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foreignerabroad1994 · 1 year

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Wrinkles: Short Story Writing Prompt

My response to u/ur_local_lunatic prompt on the r/WritingPrompt subreddit to the following prompt:

"Wrinkling fingers are just the start of the transformation, we just get out of the water too early"

"Mom?" Mason calls. He's been in the tub for a while now. Usually, when the water is this cold, mom comes in to pry him out of the water, abandoning his rubber duckies and squishy floating boats till the next bath. He gives a weak, confused splash with a tiny hand. No answer.

He decides this must be a great opportunity for more play. He observes his own pruning fingertips with mischief, a gappy smile stretching his tiny, unblemished face. He happily continues to emulate the sounds of a great war between the giant fleet of colorful ducks and the fleet of blue and white boats. He squeezes each in turn, making explosion noises as they hit each other with squirts of water between his hands.

The water is colder now, colder than he's ever felt. He pouts, feeling cranky and hungry, and angrily puts down the duck he was holding, splashing himself in the face as he does. "Mom! I'm hungry! I want out!"

He waits. As he looks down, his fingers are full of lines and wrinkles, like his granny Tabby's face. He loves granny Tabby and her great cookies even though she smells like weird soap and dead mice. But he doesn't want his hands to look so wrinkly. It makes him sad, because he's not ready to be wrinkly and old.

Finally, Mason decides it's time to look for mom himself. He's not used to leaving the tub alone, so he hangs his tongue in his mouth, concentrating on the task as he grips the edge of the tub, standing up on wobbly, short legs. He's a big boy, but even big boys need help getting out of the tub, and he feels like a great hero preparing to exit it alone for the first time.

As he makes the first push up, his leg slips. He finds himself falling back with a scream of terror, his heart stopping on a silent call for mom. She's not there.

Mason can't move. He's laying in the tub, just his head barely out of the water that's slowly turning red. He sobs, he cried, hiccupping with snot dripping down into his mouth, but mom isn't there, and he still can't move.

His tears run out, and Mason is hungry, and thirsty, but he knows soap water tastes bad and makes his tongue feel weird. He's never tried red soap water, but he thinks it's probably bad too. His skin feels tight and dry even though it's wet, and he wants the cream mom puts on his skin to sooth it, even though he usually hates how it's sticky and smells like his old diaper powder.

Time passes. Mason can't cry anymore because everything inside him is too dry and empty. The water starts turning pink and orange, too, and he can't remember how to shout either, or how to call his mom. He doesn't remember what the yellow shapes floating and bumping into him are. He can barely feel them. He sees something pink and pale on either side of him - are those arms? That can't be right. They're all wrinkles, and they don't end.

More time passes. He thinks he might have peed in the water, but he's not sure. He feels heavy, like a rock. He wants someone bigger than him, but he doesn't know who they are supposed to be, and how they're supposed to feel.

Time. Colors in the water. He doesn't remember how many legs or arms he's supposed to have, but he sees only one of them when his eyes look down. He can't hear, and two round pink thinks float around his face in the water, soft and small and wrinkled. He thinks they're cute, like a little shrimp. What were shrimp again?

Time? Water? Mason? Colors?

Wrinkles everywhere. Floating.

#creative writing #short stories #fiction writing #writingprompts #short story #short fiction #writing community #fiction #writing practice #writing prompt #horror stories #body horror #horror #horror story #shortstories #shortstory

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elindae-writes · 3 years

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Let's keep the Jack Darby hate train going. Ok honestly this is my dumb onion on humans in tfp/tf media in general: I know they're supposed to be there to be the anchor for the viewer but it's like... Most of the time humans being around feels like they either gotta be written like the Lois Lane to Superman always being that one thing that keeps the Autobots nerfed because "oh no muh human is in trouble!" or they get something special about them *cough* Jack *cough* to keep them relevant to the alien robots but end up feeling like those bad fanfics with a human OC who's the ✨certified badass✨. Raf is on thin ice with his hackermans schtick and Miko is amazing. Thanks for coming to my Ted Talk.

The train has derailed yet is still miraculously chugging on.

I never liked how the humans are supposed to be audience surrogates. You see, I hate this because this implies that the show was designed to make you "live" through the Autobot drama by putting you in the place of McJack McDarby. The show tried to make me emulate Jack but all it did was make me just want to emulate Megatron. Like I resent this so much? only clowns want to live through the experiences of other clowns and u are not a clown Anon and I am ESPECIALLY Not A Clown

Yes, this rant is long so buckle up

What kind of writing decision even was this??

"Sir, we have this show, we could make the cool and interesting robot warrior leader of this struggling faction the main character--or the fast food boy"

"make the burger-flipper the ✨star✨"

If they cut Jack out then Optimus could've gotten that screentime instead and could have actually been the real main character. He would've gotten so much more character development!

Which would've made SENSE considering that it's Transformers: Prime not Transformers: Bland Bitch

I hate how they made Jack so ✨SpEciAl✨

"oh jack, only you and your mediocrity can save the world"

like what, excuse me, but i could shuffle into society and instantly find a more competent, interesting, and qualified person to replace Jack. i could just find some guy shopping for Lucky Charms in the cereal aisle and be like "u are the chosen one" and he would STILL DO A BETTER JOB

Jack shops exclusively out of other people's carts, smh what a loser. I bet Jack binge-watches Scooby-Doo.

When I was writing chapter 26 I was trying so so so hard to prevent my hatred for Jack from infusing the story. This was especially hard during the scene where Starscream had to comfort Jack.

Like if I had 0.01% less self-control we would've gotten this literary masterpiece instead:

Starscream looked down at the humans in his palm. Surviving in the Sahara was hard enough while alone. But with three delicate fleshies in tow?

Jack blinked sluggishly and shook like a mildly frightened chihuahua. "I hate sand. It's rough and coarse and irritating and it gets everywhere."

Perhaps Starscream could lessen this load.

He dumped Jack's lame bitch-ass on the dune and then punted him into the sky. Starscream then strutted off with Miko and Raf still in his servos. There, better.

I like June and Fowler. I love how every time Fowler appears in the show and in Unburied he just starts off by shouting "P R I M E"

Raf is indeed on thin ice. I've seen some people say that "ohhhh well, Raf is more used to human computer systems, that's why he's better at hacking through them than Soundwave is"

But I don't think so, I think Soundwave could completely figure out our computer systems in like five seconds.

My headcanon is that the deaths of his casseticons have forced Soundwave off his A-game and that he still hasn't fully recovered from the grief. That's why Raf poses a threat to him--Soundwave isn't at his peak potential. If Soundwave was in full on Hackerman Mode then he would absolutely wipe the floor with that 12 year-old. It's the only explanation I can think of as to why Raf is an actual threat to the 'Cons.

If you wanna get really angsty with it maybe Raf reminds him of his casseticons and he feels like he's fighting against them when he fights against Raf.

I find it funny how the kids aren't relevant at all during the finale, probably the only thing about Predacons: Rising that I liked.

Thank you for inviting me to your Ted Talk.

#when will ted finally make his grand debut at a talk one day? only Ted knows and he will not say #anon #ask #rant #Jack Darby #McJack McBlandBitch #Unburied #i was so close to making Starscream become my angry Jack-hating self-insert #transformers #transformers: prime

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faunusrights · 4 years

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OFFAL HUNT REMASTERED LIVEBLOG // CHAPTER 19

IN THIS EPISODE OF MURPHY IS SCREAMING, CONSTANTLY, TRAPPED IN THEIR PERFECT NIGHTMARE:

Glynda was saying: “I know we aren’t friends. I know we aren’t partners. I know you’re a criminal. But—I think I can trust you. I think I have to trust you, even if you’ve done awful things before.”

EVERYTHING GOES WRONG BUT LIKE SOMEHOW WORSE THAN EVER? LIKE A WHOLE NEW BRAND OF LOW. LIKE CINDER’S GOT A PICKAXE AND THE CENTRE OF THE PLANET CALLS FOR AID.

IT’S BEEN A WHILE HUH!!!!!!!!!!!!!! but dw offal hunt, like the rising of the sun, the arrival of winter, and the eventual downfall of capitalism, always returns. so lets go.

(i just quickly reread chapter 18 liveblog to remember what happened and Ah Yes I Remember Now. The Suppressed Memories)

The place was emptier without Glynda. Quieter.

/gunshot oh we’re in danger right out of the gate huh? we got some yearning right out here? right now? how quickly the turn do tables.

Cinder appraised her work, holding the beige coat up to the light and squinting.

man i forgot. i FORGET. how much i just love cinder in this fic. sometimes she kinda zones to the back of my mind where she sits waiting for me to start thinking about her again, but now i remember that this cinder is Peaque. look at her GO, minding her own BUSINESS. im proud of her. does she know i love her.

It didn’t take long to don her new, fire-proofed clothes.

in another world, in a more comical plot, she used asbestos. it didnt go well.

The subtle warmth of the Dust teased tension from Cinder’s stiff muscles, even as she marvelled at the strangeness of her own bedroom’s space. It seemed bigger now than it had the last two nights.

She chose not to dwell on it.

i choose to dwell on it! ME!!!! I CHOOSE TO DWELL ON IT. HEY CINDER WHAT THIS GAY SHIT. hello. ma’am. can we look deeper into this. i, for one, would like to, and i, for one, think its of value to think abt this. that said, small segue

Quietly, Cinder murmured, “I didn’t freak out.”

THE FACT SHE SAYS IT ALOUD LIKE EM AND MERC CAN HEEEEEEAR HEEEEEEEER i am. INFATUATED with this family. cant wait for the 100k spinoff thats basically an elongated beach episode where they go to like. alton towers. or butlins. six flags??? thats a thing in america right??? anyway. beach episode. call me. (wink wink nudge nudge push push shove shove)

We had to stop back in because Merc left his favorite binder, and it was 2 in the morning, so it was easier to crash here for the night than mess with the ship’s autopilot.

them,,, THEM!!!! mercury is just a son and childe. thast it. he canot change this. i love these kids so much i am SHAKING THE MONITOR RN!!!!!!! AAAAAAAAA

Stuck here in one of the homes they’d shared, Cinder missed them terribly. Missed the sound of their voices and the easy comfort of their presence. Finding the time to contact them had been difficult, between managing Glynda and Hati both, but Glynda was gone, and she’d sent Hati onwards to Atlas. She remembered her call with Emerald, before arriving in Umbraroot; she knew it had not soothed her or her fears.

im sorry was this chapter targeted at me, specifically, as a human being on planet earth? GOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I LOVE THIS FAMILY!!!!!!!!! THIS WONKY OLD BANDAGED UP FAMILY UNIT!!!!!!!!!!!!! i thrive every time they are mentioned on the page. it is a blessing. my succulents grow stronger each time they show up.

“No,” Cinder argued softly, “I had to. Mercury, you deserve to hear it from me as well. I am sorry. And I am promising you: I’ll come back.”

For a long, heart-wrenching moment, he was completely quiet. It was good that Cinder was alone in the apartment; laying herself bare like this would be unbearable with an audience.

GODDDDDDDDDDD AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

i am OBSESSED WITH THIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! IM GOING TO BE THINKING ABOUT THIS UNTIL I D I E. of all thing the remaster does better than og, this is just. SPEEDING AHEAD. this whole CONFLICT this whole MESS just makes everything so much RICHER its like when u splash some wine in yr fancy food or stick some cinnamon on yr favourite desserts u dont NEED TO but it adds that lil SOMETHING,,, that little KICK that just ties the flavour profile together and in this case ofgughugguhu it just GIVES SO MUCH. im making SNOW ANGELS in the WORDS on the PAGE.

“Mercury. If I could prove it to you, I would. But you have to—trust me. For just a while longer.”

“It’s getting harder,” he said. He didn’t sound like he was lying just to hurt her. That wasn’t spite. That was honest anger. And it made her feel like dirt.

im less picking these for specific instances of like, things i want to say, but more just because bits of this r rly just so /chef kiss. cinder has these.... endearingly (take that whichever way u like) human qualities in OG to rly make u realise she had ties to add to her #Doubt but the remaster is just AMPING it up and u FEEL IT and ive never been more SYMPATHETIC to a round-faced sinnamon bun of assholery and fire id DIE for cinder fall and this is a fact PUT IT ON MY GRAVESTONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

“Is there anything you need?” What was this? Cinder could barely focus on her words. It felt like... “Anything? At all?”

“We’re fine.”

“Mercury, wait please—” She was losing him. “I think—”

“Just hurry up.”

The line went dead.

this place is not a place of honor.................. no highly esteemed deed is commemorated here........................ nothing valued is here................ IM DYING

Cinder began to type out her response, and that was when the nausea really kicked in.

[...]

She recognized this now.

Glynda.

stress stress stress stress STRESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

There shouldn’t be anybody. Cinder had done everything in her power to cut Glynda from people who would interfere. To isolate her. Make it easier to bring her to Atlas, to the frozen north, to her mother and the machine…

Cinder’s esophagus quivered; furiously, she shut her eyes and thought of nothing.

god cinder don’t remind me that you’re an asshole and dipshit and also a moron im trying to be NICE and CARE ABT YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! STOP REMINDING ME YOU’RE A PIECE OF SHIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

FOR FIVE MINUTES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The front door clicked open.

Cinder couldn’t have said how much time had passed, only that it had passed slowly. What she did know was that it was Glynda returning, the sensation of boils bursting wafting off her soul. It crawled over Cinder’s flesh. She curled in on herself.

There were mites under every nailbed. Salt in her weeping mouth.

offal hunt’s brilliant use of this horror aspect is something i have tried previously to emulate and here’s a fact, take it from me: that shit is HARD. offal hunt consistently able to whack those real nasty, really Disgusting vibes on the head EVERY TIME is a work of art. i mean, kc and diesel do not fuck around, and therefore i am NOT surprised, but it’s only when u try this shit yourself that you realise: this is hard! this is difficult! it’s a huge testament to how GOOD this fic is in every way. also this whole fucking body horror aspect is something i didnt know this fic needed, but it did, and here we are.

Thickly: “Things were going okay. If you hadn’t gotten nasty, I might have smoothed things over. I could have fixed things with my son.”

with my son

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA I CANT TAKE IT EVERY TIME ITS TOO MUCH FOR TO BEAR I CANNOT HANDLE IT I CANNOT STAND IT ITS LIKE BEING SHOT JUST DIRECTLY IN MY DICK

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

im like sweating rn

Glynda said, “I’m scared.”

“Why?”

“I don’t want to tell you.”

I SAID IM SWEATING

Glynda asked, “Are you lying to me?”

And Cinder said, “What?”

“About me. About Witches. About Ozpin—” Cinder’s guts went sour. “—About anything. I need to know if I can trust you.”

I SAID I! AM! S W E A T I N G

“I know you’ve lied to people. Hurt people.”

Adrenaline and the image of her kids’ faces behind her eyes made a potent, sick cocktail. “—Not. Now.”

so lets like double back to when i said hey was this chapter written to target me specifically and as it turns out, yes. yes it was. yes it was and as MUCH AS I AM LIVING FOR THIS MOMENT THIS SWEET BUILDUP THE EXPLOSION AND THE CRATER IT ALL LEAVES BEHIND

so this next bit is like. i cant really quote one section but as i was saying in Vague DMs, this whole bit feels like wading through mud. usually if you say something consumes energy to Read it’s in a Bad Way when yr bored but this is more like. you Feel cinder all over everything feels so sluggish and it’s like dragging your own corpse around as you try and leave and you’re TIRED and your LEGS HURT and you’re kinda thinking god what if i just fell face down for just a moment of my LIFE.

The putrid weight of Glynda’s soul filled the room until there was no space left for her.

it’s like being trapped in a sauna, like getting stuck in a humid waiting room. where do you GO. what do you DO. god this whole section is fantastic and offal hunt NEVER fails to fucking nail the Vibes but reading it is HARD. i literally keep having to stop and breathe like ive been holding my breath. jesus h christ.

a small intermission for a mood:

“Get fucked.”

back to regularly scheduled hell

Out of the bedroom. Down the hall. The walls were sweating with heat. She tasted smoke.

i love that i just said how i feel like im trapped in a sauna and it turns out: thats because me and cinder both, baybee!!!! hahahaha help

Glynda’s soul chewed her to the marrow. “Move, Glynda.”

cinder being hunted at the start of this fic: teehee! im running away! now im gonna getcha! heehee! arent i clever :) cinder being hunted now: this uh. this blows, actually,

Cinder’s pulse roared in her ears. Her hands twitched. She smelled Ochre Brown’s round face melting off. His wide smile shattered with each of his teeth, going black and popping like corn.

this chapter is probably my favourite so far for this blending of so many elements. i cant even begin to like. THINK STRAIGHT about how all of this is tying together. the lore. the THEMATICS. like i said this character rly is just Rich with what og lacked and oh is it RICH. im gonna read this chapter in future and see so much that i know ive already missed. holy shit.

“Ms. Fall,” she said. “The White Fang requires your presence immediately.”

NOT NOW

Cinder stood there looking at it for a moment. Her thoughts were slow. Copper-tinged. Something small and indulgent whispered to her through the blood-fog.

It was obvious enough what would happen if she got into this car. The driver would take her to a secluded place, where she would be ambushed by a squadron of battle-hungry White Fang grunts.

They’d try to take her down. And she was a killer, wasn’t she? Ochre Brown wailed in her ears with every thump of her runaway heart. Her hands itched for action; her teeth, for blood.

She’d burn them black.

never mind! you are already dead,

She thought about Glynda. About her saying that if there was trouble with the Fang, she wanted to come. That she would fight for Cinder.

She thought of Glynda’s question: What aren’t you telling me about Ochre Brown?

Yeah, fuck that.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA OH MY GOD!!!!!!!!!! WHAT A CLIFFHANGER!!!!!!!!!! WHAT A MOMENT!!!!!!!!!!!!! MORE MOMENTOUSLY: WHAT A CHAPTER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

this is EASILY my favourite chapter so far. EASILY. everything about this was peak offal. the relationships. the dynamics. the dialogue. the vibes. the Grossness. the fighting. the EVERYTHING. this is some other level and its BITCHIN. PEAK. that said im now very tired. im going to have a cup of tea and Consider Things for a few hours. brb.

#liveblog #rwby #offal hunt

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tcilandtrcuble · 5 years

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maria gabriella de faria. cisfemale. she/her. — looks like blanche grimhilde is attending auroria university in auradon. they’re the twenty-two year old child of the evil queen, which means they’re from the isle of the lost. heard they’re vivacious & polite, but can also be two-faced & power-hungry ; we all have our bad days. people normally associate them with red lipstick, cauldrons bubbling, the lingering smell of perfume after she leaves, and nails tapping against the table.

D O U B L E D O U B L E … ( s t a t s )

full name: blanche grimhilde

nickname(s): babs (if youʻre CLOSE close)

age: twenty-two

date of birth: october 25th, 1998

gender: cisfemale

pronouns: she/her

hometown: isle of the lost

parent(s): the evil queen

orientation: currently heterosexual but who knows what might happen

occupation: student

T O I L A N D T R O U B L E … ( p h y s i c a l )

face claim: maria gabriella de faria

hair colour: black

eye colour: black

height: 5ʻ5”

tattoos: none

piercings: standard lobe piercings

distinguishing characteristics: she has no outside flaws. works very hard to maintain her looks so she never has acne, has never gotten a visible scar, and her hair and make up is always flawless.

pinterest board: HERE

F I R E B U R N … ( a b o u t )

witchy woman !! walking down the street !!

okay but highkey sheʻs probably not,,,,,,particularly powerful in any sense.

what blanche wants more than anything is to make her mother proud of her. she thinks that the way for that to happen is that she should try and emulate her mother in any way possible.

so sheʻs in auradon fully planning on trying to gain access to the latent magical abilities that her mother passed down to her AND bag herself an heir to some throne or another !

she wants to become a sorceress like her mother, and so she spends a lot of time looking for books on the occult and trying to brew potions on the same scale as grimhildeʻs poison apple or ageing spell. unfortunately for her, sheʻs not yet up to par.

sheʻs that girl with the big ass collection of crystals in her room and a deck of tarot cards in her bags, even if divination isnʻt something that her mother ever did. sheʻs just trying her best to get her hands on some magical prowess regardless of what kind of form it takes.

on the ʻbagging an heirʻ front, she just really wants to marry a prince. they donʻt even have to be in line for some kind of leadership role, she just wants a title and pretty tiara and to be showered in riches is that too much ask ??

personality-wise, sheʻs kind of two-faced fuCKER.

this is my child and i shouldnʻt talk shit about her but i WILL.

okay, so personality-wise, she is best described as regina george-esque.

you know that one scene ?? the ʻ vintage ! i love it. ʻ *turns around* ʻ that is the ugly sweater i have ever seen in my life. ʻ

yeah okay well thatʻs blaNCHE

very much a shit starter, but to your face she will be very polite and prim and proper and everything that could normally be expected of someone of noble birth. at face value, she is princess material !

sheʻs gonna try and make friends and be all sweet with any and all royalty, and then immediately go back to being some kind of reclusive hag when sheʻs in private.

but sheʻs also the type to blush and flirt demurely with any rich man she meets even if sheʻs silently thinking about cursing the shit out of them in her head. sheʻs gonna fake it till she makes it all the way to a throne !!

sheʻs gonna pull that shit where she like,,,,,,pretends to be dumber than she is to play up the sympathy and people like her ??? but in reality, when sheʻs at home, itʻs glasses on, poring over tome after tome and trying to absorb as much knowledge as she possibly can. probably gets stellar grades when left alone but would fail a test on purpose if anyone was watching.

A N D C A U L D R O N B U B B L E … ( w a n t e d c o n n e c t i o n s )

pleathe give me some WILD connections

anybody want a bully?? blanche could probably find some reason to talk shit and start a rumor about your room behind their back but be perfectly sweet to their face.

i would also love for her to have a friend from the isle that sheʻs like,,,,,,,ride or die i donʻt like people but iʻd KILL for you

also uhhhh iʻm a heaux for exes plots so like ??? i would love to have a really messy relationship where maybe thereʻs still feelings or maybe they ended really badly for different reasons. maybe grimhilde didnʻt approve??? maybe blanche decided to end things so she could be open to opportunities in auradon?? just reaaaaal messy, ya feel ?

royals for her to *cough cough* kiss ass to *cough cough* befriend

mayhaps ! someone who is more well-versed in magic and would be able to kind of take her under their wing ?? and she accepts cause she wants to learn but sheʻs all huffy because someone is better at her at something she considers her birth right

again, i have no idea ajsdfalskdfj pls throw something at me !

#this??? also a mess asdfjasldfkj #but pls take her as well #「 * &. ♕ ━ sweet like cherry wine. ⁞ HISTORY. 」

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lordofthebigtimesupernatural · 6 years

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Prompt: Keith (either a senior at high school or a freshman at college) saves a younger kid from bullies. The kid begins to think of Keith as a role model & try to emulate him, from his look to his mannerisms. Keith eventually catches on & reassures the kid that they're wonderful just the way they are. Shiro is a proud dad 💖💖💖

Alright, maybe I’m on a roll! Two prompts in one day. This prompt was so freaking adorable! I just had to do this. Can you just imagine Keith being a mentor of sorts? This is so cute! So thank you nonny for the amazing prompt! This was wonderful and I hope you enjoy!

x.V.x

High school was not the greatest time of Keith’s life. At all. In fact, high school was probably near the bottom of that list. However, Keith was thankful that he had less than three months left of high school before graduation. Then by this time next year, he’ll be enlisted as a pilot for the military and (hopefully) flying. Soon enough he would be out of this hellhole.

Away from bullies.

Away from arrogant assholes.

Just away.

With Keith and Lance being the only ones left to graduate high school this year, Keith found himself having a lot more free time, especially since Hunk and Pidge had already started their first year of college. This meant that Keith could see his dad a lot more before he was shipped to boot camp, however, even his dad couldn’t always be around. Lance had practices on some days which left Keith alone for many days of the week.

Which was why he decided to volunteer for tutoring at the nearby elementary. He wasn’t as great in Math or science as Pidge and Hunk, however, despite his reputation at school, Keith was smart. Very smart.

Though he usually kept that to himself and instead focused his skills on helping the younger kids out in Math.

Recently Keith had been tutoring a young kid named Josh. Josh was a kid that Keith had spent a particularly long amount of time with due to Josh being dyslexic and nonverbal. The kid was brilliant once he was taught the material in a way that he could understand, but not many tutors or teachers could be as patient with him as Keith was. Maybe Keith was a bit biased, but he had a soft spot for the eleven-year-old, since he too could understand what it was like to have people in authoritative positions not understand him.

So he did his best to help Josh and teach him different ways to solve equations based on his needs, and it worked. With Keith’s help, Josh slowly began improving and he could begin to solve equations without any help from Keith at all. His math teacher had been in awe, along with the principle while Josh’s mothers had thanked him profusely for his help. Keith blushed and decided then to continue helping Josh for the rest of the year.

The best days were when Keith brought Red with him to tutoring sessions. Many of the kids were excited when they saw the happy dog and became more motivated to work if pets were a reward. Josh had been exceptionally happy the first time that Keith had brought Red along, flailing his arms and rocking in his chairs. The grin on his face left Keith feeling giddy for days.

On a random Tuesday afternoon, Keith was making his way with Red towards the classroom that he always met Josh in. Just before the two of them entered the room, Keith could hear voices talking - voices that weren’t Josh.

“Are you even doing the homework?” A nasally young girl practically sneered and Keith felt his blood boil.

“I bet you’re making the nice man with his doggy do it for you.” Another voice laughed. This one sounded like a boy.

“Yeah, because you’re too stupid!” A third voice chimed in and Keith’s jaw clenched tightly. Three against one?

Keith didn’t hear Josh say anything back, not that he expected him to. Which the kids probably knew already. He did hear the sounds of papers being ripped and a scuffle across the room.

“You shouldn’t waste the nice man’s time. You only want to pet the dog.” The girl laughed loudly, causing Keith to peek into the room. The sight before him made his blood boil to its limit.

Josh was sitting at his usual desk, but he was surrounded by three kids. All of his papers and pencils were scattered along the floor and two of the three kids had ripped sheets of paper in their hands. Sheets of paper that had Josh’s math homework on them.

“You’re too stupid so why are you even bothering?” One of the boys sneered before yanking the snapback hat off of Josh’s head. Josh made a distressed noise and he tried to grab the hat back only for the boy to laugh mockingly and put the hat on his own head.

Now Keith was going to intervene.

“What,” He said calmly, despite his anger, as he stepped into the room with Red. “Is going on here?” Even Red was tense at his side, no longer looking like the goofy dog that always came to visit.

The three bullies looked at Keith with looked frightful and nervous at Keith, finally realizing that Keith might have been there the whole time. Josh simply stared at Keith, wide-eyed and jaw slack.

“U-Um, we were, um…” The girl stammered nervously.

“Uh, we were just…we just…” The boy wearing Josh’s hat said.

“It looks like you guys weren’t being very respectful of Josh’s things,” Keith said slowly and crossed his arms over his chest. He pointedly looked to the ripped papers and then Josh’s hat. They are just children. You can’t flip out on children. “And it looks like you were bullying Josh.”

The three kids gasped and Josh’s eyes widened even further. Keith’s heart ached for the boy.

“No, we weren’t!” One of the boys suddenly cried.

“That’s not what Josh would think. Would you Josh?” Keith replied softly.

“He can’t answer you! He doesn’t know how to!” The girl huffed impatiently and Keith took a deep breath. Patience yields focus.

“Josh?” Keith ignored the girl and looked directly at his young charge. Josh was nervously tapping his fingers along his pants and staring at Keith occasionally. However, after a minute of silence, Josh nodded.

“See?” Keith smiled at Josh before looking at the three kids. Younger Keith might have thrown these kids to the floor. “Just because Josh doesn’t talk like you and me, doesn’t mean that he’s stupid or that he can’t. Everyone is different. Like, not everyone can roll their tongue together. Or like how not everyone has the same color of skin. Josh learns things differently than us, as do I. But he is incredibly smart.”

The three kids nervously glanced between Keith and Josh, but it looked like they were listening to Keith and Keith was thankful for that. He was hoping that he could get through to these kids while they were still young.

“Josh has been doing his homework all by himself for a long time now and it’s always correct,” Keith said proudly, causing Josh to make a noise of content. “He just needed to learn a different way to do math, and there’s nothing wrong with that. It’s okay to solve problems differently from what you’re taught as long as you still get the correct answer.”

“R-Really?” The girl timidly asked.

Keith smiled softly. “Yes. The same goes for anyone. There’s no bad way to solve a problem as long as you’re doing it correctly.”

“Whoa,” The boy still wearing Josh’s hat whispered.

“However, taunting Josh and ripping up his homework is inexcusable behavior.” Keith continued with a firm but soft voice. The three kids immediately slumped and Keith was happy to see that they actually looked guilty of their actions.

“Acting like that makes you bullies and bullies are terrible and mean people,” Keith reprimanded, causing the three kids to flinch. “You’re old enough that you should know better because bullying can really hurt people, especially people like me and Josh who can’t always say something back. Your actions have consequences and they can be very negative, especially when Josh has never once done anything wrong to any of you.”

“We’re sorry,” One of the boys whispered sadly.

“I’m not the one you should be apologizing to.” Keith pointed out and then nodded to Josh. “And I believe that hat belongs to Josh.”

The boy with Josh’s hat scrambled to take the hat off before the three (ex)bullies turned back to Josh. Josh’s eyes were as wide as they could be and he flinched when they turned to him.

“We’re really sorry about being bullies to you Josh. That was wrong of us.” The three kids said quietly. Josh maintained eye contact with them for a few seconds before looking down after he shakily grabbed his hat from one of the boys.

“Does he forgive us?” The girl frowned.

“Josh doesn’t have to forgive you right away,” Keith reminded them softly. “However, maybe if you keep trying and you continue to be nice to Josh, he might. And maybe you guys could actually become really good friends.” Keith shrugged with a soft smile.

The kids nodded and Keith was pleased to see that none of them looked angry or upset by Keith’s words. Instead, they all had their own looks of determination on their faces, and it brought a smile to Keith’s face.

“Now, how about we have Josh show us this week’s homework…”

x.V.x

“I think you have an admirer.” Shiro grinned one day during conferences at the elementary. Keith had been invited to come so the parents could thank him in person for tutoring their kids. Keith had brought his dad along with the bribe of a free dinner afterward, but honestly, Shiro wanted to be smug and proud of his son all night long.

Look at how far Keith has come.

“Hm?” Keith frowned. Shiro simply nodded his head in the direction of where Josh and his mom were and Keith chuckled quietly.

He began noticing the subtle changes in Josh throughout the weeks but he decided to keep quiet. Although, now his changes were more apparent than usual.

It started off with a change of how Josh walked and presented himself around others. Instead of his shy, closed off posture, he was walking with his chest out and with a sharp glare in his eyes.

Then came the changes in Josh’s wardrobe. Starting with long boots similar to Keith’s own combat boots. Then came the darker jeans and shirts, and finally Josh began sporting a red jacket, that looked as if it had been cut in order to appear cropped.

Keith was almost expecting Josh to be sporting longer hair tonight but luckily hair did not grow that fast. While Keith was flattered, he knew he had to put a stop to this.

Josh deserved to be his own person. Not a replica of Keith.

“That’s Josh.”

“The boy you’ve been tutoring the past couple of months?” Shiro asked excitedly. “And those three kids with him?”

Keith grinned when he saw the girl and two boys running over to Josh and his mom to show Josh’s mom Josh’s latest science project. It seemed that the kids had actually taken Keith’s words to heart and were on their way to becoming friends with Josh. Josh was even smiling giddily when they came up to him and his mom. It warmed Keith’s heart and reminded him of his own group of friends.

“Come on, introduce me! I want to meet this prodigy of yours.” Shiro said as he began dragging his son over towards the small group. Keith playfully rolled his eyes but allowed himself to be dragged over. When Shiro began introducing himself to the group, the kids immediately latched onto him.

“Oh my god, Mr. Keith, this is your dad? He’s bigger than you!”

“How come your dad has a cooler arm than you?!”

“Are you sure that’s your dad, he looks a young as you!”

While the kids were reeling on Shiro, Keith turned to Josh and waved at the boy who immediately beamed with a flap of his hands. He then pointed to his jacket and boots and Keith laughed.

“Yes, I see! They’re just like mine, huh?” Keith asked and Josh nodded excitedly. “That’s so cool, do you like them?”

At this, Josh simply shrugged but he continued to smile and Keith sighed softly.

“Josh, you know that you don’t have to act like me, right?” Keith said gently and then he rubbed Josh’s shoulders. By then, Josh was fiddling with his fingers. “You’re perfect just the way you are, hat and all. You’re friends like you for you.” Keith nodded over towards the three kids who were still by his dad. The three happened to glance at Josh and waved eagerly at him, to which Josh shyly waved back.

“See kid, they like you,” Keith replied with a laugh before plopping Josh’s hat onto his head. “We’re all our own person and no two people are alike. It’s okay to be yourself.” His heart jumped when Josh looked up at him with such an open and earnest expression. Slowly he pointed at his hat and then his jacket with a shy smile.

“Yeah, I think you look great in the hat and jacket. Especially if you like it.” Keith winked, causing Josh to giggle before being swarmed by his friends. Keith watched them fondly until he felt a hand on his shoulder. Turning around, Keith saw Shiro grinning at him so brightly that it made his own face flush out of embarrassment.

“I’m so glad you’re my son.” Shiro laughed and Keith sighed.

“Of course. You’re lucky to have me.”

“I know. Who knew that my little spitfire baby boy would turn into such a fine, level-headed young man?”

“I take it back. Maybe Kuro can adopt me instead.”

“Noooo, Keith. Admit it, you’re adorable!”

“I am not!”

“My adorable little baby.”

“Dad.”

#single dad shiro #single dad Shiro Au #kiddie!AU #kiddie!paladins #voltron legendary defender #thanks nonny #this was so fluffy #keith is so protective of Josh

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transgenderteensurvivalguide · 7 years

Note

ok so are there any like reference guides for like, posing like a guy? im starting out and trying to be more guyish and i just realized that i cant put my hands on my hips anymore aaaa

Lee says:

I don’t think guys pose much per se, but you should try people-watching to see how guys behave!

General info on mannerisms:

Confident Body Language

How to Have an Effective Handshake

How to walk more masculinely

Remembering to sit masculinely

The greeting nod

Body Language Tips

Feminine “tells?”

Masculine body language

How to Dude

9 Body Language Tips

Crossing your arms?

Trans guy specific advice:

“Women tend to be less obtrusive, while men tend to take up more space. If you watch commuters on a bus, women tend to sit with their legs crossed and their arms drawn in, and men tend to sit with their legs apart and their arms out.

Observe, observe, observe. Go to the mall or a park, sit on a bench, and watch the male world go by. Take notes. Later at home, practice in front of a mirror. Try not to be too exaggerated in your movements. Once you’re comfortable with your movements, go out in public and try them. They should become second nature after a while.

Be sure, when observing, to observe a wide range of guys, of all races, shapes and sizes. If you’re tall and thin, feel free to pay closer attention to tall thin guys, but watch everyone. Otherwise, you’ll just be doing an impression of the one or two tall thin guys you saw. Get an average and go with that.

Handshakes: Make them firm, not like a dead fish. Lock your thumb into the other person’s hand, and look them in the eye. Don’t pump excessively.”

http://t-vox.org/advice/trans-man-passing-tips

…

“Practice walking. Women tend to take up less space when they walk, with their feet close together as if walking on an invisible line, causing the hips to sway. Men tend to walk slightly on each side of that invisible line, giving them more of a straight, swaggering walk that accents their hips less and takes up more space. A lot of guys also keep their hands busy by holding something, or keeping their hands in their pockets.

Work on sitting. Again, women try to take up less space, often crossing their legs, while men usually don’t care how much space they take up. Leave your legs open and lean back more. If you do cross your legs, put your ankle on your knee, making a box shape.

Consider your stance. Men don’t usually put their hands on their hips unless they’re thinking. They also tend to cross their arms higher over their chests. Putting your hands in your pockets is always good. Some ladies stick their hip out and angle their foot, while masculine guys tend to stand straight and without their hips off to one side.

Hold conversations. Women tend to send more signals to show that they’re listening: nodding, saying “Uh huh,” or “Oh no,” asking “And then what happened?” etc. Men do less of this, usually tilting their head or looking at the speaker to show they’re paying attention. Their voices may also be more monotone, with less inflections.

Pay attention to your arms. Women tend to move their arms a lot more than men when walking, so try to keep your arms to your sides. Just avoid making your arms extremely stiff or you may look suspicious.

Try hanging out in a populated spot and watch guys of all ages and “types” and see how they interact. Get a feel for their mannerisms, and try to emulate them. You may find that you already do a lot of those things, but you probably still have a number of typically female characteristics you’ll want to unlearn. If you’re having a hard time figuring this out, follow someone and imitate their walk.”

https://www.wikihow.com/Pass-As-a-Male-%28For-FTMs%29

…

Sit in a coffee shop window or on a park bench and watch the way men and women move. There is certainly a difference, though not a universal one. Men tend to stand with a wider stance and not lean on one hip, tend to cross their legs at their ankles or rest their ankle above their knee, gesture less, and walk with their chests instead of their hips. If you’re interested, think about what specific mannerisms tend to be common in men or in women that you see. Keep in mind that there can be tremendous variation in different areas of the world, different cultures, and different social settings. For example, a man walking up to the ring for a boxing match does not walk the same as a man waiting in line at the post office.

If you want to examine how your mannerisms compare to other men around you, here are some guiding questions.

How do men walk? Do they seem to lead with their shoulders, or with their hips? Look at the stance of the shoulders and elbows, and the placement of the feet. Check out this walking demo applet.

How do men sit down? Do they keep their legs close together, or open?

How do men greet other men? Do they shake hands, or nod slightly? Is it the same when greeting women?

How do men convey emotion? When do they smile, laugh, or raise the tone of their voice?

Are there mannerisms that tend to read as gay or straight? Young or old? Serious or relaxed?

https://www.reddit.com/r/ftm/wiki/index#wiki_passing_and_presentation

…

Followers say:

mutantami said: Hi 🙂 There are a number of tools that you can utilize. HRC.org has a ton of literature on so many different topics! The Human Right Campaign is extremely reliable and resourceful site. They stay up to date with the latest information in the LGBTQ community. If you are already aware of aware the HRC then you know what it’s all about 😀 I have so much more I want 2 say 2 u, & I typed it all out, but I got cut off 2 many characters. Feel free to message me. Hope to hear from you!

moostacheo said: For the Guy pose anon, most guys at my school tend pretty straight with their hands behind their backs, or with their hands in their pockets. If they have something like a bag on them, they usually sling it over one shoulder and put that hand in their pocket, though it’s probably not great for posture.

kriahfox said: not posing but when men walk they shift their weight more from foot to foot, kinda lurching, keeping their torso stiffer, while women sway their hips and shoulders to walk more upright. it’s pretty subtle. it’s not posing i know but it’s what I’ve noticed

osteoclastics said: unitymanipulator.devian… has served me well

whatsthatcat said: If this was about passing. The best (and most convenient) way to go is to just be mostly natural and relaxed. Youll absorb the behaviours you like anyway.

thisnamehasbeenreserved said: For the guy poses anon—I’ve actually looked into this. It takes some practice to get used to, but men and boys typically keep their hands to their side/in their pockets. They stand with spread legs, on occasion leaning onto one more than the other. Someone said that going for your most relaxed and natural position is best and I just wanted to add on that I do agree with that, but for people who are looking for more ways, observing and practicing the different behaviors to see which fit best can help a lot. I thought this info might help a bit as well. If anyone wants more tips on this they can message me on my blog(the one I’m sending this from^^)

farkenshnoffingottom said: If you’re sitting, crossing your leg with your ankle over your other knee so you create a sort of triangle thing (as opposed to your legs being pressed together and the crossed leg hanging down over the other knee) wow this is surprisingly difficult to put into words. Anyway, that’s a more masc way to do that

macksthetranstiger said: Standing with your legs about shoulder length apart is a good start, and guys tend to either put their hands in their pockets or cross their arms a lot.

mysinsarehypothetical said: Guys tend to stand straightish but not quite straight, normally with either their hands in their pockets or their arms crossed across their chest from what I’ve seen

hypermxbile said: @guy pose anon- guys stand with their hands on their hips all the time, actually. my step dad and his male relatives do it anytime they’re standing around and they’re the epitome of Southern Hypermasculinity. the difference is that they keep their legs/hips straight while “feminine” people shift their weight to one hip or the other (making a hip “pop” out).

nonbinaryresource said: Walk with your shoulders, not your hips. Imagine a line in front of you. Traditionally, a more feminine gait would involve putting one foot in front of the other, toe to heel and heel to toe on the line itself. A more masculine one, or one that accommodates a packer, would involve walking parallel to the lines, not directly on top of it, and more aligned with the width of your shoulders. Imagine your center of balance being higher in your body. -mod bion

#Lee says #boy body language #guy body language #body language #transgenderteensurvivalguide #trans #transgender

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cinemaocd · 7 years

Text

Top 10 Female Characters

I was tagged by the lovely @1outside. I am tagging @idlesuperstar, @tea-with-theo, @blurgle1, @towyns, @dying-suffering-french-stalkers and @onaperduamedee (and anyone else who wants to do it, of course)

1) Susan Vance (Bringing Up Baby): “Everything’s going to be alright” sings Susan as she drives off in David Huxley’s car. A modern day Candide in an art deco ballgown, Susan was my role model in my 20s and 30s. I don’t think I would have gotten a husband without her to be honest.

2) Emma (Emma by Jane Austen): spoiled, rich and bossy, Emma is not everyone’s favorite Jane Austen heroine. But there is so much that was relatable to me in her character. Having grown-up with overly protective parents and a valitudinarian grandfather who lived with us, I could appreciate Emma coping with her isolation and boredom by escaping to fantasies in her head. I GOT why she didn’t warm to Jane Fairfax who was the good girl that was constantly being held up to her as an example. I completely understood why she would take Harriet on as a project and overstep her bounds (this sometimes happens to the “mom friend.”) Emma learns from her mistakes and she takes steps to correct them and change her behavior. Her arc is a personal one, that should inspire everybody, I think.

3) Sophia Croft (Persuasion by Jane Austen) While Susan Vance was my role model in my 20s and 30s, I think Sophia Croft is shaping up to be my role model in my 40s and 50s. “None of us want to be in calm waters all our lives,” she says. Sophia drives the gig. Sophia manipulates her husband (in the kindest and most benevolent of ways) into arranging everyone’s social lives so that the heroine Anne can be with her long lost love, Wentworth. Sophia Croft rules the waves. She lives on a man of war. This 200 year old character seems as fresh and interesting as the day she first appeared on the page.

4) Laura Holt (Remington Steele), it’s slightly embarrassing to admit how much of an influence Laura Holt had on my formative years. But, no, I mean, what a fantastic role model! Laura was smart and ambitious and she had so much garbage to put up with from men (including the love of her life, fake boss, Remington Steele). I emulated her style (I still own a fedora and will to the day I die) and her gumption. I didn’t wind up being a private investigator, but I like to think that Laura’s imaginary man turned flesh, is at least partly what inspired me to become a writer.

5) Connie Sachs (Tinker, Tailor Soldier Spy): If I aspire to be Sophia Croft, I think I am probably closer to Connie Sachs in real life. Connie is doggedly loyal, obsessive in her interests and can’t hold her liquor worth shit. She is an oracle that speaks the truth and George Smiley wouldn’t be half the man he is without access to her incredible brain. Connie is one of the funniest characters ever and just the other day I burst out laughing when I suddenly remembered how she accused Peter Guillam of being a sex maniac because he tried to help her ailing arthritic self down a small flight of steps.

6) Mary Boleyn (Wolf Hall) OK I know she was a real person, but lets face it, no one in the Henrician court can escape having about 20 fictional lives. I spent so much time thinking about Cromwell being infatuated and then in love with her, that I fell in love with her myself. Mary is beautiful and smart and kind and funny and just a little bit petty. She’s a crier and a deep sleeper and she loves sex and wine and shopping. She’s been used and abused by so many men since she was a child but still she has the capacity to find love and happiness. She writes a kick-ass letter. Sigh. I just...LOVE HER.

7) Jane Eyre (Jane Eyre) She should probably be higher on the list because Jane is so brave and smart and truthful. I wish I could be Jane Eyre. Doesn’t everyone? And yet at the same time, she’s not perfect. She has no chill. She falls for anyone who shows her the slightest bit of kindness. But even those flaws are charming and make me love her more. I also love that Jane forgives those who wrong her but doesn’t forget. She keeps a minute log of every sting and she’s not afraid to throw it your face if you’ve got it coming.

9) Angela/Johnny (The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp): I love all of the characters played by Deborah Kerr in this movie, but Johnny has captured a special place in my heart. Johnny is competent and brave in a man’s world, but also a little shy and awkward around Clive and Theo. I think she’s half in love with both of them but doesn’t really know it. I have even come to appreciate Spud. Veuve Cliquot ‘14!!

9) Sugar Puss O’Shea (Ball of Fire); on the outside Sugar Puss is a tough gal, sexy, fearless and a little bit mean sometimes. On the inside she’s a soft little kitten full of kindness and fun. She walks across the room and a dozen men fall madly in love with her. She extorts her gangster boyfriend for a rock the size of a headlight. She can teach you the boogie woogie and the true meaning of “corny.” Sugar Puss O’Shea can do anything.

10) Starbuck (Battlestar Galactica 2004) Starbuck is the female fantasy that we should have more of in our culture. Starbuck does everything a dude would do in her place and gives zero fucks. Starbuck is a badass and hot mess. She is love with a dead guy and it’s doing her head in. (I can relate, sister). She’s some kind of super natural being. She’s the most ridiculously human character, full of insecurities and desires and so, so, so many bad choices. I love her relationship with almost every character on the show. S T A R B U C K.

#Wish I had space for:#Dana Scully #Dr. Constance Peterson #and Fanny Price

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spreadplaylist · 7 years

Conversation

SPREAD CH.4 ARTIST SPOTLIGHT INTERVIEW - TINA MATHIEU

This month's SPREAD Artist Spotlight is a dear friend of mine, Tina Mathieu. Let's get a closer look at her life and her music!

Tina: Hey there.. My name is Tina Mathieu. I’m a singer/songwriter based in Los Angeles. I moved out here by way of NYC, where I spent roughly 15 years writing and playing acoustic soul music. Within the past few months, I released my first indie r&b single and ran my very first official trail run... uphill - So i’m kinda feelin’ myself. ; )

Dan: Haha hi Tina! Those are definitely things to be proud of. I'm so excited you're our SPREAD featured artist this month! Diving right into your life and career a little more, how long have you been a songwriter/artist?

Tina: I started writing my own music after I stepped away from musical theater back in 2003. I was 22 with a broken heart and a cheap classical guitar. Typical story. I’d been writing poetry since I was a child - and somehow the ability to turn my words into melodies just clicked.

Dan: And when it clicks it's the best feeling ever. Since you have been writing for a while I am sure you have some sort of routine. Describe the place that makes you feel the most inspired creatively.

Tina: The mountains and the shower… recently I began trail running through the Santa Monica mountains. Moving through the open air, surrounded by 360’ of a world reminding me how small I am gives me major perspective - I become elevated in every way. I usually record voice memos while I hike and continue playing with those ideas once I’m home... washing all the dirt the off. The shower makes me feel like I can sing anything.

Dan: More power to you on trail running. I don't think that's something I could ever have the endurance to do! But if we're talking singing in the shower, I definitely feel like Beyoncé the moment I step in, even though I definitely don't sound like her...

Quickly moving on to get that image out of everyone's head...I know you are a very motivated and driven person. Do you have a personal mantra that helps you get through each day? If so, what is it?

Tina: These days when I feel like so much is out of my control, I like to stick with “One day at a time” and the serenity prayer... Accept the things I cannot change - the courage to change the things I can - and the wisdom to know the difference. Oh wisdom…

Dan: I've never actually heard that prayer. That's something I may have to adopt. I definitely use the day-at-a-time mantra or I tend to get overwhelmed.

So, now that you have released a new single, I know you are trying to get out and perform in LA a little more. Coming from experience I know that's a blessing and a curse. What do you think is a misconception people have about performing?

Tina: That bigger notes mean better singer. This is especially true in musical theater or televised singing competitions. I’ve had lots of internal struggles with this misconception. After dealing with vocal nodes, I had to start letting the strengths within my tone, emotion and storytelling depict my artistry - rather than belting my life away.

Dan: To be honest I think reality singing tv shows have done some hurt to singers because everyone watches them and then expects everyone to have a huge, belting voice. But we have to make room for the soothing, sultry vocals too. ;)

If you can pick, what song of yours are u most proud of? Why?

Tina: I’m super proud of two songs. ‘Downward Spiral’, my first single that I released, was a long time coming. I wrote it about 2 ½ years ago in NYC after dealing with some family turmoil. I’m proud of it because I actually followed through with it. I’ve written tons of songs and always found excuses to not finish them. When I released ‘Downward Spiral’ I felt ready. I had no excuses left.

I’m also very proud of the next song i’ll be releasing in October, ‘Ring Off’. Reliving the discovery of an affair is probably the most raw i’ve been in songwriting yet. It still hurts when i sing it and i think it makes people uncomfortable… which means I did my job.

Dan: I've heard both and I have to say they are both chilling. I don't even know if I could pick a favorite. And again, congrats on the new single!

I know that this journey is hard to follow through with sometimes, and its easy to get caught up. So throughout your years as a songwriter, who is one person in your life that has influenced and pushed you to be where you are now?

Tina: Influenced and pushed are two different things for me. I’ve had several artist and musician friends that have inspired me immensely. My family has always supported and believed in me. But as for pushing me to where I am now... I did that. Lots of people gave me advice and thought I was wasting my talent by not following through for so long, but I couldn’t do anything until I was ready - from the inside - an inner push that was long overdue.

Dan: I'm so happy to see that push now, because you're amazing! It's crazy how we can hear kind words and support from so many different people but we equally have to hear us say it to ourselves, too. With this unstoppable Tina, describe a typical day in your life. What are you doing? What do u enjoy the most about it?

Tina: I’m a mom - so everyday starts the same... I have to wake up way earlier than I prefer to blindly pour apple juice for a 4 year old dude. I also work in tv production so I’m often juggling a freelance lifestyle which allows me the opportunity to make music. I try to hike or trail run whenever I can squeeze it in. Also, Target. I’m mostly at Target.

Dan: Target always saves the day. Also, you are my hero. Now that we've seen a glimpse into your grind, and that you are not holding back in your music making any longer, what do u think is the biggest misconception people have about working in the music industry?

Tina: That you get discovered and industry people figure everything out for you and you just get to sing and make money. EASY. It couldn’t be more of the opposite. Being an artist is running a small business - the financial investment, the self promotion, understanding the convoluted money splits on the back end of a song... I mean you really have to love the ‘making music’ part of it.

Dan: You have to love it almost more than anything else. There's so much more behind the scenes that people do not think about. Being where you are today, and having just released an awesome single, if you could go back in time to the Tina Mathieu who just started out as a songwriter and artist, what is a piece of advice you would give her?

Tina: Be nice to yourself. It’s ok to tell people that you are a songwriter. You’re not a phony. And you don’t have to hide behind other people’s success… you deserve your own.

Dan: Preach, girl. Also discussing your day-to-day life, how do u manage a busy schedule and stress? How do you recharge when u need to?

Tina: I try to stay as organized as possible - Google docs run my life. Hiking and weed are my stress relievers. Often paired together. :)

Dan: We definitely need those stress relievers to get us through the business. Breaks away from the madness are so important.

A part of this business also includes of failed attempts or let-downs. I feel like they are so common you can easily lose track. Tell us about a time that you feel like you failed musically. How did u overcome this?

Tina: When I found out I was pregnant, I felt like I completely failed musically. I had yet to put out a single, yet to release an EP… and to be honest, I thought that being a mom meant that I had run out of time. I wrote a depressing song that day (that no one has ever heard) and decided to accept my failure as an artist. Luckily, being a songwriter is simply a part of me that won’t go away. It took a few years to start finding my way again - but I’m actually better than I was before and now I have someone very special to impress.

Dan: You are a natural songwriter. I don't think it could go away if you tried to make it! I am really touched by your answer, and I can't help but be grateful for all the badass moms we see in the industry that are killing it. Ya know, Pink, Beyoncé, Adele to name a few... It gives me hope that other moms will be inspired to keep going; that they're not done after having a kid. And I'll be the one to say I am SO glad you didn't give up. We desperately need your music in the world. Also...your kid is ridiculously cute I can't handle it. He'll always be your number one fan!

What is a defining moment of your career and how has it affected your life since?

Tina: Releasing ‘Downward Spiral’ is the most defining moment so far. When I teamed up with the Los Angeles Songwriters Collective for their 2nd EP, I committed to myself that it was time follow through. The past few months have been non-stop songwriting, studio time, gigs, co-write sessions, networking and supporting new artist friends. Making that one commitment changed everything for me.

Dan: I have such a big smile on my face. The gears are turning and there's no stopping now!

Looking to your inspiratioins, tell us about an artist/songwriter who inspires u. What would you like to emulate in your own artistry?

Tina: Erykah Badu is my all time favorite artist. Unique in every way. Her voice, words, melodic decisions, storytelling... honest & confident.

“She’s Clever.”

John Mayer is my favorite lyricist - I try to learn a lot from the honesty and details in his poetry. I may or may not have a lyric tattooed around my wrist. (Shhh.. I’m a fangirl!)

I’m not looking to emulate them but rather let what I love in these artists innately come through me - kinda like osmosis.

Dan: You said something SO important right there. I think up and coming artists struggle a lot when they're first releasing music. They listen to their favorite artists and then try to sound like them, but the key is letting what you love about them show in your own way! Ah, I could scream! Nail on the damn head.

So what artist/album/song have u had on repeat lately?

Tina: 90’s male R&B slow jam Playlist - Ginuwine, Dru Hill, 112, etc..

Julia Michaels - She is an effortless genius.

Kehlani - Obsessed with her.

Fiona Apple, Tidal - because her words never go out of style (and I still need a dictionary to get through some songs...)

Dan: What a good ass mix! If people reading this have not checked those artists out, GO! Some of them have been featured on SPREAD before... ;)

Laaaaaast but not least at all, how can we check out ur music and stay up to date with ur releases/posts? Anything we should especially be on the lookout for? ;)

Tina: I’m mostly active on Instagram - @tinamathieumusic. You can listen to ‘Downward Spiral’ on SPREAD CH. 4 - Feels and also stream or download it anywhere music exists. I have a few LA gigs lined up for Sept / Oct, which I’ll be announcing soon - and my newest single, ‘Ring Off’ will be available this fall.

Dan: Y'all heard it from Tina herself! If u haven't already, go check out her new single, 'Downward Spiral' on SPREAD CH.4 and go follow her! LA people, make sure u go see her live to because her music and her voice slays. Thanks again, Tina, for being SPREAD CH.4's featured artist. I'm super excited to see where this next year takes u! :)

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

Thank you everyone for joining us for this month's SPREAD Artist Spotlight! I hope you have let out all the FEELS u can before Friday because a whole new playlist is coming! And it's gonna end with a bang 🎊

#spread #cover #artist #spotlight #up and coming #music #singer songwriter #tina mathieu #downward spiral #apple music #spotify #youtube #playlist

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bloojayoolie · 5 years

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Apparently, Craigslist, and Funny: We have streamlined our rules. ' 6 what is a chungus-Google Seal + x x a http://bit.ly/2EKXJFD İİİ Apps @Vehicles b craigslist sacrament YouTube Gmail carroborator Home l Schoology y Twitter Other bookmarks redditme li littybrofam Q Search r/me _irl ㄥ 865 karma 4 408We have streamlined our rules. (Details inside.) X CLOSE r/funny Posted by u/funny_mod Does not answer PMs 13 days ago 408 . We have streamlined our rules. (Details inside.) r/funny Hello, Ir/Funny! As many of you are (probably) aware, Reddit has changed the way that rules are displayed to users on the site.Subscribers Since this was apparently done with the specific intention of confusing everyone, we're auctioning off the subreddit to whichever clown out there offers us the most laundry detergent. Okay, not really: We're just streamlining our rules so that they're unified across all platforms. None of those rules have changed, but hopefully we can cut down on excuses for having not read them. Henceforth, here's how users can report any rule-breaking submissions that they encounter: 22.2m 50.2k Online Posts Welcome to r/Funny: reddit's largest humour depository SUBSCRIBE ADVERTISEMENT Rule 1: All posts must make an attempt at humor Humor is subjective, but all posts must at least make an attempt at humor. As the minimum age for Reddit access is 13 years old, posts which are intentionally disruptive, inane, or nonsensical will be removed. TL:DR: No unfunny shitposts. AD Rule 2: No memes, and no HIFW, MRW, MeIRL, or DAE posts. If your submission begins with "When you..." or "When they..." or anything of a similar nature, it is not allowed here. Submissions depicting or containing intentionally emulated behaviors (memes) are also not allowed including memetic image macros, "challenges," or elements thereof. Non-memetic image macros are allowed. TL:DR: Ugandan Knuckles can find his "wae" right out of here. lype here to searc 1/4/2019 2

#funny #lol #humor #memes #meme #memehumor #dank memes #funny pics #rolf #lmao #Apparently #Craigslis

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nullset2 · 6 years

Text

Toy Project: Fortune Telling from Super Mario Bros. DX

I recently moved out of my country and I've been staying at a hotel and turns out I got bored so I started just trying random stuff to try to have fun while I get my own place.

So I remembered... back in the day, I don't remember how, because I never actually had a gameboy of my own, but I remember I managed to play Super Mario Bros. DX for the Gameboy Color. I remember that port, a pretty good one at that, because of the fact that not only does it recreate Super Mario Bros. on the Gameboy Color really well, no matter the small screen size of the system itself which leaves a lot to desire to the NES's resolution, but because there's a massive amount of extra content added to the original SMB trip.

There's time trials, You vs. Boo mode, multiplayer modes, hidden red coins, hidden yoshi eggs, a new map screen and a lot of other random smaller stuff, such as Gameboy printer stickers (in case you have one of those laying around lmao), a day planner in case you're still rocking your gameboy color as a PDA 20 years later, and even a fortune telling minigame. It's awesome!

The fortune telling minigame

You see, for some strange reason I have this weird kinship for the fortune telling minigame... I always liked the fact that the little messages you get are so satisfying to read, the little jingle that sounds before the message is displayed sounds so exciting, and the fact that you can even get extra lives for the main platforming game if you have good luck and you get a nice fortune :)

So here's the challenge:

I want to recreate, for fun, the fortune telling minigame in a web application.

Right off from the bat, this is what I'm gonna need:

A dump of all the fortune messages that Nintendo put in the game.

A dump of all the graphics and sound used in the fortune telling minigame.

A database schema to store traffic data and fortune content data, so people can login, see and share fortunes, ideally with facebook.

An admin interface to add or edit the fortunes on my database easily (nice to have, and it involves making a User model too. I can do with SQL only though)

A web server that displays the actual frontend for the fortune telling minigame, does the "random shuffling" process, handles user traffic, then shows the users' fortune as an actual document that they can see on a browser (Ideally I'd expose it as a RESTful API too, but I don't want to do that at the moment, and for the sake of having a controllable scope for this project, I'll focus on doing everything as a rails web application)

TL;DR: Here's is the finished product: Have fun

This is gonna be fun :)

Dumping the fortunes

First of all, unfortunately I didn't manage to find a complete text dump of all the available text data in SMBDX online. Bummer! I was sorta anticipating this though. I guess I have to dump the text myself.

How to dump the text off a gameboy color game though? I was puzzled by this... however, I did notice something, the font used in the fortune telling minigame is similar to the font used in other gameboy color games, like the Legend of Zeldas available for it.

For example, compare both uppercase "W"s in the words "Words and "What", respectively. It's the same typography.

So I figured out that there ought to be a parallel there. Maybe if somebody has already dumped the text off of, say, The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening DX, and shared their techniques online, I could use something similar to dump the text off of SMBDX into a text file.

Turns out that there's many text dumps of all the zelda games on Gameboy Color, and off of the notes in those, I found out that there's many games that use ASCII encoding for their script. ZeldaDX is one of them. You can theoretically just open a game's files on a text editor with ASCII encoding and copy the script off of that

What does this mean? It means that the ROM image of the game, which is the actual collection of all the data that composes the game and that got shipped in carts in the original release of ZeldaDX (or any game on cart, ever, for that matter), has the actual text content itself encoded with the exact same hexadecimal values that the American Standard Code for Information Interchange uses:

From here onwards things are about to get more and more technical so buckle up and enjoy the ride. If you don't yet understand terms such as "Encoding", "VRAM", why RAM is different than ROM in the GBC or any computer's architecture, or what "Hexadecimal" means, feel free to stop here and just look at the results, or shoot me a line and we can chat about it over beers :)

So let's fire up good old trusty XVI32 and look at the ZeldaDX ROM image in it using ASCII and lo and behold, what happens when we try to search for a string of text which we already know is in the game, for example, "Marin"

There it is :)

You can also use a decent text editor to open the ROM and force "Western" (or Windows-1252) encoding when opening the ROM.

So, I procured a ROM image of SMBDX off from the actual retail copy I have and that I purchased with my own money, like you also should. Then, after dumping the ROM image, from here it should be a cakewalk, right? Open the SMBDX ROM on a hex-editor with ASCII encoding and presto, right?

Well, not quite.

Unfortunately, Mario DX, for some bizarre reason, doesn't use ASCII encoding for its text. Strange.

My hypotesis at this point is that, well the fortunes data must be there in some kind of sequential order still, because the fortune lines are data that must necessarily be persisted in order somewhere in the ROM image to be presented to the users.

Let's pretend that we have a false encoding for a second, where the letters of the alphabet are represented by the following key:

A => A0 B => A1 C => A2 D => A3 E => A4 F => A5 G => A6 H => A7 I => A8 J => A9 K => AA L => AB M => AC N => AD O => AE P => AF Q => B0 R => B1 S => B2 T => B3 U => B4 V => B5 W => B6 X => B7 Y => B8 Z => B9 a => BA b => BB c => BC d => BD e => BE f => BF g => C0 h => C1 i => C2 j => C3 k => C4 l => C5 m => C6 n => C7 o => C8 p => C9 q => CA r => CB s => CC t => CD u => CE v => CF w => D0 x => D1 y => D2 z => D3 ' ' => D4

Based on that assumption, and unless SMBDX is doing some shifty on-the-fly uncompression thing to the ROM image (!!!), based on the fact that we already know that there's a message in the game that reads: "With a Fire Flower", and that the data has to necessarily be in that order somewhere in the rom, we should expect to find a sequence similar to the following data somewhere in the ROM:

B7 C2 CD C1 D4 BA D4 A5 C2 CB BE D4 A5 C5 C8 D0 BE CB W i t h a F i r e F l o w e r

The problem is, though, that we don't know for certain that the game stores its alphabet starting from uppercase A, with value A0... it could be any other value for all we know.

So to try to get a bit more clarity at this point we can use a hearty good old emulation debugger. If we fire up the ROM on a good-ass old emulator (in this case, I'm using nocashgmb), you can see the state of the Gameboy Color's RAM on runtime. Nice. We can trigger a fortune inside the fortune telling game, then inspect the memory to find out what data is actually getting read and from where:

If we take a look at the first uppercase W when we triggered a fortune it shows that the data comes from address 99C1 in the Gameboy Color RAM (look under Map Address)

So let's use a hex-editor to Goto address 99C1 and we find from offset 99C0

8D D6 E2 ED E1 1D DA 1D C5 E2 EB DE 1D C5 E5 E8 F0 DE EB

Look at the following screenshot:

Notice something interesting here? Probably we got the jackpot ;)

What are the giveaways?:

Notice how there's a lot of instances on this string of hex values of the value 1D. Why could that be? Could it be some kind of separator? Or delineator? What about... if it was a representation for typographical space?

Notice how the value C5 appears two times. The character F also appears twice on the phrase, on "Fire" and "Flower". Coincidence? I think not.

It seems to me that the string of hex values we found translates very well to:

8D D6 E2 ED E1 1D DA 1D C5 E2 EB DE 1D C5 E5 E8 F0 DE EB W i t h a F i r e F l o w e r

Some other thing that I noticed is that the lowercase values seem to be incremental and alphabetically ordered (notice at the values representing 'l' and 'o' and how they seem to be in sequence when you interpolate 'm' and 'n' between them, exactly in order going from E5 to E8), yet the uppercase values don't seem to follow the same order. I may be mistaken though.

So perhaps we can build a translation table from Mario-encoding to ASCII by deducing it from the debugger, then input it into a hex editor that can do custom translation tables, and hopefully try to deduct the rest of the code from there. We could throw out some ruby for this:

#!/bin/ruby LOWERCASE = { } ASCII_LETTER_a_OFFSET = 97 offset = 0xDA (0..25).each do |i| LOWERCASE[($ASCII_LETTER_a_OFFSET + i).ord.chr] = offset+i end $LOWERCASE.each do |k, v| puts "#{k} => #{v.to_s(16).upcase}" end

Which produces this table:

a => DA b => DB c => DC d => DD e => DE f => DF g => E0 h => E1 i => E2 j => E3 k => E4 l => E5 m => E6 n => E7 o => E8 p => E9 q => EA r => EB s => EC t => ED u => EE v => EF w => F0 x => F1 y => F2 z => F3

So far so good. Notice how it perfectly syncs with the example fortune.

Let's try to see how this plays out in a hex editor before we move onto the uppercase characters. Let's open the Rom on XVI32.

A quick tangent: of particular interest, notice how there's a string of perfectly good ASCII text at the beginning of the ROM file, showing the game's title and key. Longtime experience with Wii hacking and Nintendo DS and 3DS fidgetry has made me understand that since a forever, Nintendo has always liked to assign a unique alphanumeric code to each and every title that releases on their console. They call that code the TITLEID. I can see that SMBDX is AHYE. A quick look at the game's product ID on a site like GameFAQs seems to confirm that:

So there's a feature on XVI32 called character conversion that one can use to make XVI32 follow a custom encoding instead of ASCII when trying to visualize the data inside a file. This fits perfectly with our use case that we want to see the text in Mario-Encoding, which we have already deduced. Let's try to input our conversion table there:

Turns out XVI32 has a format that it uses to exchange conversion table data called XCT. This is a simple format which can be created from plaintext consisting of n different lines denoting a semicolon-separated pair of translation values, one per each line. We can adapt our ruby code to produce an xct table very easily, associating our values on the reverse order, so to speak.

For example, we have determined that 'a' (ASCII hex 61) corresponds to Mario encoding 'DA', our first translation pair in the xct table would read: DA;61

Let's use the code that we used before and modify it a bit so it dumps an xct table for us:

#!/bin/ruby LOWERCASE = { } ASCII_LETTER_a_OFFSET = 0x61 offset = 0xDA (0..25).each do |i| LOWERCASE[($ASCII_LETTER_a_OFFSET + i).ord] = offset+i end $LOWERCASE.each do |k, v| puts "#{v.to_s(16).upcase};#{k.to_s(16).upcase}" end

The resulting xct table, so you don't have to run this script, is here.

Which we can then load into XVI32 for conversion... and once we do that, lo-and-behold:

And from here it should be pretty easy to decode the uppercase alphabet that Nintendo used for this game:

#!/bin/ruby UPPERCASE = { } ASCII_LETTER_A_OFFSET = 0x41 offset = 0xC0 (0..25).each do |i| UPPERCASE[($ASCII_LETTER_A_OFFSET + i).ord] = offset+i end $UPPERCASE.each do |k, v| puts "#{v.to_s(16).upcase};#{k.to_s(16).upcase}" end

Yes, I know, I didn't bother to modify the original code to integrate both cases and just ran one for uppercase alphabet, and another one for lowercase. I was lazy xD.

The final fortunes content, with a bit of formatting and retouching, is here.

Getting the GFX and the Sound

Fortunately it was really easy to find the graphics for the fortune telling online, since sprite ripping is fairly easy to do and has been commonplace since the dawn of the commercial internet and emulation (credits to spriters-resource.com).

The sounds weren't as easy to find since the Result, option select and option opening sounds weren't as interesting as to warrant somebody posting them online in wav format for other people to download. I didn't manage to find them, but not to worry, this is a simple sound capture job. VBA-m, a popular gameboy emulator, has screen and sound recording features. After sound capture, it´s a simple edition job. Audacity is a great tool for this.

But anyway, I had to rip the sound effects that come after you get your fortune, because those weren't available anywhere. That was a simple audio capture and then editing with audacity. My audio collection is available here.

Developing the app

Now that we have this, we can jump into development of the actual app! Oh joy!

I decided to architecture the application as a standard server request-and-response cycle. I kind of had to take a bit of time to think about this. Do I develop this in the traditional way, using a server and a database with a request-response loop, or do I do it on the clientside? After all, doing everything clientside is pretty hot these days... But the argument that having a relational database available to add extra fortune messages is too compelling to ignore, and backend languages are still in my opinion more amicable to that purpose than just doing everything on frontend. I will eventually make this app more robust clientside in a version 2.0.

These are the design tenets:

A web server displays the fortune selection page, which should have the necessary design to play audio and display animated content (without plugins, mind you! Modern Web is awesome!).

On click, the frontend performs an animation, then the user gets redirected. The user's traffic is intercepted by the server, which makes a dice throw and shows the user's result, with the corresponding audio and graphics according to the result.

The pages in the site should be responsive so it works well on different viewports, even smaller screens. The web server should be able to connect to a relational database to retrieve the fortunes.

The server should be able to retrieve the fortune text off of a relational database.

So I decided to go with a simple Ruby stack for this, with the Sinatra framework for coding the server, PostgreSQL on the database, heroku as the platform (I like PaaS and heroku has amazing, free support for PostgreSQL out of the box).

On the frontend I use some small parts of CSS for webkit animations, transitions to animate all the assets I got off the ROM, and rotations/translations to position the clickable elements of the page in a circle formation, and the Javascript audio API to play sound.

A snag that I ran into quickly is that I need to add another media query to order the elements in another way on very small screens (the responsiveness is achieved purely through media-queries). Plus the animation is fidgety and not compatible in all browsers because I'm tweening the content property of an img element in the page for animation and this doesn't play well with browsers, or rather, doesn't produce smooth-enough animation. I think that I will look into canvas in version 2.0 of the app to handle all the gfx.

And finally, I needed a way to populate my database quickly with all the text I dumped from the ROM. I made a quick sql script for that, which I placed on the project's repository. Vim proved very good for this, parting from the previous txt file with the raw Fortune strings:

CREATE TABLE Fortunes(type_id integer NOT NULL, content varchar(40), created_at timestamp DEFAULT current_timestamp, updated_at timestamp DEFAULT current_timestamp); INSERT INTO Fortunes VALUES (1, 'With a Fire Flower you''ll beat Bowser.'), (1, 'Fortune awaits you in the clouds.'), (1, 'Fortune will lead you to Yoshi.'), (1, 'Look below to find what you seek.'), (1, 'Good friends bear good news.'), (1, 'Southerly winds bring sunny skies.'), (1, 'Kindness given is returned tenfold.'), (1, 'Good news is due from a loved one.'), (1, 'Good things come from hard work.'), (1, 'Soothing music soothes the soul.'), (1, 'Keep a good grasp Fortune will last.'), (1, 'Worries naturally melt away.'), (2, 'Stomp a shell and scores will swell.'), (2, 'Pipe cleaning reaps rewards.'), (2, 'An eye to the sky reveals Red Coins.'), (2, 'Keep your head up Find what you seek.'), (2, 'A party of three brings good luck.'), (2, 'Luck arrives with the easterly wind.'), (2, 'Express yourself with written word.'), (2, 'Seek out the one who thinks of you.'), (2, 'Active bodies breed active minds.'), (2, 'To create music is to create joy.'), (2, 'You shall achieve great victories.'), (3, 'Enemies lurk in watery depths.'), (3, 'Fortune is hidden in bricks unbroken.'), (3, 'Today is your day to win the race.'), (3, 'Boxes may contain clues to the quest.'), (3, 'Victory is yours in the coming race.'), (3, 'Beware of winds from the west.'), (3, 'Feelings shared will be understood.'), (3, 'He who thinks of you is beside you.'), (3, 'Imagination is a wonderful toy.'), (3, 'Old tunes bring new fortune.'), (3, 'Trade high scores to set new goals.'), (4, 'Stomping on spikes leads to sore feet.'), (4, 'Careless footing causes one to fall.'), (4, 'Kicked shells may bounce back.'), (4, 'What you seek is right beside you.'), (4, 'Sincere apologies renew friendships.'), (4, 'Storms ride in on northerly winds.'), (4, 'You will not find true love this day.'), (4, 'A VS Mode victory is not your fate.'), (4, 'Not all pain leads to gain.'), (4, 'Happy songs lift sad moods.'), (4, 'The Warp Zone speeds success.'), (4, 'Only a Challenge clears the mind.'), (5, 'Bowser''s breath engulfs the future.'), (5, 'Flying Koopas cut short success.'), (5, 'Dont count Yoshis before they hatch.'), (5, 'Leave impossible dreams to dreamers.'), (5, 'Seek answers in a friends advice.'), (5, 'Beware of pointed enemies.'), (5, 'Change old habits Yield new success.'), (5, 'Victory in a race may wash pain away.'), (5, 'Excess is a powerful enemy.'), (5, 'Favorite tunes never fade.'), (5, 'Now is the time for patience.'), (5, 'Help all in need, not just a friend.');

If you're using heroku to mount the app, it's very easy to populate heroku's postgres database through the command line by using unix redirection from the file to heroku pg:sql with the following command:

heroku pg:psql --app "the_name_of_your_app_here" < scripts/create_databases.sql

A quick note: a fast look at the main executable for the server, fortune.rb, you can notice how I'm handling connections to the database. It is a good practice to store connection credentials for your database on an Environment Variable in the server, from where I read at the moment of connection in runtime, else I default to development-credentials, which you should replace by your own if you try to run this on your machine.

Final Words

So this is it! Hope you enjoyed the ride and remember that you can check out my project and deploy it for yourself from my github [profile] (https://github.com/nullset2/smbdxfortunes).

Have fun and may you have great luck in your future! :)

#works #super mario #super mario bros. dx #gameboy #gameboy color #emulation #web development #project #fortune #luck

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billyprosser258-blog · 7 years

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tune-collective · 7 years

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Migos & Memes: How Everything From Strippers to Donald Glover Helped 'Bad & Boujee' Explode

Raindrop.

If you’ve been near just about any FM radio dial, social media feed or person under 20 in the past month or so, you know that the only possible follow-up to that formerly innocuous word is “drop top,” completing the opening rhyme from the current Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 song “Bad and Boujee” by Migos, featuring Lil Uzi Vert.

But it’s more than just a catchy refrain. Offset’s hook spawned an online movement via memes that reached just about every demographic, especially after Donald Glover (a.k.a. Childish Gambino, a.k.a. creator of the Migos-featuring sitcom Atlanta) declared his love for the “Boujee” in his Golden Globes acceptance speech.

The song’s road to No. 1 began long before it hit national TV, though — here’s the story of its unlikely rise to the top.

1. The Single

“Bad and Boujee” arrived Aug. 27, 2016, exclusively on SoundCloud, “a community on the brink of what’s going to break,” according to Quality Control Records head Kevin “Coach K” Lee. It was a new strategy for Migos, but one Lee had seen work with one of his other young artists, Lil Yachty. “Quavo was featured on one of Yachty’s songs on SoundCloud, and it got like a million plays in 24 hours, so our strategy this time was to feed those fans,” he says. “They’re the ones you want to touch first.”

Even before it dropped, though, Lee was certain the song was a hit. “Offset just sent me a hook and verse at first — as soon as I heard it, I was like, ‘Man, where’s Quavo? Where’s Takeoff? They need to get on this record ASAP.’ Within three days, we put it out.” Timing was crucial: Lee wanted to release the Metro Boomin-produced “Boujee” in time for Labor Day weekend (Sept. 3-5), typically home to some of the biggest radio mixshows of the year.

The response — especially to Offset’s opening hook — was immediate, albeit confined to the hipper corners of rap internet. There were about 100 tweets quoting “raindrop, drop top” the day the song was released, according to data from Twitter, probably starting with this one:

raindrops, drop tops

— 1/2 of naerene (@SIlXFEETUNDER) August 27, 2016

Within an hour there were more:

Raindrop! Drop top!

— isaac (@TlPSYY) August 27, 2016

Rain drop Drop top

— Tyler Yalch (@Tyleryalch) August 27, 2016

The song’s meme-readiness even came through in the album art, which itself was originally a meme based on a photo of Love & Hip-Hop: Atlanta star Tommie Lee.

Throughout my life there’s been a lot of pain and hardships. I thank God for everyday of my new life, As I transition into the woman at one time I could only dream of becoming. @clearlyfocusedmediaworks @_bxplicit @msamyj thank you!! #curry noodles coming soon #transitiontees #kiltframes #tommieshit#neverforgetwhereyoucamefrom #vh1 #currynoodles #lhhatl#monascott @monascottyoung @erika_lapearl_mua

A photo posted by Tommie (@tommiee_) on Jul 18, 2016 at 2:18pm PDT

Me lmao pic.twitter.com/ciDlRcsPGm

— jenny (@bawnsai) August 5, 2016

“I didn’t know they were using the picture, but I was flattered,” Tommie Lee told Billboard via email. “It’s always cool to know someone appreciates your vision. Plus, the song is super catchy — I like it.” The story behind the photo, fittingly, is about as “Bad and Boujee” as it gets: “I was at such a transitional time in my life, and I wanted the photo to tell a story,” says Tommie Lee. “My photographer Cris Evans and I snuck into the Sun Dial [the restaurant at Atlanta’s The Westin Peachtree Plaza] and pretended we were there to eat. I ordered a tea and asked for extra hot water. When the server brought the water, my photographer pulled the noodles out of his bag to catch the shot. I had to tip the server $100 to be the lookout and give us five more minutes — $100 all for a dope Instagram picture, LOL. My favorite part was that so many people could relate to it.”

Despite its instant online cred, the next step for the track was totally old school: club and radio promotion, specifically via Atlanta strip clubs and listening parties. In September, Migos personally visited “every club and every strip club” in the city to perform and promote “Boujee,” according to Coach K. “We hadn’t done that in a while, because [Migos had] been on the road so much, but with this record we knew we had to go back to the basics, back to the grind,” he adds. “Perform the song, and personally go up to the DJ and say, ‘Hey, this is our new record.'” Plus: “If those girls start putting up clips of themselves dancing to it on Snapchat,” says Coach K of the strip clubs’ dancers, “you know it’s going to go.”

2. The Video The track’s video, released Oct. 31, racked up 1 million views in just three days and within a few weeks was added to more than 4,000 YouTube playlists daily. “For a hip-hop artist that’s not necessarily global yet, that was impressive,” says YouTube head of culture and trends Kevin Alloca. That, combined with the song’s official single release (Oct. 28) across platforms and radio push, prompted the song’s chart debut: No. 42 on the Hot Hip-Hop/R&B Songs chart for the week ending Nov. 10. Though it entered the chart thanks to exponential growth in streams, airplay was still a factor, particularly in Atlanta (the top city for “Boujee” airplay every week since its release except one, confirming that they are still very much local boys making good), Chicago and New York.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-sJp1FfG7Q

“Boujee” mentions were still growing, mostly on Twitter — users sometimes tweeted the lyrics while attaching a picture or GIF (Wiz Khalifa was an early adopter, see below):

Me when Bad and Boujee comes on. pic.twitter.com/pEjmGiWwW5

— Wiz Khalifa (@wizkhalifa) November 3, 2016

When I hear Offset hook, Rain drop .. Drop Top pic.twitter.com/INw1uSXUie

— #22 (@Gottiboi_ij) October 11, 2016

3. The Memes, and the No. 1 By mid-November, the lyrics were averaging 2,500 mentions a day on Twitter, and it had become almost a prerequisite to attach an image or an exhortation to respond to any mention of “raindrop” with “drop top.” Two of the meme formats that have had the most impact, though, seem to have been created by Atlanta artist Zack Fox, an Awful Records affiliate and most recently cast member and writer of Flying Lotus’ debut film Kuso.

Raindrops Drop top Shoutout my niggas at standing rock

— Zachary Fox (@zackfox) December 5, 2016

when you bout to leave the club and hear offset say “you know….” pic.twitter.com/oGrt4zLJEJ

— Zachary Fox (@zackfox) December 8, 2016

“There’s no mystique to how I use the Internet,” says Fox. “Most of what I do is just me on my laptop with a blanket over my head, Photoshop is open, and it just happens.” Fox already had a substantial Twitter following, which helped his tweets go viral (now, he’s at more than 40,000 followers). “If I didn’t do it, somebody else was going to,” he adds. “There’s definitely some checks that could be written, but I wasn’t thinking to myself, ‘I’m doing this so this song can be No. 1’ — it’s honestly the best song I’ve heard in the past five years.” The week after Fox’s tweets and the many, many others that emulated them (ending Dec. 15, 2016), “Boujee” grew almost 60 percent in airplay audience nationally, its largest jump since just after its official release. By the end of December, the song was in the top 40 of the Hot 100 and brands like Wendy’s and Jimmy John’s jumped on the trend, confirming that it had gone mainstream.

Rain drop Drop top

I eat Jimmy John’s nonstop

— Jimmy John’s (@jimmyjohns) December 26, 2016

@chulomang drop top

— Wendy’s (@Wendys) January 4, 2017

“Rap culture saying or doing something cool and then some big corporation making it wack is just the way it works,” says Fox of the corporate use of “Boujee” memes. “Twitter accounts doing it is so funny because you see exactly how it happens — you’re giving me 140-character evidence that your corporation is built on taking shit and manipulating the same people you took it from. I’m probably gonna go eat Jimmy John’s after this, like ‘Raindrop, drop top’ … where have I heard that before?”

Lee says that since OG Maco (also a Quality Records signee) blew up via memes with 2014’s “U Guessed It,” he’s made concerted efforts to go viral as part of his marketing strategy. “Oh hell yeah [we try to cultivate memes],” he says. “We’re like, ‘Who made this meme?! We need to get them this record.’ It’s really a promotional tool now — we didn’t have to pay anybody, but there’s a business out there for it.” He traces the impact of memes to seeing snipes (posters) on the street in his early days as a promoter. “You’d say, ‘Oh damn, this record’s about to be hot,’ because you’d seen it a lot of places. This is before the Internet.”

The timing of the song’s exploding popularity was also a combination of old-school and new-school marketing — sure, it was tied to going viral on Twitter, but it also happened over the holidays, traditionally a boom time for song and album sales. “It really popped between Thanksgiving and Christmas … I think because the kids were, like, on break,” adds Lee. “A lot of times it’s the kids that really move the culture.” A combination of increasingly prolific meme-ing and the holidays (read: iTunes gift cards) meant the song’s sales almost quadrupled over Christmas (digital sales rose 380% to 116,000 the week ending Dec. 29). On New Year’s Eve, the turn-up ready single was added to 12,000 YouTube playlists — one portion of the song’s almost 40 million streams that helped it finally land at No. 1 on the Hot 100, the week ending Jan. 5, 2017.

4. The Co-Sign Just three days later, Donald Glover called “Boujee” “the best song ever” during his Golden Globes acceptance speech, helping it become the top gainer across metrics on the Jan. 28 chart. “I was like, ‘Oh shit,’” says Lee. “Middle America, the world — they all know now.” During the ceremony, there were 175,000 mentions of “Bad and Boujee” or Migos — more than, for example, there were about Ryan Gosling. By Jan. 11 (three days after the Globes), the video had 100 million views on YouTube — currently it’s at over 137 million.

“It’s a very 21st century type of popularity,” adds Alloca, who sees “Black Beatles” as a strong comparison. “They’re both songs that became much bigger than themselves — they’re part of a movement, and really driven by people’s creative expression and enjoyment.” He adds that at least via YouTube, they’ve sowed the seeds for future success: “Migos started 2016 with about 280,000 subscribers, and now they’re at over 800,000 — they’ve increased the reach as soon as they drop their next song.” “Bad and Boujee” is atop the Hot 100 for a second week with the chart dated Feb. 4, breaking the record for the most weeks (this is its fifth) as the chart’s top streaming gainer.

Migos will be looking to expand their reach even more with their new album Culture, which drops this Friday, Jan. 27 — but Lee sees some reason to celebrate already. “Two years ago there was all this Internet gossip about Migos and The Beatles, then Rae Sremmurd comes with this song called ‘Black Beatles,’ that was up on the charts forever. Then, boom — the Migos, who originally had all the Beatles stuff, we come and we take down the Rae Sremmurd record,” he says, laughing. “You can’t make this stuff up, you know?”

This article originally appeared in the Jan. 28 issue of Billboard.

Source: Billboard

http://tunecollective.com/2017/01/24/migos-memes-how-everything-from-strippers-to-donald-glover-helped-bad-boujee-explode/

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