#not a Ted talk because it’s not about me it’s about like. frogs

[ozym4ndi4s]

I have this one headcanon, tell me if it's inaccurate to anything that might've been mentioned anywhere but uh

I like to just imagine that Hell is hot and Heaven is cold? Because. They're opposing side, and Hell is usually the one that gets the fire and shit bc.. hellfire-

SO

I have this idea that Demons are cold blooded and Angels are warm blooded? Because of their respective habitats?

Crowley's a snake, Hastur's got a frog, Dagon is.. something scaly, do you see where I'm going with this? (Yes I know that not all the Demons have cold blooded animals representing them but shhhh-)

And when you think of like. Good. It's a warm and safe feeling, like being wrapped in soft and cuddly blankets and other stuff I can't be bothered to think of rn. So Angels, being.. 'good', would be warm blooded

Yes there are thematic things that go with this too

The colors I personally associated most with Aziraphale (this is just me tho idk about all of you) are a soft whitish-yellow and a sort of baby blue, contrasting Crowley's stark bright red and dark greyscale/black tones (also his bright yellow eyes)

Aziraphale has yellow for warmth, blue for cold

Crowley has black/greyscale for cold(/dim?? Dull??? Something), and red/yellow for warmth

They have (kinda) both ends of the color spectrum. They are their own side

Thank you for coming to my TED talk

[butchybats]

ask meme: how many crochet projects do you have going at the moment ‘:|

Okay so it’s only four rn everyone cheer and clap for me HGHGH ideally I would take pictures but I don’t wanna get up so I’m just gonna talk about them <3

1. Halloween sugar cookie sweater!! This is definitely my biggest project as of right now, it’s meant to look like those Pillsbury ghost, jack o lantern, and cat sugar cookies and it’s so CUTE!! It’s seriously such a me pattern, I love it. I have the front panel entirely done, I need to finish the border for the back panel, crochet the shoulders for it, sew the two panels together, and then crochet the sleeves and add ribbing. Honestly that’s probably less work than what I’ve already done like it really shouldn’t take super long to finish, I just have chronic can’t finish things disease. That being said I did spend a good chunk of money on both the pattern and the yarn and plus it’s so cute that I really gotta try to finish it.

2. Cardigan for my sister! I literally just said that I have chronic can’t finish things disease and if you want proof of that then this cardigan was supposed to be done for my sister’s birthday in the summer! And then it was supposed to be done by Christmas! It is halfway done! To be fair I hate the pattern I chose to do 😭 it’s a granny hexagon cardigan and it actually looks pretty cool but it takes FOREVER to work up (probably my fault for using a 3.75 mm hook but it matches the yarn my sister wanted) and it’s literally halfway done like if I really put my mind to it then I could finish it. That being said just thinking about it fills me with dread LMAO I’m thinking about doing either a raglan or patchwork cardigan instead because I would like to actually gift her the cardigan I’ve been promising for like 10 months now 🤡

3. Beetlejuice inspired vest: this project is sitting halfway done on my table right now TAUNTING ME. I was having such a fun time with it when I got the genius idea last night to try it on for size. It is way too big which means I have to frog almost the entire thing!! Trying to tell myself it’s a good thing because it’ll be quicker to work up if it’s smaller but it’s also disappointing because I have to undo my work!! Also to clarify when I say beetlejuice: it’s this bulky yarn that changes color from black to dark purple, lilac, chartreuse, and neon yellow-green. Such a fun combo that I had to have when I saw at Michaels

4. Forever ago I told @loelett that I would make them a bat. Said bat literally only needs feet, to be sewed together and stuffed, and shipped out. I struggled so much with the feet that it got put on the back burner 😭 but other than that it went well HGHG

This isn’t even counting the ideas I have that haven’t made it to the crocheting stage yet (I want to make an iwtv sweater so badly it makes me look stupid) but hopefully I can finish these up soonish so that I can start on new ideas!!

ALSO I FEEL THE NEED TO SAY THAT I LOVE CROCHETING AND CONSIDER MYSELF GOOD AT IT BECAUSE I FEEL LIKE THIS POST SEEMS KINDA DOWN JGVHGGHG i would literally be unstoppable if I had the motivation to finish things is what this post amounts to. Thank you for coming to my ted talk

[deeply-unserious-fellow]

HOT TAKE TIME!!!!!! The episode Nowhere to Hyde from the most iconic show of all time, Scooby Doo Where Are You, is one of the most accurate adaptations of the Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde there is.

HERE ME OUT HERE ME OUT-

First of all. Hyde is just a horrid man.

Just-just a horrible green man who's only here to steal shit and have a good time. He communicates exclusively through pointing at things and laughing all evil like & grunting. Which Hyde doesn't actually do in the book but like tell me he WOULDN'T do that, generally speaking. He's ugly as shit. He doesn't kill anybody but he does try to turn Shaggy into a frog which has to count for something! Just a strange, horrible, evil little dude, which is what all the best Hyde's are!!! Kinda wish he was short but like. I understand why he isn't. Scooby villains can't change their heights-

Second; The relationship between Jekyll and Hyde is very similar to the one in the book. He is, quite literally, a disguise Dr. Jekyll puts on to engage in Nefarious Activities(tm) so he won't have to face the consequences! Pretty standard Scooby Doo villain thing, which is probably why this is one of the better interpretations, Scooby Doo villains are notoriously Just Normal Guys in costumes. Sure the whole addiction element is removed because Scooby Doo also wasn't doing supernatural/sci-fi shit back then, but still! It's better then a lot of other adaptations! Jekyll's explanation at the beginning of the episode plays into the pop culture idea of J&H, sure, but to be fair Jekyll kinda started falling into that mindset in his confession. In the original novel it's more of a coping mechanism so he doesn't have to face the fact that yes, he DID do those crimes, instead of just being a cover story, but it's still a noteworthy parallel. Also everybody is shocked by Jekyll and Hyde being the same person even though it's kinda obvious. Like obviously in the original novel everybody thought it was impossible because a guy completely changing their body at will is an absurd concept but still-

And my final point, appearently the events of the original novel actually happened in this universe??? I mentioned this in a reblog a couple days ago and it doesn't really. Add anything to this argument but somebody has to say it!!! The fact that everybody consistently refers to Hyde as 'the Ghost of Mr Hyde' means there wAS PREVIOUSLY A NOTORIOUS GUY NAMED MR HYDE WHO DIED!!!!!!!! Also DR JEKYLL LITERALLY SAYS HIS GREAT GRANDFATHER WAS THE ORIGINAL DR J. LIKE THEY ARE LITERALLY RELATED FUCKIN- Also appearently after Jekyll died everybody found out about him being Hyde? Which I wanna know how THAT happened. Like did Utterson or Poole go public with his confession? That seems kinda out of character for them but whatever. Maybe somebody else got their hands on it...

And that's why Scooby Doo Where Are You s2 ep1, Nowhere to Hyde, is one of the most accurate adaptations of the story of Jekyll and Hyde. Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk :)

[corvus-heliantheae]

inner child guidance - Sesame Street

Since it's a national holiday today in Germany, my spouse and I decided to visit the Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe (museum for art and industry) in Hamburg, Germany. In celebration of the 50th anniversary of the German version of Sesame Street, they have an exhibition running until January 2024. A real German version of the show started in 1978 with our own street as the framework for the other parts of the show, even with unique Muppets or version of the American originals.

I wasn't even there for the knowledge of how the show works or how the puppeteers make the characters come to life, because I already know that, but since I grew up in the 90s as the child of a single parent, the television was a very important part of my upbringing and education. So besides cartoons, Sesame Street was there in the early mornings when I needed to be distracted, so my parent could get stuff done, and we all know that's now the best approach, but there weren't any good alternatives. But so Sesame Street with all its lovely and goofy characters taught me lessons about sharing, colors, nature, numbers and being a part of a community. To be honest, a community I wasn't really a part of in real life, but at least I had my first fictional one.

The exhibition is lovely, made with a lot of care and very interactive, and it's great to see 3 to 4 generations enjoying all of this together and my inner child was happy and nostalgic even.

But since right now, thanks to the new show Muppet Mayhem, I watched a lot of Muppet media and documentaries about it and I have a question. Why isn't there an educational Muppet based show for adults? Like seriously. Jim Henson's problem after the launch of Sesame Street was getting any network to pick up a Muppet based late night show, because they all thought Muppets are for children, despite him having done adult content with puppets before Sesame Street, and with The Muppet Show and everything afterward he proved that it was possible.

Me, and a lot of other millennials, love a good, modern children's show like Bluey, where we get the comfort of stable families and the nostalgia of children's educational television, but I'm also a big fan of people like Hank Green or Adam Conover, who explain current affairs, science and culture in a very easy to understand way without keeping any information out or simplifying things too much. So why can't The Muppets do that?

I think the three latest Muppet based TV Shows (Muppet Mayhem, Muppets Now and The Muppets) all had an adult audience in mind and talk about adult problems like workspace, ambition, dreams, relationships and finding yourself. Let's be honest, if any executive decided to fund some proper advertising all of them even would be a huge success, because The Muppets don't even feel nostalgic, because they were never really gone. I mean, Kermit the Frog even gave a TED Talk about creativity 8 years ago, and it was one of the most inspiring things I've seen in recent years.

Dear Disney people, this is my pitch. A Muppet show where every episode has one overarching theme like voting, building relationships, living alone, mental health etc. where The Muppets and Humans, deal with all those things and teach the audience how to be better. I mean, if you wouldn't be such cowards, you could even talk about politics, fighting for the right things or, Mickey forbids, queerness. But let's start small, shall we?

[dynamite-derek]

RIP Akira Toriyama

It was the summer of 1996. A younger version of myself waltzed into a rip-off blockbuster, one of those family owned joints that often gets conflated with Hollywood Video, and was struck by the cover artwork of one game in particular. Chrono Trigger. It drew me in like a siren's song. It just looked so cool. I had experience with Earthbound, Super Mario RPG and Final Fantasy III at this point so I wasn't unfamiliar with the Japanese role playing game genre, but that isn't what brought me to the dance. It was the art.

Chrono Trigger would go on to become a major part of my personality as a youth. There was about a week straight where I would go around talking to nobody in particular using old English, like my favorite character Frog did. Thank you Ted Woolsey for that. CT would go on to form the basis for a lot of my video game opinions.

I remember getting Chrono Trigger for Christmas randomly in 1997. It had yet to become the holy grail of eBay, it was just a random gift from my uncle who knew how to use the Internet. I spent so long just glancing at the instruction manual and thinking the characters looked so cool. It's one thing to see a little pixel version of Lucca convince Crono that hopping into a teleporter is a good idea, it's another thing to see a fully illustrated version of the same character.

Don't even get me started on how I felt watching those anime cutscenes that came with the PS1 version for the first time. I consider Earthbound to be my favorite game ever, but Chrono Trigger is really what started my JRPG fix. Would I have gotten as deep into JRPGs as I did without Chrono Trigger? Would I be writing this right now? One of the first things I talked to my wife about was the Final Fantasy franchise, specifically my cat named Quistis. Would I have even grabbed that appreciation for Final Fantasy VIII without having been exposed to Chrono Trigger?

Fast forward to 1999. I had just moved to Colorado Springs, Colorado as a sixth grader. I had no friends. I didn't know anybody. It felt like the world had aged up around me. Everybody was using swears and talking about mature topics and I felt so out of the loop. In our temporary hotel housing I vividly remember turning the channel to Cartoon Network and stopping because the art style interested me. It looked kind of like that game I played back in 1996. Dragon Ball Z.

I can see it now. Vegeta was fighting against Recoome while Gohan and Krillin looked on exhausted. Things were looking bleak but some guy named Goku was on the horizon. I had no idea who any of these characters were but I knew they reminded me of something I loved with all my heart. From that point, Dragon Ball would go on to be something I absolutely cherished. Just like Chrono Trigger, it would help define my taste for years to come.

I remember being in high school wearing ridiculous looking Dragon Ball shirts because I thought the sleeves were really cool, I remember going to Toys R Us and seeing a damn near immobile Vegeta action figure that lacked his Saiyan-saga armor and I was so excited to bring it home. I remember hopping on limewire and downloading fansubs of Dragonball Z movies where the subtitles had characters swearing up a storm just because they could. How would I know any better? I didn't speak Japanese! I even downloaded all of Dragon Ball GT because I wanted to see where this wacky thing would go.

That specific anime would define a wide portion of my Internet life. I would post on the Funimation forums talking about whatever episode of the dub was most recent. It was there that I made a lot of my first Internet friends, including girlfriends. It was that forum that led me to create my own little Internet forum called Lindblum, a place that I still remember fondly to this day. I didn't have a lot of friends. I was an Airforce brat who moved around all the time, so it was hard for me to chat with people who knew each other for their entire lives. Lindblum was where I socialized and grew up as a person. Where I learned how to socialize and talk to people from all walks of life.

Writing on forums is what got me into writing in general. I was a lazy kid in school. I didn't care about anything except for video games. Writing was the exception to that, it was the only thing I considered myself actually decent at. I didn't understand math but I understood how to communicate what I felt to others. I work in journalism to this very day because of that fascination with writing. I have this dinky little blog I maintain because of that. Thanks to Internet forums. Thanks to Dragon Ball Z. Thanks to Chrono Trigger. Thanks to Akira Toriyama.

Toriyama, indirectly, helped shape me as an individual. A guy thousands of miles away from me who I had never met before, who didn't know my name, who didn't know I existed, had a hand in helping to shape the person I am today. The world can be a beautiful place sometimes.

RIP Akira Toriyama. Thanks for everything.

[bikelock28]

What kind of parents to Ted do you think Remus and Tonks would've been if they survived?

I don't know why but I imagine that Tonks would be the 'easy one', the one who Ted could tell some juicy details from his teenage life and Tonks would be like 'ooh yeah I understand, tell me more!' and would sometimes behave like she's his friend rather than a mum (which sounds good but could be bad xD) I also imagine lots of cringe nicknames that would embarrass Teddy and lots of hugs and kisses, basically very affectionate and warm, like she was in books.

For Remus... I can't help but imagine him being loving but also strict and a bit cold. He would LOVE Tonks and Teddy obviously, but Remus is not naturally affectionate or open about his feelings and I don't think he would be a natural Family Man (like Arthur Weasley), so he would be reserved. He would express his love towards Teddy by saying how proud he was of Ted's Head Boy badge and ruffle his hair and clap him on the back. I also think his lycanthropy might affect their relationship - Remus would get grumpy, in turn Ted might also get sarcastic and grumpy if he's in a bad mood, which could result in a fight. Also, Remus gives me the ~old fashioned father~ vibes when it comes to discipline, if you know what I mean. BUT in spite of all this, Teddy would be a complete daddy's boy! Especially if he's more like Remus in personality and looks, and he and Remus could talk endlessly and understand each other.

Sorry for long post 🤡 what are your headcanons?

Thank you for your question. Don’t apologise for a long post- I love long posts:) and this reply has turned out v long also.

I touched on the answer a bit here: https://bikelock28.tumblr.com/post/624514058632232960/i-lobed-the-chapters-about-what-happened-to.

I don’t think either Tonks or Lupin would be very strict parents, but I also don’t think either would be the “friends with the kids” type. I don’t think either would be the Cool Parent, because frankly by the time children are old enough to fully understand/appreciate coolness, they’re too old to reckon it applies to their parents.

I think Lupin does most of the childcare. This means he and Teddy are close. Being a dad makes lupin happier than anything. He has a lovely relationship with Teddy: loves teaching Teddy stuff and is also good at being silly with him (remember this is a man who dressed Snape as Neville’s gran and who laughs at James’ jokes 20 years later! Do not underestimate the daftness Remus Lupin is capable of). I think Tonks would absolutely love all of the above.

I write Lupin as allergic to PDA with Tonks, and I think it would largely remain that way. But I don’t think he can keep his hands off Teddy, he is always hugging, tickling, kissing, ruffling hair, having Teddy climb on him, etc. It feels natural to him, he doesn’t even notice that he’s doing it in front of others.

If you grew up in a family where one parent was stay-at-home and the other went to work, you’ll remember that the latter coming home was a bit of a big daily occasion. I think that defo happens with Tonks- “MUMMY IS HOME! Mummy let me show you my drawing, mummy I scored a goal today” etc, hurling himself at her when she comes through the door. Plus it allows her to be Fun Mummy. 

However, Aurors presumably work many evenings, weekends, early mornings. If you grow up with a parent who works shifts like that then as the child it’s normal to you. But for many mums that‘s guilt-inducing. I think Tonks would really struggle with that, which makes me sad. Though I suppose the good thing about being married to Lupin is that you’d always have someone to talk to about guilt lol! I reckon she’d buy Teddy all sort of daft and unnecessary toys to make up for missing bedtimes etc. These presents would largely be junk Teddy didn't actually want or need. Lupin would find this habit extremely irritating and it would probably be something they'd argue about: "It's just a silly plastic frog, it was ten knuts," "So why did you bother getting it?" "It's just a little token to say sorry for being away so much this week," "It's clutter we don't need, like that whistle you got him in the Summer. He knows you wish you were home more, Tonks- you don't need to spoil him with junk to prove it," etc etc.

BUT I also reckon Lupin would also be indulgent of Teddy in a different way, e.g:

I bet he’d hate leaving him to cry as a baby. 

He’d have phases of extreme anxiety about Teddy’s safety. 

Because Lupin’s self-loathing means that he believes he Is Bad, and because he carries a lot of shame, he would be weird and paranoid about Teddy growing up with similar problems. This would lead to him struggling with if an how to punish Teddy when he’s naughty, and with even the idea/wording of “naughty”/“good”/“you’re in trouble” etc.

Tonks, like many people, would find all the above bemusing and infuriating. I headcanon that Andromeda was quite a strict parent to her, and as far as Tonks is concerned she (Tonks) turned out OK. Therefore i think Tonks would have a more normal and healthy approach to punishment: “sending Teddy to bed without his pudding will teach him not to steal biscuits from the tin again”, “telling him he’s been naughty isn’t shaming him”, “he knows we love him even if we get cross sometimes”. Whereas Lupin, with his aforementioned shame and self-loathing would be troubled by all that. I think he would defo argue with Tonks about it. E.g a battleground would be if Teddy can/should sleep in his parents’ bed: "It helps him sleep," "No, Remus, it helps you sleep, but not me, and I'm the one who has to be up at five to go to work," "I'll have him on my side, then" "It doesn't matter, he'll still end up keeping us awake. You've got to get over this clinginess," "He isn't clingy," "He's going to be because of you, and you are because of him. Look, I know you get anxious sometimes about him being alone at night, but he's safe here. He's in the room nextdoor. Nobody is going to hurt him," "That's not what I'm worried about," "Remus, that's exactly what you're worried about. We both know it. It's OK, I understand, but you can't let it effect how we are with Teddy," etc etc.

As for their family relationships when Teddy’s older:

I don’t agree with you about Tonks being keen to hear the juicy details of teddy’s teen life, or him being keen to tell her- remember this is his mum! Plus, if Teddy’s anything like his dad, he’s a closed book. And Tonks has enough experience of Remus by then to respect that in Teddy.

I also disagree with you about Lupin getting grumpy around the full moon. In canon he gets ill, not bad-tempered, so there’s nothing there to cause arguments with Teddy. I don’t think having a werewolf dad would make school easy for Teddy (even though said dad is also a war hero). But I don’t believe Teddy would ever directly blame Lupin for that, because Teddy’s grown up seeing first-hand how being a werewolf is an illness.

Overall I think Teddy’s Hogwarts years would be a happy time for the family (as much as they can be when you have a teenager in the house!). I headcanon Teddy as always pretty independent, so him growing up and making choices would be cool for his parents to watch. Especially as he’s a bright lad, and I don’t head cannon him as having any interest in being an Auror or going into politics. Probably a relief for his parents on a personal level, but also a big signifier for them (and their Order friends) that the war’s over, and they won it so Teddy didn’t have to fight or campaign or be afraid. He can live the life he chooses. He can be normal. Well, as normal as you can be when you have turquoise hair ;)

However, by the time Teddy’s in 4th/5th year I headcanon that Lupin would be getting increasingly unwell. Probably walking with a stick and tiring easily. Of course that’s a difficult thing for a parent to experience, and a child to witness. I think Tonks would try to make this all seem OK and fail, and everyone would be miserable about it. But being a loving family makes even a miserable time a little better.

Hope you enjoyed this long answer. As always, feel free to weigh in or send Asks or Messages.

[aethlingg]

I wish to hear your 'felipe is evil and working with niklaus' theory, if you don't mind?

WOW I'M SO GLAD YOU ASKED! ok get comfy this is gonna be long

Well, (as i posted a bit ago) i saw this in the grizzcord and it immediately set off an alarm in my brain. I mean, grizz is definitely the type of person to use something like a color palette to foreshadow something in the future and so far a lot of things Niklaus-related have been in that color palette. ALSO, not only is he black and gold, he also wears purple clothing. Guess who's color pallate is black and gold and purple? Desire daddy himself.

Now, I know that's not enough to prove anything and me saying he was evil just from that was mostly a joke. But it did get me thinking, and I immediately remembered the temple of the sun goddess. Felipe wasn't able to pass through the door without getting set on fire. Which is weird, considering he is supposedly three days old and is a tour guide. And something tells me that if he were working for Niklaus and was spying on the riptide pirates/trying to gain their trust, that wouldn't sit very well with the sun godess. Especially considering the fact that the chosen one is one of those that are being tricked.

Also, something I just realized as I was looking through the possible fey marks that you can get when you enter the feywild (jay's whiskers and chip's eyes). Jay's and Chip's are the only ones that are actually on that list of fey marks. I thought it might just be a human thing, but I didn't see anything about pixie wings anywhere. Now, that may have just been Grizzly altering the possible fey marks cuz he came up with more that he liked, but idk it seems like a weird thing to change while he kept most of everything else the same. (also gillion's sparkles that follow him are in a fey characteristics list (used when making a character from the feywild) instead of fey marks which i thought was weird but hey thats not what this post is about)

He also seems to be trying to gain the trust of the party, especially Chip. I mean, come on, grizzly would never have an npc agree with chip about the "Millenium Chipper" being a better name than The Albatross if there wasn't something else going on. Grizz is also the type of dm to put foreshadowing in things that the npc says. Like how when Gillion Villian tells Felipe that he should come up with a villain name for himself and he decides to just make it his own name and change nothing. Obviously, that's just taken as a joke (as it should be) when it happens, but it's the kind of thing that you would look back on and be like "oh"

Also there was just something off about when Felipe talked about who he was planning on talking to when they got through the memoraze or whatever it was called. I might have just been overthinking since I was already convinced at that point, but I just really want to know who he actually talked to. There's just so many things about him that can be dismissed as a joke, but if you think about it harder it really seems like he's trying to hide something. Even the fact that he barely aged in the hall of illusions was weird but I can't think of something that would connect him to Niklaus other than the fact that, since one of Niklaus' magic items could age someone so quickly, maybe he can just Do Stuff like that. That might also explain the whole three days old thing though both of those things could just be explained by them being Strange Frog Things.

And all in all, he just seems too lovable, yet we know next to nothing about him and its just weird. And yes, I know that a lot of this was a stretch, but the brain sees what it wants to see and my brain wants to see that Felipe is evil because we can't have anything good ever.

Thank you for listening to my ted talk have a lovely day

[fryingpan1234567]

I’m sorry to rant about Strange World because it’s all people are doing, but- AAAAAAA

it’s. so good. Ethan?? Meridian?? LITERALLY EVERYTHING????

look this is the best character and setting design I have seen in a VERY LONG TIME and as an author and fantasy whore I am SO IN LOVE WITH EVERYTHING HERE

there’s disabled characters (done before but not majorly), colored characters (also not uncommon but I’m still very glad it’s still happening), lots of different body types (somewhere in between the two former as far as commonality), and ACTUAL QUEER REP. teenagers with emotion but aren’t seen in a negative light? acknowledging the existence of toxicity in both family and romantic relationships?

like holy shit you guys. I’ve never doubted Disney for a second- I know people have been shitting on them a ton for reasons I guess I get but don’t really fathom… but they’ve come through.

like guys, equality in screen time like we want isn’t easily achievable, especially for something as massive as Disney. they’ve worked their way up to where we need them to be, and they still are, but they’re doing so good

body types with Encanto. period stuff and real female power + mental health in Turning Red. ideal men in Frozen and Tangled. black main characters in Princess and the Frog. even the little bit of gay in the live action Beauty and the Beast- every little bit counts, and everything they’ve done so far is great.

the most recent thing is obviously the on-screen lesbian kiss in Lightyear. I feel like I should point out that all the freak out from everything were on the viewers, not the corporation.

finally we’re here, with Strange World. you know why the marketing sucked? they’re still working their way up that ladder. because they’ve got everything we want in the actual film, the last thing they can do to even it all out is keep it at least a little bit quieter.

you guys, I could talk for hours about this movie. lemme know if you wanna see me write something about it!! AU, ships, setting design, stuff like that

thank you for coming to my TED talk

[maenvs3000w23]

Unit 07: Nature Interpretation through Musi

Hi Everyone, 

I am sure like a lot of you, I really enjoy music and it is a part of my daily life. I have music playing all the time; when I am driving, working out, studying, or cleaning. 

I have never given much thought to acknowledging where music is in nature. The music of nature and the nature of music article made an interesting point that people that live in urban settings do not hear the “soundscape” of nature (Gray et al., 2001). I believe this to be very relatable as I live in Brampton…. In past blog posts, I have talked about my adventures traveling and summers at the cottage. During these times I was more in tune with the “soundscape” around me. When I am in tropical places, I enjoy the rhythm of the waves breaking, the birds chirping and at night, the frogs would croak so in sync. It would also be calming to hear the rainfall at times. Similar sounds would be heard at the cottage. The birds chirping, the waves breaking on the shore after the boats pass, the frogs at night, or the crackle of the campfire. As mentioned in the music of nature and the nature of music article examining the voice of a single creature out of context does not have a purpose (Gray et al., 2001). It is important to examine and study the soundscape together and not piece by piece. The article described it as an orchestra, which I really like (Gray et al., 2001). You could also put it this way, you would listen to the drums, then the guitar, and then the vocals all separately. When pulling it apart like that the sounds lose their purpose but when played all together can make something beautiful.

I find nature in music very often. Have you ever heard a song start off with waves crashing and birds chirping? Or songs that describe the nice weather, palm trees, and beach? I think it is easier to find nature in music because there is so much music. Also, as mentioned in the textbook, music reaches a greater number of people (Beck et al., 2018). This means individuals that live in urban areas or areas that lack a natural soundscape (Gray et al., 2001) can appreciate nature found in music. 

A song that immediately takes me back to a natural landscape would be American Pie by Don McLean. It reminds me of late nights at the cottage sitting by the campfire with my family. It has become a tradition to play this song at least once by the campfire. When I hear this song in a different context it brings back memories of my family and me sitting by the campfire. 

I really enjoyed sharing this week. 

I look forward to reading your blog posts!

Makayla

Beck, L, Cable, Ted T., Knudson, D. M. (2018). Interpreting Natural & Cultural Heritage. Sagamore-Venture Publishing. 2018

Gray, P. M., Krause, B., Atema, J., Payne, R., Krumhansl, C., & Baptista, L. (2001). The Music of Nature and the Nature of Music. Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science), 291(5501), 52–54. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.10.1126/SCIENCE.1056960

[governmentcoverups]

Season 4 vol 2 spoilers kinda (random thoughts or things that happened idk read if your bored.)

So what duffers, you were just queerbaiting all along? The parallels, the byler evidence, all of it for nothing? Before volume 2 I had no doubt about byler and I 100% thought it was gonna be cannon but the love confession threw me off and I'm in tears rn, byler has been one of my #1 ships since last year. I can't imagine how other bylers feel who have been in the fandom since the beginning of the show. The 210+ page slides of byler? Mike pinning, the Mike voice, 'crazy together', Everything just for it to be nothing?

I don't understand, I had so much hope and I wasn't prepared for that scene. I went in there thinking Mike couldn't say it. What throws me off is how Mike says he loved el since they first met, but then Mike pushed el away because he thought she lied about finding will at the quarry. Also heros playing during that one song line when hugging his mom?

Obviously there's a theory about Mike only liking El when she looks like a boy but idk. Bylers, do not lose hope, maybe there's a ton of proof in season 4.

Atleast we got half host will in Hawkins. That to me makes me a bit happy. It disappointed me though, I feel like it was an average season, not really that dark to me like the duffers were saying. Also will didn't come out. We were left on the weirdest cliff hanger.

Did you see how the romantic pairings were at the end when el is picking up the dead flower? J0pp3r, byler and j4ncy, idk could be a coincidence because I don't really believe in those pairing things that much.

It's disappointing to me how I woke up early yesterday morning due to a family matter and couldn't go back to sleep and I'm still not the tiniest bit tired - I've been up for like 24 hours.

Poor Eddie, atleast he died a hero. I think max is gonna be okay because everyone else who was put into a coma was okay, like Henry and if I remember correctly El was put into one too.

Around 2:58-59am before stranger things me and my friend were up waiting for it over text and I said I was having hiccups because I was and she had them too and right at 3am they stopped, that was weird. tell me If you had them too so like we know the duffers sold their soul or sum - im jk but the hiccup thing is weird.

Also I was crying over the love confession when my cat started to meow and I was like whatt? Because I thought she needed food or something and no, there was a frog and it was wet and it basically came out of the middle of nowhere, I'm not joking.

The way Mike didn't notice will was basically sobbing when he gave the painting - why not comfort your friend or ask why he's crying, or did he understand? Jonathan definitely understood and why bring up the Lego thing to talk about it?

Also Jason is just deed now? He got ripped apart by the gate😗✌

I really want will to be a villain now, from how obvious his feelings are and how heartbroken he was in s3 and like tryna hide it or sum in s4(honestly I saw him being a shipper but I didn't think it was gonna be like that) he deserves his actual villain arc but I don't think we'll get it since nothing good ever happens for us. And plus the timing is probably gonna skip like a week or so because of the big gate around Hawkins unless nothing happens but vecnas gonna strike again.

Also am I the only person missing how El brought Max back to life? Also what's with her now? The new her is cool and stuff but kinda scares me cause idk what she's doing. Go girlboss😘

Thanks Noah for trolling, we were rooting for you anyways

I think im gonna take a shower from all the stuff on my long sleeves and I might wash clothes to wear my sweet silk pjs. Wish you bylers luck. Thanks for coming to my (i hope your enjoying your chicken) ted talk.

[volinare]

Thinking about: that tiktok trend from a few years ago where you compare you partner to your fav Disney princess. when my partner at the time asked me I totally blanked and just said Repunzel because I liked the movie and they looked sorta alike. as a kid it was Belle maybe Aurora, but I like how the new princesses have personalities. After about two years of thinking I realized/remembered it's TIANA. 🤦🏻. Which they did have pretty similar personalities but not similar looks so I guess I'm glad I went with Repunzel for the tik Tok trend?? On reflection I like Tangled was because of Flynn Ryder. I am basic like that. Repunzel is sweet and the movie it's self is funny but I was never enthralled by Repunzel her self. However, I remember when princess and the frog came out id like watch the music videos over and over on my laptop, I admired Tiana soooo much but not like how I admired other Disney princesses and looking back I'm like ah. I had a crush on her. Naveen was nice too but he was a little too immature for me (I'm the immature one in relationships) and your thinking "Flynn is WAY more immature than Naveen what?" But I don't mean emotionally I mean like, life wise. I don't think I'd ever date a guy like Flynn Ryder or Naveen but I'd date Tiana NOT that she would ever date me lol. Thanks for coming to my Ted talk this all happened because I got "Almost There" stuck in my head.

[sciencestyled]

Pixel Picasso: When Code Met Canvas in a Wi-Fi-Enabled Paint-Off!

Ladies and gentlecoders, strap yourselves in and hold on to your keyboards because we’re diving headfirst into the wacky world of algorithmic and generative art! Imagine if Salvador Dalí met Siri, had a few too many energy drinks, and decided to paint the town red with a codebase instead of a brush. That, my friends, is the essence of algorithmic art: where the mind-blowing complexity of algorithms meets the zany unpredictability of creativity.

Now, I know what you're thinking. "Zane, how can art and code possibly mix? Isn’t code all numbers and logic, and art all feelings and glitter?" Well, let me stop you right there. Think of it as the unholy love child of a TED Talk and Burning Man. We’re talking about computers creating art that evolves, shifts, and changes like a digital chameleon on a social media bender.

To get into the thick of it, picture this: an art installation that morphs with every tweet, Instagram story, and TikTok dance craze. One moment, it's a serene landscape; the next, it's a chaotic swirl of memes, emojis, and trending hashtags. That’s generative art, baby—living, breathing, and algorithmically caffeinated.

Take, for instance, the magical world of digital installations powered by real-time data inputs. Imagine an art piece that reacts to the weather. Yes, you heard right. Your rainy Tuesday morning could transform a digital canvas into a moody, melancholic masterpiece reminiscent of an emo teenager’s sketchbook, while a sunny Saturday afternoon turns it into a technicolor explosion that would make Lisa Frank weep with envy. Picture this happening live, all driven by algorithms sipping on weather data like a hipster barista downing cold brews.

But let’s not stop there. No, we’re just getting warmed up! Enter the realm of social media-fueled art. Algorithms can now slurp up data from the vast ocean of Instagram selfies, Facebook rants, and TikTok dances, spitting out ever-evolving pieces of art that reflect the digital zeitgeist. One second, it's all about the avocado toast and yoga poses; the next, it’s plunged into the chaotic vortex of the latest viral challenge, painting your screen with a pixelated ballet of absurdity.

Now, before your brain short-circuits trying to wrap itself around this concept, let’s take a detour down meme lane. Picture an algorithm that generates art based on the hottest memes. Imagine a digital canvas where Pepe the Frog rubs elbows with SpongeBob in all his meme-worthy glory, while Doge and the Distracted Boyfriend duke it out for meme supremacy. This, dear friends, is where high art meets high-speed internet.

Generative art isn’t just a pretty digital picture, though. It’s got the philosophical depth of a late-night philosophical bender with Aristotle. It challenges our notions of creativity and authorship. Who’s the artist here—the coder who wrote the algorithm, or the machine churning out endless iterations of art? It’s like trying to figure out whether the chicken or the egg came first, but with way more hashtags and slightly less existential dread.

Let’s not forget the jaw-dropping, mind-bending installations that use motion sensors and AI to create interactive experiences. Walk into a gallery, and the art reacts to your presence. Wave your hand, and colors shift. Jump up and down, and shapes dance around like they’re in a nightclub with Skrillex on the decks. It’s as if the art has become sentient, tuning into your vibes and mirroring your moves. You’re not just viewing art—you’re part of a living, breathing spectacle.

And, of course, we can’t talk about algorithmic art without giving a shout-out to the tech gods. The big brainy bots behind this revolution are like the Leonardo da Vincis of the digital age, coding masterpieces that Michelangelo’s ghost would probably look at and go, “Dude, that’s wild.” We’re talking about artists like Refik Anadol, whose AI-driven installations turn data into jaw-dropping visual experiences that make you feel like you’ve just stumbled into the Matrix.

Speaking of which, ever heard of the weather-influenced art installation that turns city weather data into hypnotic visual displays? Picture this: You’re walking through downtown, and the street art on the building next to you changes from a sunny beach scene to a dramatic thunderstorm as the weather forecast updates. It’s like your city’s got its own digital mood ring, reacting to Mother Nature’s whims in real-time.

But wait, there’s more! How about art that changes based on stock market fluctuations? One minute you’re looking at a serene mountain landscape, and the next it’s a chaotic, abstract mess because someone sneezed on Wall Street. It’s a visual rollercoaster of capitalism’s finest—and worst—moments, brought to you by the power of algorithms and a dash of schadenfreude.

Now, here’s a thought bomb to chew on: what happens when generative art gets hooked on social media? You get digital art pieces that transform based on hashtags, likes, and trends. Today’s artwork might be a serene, minimalistic design, but tomorrow it’s a psychedelic explosion inspired by the latest viral TikTok dance. It’s art that’s as fickle and fleeting as your Twitter feed, a constant stream of creativity that never sits still.

Imagine an art piece reacting to the collective sentiment of the internet. Is Twitter happy today? Expect bright, cheerful colors. Did Facebook implode over some political scandal? Cue the dark, brooding tones. It’s like having a digital mood ring for the internet’s collective psyche, capturing the zeitgeist in pixels and code.

And for the grand finale, let’s talk about AI artists. These aren’t your typical paintbrush-wielding maestros; we’re talking about algorithms trained on massive datasets of art history, capable of churning out pieces that blend the styles of Van Gogh, Picasso, and your favorite Instagram filters. It’s like having an art school dropout who binge-watched every Bob Ross episode ever made and decided to go rogue with a laptop.

So, there you have it, folks. In the bizarre, electrifying intersection of art and science, algorithmic and generative art stands as a testament to human ingenuity and digital madness. It’s a world where code and creativity collide, where the lines between artist and machine blur, and where the digital canvas evolves faster than you can say "Photoshop."

So next time you’re scrolling through your feed and stumble upon a piece of generative art, take a moment to appreciate the digital wizardry at play. It’s like peering into the mind of a caffeinated squirrel with a PhD in memes—a glimpse into the frenetic, fantastical future of art. And remember, in this wild world of pixels and algorithms, the only limit is the bandwidth of your imagination.

[alisondraenvs3000blogposts]

Unit 05: Nature Interpretation through Science

Blog prompt: This week is open ended writing!

Uniqueness of Wings:

In terms of design, insect wings are more fragile than bird wings. An example of this is butterfly wings. Growing up, you were probably told that the oils on your hands would breakdown the tissues of the butterflies' wings, leaving them flightless and defenseless. Although it is important that you're genial when touching butterflies, their wings can break if the lepidopteran wings (scaly wings) lose two main scales, which will lead to tearing or breaking. So they won't breakdown regardless, but they will if you are not gentle. The saying is true, but not so extreme.

If you want to learn more about this topic and information regarding safety when touching other species, check out this link below:

Twisting makes Hummingbirds Resemble the Flight of Insects:

Unlike other birds that use lift against gravity by flapping their wings downward, hummingbirds can create lift in both directions when flying. This is a flight trait similar to that of an insect. Hummingbirds have bones just like every other bird, but insects do not. To combat this, hummingbirds twist their waists to gain the ability to create flight lifts in both directions. They are able to do this due to their body structure, specifically how close their waist is to their neck.

This does not occur in other birds because on the upstroke following the downstroke that raises them in flight, the wrist on every other bird collapses, forcing the wings into the body. This restricts other birds from being able to flap their wings constructively in both directions. This adaptation in hummingbirds allows wing rotation.

If you find this topic interesting and want to read more, check out this National Geographic article on the topic: 

Things I have learned, as well as takeaways from this chapter:

When watching the Animal Signs at The Arboretum Youtube video, I learned that the closer you look at the world around you, the more you will find things that you would not expect to be there. Kitty highlighted this with the remanence of species that can be found in an old tree trunks; instead of just seeing the dead tree as being cut down, Kitty was able to showcase it for the nutrients it once provided for the Piliated Woodpecker (which I learned is the largest woodpecker in all of Ontario) and beetle larva.

Also, Jenny from the Animal Signs at The Arboretum Youtube video taught me that female goldenrod gall flies lay there eggs on goldenrods, and when hatched, the larvae trick the plant into creating a sheltered bulb of plant tissue (a gall) for the larva to grow through the winter. I had no idea that this was where these bulbs came from. A takeaway from this part of the video for me was the fact that the fully grown flies use blood that bursts out of their frontal lobe to escape the pod. Unlike Jenny, I did not find that cool; I frankly found it disgusting! 

Another takeaway was from the For the Love of Birds TED Talk, where Washington Wachira demonstrated that instead of just talking about species, in this case birds, in a scientific way in their environment, you can also talk about species in terms of how they benefit another species. In this case Washington Wachira speaks on how these different birds relate to humans and how they benefit humans. This is a great way to adapt to the wide variety of audiences on the TED Talk stage. You do not have to be completely scientific in your speech to teach something new; sometimes this even grabs the audience's attention more.

Washington Wachira talks about how unique a bird's feather is to each individual bird to create a relatable visual for his audience, because if you have seen a lone feather in your life, you can definitely relate to knowing what bird it's from just based on the patterns or colour(s) of the feather alone. Especially if it's a bird you have seen fly around a lot. He also emphasizes that birds are the only animals on the planet that can produce feathers. His talk overall is an insightful, mentally interactive listen that speaks on birds themselves, how they are being impacted by climate change and global warming, and how humans relate to and rely on them (historically, symbolically, culturally, behaviorally, for clean up, etc.). To create an empathic connection to birds so that when talking about the global warming impact on them, the audience fully listened. The approach to how Washington Wachira said what he said was incredibly smart and impactful. It really displaced how, as a nature interpreter, one's approach to how they say what they say to teach matters.

Overall, this chapter left me with more insight than I had prior and a desire to dive in deeper on the topics spoken about. Like species with the ability to fly. 

[howtoliveinparis]

Why Do Men Hate Women?

This has nothing to do with Paris, but I wanted to recommend it because I think it is an important read, and I feel like everyone should read it. As a female writer, I tell my stories from a female point of view. No offense to my male readers. I haven’t checked my Google Analytics in years so I could be wrong about my audience. This is not meant to be exclusionary. 

While I think women need to read the book, I believe men need to do better, and I hope men read this book as well. How do you combat #NotAllMen? You become that man that says maybe rape isn't good, maybe domestic violence is actually bad, maybe women should have equal rights, and hold your friends accountable instead of being complicit in their misogyny. 

Actually first let’s back track and start with how I discovered the book. I had been talking to an English guy named Jake. I honestly don’t know how long, maybe a few weeks. It was summer, I was traveling, and I wasn’t really interested in getting to know someone. I had just broken it off with someone and I was indifferent to dating and men. But he was good looking, 6’5 (inceptioned), and his Hinge profile gave no indications he was off. Yes, we learned nothing from Ted Bundy. In addition his prompts were thoughtful, in comparison to French men who can’t be bothered. There was nothing outwardly saying "I'm a misogynist".

Because of my previous relationship I learned about “red flags” to look out for. I’ve actually adopted an annoying habit of spotting them and cutting and running. It leaves a lot of the men I date perplexed, and unfortunately it is a lot (‘you have to kiss talk to a lot of frogs'). But I don’t just ghost, which is immature and lacking in empathy, I try to let them know why I’m ending it. 

This really is how we should act towards men. Women need to get out of the (outdated) idea that they need to help men become better. It's not your job. 

I know I cannot exactly lecture women on how to be. Everyone has their reasons for being unwilling to let go of someone. I’m not over my ex. Sadly I still miss him, and I still love him. This is also why I don’t really care and can walk away from anyone easily.  I will not tolerate less than what I think I deserve. 

But women being happy alone really is the end for straight men. More and more women are learning they are okay alone. If I have to read one more think piece on the sadness of “lonely men” I will scream. It’s like writers are gaslighting women into staying with men who cannot accept accountability or make changes to their shitty characters. 

Statistically unmarried women thrive more than their married counterparts. Men are happy in relationships, women are not (according to research). 70% of divorces are initiated by women. Women are tiredt. 

Back to Jake Hughes. Our first conversation went well. We talked for a good 6 hours (maybe 7, however long my flight was). It was like a game of tennis, a message a minute, and to me that's the hallmark of something to pursue. Who doesn't love banter? 

But after our initial meeting, I became increasingly perturbed. It was little things at first. He would say things, and instead of the usual allowing them to slide, I put my foot down and called him out. 27 is too old to be that callow. But he would always turn it around on me. It didn’t even make any sense, how he always made the argument about me, but I knew this was a form of manipulation so I told him I wasn’t interested in him, and left it at that.

He became incensed. He called me a misandrist (a term only MRAs would know) and claimed I wasn’t giving him a chance, and I never did. He tried to gaslight me. At first I was like ‘maybe I hadn’t given him a chance’ and I tried once more, but he was just not a good person. The manipulation tactics and the things he would say were 🚩🚩🚩.

After I let him know there was no future, he would continue texting me, even if I didn’t answer. When I asked him to stop, he said he was just giving me what I wanted (because I like a clingy, needy texter, but the thing is I need to like the person in order to like it). 

I very maturely wrote him a nice text, which he laughed at saying people don’t text like that (as if manipulation wasn’t enough, periods and grammar are for losers). I believe I very nicely, and clearly, explained my reasoning for ceasing to speak to him. As it had only been a few weeks, I didn’t understand the aggression. You would never guess a guy like that would be a raging misogynist psycho. Again we have learned nothing from Ted Bundy. 

While Googling something pertaining to him I found “Men Who Hate Women” by English author Laura Bates. The book is a little skewed as Bates is English, and talks with an English point of view about a threat facing all Western men, but most importantly in England. However it was apropos because “Jake” was English and lived in England. I don’t know if Jake was an Incel (he wasn’t a virgin) but he did say he didn’t like English girls because they all looked like sluts so… maybe just a run of the mill misogynist. At the very least something from the manosphere. 

I went into the book thinking Incels, PUAs, MRAs, etc. were sad sack virgin losers who couldn’t get laid, but Bates says most men of the manosphere are white, educated, middle class western men. I’m not sure why this surprised me as the reason I now suffer the effects of emotional abuse and PTSD/trauma were at the hands of an Oxford educated, 6’4 white male Grammar school boy. One expects a certain level of intelligence from that set, and one would be wrong. 

Christian was (maybe still is) an avid YouTube, Insta, and Reddit user, and YouTube, Insta, and Reddit are perfect gateways to Manosphere ideologies and Incel forums. His hatred of women, and his belief in male superiority and dominance, stems from his mother so it’s easy enough to explain his viewpoint away. Hatred of your mother is pretty standard fare for an evolving hatred of women.

He was like Paul Bethany (another misogynist) in A Very British Scandal. The misogyny starts small (like when he proudly proclaimed all women are dumb bitches), but grows bigger ("you need to be fucked so you'll stop being a bitch"). There are little things like “if my wife gave me a daughter I’d leave” (his general need for dominance by even controlling the sex of his future offspring) because he considered women weak and inferior. These ideas weave a thread to eventual misogyny and male dominance, which leads to control, which will spiral to bigger issues. 

But we love them right? So these opinions he espouses are brushed off as “he doesn’t really mean it, it’s a joke, that's just his humor”. He doesn’t really think like that because he loves me. I love him and I know he’s not really like that. I see the side others don’t. My love is enough. With me he can express his vulnerability and be open. Blah, blah, blah. All things we tell ourselves that make it okay. 

Believe me I tried to be a safe space for Christian. I trusted him implicitly. I felt secure with him, I told him things I've never told other people, I wanted to be that for him too. 

The truth is I was never his equal. How could I be? I was just a 'dumb bitch'. A woman. 

We should not let anything go unchecked, especially if it’s in regards to negative views of our own sex (women). Ever. If a guy says anything to you, always, always, always, call it out. If he can’t take accountability and learn, and in turn change, leave him. We have to be the change we want to see. 

Bates details how the indoctrination into misogyny starts. It’s not always so simple as the guy is ugly, or short (heightcels), or bald (baldcels), or any of the reasons men usually hate themselves, because at the end of the day it really is hatred for themselves. There’s even a group for men with small wrists and a ginger incel group (a totally British phenomenon). The ginger one is called gingercels. Yes, it seems absolutely bonkers, but then again so is hating someone for their hair color. The hate manifests to a point that it turns into something deeply unsettling. This can only lead to not just dire consequences for women, but to society as a whole. 

Bates went on to list one mass killing event, and then another, and then another, showing how these are (intentionally hidden) portrayed in the media. One paragraph after another paragraph and I was like “oh my god when will it stop?”. Some of them I had never even heard of (the ones in Canada and the UK), and I had no idea they were misogynistic acts of violence because the media never said so. How naïve we all are. This Manosphere movement is so pervasive, it exists everywhere and we don't even realize it. 

I am not a violent person, I can’t think of any situation where I could hurt someone. They say everyone is capable of it, but it’s not within me. So reading all of these men killing random strangers (even other men), wives, children, even random women working out in gyms, all under the guise that “women are evil and will not give them their god given right to sex”, so they can hurt anyone they like. This insanity exists and it’s only going to get worse as more women choose to be single (which they already are). 

By far the one that left me with a pit in my stomach, and really they all did, but the chapter titled Men Who Don’t Know That They Hate Women was truly eye opening. It makes you wonder if any men in this world truly see us as human beings. And if biologically they are missing the part of the brain that can accept accountability for anything. What is wrong with men? Why do they hate us so much?

I wholeheartedly encourage everyone to read this book. Don’t let the title fool you. It’s not an indoctrination into misandry (thanks to Jake for teaching me that term). It’s not trying to get you to become a man hater. It tries to answer the question above. It exists to open your eyes to the world we inhabit. 

If anything it could stop you from meeting some of these truly vile and disgusting men, or if you’re a mother, help you understand these pervasive and sinister groups trying to reek havoc on the minds of your boys, getting them to succumb to groupthink by way of Instagram meme accounts and YouTube rabbit holes. Please stop it before it starts. This in turn saves women by stopping men from killing us, and raping us, and hating us for simply existing. 

After reading it I felt disgusted, horrified, and exhausted. I had to take breaks while reading. This is not just a fringe group on the internet. This book showed these are fast growing groups of men that walk amongst us. It’s your mailman, the security guy in your building, the dude behind you at the grocery store. They are everywhere. This is a group that thinks rape should be legal because they are “entitled” to women’s bodies. If that’s not an attack on womenkind I don’t know what is. If that doesn’t scare you I don’t know what will. 

If you can’t buy a copy, please check your local library: https://g.co/kgs/Ud3ouC

And a word from Ben Hurst who is doing his part with the Good Lad Initiative (mentioned in the book, now called Beyond Equality):

Ben Hurst • TEDxLondonWomen • "Boys won’t be boys. Boys will be what we teach them to be":

https://www.ted.com/talks/ben_hurst_boys_won_t_be_boys_boys_will_be_what_we_teach_them_to_be?utm_campaign=tedspread&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=tedcomshare

[bowling-with-skulls]

did any other autistic kids think slideshow presentations in school were like. the shit. individual ones at least

those things have it all:

• intensive research on one subject

• organizing the results of that research into topics

• repetitive tasks (slide design)

• you get to infodump everything you learned to a room full of people and they have to listen

• not nervous about how they feel about your presentation because you know they’re paying the bare minimum level of attention to you

like i want to find an excuse to research and then give a PowerPoint presentation on a subject at some point in my life. like a theme party or something

[risingriverphoenix]

I've been out of it most of the day thanks to my appointment yesterday but here's some cypher headcanons while I recover. Sorry if some seem random, but this is all in good fun. I am half asleep while writing this on the fly so excuse any spelling or grammar

All SFW as well

-he's got hand tattoos. From the back of his hand and to about half of his forearm. Not sure of what yet. They're old and fading slightly by now, but whoever did them did a good wonderful job

-his hair is JUST long enough to put into a small ponytail. Which he would

-has only one ear pierced, but while he doesn't wear earrings anymore, when he did they would be the long stylish type

-likes animals but has only ever had cats. And somehow he never gets covered in cat hair, he refuses to tell his secrets

-as a teenager he probably had a phone charm, and acted like it was silly but actually loved it, probably from his mom. It's somewhere buried in his office desk now.

-he hates the "bald" look when he uses his ult, but like he can't really fix it, so he's just stuck with it. Gets annoyed when people mention it. "What do you want me to do, put a frog under my hat?"

- (if possible) prefers to sleep without a shirt. He gets warm when sleeping easily, despite how much he normally wears

-probably has a few crooked teeth, not anything major but was recommended braces, but never got them

-hmmmm... Cypher with freckles

-has his fingernails cut short, feels uncomfortable when he wears his gloves if they're too long

-had considered getting implants on his eyes so that they're connected to his tech like his goggles on his mask. Would probably have them be able to change colors if he wanted (gamer rgb eyes just dropped) just to mess with folks

-wears black socks

-one of his knees gives him trouble sometimes. Not because of age but he used to sit wack when at the computer before valorant

-needs the fan on to fall asleep

-when tired but he doesn't want to sleep yet he holds his partner grumbling that he's not tired as he presses his face against their hair, probably making him more tired

-if not sleeping next to someone he had and extra pillow and seemingly has a vice grip on it while asleep. Probably has done it since childhood, his mother could never get his toys to clean them when he slept

Ok thank you for coming to my Ted talk