was yet.

Confidence. A complete assuredness in your actions. You may not have any idea of the outcome of said actions but you’re certain in the choice you made taking them. Maybe that’s just one definition. I struggle to this day with how to define confidence, I’ve been confident at different times in my life for different reasons. Mainly it’s been something I’ve found as I’ve gotten older though.

I struggled a lot with it when I was younger. I’d struggle to find it and when I did there was someone there trying to take it from me almost immediately. Pink polos were gay, skinny jeans were gay, being interested in anything outside the norm was gay as well. I wasn’t bullied by any means but there was always somebody around to tell you what they thought. I’d fold under that kind of pressure. I remember when I was 10 and we were in music class, I sang a little too loud and the popular girls behind me started pointing and laughing, clipping me before I got too sure of myself.

I got older and I thought I’d found confidence through weight training, but it was just arrogance. I genuinely thought I was better than other people in my creative writing class because I picked heavy things up and put them down. Of course, this had a drawback, whenever I’d meet someone bigger than me, I’d feel pathetic, jealous and inferior. I thought I’d rid myself of this arrogance when I started studying Japanese. My initial study was diligent and excessive. I’d have two Japanese classes a week and spend the rest of my time after work revising. Looking back now it was necessarily efficient studying, but in terms of time put in the hours were there. I believed I was working hard, which led to this arrogance in my abilities. An arrogance that was swiftly cut down whenever I met somebody better than me.

So, I always arrived at this juncture where I’d learn a new skill or hobby and wonder how to be confident in myself without comparing myself to others. I didn’t quite know how to praise myself for doing well at the gym or learning something new in Japanese without immediately comparing myself to others. It meant that I’d occasionally have these emotional highs when I achieved something only to be brought down to earth when I saw that somebody could do it better. I didn’t know how to make my achievements my own. The confidence I had was too fickle, it didn’t come from within and it often led to feeling superior to others based off of a single quantifier.

I was still uncomfortable with myself. I wanted outside validation which led to comparison, boasting and arrogance. I didn’t realise that I couldn’t get any of that from anyone else, it all had to come from within.

It’s taken me 14 years, but Onizuka finally made sense to me. I was watching the incredibly famous (in Japan) live action version of GTO one night, which turned into a nostalgia trip as all the episodes were almost identical to their anime equivalent. As I was watching I was wondering why I still hold this fictional character in such high regard, of all the powerful charismatic anime protagonists I watched in my teenage years, why does Onizuka persevere?

It’s because he’s kind of a dork.

(Get you a man that can do both)

Along with the confidence and strength that being a protagonist in a medium geared towards young boys affords you, Onizuka also has some very human flaws and vulnerabilities. The intense scenes like surprise renovating Nanako’s house or rescuing a whole bunch of kids from a gang are always juxtaposed with him being absolutely wayward in so many other aspects of life. He lives at the school because he can’t afford rent, he’s 26 and never had a girlfriend and his only friends are his students. We are always shown that his confidence isn’t intrinsically linked to how well his life is going, it’s just his feeling and determination in the moment. For all that bravado we see, we’re also shown the more human, relatable aspects. He’s amazing, brave and confident, but at the same time he’s still vulnerable and human.

Yet here’s the thing, I thought confidence meant a lack of vulnerability. I thought one couldn’t be both confident and vulnerable. This isn’t some segue into Boys Don’t Cry or a delve into masculinity. I didn’t believe that vulnerability wasn’t masculine, I just thought that vulnerability meant you had a long way to go before you were allowed to be confident.

(These lines go from bravado to insecurity in an instant, but I still think Tyler is confident as fuck)

I show what I feel to be the pretty vulnerable content on this blog. I write about my doubts and insecurities, the events that shaped me and the times in my life where I really felt at my lowest. I document the struggle I find myself in now, trying to carve something for myself and come to terms with the changes that keep happening around me. I don’t think anybody reading this would have an image of me as an outgoing, confident person. There’s rays of positivity sprinkled in occasionally but it’s generally content that I struggle to tell people in person.

Before starting this blog, I would have imagined that if I wanted to become this confident idealised version of myself, I’d need to erase any form of vulnerability. Delete the Instagram posts with moody lyrics, delete the couple shots and stop caring. I’d need to kill part of myself to become someone different. I couldn’t consciously accept that they were two signs of the same coin, even if I knew it in the back of my mind. The more I’ve been writing the better I’ve been feeling. These fears and insecurities being out in the open don’t make me any weaker, they actually feel like progress. My weaknesses will exist regardless of whether or not I tell people about them, my insecurities won’t disappear overnight. I’ll never be someone I’m not. What I can do is take these things that used to terrify me and put them out in the open. In my last piece I waxed on about making my words my own, by verbalising and bringing these thoughts into the open I feel like they become my own. They’re not completely stripped of power but they don’t hold the same sway over me that they once did.

So that leaves me with confidence. I can air my vulnerabilities and doubts but then where does my confidence come from? How do I then stop it from becoming arrogance?

Let me tell you about Charisma Man.

You know how when Superman goes back to Krypton he’s just a regular person, but on Earth he’s basically a God? Charisma Man is a joke (turned comic) about how Western Men often believe themselves to be Superman on Earth when they move to Japan. Why? You’re basically bombarded with compliments from the get-go. You get told your Japanese is amazing (when it’s not), that you’re so tall (when you’re short back home) and that you’re such a handsome man (when all experiences up until now have led you to believe the opposite). Thus, you create a kind of false confidence for yourself. Or do the people around you do it for you? You yourself haven’t changed but the people around you have, and they’re whispering sweet nothings in your ear.

(Honestly didn't know it was a comic, initially heard of it on a subreddit making fun of other expats in Japan)

Hell, maybe I am good looking? I studied Japanese for a year back home, maybe I am just really good at it? Maybe those people around me back home were just obnoxiously tall and mean. Maybe I am the shit. You begin to formulate this new identity for yourself. You are Charisma Man now. You’ll be making heaps of money, have girls on standby and be loved by everybody in no time.

Except that never happens.

The reality of Charisma Man isn’t so bright. You’re probably an English teacher living somewhere far away from the big city. Your apartment is probably small and old and your salary is half as much as you were making back home. Despite being told about how good your Japanese is, you still can’t turn on the TV and watch a program. You still can’t go to the bank and open an account with your bilingual Japanese friend. You’re still single and you’re probably getting fatter off convenience store fried chicken, if anything.

It’s fake confidence with no merit, built on nothing. You haven’t put yourself out there or done anything to earn that confidence so it always feels foreign to you. There isn’t some feat you perform or some hurdle you cross to get that kind of confidence. You’re not smashing walls with your sledgehammer or confronting your fears and growing. You just get fed compliments until your confidence balloon bursts.

I felt like I was Charisma Man for a hot minute. Separated from everyone I knew, out drinking every night, being complimented left right and centre. I kept trying and failing to keep my feet on the ground. Back then I thought it was new-found confidence, but I wasn’t really coming out of my shell; I was just being obnoxious. After long the facade faded and I realised I was the exact same Elliot I was back in Australia, just with less money and a nicer haircut.

I began to think about my experience. Why was I so confident? Why did it dissipate so quickly? Why was I not the only one that experienced this little phenomenon?

I came to the conclusion that confidence can come from many places. It can come from other people, but then it’s reliant on the praise of others. It’s shallow, fickle and bound to dissipate sooner rather than later. You’re constantly reliant on the praise of others to affirm who you are as a person, you can fool people into giving you praise but that goes away before you know it as well.

It’s a big enough of a struggle to understand yourself, it’s near impossible to understand strangers. Relying on such an unstable form of validation is essentially just inviting mental trauma in the long run.

On the other hand, confidence can also come from within.

After I distanced myself from all that charisma, I began to realise that I felt my best and my most confident when I actually put the work in. I started properly studying, eating well, and writing down my thoughts. It didn’t matter as much if people didn’t say anything, because I went to bed every night knowing that I put in enough work. Nobody said anything about the change, but I felt like I was becoming my own biggest supporter.

It’s both rewarding and daunting when you switch dopamine suppliers. I used past tense in those last few sentences because that particular fountain hasn’t been flowing so well lately. The flip side of not letting other people’s compliments fuel you anymore is that when you’re not doing right by yourself, that confidence tend to dry up pretty quickly.

[unibrowzz]

Mod (finally) reviews all 67 winners of the Eurovision Song Contest Part II: The 1960s

Welcome back! To this...

Whatever you wanna call it, I can barely call half of these “reviews” but ANYWAYS.

The 60s are. Mid-table. Not a tremendously bad decade by all means, but they’re also the only decade to have three songs in my “would refuse to listen to” category, which is an achievement. 

I’m sure you can all guess at least two of those songs by now!

Without further ado, let’s move on to what I think of the winning entries from the 60s.

1960: Tom Pillibi

Country: France 

Artist: Jacqueline Boyer

Language: French

Thoughts: Whenever I was younger and enjoyed singing, I was frequently told that I had a "nasally" voice. I never knew what this meant, and I rarely heard my own voice to hear what it meant. Since people told me I had a nice voice, I continued to sing without fixing it. But now I'm older and know a tiny bit more about music, I can finally hear what they meant. Jaqueline here had a very nasally voice and a very high song to go with it. You can hear the notes being directed through her nose and sinuses rather than up from her diaphragm and mouth, resulting in a voice which sounds impressively high… but also very thin and flimsy. There's no resonance or depth to these notes, she sounds like a kid half her age trying to sing. Maybe that's what she was told to do, but given how this song is about a girl telling us about the shit her cheeky boyfriend tells her, I'd like to think not. Then again, this IS the 60s.

Is this my personal winner for this year? No

If no, what is? United Kingdom- Bryan Johnson- “Looking High, high, high”

Personal ranking (out of 67): 54th

1961: Nous les Amoureux

Country: Luxembourg

Artist: Jean-Claude Pascale

Language: French

Thoughts: I know this song didn’t compete for France, but have you ever heard a more aggressively French song than this? This is one of the most sultry, seductive songs in this lineup; like it just feels like the song itself is trying to seduce me and is going to offer me a glass of fine red wine before leading me to a candlelit bedroom and a four-post bed with rose petals scattered across it or some shit. That or it's gonna blow a long stream of cigarette smoke right into my face. One or the other. Going back on track, I like this song. Granted I wouldn’t call it a favourite or anything, but it’s still a Hell of a lot more likeable than most of the other 60s winners, and Hell, you could even argue this one is a lot more admirable given how the lyrics of the song are intended for a male lover of the singer’s. Which, for the early 60s, makes this a bigger deal than it would be nowadays. The singing is buttery smooth, and the song itself has a bit of a skip to it. It’s a very appealing song, and one I appreciate just a little bit more than the other songs from the 60s.

Is this my personal winner for this year? 50/50

If no, what is? France- Jean-Paul Mauric- “Printemps, avril carillon”

Personal ranking (out of 67): 26th

1962: Un Premier Amour 

Country: France

Artist: Isabelle Aubret

Language: French (Translation: “A First Love”)

Thoughts: You know whenever you play a CD too much and it eventually becomes all scratched and worn down so whenever you play it it skips back to the same part over and over again before unsticking to play a bit more of the song, but keeps getting stuck over and over? Yeah, imagine a whole song like that. This song just drones on, with no charisma or vocal animation to break up the monotony. I don’t even think the rule “well it was the 60s” applies, since this isn’t really a song that needs flashy setpieces, costuming, dancing or anything; it just needs a charismatic singer. And, unfortunately, Aubret just isn’t one, in my opinion.

Is this my personal winner for this year? No

If no, what is? United Kingdom- Ronnie Carroll- "Ring-a-Ding Girl"

Personal ranking (out of 67):  62nd

1963: Dansevise

Country: Denmark

Artist: Grete and Jørgen Ingmann

Language: Danish

Thoughts: Oh fucking finally, something unique for once. Which is very surprising because, from what I've seen and heard, the early contests weren't all that kind to songs which didn’t fit a certain criteria. If anything, most songs which came off as being unique with different sounds, instruments, and moods compared to the rest of their years ended up pulling up the rear in last place, more often than not with nil points. So it's nice to see a song which not only has unique elements to it (ie, a brooding sultry guitar accompaniment and a steady sweeping tempo), but is also in a stereotypically "ugly" language do well this early on.  Getting back on track, this is one of those songs I find tends to be a cult favourite, especially amongst vintage and retro fans. And why wouldn't it be? It's a breath of fresh air in an era where so many songs sounded exactly the same, just in a different language. This is one of the few fan favourite winners where I can see the appeal myself.

Is this my personal winner for this year? Yes

If no, what is? N/A

Personal ranking (out of 67): 27th

1964: Non ho l’Eta

Country: Italy

Artist: Gigliola Cinquetti

Italian: (Translation: “I’m not old enough”)

Thoughts: If that title isn’t off-putting enough, then I don’t know what is. You’re all probably well aware of this right now, but I don’t like this song. At all. Everything about it just makes me feel creeped out and kinda dirty every time I hear it, which is a shame because the melody on its own is very pretty. It’s the song equivalent of flicking through re-runs of Top of the Pops and landing on a segment where Jimmy Saville is hosting; it just sends a disgusted shiver down my spine and I have to turn it off as quickly as possible.  Which, given the lyrics of this song, is understandable. Think about it; you’ve got this visibly nervous, very young, still-legally-a-child-in-most-countries teenager, singing about how she “isn’t old enough” to be in a relationship with someone who seems to be older than she is. Maybe it’s just because I don’t speak any Italian, and the meaning is all semantic and context based, but this is my personal opinion at the end of the day, and, unfortunately, these lyrics just come off as really creepy to me. This song reminds me a lot of the song “Baby, it’s Cold Outside”, in that the lyrics used to be totally innocent and sweet, but to a modern listener come off as shockingly creepy and off-putting, and you’re not sure if it’s down to a change in slang and colloquialisms or if the past really was that messed up. Just like how in "Baby it's Cold Outside", a line asking "does this contain alcohol" now sounds like "have you spiked this with something", what was once “I’m too young and naïve to be in a serious committed relationship” now comes off as “I’m underaged, please leave me alone”. Doesn’t help that Cinquetti was underaged, hated the song, didn’t want to perform, and only showed up because she was forced to by a pushy manager. Which, for the 60s, was par for the course.

Is this my personal winner for this year? No

If no, what is? Germany- Nora Nova- "Man Gewöhnt sich zu Schnell an das Schöne"

Personal ranking (out of 67):  66th

1965: Poupée du Cire, Poupée du Son

Country: Luxembourg

Artist: France Gall

Language: French (Translation: “Wax doll, stuffed doll”)

Thoughts: And now we come to Non ho L’eta’s ugly little sister in that, just like with that song, there’s a weirdly sinister edge to this one that I just can’t shake off. My French isn’t fantastic, admittedly, but every line of this song seems like it has another, less innocent meaning. Like the whole song is one big double entendre. Which, given how this was written by Serge “I made a 16 year old sing about blowing dicks when she thought she was singing about lollipops” Gainsborg, wouldn’t surprise me. Dodgy lyrics aside, this song is just… terrible. Songs which repeat the same motif over and over are a dime a dozen in older Eurovision, though most of them at least spice it up with a key change, adding more instruments to the instrumental, or even just having a nice melody. This? Is just an uncharismatic, uninterested teenager barking the same few notes over and over again ad nauseum. I know it was the 60s and that the contest was way more restrictive in how songs could be performed, but there’s just… no enthusiasm or animation or anything to make this charming or remotely enjoyable. It’s just shouty, unpleasant, and lacking any semblance of charisma. And I don't care if it's "important", it fucking sucks and we deserved a better song as our “first uptempo winner” of the contest.

Is this my personal winner for this year? No

If no, what is? The Netherlands- Conny Vandenbos- “‘t is Genoeg”

Personal ranking (out of 67):  67th

1966- Merci, Chérie

Country:  Austria

Artist: Udo Jurgens

Language: German (Translation: “Thank you, my dear”)

Thoughts: I’m so conflicted on this song. It’s very beautiful, emotional, dramatic... BUT. I just find it so forgettable, I’m sorry. I’m struggling to even talk about it right now. Do you know how long it took me to even finish this mini review? Too damn long. I forgot all about this song mid way through it. So at the recommendation of a friend I put this one on so I could review it whilst it plays and… it’s just a very sleepy song. Udo Jurgens is a good singer, I won’t deny that, but, God, he sounds like he’s nodding off as he sings. The first minute and a half of this song sounds like one big yawn. And that’s over half the song wasted just building to a climax, since I don’t think this song has a chorus, and for a song this short and slow I just don’t think it’s wise to put your climax right in the middle. I feel it would be better if it had two climactic parts or just put the climax right at the end of the song so the whole song is spent building that suspense. Shoving it smack in the middle of the song just makes it feel shorter. Also the fact it’s a piano song reminds me of Non ho l’eta and I don’t need to repeat myself to remind you that’s a bad thing, so, moving on.

Is this my personal winner for this year? No

If no, what is? Italy- Domenico Modugno- “Dio, come ti amo”

Personal ranking (out of 67): 45th

1967: Puppet on a String

Country: United Kingdom

Artist: Sandie Shaw

Language: English

Thoughts: You know, I was pretty shocked to find out this song is a Eurovision song. Partially because I didn’t realise just how old Eurovision actually is, and partially because as somebody who grew up in Britain in the 2000s, I was just bred to believe the UK is inherently shit, has never won ever, and is incapable of sending songs people actually cherish and remember. But that’s a rant for another day. Anyways, this is the song Poupée du Cire wishes it was. It’s charming, it’s bouncy, it skips along so merrily you forget how the lyrics have aged about as well as a pint of milk left out in the sun for too long.  Then again, I think the lyrics were outdated even back then. I suppose what sets this song aside from the other “60s entries with sexist lyrics sung by young women who didn’t want to be there” is that Shaw is a damn good performer, and hides her disdain expertly. If she wasn’t so vocal about how much she hates this song, you’d swear she loves it, her performance is that charming.

Is this my personal winner for this year? Eh

If no, what is? Portugal- Eduardo Nascimento- “O vento mudou”

Personal ranking (out of 67): 24th

1968: La la la

Country: Spain

Artist: Massiel

Language: Spanish

Thoughts: And the award for most creatively bankrupt name goes to…  Granted, 1968 was one of the dreariest years I’ve watched, so it’s pretty easy to see why a song like this would have done well. That said, this is a really bland song, and even in a year as dull as 1968, I still don’t think this should have won. It’s the kind of song which relies on repeating itself ad nauseum in order to get stuck in your head, and let’s be honest here, that makes it more annoying than anything else. There’s only so many rounds of “la la la” you can take before you feel like rupturing your own eardrums with a knitting needle after all. I don’t really have anything else to say about it, it’s just mildly annoying and not that good.

Is this my personal winner for this year? No

If no, what is? Norway- Odd Børre- “Stress”

Personal ranking (out of 67): 55th

1969- Four Winners, One Contest

France: Un jour, un enfant

Artist: Frida Boccara

Language: French

Thoughts: Well this is objectively the best of the four songs we have here, and it’s also my favourite winner from France, so at least it has that going for it. Though, let’s be real, I’m hardly a big fan of France’s winners, or French ballads in general. So this is… a big emotional ballad. What more is there to say? It’s big. It’s emotional. The lyrics are nonsense because God help us if we have songs with strong emotions this early on in the contest. Summary: Very nice, but lacking substance. Personal ranking (out of 67):  21st

Spain: Vivo Cantando

Artist: Salome

Language: Spanish

Thoughts: I’m not really what you’d call an advocate for bringing back a live orchestra, but, man, songs like this sure turn me into one. The live version of this song is in a whole other league compared to the studio version; like it is just pure, infectious, Spanish cheer. It’s an absolute blast to listen to, and I strongly recommend checking out the live version before going anywhere near the studio. Summary: Infections, but choose live over studio because it’s better okay. Personal ranking (out of 67):  20th

The Netherlands: Der Troubadour

Artist: Lenny Kuhr

Language: Dutch

Thoughts: I mean.... The guitar solo is impressive at least. I’m sorry, I don’t see the appeal in this one. And I feel so weirdly alone in that stance. So many people I know have this song in their top ten best winners list and I just don’t understand it. I just find it very dull and repetitive, and the singer’s voice is definitely an acquired taste. To me she just sounds like she’s forcing her voice lower, like a reverse falsetto or something. And that’s all I really have to say about this one. I just… don’t  like it that much, or at least not as much as everyone else I know seems to. Summary: I don’t “get” it. Personal ranking (out of 67): 53rd

United Kingdom: Boom-Bang-a-Bang

Artist: Lulu

Language: English

Thoughts: Ah yes, the forgotten UK winner. Everybody knows Lulu did this contest once, and everybody knows Boom-bang-a-bang was a British entry, but I swear nobody knows she actually won. Probably because she had the audacity to tie with other countries, the horror. And that’s the most interesting part of this song because it’s otherwise  just kind of alright. It’s very twee and sweet, and if I didn’t know that “bubblegum pop” was a genre reserved for one-hit-wonder nobodies and not decade-defining names then I’d say this is a perfect example of it. It’s just a decent-ish fluffy pop song with very saccharine fluffy lyrics. Standard British Eurovision pap, if you ask me. Summary: Cute, but lacking substance. Personal ranking (out of 67): 25th

So who really should have won in 1969? Either Spain or Monaco if you ask me. That kid had charm.

[windupnamazu]

6, 7, 23, 32, 42

[DOMESTICITY QUESTIONS - accepting!] [answered] 

 6. do they get married (or equivalent)?

they do!! and... its soon ;) but will entirely depend on the events of 5.3 so like. /playdead

regardless of how it happens, it will, even if i have to canon-diverge the everlasting fuck out of the 5.x patch cycle >:C

7. do they have kids?

[i unhinge my jaw and YELL]

BEHOLD, THE MIQO'FELL CIRCUS/SYRCUS (+one soft lizard). lunya and raha have... the most kids out of all of their friends and no one knows how they manage all of them asmdfsdfnsnn nynya and luneth are twins and the oldest, and doga is the youngest of the seven + the tallest (by nature of being the only adopted drahn boy). lunya and raha (presumably) are both from big families, so... they wanted a very big family. a very big, very noisy, very chaotic family. theres no shortage of love in the syrcus. id like to talk about them all someday!!

(...their eye colours gonna change depending on upcoming events.)

raha and lunya are very good parents and theyre also the very overbearing and purposely embarrassing kind that make their kids lives hell in front of all the people they want to look cool for. doga gets the least of it because by the time hes adopted the kittens are old enough to do the harrassing themselves and lunya and raha get to sit in the wandering stairs and sip on non-alcoholic drinks and listen to the kittens hollering HEY BABIEST BROTHER!! IS THAT YOUR CRUSH??? HEYYYYY—

23. who steals the blankets?

they both do and sleepfight each other for it, and most of the time lunyas dog wins. if raha gets woken up by the whole fuss he wont complain because lunya gets cold easily and he thinks its cute when she burritos herself in blankets, but if lunya gets woken up she will wrestle the blanket back or squeeze herself back in like its a kangaroo pouch whether asleep-raha likes it or not.

32. do they have nicknames or pet names for each other?

lunya always just calls him raha, and very rarely she might call him "my love" but its embarrassing. rahas more active about it and will call her everything from his inspiration to his guiding star to his sun and moon when he gets really sappy and starts waxing poetic. he also has the extremely rare permission to call her by her birth name, yeyema, but youll only ever hear it as a longing mumble in his sleep when shes not around ;w;

42. what are little gestures they do for each other?

lunya leaves raha little notes in his pockets and around the crystal tower and even just tied to his staff whenever she has to leave for more than a day!! theyre cute little things like "i love you!" and "thank you for making breakfast the other day!" and “don’t forget to eat, silly!”

in a similar pockety manner, raha tracks when the dried fruit snacks lunya stockpiles in her pockets are running low and he'll refill them before she can notice. he also keeps a bowl of candy on the portal steps in the ocular for her!!

[lemonsandstrawberries]

In the Lab

fandom: MCU, Tony Stark and Peter Parker, 

summary: Tony and Peter are sharing work time in the lab, and Peter can’t stop talking and making pop culture references.

length: 1 400 words

a/n: a very late happy birthday, @amazingmsme ! inspired by a prompt from the bday girl, changed a bit, but the general idea remained. this is my first time writing Peter Parker in the MCU setting (not Superfamily, but Tony acting as Peter’s mentor), so hope you like it! (also, I am gonna give a cookie to the first person that will list all the references I included in this fic!)

————–

In the Lab

"Mr Stark---"

"Not now, Pete."

"But Mr Stark---"

"I said not now. Zip it, kid."

"But Mr Stark, I have an idea that---"

"MR PARKER!" Tony suddenly bellowed and Peter felt that he was in trouble. Maybe not really in trouble, but that he crossed some invisible line.

"What is so important that you have to interrupt me?" Tony turned around from his workbench, eyeing the teenager. He purposely left Peter with his own task, which was improving the web shooters. Peter's newest design was already good but could be even better with a proper amount of work. Tony knew that from experience, as he kept improving his Iron Man armors and each design helped him learn and see what could be made better and more efficient. There was no such thing as perfection.

Peter made a sheepish face, feeling mildly scolded. He just wanted to help. "I noticed you seem stuck on one problem---" Tony twitched nervously, but let the teen continue, "and just wanted to remind you, that sometimes the easiest solutions are the best. Like Equivalent Exchange."

"Excuse me?" Tony lowered his eyebrows, looking almost irritated. Peter grinned at that.

"I meant this," he said, and trotted to Tony, leaning over his notes and drawing a circle at one equitation. "It seems off."

Tony took the note and put closer to his face. He ran through the numbers again and stopped on the place Peter had pointed out. Dammit, the kid was right. His math was way off. It probably was because his eyes were getting tired and some details had slipped past him. Kudos to the kid for noticing, though.

"Good job, Mr Parker," Tony praised, and Peter smiled a little bit brighter. "You passed this test," Tony lied and patted teenager's shoulder, just to save his own face.

Peter kept smiling, knowing his mentor better. "I am just glad we avoided that boulder."

And Tony just stared.

"Boulder? Rolling boulder? Like you know, in that scene, where the guy with a fedora and a whip has to put a bag of sand in a place of a gold statue and he miscalculated the weight and later a boulder rolls on him? That really old movie?"

"Really old---!" Tony yelled out in outrage, of course, knowing what movie Peter meant. He pinched the bridge of his nose. Teenagers. "I saw that movie in the cinema when I was around your age."

Some stunned silence, followed by ---

"Wow, that had to be a long time ago."

And Tony just glared.

"I meant," Peter panicked, "I meant that I recognize you as a mature and wise figure in my life," okay, that was better. Almost flattering. "Like, you are that little green guy and I am that guy who was schooled by him and later on his hand is cut off."

Tony had an urge to smash his head on his workbench. Almost.

"You know, that movie, Mr Stark, that old movie, that was filmed like forty years ago---"

Somehow it began to be painful to listen and Tony really missed having Rhodey around and talking to someone who he could be on his level of life experience.

"Okay, kid, kid!" Tony straightened up and pointed at Peter, ceasing his chatter. The kid was a genius, no doubt about it, but he did tend to blab a lot. Somehow Tony could relate. "One more pop culture reference and you will be in trouble."

"Okay. Sorry," Peter quickly said, sounding timid. He liked Tony and respected him, but had those weird moments of considering the older man as his best friend, before going back to thinking that although the friendship was mutual, Tony was his mentor figure on the first place. Someone he should respect and listen to.

"Now, get back to the web shooters."

Oh no.

"But, Mr Stark," Peter definitely didn't whine, "all I do lately is work on the web shooters!" he continued not to whine, meaning the pile of new designs on the side of the lab Tony loaned to him whenever he had to work with Tony. Own space was important, but on that pace of sketches, he was slowly running out of the said space.

"Hey, you just called me Yoda to your Luke, so don't question me and get back to work."

Peter walked back to his desk, grumbling all the way. "At least Yoda was funny… With you all it is is wax on, wax off…"

Uh oh.

And he could feel Tony's glare on his back.

"Mr Stark! I am sorry, it slipped out! Ah!" Peter yelped, as Tony already reached his hands for him. When strong fingers clasped on his sides it already was too late. Peter would forever curse the day, he had decided to bring Ned to the compound and so the overexcited poking fest began. Peter really was seeing everything Ned was and there was no need to poke him to make him pay attention. And poking lead to some tickling, and Tony seeing everything when he had gone out to greet them. He didn't comment, but Peter felt embarrassed anyway. Knowing that Tony knew was embarrassing. Yet, Tony didn't do anything. Unless Peter went into a chatterbox mode and he needed some quick and clean way to quiet the teen down. Like now.

"No!" Peter managed to get out, before fingers squeezed his waist. Some cheerful, bubbly laughter was already spilling out, and there was no way for him to stop it. "Nahahaha! I am sohahahry!" Peter wriggled around the hands, trying to move away. To be honest, the most difficult thing was to fight all of his instincts on pushing Tony away. Combined with his strength, it wouldn't end well for either of them. The tickling was short and playful, ceased by Peter leaping out and onto the table, and then he took the only reasonable path to freedom. Meaning, he climbed on the ceiling.

Tony stopped, his hands still positioned just where Peter was a few seconds ago. Peter eyed his mentor from his upside down position, and still caught the glimpse of the older man's smiling face. In his opinion, Mr Stark didn't smile as often as he should, and it was good to see him smiling. Even at his own expanse. When Tony's eyes caught Peter's and registered the position he was in, he smiled even more and laughed happily.

"Okay, kid, you can come down," Tony said, raising his hands up and showing that he had no more intentions in tickling Peter. "I promise not to get you. Unless you make another reference."

"Promise?" Peter asked. It was better to be safe than sorry.

"Yeah, yeah. Now get off from there, because if you fall down and break your neck, your aunt will totally blame me."

Peter smiled to himself, leaping down, and doing a somersault mid-air, his sneakers making an almost inaudible sound on the ground after the soft landing. Tony narrowed his eyes at Peter's smiling ones. 'Show off'. It wasn't said out loud, but Peter could figure it out from the older man's expression.

"Right. Work time," Tony snapped his fingers, pointing back at Peter's workbench. "And no movie, vine or… meme references or whatever for the rest of the day. Got it?"

"Got it," Peter nodded, and turned back once again to his desk, smiling to himself, and trying to not make it too apparent. He looked at his notes, suddenly feeling a rush of inspiration. Turned out that the short break was just what he needed to unblock his mind.

"Or no. You know what? I think it is time for lunch," Tony said out loud, stacking his notes in a neat pile, just as Peter started to work on another sketch. "Are you in a mood for something? How about some Del Taco? They have this new thing called fresh a voca do."

Peter snapped his head around so fast, his muscles stretched painfully. "Mr Stark, did you just…?" Peter asked, smiling from ear to ear.

"Did I just what?" Tony asked back, completely focused on his work. His back was facing Peter and he couldn't see his face, but had a feeling that he was smiling.

"Never mind, Mr Stark," Peter answered, turning to his notes back. "Del Taco sounds great," he said, still smiling. It was a fine day for science.

[isroselalondebisexual]

This one's a bit weird, but what about these kid/trollswaps: Rose Pyrope, Jade Peixes, John Zahhak, and Dave Vantas

Ooo, swapped by Class :D

Rose Pyrope, raised in relative solitude, not meeting Dragonmom until she’s 10ish years old (about 5 sweeps I’d say), with solidly middle class income. She writes. ALL of the fanfiction. She’s got access to resources, even though everything has to be shipped out to her, so she probably frequents whatever the troll equivalent of Wish and Amazon are a LOT, probably has a bunch of dumb wizard flarping gear that she really likes, as well as “edgy” and “sinister” flarping gear that really just makes it look like she shops at Troll Hot Topic. She lives in a tree, so she probably waxes poetic about the sound of wind rushing through the branches much like she had that lil tangent about the sound of rushing water underneath her canon home. Meeting her lusus in her dreams and learning how to “see” with her nose would probably just make her even more inquisitive about the world around her, another method by which she can take in information, though Dave probably makes a lot of jokes about how “nosy” she is B) Rose has a Scalesona and she and Jade roleplay together ALL THE TIME. Rose being the Seer of Mind would probably result in her role being someone who sees into the minds of others and can understand their psyche. A blinded Seer (not physically blind, but like, magically blind) would have issues seeing the good or ill intents of those around them, and probably just blindly hope that things will work out for the best without critically thinking about a person’s actions and motivations, while a Seer that came into her godhood would be, well, something like a therapist, something like a psychologist, something like- Rose. What I’m saying is Rose’s interests absolutely line up with being a Seer of Mind very fucking closely. She’d love that role give it to her please.

Jade Peixes would be quite similar to Feferi, I think. Being a child, and a very monetarily privileged child, she’d likely have a skewed perception of the world and very lofty, well-intentioned, but ultimately juvenile plans. “Kill the Condesce, rule Alternia, make everybody be nice to each other” would sum it up pretty nicely, and I could picture her being a little condescending herself. Probably still bottles her own emotions and cares too much about what other people are feeling and if she can help them out at all, and idk if Eridan is still around in this AU but if not it’d be fine because Jade, like Feferi, is a fucking kickass STRONG girl (or, gill, as it might be ;3) who can haul whales on her own. Probably has a bunch of fancy ion rifles and whatnot and only uses her trident for ceremonial stuff. Wouldn’t enjoy killing animals because she likes those a lot and is enamored with how cool animals are, but a duty is a duty and unless she has a friend or datemate to help her out then she’s the one who’s gotta do it. Probably thinks her mom is really badass, even though she’s pretty strenuous a lot of the time. Rose is very likely the only person who can get her to open up about how sucky having to take care of her is, bc, again, Jade does not like to talk about her feelings, but Rose is as nosy as she is loving so hey it works out. As Witch of Life, Jade is probably filled with enthusiasm at the fact that she can bring about LIFE. She doesn’t have to kill anything she doesn’t want to anymore, just some battle imps and those are just Game constructs anyway, she’s a HEALER, someone who can impart life into others! Gone are the nights of having to kill things just so she could avoid killing other things, her focus can move away from death, and focus instead on growth, on life, on Life, and that’s so wonderful! She’s so, so HAPPY with her role, she is all but too glad to move mindsets from focusing on death to instead flourishing with life. Probably gets along with the horrorterrors of the furthest ring really well and says hi to them whenever she’s on Derse. They’re like, her weird great-aunts and uncles, sort of, her mom was their emissary so she’s sorta like, every horrorterror’s baby sister/niece. 

John Zahhak! Strong boy against. It is a role meant to help him grow not by challenging him in ways that help him into his role, which allows him to flourish, but challenges him by forcing him to go against his natural inclination, against what he’s used to, against what he was raised with, against his own expectations. He has to fight against staying quiet on the sidelines always watching, never engaging, so that he can become involved with his friends and engage in healthy emotional interactions. He has to fight against his own upbringing, that told him that he was important and others weren’t. Has to fight against the idea that has been pounded into his head over and over and over again that the world is cold and harsh and uncaring and he has to realize that life is as kind as we make it, and there is kindness in him, there is goodness in him, and he has to step out of the shadows and DO something with that.

Dave Vantas. Hoooooo. Paranoid boy. Very paranoid boy. Thinks the WORLD of his crabby dad. Very very twitchy. I can’t really see Dave getting particularly angry or short fused, but I CAN see him being deeply insecure which leads to him saying things he doesn’t necessarily mean in order to make himself feel/seem better, which inadvertently hurts others. Rose is a MENACE in his life because she’s very snoopy and he is secretive for a REASON Rose! He loves her dearly tho. Probably thinks that John is “cool” and “aloof” and “mysterious” when really John just doesn’t know how to engage. Very likely still makes shitty comics and they more than likely satirize the caste system, also the rigidity of quadrants. So like, it SEEMS like he’s making general run of the mill schlup to any algorithms looking for civil dissent, but people who pay attention can tell that Dave is actually doing some pretty quality satire for a tiny child and it’s some quality stuff, by which I mean the quality is terrible as Andrew Hussie is evil. Knight of Blood means he’s fiercely protective of his friends, and with Crabdad’s upbringing, he’s a right menace to anything he considers a threat. Is the mom friend of the group. “Have you eaten today?” “You need to eat” “So help me god I will go to your planet and feed you myself if you do not put some food in your body” “No popcorn is not a meal eat actual FOOD.” Being protective of his bonds likely means he still has some pretty fierce abandonment issues tho, and likely is still just as much of an attention whore as he is in canon because he needs to know that his friends still love him and want him around and care about him. It’s very important to him, but he winds up coming off as clingy which he HATES because he can feel himself doing it but at the same time he really really really could use the reassurance that he’s not being annoying but he feels like if he asks to much that MAKES him annoying and who does he even think he is, anyway. His blood color is a source of p big anxiety for him and he’s likely internalized a lot of the “if you’re hot blooded youre not important” rhetoric of Alternia. Fortunately, it is his bonds with his friends that then turn around and keep him safe from himself, because all his friends love him and absolutely do NOT value him any less just because he’s hot and off-spectrum, and yeah okay he can get a little annoying but they don’t think he’s annoying as a person! Just every now and then. They probably all do some stupid friendship gesture like in Yugioh or smth so Dave can always know that his friends love him and it’s cheesy and ridiculous and they all love it. 

Neat swaps! People of the same Classes are quite similar, looks like :O!

[edwinymxl572-blog]

EXPRESS CAR WASH - An Overview

How to Wash a Car Wash Can be the automobile REALLY clean? Truly? There are still a lot of contaminants from your paint when you've not taken care of it using a clay bar, also by waxing, so you are just sealing them in, making sure sunlight really wears to them really properly, and doing long-term damage for a paint. Plus so they might pull it out from there and also put a few wax on, which is normally a terrible idea as of that aspect for many factors... This system... it's a automatic item. They'll place your car in neutral, and the track system grabs on into it, takes above... and begins yanking your automobile through this lengthy tunnel. However, this short article series is approximately... trying to coach you only a bit about all thisparticular, show the gap, so that if you make a decision about that amount you are going to select for the longterm care and care for your vehicle, it is an INFORMED determination... that you've got the truth about exactly what you're working with... how it matches together. Then they pull them close to into the next point where a crew will probably squirt them off, plus they might add any cleansers (which can be far overly robust) to your wheels or tires... normally they have a really strong degreaser, or even a really strong bug remover, something like that, and then they stress scrub off the vehicle really quickly and simply send it via, where they truly are usually put on a course system... And that is about it... that's your standard automobile clean... See, you truly enter issues whenever somebody puts a buffer about it that will not know what they're carrying out (and should they are buffing, or "polishing" your car or truck, as they call it, without having carried out a clay bar remedy to eliminate the contaminants in the paint, then '' I promise you they do not understand what they are doing) because what happens at this point is all the equipment carries all those contaminants and then swirls them around and grinds them in your paint. The buffing pad becomes the equivalent of sandpaper, and you can really destroy a paint job here. Of coursethat sort of item is carried out every day at a number of these large. Okay, anyhow in order the other end of the tube, generally there'll be a guy that jumps in it, who's likely to make a quick pass in your games, and you'll have guys that'll wipe-down your interior windows pretty quickly, and the guy that jumps in your entrance driver's seat, he'll wipe off your dashboard, your front console, your window, then that sort of thing... But what I am doing here within this series of posts is going through the different degrees of care and care for your auto, showing the gap between the levels which, obviously, not one of them are definitely going to inform you, in case they even KNOW that, mainly because, well, it isn't all that best due to their business to confess lots with the stuff for your requirementspersonally. Therefore it gets via the tunnel, at which it almost gets beat up using those bits that are supposed to wash it... that works by rotating at high speeds, and ostensibly slapping your vehicle a whole lot since they have come near. So your automobile is essentially grabbed at the front end end, dragged through this tunnel where it has blasted across a crowd (likely wondering what it did that could make you so mad in it that you'd penalize it this manner. I am talking about, think about any of it... to you, you are washing your own car, attempting to completely clean this up, make it seem rather. For the car, you're virtually delivering it in there to get spanked, conquer, mistreated... it'd come out a tiny bit shinier, what enters for wash--if you really do not understand clear--but that I imagine that you probably hurt its feelings decent...) To start, they'll pull up to and including vacuum space, where, how well you obtain your vehicle vacuumed out pretty much is dependent on which minimum-wage man you purchase, and what sort of mood he's in that date. Let's just tell the facts about any of it. Sometimes you find a deal that is excellent. Other occasions you have taken your automobile. Now you know exactly what I am speaking about here. By adding grooming to your tires, things like 24, they might give you only a little little for this. I mean, look, if you have an old car which isn't worth all that much, just some beater you use to get around town, yeah, take it to a auto clean. I'm not hoping to put down them. They really do their own thing, and there's significance in it. It really is WAY much better than just letting dirt and dirt contaminants remain to accumulate rather than wash it at all... this is the hardest thing you'll be able to do. And that is fine for many of people. Your big industrial-like car washes are... well, they're similar to an assembly line in the place where they send them through a automated machine, fairly simple procedure... At the tunnel, it has sprayed using a lot of recycled drinking water from all the other vehicles, every one of the contaminants, that have already been through there, even a sometimes they are struck by brush, sometimes they are touchless... either way it is the same. Either they're blasted or they're hit with a lot of these important things which are pretty demanding, since it truly is being released of the conclusion. Instead of just keeping your auto cluttered all of the time, for sure... but definitely not all that best for the long-term overall health of one's paint occupation. And what kind of wax Homepage are you currently are using? What's inside? What exactly does it perform? What exactly does it indicate? Some things to think about. The vehicle wash is great for a Kia... not so far for your Porsche, or even Jag, or Bentley, or even Rolls... There usually are 3 or 4 guys there. 1 guy receives the back driver's window, the other man has got the 2 over the other side, plus so they'll shut the vehicle down really quickly because it really is developing at the close of the tunnel and there's some air blowing off there also which really helps that process out. Front end driver pulls it out, a few guys turn out, then wipe down the door jambs, possibly end drying it off when it demands which. Thus, what I described is the process you'll run into at most of your commercial car washes. Bad enough, right? It becomes worse... Therefore yeah, the car clean, which is simply what I'd call "Level 1)" is nice for lots of people. Maybe not trying to put them down here. They get dirt off cars, can cause them to become smell best for a though. And they give a good deal of jobs for high school kids. There's the fact that. And I suppose that is a great matter. Nothing contrary to the auto clean. Alright, let Us talk about CAR WASHES. By the way, would you think that this passes for "PREMIUM" treatment method in many regions? Something to think about. When you know more concerning the material (also I will be submitting a number of articles managing the different levels of service along with their procedure, describing a lot about waxes and paint correction, which sort of thing... so keep tuned) it needs to really be adequate to create you really squirm next occasion you find some "Car Wash" area try to upsell you onto the "high quality Detail Service" once you understand what it actually is you're becoming. If you have secured a nicer car or truck, some thing that's pricy, or even a timeless or, anything, you actually need to take into consideration the longterm care, and understand exactly the difference between the various degrees of service, and also just how that performs in longterm with preserving and enhancing your car's value also it's elegance... So it's bad enough, with the waxing, even if it's only a handheld application (that you understand, the spray on a little pad, then run the pad within the vehicle, hold out for a minute or 2, then wipe if off sort of thing.)

[zionyife952-blog]

Helping The others Realize The Advantages Of Car Wash Dublin

How to Clean an Automobile Washing-machine The auto clean is excellent for a Kia... not so far for the Porsche, or Jag, or Bentley, or Rolls... Therefore yeah, the automobile clean, which is actually what I'd call "Level 1" is nice for plenty of people. Not hoping to put down them here. They get dirt off cars, can make them smell good for a though. Plus they give a good deal of tasks for top school kids. There's that. And I figure that is clearly a fantastic thing. Nothing contrary to the auto wash. I mean, look, if you have an old car that isn't worth all that much, just some beater you use to get around town, yeah, take it to a automobile clean. I'm not trying to put them down. They can do their own issue, and there is value inside it. It is WAY better than simply permitting dirt and dirt contaminants continue to collect rather than wash it all... that's the WORST thing you'll be able to really do. And that is fine for lots of folks. However, this article series is approximately... trying to coach you a bit about all this, show the gap, so that if you make a decision about that amount you are likely to decide to your long term care and care for your auto, it's an INFORMED decision... that you've got the truth about what you're dealing with... how it fits with each other. Watch, you REALLY enter issues whenever somebody places a buffer about it that will not know the things they are carrying out (and should they're buffing, or "sharpening" your vehicle, since they call it, without needing performed a clay bar treatment method to eliminate the contaminants in the paint, then I promise you they don't really understand what they're doing) as what happens in that time is all the equipment carries all those contaminants and trapping them around and liquefy them in your paint. The pad becomes the equivalent of sandpaper, and you can really damage a paint job here. Clearlythat sort of thing is performed at a lot of those huge. To begin, they'll pull up to vacuum space, what sort of mood he is in that day, and at which you get your car or truck vacuumed out minimum wage guy that is much is dependent upon which you purchase. Let us just tell the truth about it all here. Sometimes you find yourself a fantastic deal. Other occasions you've taken your auto. You recognize just what I am speaking about here. Ok, anyhow so at the opposite end of this tunnel, usually there'll be no man that jumps inside who's planning to make a quick pass in your console, and you certainly will have guys that'll wipe down your interior windows pretty quickly, and the man that jumps on your front driver's seat, he'll wipe down your dash, your front door, your window, that type of item... Is your auto clean that is REALLY? Truly? There continue to be plenty of contaminants from your paint when you haven't handled it using a clay pub, also by waxing, then you are just putting them in, ensuring sunlight really wears on them extremely nicely, also doing long-term damage for a paint. Alright, let Us Discuss CAR WASHES. So it gets via the tunnel, where it gets beat up with these bits that are assumed to wash it... that works by rotating at elevated rates, and ostensibly slapping your car an entire lot as they are around. Therefore your auto is basically captured at the front ending, dragged via this tube where it has shattered across a crowd (likely wondering exactly what it'd that will force you to be be so angry at it that you'd punish it this way. I am talking about, consider it... for your requirementspersonally, you are washing your vehicle, attempting to clean this up, make it seem rather. For the vehicle, you're just about sending it in there to get spanked, beat up, abused... it'd turn out a little bit skinnier, what passes for clean--if you really https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/?search=car valeting don't know thoroughly clean--but I imagine that you almost certainly hurt its feelings decent...) From the tube, it gets sprayed using a whole lot of recycled drinking water from all the other vehicles, even every one of the contaminants, that have been already through there, Helpful resources even a sometimes they are struck by brush, and sometimes they are touchless... in any event it's the same. They're blasted or they're struck with a lot of the important things which are rather demanding, since it's being released of the conclusion. Instead of keeping your car or truck dirty all of the moment, for sure... but definitely not so best for your own long-term overall health of one's paint project.

But what I'm doing here within this series of posts is all going through the different heights of maintenance and maintenance for your car, revealing the gap between your levels that, clearly, none of them are definitely going to tell you, should they even KNOW that, mainly because, well, it's not so best due to their business to confess lots with this stuff to you. At some of them, they may offer you with the addition of grooming for the tires, even things such as this. And that is about it... that is certainly your standard automobile clean... There usually are 3 or 4 guys there. One guy gets the back driver's window, the other guy gets the two on the opposing hand, plus they're going to wash the automobile down quickly since it is being released at the close of the tube plus there's some atmosphere blowing there too that helps that process out. The front end driver pulls out it, a couple guys turn out, then wipe the door jambs downfinish drying off it if it needs that. So it's bad enough, with the waxing, even if it really is merely a hand application (that you understand, the spray on just a little pad, run the mat on the car, wait around for a minute or 2, then wipe if off sort of item.) And what kind of wax are you currently are using? What is inside? What does it do? What exactly does this imply? Some things to consider. By the way, can you think this passes for "PREMIUM" cure in many regions? Another thing to consider. After you know more concerning this stuff (and I'll be putting up many articles managing the various degrees of service and also their procedure, describing lots about design and paint correction, then that type of thing... so stay educated) it ought to be sufficient to make you really squirm the next occasion you see some "Car Wash" location try to upsell you on the "Premium depth Service" whenever you realize that which it actually is you are getting. So, what I described is the process you'll run into at majority of your commercial car washes. Bad enough, correct? It gets worse... Your big industrial-like car washes are... well, they're similar to an assembly line where they ship them via an automatic system, pretty straightforward course of action... In the event you have got a nicer car, some thing which's pricy, or even some classic or, whatever, you actually want to consider the long term maintenance, and also understand precisely the gap between the different levels of service, and also the way that plays in long term with maintaining and enhancing your vehicle's value also it's beauty... Plus so they might pull it out from there and also put a few wax on, that will be usually a terrible idea at the point for a number of reasons... This system... it is a automated item. They'll put your car in neutral, and the monitor system captures on to it, accepts over... and starts yanking your automobile via this very long tunnel. Then they pull them around to another location stage where a crew will spray off them, plus they may add any cleansers (that are far overly STRONG) into your wheels or tires... normally they've got really a strong degreaser, or even some really strong bug remover, some thing similar to that, and after that they pressure scrub the vehicle off quite easily and just deliver it through, at which they truly are usually put to a track system...

[thecrapshoot]

THE LISBON OCEANARIUM

The first thing I ever wanted to be was a marine biologist.  I remember saying it and laying claim to this profession when I was in grade school because it sounded like a smart thing to say.  I was a little creature darting around in the sea of my elementary school.  I don’t remember which teacher asked us, but I do remember my answer.  I was probably eight or nine years old then.  Marine Biologist became my default answer whenever what I wanted to be when I grew up became the topic of discussion.   So, what do you want to be when you grow up? I think, a marine biologist. I thought that way until I decided I wanted to be a French teacher.  

Maybe the spirits that lay beneath the surface of the streets were demanding a reconciling.  Early neighborhoods I grew up in were filled with drugs, welfare, and street ministry.  There was always the askew, but heroic, spirit of the hustler competing with the saving spirit of the evangelist.  They saw my embryonic self-image enclosed by my small body and frame and shouted simultaneously marine biology and it echoed around my ribs and larynx and became my default answer.  On paper this is quite simply a fantastic and legitimate assessment of those circumstances.  Between physically burying a body and psychologically rejecting a message that would have saved or at least extenuated that body, you can make a case for marine biology as a type of cross-sectional study of pathos.    

Those spirits wanted to know why they were trapped there during the day.  Back when I was younger, I was conveniently unaware of what they did after dark.  I was always in the bed asleep.  I was well aware of the Boogie Man, all the wicked witches, graveyards, and ghosts from the stories I would hear my friends and other people tell in the daylight hours about certain houses in the neighborhood, or certain creepy old ladies.  

If the streets were a metaphor for rivers of water, then those spirits were in the marine life that you find in such a place as an oceanarium.  In terms of urban lore, the still waters of an oceanarium run deep, and the same moral questions that surface about zoos and other places of captivity for animals, surface about oceanariums and aquariums, etc.  Rebellious slaves-in-transit were thrown overboard into the oceans never to be heard from again.  Rivers ultimately empty into larger bodies of water and the streets and their consequences empty into people’s homes, jobs, and personal lives.

Recently I have wondered if being a marine biologist was actually my calling in life.  Was this career supposed to be a fair negotiation between where I came from and what I saw and heard about the neighborhood and spiritual world from my friends and people older than me.  Meaning, should I have run with that first inclination I had when I was young – as in, was it okay to have done that?  I used to be able to hear my bones squeak as if I was an old man when I was younger.  It was the same sound as grinding teeth.  I knew what I knew then, as they say, and I knew it had something to do with my synovial fluid.  Snap back through all those synapses of adolescent angst and I see what I see when I look in this commendable attempt at cross-sectional representation of the Earth’s great and vast oceans.  I see that nothing was certain then.

I thought I would study dolphins and sharks one day, and symbiotic relationships that exist in the ocean.  But I study languages and hope to make sense of what I find to be the translucence of the world around me.  I had a fascination with, and fear of, jellyfish and why they stung, and I even reckon I felt the sting from one once, but I couldn’t tell what it was.  It was at a beach in the South of France, in Nice or Cannes, I believe.  Their defense of their delicate bodies was a hallowed thing for me to find out and know.  Did it make me feel safe knowing that?  No, but it was worthwhile to know.  I felt informed, knowing that about jellyfish as they oozed and shimmied off into the dark and unexplored corners of the aquarium in my head.  I even saw the eel in the eel-like line, that slithered around the delicate Velcro barriers I was standing in while waiting to get into the Lisbon Oceanarium.

That curious little fact about jellyfish plucked me right in my little knucklehead that day I learned it.  I think jellyfish drove the point home that if you knew you were doing something that was going to get you into trouble, then you had better be ready to deal with the consequences, like seeing the paddle in elementary school, too.  

I was immediately alerted to that fate of being stung by one, and I fancied the shock an electric one.   Jellyfish have an association with Medusa, and in several languages in Europe they are called medusas; with the sting of the jellyfish being the equivalent of being permanently cast into a marble version of yourself just for looking at the horrid Medusa.  Were it not for Perseus beheading Medusa, we wouldn’t be dealing with such contemporary social issues like Confederate statues.  Just kidding, but just saying…  Perseus kept her head after killing her and it gave him a limited Midas touch, per se, with other enemies.

Other animals in marine life always represented danger and consequence. Getting eaten by sharks was something we knew to avoid.  Getting stung by sea anemones was something we knew was possible, and even more so because sea anemones were protecting their friends, the clown fish.  

Sometimes we could see the danger in the name of an animal like a stingray or swordfish.  Fast forward to adult life and literature, and the ocean, or the sea, is really a big deal.  It is much bigger in actuality than it seemed back then.  

Global warming is actually a big deal.  Oil spills are actually a big deal.  Pollution is actually a big deal and is really that ugly when you look it in the eyes.  And conversely, there is something special about hearing a person wax philosophic about the sea and things maritime.  A school of fish, a herd of seahorses, a fever of stingrays, a smack of medusas, or a shiver of sharks can mean so much.

It is a wonder to see these groups go passing by and try and estimate how intelligent they are individually and collectively.  What makes them stick together?  Do they notice when one falls off from the group?  Memories of my childhood go walking by sometimes about as a panoramic as seeing one of these itinerant groups shuffling or gliding along.  A few posts before this, I shared a poem by Yusef Komunyakaa about his memories of being in the Vietnam war and how he felt as a sort of dividend of his experience by providing people with such a vivid depiction.  This poem below is in the oceanarium on a wall beside part of the main tank where all of the animals are kept:

The blue and white sea and the shiny

Rocks – that inhaled space

Where what is washed rewashes itself

By the ritual of wonder and I begin

From where I returned

In salty foam and shell

To the first beach of my life.

[saphire-dance]

Could I request Rodimus/Megatron for the top meme?

Good choice. I haven’t really written them before, but they are a pair I like how a read more because this will be long

1. Who texts more often? Rodimus. Megatron prefers to call or talk face to face, but Rodimus sends little texts all day long. Megatron still isn’t sure what most of the emojis he uses mean

2. Who is better with kids? This depends entirely on what you mean by better. Rodimus is the fun Uncle he plays with the kids like he’s one of them. Children will be happy and perhaps slightly bruised when returned to their parents.Megatron is the responsible one. If he’s watching the children they will be returned clean, bruise free, and with some fun new fact they just learned because Megatron took them to the library. 

3. Who tops/bottoms? When they first got together Megatron topped. Rodimus decided in his own head without asking that that was what he would want and just how things would be. Megatron didn’t realize it was Rodimus trying to compromise and not an ingrained preference for far too long. they ended up having quite a fight, and Rung ended up refereeing. Now well Megs is still on top more often than not, but the mix it up a lot more and learned to communicate their wants more.

4. How do they eat ice cream? What’s their favorite flavors? Megatron gets the equivalent of vanilla. Considered plain but really just a subtle rich flavor. He gets a small cup and eats it with a spoon. Rodimus gets something like one of those monster extreme shakes, you know the kind with doughnuts or a slice of cheesecake on top and mountains of whip cream and sprinkles. Megatron’s teeth hurt just looking at it.

5. Do they go on dates? What are they like? Rodimus likes activity dates. He likes to go out and do something exciting together. Megatron prefers more quiet dates, candle lit dinners, getting to know each other better. They learned to compromise so they might do something like paintball and then off somewhere quiet for a drink.

6. Do they stargaze? Expand. They try. Megatron actually enjoys stargazing. The universe is beautiful and poetic. Rodimus gets bored by it and eventually gets Megatron to make out with him instead of watching the stars.

7. Who’s the laziest? Rodimus. This isn’t a bad thing though he really fits into the “Give a lazy man a hard job and he’ll find the easiest way to do it” mold.

8. Who complains more? Rodimus can be a bit whiny at times. It too Megatron a while to figure out that Rodimus didn’t want Megatron to fix whatever he was complaining about, he just wanted someone to listen to him.

9. Who wakes up earlier? Megatron. Rodimus will “five more minutes” for an hour.

10. What do they smell when they smell amortentia? For Megatron, the smell is expensive wax(from earth), smoke, and that obnoxious smelly car air freshener that Rodimus got on earth. Rodimus smells a kind of wax that was cheap on Cybertron before the war, but almost impossible to find now, and whatever the electronic equivalent to old book smell is.

11. Who sets the other’s ringtone to something loud and obnoxious behind their back? Megatron's phone is always the latest most obnoxious pop song, he cannot figure out how to change it.

12. Who uses chopsticks/Can either of them use chopsticks? neither of them can use chopsticks. Drift had at different times tried to teach them both. It was terrible. Drift refuses to speak about it.

13. When they can’t sleep what do they do? Megatron writes and stargazes. Rodimus will wake someone up and get them to distract him. It isn’t always Megatron he wakes up, so sometimes Megs is woken up by a call from one of Rodimus’ friends asking them to come get him because he finally passed out.

14. Who’s clumsier? They are both fairly graceful, but Megatron has a slight disadvantage due to being so huge

15. Who would hold the umbrella in the rain? Both of them prefer to just stand in the rain. Megatron spent so much time underground that the sky is something he’s romanticized. Rodimus just likes how it feels on his plating. he is always running hot, and the chill of the rain is nice.

16. What do they argue about most? Rodimus doing risky dumb stuff, mostly. 

17. Which one is a secret snuggler? Megatron. Rodimus is a not secret at all snuggler as any one of his friends would tell you. Most people just assume Megatron just puts up with the snuggling out of a fond sort of tolerance, but really he loves it.

18. Which one offers their jacket to the other when they complain they feel cold? It’s more Rodimus offering to set something on fire, not that Megatron complained about the cold, he’s stoic like that, but Rodimus could tell he was miserable.

19. Who remembers what the other one always orders at a restaurant?Rodimus is always trying new things, so Megatron only has a general idea of what he likes. Megatron’s tastes are fairly simple so Rodimus remembers, and teases and gets Megatron to take a bite of whatever new dish Rodimus ordered this time

20. Who reaches for the other one’s hand while driving? At first, I was like “They’re both cars,” but then they fly spaceships so... Rodimus is the more touchy feely one, at least in public, and the bridge of a spaceship is pretty public.

21. Who gets the window seat? Rodimus, he called dibs, permanent dibs.

22. Who leaves little notes in the other’s one lunch? (Bonus: what does it say?) Listen if you don’t think Megs doesn’t write the most schmoopy love poems for Rodimus to find you have no idea who they are. Rodimus has them all saved and millennia from now they will be held up as some of the most romantic poems ever written. Yes, even the one about how cute Rodimus’ butt is.

23. Who wakes up first? Megatron is an early riser and a light sleeper. He always has been. Rodimus is a night owl and sleeps like a rock.

24. Who falls asleep while watching a movie? Rodimus. He says it is because Megatron has boring taste in movies but really because he’s always in motion his systems take him being still as a sign it’s nap time. All of his friends have cute pictures of him asleep in the middle of movie night.

25. Who’s prone to wearing socks indoors (or to sleep)? The socks were a gag gift, but Megatron wears them anyway, telling Rodimus he now has no right to complain about Megatron having cold feet

26. Who has bigger cravings? Rodimus. he’s horrible about having a balanced diet so sometimes his systems will just scream we need magnesium now, right now, and he finds himself at Swerve’s eating some weird new concoction. 

27. Who reminds the other to put on sunscreen before going to the beach (or pool)? Megatron is the responsible one. It isn’t sunscreen though as much as it is some sort of temporary spray sealant to keep sand out of their systems. 

28. Who carries all the important documents while traveling? I mean it’s Ultra Magnus’ job, but if he’s not along for the ride it’s Megatron. 

29. Who sneaks in cookies in the shopping cart? Rodimus. Megatron has a list. and cookies are not on that list, but he lets Rodimus get away with it.

30. Who cooks at 2 in the morning? Rodimus would, but he’s banned from cooking. So he wakes up Swerve who really just go off shift, let the poor bot sleep.

31. Who gets extremely competitive playing Mario Kart? Surprisingly Megatron. He’s not a race frame, he’d never win a speed competition in real life, but in a game well

32. Who takes longer getting ready? Rodimus, I mean have you seen his finish? and Primus forbid his paint job needs a touch-up.

33. Who likes doing the dishes? Megatron. He’s used to letting his mind wander and work while doing repetitive tasks. So he does chores whenever he needs to think.

34. Who points at a dog when they see it? Like you didn’t read this and picture Rodimus shouting “PUPPY!!!!”

35. Who’s prone to road rage? Rodimus. Megatron has been learning to manage his temper, but Rodimus can have trouble keeping himself in check at times.

[canaryatlaw]

So I'm kind of tired, but it's more of a you woke up at 7 am and are still awake at 1 am go to bed tired rather than a complete and total state of exhaustion. This has also been the first week when I've gotten out of bed on time every morning since at least the beginning of February. I'm very happy about that. Anyway, today was pretty good, busy but good. I did wake up at 7, got ready and went to work, where I continued to work on the huge stack of trial prep papers I have, which I am slowly but surely making progress on. After spending another 8 hours on it I'd say I'm probably a third of the way through. The document I'm writing up is around 30 pages. Sigh. This is gonna take a while. But yeah, I worked on that pretty much all day, which is fine, it's boring but it's not terrible, at least it requires some brain power in summarizing and formulating what to write, so it's better than just flipping through files aimlessly. Over my lunch hour I traded between reading my oral argument outline and catching up on fanfiction, lol. I feel like I'm not making a dent into the massive back up in my inbox, but I am steadily reading and deleting emails, so it's gotta add up at some point. Hopefully over break I'll have time to really address that. The highlight of the day came around 4:40 shortly before I had to go. I had given my supervisor the affiliation agreement and first report we needed to do for field placement for him to sign off on, and the office has the supervisors do a mid-point and end-point evaluation that they keep on file in case you want to work there (since pretty much everyone they hire has clerked for them) so he had me look it over at the same time and omg you guys, it was so nice I wanted to start crying. I was a little nervous about it because I did miss a lot of days because I was so fucking exhausted for an entire month, and there was that whole incident with the crazy attorney saying I lied to her (which I knew he knew wasn't true, but still) but it was nothing but compliments and it really made me so happy. I actually wrote it down on my computer to put in my "cheer up notes" doc and I wanted to share with you guys what it was because it made me so happy, so here it is: “Rachel is hard-working, intelligent and has an incredible ability to learn the mission statement of the Office of the Public Guardian. She is an excellent legal writer and is very open to receiving comments. She has good courtroom presence and is a pleasure to work with in the office. She has all the elements in her to become a remarkable attorney and guardian ad litem.” Like......I don't think I could ask for a more glowing recommendation. And like, I do work hard. I work really hard, but I don't necessarily expect it to be noticed, I've kind of been conditioned to think it's the way it HAS to be if you want any chance of surviving in the real world, and maybe it is, but to see it really noticed like that just made me really, really happy. So that left me on a good note, though I then proceeded to leave my lunchbox in the refrigerator, where it'll hopefully stay for the next week since I'll be on spring break. Whoops, lol. So I had to do my oral argument at school at 5:30, and I did not trust public transportation to get me there on time because I've been burned way too many times by it. I knew getting an uber would mean having to deal with traffic, but I figured it still gave me a better shot. Except my uber app crashed like 3 times before I could even get one, so I ended up saying fuck it and used Lyft (not that it really matters, since most drivers are on both). Got a nice driver, had a pleasant conversation with her, traded stories of crazy funny things her kids have done and my siblings have done. It was nice. I ended up getting to school around 5:25, a little later than I would've liked but it worked. Our prof wanted us to go in pairs, one for each side, so we could argue against each other basically. So the girl I'm against is already there, we're friends so it's not a big deal, but we sit and talk for a few before our prof shows up and we get started. Overall it went pretty well, there were a few times I kind of got stuck cuz she like brought up a case I hadn't read and I just had to admit that which kind of sucked (but at the end she said in real life that wouldn't happen because you'd get your opponent's brief in advance so you'd know what to argue). But she said we both did really well, and I can deal with that. So I was happy with that. By the time we finished it was like 5:55, and I had small group at 7:30 so I had some time to kill. I went down to the lounge but it was like, completely and totally deserted so I didn't feel like sticking around there, so I went to the subway down the street and got some food since my dinner was in my lunchbox in the fridge at the office. I still had some time to kill after that, so I went across the street and got some tea from Starbucks and sat in there for a while, reading the law review article we're supposed to read for LARC tomorrow. By 7 I started heading over to the church and made it right on time. Small group was good, it was focused a lot on loving your neighbor, which if you've been following me for any length of time you know is a subject I can wax poetic on for hours on end because I have so very many feelings on the topic. It's one of the reasons I picked this small group over the others that fit into my schedule, because it's called "knowing God and loving others" and I liked that a lot. So we read the story of the Good Samaritan which of course I could recite to you by heart at this point. Then they had us break up into pies to discuss our thoughts on it and I got paired with this kind of awkward guy who was sitting next to me, he's probably at least 30 and balding quite a bit and just generally quiet, but I'm good at talking, especially on a subject like this, so we were able to keep a decent discussion going. When we reconvened as a group and they wanted to know what we talked about I of course brought up my distaste for how just about everyone walks by the homeless without so much as a second thought, as if they're not even human, and how Christians have become so good at limiting our compassion to those we think deserve it, which goes exactly against the lesson the bible is teaching here. I also talked about how love is essentially the central tenet of Christianity (1 John 4:8- "God is love" "all the commandments come down to this- love the Lord you God with all your heart soul and mind, and love your neighbor as yourself") and yet we've become so good at getting stuck in the complex pieces and tangential issues of religion without first applying love as an overriding principle, which is how you get the strict religious types like the Pharisees and their modern day equivalents (I don't need to name names, you know who I'm talking about). I then also brought up the les mis quote I'm quite fond of, "to love another person is to see the face of God," meaning God is the definition of pure love, his very character is reflected in you loving the people around you in the most selfless way. And I just think that's such a perfect way to put it, really. So yeah, as evidenced by the last several hundred words, this is obviously an issue I could go on about at length, so it was nice to get some of that out tonight. I've been enjoying small group a lot, though getting home afterwards has been a pain. I took the bus to the normal train stop I've been using for the route to church, but the bus was still 20 minutes away. Boo. It was 9:30 at that point, and the donut shop I tried the other day is right there and doesn't close till 10, so I figured if I have to wait 20 minutes for a bus I at least want to do it with a donut. I feel like actually trying one of their donuts on Sunday was a bad idea because now whenever I'm waiting I'm gonna be like "mmmm, donuts" because now I know how good they are. They obviously only had a limited selection left, but I ended up picking a captain crunch Bismarck donut, which ended up being like the exact type of donut I always want haha, it was a glazed donut stuffed with captain crunch infused vanilla custard with a few pieces of captain crunch on top, and it was just heaven. Eventually the bus did come, and eventually I did get home. I wasn't ready for bed yet so I turned on Training Day, which was a pretty solid episode. I need to know how many more episodes we're getting though, and how they're gonna wrap it up. As far as I can tell they haven't released any press beyond episode 1x07, but that may not mean anything left. It stinks because the show did have a lot of potential, but you really can't continue on when you lose the actor who is legit the main character and heart of the show. Sigh. It was good though, plenty of good action for Rebecca which I always appreciate. Then I watched Powerless quickly, which was hilarious as always, and I loved the captain cold shoutout, very funny episode. Then I spent like 15 minutes facing my damn affiliation agreement and evaluation to the field placement lady, though I probably shouldn't complain because she's been exceedingly patient with my quite late submission of these documents, probably because it's a pass/fail situation, but I still appreciate it. And yeah, then I packed my bag quickly because tomorrow is the start of the church kids team retreat a bit outside of the city, just for one night. Should be fun though! I'm looking forward to it, even if I may be the youngest person there 😂 we'll see. And then I got ready for bed and hear we are. I am tired though so I'll sign off here. Goodnight ladies and gents. Happy Friday.