#i think we were kind of on our way there and then the pandemic really solidified it

[manonsmanicmind]

This is a compilation of highlights from a panel held at the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force with Kirk Saduski (executive and producer at Playtone), Donald L. Miller (author of Masters of the Air), and Nate Mann (you know who he is 😌). The whole discussion is very insightful and really fun to watch, especially because Don knew Rosie very well, so I highly recommend that you watch it in its entirety. You can watch it here. There's a summary below if you don't want to watch the compilation 😉

Don on Rosie and Nate: “I’ve never met a more impressive human being in my life… his poise, his coolness, his composure.” He thinks Nate “played [Rosie] to a T.” 

Nate on the cast getting to know each other and the friendships formed: “A mission like [Münster]… took probably three weeks in a replica cockpit… all the while, Josh Bolt, my co-pilot is sitting right next to me… this was going on for a year… I was just texting him today… that kind of friendship is really the foundation of something like this… because they’re really up there for one another.”

Don on the show: “What makes the film for me is what Kirk talked about… the attention to detail is incredible and the dedication on the part of the actors, they jumped into these roles… I never saw a group of actors so emphatically committed to the project as these guys were; it was really incredible.”

Don on Rosie and Nate: “Rosie was [the] kind of guy who walks into a room and commands the room.” To Nate: “I thought you did that brilliantly, in an understated way. It would have been so easy to overstate that.” —> Nate: *nods vigorously and mouths 'thank you'* 😊🙏

Kirk to Nate: “You’re at the beginning of what we know is going to be a brilliant career, Nate.” —> Nate: *embarrassed* 🤭🙈🙉🙊🫣

Nate on how playing Rosie affected his life: “Things stick around… It’s always a good sign when you keep coming up with questions you might ask of your character. I would love to just sit down and talk to [Rosie] about jazz… I still feel this curiosity about him.”

Nate on how the incorporation of Rosie’s love for music was helpful: “When I first encountered Rosie, the thing you’re struck by is the magnitude of what he went through and what he chose to do in spite of what he went through, and that warrior-spirit... juxtaposed with this incredible warmth and this grace, and that’s where the music lives for me... He had this sense of trying to bring a buoyancy into others’ experiences, and I think he did with his crew. That balance there, between that steel-headed courage and his effortless warmth with others, was kind of where I tried to pivot.”

During the pandemic, Nate found a letter from his grandfather on his father’s side: it was from 1941 and mentioned how “unhappy he was.” 

The letter said: “I just feel this frustration… this sense of wanting to do something with my life, this sense of responsibility, this sense of responsibility to you, to my parents, to my country, and to this society that gives me, a jew, a chance to live.” 

Nate thought of that letter when auditioning for MotA because “that personal sense of duty, for Rosie, was so pivotal to his inspiration and helping him fight.” He further said that “getting to explore that connection to [his] grandfather… it’s one of those unexpected great wonders of getting to do the work that [they] get to do.”

Nate on what stands out with this project: “This is unique in that, feeling connected to this history and being able to be part of sharing it with you guys and helping to educate the public on these men, on WW2, on that sacrifice, brings a whole other dimension of meaning to our work.”

The rest of the video is made up of clips of Nate being an adorable, sweet, thoughtful, and supportive human being 🥰

#nate is pookie #i could listen to him all day #his laugh😭 #his smile😭 #his everything😭 #rosie sounds like he was an amazing and otherworldly man #nate mann #rosie rosenthal #donald miller #kirk saduski #masters of the air #mota

[darcyolsson]

its kind of crazy how tumblr culture did a complete 180 somewhere between 2018 and 2020 and most of this website has stopped being proud of how miserable they are and instead the general mindset is now all about finding beauty in the smallest things and loving yourself despite it all i hope we all never stop thinking this way

#i think we were kind of on our way there and then the pandemic really solidified it #there was (and is) just so much misery around that loving life despite it all is now exactly as contrarian as hating yourself once was #ironically the thing that made me fully realise this is dan howells comeback to the internet lol he has that distinctly 2016 humour #and all the comments are 'nooo dan. we no longer hate ourselves here its no longer cool to be miserable' #he literally gets called cringe for having low self-esteem which is kind of hysterical. sorry to dan howell but i genuinely love that #distinctly gen z to bully someone into no longer hating themselves lmfaoooo #personal

[noxtivagus]

I FEEL BETTER AGAIN

#🌙.rambles #the way i often feel better after perdev class really makes me realize that. yk literally /hearing/ it rlly comforts me a lot ;; #n yh i remembered smth again earlier #oh man i'm really grateful for the kindness of strangers #online friends were once strangers you've never known #irl ppl too but there's smth so special abt. in online there's no obligation at all to reach out or interact. but we still choose to #a lot of times it's not really /that/ deep but the thought of it is comforting when you feel alone #somewhere out there. even if you don't communicate directly w words... we understand each other in a way yeah? #there's smth especially comforting to me rn abt the kindness of someone you're not /v/ close with #but you still understand each other. maybe even deeper than w those irl #since honestly i can't rlly bring myself to vent or rant or ramble to my irls anymore ;;; #so there's this certain special gratitude n appreciation i have for ppl who know me online. esp on tumblr bcs i talk here a lot #that said though... there's smth as comforting as well abt #honestly i'm really big on those 5 love languages. so w irls there's physical touch that i love & #words of affirmation expressed through voice. those two stuff r esp special to me thanks to the distance put by the pandemic #even if i'm not rlly speaking voices give me a lot of comfort. which is one reason why music is so special to me. melodies n/or lyrics #somewhere out there. there's someone thinking abt people /like/ you #the specificness of being close w someone tho n understanding in depth after building a connection tho #all of our friends were once strangers. n thinking abt all that is v beautiful but. oh yh. i've been distant again from my reality;; #a few months ago i felt like i was talking too much so i ended up disconnecting ;;; ever since that active thought #i've been initiating stuff less n less. subconsciously. #problem tho is that when i'm sad i actively distance myself even further n that's so destructive but i wna get better again #i really wonder tho. there's sm distance n misunderstandings that can arise out of ignorance n disparity in perspectives #combining who we are n our personas n identities across platforms. irl. different social media. if we're not careful n self-aware then #the way we carry ourselves n how ppl perceive n relate n approach us wld change drastically. #best not to think /too/ much abt that tho bcs that cld be draining. T_T i care a lot at heart so im worried that i've been too distant #it's so hard to reach out but i wish i cld just clarify w all the ppl in my life that i still really really care. i'm just struggling TvT #in time in time. i need to just do what i can in a given moment. and it'll be enough for myself. n i'll keep on improving n i'll get better #thinking abt everyone i've ever known rlly comforts me. i'll improve my health so that hopefully i cld enjoy that company n be myself again #it's hard dealing w the constancy of the pain but i don't have to fall to that ache all the time. slowly is enough. i can be kind to me too

[wilwheaton]

What the actual fuck, Larry David.

So I heard about it, but didn't watch it until now. Holy shit it's even worse than I thought. What the fuck is wrong with that guy? Elmo is, like, the best friend to multiple generations of children, and is currently putting mental health and caring for others in the spotlight.

And Larry Fucking David ... did ... that? And thought it was going to be ... funny?

What an asshole. What a stupid, self-centered, tone deaf asshole.

Hey, fucko: First of all, you aren't even in the segment, but you just decided to barge in and draw focus because ... why? You couldn't stand that a puppet brought people together in a meaningful way that you can't? You couldn't stand that your appearance on national television to promote your wildly successful series was delayed for a few seconds while the adults talked about mental health?

I really want to know what raced through his tiny little mind, and why there was no voice or person who spoke up to stop him.

You know who is watching the Today show with their parents? Kids who also watch Sesame Street. Elmo is an avatar for children all over the world. Children who are too small to understand Elmo is a puppet will know that a man attacked him for no reason, and that will frighten them.

Elmo inspired a deeply meaningful and important moment of collective support among disparate people who have been struggling through the traumas of a pandemic, daily mass shootings, the rise of fascism and everything associated with Trump's violence and cruelty.

And shitty idiot Larry David couldn't stand it, for some reason. He had to indirectly tell everyone who opened their hearts to a Muppet that they were stupid, and he thought it was a good joke to physically attack and choke this character who is beloved by children and adults alike.

I've been bored by and totally over Larry David's brand of being an asshole to everyone because they had the temerity to exist around him since the day it started. It was easy to just ignore him. But this thing he did was hurtful, it wasn't funny, and his bullshit non-apology tells all of us everything we need to know about him.

Larry David strikes me as a person who mocks and belittles people who are vulnerable and sensitive, who is cruel because he enjoys it and is untouchable. Maybe I'm wrong, but that's who I see whenever I can't find the remote and he's on my television.

By contrast, Elmo and the Muppets teach and model that kindness and empathy aren't weak or stupid or any of the things people like Larry David and my dad think they are. Elmo and the Muppets teach children to be gentle and kind, to celebrate our different cultures and to embrace all of our complicated feelings.

I hope that, when the dust settles, Larry David's appalling behavior will be a footnote to a larger story about how, for just one day, a Muppet made a difference by helping all of us who are struggling feel just a little less alone and anxious.

A man who would belittle and mock that isn't much of a man at all.

[fuckyeahgoodomens]

David Tennant and Michael Sheen on The One Show 10.7.2023 ❤ :)

(also there Zoe Saldana and Nicole Kidman, and Alex Jones and Jermaine Jenas as interviewers :))

Int1: Well, this is lovely for Wednesday, isn't it?

David: It's a lovely way to spend a Monday night, innit?

Zoe: I was excited to see you both.Likewise.

Int1: Now, Good Omens. I mean, people love the first series. It's back for a second. If there's anybody watching who didn't see the first one, they don't know what we're talking about. Go on, Michael. Fill them in.

Michael: I play an angel on Earth to do angel things.

David: I play a demon. I'm Hell's emissary on Earth.

Michael: And we decide that it's a lot easier if we team up because it saves on shoe leather. So we come to an arrangement, and then we realize that we actually quite like it on Earth, and we don't really want to deal with our respective head offices. And in season one, we save the world from the apocalypse. Season two...

David: And get excommunicated by our respective...

Michael: Yes. Exactly. So season two picks up. We're now...

David: We're at liberty.

Michael: Yeah. I'm in my bookshop, having lovely meals and watching lovely shows and hanging out with my best buddy here.

David: I'm living in my car, unfortunately, becausemy apartment came with a job.

Michael: And then John Ham turns up naked at mybookshop in Soho one day with no memory. And so the mystery begins. Int2: The plot twist. We know we've got a clip.

Nicole: I don't understand why he's [Jon Hamm] not on the couch.

Michael: Well, exactly. Nor me. I think everyone's asking the same thing.

David: Apparently it's a BBC rule you have to be clothed, so he was having none of it.

Int1: Yeah, that would push Monday over the edge. Let's see the clip.

Int2: Let's see the clip.

[familiar trailer plays, nothing new there]

Michael: When I said that line in the scene [I think I may have just started a war.], I knew it would be in the trailer. Do you know when you sometimes go, yeah, this is a trailer, and I got really nervous .I couldn't do it. Doing it over and over again.

Nicole: Well, I'm looking for something to watch. I'm watching that.

Zoe: Yes.

Int2: I like how you were like, yeah, that's the one.

Michael: On 28th.

Zoe: Okay, you watch ours and we watch yours.

Michael: Deal. We're in. We're in.

David: Yes, very good, very good.

Int1: Beautiful. This is the thing, at the heart of Good Omens is this unlikely friendship between you two, but in real life so you filmed it, you didn't know each other, and then they clicked. Look at them. They joined at the hip. They do everything...

Michael: It's true.

Int1: You even had babies at the same time.

Michael: We did.

Int1 [to David]: Your wife posted this picture of you two leaving the hospital.

David: Look how in tune we are with each other.

Michael: And now those two little babies are nearly four, and they send each other little video messages. Yeah.

David: Well, they're babies of the pandemic, so that's how they think everyone communicates.

Michael: Exactly.

Int1: Is then when you went on to do Staged together?

Michael: Yeah.

Int1 [to Zoe and Nicole]: Have you seen that?

Zoe: No.Wait a minute. What are you guys doing on stage right now? Like a tour or something?

David: No, no it's a show .

Michael: It was a TV series called Staged that we did over Zoom. So we could work from our own houses.

David: Yeah.

Michael: We've done three series.

Nicole: They're extremely clever.

Zoe: That's insane. I have to watch it.

Int2: Now, Michael, apparently you turned down the opportunity to play David's character. Arguably got a better wardrobe. Is it something that you're regretting right now?

Michael: He gets all the best clothes. No. Neil Gaiman, who wrote the book that it's based on with Terry Pratchett. I've been friends with Neil for years, and so when we first started talking about the project yeah. We sort of both kind of, for some reason, assumed that I would play this one character, and then as he started writing the scripts, I was like, that's not the character. I'm not going to play that. So I felt kind of bad about saying that to Neil, and Neil was sort of feeling, because he was thinking thesame thing, feeling bad about saying it to me. So it all came out and then eventually it made way for the Tennant to emerge.

Int1: And he came in his lovely outfit.

Michael: Yeah. And his slinky hips.

...

Int2: David.You're returning to Doctor Who. We had Catherine Tate on a couple of weeks ago.

David: Oh, yes.

Int2: o we spoke to her about it all. Now, she said it was like slipping back into a comfy pair of slippers. Was it the same for you?

David: Yeah. I mean, 15 years is quite a long time. And you do worry you won't be able to runf ast enough anymore, but...

Int1: Is it 15 years ago?

David: 15 years.

Int1: It's not, David, it can't be.

David: You're a lot older than you think you are.

Michael: I was only five when... I remember the David Tennant. I was just a little nipper.

Int2: On the Doctor Who subject. Watching... that's what inspired yo uas a child, wasn't it? Watching Doctor Who.

David: Yeah.

...

Int2: Good Omens Series Two on the 28 July on Prime Video and you can catch all three series of stage on IPlayer.

...

Int1: Let's say Nadoli Llawen.

Nicole: Yeah. [Tries]

Int1: Nadoli Llawen. Merry Christmas in Welsh.

Michael: Very good.

Int1: Michael, you can verify this. I mean, even the both of us are from South Wales, and even within 20 minutes car Journey, there'll be different dialects...

Michael: Within streets! Streets! Yeah, you can tell where someone comes from, which end of town people come from. [to Int1] I know which end of town you come from.

Int1: Say no more.

Michael: It's always been very clear, Alex.

Int1: Always very clear.

#good omens #michael sheen #david tennant #the one show #the one show 2023 #slinky hips #zoe saldana #nicole kidman #alex jones #jermaine jenas #videos #video interview #michael interview #david interiviw #interview #interview transcript #can I hear a wahoo? :) #birdie #lyra #david and michael interview #s2 interview #transcripts

[eisforeidolon]

Question: I want to know what was your most favorite unscripted scene or your least favorite scripted scene or moment?

Jared: Oh wow. Great question. I'm thinking about a moment where -

Jensen: Wait, let me guess - I punched you?

Jared: Yep, where Sam gets possessed by the Meg demon and finally gets exorcised, but he had been like, kinda torturing Dean? And so Dean reaches over, after Sam is back to Sam, like 'What happened?' and just punches him? That was in season two, Jesus.

Jensen: That wasn't scripted.

Jared: That wasn't scripted. There's so much that wasn't necessarily scripted, you know? Certain moments - one of my least favorite things, maybe my least favorite thing that any writer can put into a script? Is like, Dean cries, Sam breaks down, Dean tears up, Sam and you know, whatever, do this. 'Cause there were so many, if you were to go through all of the scenes of Supernatural, which there are many? And then watch the episodes, rarely was there a sequence where it was like they get emotional where we did and there was so many where they don't even mention that we get emotional, but you just feel it. You're just there and you're like - I hate it where it's like, this is where I'm supposed to cry [derisive noise]. 'Cause sometimes you don't even know, you'll go through a scene and you'll go, like, oh shit, like, that's hittin' deep. And it's not because it's scripted. So offhand, God -

Jensen: I think there's a lot of moments, especially some of the emotional moments. One comes to mind, which is the barn scene -

Audience: Which one?

Jensen: [slightly incredulous tone] Which one?

Jared: The most recent one.

Jensen: Yeah.

Jared: Genius.

Jensen: Where I'd be interested to go back and look - and I can't remember if - maybe they didn't use it, go back and read that scene on the script and see how word for word it was on the performance. Because I feel like there were takes where I know I would maybe repeat myself, or I would say some things that I thought were, you know, dove into the emotion even more. And it wasn't something I'd planned, it's just like - felt it, you just feel something and if - when you've worked with somebody for so long, and you're so comfortable with the character, and you know the story so well, you can be available for those things to hit and you can act on them, and you can say those words, and you can say something that just makes it feel more real. And I feel like we did that in that scene, there was some dialogue that maybe was added -

Jared: It's a lot. I know, yeah.

Jensen: or massaged, or you know.

Jared: I don't know if it was ever added to a revision, or if we just did it, but the callback of, like, I can't do this alone, yes you can, well I don't want to? It's the exact same words that Dean said to Sam and vice versa. So there was stuff that wasn't scripted initially - and that goes back to an earlier question, about if there's stuff like Jensen do whatever you want. Like the feeling of that scene was like, here guys, we know this intense -

Jensen: Here's the template.

Jared: here's the template, make it y'all's. Like, y'all know Sam and Dean more than anybody ever will, you make it yours. And so he and I had a couple months because then COVID happened, the pandemic, and so we made it ours. It was so hard to rehearse that scene.

Jensen: Well, even the - like it was scripted where I was on the ground. [Jared: Yeah.] And Jared comes up and kind of cradles me and I'm, you know, like, effectively dying in his arms.

Jared: Which would have been so long to try and carry your ass.

Jensen: And I just felt really strongly, and I've told this story before, and I went to Bob Singer, who directed that episode, I went to him a couple days prior just thinking about that scene, because it was a monster, and it was looming. And I just - it didn't feel right, to die laying down. And I said, hey, is there any way - because they were still building the set - I was like, is there any way, can we figure out a way for me to die on my feet? And Bob was like, [curmudgeonly voice] how the hell are you gonna do that? Who dies on their feet? And I'm like, Dean Winchester dies on his feet. And he made it work brilliantly, because he came, I think he came up with the idea that the impalement was so severe that if you removed it - and then we had to add that dialogue in, so it made me stay there on my feet and I think it was just such a much more powerful visual, to see these two brothers face to face in that moment. And so, you know, that was certainly one big thing that was totally unscripted that I fought for and I'm really happy I did, because -

Jared: Hell yes.

Jensen: I think it just made that scene that much more powerful.

Jared: Also I'm grinning to myself because I've watched a lot of the 15x20 reaction videos, the finale? And there's some really savvy tv viewers out there who've seen a lot of different television shows, a lot of different episodes of them. And you'll watch some and they'll be like, 'Oh, yeah, oh Sam's takin' on the big guy, oh yeah take that blah blah blah!' And then when Dean goes to the post and then runs out where it shows, they'll be like, 'Yeah - oh no. Oh c'mon now, no no no, they just showed that for too long - Oh shit! And then, like, turn it off because I'm crying.

Jensen: I still love the fact that the stunt guy, who is awesome, he's like ex-military, giant, one of the biggest guys we've ever had on our show, his name was Heidi. And he killed Dean Winchester [laughs]. But he's an awesome guy and in fact I was just in Vancouver and working with Jesse and Jesse and Heidi are like super close buds now, so it was good to kinda reminisce with those guys a little bit.

#jibcon 2024 #j2 saturday morning panel #long post

[yes-i-write-fanfiction]

A drabble of Tfp Prime switching place with his Tfa counterpart over a bridge mishap?

Optimus had experienced his fair share of odd situations throughout his life. That was only natural when you were the leader of the autobots and had lived as long as he had. He had battled space monsters, shapeshifters, old gods, undead.

But he had to admit that interdimensional travel was a first for him.

At least he could feel at ease knowing that he had landed among friends, even if they were a tad different from the versions he knew.

"You're so tall!" the human girl, Sari, exclaimed with awe, eyes shining as she craned her neck to look at him. With her pigtails and excited personality she reminded Optimus a lot of Miko.

The Bumblebee of this dimension did not appear as impressed. He crossed his arms with a humpf and glared at Optimus with critical optics. "Well, he's probably super slow, slower than a snail!"

"I bet he's super strong too..." Other Bulkhead murmured, decidedly more impressed. He stared at Optimus' arms dreamily.

"He's got a strong spiritual presence, that's for sure," the two-wheeler designated Prowl commented. His optics focused on Optimus chestplates, leaning in closer. "And there's something else. It almost feels like-"

"Would people get out of my medbay!?" Ratchet, who appeared to be just as high strung as the one in his own dimension, interrupted. He waved around a datapad like Wheeljack with one of his swords. "We don't know what kind of viruses his world have and if we're susceptible to them! We could have a potential pandemic on our servos!"

"Viruses!?" Bumblebee stomped his pede and pointed an accusing digit at Optimus. "You guys see? This bot is nothing but trouble! I say we send him back to wherever he came from as soon as possible and get our own Optimus back!"

Bulkhead piped up. "That might be more difficult than you think, Bumblebee. You see, he portal that brought him here was due to a space bridge malfunction that quite frankly had a one in 3 billion chance of happening and even if we were to find a way to replicate this we'd also have to find a way to get his dimension do the same thing on their end."

Optimus cocked his head, intrigued. "Do you know a lot about space bridge technology, Bulkhead?"

"Uh, yeah, I guess I know some things," he responded, meekly. He fidgeted with his servos, not quite daring to look Optimus in the optics.

Ratchet interjected. "Don't sell yourself short now," he chided, giving Bulkhead a reassuring pat on the shoulder. "Bulkhead here is the foremost expert of space bridge technology. Ain't no bot that knows more about the stuff than he does."

Hearing this, Optimus smiled. "That's incredible! While the Bulkhead I know is a brilliant mech in his own right he does not possess such expertise in space bridges. How brilliant!"

At this, Bulkhead finally managed to meet Optimus' optics. There was a faint blush on his faceplates. "Really? I'm not really all that- Uh, I mean, what's your Bulkhead like?"

Optimus' smile grew fonder. "He's one of the bravest mechs I've ever had the honor of knowing. The only thing that can compare to his immense strength is his kindness." Gazing down at the young bot in front of him, he placed his servo on the his shoulder. "The two of you are appear very much alike, in that regard."

Bulkhead's blush grew in intensity, his optics becoming round like saucers, flickering from Optimus' face to where his servo was on his shoulder back to his face. "Oh geez, I don't know what to, oh stars-"

"What about Bumblebee?" Sari suddenly asked, clambering on top of some barrels to be seen. "When you first appeared you said you had a Bumblebee in your universe as well, right?"

Bumblebee, this universe's version, crossed his arms again. "Whatever kind of person he is, he can't be faster, or more handsome, than me!" He paused. "But yeah, what about him?"

Optimus laughed. "There's no way I can praise him enough. Bumblebee is a true hero, through and through, and he's saved my life more times than I can count."

At this, Bumblebee visibly preened. "Oh yeah? Sounds kinda like me then. You know, I've also saved our Optimus' life a couple of times already." He jabbed a thumb at his chest. "Some call me a hero too."

"I don't doubt it," Optimus replied and somehow Bumblebee managed to puff out his chest even more.

"Yeah, well, why don't you tell me some more about my other dimensional counterpart and my- I mean his, heroic deeds? Just so we can compare notes."

Ratched sighed loudly and dragged a palm down his face. "Great, just what we need, Bumblebee getting yet another ego boost."

Prowl leaned in closer to the medic. "At least he's not openly hostile towards our visitor anymore." The corner of his mouth twitched. "He got so mad when this Optimus asked him if he wasn't too young to be an autobot when they first met."

Ratchet couldn't help but snort. "That alone made all of this worth it. Sigh, I just hope our Optimus is alright."

---------In another dimension---------

"What do you mean I'm the leader of the autobots? Ultra Magnus is right there! What even is a Matrix? WHAT DO YOU MEAN I'M THE CHOSEN OF GOD?????"

#transformers imagine #transformers prime #transformers animated #optimus prime #sari sumdac #bumblebee #bulkhead #prowl #ratchet #crossover #AU

[antlerqueer]

sorry im literally putting all of my complaints about ppl's critiques of leave the world behind here bc it's alll..... like what? so i literally looked up interviews from sam esmail and rumaan alam and i'm not crazy!!! the things i was like "this is the opposite of what was going on??" were actually the opposite of what was going on.

Some criticism I've seen is people saying "the movie mocks Rose's dependence on technology with the final scene" but it was like... Rose's journey was seeking her own solution to not wanting to be miserable and inside and waiting for death?? And she found it??

Quote from Sam Esmail, from Rolling Stone (emphasis mine):

During the early days of the pandemic, I remember how we were all very scared. We were scared for our loved ones, we were scared for one another, we were scared for ourselves. People were dying on a daily basis and we were locked in and trapped. There was this real sense of fear and anxiety. And then Tiger King dropped on Netflix and that was all we could talk about for weeks.  As silly as that show is, I love that we as a community dropped our differences to engage with this story and to laugh with it and talk about it. I just found that very human. I love when you can mix tragedy and comedy like that because I do think the essence of tragic comedy speaks directly to who we are and to the human condition.  So when I was constructing this story, I felt that throughout all this bleakness, to have this character, Rose, escape into something comfortable — I thought that was just something that felt like a kind of universal touchstone.

Rumaan Alam, the author, also says this to Variety:

I say it’s funny, but I don’t think it’s a joke. I don’t think it’s a joke on Rose. I don’t think it’s a joke on the audience. I don’t think it’s a joke on “Friends.” It’s a reminder that art is kind of a salve.

Sam Esmail LOVES media. He's not fucking condemning a child for wanting comfort????? Anyway. The dependence on technology isn't a point of inherent criticism, it is a point of what do we do when our survival is reliant on technology but we lose it. It's part of the horror. It's scary.

Literally, a quote from Esmail in GQ:

[It] really kind of underlines the theme of this reliance on tech, and once it goes away, what are we left with? And that in its own way is pretty terrifying.

I've seen it said Julia Roberts's character was "redeemed" in the film from her bad actions, which I so heavily disagree with, and so does Rumaan Alam, in the Variety interview:

In that final scene between Julia and Myha’la, they don’t embrace. Even prior to that, when they’re in that little shed and come to a détente, Ruth acknowledges that there’s some truth to the things that Amanda has said, that they’re in agreement about something, but it doesn’t end with a hug. It’s not that kind of story.

(A detente is "the easing of hostility or strained relations" - not a reprieve or a reconciliation, but an easing.)

These characters don't have to like or forgive each other to agree that there are things more important to survival and making it through than Amanda being overbearing and racist. Ruth lost her mother and even though Amanda steps in and maybe saves her life (we don't know what the deer were gonna do) that is not an apology! And it's not treated like one because we don't see any sort of forgiveness from Ruth!

And then the whole "it's an attack from a foreign government making the US a victim" shit. Like... GH theorizes, out loud, that this could be the US government's doing? Anyway.

#leave the world behind #it's a rant folks #i'm sorry i'm like this

[proton-selfships]

So I just read this great post by @kittyandco and it struck a really, really deep chord with me as someone who was also in the selfship community in ye olden days (as in, pre-pandemic olden days).

Now, don't get me wrong, those days weren't perfect either. I still experienced hostility for little reason, and it still hurts me to think about and affects my ability to trust people to this day. And I sure as hell wasn't the only one, or the one who had it the worst. But that lack of good faith that used to be the exception really does feel like the norm now, and it makes interacting way more stressful than it ever was back then. You're expected to read novella-length DNIs and can't interact with or follow anyone without fearing that you missed one of your fandoms on their DNI list and will get shit for it.

(And those pages are often confusing to navigate and use hard-to-read colors, to boot. Seriously, the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines should be mandatory reading for anyone making a Carrd or Rentry account)

And that's not even to mention the fear of what you say to someone in a private conversation getting twisted and shared and vagueposted about without your permission. That's something I've witnessed happen to multiple friends of mine. Again, isolated incidents back then, way more common than it should be now.

Meanwhile, *old woman voice* back in my day... What I always think back to was the really popular ask game that would go around, where you could ask whoever reblogged it to come up with headcanons for your F/Os. And people were sending each other asks left and right! People were excited to look up F/Os they'd never heard of to come up with a little pick-me-up for the person in their ask box! And I remember them being a blast to read and write!

Nowadays? If your F/Os are from sources that's not in the media zeitgeist or another limited set of perennial sources people will generally know enough to engage with... Good luck getting anyone to talk to you. (And that definitely goes double for anyone who ships with characters who aren't white men or isn't white themselves, that's a whole other issue that I've definitely experienced as a lesbian.)

I think it's both the growing atmosphere of hostility and social media in general's growing focus on "making content" and "branding" that keeps people from reaching out to each other unless they ship the same kinds of things they do. It's not really a community anymore. And that sucks, because that's a problem that's infected selfship spaces from the social media landscape as a whole

But I think we could still make the choice to see each other as people. Because, at the end of the day, selfshippers don't really have anywhere else to go. We're all just a bunch of people who carry love for characters in our hearts. Shouldn't we be willing to extend that love to each other, too?

(Obviously, this comes with caveats. I don't know if this is just me and my friends, but it also feels like we're all just too tired nowadays to reach out or meaningfully engage with other shippers' work. I'm definitely guilty of going MIA for long periods for that reason, so I'm not going to act like the lack of interaction with my blog specifically isn't my fault there. But in my experience I've seen a lot of that exhaustion come from this, from the walking on eggshells and the lack of reciprocity of the energy you put in, so it all still applies)

#these aren't my comprehensive thoughts and are pretty stream-of-consciousness #but I've been sitting on these thoughts for too long and just needed to get it all out of my system #selfship #selfshipping #selfship community #peyton says stuff #about selfship #public service announcement

[transmascissues]

being told (by another trans person!!) that i should be using the men’s bathroom and not the women’s bathroom at this point in my transition because “most cis people would just look at you and think you’re a guy” is...so fucking surreal.

this is someone i literally met that day — what makes them think they know how people see and treat me in day to day life? do they really think i, a very out trans man who avoids being categorized as a woman as much as humanly possible, would be going into the women’s bathroom if that were true?

my stomach DROPS every time i have to use the bathroom in public because i hate having to go in there so much — if it were actually true that cis people would look at me and just see a man, i’d never do it again!

but guess what? i have to, because that’s not how cis people see me at all! so many trans people have it in their heads that the second a trans man goes on t, he passes perfectly and will never face transphobia or misogyny ever again, and it’s a total fucking lie but they believe it so strongly that they’re actually willing to shame us for keeping ourselves safe based on these preconceived notions that have no basis in reality.

i think a big part of the context that’s missing is that cis women not seeing us as other women anymore doesn’t mean cis men see us as men!

it’s very easy for me to see that the cis women i interact with don’t see me as “one of them” anymore — they may try to fit me into that box because they can tell i’m not a cis guy so they know i “should” be able to fit into it, but t has had enough of a noticeable effect that the cognitive dissonance is too much for them and they clearly can’t make themselves see me as a woman anymore.

but cis men don’t see me as “one of them” either! they clearly recognize the masculinity of my appearance, but they don’t ever really see it as maleness; they carry themselves differently around me than they do around cis women, but also differently than they do around each other. if me and my DDD chest were to walk into a men’s bathroom, my deep voice and dusting of facial hair isn’t going to help me — they’ll know i “don’t belong” there.

(not to mention, i’m still wearing a mask in public places, as we all should be because we’re in a fucking pandemic, so that dusting of facial hair and most of the other changes to my face are pulling no weight as far as how people see me anyway)

there are no gendered spaces that i can comfortably enter right now, and depending on how the rest of my transition goes, there might never be. so i have to pick the place that’s the least likely to get me hurt if someone’s gets mad at my presence, and that means going into the women’s room, because if we’re being honest, my 5’3 disabled self stands a much better chance against the average cis woman than i do against the average cis man, and that’s the kind of calculation i have to make every time i walk into a gendered space like a bathroom.

“but tumblr user transmascissues,” you may be saying, “what about the actual women in those bathrooms? they’ll feel unsafe if they see someone who doesn’t look like a woman in the bathroom with them!”

and to you i say, you know that’s literally just poorly recycled te/rf rhetoric, right? like you’re just parroting the moral panic about letting trans women (who cis people think “look like men”) into bathrooms because “think of the poor cis women!” it’s not suddenly a good argument to make just because you switched the target from trans women to trans men who are literally just there for our safety and probably hate it too.

do i hate the idea that my presence might make someone feel uncomfortable or unsafe? yes, absolutely! that’s one of my biggest fears about medically transitioning, because i’ve been made to feel unsafe by cis men and i would hate to make someone else feel that way! of course i hate it!

but at the end of the day, i also know that my presence there isn’t actually a danger to them because i know i’m not going to do anything bad to them. and i also know that there is a very real danger to me if i go in the men’s bathroom. so why would i subject myself to actual danger just to avoid making a hypothetical cis woman uncomfortable?

trans men’s lives are more important than cis women’s feelings. i do not have to put myself in real, actual, physical danger just because some cis women think hearing a lower voice in the same room as them is a threat. do i understand why they might think that? yeah! but that doesn’t mean i have to put my safety on the line because of it.

at the end of the day, i know for a fact that i do not pass well enough right now to be better off in a men’s bathroom than i am in the women’s. and i wish people — ESPECIALLY other trans people — weren’t so quick to encourage me and other trans men to make less safe decisions just because they personally perceive us as passing well enough.

there is no objective measure of how well someone passes; you can’t look at someone and say “yeah, you pass well enough to be safe in x place” because you can’t look at a person you’ve never met and just magically know how they’re treated in their daily life.

so if a trans man tells you they don’t pass well enough to safely go into the men’s spaces that you think they should be in? just believe them and drop it.

we know our lives better than you do. don’t make us feel even worse about something that we already probably feel like shit about.

#transandrophobia #transandromisia #transmisandry #virilmisia #virilphobia #trans men #transmascs

[sgiandubh]

Pretzel logic

I never liked funerals - who does? - and I have always tried to avoid them, under different pretexts. This is one of the moments we meet the Great Beyond and we are at our most vulnerable. It's only fair and it is not something to be taken lightly, ever.

August 10, 2022 happened a few days before I decided to give OL a try and by the time I landed in here, that YouTube live had already been taken offline, perhaps with good reason.

That people watched it should come as no surprise to anybody: it happens in all cultures and societies - Death fascinates us and makes us curious, even if it's a questionable, voyeuristic kind of curiosity. It was posted for everyone to see, on the biggest content streaming platform on planet Earth. It was posted in consideration of the ending peak moment of the COVID pandemic, to allow for more people to attend, with the family's prior consent. It was most probably shot from the organ balcony, at a respectful distance and I am being told the streaming was blurry: a good thing, if you ask me. People screeching for "more clarity" of those screenshots should, in my humble opinion, think twice: context and taboo and all that.

That people saw something bizarre in the front pew was unavoidable. That the said detail (Occam's Razor would help us conclude that ambiguous things are usually anything but...) was screenshot, edited and made its way in here and elsewhere - impossible to control. However, I have not read any disrespectful comments about the event. Nobody snarked. Nobody grinned. A hole in the plot was pointed out, adding to the whole array of inconsistencies and if I remember well, it was almost missed out entirely (a taboo is a taboo, after all) and started its career online only days after.

Was it shared ad nauseam? Maybe - but who the hell am I to judge? Again, not something you can control, unless you set yourself up as the Torquemadas of this fandom and slap everybody on the wrist with your twisted righteousness. When your people discuss the Data Lounge findings in great, lewd detail, that is called having fun and (I love that one, don't you?) gossiping, as if you were just talking about Miss Scarlett's new petticoat, not a man's reputation. When our people dare to post pictures from a public event, or published for public consumption, that is immediately taxed as being insane or snooping.

A neutral person venturing in here would call out the bias immediately. I call out your hypocrisy and have no problem doing it in writing. And I never peddled neutrality, in here: I simply peddled decency and I remind everyone I have probably never posted any pictures from August 10, 2022 (I will triple check later, but I am pretty sure I didn't). It is a personal choice and, as you know very well, I am not alone in the Shipper community. Far from it.

That you chose August 10 to post the largest, most consistent amount of content I have read on your blogs during the last six months, shows me once more what I already knew: you simply can't help yourself, can you? It's all about slap-a-shipper day, even if this community remained remarkably silent and collected, yesterday. Extremes exist, they are a fact of life: silencing them is useless and unproductive, at least as far as I am concerned.

You have once again showed me your true colors, Mordor. At the end of the day, you do not really have a problem with the pictures floating out there. What you do have a BIG problem with, is the person sitting in the front pew and you would go to great lengths - to any lengths, for that matter - to disguise it under a thick sanctimonious cloak of civic disgust. Your shrieks backfire: if anything, they confirm, not deny. And for the sake of politics, anything goes. It is, therefore, ironic, that in order to post your reasoning, you did look, in great detail and for a consistent amount of time, at the same exact screenshots and pictures you send to hell so gleefully.

Spare me the dramatics.

#fandom

[tarotbubbletea]

🍂 PAC Reading: Catharsis 🍂

Hey everyone!

October 2023 was a SHIT month for me. That eclipse season took a major toll on my mental and physical health. I hope you all had an easier time, and if you didn't, trust that you're not alone and I send you all the love you may need at this time 💛

Here's a spread I attempted from Lightwands tarot's Tiktok page on helping with catharsis, ie., helping you pin down and let go of some negative thoughts that may have been living in your head rent-free.

I intend this to be a timeless reading. Take a deep breath and clear your mind. Then pick the picture that you feel most drawn to. If you feel drawn to more than one, feel free to read those piles. If you feel drawn to none, perhaps I don't have a message for you at this time, but hope to have something for you in the future!

Going from left to right, we have piles 1, 2, and 3.

I'd love to hear some feedback! I'm also open for paid personal readings ($3 flat-rate).

Pictures used are not mine.

My kofi ☕

Pile 1

A pressing thought on your mind: King of Cups

Okay this is definitely about a boy. You may be overthinking/obsessing over a connection right now. Perhaps you have this person up on a pedestal and you think they're the best romantic match you could possibly ever have and that being chosen by them would be the best thing to ever happen to you. And maybe that's true. But you have to remind yourself that if you're begging to be chosen, that takes away significantly from your power, and most stable, secure men will want someone that matches them in their power. Some of you may be thinking that this guy has 2 options they're struggling between. For some of you, this may be an ex that you're seeing move on and, frankly, it hurts. If that's the case, I feel you.

Allow the tarot deck to describe the thought back to you in a softer voice: The Emperor

I think you need to remember that there is a bit of logic to relationships as well. Love isn't enough; you do have to think about the kind of life that's possible with your potential partner. You also need to remember that people feel and use their emotions differently than you. Your person may be at a stage where they're approaching partnership more logically. They may be thinking of compatibility in a more mature way at this point. This is a shift that started quite prominently during the pandemic, with casual dating taking a dip in our society. This person may also just be quite exhausted and have decided to just settle down. Love, at some stage, becomes more of a decision than a feeling, and that's where this person is right now. Remember that this is a window into their thought processes, not a judgement on you.

How you're approaching the thought: Justice

You may be self-flagellating a bit, thinking that the reason you're having such a hard time in love and life is because of some of your past mistakes or some karmic debt. And maybe this is true, because we all have karmic debt from this life and from the ones before. Every single person you know has made errors, and more people than you think have skeletons in their closets. We're all a little toxic. It's just the reality of life. And that's okay. That's life (tangent: watch Fleabag!) Maybe it's a little less serious for you and you feel like you're just not enough, or that you just messed up your chance with this person. But ask yourself as objectively as possible, did you? Did you, really? Doesn't this guy have flaws too? Is it possible that neither you nor him are the issue here, but it's really just the relationship/situationship that may not have been a good fit? Maybe you both just weren't mature enough for each other at the time? Maybe it was meant to be temporary? Maybe there were external factors at play? But more importantly, maybe it's not your problem to solve?

How can you release the thought without needing to resolve it right now: Queen of Swords

Step into your power. Get some fresh air. Literally. You've closed yourself in a box. You need to step out and realize how vast the sky really is. How big the world really is. How big your world really is. There needs to be perspective change for you. And you don't need to do this alone. We need community more than ever now. Find a therapist, a trusted friend, maybe even a sibling that keeps it real with you and is genuine. You don't need to find the love of your life, or figure out what this person means for you, if they're a karmic/twin flame/soulmate/what have you right this minute. You don't. Trust me, you don't. Do you want to get asked out/married this very minute? Of course not. It really isn't woo-woo nonsense when people say that what's meant to be, will be. Think of all the times you wanted a situation to play out a certain way and it didn't. It probably worked out better, if you're being honest with yourself. Let go. Let the Universe do what it needs to do. Maybe this will help: The Universe put you in this situation, so let it sort it out. This is the Universe's problem now. You're just the actor. It's the show writers that need to sort this out now. Just vibe in the meantime lol.

Let the thought say one last goodbye: 9 of Swords

Your pain is not for nothing. This will be different for different people, but maybe the pain is to ground you. Maybe it's to prevent you from self-sabotaging in the future. Maybe it's to get you to see the reality of this person. Maybe it's to get you to see the reality of yourself. Maybe this is how you repay some karmic debt (in which case, yay! Lighter times ahead!) Maybe this is a sign you may have some unresolved trauma that needs to be removed from your mind and body, and is to show you that you're closing in on a breaking down point and need to love yourself enough to tend to it. Maybe it's bits and pieces of everything mentioned above. Maybe it's just none of these, and you're letting seasonal depression get the best of you. Believe it or not, sadness is vital in life. It's a necessary emotion. If you feel the need to wallow, by all means go ahead. And when it's time, let yourself stop. It's okay. You're okay. And it'll all be okay. You are worthy of love.

Oracles: Patience; Bring love into the situation (New Moon in Aquarius)

Work on detaching yourself from this situation. Your specific/personal situation will come from thinking outside the box. Be more pragmatic. Improve your karma by doing charitable work.

Pile 2

A pressing thought on your mind: The Lovers (and The Hermit for clarification)

Alright, so this pile is also thinking about love. But you guys have a lighter energy than Pile 1. Or maybe you're a Pile 1 coming back to this reading after some time. You've probably been single for a while, and have done some extensive soul-searching and inner work, and now perhaps an inner voice is telling you that you're ready to put yourself out there again. And the energy coming through is yes! Yes, you are ready! But since it's been a while, and given the state of the streets, you're apprehensive about how to put yourself out there, and if you even should yet. Some of you may even be thinking of those Tiktoks that tell you how awful partners (particularly men) can be, and you're (rightfully) a bit scared.

Allow the tarot deck to describe the thought back to you in a softer voice: 8 of Pentacles

You've been hard at work with your personal growth and self-concept, and it radiates in your aura now. You've been diligent and have paid attention to the details. There's no such thing as a perfect person, of course, but you've done commendable work to get to as perfect as you can be in this stage of your life. Look at you go, you little rock-star! You need to watch out for black-and-white thinking, both directed at your own self and at others. Just because there may be a few things you're still working on, doesn't mean you're not ready. And the same goes for people you may meet soon, or for those that you're already considering. In fact, it shows self-awareness that you/the other person is cognizant of their flaws and still putting themselves out there because not all healing occurs inside. We all need people, and that's not a flaw. It's okay to be apprehensive. Be aware of the risks but don't let them consume you.

How you're approaching the thought: The High Priestess

You may be scouring Tumblr or Tiktok or wherever for readings and signs to foresee who you need to engage with next, what signs to look for, how it's all going to play out. It's like you want a blueprint of the entire love story beforehand because you're determined to find the one next. No more games for you. No more delays. You're ready and you want your future now. Love that for you, queen! But don't let it overconsume you! Micromanaging your love life isn't the best way to go about it. You know this, c'mon!

How you can release the thought without needing to resolve it right now: The Magician

Manifestation is real. But it's real for everyone, not just you. Imagine you're driving and you're manifesting going right, but so is another person, and fate may look at this and decide, okay, one of these needs to detour to avoid a collision, and maybe it picks you? Shit example, but I hope you get what I'm saying. It's good to be specific in your manifestations but not too specific, you know? Think of the burnt toast theory. Most of them there's a reason behind why things happen the way they do. Sometimes it's an important reason, and sometimes it's just random and meaningless. You seem to be approaching dating in a very Virgo-like way at this time, and essentially the message here is to not be too calculating and strategic. Keep your wits and lessons with you, of course, but don't forget that the Universe is also a player here.

Let the thought say one last goodbye: Ace of Pentacles

Your future partner is going to come to you like a gift or an offering. For some of you, that's where the delay is - the Universe is packaging them up perfectly for you and you just need to wait until it's time lol. The Universe and your spirit guides have been hard at work helping you heal and polish and be ready for love, and they're not going to just give you out to a random, okay? Have faith. Express gratitude constantly. And just affirm that love is here and your steps are guided. Dating apps may be the way for some of you. One or two of you may have luck bumping into someone at work or at the gym. Also hearing a beloved bar for someone. But for the majority, it's a highly personalized way that you'll meet the one. Ultimately, though, don't think too hard about it.

Oracles: Purification; Confidence is your key to success (New Moon in Leo)

There you have it. You've been purified enough to put yourself out there again. You're ready. Whether this be through apps, networking, or just living your life, do it with confidence and carry the intention with you to find your best match without chasing.

Pile 3

A pressing thought on your mind: Queen of Pentacles

This pile's conundrum seems to be family dynamics. Maybe you're in a sticky situation at home, where you can't afford to move out and you've either outgrown your home environment, or it's getting toxic. But you may not have the funds/resources to leave. And you feel like you're being smothered but you also would feel guilty if you were to leave. For some, you may not need to leave but you feel like there's undue pressure coming from your family whenever you go to make decisions, be it financial, education-related, relationship-related, or what have you. Getting heavy 'eldest child of immigrant parents' energy here. Maybe you don't feel your age because you feel like you don't have the freedom and independence you'd assumed you would have at this point. Some of you were even parentified as kids and it's starting to come to the fore-front. For some, this extends to friends and you feel like you've outgrown them, or just need more friends, but again, you're in a box.

Allow the tarot deck to describe the thought back to you in a softer voice: Knight of Cups

Some of you may daydream of a Prince Charming coming and saving you from this environment. This is especially true if the 'eldest daughter' thing applies to you and one of the only acceptable ways in your family for you moving out and starting your own life is to get married. And maybe that is what will happen for some of you. But don't depend on it as the only way. It will happen if it's meant to happen, but when we attached too much stake to one specific outcome, we pour too much of our power into it, and the Universe doesn't like that. It's okay to pray and manifest a particular outcome but detachment is a key factor in manifestation, remember that. One of the easiest ways out of this energy is just getting your license and a car, you know? You don't have to wait for a ride, you can be the driver. Even getting a pet is a good way to get out of the house more (plus, that would divert your family's attention and ease the tensions around the house).

How you're approaching the thought: 3 of Pentacles

You probably vent to your friends or siblings a lot. You prioritize working (maybe even working overtime) and saving up money. You might also be pursuing higher ed to better your career. It's definitely a good step! Just be aware of your social and personal needs and realize that there's multiple gardens within you that need watering. If the immigrant thing resonates with you, this is especially important. Do not let work and money consume you because hard work, as sad as it is to say, does not always lead you to where you need to go. You need to be a whole person, not just a worker. Think about it, how logical is it to water your 'money' garden and expect your 'personal' garden to bloom if you don't tend to it as much? Don't let burnout ruin your senses.

How you can release the thought without needing to resolve it right now: The Fool

It's your first time being you. And it's also your parents' first time being them. Be as empathetic and compassionate as you can be with yourself and your family without self-sacrificing. There's internal knowledge you came here with that you can access through meditation. Reconnect with your inner voice and let it help you. Don't hold on to resentments, whether internal or external. Don't be so hard on yourself, and when faced with arguments at home, try to separate the actions from the doer. Everyone has their own traumas and vices that they unintentionally hand over control to. Don't rush things. Make an inner sanctuary for yourself and believe that things will work out. The dog/pet message is coming through again lol so if that's a possibility, please go for it! And whenever you feel helpless, remind yourself that you're not supposed to have all the answers just yet. Most successful people, when asked, say the same. They had the vision and they had the grit, but they didn't always have all the steps laid out and blind confidence.

Let the thought say one last goodbye: 4 of Wands

Everything will work out. Trust. Please, just trust. For those of you that resonated with the Prince Charming message, this is confirmation that that will happen. You'll meet the man of your dreams, and leave your current surroundings for the home and life for your dreams. This isn't meant to push you to place all your faith into a savior coming, thus disempowering you, but this message should push you to instead hold on to your power, and keep tending to all your gardens equally in the meantime. You've been through a lot, and it wouldn't be fair to the old versions of you that lead you here to give up now. It gets steeper the higher you go on a mountain. But at this point, you're also stronger. Believe that. It's a marathon, not a sprint.

Oracles: Courage; Your hard work is paying off (New Moon in Capricorn)

Don't be too controlling, and limit your exposure to anyone who is too controlling. Stay ambitious and courageous. Recognize and reward yourself for all the hard work you've done. See yourself as a person and not a project. Your life may not have been a fairy tale, but your fairy tale moment is coming.

I hope you found a message here today! And if not, I hope to have a message for you next time. Wishing you all love, light, and success! ❤️

Don't forget to leave feedback if your reading resonated in any capacity.

My kofi ☕ (for tips and $3 flat-rate readings)

#tarotblr #tarot #tarot readings #pj speaks #pick a card #pick a pile reading #pick a card readings #pick a pile readings #PAC #tarot PAC #tarot community #pick a pile #oracle readings

[xaeydnquartz]

Part of me kinda wants to stop DMing my first and current campaign? IDK just need to vent

So, brief expo. like many, got into CR during the pandemic (mainly due to "The Legend of Vox Machina" which lead to me actually bingeing the all 3 campaigns) During which time a friend (who was in my immediate friend group but like the rest of my friend group, i didnt really feel close to) told me that he was really into CR as well. As a fresh new critter, i was stoked. Was able to share my blossoming love of CR with someone (FINALLY!) during which we both mentioned how D&D looked so much fun and that it would be really great to be able to play and ooo what if we got our friends together and played.

After which we discussed, if we did, who would be DM? Seeing as how none of our friends really played D&D our talk lead to either my friend or me and after asking the question "Which do you think you would prefer more?" It was clear i would try my hand at DMing (i like lore in games, and i like storytelling, and im a tad bit of a control freak at times, lol)

Anyway, we eventually got in touch with our close knit of friends, and though i intended to be a standard 6 we suddenly had an 8 party party (and that was with me having to tell even less close friends there wasnt room).

Feeling it would still be manageable (as there was precedent that i could pull inspo from, CR) i began planning a rough idea of a campaign and working with my friends to create their characters and running a session 0 so we were all on the same page. You know standard stuff.

-Fast Forward to current date and time-

It has its stressful moments, but i still am able to enjoy the time with my friends for the most part (though theres a lot of times were ive never felt lonelier) Which brings me to the whole point of the post, my need to vent to the void about this loneliness. Nobody really gets in touch or interacts with me at all. Not to talk about the campaign or even collab on their characters. The most i get are occasional critiques about how i could have done something better couple sessions prior and request to add another person to the 8 person party. When we have sessions, people show up late quite often, leave early quite often, have to cancel as they have other things they are doing (even though we planned and scheduled weeks prior) and even when people are there they somtimes feel like they arent always present. i already feel extremely distant from all of them as they all live closer to each other while i live on the totally opposite side of the state and theyve known each other way longer than i have, but the minimal interactions they have with me, the DM/GM of all people, just continues to add to all of it I know we all are busy with our lives, and that compared to those things D&D is really not that big of a deal or important. And i get that, it is just a game afterall, but it still manages to hit pretty hard

I've communicated my feelings through our time of this campaign, if im being honest, maybe not this indepth. I mean, its partially because i barely see or talk to them (again life gets in the way) but also because i feel extremely guilty for putting this kind of tension to something we are all supposed to be enjoying and relaxing to. Its especially painful as most recently 2 players, who said they would get in touch with me about changes possibly being being made to their characters, never got in touch in anyway shape or form, and its been about a month now? And session is in a week...i didnt even get much as a reply back. Idk, its been almost about a year now and i felt i just needed to get this out somewhere other than debating myself.

Thanks for listening tumblr.

#D&D #Dungeons and Dragons #venting #vent post #its just a game it really isnt a big deal #feels pretty lonely though #not what i was hoping for

[darlingillustrations]

I need you.

I don’t really like talking about the years I didn’t make art.

It wasn’t just the pandemic. Well… it was the pandemic… but it was so much more than that.

I don’t like talking about it, not because I am ashamed of those years, but because we all had difficult things we went through. I don’t want to focus on the hardships. I don’t want to give them any more attention or power.

But my hardships were very real, and they started long before the global pandemic. I look back on those early years when I had no money and was struggling so much, and I honestly don’t know how we paid our bills. Grace. That’s all I come back to time and again.

My kids and I had nothing, and we were carried through great difficulties by the kindness of others.

It was terrifying.

Maybe that’s why it is a little terrifying, returning to making a living from my art again.

The wild thing is: when I look back on the early years of my art business, it’s not the hardships that stick with me. It’s a little difficult to explain, exactly, but I think what I feel is something akin to faith.

It felt like I was doing exactly what I needed to be doing, and–during a time in my life when it was hard to believe in anything at all–I was carried through.

It made me believe in something new, something mysterious, something somewhat unnameable.

And when I started making art again, it was not because I had no other choice for how to support my kids, but because I realized: I really couldn’t see myself believing in any path as much as I believe in this one.

I have so many dreams about goals for this year…

I want to give you new Affectionate Animal couples for Valentines Day.

I want to have a shop in every state in the US that sells my work.

I want to do the difficult work of finding shops in highly conservative areas where my queer little light can shine the brightest.

I want to finish my Calico Jill story.

I want to keep painting new art.

I need your support to make these dreams a possibility.

Please support my shop this holiday season. There are many ways you can do this:

Use my queer holiday cards for your holiday greetings

Buy something for yourself

If someone asks you what you want for the holidays, point them to my work

Buy something for others

Email 3 people you care about, share my art with them and tell them why you think they would like it

Share a picture in your online communities and talk about why you want to support my work

Leave a review on the art in my shop

Please walk this path with me into our unknowable future, and let’s make it a place that is a little more connected and affectionate for us all.

♡ Erin Darling (she/them)

Link to shop: https://darlingillustrations.com/store/

#queer art #queer artist #artist mom #support queer artists #lgbt artist #lgbt art

[minimallyminnie]

Gift for @enassbraid!!!

Summary- Rui just thinking about you. Wait…maybe a bit too much about you…

Gn Reader, Rui Kamishiro x Reader, Fluff, really fluffy, like little to no angst, no tw needed! Pre relationship, huge crush.

My Thoughts Shall Follow You.

Rui isn’t the type of person to really focus on someone who isn’t he friend

Unless it’s the lovely and amazing audience of course!

The people he really focuses on is his parents, Tsukasa, Nene, Emu, Mizuki and co.

But any random person who might judge him?

Nope! Not his problem!

…

But. He met you.

You for some reason, didn’t judge him in a bad and weird light.

Saying strange things to him…

“Nice robot Kamishiro! It looks great!”

Or just saying a nice greeting to him

He scanned you in case you had some sort of strange virus or something

Even analyzing your intentions

But, you genuinely wanted to get to know him…

What on earth is the matter with you?!

He’s the “weirdo kid”. Your reputation is going to get ruined like what happened to Tsukasa!

Well Tsukasa was already excluded like them but still! He’s weird!

But you continued to ask him questions, not crossing his boundaries

Even talking to Tsukasa and Nene!

What?!

One day, during lunch Tsukasa called you over to the rooftop to eat with them

Course you didn’t say no

He put up his guard in case you were messed up but even so, you just talked normally to the two of them

“Do you think I should play an evil villain in our next show to try something new or a shining hero?”

“Hmm…why don’t you try a play in the perspective of a villain to show their side of the story? That way, it’s something new but you have a clearer image of a misunderstood villain.”

“That’s actually a good idea! Rui! We must do this idea! As a shining star, if this is what our audience could like, our job is to make them smile!”

“What do you think Kamishiro?”

It’s actually a good idea…you have a real smile of curiosity on your face…

“Fufufu~ I think it’s a wonderful idea! Let’s talk it over with Nene and Emu later though. Wouldn’t want them to be surprised by this unexpected direction!”

Tsukasa high fives you and you look really happy at the fact that he liked your idea

When they go with the idea, he invites you along not expecting you to actually go

But you did, in the front row with Emu’s showtime pass (You two had met after one of the days at school, the girl happily tackling you to the ground as she thanks you for helping with the show.)

During the show, he sees how your eyes twinkle with delight and how amazed your expression looks

The flowing movements and dramatic shifts, the well written story…you just had to!

He thinks some people in the audience teared up at the villain’s backstory just like you

In the end, when they all bow to the audience, he can see you stand up and cheer for them

You go backstage and congratulate all of them, smiling at them with bouquets for all of them…

…Your smile is the only one he really focused on during the show, wasn’t it?

He trades numbers with you and let’s you call him by his first name afterwards

Your messages consist of many things

You: Rui, what did you do to Tsuka?

Cheshire: Well! I misheard him and heard him say “We should put on these ants.”

You: Next?

Cheshire: I gave him pants with decorative realistic ants on it!

In reality, he said we should put on these pants like the ones with cloud on the cuffs but he fainted when he saw those ant pants!

You: Is he okay?!

Cheshire: Yes! He got caught by Nenerobo!

You: Jfc Rui, you’re going to give him a heart attack one day 😰

Cheshire: New inventor of black plague?

You: NO

Cheshire: [|87

You: RUI NO, WE CAN’T BE IN A PANDEMIC BECAUSE OF A 17 YEAR OLD 😭😭😭

…

Yeah…chaotic.

But you always go with him, and slowly he lets down his walls carefully

And inside his walls crawls his thoughts of you.

Leaking into the main core of his heart.

Your shining expression when you see one of his shows.

Your attempt on trying to replicate one of their dances alongside Tsukasa.

Your kind words to him and his friends family.

The laugh you give that plays his heartstrings.

You’re engraved in his head 24/7.

He’s sitting in the stage taking his lunch break when all of a sudden he thinks of you. A startled look on his face.

“Rui, are you alright?”

“Tsukasa-Kun, is it normal for me to be thinking of the same someone randomly everyday?”

“Randomly? Hmm…I don’t think it’s randomly. You think of things that you like, you don’t randomly think of someone.”

Rui’s blushes just a tiny amount

“If this person…makes me feel weird…is it..?”

Tsukasa looks at him with surprise before grinning at him with genuine excitement

“I think you’re in love with that person then!”

And Rui’s eyes widens as he blushes, no words coming to his mind for once. He feels Tsukasa happily laugh as he pats Rui on his shoulder.

He’s in love.

He’s in love with you.

And oh, his smile is wider than ever as he classifies it.

Yhhshshsjsj just a random gift for my moot

Fluff and stuff for her favorite man

No, Tsukasa does not have a crush on Rui or Reader, don’t take it like that man. I’ll say something if he does 🤨

#minniemoots #mindlessclow #x reader #project sekai x reader #gn reader #rui kamishiro x reader #kamishiro rui x reader #fluff #project sekai fluff

[diamondtaem6v6]

✨SHINee for ELLE MEN / Elle Japan April issue

“We will keep on shining through the future”

Photoshoot and interview in collaboration with luxury jewelry brand “Boucheron”.

(All active members’ interviews included)

-KEY-

— Please tell us about the appeal of the Quatre Collection and your impression of the jewelry you wore.

Key: Actually, I have a Quatre ring. I wear it regularly when I go out to high-class restaurants, and I came across a Quatre while looking for a luxurious and classic ring. The bracelet I wore today was also very cute and impressive.

— What do you keep in mind while wearing a luxury jewel?

Key: It’s important to match yourself. Like today, it’s nice to have a mixed style that goes with your daily styling.

— Has the way you wear jewelry changed since your debut?

Key: What has changed is that now that I’m an adult, I can enjoy luxury brands like Boucheron! I think the one thing that hasn’t changed is that I enjoy mixing things with different tastes in my own way.

— What kind of place is Tokyo Dome for you?

Key: In the past, it used to be like an “unreachable future” for us. But thanks to our fans, the dome concerts were realized sooner than we expected. Even now, I will not forget how I felt at that moment and stand on stage again.

(Key’s comment on the jewelry)

“I also like the fact that the Quatre looks different depending on the color, such as the red one I wore today”.

- Bonus interview - (only in the website)

— How do you feel now that you have resumed group activities and completed the Japan tour with great success?

Key: Even before the end of COVID19, was always thinking than I wanted to work in Japan like I used to, and go around the country and perform live like everything is normal. Japanese fans kept asking me: “When will there be a Japan tour?” at online fansigns events, and each time I said “I want to do it too!”… But in the blink of an eye it was already over. Our long-awaited tour is reaching its final day. (laughs)

Oh, this was it after all. It’s been 5 years since the last tour and a lot has changed since then, so I was worried if they would come back (for the tour) again.

— So the Tokyo Dome performances were decided, also to eliminate these concerns

Key: I really appreciate it. I’m grateful. It’s been a long time since we’ve toured Japan, but when we did it... Nothing different from before. I think what has changed is that the members’ Japanese has become better (laughs). I’ve been performing in Japan for about 2 years, but at that time no one could scream because of the coronavirus pandemic. I was sad that there was only applauses, so I feel like I’m completely back on this tour.

— This time, the shoot was in collaboration with Boucheron jewelry. What does jewelry mean to you?

Key: In Korea, jewelry is always included on important events. When a child is born, when a couple gets married, how many days of a couple’s anniversary, etc. I have this image of jewelry being always by your side on important days.

It seems that junior groups often buy friendship items such as team jewelry with their members. I didn’t have that kind of culture at my time... Because each person has a different taste, right? But if I have a chance, I would like to try it in the future. I’d like a necklace or something that I can keep on wearing. However, it seems that it’s difficult for all the members to find something that they like (laughs).

- MINHO -

— Please tell us about the appeal of the Quatre Collection and your impression of the jewelry you wore.

Minho: Last year, SHINee celebrated the 15th anniversary in Korea. The 20 years Quatre Collection is more senior, but I felt a sense of unity that we have experienced the same number of years.

— How do you feel when you wear a luxury jewelry?

Minho: I’ve recently started to take an interest in jewelry, so I feel good when I wear it. I’m not sure if I’ve changed because I’ve grown up (laughs). In the future, I may be more attracted to gorgeous things like the ones I wore today.

— Has the way you wear jewelry changed since your debut?

Minho: I was in high school when I made my debut, so I think there were some things that didn’t suit me at the time. But now that I’m over 30 years old, I feel like the range of items I can wear, including clothes and jewelry, has expanded.

— Please tell us how you felt about resuming group activities in Japan last year after a long time.

Minho: I realized that I missed being on stage more than I had ever imagined. Seeing everyone’s faces and hearing their voices made me feel even more grateful.

(Minho’s comment on the jewelry)

“My favorite item is the black ring. It’s good since it has a casual feel without being too assertive”.

- Bonus interview - (only in the website)

— How was the first Japan tour after a long time?

Minho: I always have fond memories of the tours. For example, there were times when it was hot and cold, and there were times when we celebrated my birthday… So, when there were no concerts, I often caught myself thinking: “Oh, normally I would be touring in Japan this time…”. So when I performed for the first time in a long time, I felt a really big sense of gratitude for the fans. I was really happy to see that the whole venue was waiting for us.

— So what do you think about finishing the tour at Tokyo Dome?

Minho: After all, no matter how many times we experience it, Tokyo Dome is a dream stage for us. I’ll always remember when we always wanted to stand there on our own and worked hard to achieve it. It’s often said that there are feelings that only those who stand on the stage of the Tokyo Dome can understand, and I think it’s true.

— On the tour, all the members talk in Japanese during MCs. How do you study Japanese?

Minho: I watch a lot of Japanese animes, movies, and dramas, and I was able to improve my listening comprehension. The audio is Japanese and subtitles are Korean. The one I watched recently was “First Love” (Netflix series).

— You are also focusing on acting. Are there any roles you would like to try in the future?

Minho: I try not to say “I want to try this genre” because I feel like that would limit the possibilities. I think that if I told people “This is what I want to do”, other works won’t come at me. I’m looking forward to playing many different roles, so please look forward to it!

- TAEMIN -

— Please tell us about the appeal of the Quatre Collection and your impression of the jewelry you wore.

Taemin: It’s wonderful that the concept of Quatre is clearly visible in each of the items. I think it’s great that you can tell at a glance that it’s a Boucheron collection. I wanted to try them for important shoots or when wearing a suit.

— How was it to have a photoshoot wearing luxurious jewelry?

Taemin: I wanted to express the luxury and attitude of the brand in my own way, so I tried to be conscious of a cool and calm atmosphere instead of moving flashy.

— Has the way you wear jewelry changed since your debut?

Taemin: In the past, I didn’t wear jewelry at all because I felt that they didn’t look good on me, but now I enjoy wearing watches and necklaces. I feel that using them as a point, I can create a mature atmosphere.

— Please tell us how you felt about resuming group activities in Japan last year after a long time.

Taemin: It was a long awaited activity, and I want to take care of myself and run through to Tokyo Dome, the last concert of our tour. I would like to use my individual activities as a strength and do my best in group activities.

(Taemin’s comment on the jewelry)

“For stage costumes, I wear flashy accessories as much as I can, but I usually like to enjoy jewelry with basic designs in a point-like way, so I wore the same pair of earrings all the time. I don’t care about memorial days, I pick them up when I want a fashionable item.”

- Bonus interview - (only in the website)

— How was the first Japan tour after a long time?

Taemin: I was finally able to work again. I think the activities with SHINee have given me strength in my individual activities. I think we were able to work on the tour a little more relaxed than we did in the past. When I was practicing the first songs, I couldn’t remember the choreographies, so it was fun to get together with the members and remember them.

— The talk on MCs was done all in Japanese, right?

Taemin: This time, I stayed in Japan for a long time on tour, so I got used to Japanese a little... I’m still not good at it, but even for MC, I can now express myself in many ways in Japanese. I couldn’t come to Japan for a while, so I forgot about it. In the past, there should have been more words and expressions that I knew more... (laughs).

— I think Tokyo Dome is also a place of memories. Do you remember standing in the dome in the past?

Taemin: Yes, I do. When the dome was decided this time, I was reminded of the time when we had worked hard to prepare for it. Of course, the same enthusiasm from before is also felt this time, and I’m sure that the audience will come to see the dome with a special meaning. In terms of distance, it’s harder to see us in the dome than in the arena or hall. But the dome is special. After all, that scenery with the green fanlights is wonderful.

— After COVID19 ended, the life between Korea and Japan and many other countries began again. Did you discover anything new after staying in Japan for the first time in a long time?

Taemin: I feel that there are so many people who really love K-Pop. At the time of our debut, for example, we had no choice but to perform at the dome alone, but now we are in a situation where Korean awards are held at the Dome, which is a very strange feeling. I used to feel like I would come to Japan to meet my fans, but now I feel that the situation of Japanese fans who love K-Pop as a whole is different from the past. As a result, I would like to deepen my bond with the fans even more. I think we have gained so much popularity in Japan thanks to the influence of TVXQ and BoA, and I hope SHINee can contribute something to this new era.

“Our activities in Japan are even more fulfilling. We will continue to be a shining group.”

SHINee is holding their first Japan tour in about 5 years, and they’re working back and forth between Korea and Japan as before. They seem to enjoy their stay in Japan in their own style.

Key: Recently, I have been making restaurant reservations myself and enjoying delicious meals with my friends in Japan. Natural wine is popular here, just like in Korea. I’ve always liked convenience stores, so I’ll go there even just by myself. I love the Napolitan (Ketchup spaghetti) from Japanese convenience stores (laughs).

Minho: I also started to go out and enjoy my meals more slowly than before. Recently, it has become popular among Koreans to enjoy sushi and tempura at “omakase” restaurants, but when it comes to yakitori (chicken skewers), Japan is the best.

Regarding the changes from the past, Taemin said: “I feel that there are so many people that fell in love with K-Pop”.

SHINee has become a role model for the 5th generation of K-pop groups.

Key: Even when I was competing in MMA and other awards, I was surprised to see my juniors cheering me on. There was a time when BoA and other seniors were there, I think that we, who followed in the footsteps, are like a bridge allowing a connection with juniors. I feel that we should all protect K-Pop and work hard together.

Taemin: Instead of just creating contents to be consumed, we have performed in Japan many times in order to be loved by our fans, we’ve been working with the goal of creating bonds.

Minho: We were able to show that we could be active for a long time, so this may have had a good influence on our juniors.

Last year, they celebrated their 15th debut anniversary in Korea. They have been collecting light while overcoming barriers, and they will surely continue to shine even more brightly in the future, working hand in hand with their fans.

Minho: We would like to continue our activities as a group and show our diverse sides. Personally, I would like to take on the challenge of a variety of works as an actor.

Taemin: We want to continue to be loved as a team called SHINee. I want each member to take care of their health, achieve their own goals and succeed. So we can do more powerful activities when we get together as a group. I feel the happiest when I’m on the stage, so I’d like to do more solo tours with new concepts.

Key: 15 years is a long time, but I still have a lot of memories, and it feels like in the blink of an eye I’m already sitting here. I will continue to take care of my health and do my best in the work. I believe that this will naturally lead me to the next great work.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Credits: Elle Japan

JPN - ENG Translation: @DiamondTaem

#SHINee #샤이니 #샤이니월드 #SHINee World #Shawol #Elle Japan #Key #SHINee Key #Kim Kibum #김기범 #Minho #Choi Minho #최민호 #TAEMIN #Lee Taemin #이태민 #english translation #Boucheron #Quatre collecion #jewelry