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cowboyjen68 · 5 months

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i am 24, from chicago and i have a crush on youuuu

You are very sweet to tell me and this is my opportunity to talk about how healthy internet personalities or "celebrity" crushes are to young lesbians finding thier own sexuality in a world that mostly assumes people straight (becuase statisically that is objectively true).

I still, to this day, remember, as a teen and young woman having a crush on Christy McNichol, Nancy McKeon (or more particularly her character Jo), and Tatum O Neal. There were older women like Markie Post and Erin Gray who I crushed on. "Ooo older women, they are so steady and have their shit together .. and HOT". I actually knew very little about them off screen. My Teen magazines were featuring TEEN stars, for good reason.

But I still crushed on them and watching thier sitcoms. Most of these women were straight but that was not really important. What was important was they were not really real. I could build them to be how I want to be in my mind using the superficial things I could see about them or learn from little interviews etc.

The internet has changed that dynamic slightly. I am accessible. Reachable. A real person. I wonder if someday media experts will refer to"CowboyJen" as a character I created. They would be wrong but I would understand the thought process. There are aspects of my life I don't share. No one wants to see me ass dragging at 10 pm after a 15 hour shift sitting on my bed trying to untie my shoes before I fall asleep or cleaning my bathroom . My life is entwined with others and I protect their privacy unless they agree to participate.

I do answer DM's. I do respond to comments. I am not simply a character on a small screen that does not interact with the audience. That is a shift in the "celebrity" paradigm. And it can make crushes seem much more real.

What I want to address is that crushes and fantasizing about other women IS NORMAL and healthy and a tool to help us figure what we like, learn to enjoy our sexuality. I remember feeling shame for thinking about these women because it was "dirty" and "creepy". In reality it was no such thing. It is just a normal part of being human, to seek out a safe outlet for fantasy, day dreaming and forming our dislikes and likes in our own head and heart so we can translate that to our real dating/love life.

Crushes don't stop at the teens or 20's. I would argue most adults experience crushes as well and it is just another tool in our humanity that we use to navigate the world we live in.

The largest difference is my generation's crushes were relatively unreachable. Fan mail was mostly answered by an employee or a hired service. Any contact in real life with back stage passes or "meet and greets" were heavily controlled and monitored for safety and to protect the image of the celebrity. And also to often to prevent the musician or actor from over stepping his/her bounds too.

Now many smaller scale recognizable people are accessible in real life. We live and work in our communities. I didn't create a character I just share my life and my reality because I think it can truly give other lesbians and women hope that we are not destined to life of stereotypes because we are butch, or lesbian, or bi or female or not rich or any number of things that get false expectations attached to it.

I guess what I am saying is your crush is healthy and normal and I would never shame anyone for having such feelings towards me. It is also my duty as a role model to not breech appropriate boundaries and I take that job very seriously. The fact is I travel to Chicago on occasion and I am out and about in the real world so the chances of me meeting followers like you and and others is highly likely at some point. I love meeting people and often to respond to and meet followers, who become my friends, in person. We are all people and I am dead serious about forming intergenerational lesbian connections in real life.

Your crush is your safe place to explore emotions and attractions so enjoy.

Side note: I don't not consider myself a "celebrity" LOL I am using that word in the broad sense as meaning a recognizable person outside of my in-person friends and community.

#crush #crushes #lesbian #women #celebrity crushes

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rebirthgarments · 25 days

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Mohammed Hammad increased his goal for evacuation to $25k so that he can bring his 6 younger siblings with him!

I was informed by my comrade Brenda that the first goal was originally $10k to evacuate Mohammed Hammad and his mother because since he is under 18, he can only evacuate with a parent or legal guardian. But in this case, his 6 younger siblings would have to be left behind on their own, so @fedup4palestine raised the goal to $25k so that Mohammed’s whole immediate family can all evacuate together. Since you all have been so amazing and we have raised $9k in just 24 hours, I think we can do it!

[Image description: an amazing colored pencil drawing by my 12 year old student Mos @NicoCavalu made of Mohammed Hammad laying down with his leg propped up with the metal fixator on his knee. Hand drawn block text in red, black, white and green reads “Disabled 17yo Mohammed needs medical Evacuation immediately”. Red typed text in red reads “Goal increased to $25k so that his 6 younger siblings are not left behind alone in Rafah

givebutter.com/mogaza

There is a QR code that goes to the Give Butter Link.]

Caption continues:

I’ve had some questions from people asking about my vetting process and about @fedup4palestine and if @moh.2090727 is able to access the money for sure, so here are some short answers:

I or a trusted comrade have personally vetted all of the fuhnd-raizers that are under the heading labeled “Pal-eh-stienian Fundraisers Sky of Rebirth Garments is helping with” in my AllMyLinks. Half of them we vetted through video chat, and the other half were already friends of my friends from before the “escalation”. Mohammed Hammad’s campaign was already vetted through @fedup4palestine , and over the course of the last 36 hours I have messaged with him extensively. I talk to every one of the people that I have been working on helping every day (unless they lose access to the internet).

Pretty much all of the families I am working for are more than down to be connected with anyone and answer questions, so don’t be shy, if you are not supporting fuhn-raisers because you are not fully sure about them, just DM me and I can get you directly connected with a family so you can see how real they are!

Note: I am currently not able to add on any more fuhnd-raisers for me to personally work on (until more of them have been totally met)

@fedup4palestine is a very new nonprofit, they have been too swamped with making the fuhnd-raizer pages to finish and launch their website yet. They have their nonprofit status, and they use it to create the GiveButter campaign pages. I just went through the process with my other fuhnd-raizer with Seraj to make a GiveButter, and you have to be a nonprofit in order to make any campaigns there (I ended up using my fiscal sponsor Allied Media Projects’ GiveButter in order to make the auction for Seraj, which will go live in the next couple days!). GiveButter is now the recommended alternative to GFM, since GFM keeps shutting down Pal-eh-stinian fuhnd-raizers. This does not mean you shouldn’t give to GFM’s that you know are vetted, but it means that you should also work to help folks get GiveButter campaigns as well!

Mohammed Hammad has a bank account with Bank of Pal-eh-stein , and I have confirmed with both him and @fedup4palestine that he has access to withdraw the money from his fundraising money anytime he needs. He is currently waiting to withdraw until he now has the full amount for him + his siblings’ evacuation because he doees not want to leave them behind.

#news on gaza #gaza genocide #gazaunderfire #stand with gaza #war on gaza #free gaza #gaza strip #gaza #save gaza #gazaunderattack #disabled #disabled and cute #disabled and proud

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ctitan98official · 3 months

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@estpresso : RE8 ladies reacting to google assistant, alexa, or any other ai assistant?

Yes! This will be fun! Let’s get into it!

Okay y'all, she’s over a hundred years old and she lives in a tiny village with almost no modern conveniences. A lot of technology tends to go over her head… Quite an impressive feat considering she’s almost ten feet tall, smh. I feel like she would always get Alexa’s name wrong. Like, she’d say “Elisa, how do I get away with multiple murders?” and then when the Alexa doesn’t answer back she gets frustrated and yells at Y/N about how she knew it wouldn’t work.

Donna is 100% a gamer girl. You can’t change my mind. I feel like during the early 2000’s she had one of those really old mac monitors and played point and click flash games all day. She has kind of become a master of most computer softwares and programs that normal people living in 2022 would use. She’s pretty comfortable with Google Assistant, Cortana, etc. Also, this should come as no surprise, but don’t challenge her to a Fortnite Battle Royale… You will lose. Hard.

Miranda worked as a scientist for the Connections, so she has to have been exposed to computers and digital assistants at some point. But, homegirl has mad trust issues. If she has a computer and uses it to log data or results from experiments, I bet she likes to keep her set up pretty simple. No assistants, digital or otherwise, will have access to her notes. She might not even have internet and just decides to use the computer as a digital notebook, essentially. She doesn’t want anybody to be able to track her, which is probably a good thing for the world, honestly. If people could learn from her work, we’d have high-powered villains emerging on the daily.

This woman definitely has a Tumblr blog. She likes to post poetry and any writing that she feels particularly proud of (Most of her own work that she likes the most is about Y/N. Surprise, surprise). I also think that she would use Google Assistant to look up proper terminology or methods when she’s writing a fic or something. She is that detail oriented. She also would use Google Assistant to constantly play re-runs of “Friends” while she writes or is creating… She’s absolutely the Monica in most situations.

She does not know how digital assistants work. Periodt. All she was trying to do was ask Alexa if she’s ever killed somebody. She was just trying to be friendly and make conversation. The stupid thing kept saying “I can’t help you with that.” After a while she can’t help herself and starts raging and destroying all technology near her. Y/N came in only to find their laptop thrown across the room with a whole punched through it… They were furious and wouldn’t talk to Cass until she said she’d buy them a new one.

Once Dani realizes she can look up porn online… That’s basically all she does all day. One time, she somehow logged into Google Assistant and it started offering suggestions based on things she looked up in the past. Dani freaked. She was convinced it was spying on her. She started panicking and deleting all of her browser history… Only to realize she was pretty much wiping all of her saved files and stuff she had been working on (Prior to the porn). Dani cried in bed for the next few hours and when Y/N asked her what was wrong she just sobbed out “Porn!”… Y/N feels her pain.

Masterlist

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lepusrufus · 6 months

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I'm starved for theories and hcs and analysis of the blorbos so fine, I'll do it myself. Have some random gritty edgy hcs of Sombra because I'm bored and want to bug my followers with the brainrot

Sombra is a lot less prone to violence than most of Talon, but she also looks extremely apathetic to it on a surface level. She's been scouring and has seen the deepest, most fucked up and disgusting corners the internet has to offer. She's so desensitized to it all that sometimes even she has to take a step back and wonder what the fuck is wrong with her. Sometimes she ends up in deep rabbit holes without even meaning to, just because she can, but suddenly she's trying to find the source of a website selling the shadiest most unsafe spine implants and will need to get up and grab a coffee. (Maybe take Moira's example and steal some of her Irish coffee)

Being the one committing violent crimes is a bit of a different can of worms. Sombra is not usually a field agent and even when she is, that implies mostly staying hidden somewhere away from the fight and taking care of any security that could get in their way. Sure, the gun is there and she'll use it if needed, but she'd rather not.

In a similar vein, she has a very odd way of showing compassion (and has a particular soft spot for young kids in shitty situations). Sombra would find the most disgusting thing hidden somewhere on the web and bury herself neck deep in it to get rid of whoever is responsible. She'll get out of it without as much as a metaphorical scrap, sure, but there's only so many times she can pull this off without it getting to her.

The Implants in her head pretty much connect her brain to the whole wide internet. She's not concerned about anyone compromising her through it, with all the meticulously thought out security she put in place, but it still has its side effects. Sure, she has access to any and all data at any time, but with the amount of misleading and contradictory information you can find even through the simplest google search, she has to always be careful what she picks as true or false, to the point where she sometimes doubts even the simplest little facts. At least she got really good at recognizing lies.

Having any and all information at her fingertips is both a blessing and a curse. She can know anything on anyone in a matter of seconds but on the flip side she rarely gets to truly come in contact with the world if not through a pink tinted screen. She gets wrapped in her own head around motives and data and the inner workings of everything that she sometimes forgets that people are, at the end of the day, people and they will sometimes be unpredictable just because. It made her a bit of a paranoid mess throughout the years and despide how well she can hide it, constantly being on the lookout for something is beyond exhausting.

The implants on her spine are old. They're still very much functioning as they should be, but the one person that did them had died years ago and, without being able to do any tinkering on her own back by herself, Sombra didn't have any major parts of it replaced or updated like the rest of her tech. The knowledge that one day it's bound to malfunction and she'll be left to scramble for a way to fix it looms over her every single time she puts a little too much strain on the mechanical parts of her body and feels a little warning tingle of electricity running down her spine.

Less related to any body modifications, but i think we can all agree that she has the most fucked up sleep schedule in the universe. Sometimes she'll sleep for 12 hours straight. Sometimes she won't sleep for 3 days. Whether it's because she's working on something important or because sleep simply seems to elude her matters little, she'll still be holed up in her bedroom with a few screens floating around her and a pair of headphones blasting too loud music.

#*throws this at you*#have some blorbo thoughts #my love for taking the seemingly carefree character and making them kinda tragic will never die thanks for asking #sombra overwatch #bc i miss writing a bunch of hcs

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mariacallous · 4 months

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Morning: day 659 of the full-scale invasion

From early, picket lines are set up near the walls of Kyiv’s city state administration. My friends and acquaintances are protesting, demanding that the capital’s budget be directed not to the repaving of roads, but towards the purchase of drones and FPVs for the battlefield. People close to me are saying: “I don’t want new roads; I want my friends to come back alive.”

A deputy from Kyiv city council has the audacity to suggest that the cities have enough on their plate: let the state take care of the war budget, he argues. Cities need their budgets for maintenance. And this perfectly sums up the widening gap between civilians and the military. Every day the same discussions take place – who should be mobilised? Who is ready to enlist? Can we live our lives for anything other than the war?

We are not even talking about replacing the hundreds of thousands of military personnel who have served in the army for almost two years now. Not to mention those who were already defending the country before the invasion. The latest mobilisation is a question of somehow restoring the military after daily losses.

The night before last, Kyiv was woken up by our air-defence sirens. But they began to sound after the first explosions, which meant that no one had time to run to the shelters. Russia had fired 10 missiles and 10 attack UAVs (drones). Our air defence forces shot down all of them, but the debris fell in four Kyiv districts. Fifty-three people were injured, mostly with lacerations. Nine of the victims are children.

The Russians are targeting infrastructure to deprive civilians of heat and electricity. The harsher the winter, the more missiles we can expect. And this expectation, the psychological threat, has been going on for three months.

Noon: day 659 of the full-scale invasion

A Russian cyber-attack targets one of the major phone networks. About 20 million Ukrainians are left without mobile connection and mobile internet for three days. On social networks Ukrainians post messages of support and gratitude to the network operator for its efforts.

For three days I have been catching a signal in wifi hotspots. I think about those areas where mobile is the only way to access the internet. Finally, on the afternoon of the third day, the phone connection reappears. I call my mother. I ask whether everything is OK, whether she has been worried. She says everything is fine, it is just wartime.

Every day there are reports of the deaths of artists at the front. Friends of friends. Within one week, several members of the film community perish. A cameraman, an actor. Not for the first time, I think: Russia is knocking us out one by one, dozen by dozen. Civilians, military. Cinema, literature, visual arts, agriculture, architecture, education, economics, sports – pick any field, there are irreparable losses everywhere.

The full-scale invasion turns social media feeds into endless obituaries of black-and-white photos. And at any moment in time, when it seems that the heart can no longer contain the losses, there’s another newsflash and another death appears.

Afternoon: day 659 of the full-scale invasion

A broadcast with Vladimir Putin is on at the Kremlin – a media spectacle during which the dictator allegedly speaks to the Russian people live. And while the tsar is talking to his lackeys, he is also sending a message to Ukraine – a MiG-31K is taking off from a Russian airfield, and Kinzhal missiles are flying in our direction. Those missiles will reach Kyiv in three minutes, and Kharkiv in two.

Despair and rage.

A video appears of Russian military using captured Ukrainian soldiers as human shields. The Russians attack Ukrainian positions, hiding behind the Ukrainians.

Despair and rage.

We discuss Oleksii Anulia’s story about his time in Russian captivity. The catalogue of torture inflicted on him is unfathomable. In civilian life, he used to be a kickboxing champion and an elite sportsman. He used to weigh 102kg; he lost 40kg in captivity. Oleksii also lost 6cm in height. Barely a single organ in his body remains intact – the Russians made sure of that.

Among other inhumane punishments, prisoners had to stand still for 18 hours a day. Holding their hands behind their backs with their heads lowered, they had to splay their fingers and were not allowed to move. They cut the tendons on his thumb with a rusty knife, saying: “You were shooting at our military with this finger, killing our soldiers.”

Once Oleksii brought in an earthworm from outside. He put it in the toilet cistern and after a week he had a whole brood of them. This is how he got his first portion of protein in a long time. Another time, he was hunting a little mouse and had to shove the not-yet-killed pest into his mouth and eat it alive so that the guards would not take his nutritious prey from him.

Despair and hatred.

Evening: day 659 of the full-scale invasion

At one of the many new bookstores that, despite everything, have opened in Kyiv this year, a “book of the year” ceremony, awarded annually by editorial staff of BBC News Ukraine, is taking place.

The fifth air-raid alarm of the day sounds. The organisers suggest that in keeping with their security protocols, we should go to the air-raid shelter. To which one of the members of the jury, a respected professor, replies: “Let the BBC be scared, we are not.”

The ceremony carries on uninterrupted, but most of us have phones in our hands. Mobile internet has been restored, and we monitor Telegram channels tracking Russian missile and drone launches.

Just another day of full-scale invasion, packed with pain.

I look around the event; these are my friends and colleagues, representing several literary generations. And as has become a habit in recent months, I simply cannot help but imagine all of us dead. All. At once.

In the rest of the world, hearts are hardening. Attention is divided between conflicts. Activists’ focus is absorbed by the rise to power of populists and rightwing conservatives. But two important things remain constant in the beating of these hardened hearts of ours.

The first: Russia always strives for chaos and for rightwing politicians to be in power.

The second: what Ukrainians have had to accept – is that there will be no other life. This is the way it is. And when you hear the promise of a politician who, instead of fighting for democracy and the future, promises you a return to stability, be sure to check who is financing him. Perhaps this is another Russian puppet.

Late evening: day 659 of the full-scale invasion

News breaks about discussions on Ukraine’s accession to the EU. What started nine years ago on the Maidan is now being decided on the battlefield. The future of Europe, in which the question will be determined: where will Russia stop?

Soldiers’ canteen. Eating with a colleague. It’s the 22nd month of my service in the military. Every time I scoop up the soup, I feel like I’m sipping my own sadness. I tell her about my anxiety before missile attacks, about my anger at those who dodge serving in the armed forces, and those who desperately pretend that the war is not about them.

She listens to me, puts her plate aside, looks me in the eye and says: can you imagine Ukraine without Kharkiv? Without Kyiv? Sasha, we might lose the country. And I will be in the armed forces until this threat goes away.

These are simple, clear words. But someone has to say them out loud. And when I think about the coming year, what 2024 will bring, I realise once again that the issue is not about my personal lack of hope, burnout or my non-existence.

The question is whether my country will still be there.

And when will the F-16s finally soar in our skies.

Morning: day 660 of the full-scale invasion

9am. As it does every morning, the country stands still, for a minute of silence in memory of the dead.

The thought occurs to me that by the end of my life, these minutes of silence will add up to 24 hours of silence for those who are no longer with us.

For those thanks to whom we still exist.

Translated by Maryna Gibson

Oleksandr Mykhed is a writer and member of PEN Ukraine. His book Language of War won the George Shevelev prize on 17 December 2023 and will be published by Allen Lane in June 2024

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cluelessatthispoint · 1 year

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What do you think each of the merc’s favorite internet-things are? Do you think Demo would like cat videos?

HOOO BOY!

I love this question. Well, since the tf2 takes place in the 60's and 70's way before the internet these guys are going to lose their collective minds. :)

enjoy~

~~~~~~~~

Sniper:

Sniper enjoys watching nature documentaries. The way that the voice of the narrator and the music blends well with what's happening on screen is mesmerizing. He likes how the documentaries show a variety of different animal species. Once in a while he will watch the news, but he will quickly grow bored and return to watching the nature channel.

Soldier:

Ever the full bodied American, he will look up everything. He doesn't understand what's happening or what's going on; but he likes it. He will watch ancient alien's episodes on loop and claim that he was there for the whole event. Talking about the "good old days". He really enjoys watching wrestling matches on YouTube.

Scout:

He loves how everything is so accessible at the push of his fingers. His most favorite internet thing is watching fail videos. He'll watch someone try to do a back flip off a cliff into some water and he will immediately want to try to do that. he will go on and on about how he can do that ten times better than the guy in the video. He is bluffing and everyone can tell. He tries his luck on various websites to find "true love." Makes Tik Toks during free time.

Spy:

Spy loves looking into the private lives of celebrities. Even though they are dramatized and possibly made up, it makes him feel better to be in sync with what the current generation likes. He really like watching classical old movies with a good meaning. His guilty pleasure is watching Downton Abbey. He will go out of his way to pick a good bottle of wine, a good quality of cigar and sit down and watch an episode or two.

Heavy:

Heavy loves watching anything as long as it has a good story. He will mostly hand around Facebook and connect with the older generation and talk about different philosophical views. He loves the connection that the internet brings. He is greatly confused as to why Scout is trying to meet girls on Facebook though.

Medic:

He loves searching the dark web for organs, most of the time he forgets to clear his browsing data. He thinks that most medical shows are stupid and grossly inferior to his medical skills. He does use reddit to ask questions that he deems important to his work. The people who respond to his questions think he is joking...oh how wrong they are.

Pyro:

Watches cartoons. He already has a subscription to Disney+. He likes Bluey the best. But any episode that says that fires are dangerous, or the main characters go camping and douse the fire all hell breaks loose. Safe to say, that he creators of the show are no longer safe.

Demoman:

He loves watching anything to do with alcohol. Sometimes he'll watch the YouTube Channel Modern Rouge for hours on end. He swears up and down that he gets good ideas from the channel for bomb ideas...but he just really likes watching the two goof off. It reminds him of the good old days with the BLU Soldier.

Engineer:

He will join Demo when watching the Modern Rouge. Most of the time he watches videos on how to build certain devices or watch programming videos. He loves how complicated machinery has become since the 60's/70's. Wonders why TikTok ads pop up in the middle of the videos he was watching. He quickly finds out a way to ensure that adds won't disturb his valuable screen time.

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fiftysevenacademics · 5 months

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I am in the oldest cohort of Gen X. Cable TV didn’t come around till I was a teen, and commercially-available Internet, not until I was well into adulthood with a child of my own. Growing up, the only free media you could enjoy were network TV and radio. If you wanted to hear specific music on demand, read particular genres of writing, or see movies, you had to buy records, subscribe to magazines or buy books, or go to movie theaters. Or, you could borrow books, magazines, and music for free from a library.

It was completely normal, even a point of pride, for people to pay for subscriptions to multiple newspapers, typically, your local paper and a larger regional one, and multiple magazines. If you couldn’t afford to subscribe to stuff, you went to the library. Kids saved up their allowance money or, if they were teens, got jobs so they could buy the records (vinyl) they wanted because radio never played their favorite songs often enough.

You only got the TV channels whose signals were strong enough to reach your TV set, which meant that if you lived out in the sticks (like I did growing up), even with rooftop antenna you still only got one or two channels, and in some places, you couldn’t get any. Everyone my age remembers fiddling with the “rabbit ears” on top the TV or yelling directions at their dad while he was up on the roof tweaking the antenna to get better reception. It was the 70s equivalent of “can you hear me now?”

Needless to say, I took to the Internet like a kid in a candy shop. All the news! All the entertainment! All the knowledge and aesthetics and giggles and drama and tragedy for the price of an Internet connection.

But as the Internet matured, it turned into the grubby capitalist hellscape we have now. It was probably always the inevitable outcome of giving capitalist enterprises and complete strangers unfettered access to our wildest dreams, fantasies, and thirst for knowledge, but we were having so much fun it was easy to think we had some kind of control, or that the party would last forever.

Now, the websites and networks we love the most are shutting down, the music and video streaming websites we’ve gotten used to enjoying for free or minimal cost increasingly dictate what, when, and how we enjoy media and can snatch it away from us at any moment. What passes for news is often just gossip passed around on social media because newspapers are being devoured by hedge funds and being run more like money laundering operations than journalism with integrity.

To those of you who grew up entirely in this era, it might feel outrageous to be asked to subscribe to media you enjoy, or to purchase physical or digital versions of music or movies that you can own forever. I, too, hate paywalls and do what I can to get around them, and I, too, have been badly spoiled by the Internet.

But I do recall a time when I subscribed to a half dozen magazines and the local paper, how much fun it was when one of my magazines arrived, to sit down with a cup of coffee and flip through it, deciding which articles to read now and which to read later, or just enjoying the lavish pictures. I recall going out in the morning to collect the paper and that brief moment of anticipation as the headline and cover photo unrolled in my hand. I remember flipping through the fashion and lifestyle magazines at the library for hours when I had time to waste and wanted to immerse myself in some kind of aesthetic for the day.

It all really wasn’t so bad. In fact, it had its own distinct pleasures and inherent boundaries that are lacking in today’s streaming and digital media.

So now I think we’ve come full circle. The only way we can continue to have an Internet we enjoy is by paying for the services we find most fun or useful. It took some time for me to come around to this because, like I said, I, too, have been coddled and indulged for the past thirty years.

But once I started looking at it as the same thing as subscribing to a magazine, which I used to love to do, it all made sense. If you want Tumblr or any other website, publication, or social network you love to stay around, you should subscribe if you can afford to. If you regularly read a magazine or newspaper online and find it very useful or fun, you should subscribe or donate, even if it doesn’t have paywalls. Buy digital or physical copies of albums, songs, or movies/shows you love—don’t count on Netflix or Spotify to let you enjoy them forever.

#tumblr stuff #advice #my stuff

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winns-stuff · 1 year

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So in regards to persephones almost non existant trauma and not having female friends - right after the SA she... Calls Hades of all people. A guy she just met. And then immediately after (idk if it was hours or like a day?) She invites Hades into her house (against Artemis' rules and yes Artemis breaks them too which is dumb) and cuddles with him in her bed. The same bed where she was just raped. Like I get not wanting to tell her mom... And Artemis but what about Daphne or literally any of the other nymphs? Why is Persephone so isolated from any female connections so she Has to rely on Hades only (and her male friends like Eros Telling her what happened was assault).

(Also as an aside why is every introduction Persephone have with all men be with her naked or being manipulated and sometimes underage?)

Ares - manipulated her into kissing him by lying and might have done more.

Hades - she was drunk. And their "first" meeting that apparently neither of them remember until RS wrote it into the plot was with Hades being drunk and them both falling into each other naked.

Hermes - met her in demeters sacred pond while Persephone was naked and bathing.

Apollo - creepy + possessive. assaults her.

Eros - got her drunk in the first place (on his mothers orders) and placed her in a strange mans car.

Zeus - manipulates her mom Demeter into taking + hiding his affairs.

Kronos - like many other lo men, lusts after her.

The Only guy who I think hasn't met Persephone under creepy circumstances is ... Hephaestus - and actually wait. He meets her (and actually I think before he met her in person?) Hera gave him access to persephones phone (or apollos phone?) So he Still saw Persephone naked via photos, without her permission or knowledge because his mom, Hera told Persephone she would "make the problem go away".

So yeah actually nearly every man that Persephone interacts with that we see on screen has met her under false pretenses, or is creepy or has seen her naked and again, a lot of drunkenness and questionable age gaps etc.

Yeah this is what I’m talking about Rachel for some reason cannot just write normal romance there’s always some weird predatory underlining with it, and not only that she can’t write male relationships without the guys wanting to get with her which is really sad and off because a lot of men still warrant friendships with women hoping for a relationship with them. And this just furthers it down because that’s literally how she sets up most of Persephone’s “friendships” with guys in LO. It’s just incredibly weird and uncomfortable to watch all of this fold out knowing this information, I can’t believe more people don’t hold her accountable because this has to be one of the worst pieces of media romanticization cases I’ve ever seen.. And I’ve been on the internet a bunch of times and I’ve seen many terrible things get romanticized but this takes the cake. How in the world can fans still support their relationship when it’s so completely inappropriate and just wrong, this goes beyond the height difference.

edit : please read my comment in the thing and tell me what you think, I’m leaning on a trigger warning somewhat but I’m not really sure how to go about it if that makes any sense.

#lo critical #anti lore olympus #anti lo

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blysse-and-blunder · 9 months

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In lieu of a travel journal

2am my-time, monday, july 24, 2023

Awake and giddy and trying to calm down after completing what I think may accidentally actually be a decent conference paper, a few short hours before I need to present it—some thoughts on the things that have kept me entertained and sane while on necessary breaks from writing! writing this on my phone so there’s no read-more, apologies.

reading

having a very good time alternating between after Sappho, selby wynn schwartz, and an angela carter short story collection called the bloody chamber. both very ~feminist~ but in ways that are subtly distinct—you can tell which came out in 2021 and which did not—but both so interesting. I think I may DNF this other unnamed spy-urban fantasy, unfortunately, which sucks because the premise was good, the execution is just very grating. assorted other libby holds include italo calvino’s the baron in the trees, ty @morrak and carmen maria machado’s in the dream house.

listening

yws gwynedd and the resulting welsh pop / rock mix on 24-hour lockdown repeat. it’s been extremely good to me, high energy, low engagement, except I’m also getting better at listening comprehension slowly but surely, there’s no downside. Stuck in my head currently, perpetually:

watching

the first episode of d20’s starstruck odyssey, which despite all the potential for getting bogged down in new mechanics and bad stats and dysfunctional team dynamics was really lovely? It is filling the sweet spot right between being in the mood for fantasy high and being in the mood for Neverafter, and plus I like! just getting to hear them play! I also watched the first few minutes of disn*y’s strange world on this airbnb’s d+ account, and will hopefully be able to go back—I was looking for something I could have on in the background and ended up getting interested, so, task failed successfully! I also watched, and slept through, amsterdam (2022) on a plane recently.

playing

fallow week. shoutout to the game I tried with friends a few weeks ago and forgot to mention, genesis noir, which was so gloriously atmospheric and moody and interesting, right up until it was slightly too buggy and/or unintuitive to get past the first fifteen minutes or so. though that could have been the fault of the internet connection, which had been slow that whole night and did crash immediately thereafter. we laughed ourselves to absolute fucking tears over gangbeasts again, afterwards. but I’m still thinking about the celestial noir vibes and hope to get back to this one soon.

making

fallow week! making plans and achieving them, making memories and taking pictures, making virtual friendships into realities. making more homecooked meals, hopefully, now that I have real kitchen access! making some professional connections??

working on

the last week has been all about either working on said paper, or getting a mental refresh by getting as far from it as possible. it’s been hard to get back into work mode after some of these full days off, but also, I did budget my time and I *did* put enough in, early and often, that by the time the eleventh hour came around it was possible to actually finish. i don’t think i could have gotten to this version, which i’m pleased with, with any less effort—but spending all day thurs at the library, working in the morning or an hour before bed, or between lunch and dinner tonight—and a lot of time the week prior—it all added up. it all contributed something. this is my memo to myself: the long boring slog leading up to the exhilarating last minute is just as necessary. it helped that I have other (dissertation-based) uses for every idea and sentence and quote I had to cut tonight, and I still think this paper is stronger without them.

#in lieu of a commonplace book #ilcb #weekly roundup #when I’ve slept and actually printed the paper #we’ll see how much I agree with tonight’s feelings of victory #does the rush of the last minute make up for the dread of the whole evening prior? much to consider #but as of tomorrow I can be a bit more relaxed!#and catch up on…gulp…email

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hauntedwoman · 9 months

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tagged by @youngestdaughtersyndrome to talk about five things i'm obsessed with recently

barbie and the feminist agenda ever since i saw the movie saturday it has baffled me that so many people are holding it to impossible standards. many ppl online are criticizing it for being surface level and a two hour long "toy commercial" when the film is literally being produced by fucking mattel, a multi million dollar corporation. one of the prominent messages communicated in the film is that, in today's day and age, women are expected to be perfect at everything they do all of the time and i think audiences expected the same of this movie. i think the people that went into this movie expecting something progressive and queer and groundbreaking had the wrong expectations. greta gerwig worked as hard as she could to make a movie that had a strong feminist message while also being accessible to mass audiences. yes, the whole feminist monologue is a little bit cheesy but you have to remember that a) children are going to see this movie and i believe that the messages communicated in that monologue are very easy concepts for young girls (and boys) to grasp. b) she had to work through a LOT of red tape. even the scene where barbie tells an old woman that she was beautiful (a non-revolutionary message) was threatened to be cut for run time purposes. with the material she had to work with, i believe that greta made a movie that is funny and forward thinking and something that will stick with audiences for a long time. no, it's not anything that's advanced, but it's still special and has brought joy to so many women. the sheer experience of barbie, being surrounded by women of all ages dressed in pink and unafraid to be feminine and find joy in what society shames us for, is so beautiful and special and i loved every second.

antique photos at the moment, i'd confidently say that my antique photo collection in the 30s. antique photos are probably my favorite thing to buy (besides clothing) when i go antique shopping. i love finding photos of families from the 1900s showing off their family homestead, a couple in the 1950s sharing an intimate christmas morning, a small boy dressed up as a cowboy. these memories might not belong to these people anymore - so now they belong to me. i just love finding these moments captured in time, moments that strengthen the fabric of humanity.

american individualism in the united states today there is no sense of community. outside of organized religion, it's hard to find a way to feel connected with other people. the heightened awareness of individual freedoms and rights that has been a byproduct of online spaces that urge users to bran themselves, there is nowhere for the youth of today to gather and find people that are like them. i believe that bc of this that is why labels for sexuality, gender, and even what mental illnesses we have, have developed online. there are no malls or internet cafes, or parks for our generation to be together in and it's making the average american individual feel as if they are entitled to certain treatment due to having certain labels attached to them. it's all so fascinating how aesthetics and labels and what you look at online shapes our worldview. and yes, capitalism is involved somehow.

caledon hockley if you've been following me any amount of time you know that i've already written many thinkpieces on the antagonist of the 1997 film, titanic. notice how i didn't say villain. that said, i think people tend to forget what cal is like when we first meet him. yes, he's arrogant and pompous ("god himself could not sink this ship") but he doesn't do anything to outwardly control or harm rose. i'm pretty sure he was aware of the fact that she's miserable - sans suicidal. when he brings her the necklace he knows that something is wrong. he really tries in the only way he knows how to get close to her and yet she continues to push him away. i doubt that this is because she's unattracted to him but, rather, more the realization of what her life is going to become once they're married; being a wife and mother to his children, never experiencing any of her dreams. i want to theorize that when they met up until the engagement they were "happy" or at least what could be close enough and what we see in the movie is rose falling out of that happiness and yearning to find it in something or someone else (i.e. jack). i guess what i'm trying to say is that cal doesn't begin to shed light on his more undesirable traits (selfishness and possessiveness) until he can see rose pulling away from him and towards jack. the cal at the beginning of the movie, while he can be annoying and shallow, he's not necessarily a bad person. i think somewhere inside of him he wants to be good. but i mean there's also the whole sexual tension between him and jack and cal's hidden desire to live a life that's so free and easy and emotionally healthy. we also have to remember that he has his own suicidal tendencies - but we don't have time for all of that.

sylvia plath i'm just so so so interested in her personal life and her writings. im slowly making my way through her journals (unabridged bc fuck you ted hughes) and we are both libra moons and have prominent scorpio placements !!! i feel like i identify with her work very deeply and im excited to start reading a biography i got abt her the other day at the used bookstore !! she was such a genius and really set such a precedent for poetry today and just female artists in general she's like the patron saint of girls on antipsychotics and i love her for that

tagging: @truelovewaitsmp3 @sweetsweetjane @jonismitchell @serethereal and any other mutuals inspired to do this !!!!

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techtow · 1 month

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Unlocking the World of Wattpad: Your Gateway to Endless Stories

Hey there, fellow bookworms and aspiring writers! Have you ever heard of Wattpad? If not, you're in for a treat. Wattpad is a magical world where stories come to life, dreams take flight, and creativity knows no bounds. Let me take you on a journey through the wonderland of Wattpad and show you why it's a game-changer for both writers and readers alike.

So, what exactly is Wattpad? Well, think of it as a digital library bursting at the seams with millions of stories spanning every genre imaginable. From romance to fantasy, mystery to science fiction, Wattpad has it all – and then some. But here's the best part: anyone can write and publish their own stories on Wattpad, making it a treasure trove of undiscovered talent.

Now, let's talk about how both writers and readers benefit from Wattpad. For writers, it's a platform to showcase their creativity, connect with readers from around the globe, and even build a fanbase. Whether you're a seasoned author or just starting out, Wattpad offers a supportive community and valuable feedback to help you grow as a writer. Plus, you retain full control over your work, so you can publish, edit, and update your stories whenever you please.

But what about readers? Oh, they're in for a treat too. With millions of stories at their fingertips, Wattpad offers endless hours of entertainment and escapism. Whether you're looking for a quick read during your morning commute or a gripping saga to sink your teeth into, Wattpad has something for everyone. And the best part? It's all free! Yep, you heard that right – you can dive into the world of Wattpad without spending a dime.

Now, let's talk about the stories on Wattpad. Oh boy, where do I even begin? From heart-wrenching romances to pulse-pounding thrillers, Wattpad is home to every kind of story under the sun. And the best part? You never know what hidden gems you might stumble upon. With new stories being uploaded every day, there's always something fresh and exciting to discover.

But enough about the stories – let's talk about the benefits of Wattpad.

Here are 10 reasons why Wattpad is a game-changer for writers and readers alike:

Accessibility: Wattpad is available to anyone with an internet connection, making it easy for readers to access a vast library of stories.

Community: Wattpad fosters a supportive community of writers and readers who share a love for storytelling.

Feedback: Writers can receive instant feedback from readers, helping them improve their craft and connect with their audience.

Flexibility: Writers have full control over their work, allowing them to publish, edit, and update their stories at any time.

Diverse Content: Wattpad boasts a diverse range of stories from writers of all backgrounds and cultures.

Engagement: Readers can interact with writers through comments, votes, and messages, creating a dynamic and engaging reading experience.

Opportunity: Wattpad has launched the careers of numerous successful authors, proving that dreams really can come true.

Inspiration: Writers can draw inspiration from other stories on Wattpad, sparking new ideas and creative collaborations.

Accessibility: Did I mention that Wattpad is free? Because it is. And that's pretty awesome.

Endless Possibilities: With millions of stories to explore, the possibilities are truly endless on Wattpad.

So, what's the story of Wattpad? Well, it's a tale of innovation, creativity, and the power of storytelling. Since its inception, Wattpad has revolutionized the way we read and write, giving voice to millions of writers and delighting readers around the world.

In conclusion, Wattpad isn't just a platform – it's a community, a creative outlet, and a world of endless possibilities. Whether you're a writer looking to share your stories or a reader searching for your next literary obsession, Wattpad has something for everyone. So why wait? Dive into the world of Wattpad and let your imagination run wild. Who knows what adventures await?

Final Thoughts

As a writer and reader myself, Wattpad holds a special place in my heart. It's where I've discovered incredible stories, connected with fellow book lovers, and even shared a few tales of my own. So if you're looking for a place to escape, explore, and express yourself, look no further than Wattpad. Trust me, you won't be disappointed.

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starswimmingart · 2 years

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So, if Sun and Moon are robots, do they need to recharge the battery every so often or do they run on some kind of battery? Do they go out according to whether it is day or night, and do they meet at sunrise and sunset or are they always together? Do they have access to the internet for searches to help them in their research or were they programmed with EVERYTHING they need? Do they have some kind of station underwater or on land of their own or do they work in a station with other humans? Can they communicate through a network even if they are far away?

Well first of all i am LOVING all of these questions, thank you so much!! I'm going to paraphrase questions but let me know if i misunderstood anything and need further clarification! 1. "Do they need to recharge/do they run on battery? When do they go out?" Sun and Moon are battery powered! I have yet to draw them, but they have solar panels both on the backs of their head plates, and that can also extend out from their chests! They go on expeditions that can last months, spending most of their time in the the ocean depths, but they regularly surface during the day hours to charge, much like a whale would surface to breathe! They dont have to be exactly ON the surface to charge though, since water is an excellent light refractor. Moon has always been better at holding a charge at night though, for some reason.. 2. "Do they separate and meet up later, or are they always together?" The two are inseparable! They were built together and are meant to be a pair working in tandem. Occasionally they might split a little to cover more ground, but they have sonars to detect each other (and other interesting things!) and will never be over a mile apart at any point. 3. "Do they connect to the internet to get data or are they pre-programmed with information? How do they communicate with each other/the researchers?" Sun and Moon are fully pre-programed with everything they need to know about the ocean! They're walking, swimming encyclopedias of knowledge, in fact they know more than most databases since they're actively out and adding to their research individually! They connect through satellite connection to their researches back on the coast. They're constantly recording (though have figured out how to turn the cameras off if they so need, secrets secrets!). To chat with each other, they can use sonar, and also something alike a Bluetooth connection! They use this to update each other on their daily discoveries. Because their connection is satellite however, there are always dead zones where they are, for the most part, completely alone. Their scientists cannot reach them in a dead zone.

#these are so much fun omg #yeah if any of you have questions about the robot bois or the selkie au in general TELL MEEE #selkie au #the selkie search #asks #sun moon #fnaf

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ratcatcher0325 · 1 year

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Hey Alexander it your partner in crime again. The one who told you to rickroll Natalie. You have made it clear that you wake up before Natalie. 😏

When Natalie is asleep connect the phone to the Bluetooth speaker and play the song 'baby shark' ON FULL BLAST.

Trust me it's worth it

Your partner I'm crime ,

Anon

My god, you devilish trickster of an Anon, you!

I think we are becoming thick as thieves! I would delight in nothing more than to startle my human counterpart awake. Do you have any idea how many times I've been awoken during a peaceful midday slumber by her clumsy fingers knocking something over or simply stomping around the room like some irritated elephant?? Humans have no idea just how unbearably LOUD they are. If you could all just speak at about half your normal volume, it would do much to cure the almost constant ringing in my ears.

Okay, Baby... Shark, you say? I'm not sure what sounds infantile sharks even make, but perhaps that's not relevant here? Why a shark? Why not a traditionally cute animal? Don't you dare even THINK I'm cute, I WILL KILL YOU. Ahem, sorry, now that we've got that important message out of the way... Okay, this dumb looking video with children in pajamas dancing in front of a green screen? What is this? Why do you suggest the strangest human music? Oh well, if it will annoy Natalie to no end, then I'm on board. I hope it's not to catchy though, I'd hate to have it stuck in my head all day long as some sort of karmic payback for what I'm about to do.

You see, I waited to respond to this ask until she was asleep and I was nearby the desk where I had access to the devices I needed, and, here we are. She's been getting very little sleep between classes and exams, so she just flopped on the bed about twenty minutes ago and immediately passed out. She didn't even bother taking her shoes off... which, I find rather reprehensible. Do you humans just think you're too big to be susceptible to germs?? Don't you know it's bad hygiene to rub your dirty soles all over your bedsheets? Disgusting. Anyway.... I'm going to hit play now, let's see just what happens...

My god, Anon! She hated that more than the Rick... (Riding?? Roving? Some sort of R gerund, I know!) thing! She immediately bolted upright and just started grimacing, "FUCK! NO! NOOOO! WHO KEEPS TELLING YOU THESE INTERNET SECRETS? NO! WE ARE NOT GETTING EAR MURDERED BY BABY SHARK TODAY. GODDAMMIT, ALEXANDER!" Oh, oh she's crawled over the bed and is headed straight for the desk, I have a feeling I'm about to be plucked up and given a stern talking to....

Hi, hello, it's been several hours since the previous events transpired. I'm still chuckling to myself at the image of her absolutely wild mane of bed-tangled hair as she woke up shouting obscenities at me. That was delightful. It's evening here, now, and I'm supposed to be asleep but I've unlocked her phone just sitting there on her nightstand beside my bed. If she didn't want me to use it why would she put it so nearby, hm? Hopefully the light from the device won't wake her. In any case, yes, she snatched my up in a fist and tapped the pause button perhaps a bit too aggressively. But I think her utter exhaustion made her more loopy than truly upset, because she just held me and started to laugh and shake her head muttering under her breath "Why, little nightmare, why do you love torturing me? I am so tired, my dude. Stop taking advice from the internet. I love you, but you're gonna be the death of me, especially with people egging you on. You're too powerful now...." Why did she call me dude? I am not, nor will I ever be a dude. How grossly informal.

Well, anyway, that was delightfully fun, even though I absolutely have that egregiously repetitive tune now bouncing around inside my skull, so thanks for that. I think, in spite of herself, Natalie got a good laugh out of it too. Here's to arming me with wonderful human insider knowledge to baffle this poor woman beside me.

Yours truly,

Alexander

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unohanabbygirl · 9 months

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Back at it again with a giant ask about a FMN and HIPS crossover. Thank you so much for giving me the time of day. Onwards! I’m obsessed with idea of artwork and the way it exists in your reincarnated universe. Is it a slap in the blacks/Osferth’s face that Aemond surrounds himself with depictions of Luke’s assault? It’s so fucked up for Aemond to try to convince Rhaenyra and everyone that he is changing, wants to be better and is good enough to meet Osferth, but then spends hours upon hours surrounded by expressions of the horrific crime that happened? Would you say that the blacks can see right through him and know that while he’s not proud of the assault, he takes narcissistic pleasure in being remembered by history? “Please let Osferth know I called” Aemond says while staring at a romanticized depiction of the assault he committed. Can you imagine Heleana taking the children to visit Aemond at work and they walk down a hallway to his office with all those paintings leading the way? Or if Maelor and the twins learned about him in school and THEN remembered and felt sick knowing he was their uncle but Alicent/Helaena encourages them to give him a chance? Imagine r*pe apologist Alicent trying to keep the truth from them but like the internet exists?? It would be interesting in that scenario that the more Alicent pushes the narrative that Aemond was the victim or Luke was a liar as a way to rally the targtowers, she just ends up isolating herself and Aemond even more? It would be INSANE for Alicent to drag all of them to church including Helaena’s kids only to have the priests start on about how evil Aemond was and the sin he committed against the Mother. So much of FMN is these two groups coming together so it’s fascinated to see the same people again so polarized. Also it would be SO dope to have Daeron and Luke meet first because Daeron wouldn’t recognize him? He remembers Like as children vaguely but had no idea he was this amazing as a teen.

You mentioned that Daella was an omega…since it’s modern times and medicine is so much better can we please have great granny Daella alive and well and she’s one of Luke’s mentors? They don’t even know their connection!

I also have to ask that since it’s an abo verse in the FMN universe, does Luke still go through the trauma you’ve written as his back story? The repeated abuse, Owen’s presence, and his case? I would imagine that with scents—to put it crudely—teachers and government officials in charge of his foster care would be able to smell if he was being abused? Since he’s an omega does he actually end up in a much better situation when placed in foster care bc I would think that special treatment is given to omegas? Honestly I feel like the trauma he’s gone through in FMN plus HIPS is a little TOO angsty. Especially with this last chapter of FMN showing the way repeated assaults have just utterly destroyed his sense of self worth and remembering would just prove to himself that HE’S the problem. To know that this didn’t just happen to him in modern times but also in a previous life seems too much to bear.

In a different line of thought, I know some of us may tend to skip over this when reading because we want the drama, but wealth and class are a huge presence in FMN. Could you expand on what it’s like for the targtowers not to have access to that? I can’t remember if they are using Viserys’ money or if Alicent is also well off. It’s easy to share the wealth when all is forgiven, but in this scenario I don’t see Vizzy giving any money over to them solely because of what Aemond did to Luke. Also…what’s Rhaenys like in this? I remember from the original post of the HIPS drabble that she brings Luke back to KL thinking he is one of Corlys side pieces which kicks off the whole reunion. What’s it like for her to be in the presence of a Luke who doesn’t remember who in the past she unwittingly forced from his sanctuary? I feel like the whole family would be terrified of spending too much time with him because they DON’T want him to remember. Of course some of these questions may be difficult to answer since both stories are unfinished. We don’t yet know a lot of the behavior of the blacks bc unlike in canon, Luke returns to them with Osferth.

Of course! I love this crossover so much and I’d be more than happy if you kept the questions coming so long as you have them ☺️

As for your first question; Aemond knows his obsession with such artwork is more than a bad look for him in this journey to prove he’s a changed man and earn Rhaenyra’s trust in order to actually be allowed contact with Osferth. Because of this he’d more than likely keep his interest a secret for as long as possible despite filling his life with horrid depictions of his worst crime. However, I imagine it would all come out in the open after Egg takes a school trip to the museum Aemond works at and spots him in a trance with a very explicit piece of Luke’s assault. It’s enough to make Egg’s stomach churn as his classmates also express their discomfort with the piece.

Of course the first thing Egg does is text his mom before snapping a picture as evidence since he’s no different from the rest of the blacks in completely being against Aemond having contact with Osferth. And this little infatuation is more than a enough evidence to prove that he doesn’t deserve it. After all, how would Osferth fell knowing his father tries to constantly relive the worst act committed against his muna?

This ends with a “family” meeting consisting of both fractions in order to discuss this new development leading Aemond to have no choice but to reveal his new place of work (though he keeps his true reasons for taking up the curator job rather than his original plan to become an archivist to himself)

The meeting is an absolute mess because both sides have their arguments. With the blacks its “why should we believe he’s a different man when he clearly gets some sort of sick satisfaction from surrounding himself with glorified art of what he did to my son/brother. Do you think Osferth would be happy to know this?” and for the greens its “But you all know Aemond has always expressed interest in uncovering and learning as much as he can in regards to history. Is he supposed to find a new passion just because those artworks happen to he there? There isn’t a single museum in the country that don’t have similar paintings available for viewing.”

The meeting ends without coming to a valid middle ground and on continues the internal fighting among them all. And though both Alicent and Helaena know their argument was bs seeing as Aemond could easily find a position that doesn’t involve surrounding himself with such violent art, they can’t help but be on his side. For Alicent it’s because she truly sees no wrong in her sons actions because “it was Luke’s sinful nature that seduced my son.” While for Hel it’s simply because she feels its her duty to remain at her mother and brothers side. This in turn leads down the path of Maelor and the twins learning what their uncle is remembered for.

This is one thing the greens (except Daeron) have never actually taken into consideration. Hel’s kids aren’t going to remain naïve children forever. They’re growing by the day and the kiddy lenses they view the world through are slipping off with time. I feel that its when the twins reach their 6th grade year that they learn the total extent of Aemond’s actions during a history lesson. They want to learn more which leads them to researching more at a friends house after school. Long story short it leaves them feeling sick with a sense of betrayal towards their family. Their eldest uncle may be less than kind to others but he’s always been good to them. It causes them to look back at their immediate families actions and it makes a lot of sense. Daeron’s constant malice towards Aemond and Alicent, their grandmother’s outdated faith to the old ways of the seven (which I feel would be similar to the old Testament) as well as her constant attempts to shield them from learning about history, I.e. keeping them from viewing any history channels and putting child block on certain sites. Their mother has always seemed uncomfortable with Alicent’s approach at making sure they’re blind to the truth and now they know why.

I don’t think either of the twins would be the type to approach Alicent head on but the shift in energy towards both her and Aemond would make their new knowledge obvious. This in turn leads to an immediate trip to Sunday service the next day to quote “wash away the lies” but it all gets thrown back in her face when the septon begins preaching of “respecting the holy omega” and “all who’ve done wrongs towards embodiment of the mother in any way shall burn”

Its safe to say the trip back home is VERY silent.

Daeron meeting Luke first would be a good choice because he practically has no idea what a young Luke looks like since all memories of his nephew are from when Luke was grown. He’d likely have no idea that Luke Rivers is actually Lucerys and thus form a genuine friendship with this rebellious and carefree omega who’s so different from his high society Peers Alicent encourages him to befriend. I’d even say Luke treats him like a little brother despite being a year younger. For the first time in his life Daeron feels like he’s in good hands, which makes sense once the truth comes out.

I love the idea of great-granny Daella! Maybe she works at a foster center and feels a strong connection with this amazing young man before taking him under her wing. Telling him stories of her youth and giving advice on how to navigate the world while still being true to himself. I feel she’d 100% think of adopting Luke herself after some years go by without this sweet boy finding a forever family but her higher ups tell her it wouldn’t be permitted. I can imagine her going on about Luke to her daughter and granddaughter all the time and it makes Nyra cry because all she can imagine is her own lost son. Maybe it would come to the point where she brings them to meet Luke during one of the centers field day for the younger kids where the older teens help out and bam! Family reunion. Though I think such a revelation would give granny a bit of an anxiety attack 😭

Since Luke has already been through sexual trauma in his past I would completely change his current storyline. As you said, its all way too angsty and feels like putting Luke through abuse for the sake of it which i’m not a fan of. To know he’s been assaulted in both lives would likely send Luke down a path of contemplating hurting himself in a surge of hopelessness. It’s way too cruel for comfort. While this Luke has been in crappy foster homes and even been groped without his permission once or twice, he’s certainly never experienced r*pe or a forced sex act of any kind. Nor has he shot up the heavier drugs such as milk of the poppy.

However the question of if public officials could smell if a child was being hurt in that way is an interesting one because there are so many possibilities that along come with it. People can in fact smell the scent of abusers on children in the system along with their fear which make the chances of creeps trying anything incredibly low but sometimes a r*pist throw caution out of the window during extended holiday breaks in the school year since there’s enough time for the “smell” to wash off naturally along with long forced shower. Scent blockers have the ability to conceal this quite easily but there are many limits such as age and reason. If a child hasn’t presented yet for example.

Getting your hands on these isn’t an easy task; you have to have an actual reason for why you need the blockers, multiple doctor’s visits and received many sign offs as proof to whatever pharmacist that your prescription is valid. Think of it like getting a Percocet prescription. There are so many current barriers in place that even when prescribed by your doctor for a valid reason pharmacist will still turn you away.

Even with these measures put in place there’s always someone things illegally so the possibility of predators abusing this drugs to cover their crimes remains.

If Owen does exist in this au i’d rather have him be the way older boyfriend who sometimes snorts coke and is a bit of a weirdo but overall is harmless loser who works at the local 7/11

What makes this s Luke different is that he’s experienced a much better life due to his status since there are a multitude of precautions in place to make sure such a vulnerable percentage of the population remains safe. All omega homes and government programs keep them together with older omegas to act as a guiding hand. I can also imagine something akin to an omega protection act. Luke’s omega status has saved him from so much trauma in this life, a complete 180 from the past and will overall serve to help give him faith for both his and Osferth’s safety once his memories return.

The question of class and wealth is one I always love answering because there’s so many way’s which their money and connections affect their lives. In the original story Alicent’s money is her own BUT it was Nyra, Daemon and Viserys that got her out of the mud so she could build herself up. Since their relationship is so strained in this AU Alicent would find herself marrying into high class through lies of her true connections to the Lannister’s (not to mention she’s a Tully despite technically being a bastard. But unsurprisingly she doesn’t allow herself to acknowledge it.) Alicent would definitely go about the path of seducing a way older man whose the head of a great house (maybe Baratheon?) and slipping her way into his will before its light’s out. It hurts her mentally in way since she’s basically repeating the past step for step. Yet she’s so used to her past life of absolute luxury that remaining a working class citizen is beneath her in her mind. Because of this Aegon/Hel and Aemond/Daeron would have different fathers which is it’s own can of worms.

Now that I think about it, giving her last two children brown hair and eye’s is a fun idea to play around with. While Aegon and Helaena have traditional Lannister looks from their father it would be a huge hit to Aemond’s self esteem to have “basic” coloring. Not to mention that it would basically make the resemblance between him and Osferth that much more striking…gonna think about this some more. But back to my point—

Alicent still finding a way to slither her way into wealth is a hit to the Rhaenyra big time. It just goes to show that she’ll never truly escape Alicent’s nasty ways. The upperclass are in such a tight-nit circles therefore they’re all forced to interact and play nice to keep up a good image for both their peers and the public. I can imagine that once some years pass and everyone comes together that gala’s, banquet’s, and all that jazz are so tense. Especially when its the kids who are forced to interact at nice events that are full of pressure to lay on the nice-nice act thick.

As for Rhaenys, her hope to make up her mistakes to Luke is even stronger in this crossover because if it hadn’t been for her, Luke and Osferth would’ve remained happy and carefree in their peaceful lives. Luke wouldn’t have been forced to deal with the judgment of the entire realm on his back and Osferth would never be exposed to such nastiness that comes with royalty and nobility. All the boy has ever known is pure love so the switch to being looked at as dirt beneath people’s shoes is so much to handle. And though Rhaenys never intended for her actions to destroy their little slice of heaven its still an action that changed their lives drastically. Rhaenys would definitely find herself trapped in a constant battle between wanting Luke to remember so she can express her regret and attempt to make it up, and wanting him to remain oblivious so he doesn’t have to deal with trauma from his past.

But in all of this it’s truly Osferth who lost the most from Luke being separated from the rest. While he has a solid incredibly loving family, who he truly needs is his mother. For so long they were all one another had. True soulmates in every way. It’s heartbreaking because he’s the one who has to deal with the history lessons in school, the disgusting art and public opinions when it comes to his mom who never wanted more than to live in peace.

#asks

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twistedingenue · 9 months

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The hardest point of something like GenCon for me, with chronic pain and social anxiety isn't the event itself. Don't get me wrong, that's hard (hello extra painkillers and xanax just to enter the vendor hall), but the need to take the day AFTER I get home off is the worst. Because there are things I need to do (cleaning, cooking, unpacking) and all my body wants to do is recount every bit of soreness and strife from the last Best Four Days in Gaming.

Anyways, next year we are going to try to get a connecting hotel because I'd really like to go to some of the later events. Being by the airport meant condensing the day together. What helped was actually scheduling some events this time and accessibility services.

I got to skip the will call line since I started with my cane (another good call on my part) and not having to stand for an hour was wonderful.

FYI: We stayed at Crowne Plaza --Airport. Our AC was struggling, but the rooms were clean and quiet. The hotel seems to be at the tail end of some big renovations, and we never quite knew what new thing would open up. We ended up eating there every day -- the breakfast buffet was WONDERFUL and well priced. It wasn't a huge buffet but everything tasted good. Their lounge was open and had a small dinner service, that was a little more uneven. A salad was underdressed but my ribeye with a sriracha glaze was amazing. If they added a shuttle service towards the convention center, it would be a great budget option.

Next year, more writing workshops and seminars. Those were fun. I really enjoyed the worldbuilding one and one on children's lit. I've got an idea for a novel percolating right now, and I hope I can actually start writing with it soon.

We also tested out the following games, all co-op: Sail- a wonderful 2 person card game. Very simply to pick up the rules (even I could do it). A great game to have around for like -- internet or power outages, camping. They didn't have any copies available (shipping delay), so we'll be looking out for it at our local game store.

Conquest Princess: Fashion is Power: Do you like sci-fi? magical girls? mechas powered by your pets? Fashion is Power? TRANSFORMATION SEQUENCES? And arcade game mechanics? This is your game. The mechanics are a little more complicated than I usually like, but I picked up on it by the end of the hour. It's a bag builder game, the artwork is lovely, and both my husband and I thoroughly enjoyed it. We played a demo copy, but the game is fully funded and in production. You can late pledge for it here.

Avatar the Last Airbender: Crossroads of Destiny: A rehash of the series in board game form. There are 12 plot-point scenarios to play through, in any order, and you can do one or two at a time. Mechanics are pretty simple and easy to learn, and it really encourages the co-operative behavior. By the time we tested it, Funko had sold out of what they brought with them, but we ordered it off of Amazon because I really want to play more of it.

Other than that, I bought a few gifts, tea, enamel pins and small bits of artwork and books. Husband bought tshirts and pre-ordered a modular backback system that will probably arrive in time for next gencon, lol.

I wasn't planning on going back next year, instead doing a resort type vacation, but it looks like we're getting a group together and let's face it, that's more fun.

#gen con #board games

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