#so i think i'm going to decline their offer... and just go to germany no matter what happens

[hotvintagepoll]

Propaganda

Sophia Loren (Marriage Italian Style, Houseboat)—Major Italian star, first actress to win an Oscar for a performance not in English (for Two Women (1960)) and later when Roberto Benigni won an Oscar in 1999 he jumped over the chairs towards the stage going "Sophia Sophia!!" because he was running towards Sophia Loren and said he cared more about her than the Oscar, that's the effect she had on people. She was big in the 60s already even though she gained a lot more notoriety after that. And I mean. Can we take a moment and just.

Pola Negri (The Wildcat, Men, A Woman Commands)—Legally obliged to submit her as she's from Poland, but also it is one of the greatest stars of silent film, both in Hollywood and Europe, so she has to be here. The og femme fatale and a fenomenal dramatic actress. And just so hot in this 1920s vamp style. Obviously her career slowed down in America with the introduction of sound movies, because of her accent and low voice. I'd say her voice is so much hotter thanks to that, but I'm just a simple simp. But then she made movies in Germany, and after the war she was even offered Gloria Swanson's role in "Sunset Boulevard'' but she declined. She was probably bisexual as after romances with Charlie Chaplin and Rudolf Valentino in the 20s, since the 1940s she lived with her 'female friend'.

This is round 4 of the tournament. All other polls in this bracket can be found here. Please reblog with further support of your beloved hot sexy vintage woman.

[additional propaganda submitted under the cut.]

Sophia Loren:

She has maxed out all her stats: beauty, elegance, sensuality, she's got it all. her mesmerizing eyes, her sensual mouth, her sharp face shape, her everything is so striking and unlike any other beauty in films. she was also voted the world most beautiful woman when she was freaking 65

im submitting her in honor of my dad bc she was the first celebrity crush of his he ever admitted to me and my sister :) and he was right. shes so pretty

OSCAR WINNER. Worked with some of the hottest leading men in Hollywood but remained faithful to her husband whom she had a loving marriage with till he died (even though Cary Grant almost tempted her once, it's complicated)

One of the most well-known sex symbols of the Golden Age of Hollywood, and unlike some unfortunate others, she seems to have been pretty well at peace with occupying that status. She made assertiveness and a tempestuous temper seem glamorous, and although she's famous for side-eying Jayne Manisfield's cleavage, honestly? She's one to talk.

Absolutely, drop-dead sexy, also a hard working, extraordinarily talented actress who didn't shy away from the less glamorous roles to gift us some gritty, memorable performances

Submitting this on behalf of my dad, who knows nothing of tumblr or this blog, but I remember being a kid watching Houseboat while my mom thirsted after Cary Grant, dad thirsted after Sophia Loren, and I was excited that they lived on a boat. Anyway, she's extremely beautiful and was an international star, doing a ton of movies in Italy before being recognized in the US.

JUST LOOK AT HER Y'ALL

Very smart and beautiful, the characters that she played (I mean those in the movies that I put in the previous question) are as strong and determined as her which I think adds to her hotness.

Global superstar and my late grandfather's long time movie star crush and for a man as quiet as he was, and as hopelessly devoted to his wife as he was, the fact that I know that means she was EXCEPTIONAL.

Big in the chest, snatched in the waist, pretty in the face 😳

Sexy, beautiful, deep. A real star.

Her performance in "Man of La Mancha" is just so very captivating. Dubbed as "the Italian Marilyn Monroe", she looks beautiful in any movie and at any age.

Forget the exotic sexpot of her Hollywood films and go back to her Italian career: sparking with Marcello Mastroianni as the woman who drives him mad and outwits all his fumbling attempts at macho posturing in their early films, and showing a tender side in their 1970s films. Sophia isn’t self-conscious about who she is or her beautiful body: she enjoys being herself and she wants us all to enjoy ourselves too.

She starred in films as a sexually emancipated persona and was one of the best known sex symbols of the time. She is a great cook and her filmography is immense.

On the misattributed quote that Sophia owed everything to spaghetti: 'Did you actually say the quote frequently attributed to you, "Everything you see I owe to spaghetti"?' "Non è vero! It's not true! It's such a silly thing. I owe it to spaghetti, no, no. Completely made up."

Pola Negri:

A tempestuous green-eyed vamp of the silent screen, she tantalized with both her onscreen and offscreen romances. Rocked a Polish accent - well, once there was sound! A true proficient at promoting herself and using all possible tools to do so - from a dead Rudolf Valentino to a cheetah named Teddy, the latter of which she brought to a press conference.

First European actress to be contracted by Hollywood! She survived poverty and illness to become The Queen of Tragedy, she divorced a count to date stars like Charlie Chaplin and Rudolph Valentino, then spent the rest of her life living with Margaret West in what could have been a romantic relationship.

I don't have much to say about her actual career, personal life, etc. but I just need everyone to see how hauntingly beautiful her face is. I haven't been able to stop thinking about her since the first time I saw her LOL like its pretty clear why she was such a star

#pola negri #sophia loren #hotvintagepoll #fuck that old woman #ladies 4

[theroundbartable]

Scam warning

Hello guys (/n), I'm going to tell you a little story about how I almost got scammed today. THANKFULLY, I'm extremely skeptical about people and don't make rash decisions, but more to that in a second.

So, the story begins with an instagram request for a commission by a private account (with a name where a few letters had been replaced with numbers). Or rather, whether or not I do take requests. Now, it wasn't the first time I've received one, but it was the first time I thought: You know what? Why not try it out for once? In hindsight, these may already have been scam accounts who simply gave up once I shut them down at first contact. (Instagram has loads of scammers.) At that point, I was, of course, already aware that scams are a thing, so I was wary from the very beginning but naive and curious enough to try. I don't HAVE a business account on paypal or anything, I made it clear to the user that it's the first time I've ever tried this, so I ask for patience to bear with me trying to figure out how it works. For that reason alone I stated fairly low prices and what not. But I also made clear that I would charge for my work and payment via paypal.

The first thing that seemed... OFF to me, was that I was sent a reference picture and a 'can you draw this'. I expected ... more. Like, a prompt, a certain style or something specific like a tattoo design (to which I would have declined). Nothing came, they just agreed on the highest price range I offered. So, I figured they wanted a full on colored picture. I assumed that this person may have paid for commissions before and was therefore kind of used to these exchanges and didn't wish to bother me, the artist, too much. As I mentioned above, I do not have a business account on paypal. I never upgraded and paypal TELLS me, I need to give in a firm address. And since I live in Germany, I KNOW there are tons of restrictions for these. I'd have to have official paperwork and everything to do this, but I didn't want to risk publishing my parents' address and so on. NEITHER did I feel comfortable even sharing my private E-Mail. And here is where I was smart for once, because this E-mail was set up running about max. an hour before I responded to the Instagram request. Now, after all the necessary precautions were done, they told me they already sent me the money on paypal. Which... odd? I expected some reluctance and mistrust on their part. But again, I assumed it had to do with their experience. So I looked and found that I had received nothing. I checked again, nothing. What I did receive, was an Email from what appeared to be Paypal.

It looked official at first glance... And here is where my mind went cray cray. Because, okay, here me out, I'm easy to fool and don't like bothering people with my shit. I actually believed that this instagram user would have to pay 300$ to have me have a business account. And I thought, hold on, this doesn't make sense. If there is a fee to pay, why do THEY have to pay it, and why do they get it refunded? What's the purpose of these 300$ that appear and disappear out of and into nowhere? But I was fooled enough to believe it. Or at least assume it was a coincidence and that if this email was scam I did not suspect the instagram user.

Although, I did think, if this was a scam, it would make sense. Because they'd be playing me to believe they were the ones being fooled and I'd offer to pay them their money back out of my own pocket. Which I had early decided would be the last, LAST resort. Or in this case, none at all. Because I would have simply finished the drawing, sent it to them and then lived without the profit. They would have paid, I would have done the work, the payment would simply have been lost at sea and I'd feel like crap about how it all went, but without making a minus. But of course, as a morally just person, I could not let them pay that money to paypal for no reason, so I told them to wait, I would try to open a business account manually, because that should have fixed the problem, right? And I would find these requirements somewhere on the app, and likely in the process of opening a business account, right? There should be no such thing as automatically upgrading to business paypal without extra steps. That's why this seemed weird in the first place. But of course, there have been Loads of AGB changes without my notice, so what do I know? So, I tried. It didn't work and it didn't add up with the mail. The user told me, they would pay the fee, I told them to wait until I figured out more. I couldn't find anything about this, so of course, I grew more skeptical. Because I do not like when I don't understand how something works and how it's all connected, so I refused to give up just yet. (kinda weird how I assumed they would be just as mistrusting of such a money demanding email as I was. They didn't seem to be, but I didn't trust it.) I then told them that paypal usually allows you a refund if you didn't get what you asked for, but they said they tried and it didn't work, and that I would have to send THEM the initial fee back. I hesitated. Because at this point, it was beginning to feel ... weird. And surreal. Because I assumed they would focus more on receiving the art, but the focus wasn't on that at all. They didn't even ask me how long I'd need to do it. They didn't seem worried or stressed, they were calmer than me, and I was holding myself together remarkably well for my own temper. And I told them as much.

I asked them to wait again, as I would ask a friend of mine who DOES have a paypal business account and who knows these things. They asked me why we can't do it alone. So, I told them as follows:

It's obvious, isn't it? I KNOW my friend personally, I know what they know, what they can do, etc. I do not know you, the stranger over instagram and you don't know me, so I don't expect there to be THAT level of trust between us. They may as well expect that I'm the scammer, right?

And I guess that's when my suspicion slowly hardened, because wouldn't people NORMALLY be glad if I knew someone who could help? Why keep this between us, who have no clue what's going on? Of course, I thought, it could simply be pride. But then why let ME handle it all, instead of insisting they know what to do?

My next course of action was then to text that friend, while I already readied myself to respond to the paypal mail. Because how DARE they expect random people to pay 300$ for someone else's account? (Told you, I'm a naive fool.) But then... in the middle of typing, I paused. Because as I mentioned, Germany has a ton of restrictions. And ONE of these restrictions is that in Emails, they have to link an Impressum. Contact data and stuff. The email seemed... too short, so I went and looked up the email address. At first, I couldn't find anything. Which was even weirder, because if this was officially paypal, it SHOULD be linked somewhere, right? So, I tried looking again. And this time, there was one meager result. And THIS was it:

The email was fishy, because it had an onmail. ending. I cross examined it by googling the official paypal mail and.... BABAM. That one has a dozen results on google. At this point, I was honestly, more impressed than upset. And maybe a little proud that even my moral justice and naivety hadn't completely betrayed me. And you know? I would have felt bad to assume that the instagram user was at fault for this, and this wasn't just a coincidence... If it weren't for the fact that my intended business email had existed for less than an hour, therefore nearly impossible to have been open for data leaks or what not, and THEY were the first person I sent it to. It was the third mail in total I got, next to the "welcome to gmail" and "Your account has been linked to paypal" mail. So, finally, I could be sure. I reported and blocked the instagram user and I do hope that they get taken down. Check the email-addresses that want to send you stuff. Never trust people you've never met, ask for a second opinion if you're unsure and cross examine everything. I hope that by reading this little story, you guys will find the red flags that the idiot I am refused to see at first glance. I've highlighted them in bolt letters to make sure you see how MANY there are. Everything that's bolt are where my mind went: hold on a second. You can tell... it's quite a LOT I ignored before I reported them, isn't it? Don't be like me. Make sure you block them before this happens.

#bbc merlin #vld #scam #hp #op #a little real life story #commission #scam mail #scam accounts #instagram #long post #personal

[gaykarstaagforever]

It was the 1960s, and they were just four poor teenagers from Liverpool with goofy haircuts who decided to start a rock band. That mostly just covered Motown songs. But they played in Germany and got huge, until their adult personal lives tore the band apart. They were only together for a relatively short time, but they changed the face of blue-eyed rock'n'roll forever.

I am of course talking about The Liverbirds (or Liver Birds, pronounced "Lyverburds"), an all-female rock band who were directly inspired by The Beatles. They are considered one of the first successful all-female rock bands, and I have never heard of them until today, because they didn't get popular in America (because their only tour offer here was that they play Vegas topless. They declined).

Here they are covering The Vibrations' "Peanut Butter," live in Hamburg in 1965.

(You'll be tempted to assume this song is a veiled metaphor for a sex thing. It absolutely is not. It is literally a song about how peanut butter is tasty. Go find the lyrics. No I'm not joking. No song has ever been more about exactly one thing as this.)

They attempted to sign with The Beatles' manager, but he didn't think they would amount to much so they abandoned the idea. And, to be fair, they only had like 3 original songs, so he may have had a point.

One of them is this:

It's good. But The Beatles were pumping stuff like this out like a factory. It was a competitive time.

Speaking of The Beatles, they met John Lennon once, and he was a sexist dickhead to them. Because of course.

They also met Jimi Hendrix. He was chill and awesome to them and they got high together. Because of course.

Lineup changes began when one of them got pregnant, and another one quit to take full-time care of her husband who was injured in a car accident. The band replaced them and toured Japan, but they all apparently felt the writing was on the wall and broke up soon after.

Two of the original members are still living and are part of this great mini-documentary from 4 years ago by The New York Times (blegh, but this specific thing is good).

There is apparently a stage show based on their story that had a limited run in the UK. Which is shocking that that's it, because this is like the most perfect story ever for an Oscar-bait, feel-good movie biopic. As usual, you suck, Hollywood.

It even has some limited lesbian stuff! Come on!

I wouldn't say they were a great band, and now as then, they were understandably compared to and vastly overshadowed by fellow "Merseybeat" titans The Beatles. Which isn't fair because The Beatles were The Beatles. But as The Liverbirds were directly inspired by them...what can you do?

They are at any rate an historic band that should be more well-known and celebrated for what they were. And who they are.

Plus it is always good to take any opportunity to remind everyone what a shit human being John Lennon was.

#the liverbirds #merseybeat #british invasion #rock'n'roll #1960s #rock #youtube #lesbian #gay #queer history #feminism #feminist history #girl band

[centrally-unplanned]

Barbarossa and Germany's Defeat in the East was good but frustrating.

It's on the side of "going for Leningrad and Ukraine was the right move though still hopeless," but for all of its coverage of the command "crisis" of mid-summer, it failed to really go in to the feasibility of either option. I wish it covered more about "what would it actually take to knock out the Soviet Union?" to highlight how far short Germany was or wasn't. The fundamental point is that Germany's offensive power rapidly diminished with panzer attrition, which is fine, but it seems not to have much else to offer. Barely even covered what the combat was like either! Very much feels like a book for someone who already knows the operational outline and essentially agrees with the thesis, too. I'm surprised he didn't even manage to get through Operation Typhoon considering the book's length. 

What was your take on it?

I should definitely dust off my review and post about it in "outline" form at least! (A la my Exowombs essay) But anyway:

He definitely is writing a book that is simultaneously a "history of the first ~3 months" and also a judgement of the whole operation, which yeah is a really awkward fit. It makes you feel like its half-finished, or as you mention for someone who already knows the intricacies of the operations and can slot his arguments into that data. Which is partially true ofc, its an academic book, and hey he did write two more books about Barbarossa covering the other months! But still, I think you can tell the book changed in scope halfway through.

Yeah Leningrad is perhaps debatable but at this point I hard judge anyone who thinks the Ukraine push was the wrong move, there was simply no way to push as deep as Moscow demanded while leaving both flanks of said push so heavily exposed. It hyperprivileged "geographic" collapse; Moscow was relevant but its fall wouldn't doom the USSR, that doom would be multi-factorial, so passing up the greatest operational victory the Nazi's would ever get in the war in order to try to take it earlier seems short-sighted.

I did appreciate his deeper discussions of the the inner dysfunction of both the German general staff, and the individual field commanders, and the just lack of analytical structure going into their strategic planning. To spoil my outline, you essentially have two questions: Could any German high command have won an invasion of the USSR in 1941, and could this German high command have won such an invasion? He believes both, he makes a weak case for the former, but he makes a much stronger case for the latter.

Agreed on the book's true weakness - its just impossible to answer the question he wants to answer only looking at the German side. Germany could grind its entire army into dust as long as at the end of that grinding the USSR broke, its still a win. The fact that he is a specialist in the German archives really shows in this regard. He also through his focus on "planning" falls prey into overgeneralizations on sides of tactics and combat. For example, in 1941 the T-34 was not a "better" tank than the Panzer III & Panzer IV by the judge most analysts of battlefield dynamics, instead having strengths & weaknesses fit for different contexts, but you see him buying into the idea that that the Germans were inherently "out-teched" as being a ticking clock on their operations. (Airpower is another category this occurs in, the ability of airpower to serve as a stopgap for declining armor stocks and the like, you again can tell he isn't an air historian.)

Overall though I do think its one of the best books around on the question of "how did the individual German operational commanders and high command planning officers conceive of, execute, and think about the changing dynamics of Barbarossa in its opening months". Its thesis overpromises but it delivers a core value all the same.

#Is fun to discuss it as well ty ^_^

[born-to-lose]

which ones were the horrorpunk bands 👀

It was Superhorror!! Short story, I got their set list, got my CDs signed by 4/5 of the band and kissed the singer (who turned out to be 16 years older than me and possibly taken after I did some stalking today 💀💔), long story under the cut

So one of their songs is called Satan Loves You and to introduce that the singer said "you know what the devil whispers in your ear? Drink one more beer, kiss that singer of the band that's on stage because Satan wants you to live your life, Satan loves you". I was front row all night and that was pretty early on in their set and I was considering just kissing him whenever he gets close enough. Their music was really good and I had so much fun! Necrophilia and cannibalism references in their songs ❤

At some point he walked through the audience and just grabbed some girls and danced with each of them goofy partner dance style spinning around etc and he said he wants to practice his German so he complimented random people in German. Before he got off the stage he gave me the set list with a wink and stuck his tongue out 😫

After the concert when I was going outside, he was standing there with the guitarist and I got out the CDs I had bought and asked if they could sign them (that's how the hangout with another band last year started so it's my go-to method)

They were like sure and asked if I have a pen because if not they'd have to go back inside and look for one. The guitarist offered me a cigarette but I declined (I already had beef with my mom for accepting a musician's cig before and my sister was sick waiting in the car with my parents and they were all mad at me for taking so long so I couldn't stay for the afterparty which really pisses me off, next time I'm definitely going alone) ANYWAYS I found a pen in my bag and the singer was like "grazie" and after fighting together to get the booklets out of the CD cases, they signed them and the guitarist went to look for the rest of the band

When I was alone with the singer, I asked "so saying Satan whispered it in my ear would be a good reason to kiss you?" and he grinned and went "oh yeah absolutely, but I smell like shit now, like really" and I was like "I don't mind" and he said I can kiss him on the cheek, which I did and left a lipstick stain on his white face paint (should have taken a photo of that) and then he was like "actually you know what" and I kissed him and we both had a bit of each other's lipstick on lmao

We chatted a bit and he asked if I enjoyed the show and if I'm from near here and I said I'm from the next town about 20 minutes away and he was like "lucky, this bar is great but it's not your first gig here, is it? We played here in 2016, was this your first time seeing us?" and he apologized for his bad English and not being super talkative because he woke up at 6am to travel up here from Italy and it was so hot in there and he lost everything including his ability to think. He asked me for my name and was like "ooh Melissa *thick Italian accent* such a beautiful name I like it" 🥹🥹🥹

He went to get my CDs back and apologized for not being able to find the other guitarist so he suggested I get the missing autographs next time they come to Germany. He asked if he can hug me and we hugged and we said our goodbyes and see you next time etc

And when I turned around my father was standing a few meters away from me 💀💀💀 he said he only got there when I got my CDs back which I SURE FUCKING HOPE

#i wanted to take a pic together so bad but thanks dad for cockblocking me 🙄 #sorry this took so long i needed to type it out coherently #i cried in the car btw. as i should. award for best first kiss goes to me #ask #star-that-howls #judas #mel's concert stories

[moonmeg]

Are you doing your au pair with a company or independent? I have been considering doing one for years to improve my french and would take any advice you give!

First off, brave decision my friend! Chapeau to that!

I'm here with an agency but I know others who are here without and found a placement through aupairworld.com

With an agency (depends on the agency I believe) your stay will cost a bit more than if you go on your own. I think I still have a 450-500€ fee to pay. That does not include flight etc. Also I had to fill out a whole lot of documents with 2 references from people outside my family that prove I have experience with children and describe the type of person I am and a lot more other stuff. Lots of bureaucracy. Maybe it's just Germany but it would make sense... after all not everyone is and should be qualified as Au Pair to work with kids.

However, with an agency you have two persons you can contact if you have problems/questions/anything. One in your home country and one in the host country. That can come in handy when you turn out to have problems with your host family or get kicked out for whatever reason(s). The agent responsible for me was immediately there to check on me when first host family called them and expressed worry for the placement and later told me they want to end it. The same night I was already sent the profile of another family (my current one) and got the contact info for current host mom and we even immediately could decide on a day to meet each other. The first days, the agent checked on me if everything is going well and if there are problems they will gladly help. They get paid for that after all lol.

As for aupairworld.com - I don't know much about it. I know they don't ask you to pay a fee or something. Not if you're there as Au Pair. As host family they do want you to pay a certain amount of money to make sure you're serious and you treat it with seriousness. Here you get to find your host family on your own. No contact person in-between like with an agency. (You can decline an offered family by an agency too though). So yeah, a lot more independent. The only con would be that in case of problems or the desire to change host families you don't have a helping hand I believe. Not a directly assigned to you one at least. But I don't know enough about the independent way unfortunately.

Find out what you want and what you're comfortable with

Au Pairs work with children. Babies, toddlers, preteens. Teenagers are rare and families with teenagers usually don't require an Au Pair as teens are usually old enough to be on their own. Are you comfortable enough changing diapers or doing potty training and not afraid of cleaning the child's butt and such afterwards? If not then scratch out any family that has a child under the age of 5 (it's best to ask the host family about the matter if the child requires that help). How many children are you willing to take care of? How many do you feel most comfortable with? What ages would you be most comfortable with? What if the child has a handicap, ADHD, autism etc. (the parents NEED to inform the agencies about that because in that case it's better you already have experience with that or are even specialized... obviously). It might be the child is diabetic - are you willing to inject insulin if needed? What about the parents? Are you okay with a single mom or single dad? Or would you prefer a couple? Same-sex couple? (It shouldn't matter at all if it's a same-sex couple or not because it's not your business who loves who but I'm going through the points the agency asked me and they did ask me if that would be okay for me... which is kinda sad) Are you okay with it if one or both smoke? Would you be okay if the family follows a diet you don't (vegetarian or vegan for example)? Is religion important to you? What if it is/isn't important to the family? What if the family (esp. the children) don't speak English or a language you understand/know? Would you like to improve your language skills in host country? Would you like to visit a language school? Does the family allow it? Has the family had Au Pairs before?

You basically need to go through all possible cases to find out what you want in a host family and for your stay abroad.

The host family

I think it's obvious that this is among the most important points. Those people are gonna be your family. Or at least they should be. A simple profile describing the family doesn't give you everything you need to know. It gives you the basic information and what your tasks are but it's always recommended to have some calls (best multiple video calls) with the family that appeals most to you. Get to know them and their expectations at you better. Be sure you are comfortable with them. Listen. To. Your. Gut.

Just as some people should never be Au Pairs, certain families should never host one.

An Au Pair is NOT a cheap babysitter.

An Au Pair is NOT a cheap servant or housekeeper.

An Au Pair SHOULD have free time.

An Au Pair SHOULD have evenings and at least one day a week off - even better if you get the whole weekend off.

An Au Pair SHOULD get paid accordingly for their work.

An Au Pair SHOULD have their own bedroom.

An Au Pair SHOULD get food (and in the best case the family even asks you if you prefer something for breakfast or if you need something food wise and they will provide for it.)

An Au Pair IS a helping hand for the family and acts as older brother or sister.

Being and host an Au Pair is a give and take. You receive housing, food, etc. without paying rent and other stuff and if you do go to a restaurant to eat it's from your pocket money you receive while you support and help in the family.

Don't just pick the first family you get recommended. Seriously consider it through. In case of problems though, there most likely always is the chance of changing host families.

In any case though, you CAN and SHOULD put a full stop where one is needed. If you can't take it, if you don't want to continue for whatever reason that may be, STOP and RETURN HOME.

My experience...

has been a roller-coaster. After thinking I was in good hands with my first host family and thinking we were on common ground it was devastating to hear they no longer want to continue being my host family. We had multiple calls, I was welcomed warmly, I felt comfortable and yes, I was willing to continue being with them until the end of my stay. But it was only when I was truly living with them I realized that our life styles are quite different and while no problem to me, it was one to them. The boys, my host-brothers, were a handful sometimes and yeah, had to endure tantrums and stubbornness but I actually really liked them... well at least the younger two. They were distant first, which is to be expected. It was the same with current host-sisters. Both sides need time getting used to this new situation. And as we humans are all different it will also take both sides a different amount of time to get used. Maybe it will just be a week. Maybe two. It could also take a month... or even more. Don't rush it. Don't be discouraged if after a week your host sister or brother or sibling is still distant when you already got used to them and the situation. A good relationship to your host parents is SO important. Cuz if your host sibling is shitty, sure that's not great either but having the parents against you is worse. They are supposed to be people you can turn to when you have troubles or questions. They are supposed to listen and help you if there is a problem with the or a child. Having a good relationship to them makes the whole thing easier and warmer. Here I must add one important advice for any relationship or working place: Communication is key. Misunderstandings happen. And between strangers - especially strangers from different countries that don't share a native language and communicate over a second language like English - misunderstandings are BOUND to happen. Your host parents will probably not speak perfect English (except for if you are an Au Pair in an English speaking country of course). Your English levels will be a bit apart, I can imagine. And with your host siblings it will most likely be even further apart. There are exceptions but this is the situation you are most likely going to end up in. If there is a misunderstanding or if there is anything else you need to get off your chest COMMUNICATE SO.

Also! Piece of advice: try to get the contact data of former Au Pairs if the family hosted any. Exchange experience with them or ask them for advice when there's problems with your host sibling.

It also proves itself useful to have people you can vent to that aren't your host family. Your friends back home, your family, or a tumblr blog where you spam your followers with whatever situation just happened ;) Maybe a simple a journal/diary does too. Just something or someone you can let it all out on or who you can ask for advice if anything. It's important.

If you have a good relationship to your family or have at least one friend back home, you WILL be homesick at times and miss them terribly. Being abroad is the devil's arse when it comes to this point. You're kinda alone. You will with a very high chance find other Au Pair friends and hang out together, go out for dinner, take city trips outside your host city and more. But you will 100% miss home and that's okay. Your homesickness might bring tears. Let them flow. Like my current host mom said "it's a good thing that you are homesick. It means you are loved at home." and that's a beautiful, bittersweet realization to come to.

Take a plushie with you. Something from your friends. Little things that remind you of home and that give you strength. I for example have a postcard from my former choir conductor that she gifted me at prom with some very sweet and encouraging words on the back of it attached ro my mirror here in my room. Also attached to that mirror is another postcard from the choir with the words "Dear Margarita... we will miss you!" and signatures from all the members of the choir. I have a pusheen plush with me, a t-shirt my best friend brought me from Portugal and my mom's cardigan.

Being an Au Pair is hard. It's a challenge. It's tough. You're miles away from friends and family. You are going to have waves of homesickness overrunning you every now and then.

It's a life experience. One you will hold dear and remember fondly or one you wish was never part of your life. I won't let you believe it's gonna be all happy and a field of dandelions. There will be roses with thorns on your way. It might also be your entire field is just thorns.

I don't want to discourage you, absolutely not. But I wish I had someone tell me there will be these downsides and the possibilities it won't work out at all. It doesn't hurt to be aware of that, I think.

I'm sure you will have a great experience as Au Pair! I tend to share more the negative things here because I need to vent and let it out but there's a lot of good things with my current family too and I'm actually am enjoying my stay.

I would also tell you some things my Au Pair friends have experienced so far but this is already way too long a post dhhdnsnsn

If you need anything else just drop another ask or slide in my dms <3

You got this!

#moonmegs au pair in 🇮🇹

[mccoys-killer-queen]

Seeing Dokken/Lynch Mob/Ted Poley (Danger Danger) in concert

this was just at my normal go-to venue 50 minutes away

I was VERY PREPARED THIS TIME and bought a chair, blanket, hat, gloves, scarf, wore 2 pairs of pants, and my GOOD JACKET

yes this meant ppl were judging me I JUST HATE THE COLD OK

i made line friends again this time we're gonna call them Dan and Barry and they're Elder Metalheads and told stories about protecting their wives and other children at shows

Ted Poley granted me a photo pass but no one from his management gave a fuck and didn't tell the venue so I didn't get a pass :( he's such a sweet guy tho

so this guy I was hanging out with at the Sonic Slam show last summer turned out to be my one insta friend's COUSIN LOL so the two of them plus his mom got me up at the barrier LMAOO it pays off to make friends in line

I was extremely disappointed in the merch. there were literally 3 (three) shirts to choose from. That was it. Plus you could buy a CD if u wanted. They also weren't taking card. Fuck that. I bought a double vodka cranberry instead.

due to personal reasons I think I gotta stan Danger Danger now

literally I never heard a single song by them until a week ago but Ted is just so nice and fun and he put on a hell of a 30 minute show

he also threw balloons into the crowd that we had to blow up ourselves it was hilarious

there was also this little kid next to me the entire time and Ted threw him a balloon but he didn't catch it so he knelt down in front of this kid and threw like ALL the balloons at him it was so sweet ;-;

just wanna say for the record that I was there for like at least 8 core memory moments for that child last night and that balloon story was one of them

for Don't Walk Away, Ted came into the crowd bc he said 'it looks like you're having so much fun out there, I'm gonna join you!' and i couldn't find him like the entire time eoirngwoergnwerg

he also spit like a ton of times over his head and idk what it is about concert but it always makes me want men to spit on me

honestly Ted's set was the height of the show

Lynch Mob was really good and their singer... 👁👄👁

he's got crazy eyes, he's got long curly dark brown hair, and he's a petite little bitch

he also looks like Derek Day from Classless Act and Rami Malek's lovechild

his pants were TOOOOOOO LOWW 👁👄👁👁👄👁👁👄👁 i could see pubes 👁👄👁

watching George Lynch play is an otherworldly experience

at the end of their set, their drummer threw his drumsticks into the crowd and the little boy next to me caught one and everyone around him EXPLODED with joy (another core memory moment)

at one point their bassist threw his pick and I ended up getting it off the floor and giving it to this boy too

his mom thanked me secretly rogwrgtpmrtg

idk why everyone says Don Dokken can still sing I'm sorry but he can't he's worse than Vince Neil like he was literally monotone the entire time I was disappointed

despite that we were still bangin and goin nuts

Don did smile at me 3 times tho and wave at me ;-;

his stories were funny too trpptprptg like he said in Germany they eat french fries with mayo and that's the only thing he knew out to say in german in the early 80s and it's all he would eat bc of that

also he kept gushing about the crowd and the venue and how much he loves Penn's Peak and the crowd is always wild and how the venue is in the middle of nowhere (which is very correct)

there was also a red flag where Don introduced Dream Warriors with how big Patricia Arquette's boobs were when she was 16  🚩 🚩 🚩 🚩 🚩

also based on everything I've heard from Ted, Dokken and their team don't sound like very nice people erogneorgtgpptt

I wanted to meet Ted afterwards but I didn't wanna push it ;-; he emailed me today offering me a pass at his show in NJ on Friday but I declined bc 1- I would have to leave straight from work 2- I would have to drive through Philadelphia 3- how is he sure they'll actually listen to him this time and 4- it's over 100 miles away so I'd have to invest in so much gas :( sorry Ted i want to but it's it's just not gonna be worth it

#tbh i think everyone likes shitting on vince bc of fatphobia #like vince isn't good either but at least he wasn't monotone and can hit SOME high notes #concert #concerts #concert log #dokken #lynch mob #ted poley #danger danger #should also point out i slept for 8 hours after i got home then took a 4 hour nap today

[cobertaddict]

Okay, here comes quite the list, dear friend:

Primrose, lantana, tulip, tea rose, & pansy for the botanical asks, please <3

Thank you very much the ask my dearest friend! ☺️

primrose: what book does everyone right now need to read?

Sometimes I feel like I'm not the perfect person to be asked for such a thing because for a majority of my life I read nonfiction books, specifically biographies or history, and that's not everyone's cup of tea. Anyways, one book I thoroughly enjoy and highly recommend is Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari. I had to read the first few chapters for a college history class and I loved it so much (and was mind-blown several times), I asked for it for Christmas so I can read the whole book. I just love the author's wonderful insights and theories and how he delivers them in such a sarcastic tone. I love the book and it's one of my top favs!

lantana: what’s on your mind right now?

Trying to find ways/ distractions to destress after having a stressful day at work. Perhaps catching up on some fanfics will do the trick :)

tulip: name 5 facts about yourself

I used to live near Palm Springs, but around 7 years old I moved to another town

My MBTI personality type is ISFJ aka the most boring type there is lol

I learned how to ride a bike at 10 years old by my friend's mom... Long story short, I fell in a rose bush and got scraped up pretty good, but this didn't deter my future love of riding a bike :)

I'm the youngest of two, I have an older sister

When I was young, a friend asked me if I could audition with him for the town play, Aladdin. I did not have the courage to tell him no, plus I hoping I wouldn't get any part in the play or if I did, I would be something like tree #2— basically anything that didn't have lines because I'm an incredibly shy person. Well guess what? I got the lead role as Aladdin himself. My younger self was not amused, and so were the boys who auditioned for the role

tea rose: what’s something you always wanted to do but were too scared?

Study abroad. I had the opportunity offered to me twice: one to travel to Germany to further my German speaking & another time in my sophomore year but for a creative writing class in England. But like I said, I'm incredibly shy (and naturally anxious in general), so I declined. My parents tried to convince me otherwise, but I laughed it off by saying I'm too frugal to do such a thing. I have very mixed emotions about not going. But my college career isn't quite done yet, perhaps another opportunity will arise and I'll have the courage to go :)

pansy: do you like poetry?

I don't exactly know how to answer this because I feel like me and poetry got on the wrong foot when I was first exposed to it when I was a young, and being dyslexic did not help 😅. I remember very vividly being in elementary school and having assignments about poetry: reading poems, understanding/ interpreting poetry, creating poems, etc.— all of which I did not perform well in 😅. And I think as a result, little ol' me adopted this "screw poetry😣😭" mentality at the time. Now, I think I feel neutral towards poetry, definitely don't dislike it like I did as a kid. But it's something I don't normally seek out to read or indulge in, but when I do I enjoy it :)

Thank you again for the ask bestie! Now, here's some cobert cuteness for ya! <3

Botanical ask game (x)

#ask game #mutuals #thank you! #sorry this is kinda late #meant to do this sooner but work is crazy atm

[torunarigha]

so... i’m definitely going to be in germany in the fall :D

#life update time lol : #kinda stupidly privileged to be able to say this #but my back up school that accepted me has a deadline to decide this monday #and i STILL haven't heard if i got the scholarship to study in germany #and it all came to a head and i realized i really really really want to go to this one program in germany #and going to this other school in north america just felt wrong #so i think i'm going to decline their offer... and just go to germany no matter what happens #i can't believe im genuinely throwing away this amazing opportunity but my gut just wasn't feeling it #im so lucky to have family thats like 'hey if you want to move continents we can help you to make it happen' #wannat cry just thinking about it #(granted having family in germany already helps a whole lot lol) #but yeah crossing my fingers that i do actually get this scholarship AND get into the program i really like #a lot of things to fall into place gotta start looking into back up plans LMAO but at the very least i'll be closer to my dad :') #and be able to watch hertha live :DDDDDDDDD #(i'd be lying if it wasn't at least a bit of a motivating factor but trust me its not the whole thing haha0 #to delete #wow tmi with mia hour amirite #<-- old tag still appropriate

[slutfornat]

My Doll // P.10

Series Masterlist: here

Main Masterlist: here

Warnings: tfatws spoilers, violence and swearing.

Y/n's POV:

After everything that happened, Bucky and I are going to meet with Sam to see why the fuck he would give up Steve's legacy to another white man.

Though I doubt he did it knowingly as for a while he was under the impression that it is Steve's and no one should be using it as it's like trying to replace Steve.

"Shouldn't have given up the shield" bucky says as we walk closer to him. Sam continues towards us, saying "good to see you too, bucky".

We are walking with him now and james says "this is wrong". "Hey, hey, look I'm working so all this outrage is gonna have to wait" sam said, clearly not wanting to talk about it.

"you didn't know that was going to happen?" I persist. Sam answers "no of course I didn't know that was going to happen. You think it didn't break my heart to see them march him out there and call him the new captain america."

"This isn't what Steve wanted" bucky said. Rolling his eyes, sam says sarcastically "so what do you want me to do? Call america and tell 'em I changed my mind, huh? Great reunion buddy."

"You had no right to give up the shield, sam" James tries but wilson cuts him off, "hey, here's what you're not going to do, you're not gonna come here in your over-extended life and tell me about my rights."

"It's over, bucky. Besides I have bigger things to deal with now" sam said. Bucky turned to him again, asking "What could be bigger than this?"

Suddenly sam pulled out his phone, showing us a picture of a person wearing a purple mask that I recognise almost immediately as this group of people who think they are a kind of freedom organisation.

When he finishes talking, I already know I'm helping once again. "I don't trust redwing" bucky tries convincing.

Sam just continues "you don't have to trust redwing but Imma go see if he's right because I have a feeling that they might be part of the big three".

When he says the big three, I look up and say "wait like the percy jackson kind? Sweet". Just then bucky asks "what big three?"

"the big three" sam said, making buck even more confused. "What big three?" he asks again. Sam tried again "androids, aliens and wizards". "That's not a thing" I say.

"That is definitely a thing" sam said again but buck just says "no it's not". Sam argues back, "every time we fight, we fight one of the big three."

"So, who you fighting now, gandalf?" james says in frustration making both, sam and I question "how do you know about gandalf?"

"I read the hobbit... in 1937, when it first came out" bucky says as if he's bragging about reading it 87 years ago. Sam says again "so you get my point". "No, I don't. There are no wizards" he said.

I try once more "doctor strange-" "is a sorcerer" james interrupts making me understand exactly why he is a pisces man.

"Ah, hahaha, a sorcerer is a wizard without a hat" sam says as if he's just discovered something brand new, "think about it". I resist the urge to roll my eyes at them as bucky is silent for a second.

"That's not the point, these guys aren't magic, they use brute force just like you, the incredibly annoying guy in front of me with the staring problem" sam said before walking away and we continue going with him.

In unison, bucky and I say "we're coming with you". "No you are not" sam yells back, not that either of us are listening.

Whilst flying over Munich, Germany, I ask "sam, do you want that shield? Please be honest with me as well". Looking confused for a second, he answers "I don't know. Why do you wanna know?"

"because I have a lawsuit against the president for the shield and when I win, I would like to hand it over to you. As legally it has been the property of Stark industries since the 1940s" I explain.

After a second, he asks "wait, I thought pepper is in charge of stark industries though". "No, she is just gonna raise morgan as normal as possible and I'm the owner now" I answer.

"what's the plan?" bucky asked but then after no answer says, "no plan". As he is about to jump, sam says "enjoy the ride, y/n/n, buck".

"You can't call me that" james argues. Confused, wilson asks "why not? Steve called you that". "Steve knew me longer... and steve had a plan" bucky says, glaring slightly but I cant tell he is also amused kind of.

Sam jumps and just as I'm about to, we are offered parachutes but both of us decline, ne already having a plan for how I'm gonna land.

As we jump, bucky falls and hits the ground while I use my shield to stop me from hitting the forest floor. Sam says as redwing flies down to buck, "I caught that all on camera".

"get it out of my face or I'll break it" bucky threatens as sam and I laugh. "okay, you need to move north" sam tells us as james gets up from his position on the ground.

We walk north until we come to an old looking building and then go inside. Sam uses redwing to monitor what they are doing and come to the conclusion that they are smuggling weapons.

Bucky immediately wants to go immediately and unfortunately does leave. At the same time all three of us go after the them and James goes in first me not far behind him but by the time I'm there he is being held back by two people.

I manage to try and fight one of them but unfortunately the other still has bucky then sam tries to fight another of them just to have redwing broke down the middle.

"I've always wanted to do that" I hear bucky complain as he's being held back. After fighting for five minutes, I'm somehow thrown to the side and have to cling on.

Whilst bucky is still basically a hostage and sam is being held back by two. As I get back on top, I'm about to throw my shield at one of the people who are about to attack sam when I'm beat by a couple seconds.

I look and unfortunately see fake captain america there as he and another guy jump from the helicopter. "Fuck!" I exclaim in anger at the fact he had to show up.

Taglist -

@lilulo-12 @lilacmeadows @criminalyetminimal

#bucky barnes smut #bucky barnes x stark!reader #lucia one shots #bucky barnes x f!reader #bucky barnes x reader smut

[miss-kittys-magical-library]

In The Air Tonight

From The MoonBrella Academy

Word Count: 2300

Warnings: sex (penatrative, m/f), erotic asphyxiation, death, angst, PTSD, mentions of war, magic, general Klaus-induced chaos. GIF by @sheehanspam

A/N: During the summer of 1974, The Kostas family feels more than the oppressive weight heat. A true prophecy warns them something is on the horizon. Something that will set the course for the rest of their lives all thanks to the man out of time and a baby they promised to raise.

Honey found her balance after straddling Leon. Her hips rolled in a steady rhythm of back and forth. Her husband reached up to caress her breasts. She seized his wrists so tight, her manicured nails dug into her own palms.

Leon, switching gears, grabbed at them roughly instead. He pinched one of Honey’s nipples swollen then the other. They were lost perfectly in his grip as he massaged them, played with them as Honey rode him. He growled and she cried out before moving his hand towards her mouth to suck and bite at Leon's finger and thumb.

They were like a couple possessed. There was something in the air like static. Manhattan was the hottest Honey had known it to be. Everyone drifted slowly and drenched in sweat on the streets and in her apartment. It had been quiet during the worst of the heat. Only Diego and Klaus dained to still visit.

Earlier in the evening, up on the roof with their feet solidly in a wading pool, Leon and Honey sensed Klaus was uneasy about everything. He complained that the temperatures and the electricity in the air was suffocating him. Making his skin crawl as he stripped to his underwear. Everyone was in stages of undress, even the littles were naked and Honey topless.

“It's like Vietnam. The humidity is cellular. I feel strange and twisted.”

“Murderous, but fancy a good shag?” Leon’s query settled across the roof. “Like you could kill who you..” he mouthed fuck.

Two sets of verdant eyes gawked at Honey who suddenly sat up and covered her breasts. “Knock it off, the both of you. You're creeping me out.”

Somehow they made it through dinner and bedtime and MASH and Carol Burnett before Leon threw Honey over his shoulder. She squealed and mimicked trying to escape, but it only spurned Leon into grabbing a fistful of her ass. He maneuvered her around so she could wrap her arms and legs around him while they lumbered and kissed and undressed towards the bedrooms.

“Shhh,” Honey admonished with a strangled laugh. She pointed at the doorway to Sugar and Sunny’s room.

Klaus had passed out on the floor between the tiny beds, his head in his arms on his stomach. Sunny half poured out of the bed with a hand on his.. uncle? Brother? Klaus’s head, little fingers tangled up as he sucked on his free thumb.

Now here they were maybe hours later, insatiable. The air was stifling and had a magnetic crackle that raised the hair on their bodies as they kept having sex. Honey pushed it out of her mind that metal objects were slowly shifting in one direction as she placed Leon's hand around her throat. Her body rocked up and down faster.

There was a blue tinge to the sky and lightning. Heat lightning Leon insisted. It set Klaus on edge with the kids playing around him. He and Sunny tested out telekinesis while Selina danced to David Bowie. Her dark eyes were covered by Klaus’s literal rose colored glasses. He kept zoning out. Like he was waiting, waiting for the consequences of all of his actions.

“Tio Topolino, watch me!” Selina spun with her arms up in the air. Uncle Mouse. Klaus had been too hard to say before she learned her parents’ native tongues.

“Something is coming, Gracie.”

“Why would you say that, Leonidas?”

They were whispering in Greek. The littles weren't quite ready for Greek yet, but Klaus was born fluent. So they spoke in hushed tones on the fire escape.

“Doesn't it feel that way? The last few Weeks. Klaus usually leaves after a day. He's been here for nearly two months. There's bound to be repercussions, right?”

“Not much happened that he's said, or we read, as the result of Vietnam or 1960-1963.”

Leon rolled his eyes at his wife and made a tsk sound, “Just a bloody apocalypse or two. That Dickensian fuck who raised him got a whole new legion off it. Klaus talked you into having our baby. Then into taking another baby he stole. Skip a stone on a pond, and it makes ripples, don’t it?”

Honey hated when her husband was right. And her vagina loved how smart he was. She had looked in the window in time to see Sunny stand and toddle towards Klaus. His eyes glossed over and lost their irises. It was as if he had gone blind.

The parents scrambled through the window towards their son, but Klaus had him by the tiny hands. Sunny's pudgy fingers curled around his.. The larger ones for stability.

“Sunny?!” Selina shook her baby brother lightly.

“Klaus what the fuck? HELP HI-!” Honey yelled but Leon clamped a hand over her mouth.

“He’ll be ok,” Klaus sort of cooed. His voice was low and gentle. “I remember these. It happened so much when I was a kid. It's the innocence I think. I lost this ability because of Reginald.”

“He's in a trance, love. Like in all those movies with seances where the medium goes wonky, and they've got a message from the other side.” .

Everyone held their breath. Then a delighted shout came from the boy. “BIRB!! BEN!!” Then his eyes came back into focus; he threw his arms around Klaus’s neck. As if that was what he planned the entire time.

“Ben?!” Two men with the same face asked simultaneously. “That's my brother.”

“That was your brother’s name?” Klaus spoke first. “Maybe that's where I got it. When Mom asked us to choose our names based on our birth countries, I thought Germany was mine. My brother was Korean, but he couldn't settle on a name. Ben came to my mind. It felt.. familiar.”

Leon walked over to his kids and his twin, or clone, or whatever Klaus was, and picked Sunny up. The toddler stuck his thumb in his mouth and flexed and unflexed his little chubby fingers in his daddy’s long curls.

The matching mess of hair covered Leon's neck and chin as Sunny laid his tiny head down on the elder’s shoulder. The little yawned as his hand now absently stroked Leon's goatee.

“He died in Cyprus. He fought for Britain against our own people. He defected and was killed,” Leon said so casually. “He was 20. I was 16. It was really bloody difficult being an immigrant. A refugee. We left Greece during the Independence War when I was a year old. There's so much death, mate. All around us. I'm just really so sorry you and Nicklaus have to see it up close. I hope here, with Honey and I, they're a bit friendlier.”

Klaus had offered to conjure Leon's brother. His Benjamin. Leon declined. One day, maybe, but 15 years still wasn't enough time. That The Séance had likewise lost his brother in battle at the same age was empathetic enough.

Everyone was a bit melancholy, the air more humid with a spark, Klaus offered to get the littles to bed. Asked if he could crash in their room tonight instead of on the couch. The couple didn't mind.

Really, if Klaus could somehow, they both preferred he just stay here permanently. Honey could keep an eye on him that way. She and Leon knew Klaus had to go back and forth, maintaining his own timeline.

Except the last time he came was two years after he smuggled Sunny to his parents. He promised five minutes. This time it had been over a year. The Kostases were worried the next time he showed up, it would be the 80s. Or they would be old, their kids in their forties.

It was a silent agreement between Leon and Honey that they liked Klaus being around. “But what’s the price WE end up paying?”

Now there they were in the throes of it all. Honey encouraged Leon to tighten his grip around her neck as she scratched at his forearm. Their bodies gyrating in ways they hadn't in years. Not since before Selina. As if they couldn't fuck each other harder or faster.

Honey started to see black spots on the corners of her eyes. She relished in the struggle to breathe. Looking down, the blue tinted midnight sky with its wild lightning reflected back at her through Leon's eyes. He looked deliberate, livid. She knew she looked barking mad to him.

Honey tore at her tits and hair as she felt an orgasm coil around her sex and stomach. She was lightheaded and unable to scream out like always. She began to laugh as best she could like a woman possessed. Rode Leon through his explosion inside of her. She mentally willed it to get her pregnant.

Such a strange thing to wish for while Leon was killing her. Except he wasn't really, was he? Honey could feel herself pass out when there was a massive explosion in the sky over Manhattan.

Leon immediately let go of his wife. A blazing white light that blinded both of them filled the bedroom, and a squawking noise sounded from down the hall. Then yelling from Klaus lost somewhere in the present and possibly Vietnam. There was giggling and the patter of feet with more incoherent shouting and swearing from the littles’ room.

The bird noise only grew over the shouting, so Honey covered her ears to drown it all out. Leon looked stunned. Like he had woken from a terrible dream. That little girl laughter. The patter of feet running down the hall. The yelling and squawking all stopped. Cut off, as if the couple had fallen deaf.

“Mummy!” Selina exclaimed delightedly. It would be strange to Honey that her daughter had developed an accent like Leon's. Except that's who she spent most of her days with. Eventually Selina grew out of it, and Little Italy would take over.

“Can we keep him?! Are you and Papa playing?”

Honey knew Selina’s little head would be tilted. Little forehead wrinkled as it gathered between her eyebrows, tiny pink mouth slightly agape. How Honey loved finding more of Leon in her daughter every day.

“Keep what, Poppet?” Leon asked while helping Honey slide off of his lap. They weren't being modest, she just clearly was coming down from an adrenaline rush.

“This!” Selina held something large and black aloft. That squawking sound again.

Her parents froze. Selina held a raven nearly the size of Sunny in front of herself. It blinked its bright ebony eyes a few times, but was rather calm for being squeezed by a 5 year old. It, he. They knew it was a he. There was even affection on his face.

“Blimey love, whatcha got there?” Leon dared to ask. He was more fascinated than scared. The corvid set Honey’s hair on end.

“It’s Ben, Daddy!” Selina made a tsk noise and rolled her eyes. Little female Leon. “Sunny told us he was coming! The sky was filled with blue people, and Topo was scared. And Sunny’s little hands were blue and Topo’s were too and then Sunny started to fly. He's on the inside roof! Is he Mary Poppins?!” Selina could barely breathe, she was so excited.

“Those blue people are sad and Topo saw one and started to cry. That blue people is Dave. Then the bird came,” she held him out again towards her parents, “and he started making noises at all the blue people and they went away except three and Topo won't stop crying and Sunny is giggling. I'm tired. Can I sleep with you?”

As calm as they could muster, Honey and Leon got out of bed and put on clothes. Leon scooped up Selina who held the raven like a baby. Her dad ignored it. They made their way to the second bedroom where a blue light emanated into the hallway.

Like Sugar said, Klaus was on his knees crying into his hands. Sunny bobbed along the ceiling. He pushed off of it and bounced back up. The little boy’s laughter was a creepy juxtaposition to his older self gently weeping on the floor.

Honey knew. Leon knew. The “blue people” were ghosts. All of that static, that violence and heat in the air the last few weeks were the dead. Crackling and surfacing, begging to break through now that TWO mediums were together. It was, they immediately understood, Klaus’s sheer willpower that had held them at bay. But he was vulnerable, lost vigilance. They all broke through at once.

“Fuck me,” Leon managed at one of two soldiers. He was taller than Leon, but no mistaking his best of curls and angular jaw. Honey knew in life he had dark eyes. “Βενιᾱμῑ́ν?” Benjamin?

Dave, the woman knew, had been Klaus’s lover in Vietnam. He died saving Klaus and their regiment on the front line.

Except Honey could tell that wasn't true. The Commission had him killed to fix the timeline. They were different, not governed by violence more like stern warnings. As if parents instead of a dictator ran them now. When would they come to scold her family?

Lost in her worry, Honey didn't see the third man. The melancholic one with a cigarette perched in his fingers. He wore a giant suit jacket and equally large pants. There was a transparent tumbler of whiskey in his other hand.

This one, this ghost opened his mouth. At the same time Klaus sat up, his head cocked. Then he spoke, and a voice Honey hadn't heard in ten years came out.

“Hiya, Gracie.”

Honey began to weep. “Uncle Lenny.” She hid herself away so he wouldn't see the tears.

“Aw c’mon dollface. It's ok. I'm ok. I'm not ruining my life anymore. I do miss the stage. And Kitty. Tell Kitty I love her, will ya? And Honey, my Honey. That Kindergarten hooker. Spiteful bitch. I miss them. Proud of you, Gracie. We gotta go, ok. The three of us got wrapped up in all that jazz. By the way, cute little fuckers ya got there.”

Lenny tipped his head at Honey and Leon. Then he was gone. They were all gone. Everyone left behind in their wake to cry harder. To mourn in disbelief. Then giggling brought them all to.

Sunny floated down enough for Klaus to catch him by the ankle. He held the little boy to his chest, and Sunny patted him on the cheek. His hands weren't glowing anymore as he shoved a thumb in his mouth. Then, delighted, he gave a shout in the direction of the raven:

“BIRB!!”

@neuroticpuppy @nightmonsters @magic-multicolored-miracle @forenschik @super-unpredictable98 @ghouls-buddy @vonkimmeren @messengeronthemoon @frogs--are--bitches @bisexualnathanyoung @elliethesuperfruitlover @070188 @firstpersonnarrator @rob-private @duck-noises @sylvertyger

#robert sheehan #klaus hargreeves #leon x honey #moonwalkers #the umbrella academy #robert sheehan smut #robert sheehan character fics #moonbrella academy #crossover #leon #honey comb

[aceattorneygroupchat]

In Which Emotionally-Repressed Siblings Awkwardly Bond

Private conversation started between M.Edgeworth and PerfectKarma:

M.Edgeworth: Are you returning to Germany for Christmas this year?

PerfectKarma: Why would I? I have no one to visit.

M.Edgeworth: I don't know; I just know you went last year...

PerfectKarma: I was already there last year. I don't see the point of catching a plane just to eat Christmas Eve supper in an empty estate. It’s a waste of money.

PerfectKarma: ...*You* are not planning on going, are you?

M.Edgeworth: No, I’d… rather not.

PerfectKarma: That's what I figured.

PerfectKarma: I assume you'll be keeping to yourself as always?

M.Edgeworth: Well...

M.Edgeworth: Actually, I’m not sure.

PerfectKarma: ...Miles Edgeworth. *You* are thinking of doing something on Christmas?

M.Edgeworth: Well, I never would have suggested it myself, but… I don’t know. I feel like perhaps I ought to try harder to keep myself occupied.

M.Edgeworth: Wright offered that I might join his celebration, and that’s actually why I asked you this just now. He asked me to tell you that invitation extended to you, as well.

PerfectKarma: ...*Phoenix Wright* said this.

M.Edgeworth: Yes, I’m not on close terms with any other Wrights.

PerfectKarma: Why?

PerfectKarma: Why on Earth would Phoenix Wright want to have me over for Christmas.

M.Edgeworth: You don’t *have* to come. I just figured I would tell you.

PerfectKarma: Inviting one’s enemy for a holiday… foolish. Suspicious, even.

M.Edgeworth: As I said, come or don’t, whatever you’d rather. But there’s no need to assume an ulterior motive from his trying to be kind.

PerfectKarma: ...You really are fond of that man, aren’t you.

M.Edgeworth: ...We have been friends for a long time, yes.

M.Edgeworth: Maya will be there as well.

PerfectKarma: And?

M.Edgeworth: And, the two of you seemed to get along rather well back at Halloween. I know you don’t hold any sort of attachment to Wright as I do, so I thought you might be more interested in seeing her.

PerfectKarma: Well, I am not. Tell Phoenix Wright I decline.

M.Edgeworth: All right, then.

PerfectKarma: ...It's good, though. That you are going. You should.

M.Edgeworth: ...Franziska?

PerfectKarma: Don't give me so little credit, saying 'Franziska?' like you're shocked.

PerfectKarma: I have seen you withdraw every year without fail. Did you think I didn't notice, or that I didn't care?

M.Edgeworth: Well... it's the smallest of steps. It's not like you to celebrate anything before it's perfect.

PerfectKarma: Perfection takes *work.* You know that and you know I know that.

PerfectKarma: You are trying and I am trying to see that.

PerfectKarma: That's all I have to say.

M.Edgeworth: ...Thank you.

PerfectKarma: ...Enjoy yourself, if you can. I have case files to read. Corruption and crime do not take vacations.

M.Edgeworth: I'm well aware.

PerfectKarma: ...But I have it covered for now.

M.Edgeworth: ...Have a merry Christmas, Franziska.

PerfectKarma: You as well, Miles Edgeworth.

#ace attorney group chat #ace attorney #ft: m.edgeworth #ft: perfectkarma #now THIS is franziska writing i'm happy with #(when she asks she's hoping he's going; she would go if he was ;w;) #i love these siblings... #look at them they're both trying so hard #'we've been friends a long time' miles you know that's not what she meant #you know that's not all you mean either

[tortuga-aak]

Living in Japan for a year, I saw reasons for its 'demographic time bomb' everywhere — and now I'm seeing the same troubling signs at home

Buddhika Weerasinghe/Getty Images

Economists agree Japan is a "demographic time bomb." The population is getting older, but fewer children are being born.

Living in Japan for a year, the author saw why: The culture seems to emphasize hard work, and de-emphasize sex and relationships.

Now, back home in Germany years later, she's starting to see patterns among Europeans that she saw in Japan, like people working to the detriment of their relationships and being absorbed in their phones.

"Kabukicho," he said. "The hotel my company booked is in Kabukicho."

That seemed a little strange to me. You might call Kabukicho the red-light district in Tokyo. Hostess bars, nightclubs, street prostitutes — not an environment where I would have expected a classic hotel chain.

When we turned the corner and I saw our hotel, it was clear to me. It had no windows, and the prices were calculated in hours. My friend's company had accidentally booked a Love Hotel for us. Now, a Love Hotel isn't as disreputable as you might think it is — okay, except for the whirlpool with pink lighting and the plush slippers. It is an important part of everyday Japanese culture. Young lovers who still live with their parents, married couples whose homes lack privacy, or even people having affairs meet in these hourly hotels to let go of their inhibitions.

From 2010 to 2011 I studied at a university in Japan and got to know the strange relationship Japanese culture has to love and sexuality. I'd almost call it schizophrenic. On the one hand, Japanese people would never, not even among friends, use words like "penis" or "vagina" (when an exchange student once did it, the Japanese were embarrassed). On the other hand, more than once I found myself sitting on the subway next to a businessman who, quite unashamedly, leafed through hard-core manga porn.

Koichi Kamoshida/Getty Images

Japan's sex problem


But what frightens me the most is that many of the things I found strange back then, seven years ago, I see today in Europe.

Japan has a sex problem. Economists speak of a "demographic time bomb." The population is getting older and older, but fewer and fewer children are being born.

This is also a problem in other industrialized countries, but nowhere more devastating than in Japan. The nation suffers from the fact that declining consumption weakens the economy. This causes families to have fewer children, which in turn weakens the economy even further. On average, women in Japan have 1.41 children.

Japan has become a sexless and celibate society. In a survey conducted by the Meiji Yasuda Institute of Life and Wellness, 39% of Japanese women and 62% of Japanese between 25 and 35 years of age stated that they have never had a really serious relationship.

Lots of work, little pleasure


Why do so many young people remain alone? Two worlds are currently colliding in Japan: those of the time of the economic miracle and those of modern culture.

During the early 1950s, Japan prioritized economic growth. The government required large companies to offer open-ended jobs and, in return, those companies demanded lifelong loyalty from employees. The model emerged at that time and led to the economic miracle in the 1960s.

At the same time, however, this had the unpleasant side effect that people were working more and more. It is not for nothing that a special word has been created in Japan for those who die as a result of revision: karoshi. I remember the rush hour I had to go through seven years ago, where employees stood in their white shirts and black suit pants and skirts with their iPhones, or these white folding white phones, squeezed in the subway.

As a student, I walked past office complexes where all the lights were on at 9 p. m., people sitting in these countless rows of tables staring at their screens. At that time I was already wondering what kind of life it must be that consists only of getting up, working, and sleeping. I'm not surprised these people have no strength for dates.

Junko Kimura/Getty Images

Women choose career instead of marriage


But there is another problem: For a long time, it was customary for women to marry quickly after university, and take care of the household and children while their husbands earned money. This unspoken rule is still cemented in the minds of many people. A good friend of mine was asked several times in a derogatory way if she was a lesbian because she is not yet engaged or married at the age of 24. You would think that such a technically advanced country is also socially progressive, but it is not.

However, young people have nevertheless changed. Women feel pressured to give up their careers as soon as they are married, but they don’t want to. The logical consequence? You just stay single.

This development leads to strange trends such as weddings where there is only one bride and no groom — because women marry themselves. They don't want to miss the big day with wedding dress and cake, but don't want to tie themselves to a man.

About a year ago, a headline made the round, saying more and more Japanese people marry their good friends and acquaintances. To be honest: I also have some Japanese girlfriends who simply married their buddies, college mates, and acquaintances. "It's not passionate love, but there is security," said one of them. They live together in an apartment and each of them pursues their own work. Social pressure has lessened.

Chris McGrath/Getty Images

A strange relationship with sexuality

In addition, there is the strange Japanese relationship to sexuality. You would think that people are looking for one-night stands if they don't want to have a relationship, but many people are too uptight for that. When in doubt, they prefer to concentrate on fictional sex objects in manga porn or video games instead of chatting at a bar.

The Love Hotel is not the result of a sexual revolution — it's the symptom of a major social problem. Those who don't even want to be heard peeing in the toilet (yes, that's why there are automatic rinsing noises at the push of a button) certainly don't want the others to know that they have a sex life.

Since rent prices in Tokyo are among the highest in the world and even four-person families often only live in a 50-square-meter apartment, you have to make a financial and logistical effort to go to a Love Hotel and have sex. According to a survey conducted in 2016, about 4.5 million people aged between 35 and 54 still live with their parents. So the question is obvious: Where should people come together except in hourly hotels?

These people, who are still unmarried at the age of 30 and live with their parents, are called "parasitic singles," so you can imagine how much these people are worth in Japanese society.

Chris McGrath/Getty Images

Is the problem also affecting Germany?


So far, there is no empirical evidence that Sekkusu shinai shokogun, as the phenomenon of the sexless society is called, actually exists. However, if we are honest, certain features are now also visible in Germany.

We work as much as we did 25 years ago, according to data from the Federal Statistical Office. Obviously, one third of German companies are working above the limit," said IW CEO Michael Hüther recently to the "Welt." The fact that Germans are spending more time at work is associated with the economic upswing.

I see these zombies, who are stuck together with their smartphones in the subway and don't see their surroundings anymore, more and more often in Germany. Then let's consider another study from the "Archives of Sexual Behaviour" from 2016, according to which young people in the USA, a western country, have less sex nowadays than the generation X and baby boomers. This phenomenon is no longer as Japanese as one might think.

Technical progress is also part of our culture. High-tech snoops, virtual figures, humanized robots — what we might have always found odd about Japanese or Chinese culture up to now will soon be able to assert itself in our country as well. If no one needs a partner anymore (not to mention having the time for one), then Germany can also become a "demographic time bomb."

I spent a year experiencing what an outdated, overworked, and inhibited society looks like. Don't get me wrong: The year in Japan was one of my best. But I don't wish it for my everyday life.

NOW WATCH: These Japanese hotels are run almost entirely by robots — and they want to expand to 100 more locations

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